Chapter 9 Chapter 9 is here

After returning to the market, Huo Xin grabbed Yun Miao, whose mind was full of buns. She first washed Yun Miao's dusty hands and face with the water from the water bag, and then helped Yun Miao to untie and re-braid her loose pigtails. Then she clapped her hands in satisfaction.

"Okay, now let's go eat the buns."

Yun Miao, who had transformed from a mud monkey back into a respectable person, blinked his eyes and suddenly raised his two wet hands to slap Huo Xin's face.

"I'll help you wash it too!"

"Hey, you..."

Huo Xin was startled by the cold touch. Seeing Yun Miao raising her foot to run, she immediately chased after him. Her hands seemed to have their own consciousness as she pinched Yun Miao's soft cheeks and pulled them to the sides.

By the time she reacted, Yun Miao's round almond eyes and mouth had been pulled into three funny straight lines.

Huo Xin tried hard to suppress the corners of his lips that were about to turn up, and said coldly: "Okay, I'm kind enough to help you take care of it, and you actually repay me with evil?"

Yun Miao spoke incoherently: "I'm sorry, I dared to go into the pool."

"You know you're wrong...huh?"

Huo Xin was stunned. Just when she realized that there was something wrong with Yun Miao's apology, Yun Miao took the opportunity to twist his body and escape from her.

She smiled silently as she watched Yun Miao running away happily, then quickly followed.

Grandma Hua, Guan Dahai and Gao Zhu had been waiting by the stall for a long time. When Yun Miao and Huo Xin came over, Guan Dahai immediately opened the steamer. Suddenly, a mixture of wheat and meat aromas hit them in the face, making people's mouths water.

Yun Miao picked up a big meat bun and took a big bite. When the hot meat filling mixed with gravy flowed into her mouth, she first moaned because of the heat, and then moaned because it was so delicious.

No one could hear what she was saying. They could only see her holding the buns and making "woohoo" sounds while she reached out and stuffed a big bun into each of their hands, signaling them with her eyes to eat quickly.

Huo Xin looked at the bun that was handed to her mouth and took it hesitantly, feeling lucky that she had just helped the dirty girl wash her hands. However, as soon as the bun entered her mouth, she had no time to think about these trivial matters.

The bun skin is fermented just right, soft and delicious, the meat filling is fresh and tasty, and the inner layer of bun skin is full of sweet and mellow gravy, creating another kind of indescribable deliciousness.

The warm food enters the hungry stomach, bringing another kind of warm satisfaction.

Huo Xin finished a big meat bun without realizing it, and looked at the steamer on the earthen stove with some surprise.

Guan Dahai was already tired and hungry, and now when he ate such delicious meat buns, he was immediately amazed and praised them repeatedly.

"This is my most delicious meat bun. How was it made? It's so delicious, isn't it?!"

"Although that fat old man is very cunning, his skill in making buns is truly unique. Just for this skill, I... uh, five taels of silver is still too expensive. If it were one tael of silver, I would be willing to buy it."

Yun Miao was also amazed by the taste of the meat buns. No wonder holographic helmets are so expensive and always sell out when a new model comes out. It turns out holographic games have this benefit: they're delicious and not fattening. Who wouldn't love that?

Unfortunately, this was just ordinary food and had no beneficial effects. So Yun Miao generously stuffed the entire basket of buns into Guan Dahai's arms.

Anyway, in the later stages of the game, there will be as many junk items without attributes as you want. Of course, even if this bun has attributes, Yun Miao will not be stingy because she is an immersive player.

This type of player has a strong sense of immersion in the game plot and is extremely mean to annoying NPCs. They would rather not complete tasks than give the annoying NPCs even a piece of grass.

Even if the game setting states that the NPC cannot be attacked, they will still run over every day and make a few fake attacks on the annoying NPC to vent their hatred.

On the other hand, they are particularly enthusiastic about their favorite NPCs. They fight monsters intensively every day, and then wait at the place where the NPC appears on time with bruised faces and noses, and give the precious props that exploded to the NPC, just to increase the NPC's favorability.

Although Yun Miao's affection for these NPCs has not reached this level, she is indeed very happy to get along with them now.

Guan Dahai was also very happy and hugged the steamer flattered.

Huo Xin snorted softly: "You were so stingy last night, but now you are so generous."

She still remembered that Yun Miao had tricked her into taking away a whole bottle of detoxification pills.

Yun Miao said confidently: "That's because we were not familiar with each other last night."

Huo Xin: "Then give me a detoxification pill to try."

Yun Miao said firmly: "No!"

Huo Xin choked, picked up a meat bun with a cold face and took a big bite. "If you don't want it, then don't give it to me. I don't want it!"

Granny Hua and the others watched with laughter. Afterward, they ate their buns and chatted. By the time everyone had their fill, there were still about a hundred large meat buns left. Granny Hua put them and the bamboo shoots into her storage bag.

Yun Miao watched enviously from the side.

Granny Hua said helplessly, "Don't look at it. All the big sects will give storage bags to new disciples. You will naturally get one when you join Xuantian Sect."

As she got older, she had seen more people and things, and inevitably had more mysterious feelings. Some people were born extraordinary, and you could tell at a glance. This was true for Huo Xin, and also for this little girl named Yun Miao.

So even though the Xuantian Sect's disciple-recruiting test is very harsh and it is rumored that only one in ten people can pass the test, Granny Hua is certain that they will be able to join the Xuantian Sect.

Yun Miao: "When will the people from Xuantian Sect arrive?"

Before Granny Hua could answer, she felt the light above suddenly dim, and a huge shadow appeared under her feet, and this gradually moving shadow was getting bigger and bigger.

She looked up and smiled. "Look, they're coming."

Yun Miao raised his head as soon as the shadow fell, and saw that a huge three-sailed ship had appeared in the sky above Heijiao Ridge. Its entire body was made of exquisite and complex mortise and tenon structure, which fit together perfectly and seemed as if it were one.

The ebony of the ship's hull exudes a rich luster that has been precipitated over time. The dragon head carved on the bow holds a pearl in its mouth, looking domineering and majestic, while the cloud patterns on both sides are elegant and lively.

Twelve towering masts stood on the deck, each bearing three huge white sails, though only one was currently unfurled, its canvas billowing in the wind.

On the twelve masts hung twelve dark black flags, swaying in the wind. One could clearly see two white cursive characters written in iron-painted silver on each flag: Xuantian!

Just like a drop of water dropped into a frying pan, the already bustling market immediately became boiling, and many people shouted excitedly.

"It's Xuantian Sect!"

"The Xuantian Sect's ship is here!"

There was no space for the large ship to land on this flat land, so the ship just hovered in a place with few people. Two disciples of Xuantian Sect flew down from the ship to maintain order and reminded everyone not to crowd or trample.

When the noisy voices of the crowd gradually died down, a voice finally came from the big ship.

"All those who wish to join the Xuantian Sect, please step forward.

Granny Hua's voice then reached the ears of Huo Xin and the others. "Xin'er, I'll take you here."

Yun Miao looked over suspiciously: "Mother-in-law, aren't you going with us?"

Grandma Hua was amused, and her hoarse laughter sounded like the cry of a crow.

"I'm already buried up to my neck in the dirt, why would I want to join in all this fun? What if I can't pass that damned heart-searching array again? Wouldn't I be laughed to death by everyone?"

As she spoke, she untied the storage bag from her waist and tied it around Huo Xin's waist. Her big, dry and warm hand held Huo Xin's hand that wanted to stop her.

"Don't refuse. If it weren't for your mother saving my life, there would be no such a miserable old woman as me in this world. Take it. Remember, living a good life is more important than anything else."

"That's what your mother said back then. Xin means joy and excitement. She only hopes that you grow up safely and live happily. She wants nothing else."

Huo Xin's eyes reddened: "...Mother-in-law."

Granny Hua smiled and nudged her. "By the way, this low-level storage bag of mine doesn't keep things fresh. Remember to ask your senior brothers and sisters to open it for you after you join Xuantian Sect and return the buns and bamboo shoots to Yunmiao. Otherwise, they'll go bad if you don't take them out for too long."

"Go, all of you go. Grandma wishes you all the best in joining the Xuantian Sect. From now on, you will transcend the ordinary and become saints, roaming freely between heaven and earth, wandering in the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening, watching the waves rise and the clouds disappear, and achieving true freedom!"

Huo Xin looked at Grandma Hua deeply, then turned around and walked forward resolutely without saying a word. She knew that her grandma was doing this for her own good, but she couldn't agree.

As long as she can't kill her enemy with her own hands, she won't be able to sleep at night. How can she be free and easy?

Now she doesn't want any freedom, she just wants revenge!

Guan Dahai and Gao Zhu bowed to Granny Hua. "Then we'll take your good wishes, Granny."

"Take care, grandma."

Yun Miao keenly sensed that the conversation between Granny Hua and Huo Xin contained a wealth of game plot information. As a player, she should have seized the opportunity to ask, but perhaps the holographic game had created such a dull atmosphere that she found it difficult to speak.

So she gave up asking and waved to Granny Hua instead: "Granny Hua, we'll come and play with you after we join the Xuantian Sect!"

Granny Hua was stunned for a moment, then smiled and waved at her: "Okay, Granny will definitely prepare a bed to welcome you when the time comes."

Yun Miao responded, then quickly caught up and held Huo Xin's hand. It was then that she realized that Huo Xin's hands were very rough and there were many calluses on his palms.

She stole a glance at the long sword at Huo Xin's waist, and once again sighed that the details of this game were too realistic, just like... real.

Huo Xin, who was immersed in her thoughts, paused. She did not look back at Yun Miao, but stared straight ahead.

"What did you just say to your mother-in-law?"

Yun Miao: "I said that after we join Xuantian Sect, we will go to visit Grandma. Grandma said that she will open the bed to welcome us and prepare the most fragrant roast chicken, the most tender roast suckling pig, the most mellow wine, and..."

Huo Xin's eye twitched. "...Nonsense! Mother-in-law clearly only said to make the bed clear for her. Don't make any weird promises to her!"

Yun Miao was surprised: "Huh? You heard it? Then why are you asking me?"

Huo Xin pulled Yun Miao and quickened his pace: "It was just a casual question. Let's go, everyone else has already walked ahead of us."

*

When all the people who came to become his disciples reached the open space in front of the boat, Yun Miao looked up and saw a lame old woman floating onto the side of the boat.

As the old woman waved her sleeves, she felt a breeze coming, her body became lighter, and she and the others flew several feet high with the wind, and landed lightly on the deck of the fairy ship.

There were approximately two thousand people gathered at Black Dragon Ridge today. Even if we excluded the elders, guards, servants, and vendors who came simply to do business, there were still more than a thousand people who came to learn from the master.

The crowd was so dense that the originally spacious deck was packed.

The lame old woman said, "Everyone can rest in the cabin. We will wait here for another stick of incense. Once the stick is burned out, we will set off immediately."

A small child with a bun beside Yun Miao said crisply, "What if an incense stick can't make it?"

The lame old woman glanced calmly at the people below: "That means you have no destiny with my Xuantian Sect. There is no need to force it."

After saying this, she flew on tiptoe to the high observation tower and stood there, gazing into the distance, like an unchanging stone statue.

Seeing that the old immortal was unwilling to pay attention, everyone could only look at the Xuantian Sect disciples standing on the deck. Some of the braver ones even tried to get close to them.

"This fairy..."

"This Immortal..."

"I am from the Zhu family of Tanzhou..."

"Shut up!"

Before they could finish, a tall female disciple, wearing a long whip at her waist, stepped forward. Her cold, sharp voice was like an explosion in everyone's ears, startling many people and causing the previously noisy crowd to instantly fall silent.

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