Chapter 64 New Map Premieres on Jinjiang

When Yao Sisi arrived at Lingyun, she saw the little fox resting its chin on its paws, looking pitiful. She wondered where its sorrow came from and asked, "What's wrong? Are you still in a bad mood after waking up?"

She jumped onto Lingyun and reached out to pinch its hind leg: "You're completely healed! You're no longer lame!" She then looked at the spiritual energy surrounding it: "Not bad, not bad, your cultivation has also improved."

Ri Jiu looked behind her and asked, "Did you come back by yourself?"

Yao Sisi: "Okay, I'll come pick you up first."

Ri Jiu sighed and said, "Haven't you noticed any changes in me?"

Seeing that its expression was off, Yao Sisi scratched her head in confusion, "What's changed... its fur is shinier?"

Riku: "..." That's not true at all!

It said with a rather helpless tone, "Where do you plan to go via the teleportation array?"

Yao Sisi honestly replied, "I will go to Maoling City for a while first to find out the situation and then discuss where to go."

Rijiu's little black nose twitched, and its long whiskers twitched. Its small, pointed teeth were neatly arranged and very cute. It spun around in place, as if it had made up its mind, and said, "Then you guys go first, I'll come find you later."

Yao Sisi: "Why? Do you have something else to do?"

Having just gone through the ordeal of searching for him for a long time, she frowned slightly, a hint of unease in her eyes.

Rijiu thought to himself: "If I, in my fox form, hang out with you for too long, what will become of us? Based on my observations over the past few days, Sisi hasn't gone so far as to engage in cross-species romance. This body is too inconvenient for seducing people; it's easy for the other person to develop feelings of friendship or pet affection, but just not love."

Wouldn't he be losing out big time?

"I still have some things to take care of. Don't worry, I'll catch up with you soon."

Yao Sisi: "Then be careful!"

Rijiu paused, the little fox twisted its body awkwardly a couple of times, but Sisi didn't try to stop me at all...

It jumped down from Lingyun, flicked its big tail, and was reluctant to leave, but considering its situation, it hardened its heart and said, "I'll be back soon!"

As Yao Sisi watched the little fox gradually disappear into the forest, she stood there, bewildered. To be honest, they had been traveling through the Mystic Beast Forest together, and she could sense his presence even when he was asleep. So, she was a little unaccustomed to him leaving like this.

After realizing this, Yao Sisi felt it was not good. Cultivators have long lifespans and should take a more detached view of worldly concerns and be more open-minded.

Next, she met up with Qi Mu and prepared to leave via the teleportation array. By the time she arrived, most of the other people at the teleportation array had also arrived. Soon, dozens of people paid their fees and waited for the teleportation array to open.

Yao Sisi felt a force pulling at this space, very similar to the one that had brought her to this world before. However, she was unprepared last time, and because she hadn't cultivated and her body was very weak, coupled with the great distance, she fainted as soon as she was teleported.

This time, the feeling was very clear. Her body was pulled by a strong force, and she felt weightless, but she quickly returned to normal because she arrived at her destination in just a moment.

They arrived at Maoling City, a place that would take a year and a half to reach even with a flying artifact, and they landed not far from the city gate.

Perhaps fearing that the teleportation array might be occupied, the other end of the teleportation array was not set up directly inside the city, but outside the city. Yao Sisi and Qi Mu exchanged a glance and did not say anything to each other. They were in the crowd, and the more they said, the more mistakes they would make.

Liu Yuan, however, didn't have so many reservations. He followed behind Qi Mu and whispered, "Young Master, are we going to live in this city?"

He looked at the towering city gate in the distance, the endless city walls, thick and solemn, with a primordial and ancient aura, as if the city had existed for thousands of years, inspiring awe.

He couldn't help but exclaim: "It really is huge!"

Yao Sisi could see the admiration in his eyes. To be honest, she also thought the city was magnificent, especially the unique atmosphere it exuded—not only solemn but also bloody…

The combination of the two reminded her of the Great Wall, which is also solemn, but stepping on it inevitably brings to mind war. This city also evokes that feeling; its thick walls, like the Great Wall, are powerful weapons used to protect the people within, forged with the blood of countless people, and worthy of reverence.

Yao Sisi: "Let's go into the city first!"

Qi Mu nodded and then asked, "I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to ask you, where did the little fox go?"

As Yao Sisi walked, she replied, "I released it as soon as I saw it was awake. It's inconvenient for us to take it into the city, and besides, it belongs to the jungle, doesn't it?"

In her heart, whether it was Rijiu or Little Fox, regardless of their identities, she felt that the jungle was the more suitable place.

Qi Mu: "I see. By the way, is there still no news from Fellow Daoist Ri Jiu? He used to enjoy crossing the Mystic Beast Forest so much, but we met him first."

Yao Sisi: "He said he would come to find us, so we just need to wait."

Qi Mu smiled, his eyes sparkling like a starry river at night, deep and clear. When Yao Sisi wasn't looking, he reached out and touched the wooden hairpin in his hair. "Then let's just wait for him!"

After he finished speaking, his head seemed to tremble. Qi Mu reached out and patted his hairpin, but for some reason, a dark mist appeared deep in his eyes, and his tone of voice also changed subtly, "Fellow Daoist Ri Jiu has been gone for so long, Miss Si Si, don't you miss him? Even I miss him a little."

Yao Sisi paused, and actually thought about his question seriously, but didn't notice anything wrong with it. "Now that you mention it, I do feel a little uncomfortable, but the path of cultivation is always lonely, and I should get used to it."

Qi Mu pressed further, "You're not used to it because you miss him, right?"

Yao Sisi stroked her chin, unable to resist gazing at the distant jungle: "I guess so..."

The group walked into the city together. By this time, Qi Mu had returned to normal, but his mind was in complete turmoil. He heard a slightly gentle voice questioning him: "Who told you to come down here on your own and ask such strange questions!"

The other voice was gloomy and its tone was not good: "What's so strange about it? Don't you want to know these things? You've been probing for so long, isn't this what you want to ask? Why are you hesitating? What's wrong with just asking?"

This is what it means to do something efficiently and at low cost.

Qi Mu, enraged and embarrassed, retorted, "I didn't mean to ask those questions! Don't you dare intrude into my mind again!"

...

Yao Sisi patted Qi Mu on the shoulder and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Your breathing has suddenly become rapid."

Qi Mu stiffened, a fleeting look of panic crossing her face, "I'm fine..."

Yao Sisi: "You don't look alright. Why don't we find a place to rest first?"

Qi Mu was touched by her thoughtfulness. He hadn't expected that she would still have the energy to notice his condition in such a new environment. However, he was really fine. "I'm not feeling unwell. Shall we go get something to eat first?"

Yao Sisi said, "That's fine. There are a lot of people in the restaurant, so we might overhear some news."

As she traveled, she discovered that there was little difference between ordinary people and cultivators in this city, but there were far more cultivators than in the small town where she had lived before. Walking on the streets, she often saw cultivators hurrying along, while ordinary people seemed more at ease.

Most of the street vendors are ordinary people. Generally speaking, ordinary people and cultivators live together here. As for more specific details, you'll have to ask around to find out.

They soon found a bustling restaurant and sat down in a spot near the stairs in the main hall. The restaurant was gradually getting crowded, and they wondered if it was the delicious food that attracted so many customers.

Yao Sisi wanted to understand the city's environment, so she naturally wanted to go to places with lots of people, and this restaurant was just right.

After they sat down, they looked at the menu. As they had expected, the food was divided into two categories: one for trading with spirit stones and the other for trading with spirit pearls. There were almost no dishes for trading with gold or silver, and even those for trading with spirit pearls were very rare.

Yao Sisi also had a lot of spirit stones she had mined herself in her backpack, but some of them were irregularly shaped, and she didn't know if they were usable.

They ordered a few simple dishes and ate while listening to the conversations of the people nearby. Some were talking about hunting monsters in the outer city, others about some treasures that had recently appeared, and still others about the sects in the vicinity.

Suddenly they were bombarded with a lot of unfamiliar words. Before leaving, Yao Sisi took out a few irregularly shaped spirit stones. The waiter was taken aback when he received them and weighed them in his hand, saying, "Please wait a moment, sir. I am not able to judge the spiritual energy content. The shopkeeper has to take a look."

Yao Sisi paused, reached out to stop him, took back the irregularly shaped spirit stones, and glanced at the people around her. Seeing that some people were looking at her as if they were watching a commotion, she frowned, quickly handed him two spirit stones, and then gave Qi Mu and Liu Yuan a look. The group quickly left the restaurant.

Qi Mu noticed that Yao Sisi's expression was a bit off and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Yao Sisi said helplessly, "I wanted to find out more, but I didn't expect that we would be targeted. Let's not say anything and shake them off as soon as possible."

Qi Mu immediately understood: "It was because you took the spirit stones that people misunderstood? They wouldn't think we have a spirit stone mine, would they!"

Yao Sisi nodded: "Very likely!"

Qi Mu had been a manager of a household and a businessman, so he naturally knew what this meant. Who wouldn't be envious of someone who possessed a treasure?

Without her needing to elaborate, the group quickly made their way through the city, turning left and right. He said, "Generally, places near the city gates are quite chaotic and full of all sorts of people. It will be better once we enter the inner city."

Yao Sisi: "But we just arrived and we don't know the way." It was clear that there was no time to stop and ask for directions right now.

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Author's note: Ri Jiu: My actions made her remember my kindness even more, so I left Fu Zhe for a while.

Yao Sisi: It's not good to always be thinking about other people; I need to get rid of this habit.

Nichiku: ...?

I did the opposite!

P.S.: I made a mistake with the settings a few days ago and got locked by the writing software. I have to write 10,000 words before I can get out, otherwise I can't publish any articles. So there's still a long chapter to come, I'll publish it after I finish fixing it.