Traveling south, traversing mountains and rivers, Qinghe and his group enjoyed the scenery along the way, taking in the magnificent landscape.

When they got tired along the way, they stopped to rest by a stream.

Mu Dong was the first to jump off his horse and run to the stream to drink water and quench his thirst, and the others followed suit.

It was midday, and the sun was blazing. Fortunately, there were trees around, so Qinghe went to sit in the shade to cool off. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow by, which was very comfortable.

The little red bird, the incarnation of the Nine-Headed Fiery Phoenix, perched on her shoulder, preening its feathers and blinking its two little eyes, looking rather adorable.

She suddenly remembered that Mo Junqian's dragon was also a high-level magical beast that could speak human language. She raised her hand and patted its head, casually asking, "Can you talk too?"

The little red bird didn't react and continued licking its feathers.

Qinghe glanced at the sword in Mo Junqian's hand: "How about I give you a name too? I guarantee it'll be even more imposing than that dragon. How about... Little Red?"

The little red bird froze for a moment, then turned its head away without making a sound, its back to Qinghe.

Shen Xun mocked her from the side, "How did you associate Xiao Hong with domineering?"

Qinghe: "You don't understand. The saying goes, 'The greatest hermits live in the city.' Many masters have made a name for themselves with ordinary names. I don't think there's anything wrong with the name Xiaohong."

She held the little red bird in her arms, forced it to look up at her, and said in an almost gentle tone, "Right, Little Red?"

Shen Xun looked at this scene with disgust. If the Nine-Headed Fiery Phoenix had an expression, it would definitely be one of 'I've been kidnapped, please save me!'

Li Jiang took the full water gourd and walked to Mo Junqian, who was standing by the stream in a daze, and handed it to him. Mo Junqian took it, but did not drink it.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Jiang followed his gaze, but all she could see were verdant mountain peaks.

"I'm wondering, who exactly rescued Mo Zhanli? Could it be the mastermind that Master mentioned?"

Li Jiang: "I thought you would think of something else."

Mo Junqian smiled and said, "I'm not as fragile as you think. To be honest, my impression of my parents has been worn away by time. I've lived just fine without them all these years, haven't I?"

Li Jiang sighed, "Yes, that's how the process of growing up is, cruel and realistic." He patted Mo Junqian on the shoulder, "For us cultivators, this is the experience."

Mo Junqian nodded, and his gaze softened when it fell on Qinghe, who was playing happily with Xiaohong under the shade of the tree.

Mu Dong scooped up a handful of water from the stream and stared at it for a long time, muttering to himself, "Strange..."

Li Jiang walked over and saw him staring blankly at the water. She raised her hand and gave him a loud flick on the forehead.

Mu Dong jolted, dropping the water from her hand back into the stream, splashing up a cluster of waves.

Just as he was about to start cursing, he saw Li Jiang had already walked to where the horse was tied up, untied the reins, leaped onto the horse, and called out, "Let's go! We must reach Luochuan City before dark!"

Qinghe slowly stood up from under the shade of the tree. Little Red broke free from her palm, spread its wings, circled a few times in the sky, and flew away in one direction, leaving Qinghe standing there.

Shen Xun: "See, it really doesn't like the name you gave it, and it's been wanting to run away for a while now."

Qinghe: "You don't understand. It's because it likes it so much that it can't wait to show everyone its new name."

Shen Xun didn't understand, and the next moment he heard Qing He shout to the sky: "Little Red, wait for me!"

Upon hearing this shout, the nine-headed fiery phoenix in the sky flapped its wings and nearly fell off the sky.

After the laughter subsided, the horses neighed, and the group resumed their journey. The sound of hooves kicked up a wave of dust, and with a flick of the whip, one of them rode off into the distance.

Not long after they left, a figure silently landed on a tree, his body covered by a black robe, revealing only a pair of gloomy eyes.

My gaze followed the figures in the distance until they disappeared from sight. Then, the man in black robes waved his sleeve and vanished from the spot as if he had never been there. Only the branches where he had stood were still trembling slightly. After a moment, everything returned to calm.

...

Plans can't keep up with changes. The original plan to reach Luochuan City before dark was ruined by a heavy rain, so they had no choice but to spend the night in the watchtower outside the city.

Despite being called a watchtower, it was actually a small inn. It looked quite old, with several large red lanterns hanging around it, illuminating the surrounding area so that guests arriving at night could see the way.

Because of the rain, many people came to stay at the inn. Li Jiang finally managed to break through the crowd and successfully book three rooms.

One room was given to Qinghe, a deluxe single room.

The remaining two rooms were divided equally among the four people: Li Jiang and Mu Dong, and Mo Junqian and Shen Xun.

After a long day, Qinghe wanted to take a hot bath, but seeing that the boss was extremely busy and the only employee was busy dealing with various customers, she immediately gave up the idea of ​​taking a bath.

Without thinking twice, he threw down his luggage, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep in no time.

Mu Dong and Li Jiang were fellow disciples and had shared a room before when they went out on business, so this time was no different. It was just that Shen Xun and Mo Junqian suffered.

The two had very little time together on the journey, and neither of them were talkative people, so it was inevitably awkward to be in the same room. Just like now, Shen Xun sat on the bed with a cold expression, and Mo Junqian sat at the table drinking water with an equally cold expression.

From entering the inn to entering the guest room, the only word he uttered was probably "okay" when Li Jiang asked for opinions on room assignments.

Regardless of who Shen Xun is, in other people's eyes he is still an eight-year-old child. He himself doesn't care that others treat him like a child. As for Mo Junqian, he is already cold and indifferent to adults, and he doesn't know how to get along with children. After thinking it over, in order to avoid embarrassment, he knocked on Li Jiang's door next door.

The door opened, and Li Jiang had already taken off her coat and was getting ready to sleep. Mu Dong was lying on the bed covered with a quilt, and you could vaguely see his steady, rhythmic movements.

Mo Junqian whispered, "Could we change rooms? I... I'm not very good at getting along with children."

Li Jiang was very clever and understood immediately. She grabbed her coat and bundle, nodded to him, and went into the next room.

Mo Junqian took a deep breath, went into the room, and closed the door.

Shen Xun was sitting on the bed, his little legs not reaching the ground, swaying leisurely, his little head drooping, moving little by little with the movement of his legs, until Li Jiang put down the bundle and sat down before he raised his head.

Their gazes clashed; Shen Xun remained calm and composed, while Li Jiang was extremely wary.

This amused Shen Xun. Although he hadn't been of much help along the way, he had never harmed them. Where did this person's constant vigilance towards him come from?

He simply asked, "Do you know that looking at a child like that is very unfriendly?"