An Zhengzheng said gently, "This is too expensive. There are so many of us, how can we afford such a high price?"

Song Juan and Su Ying exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief; they had been genuinely worried.

They weren't from prominent cultivation families, but they applied for disciple benefits, receiving thirty low-grade spirit stones and several other auxiliary pills each month.

If this trip alone costs ten low-grade spirit stones, they'll be heartbroken.

“Fellow Daoist, you’ve misunderstood. My teleportation portal is different from others. It’s very stable and the journey is short.” The male cultivator boasted, “Other teleportation portals are bumpy and take a long time. Ten spirit stones is really worth it.”

An Zhengzheng still didn't agree and led the girls to another stall.

"Hey, hey, don't go! We can still talk this over."

"Nine spirit stones, nine spirit stones should be fine, right? How about eight? Seven? Sigh... six, six, that's the lowest I can go!"

The man shouted out the market price in a somewhat anxious manner.

However, this was the market price during peak times when it was impossible to secure a teleportation spot.

An Zhengzheng stopped in her tracks, her expression indifferent: "Those who were just talking about going to the Immortal Calculation Sect all said it would only cost five low-grade spirit stones, and Ghost Ancient City is much closer."

"Moreover, the new disciples have only recently joined the sect, and very few of them go to Ghost Ancient City. If you miss us, it's hard to say whether you'll be able to go there again."

Upon hearing this, the senior brother who sold teleportation services had no choice but to back down, sighing and saying, "Alright, alright, then four spirit stones it is."

An Zhengzheng lifted her foot.

Three!!!

An Zhengzheng stopped and nodded, indicating that An Yirou could pay now.

The girls around him were shocked. They had managed to negotiate down from ten low-grade spirit stones to three, saving a lot of money!

One by one, they took out their money.

"This is for two people." An Yirou gave the last batch of spirit stones; she had the most broken spirit stones in her hand.

The senior brother visibly wilted, and after taking the spirit stones, he said, "You guys wait here."

Song Juan asked in confusion, "...Why do we have to wait?"

"This magic array can seat five people at a time, with one seat still empty." He naturally wanted to earn more; three low-grade spirit stones could buy one more material.

"Yi Rou, let's pay for one more person," An Zhengzheng told her sister to make up the difference.

"Huh? Okay." Although she didn't know why, An Yirou did as she was told.

The senior brother took the spirit stone and looked at An Zhengzheng in surprise: "You're a strange girl. You were so good at bargaining when you were negotiating earlier, but now you're being generous."

An Zhengzheng retorted, "Is the price you just mentioned a fair price? I don't need these few spirit stones, but I don't want to be ripped off."

This direct exposure made the senior brother lose face. He touched his nose, but dared not speak, after all, he had indeed had his eye on it just now.

An Zhengzheng and the others went through the teleportation portal.

Actually, it's not really a door; it's more like a hexagonal flat stone. I don't know what material it's made of, but it's a material with some spacetime properties.

The four girls stepped on it, and there was still half a space left.

The senior brother held his breath and concentrated, making hand seals to cast a spell, and An Zhengzheng and the others quickly disappeared at the entrance of the teleportation portal.

They were more like inside a glowing pipe.

The teleportation was indeed very stable, but it would still take some time. An Yirou then asked the question that had been on everyone's mind.

Just like her mother taught her when she was a child, An Zhengzheng taught An Yirou: "Spend money where it's needed. We're short on time, there's no need to wait for others."

“But our spirit stones don’t come from thin air. Father works hard and every penny he earns must be spent wisely. We can’t let them take advantage of us, since they are clearly trying to cheat us.”

An Yirou is simple-minded and naive, and has no guile. If she is to inherit the family business in the future, she will need to understand many principles, otherwise, if she is cheated, it will be a loss for the entire An family.

An Zhengzheng taught him slowly.

An Yirou nodded very seriously, and even Song Juan and Su Ying followed suit.

After exiting the portal, we arrived at a place about ten meters away from Ghost Ancient City, where we could see guards patrolling in the distance.

"Three disciples from the Siyue Sect and the Fu Sect, and one disciple from the Wuqing Sect," An Zhengzheng introduced herself.

The leader guarding the city gate was a burly man; even several of An Zhengzheng's men didn't reach his chest.

Upon hearing the words "Ruthless Path," his thick beard trembled involuntarily. He looked at An Zhengzheng, who was standing at the front, in disbelief: "An Zhengzheng, a female disciple of the Ruthless Path?"

She is the top female scholar in the joint examination of cultivation families. It is said that she even defeated Zhou Xu, the genius of the Zhou family. There are rumors in the martial arts world.

An Zhengzheng nodded: "It's me, these are my sisters."

The gatekeeper was very disciplined; he didn't look at them much, but simply scanned them with his magic weapon and, after confirming they were safe, let them pass.

He muttered to himself, "This little girl, who's only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, is really amazing."

Moreover, with her stunning and aloof beauty, marrying a good husband in the future will definitely not be a problem for her.

But... how did they end up cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness? That's really quite frightening.

"The ascension rate of the Ruthless Path is 100%, but a girl will eventually have to get married."

"You can't just abandon your husband and children and become an immortal, can you?"

It's one thing for a man to be like this, but how can a woman neglect her family? Even if she succeeds in ascending to heaven, her husband will still lose face. It's so hard to keep a young woman in check.

It was daytime in Ghost City, and the sounds of various vendors hawking their wares filled the air. There were long queues of stalls and shops of all kinds.

The girls, including An Yirou, were dazzled by the sights and wished they could explore them all.

"Do you want to grab something to eat first, or do you want to do some shopping first?" An Zhengzheng asked the girls for their opinions.

Fasting pills are a good thing, and Song Juan and Su Ying can't usually get them. As for the fasting pills from the An family, An Yirou, being a girl, wouldn't get any either.

An Zhengzheng does have some, but she can't afford to waste it on her travels; she can only use it during her seclusion.

Song Juan touched her stomach and said, "I'm actually a little hungry."

"Are you hungry, or just craving something?" Su Ying smiled. "The dishes at the Siyue Gate's dining hall are the same every day. You want to eat something else, don't you?"

Song Juan chuckled, realizing she'd been exposed.

The group first went to a restaurant.

The waiter immediately noticed that An Zhengzheng and her sister were dressed in extraordinary attire, and eagerly asked, "What would you like to eat, fellow Daoists? We have tea brewed with the finest spiritual spring water, as well as various kinds of rice cakes and pastries."

An Zhengzheng requested a private room, which made Song Juan and Su Ying's eyes widen in surprise.

As expected of Anjia!

Once upstairs, everyone had a menu. Song Juan and Su Ying were hesitant to order, while An Yirou kept recommending dishes to them.

“This is our An family’s property. You can eat whatever you want.” An Yirou was afraid that they would feel uncomfortable.

As the girls talked, tea and dishes were served one after another. First came tea to enhance spiritual power, then dishes made from spiritual vegetables and animals, and finally spiritual fruits to aid cultivation.

An Zhengzheng took a sip of tea. The tea was slightly astringent at first, but the clear spring water masked the astringency, leaving only the aroma of tea, which was quite good.

She looked out of the second-floor private room window absentmindedly, but in her mind she was counting down the time.

Sure enough, word spread quickly throughout the street, causing a sensation.