On the way to seek her opinion, Gu Xiaozhu also saw... (Chapter 7)

Along the way, Gu Xiaozhu saw many cultivators. Some looked hurried, while others were extremely leisurely, as if they were on vacation. Of course, among these people heading to Lingyong City, there were also many mortals with no spiritual power.

As they entered the city with Jiang Zhihe and the others, the first thing that caught their eye was the bustling and lively streets.

The sounds of hawking and laughter blended together, and people came and went on the street, with monks and mortals living together in harmony.

For the first time, Gu Xiaozhu felt somewhat fortunate that, in her own conception, the gap between cultivators and mortals was not that large.

Of course, the Spiritual Law Division may also have played a role in this.

In these large cities, there are always Spiritual Law Offices. These offices are similar to police stations before the transmigration, responsible for maintaining order between mortals and cultivators.

If a cultivator kills a mortal without cause, they will be investigated and imprisoned by the Spirit Law Division; similarly, if a mortal is truly capable and joins forces to kill a cultivator, they will also be investigated by the Spirit Law Division.

“It’s already early noon, why don’t we find a place to rest?” Wu Jiangxue suggested.

As a cultivator, she naturally wouldn't get tired so easily, but Gu Xiaozhu, who had no cultivation, might not be so.

Gu Xiaozhu naturally wouldn't object to this suggestion, and Jiang Zhihe went even further, saying, "Of course! Come with me, I know a restaurant in Lingyong City where the food is absolutely delicious!"

Soon, he led the two to a restaurant that was about three stories high.

The dark blue tiles gleamed coldly in the sunlight, pillars stood tall in front of the building, and red lanterns hung at both ends of the gate. Above the gate hung a wooden plaque with gold lettering on a black background.

The three characters "Qianweilou" are outlined in flowing, elegant gold strokes on the wooden plaque.

Upon entering, the building was bustling with activity. There were unknown cultivators dressed in strange attire, as well as ordinary people in luxurious clothes. Servants carried food and moved nimbly between the tables.

Soon, a servant boy came up with a big smile: "Oh, isn't this Young Master Jiang? And are these Young Master Jiang's friends? Please come in, please come in!"

Wu Jiangxue, standing behind, raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you a regular here?"

After all, once one's cultivation reaches the Foundation Establishment stage, one can abstain from grains. Golden Core cultivators like them don't need to eat regularly at all.

Jiang Zhihe smiled and said, "There's nothing I can do. Although I have indeed practiced fasting, I still haven't given up my appetite."

He then turned to the servant and asked, "Are there any seats left on the second floor?"

Upon hearing this, the servant looked troubled: "You don't know, but all the immortals who came here in the past two days have been stuck in the city!"

Jiang Zhihe raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why is that?"

The servant said, "I heard from those immortals that the teleportation array in the city was destroyed. The city lord said it could be repaired within three days, so some immortals who weren't in a hurry simply stayed in the city."

"Judging by the time, tomorrow should be the third day."

Jiang Zhihe nodded thoughtfully.

Wu Jiangxue seized on the unusual part in the servant's words: "Wait, you mean... it was destroyed?"

The servant was somewhat puzzled, but still nodded in response: "Yes, that's what I heard from the immortals who come here to eat."

Wu Jiangxue: "Did they say who did the sabotage?"

The servant shook his head.

Gu Xiaozhu, who was standing to the side, felt a jolt of fear upon hearing this.

"System..." she quietly asked in her mind, "Could what's happening here be like that demonic cultivator from before, a 'plot that shouldn't have happened here'?"

Even the system's voice carried a hint of uncertainty this time.

Uh... I don't think I'll be that unlucky... right?

Gu Xiaozhu: "..."

She shrank her shoulders somewhat uneasily.

For some reason, she had a strange feeling that... this matter was not so simple.

Jiang Zhihe seemed to sense something and glanced in Gu Xiaozhu's direction.

Before he could say anything, Wu Jiangxue said, "In that case, why don't we rest in this city for the night?"

After all, there were still five days before Gu Xiaozhu's poison would take effect, and the other cities were too far away. Even if she and Fellow Daoist Jiang could withstand it, Gu Xiaozhu could not.

Jiang Zhihe did not answer immediately, but instead looked at Gu Xiaozhu. Only after seeing her nod did Jiang Zhihe reply, "That's fine too."

He then looked at the servant: "Since there are no seats on the second floor, then on the first floor..."

"Oh? Isn't this Brother Jiang?"

A slightly surprised voice came from upstairs, and the three of them looked up.

A young man dressed in white, holding a bone fan, was leaning against the railing on the second floor. His peach blossom eyes were slightly curved as he gazed at the people below.

Gu Xiaozhu recognized the person almost instantly.

A rising star in array formations, Shangguan You is only nineteen years old and has already reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Of course, what made her recognize Shangguan You was not his face, but the bone fan in his hand.

The fan is entirely silver-white, with gold patterns engraved on the edges. Each fan rib is carved with exquisite and intricate patterns, and one can vaguely see the flowing light shining through them.

The most unique feature of this bone fan is that each of its ribs can be disassembled and used as the array eye or array eye node for Shangguan You's formation, which allows Shangguan You to set up the formation almost instantly.

Shangguan You above also noticed the strange gaze, but before he could see it clearly, a red figure blocked the source of the gaze.

Jiang Zhihe: "I didn't expect to see you here. Are you also stranded in the city?"

Shangguan You, holding a bone fan, raised his eyebrows slightly upon seeing this scene: "No, I was invited by the city lord to repair the teleportation array."

His gaze swept over the three of them before he finally spoke: "I just happened to snag the last private room today, would you like to come?"

Jiang Zhihe raised an eyebrow: "You're alone?"

Shangguan You smiled and said, "Of course."

Jiang Zhihe looked at Gu Xiaozhu and Wu Jiangxue: "Then let's go."

The servant's smile widened even more as he saw this, and he quickly led the three of them upstairs.

Shangguan You's elegant pavilion is located on the west side of Qianweilou. It offers a wide view, and from the railing, one can overlook the bustling street scene.

Upon entering, they saw Shangguan You standing in front of the table, waving his bone fan with his right hand and smiling at them.

Jiang Zhihe then stepped forward and introduced the two: "This is my friend, named Shangguan You."

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Wu Jiangxue's eyes. She smiled and nodded, "So you are Fellow Daoist Shangguan. I have long admired your name. My name is Wu Jiangxue."

Shangguan You waved the bone fan in his hand slightly: "Oh, you're too kind. Compared to me, I have even greater respect for the renowned senior sister of the Medicine Immortal Valley."

After speaking, he shifted his gaze to the almond-haired girl who had been subtly hiding behind the two of them: "May I ask who this young lady is...?"

Seeing that the topic had finally turned to her, Gu Xiaozhu subconsciously gripped her sleeve and said, "My name is Gu Xiaozhu, hello."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan You smiled and nodded, "So it's Miss Gu. Meeting you today, you truly have bright eyes and white teeth, and a kind and gentle heart."

Gu Xiaozhu was taken aback, then shrank back behind Wu Jiangxue, but still politely replied, "Th-thank you."

Jiang Zhihe said to Gu Xiaozhu with a grin, "Don't be nervous. He's like that with everyone. He always has to praise them first."

Gu Xiaozhu nodded.

She knew, of course she knew.

As the author of this unfinished book, she certainly knows the personalities of some of the characters in the book.

But when she actually saw it, she still got really nervous!

After everyone was seated, Jiang Zhihe waved his hand and said to the waiter beside him, "Bring out all your signature dishes!"

"Put the bill on this young master Shangguan!"

Shangguan You: "???"

He silently closed the bone fan, and his amorous peach blossom eyes looked at Jiang Zhihe with a deep gaze: "It's been so long, and you're still so impolite."

Jiang Zhihe smiled and waved his hand: "It's precisely because you're my friend that I'm being so impolite!"

Shangguan You: "...Thank you."

Jiang Zhihe's expression remained unchanged: "You're welcome."

Shangguan You: "..."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and changed the subject: "But... Brother Jiang, why were you with Fellow Daoist Wu and Miss Gu?"

Jiang Zhihe: "Well, that's a long story..."

Through Jiang Zhihe's narration, Shangguan You learned the whole story. Even his gaze towards Gu Xiaozhu carried a hint of inexplicable pity.

He sighed softly, "I never expected Miss Gu's experiences to be so tortuous. Don't worry, I will repair the formation as soon as possible so that you can go to the Valley of Healers to detoxify Miss Gu."

While the group chatted, the servant served them the food one by one.

The table was laden with food: Dongpo pork, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, four-happiness meatballs, lotus seed soup... Every dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, constantly emitting an enticing aroma.

Jiang Zhihe: "Let's get started!"

Soon, the clattering of bowls and chopsticks filled the air.

However, to be fair, this meal was the best Gu Xiaozhu had eaten in the year since she arrived!

If the occasion had allowed, she would have burst into tears of joy.

"Fellow Daoist Shangguan, when I was downstairs, I heard the servants here say that the teleportation array in the city was destroyed?" Wu Jiangxue suddenly asked.

Shangguan You nodded: "That's right. I originally came to Lingyong City to take the teleportation array back to the sect, but I found that the array had been destroyed by someone."

"After I informed the city lord, he heard that I had made some progress in the art of array formations, so he offered to fund my repair of the teleportation array."

"I already need a teleportation array to go back, and even if he hadn't said anything, I would still have had to repair it. But since I can get some extra money, I naturally agreed."

Jiang Zhihe was somewhat surprised: "If I remember correctly, such a large-scale teleportation array requires at least a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator to repair. I remember you're only a mid-Golden Core stage cultivator, right?"

Shangguan You smiled and said, "That's true, but the teleportation array wasn't damaged that badly."

"Large teleportation arrays typically have thousands of nodes. The reason why such arrays require cultivation levels above the mid-Nascent Soul stage is that once such an array is destroyed, it will have a domino effect, affecting at least several hundred nodes."

"The nodes of the array are interconnected, and a vast amount of spiritual power is essential for its repair. Therefore, only array cultivators at the mid-Nascent Soul stage or above can repair it."

At this point, he took a sip of the tea beside him and continued, "But this time is different, or rather... very strange."

Jiang Zhihe: "Strange?"

Shangguan You nodded, a hint of seriousness in his eyes: "I've seen the teleportation array in Lingyong City. The person who destroyed the array is very clever. I even suspect that he has considerable expertise in array formations."

"Only a few dozen nodes of the teleportation array were damaged, and these nodes are interconnected, so they will not affect other array nodes and will ensure that the teleportation function is unusable."

Hearing this, even Jiang Zhihe frowned: "Then what is this person's... intention in destroying the formation?"

"Just to prevent others from using the teleportation array?"

Shangguan You shook his head: "I don't know either. But the Spirit Law Division in the city is already investigating, so it doesn't really concern us."

"However, the formation can indeed be repaired tomorrow. There are only a dozen or so related nodes left to be repaired."

"If you wish to go to the Valley of Healers, why not rest here for the night?"

After speaking, Jiang Zhihe and Wu Jiangxue seemed to be deep in thought, and finally both fixed their gazes on Gu Xiaozhu, who was eating silently.

Gu Xiaozhu: "..."

The hand holding the bowl froze on the spot.

At this moment, her heart was screaming:

Why are you all staring at me?! You can decide this yourself, why are you all staring at me?!

She remained calm, put down the bowl in her hand, and cautiously asked, "Um...is it okay?"

Seeing this, Jiang Zhihe and Wu Jiangxue nodded.

Jiang Zhihe: "I think it's okay."

Wu Jiangxue: "Mm."

Shangguan You: "...?"

He suddenly became curious about this seemingly ordinary mortal girl.

If we're talking about Brother Jiang listening to Miss Gu, then so be it. After all, based on the pictures circulating on the Spirit Network and Jiang Zhihe's attitude, he can tell that this girl is the one Brother Jiang loves.

But how did she manage to get so much care from her fellow sorcerers?

It's important to know that although Wu Jiangxue is the senior disciple of the Immortal Healer Valley and is renowned for her benevolent heart as a healer, those who know her well know that Wu Jiangxue's gentleness is only on the surface, and this senior disciple of the Immortal Healer Valley... doesn't really like mortals.

At this moment, Shangguan You suddenly felt his communication jade pendant vibrating. He took the pendant out of his waist, read the information on it, and then casually put it back.

Shangguan You: "We just received news from the Spirit Law Division that the person who destroyed the formation has been caught."

Jiang Zhihe paused: "You caught them? So fast?"

Shangguan You nodded: "Yes, I must say, the Lingfa Division is quite efficient."

Jiang Zhihe's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

After all, in his memory, the Spirit Law Division was fast, but its quality of work was very questionable.

Shangguan You didn't notice his friend's subtle expression and continued, "It was a sword cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, and it seems that the sword cultivator was drunk and accidentally damaged the teleportation array."

After saying that, he muttered to himself, "I really don't know what kind of luck that sword cultivator had, how come he only managed to destroy a few dozen nodes..."

Wu Jiangxue looked puzzled: "Can someone at the peak of the Golden Core stage get drunk?"

After all, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can mobilize their internal spiritual energy to counteract the effects of alcohol, so how could a sword cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage get drunk?

Shangguan You: "...That sword cultivator is heartbroken."

Wu Jiangxue: "..."

Jiang Zhihe: "..."

Gu Xiaozhu: "..."

Ah, no wonder.