"Wait a minute." Yun Xian stopped the man and said, "So when you mentioned camellia just now, was that to test whether I was a demon?"
Wasn't this method discovered in the Southern Realm not long ago? How could the Eastern Realm be so well-informed that it's already being used?
"Yeah." This finally opened up the conversation, and the man complained, "Don't think this seems stupid, huh? We're just in this small town, and we've caught two in just three days!"
"..." This really surprised Yun Xian: "What if there really are people who don't know what flowers bloom in each season?"
"If you get one wrong, there's still a second one. So I've prepared two questions, haven't I?" The man waved his hand and said, "Besides, it's really hard for a demon to pretend to be human. You know? No matter how hard you try, if you stay a little longer, you'll be exposed. It's just that smell..."
Yun Xian listened to him talk, only to discover that the two captured demons had two problems: one with their attire, the other with their handwriting. The former, perhaps aware that humans were now aware of their cooler attire, had improvised and put on an extra layer of warm autumn clothing. However, his ingenuity was somewhat limited, as no one would wear an autumn clothing layer as an outer layer. The latter, however, was even more impressive, writing a letter of commitment with such fluent flow and even more beautiful handwriting than the person, yet he signed it with "Chi Na La."
"I don't believe any parent would give their child this name." The man said, "Do you believe it?"
“…” What kind of idiots are they?! They deserve to be arrested! Yun Xian was silent for a long moment before saying, “Thank you for your hard work.”
"What's so hard about that? Just tell me about it." The man glanced at the Taiping sword on Yun Xian's waist, his eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "Wow! Your sword is so realistic!"
What kind of new way of boasting about a sword is this? Is it really like it? Yun Xian just raised an eyebrow in surprise when he heard him say, "Where did you buy this? It's so well made. Look at mine. Even though I spent a lot of money on it, it just looks a little out of place."
He drew his sword from his waist. Yun Xian looked down and was stunned.
The vermilion sword body was slightly curved, the blade was sharp, and there was a blood-red gem on the hilt. Even the sword tassel that Su Chi had given her in Nancheng before was a replica. However, it seemed that there was still something wrong with it, but she couldn't tell where it was.
Yun Xian: "What is this?"
"The same style as Yun Xian!" the man said, "As long as you use this sword, you will be able to leap over the dragon gate like a fish and return home in glory! My style can not only protect your career, but I heard it also has the effect of attracting wealth. In the north, there is Miss Liu Qiankun, and in the south, there is Master Xue Miaoshou. Food, lodging, and carriage are provided. You only need to take 6,000 taels when you go out, and you will return home with a vein of minerals. Not only will you break even, you may even make a profit!"
Yun Xian: "...Don't be superstitious."
"How can this be called feudal superstition?" the man asked excitedly, "You haven't told me where you bought it yet? Are there swords for sale in the Southern Territory?"
Yun Xian said, "First, take a look at the signature on my name."
If you don’t want to say it, then don’t say it. You’re so stingy! The man muttered to himself and looked at the letter of commitment on the table. Suddenly, he uttered an extremely ethereal tenor: "You, you, you, you—"
Yun Xian nodded at him.
Taiping took the opportunity to say disdainfully, "Want to imitate me? If a Heavenly Grade weapon is so easy to imitate, then it's not a Heavenly Grade weapon."
"Taiping, don't think too much." Yun Xian said gently, "They mainly want to imitate me, and you are just a byproduct."
Taiping: “…Get out!!”
After the man across from him caught his breath, his first reaction was to question: "That's not right? Are you really Yun Xian? You're not just someone with the same name, who happens to wield a sword, and who's about the same age?"
Yun Xian pushed Taiping back and said, "What's wrong with me?"
"This kind of well-known swordsman, even though he's often called Dog Sword, shouldn't be this serious..." The man scanned her up and down, feeling that she was still a young man who had just ventured out into the martial arts world. Suddenly, he remembered something and said, "If you really are Yun Xian, then since you're back in the East Realm now, Su Chi must be there too, right?"
Yun Xian's ears moved slightly, and he heard steady footsteps coming from not far behind him.
She said solemnly, "A renowned swordsman, the most beautiful swordsman, a flower from the high mountains, proud as steel, only to be admired from afar and not to be played with—"
That person: “?”
Yun Xian shouted in shock: "He's coming, please close your eyes!"
Su Chi placed his fingertips on her shoulder and turned his face to her side: "What's wrong? Still can't go in?"
After a second of silence.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!! My eyes!! My eyes hurt so much!!!”
After instructing the guards not to reveal the news of their arrival, the pleasure boat was finally able to enter the city gate.
Master Mingguang got off the boat a few days ago just because he caught a cold. It seemed that the Qiankun Auction House had opened a new branch and cordially invited him to cut the ribbon.
Yun Xian had no idea how long it had been since he had returned to the East Realm. Now, seeing the familiar little cakes and snacks still being sold on the street and the familiar flowers blooming on the street, he couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion.
"..." Seeing her deep expression, Xue Lingxiu couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"
"What a twist of fate." Yun Xian waited for someone to ask him, "When I left the Eastern Realm, I was still an illiterate girl. Now that I've returned, I've transformed into a dashing swordsman known throughout the world. Who could have imagined this?"
Qi Zhiye really couldn't stand her anymore: "How many more big characters do you know now?"
"I think so." Yun Xian said unsurely, "When we were at the Lotus Seat before, Grandma Mingren taught us to chant sutras, and I learned a lot of uncommon characters."
Everyone wanted to complain, "Have you ever thought that it's not an uncommon character at all?" But seeing Yun Xian's cocky look as if he was sticking his butt up to the sky, they decided not to say anything.
After all, Yun Xian hasn't looked particularly happy recently. Before, he was worried about Miaoshou Sect, and now he is worried about Jimo Shu. In short, he has something on his mind.
Late spring is followed by early summer, but unlike the northern and southern realms, the seasons in the Eastern Realm are not as distinct. Qi Zhiye's golden eyes focused on the wildflowers flitting past him and he said, "I've seen this flower in ancient books. It seems to be called Chao Yinghua."
Yun Xian looked in the direction of his head. The small, pollen-filled flowers, clustered together, looked very familiar, but Yun Xian had never known they had such a formal scientific name. "When I used to sneak down the mountain to play, many children would pick them and lick the roots. They tasted sweet."
Yun Xian reached out and grabbed the flower that was about to fall.
"Don't eat anything carelessly." Xue Lingxiu said, "Wouldn't it be sweeter if you just drink honey water?"
"...Brother Daoist Xue must have misunderstood me too much!" Yun Xian didn't want to eat it, but quietly calmed it with his spiritual energy and put it into the storage ring, not knowing who he was going to give it to.
In the blink of an eye, it was summer again. Yun Xian stood in the wind, wanting to compose a few sad poems to express his inner feelings. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains and flipped through all the books he had read in his previous life, he could only come up with one sentence.
Xianjun, the English flowers in my hometown are blooming... That's all! Forget it! I'm just not cut out for it!
…
This was just a small town at the border of the Eastern Territory, still tens of thousands of miles away from Jiange. Instead of continuing on their journey, the group found an inn to stay in.
The inn in the small town was more like a B&B than a guesthouse, with only two floors and five rooms. The proprietress lived next door. It was only then that Yun Xian learned that the name of this town was Donglai Town.
Although both border towns are located on the same border, the environment in Donglai Town is much better than that of the towns bordering the Northern Territory. While the Southern Territory hasn't been particularly friendly towards the Eastern Territory in recent years, they have offered some support whenever possible to balance power. Many of Donglai Town's specialties have been purchased entirely by the Southern Territory.
Since they had crossed the border and the mission was accomplished, the two teams of masters sent by Master Li to protect them returned home. Xiao Wu did not continue to stay with the group, but planned to act separately.
"If there's something unusual in the Eastern Realm, you should all work your way in from the outside, keeping quiet, so we can better detect it. On the surface, we're all heading back to the Northern Realm. Now that very few people know about this, it's easier to act."
One was obvious, the other was hidden. Xiao Wu had to return to Jiange first. Yun Xian naturally had no objection, but before Xiao Wu left, he took someone with him.
"Master, do you want to see me?" Feng Ye had long forgotten that he was originally from the Qinfang and had become a spiritual swordsman. Now, upon hearing this sudden bad news, he even cried, "Can we meet again in a few days? There's no need to be so anxious. I won't die in the next few days."
Xiao Wu said, "That's hard to say. But the abbot seems to have something urgent to do. Pick up the zither and follow me now."
Feng Ye lowered his face to the ground, reluctantly following Xiao Wu in small, slippery steps. He kept looking back as he walked, tears welling in his eyes as he said, "Yun Xian! Ling Shan! Fellow Daoist Xue, Fellow Daoist Qi! I'm only away for a while, so please don't forget me! I'm going to Jiange, too!"
The two figures disappeared from sight, and Feng Ye's mournful voice echoed in the air for a long time.
"There are just enough rooms now that he's gone." Yun Xian said, "There are four in total. Lingshan and I have one, Brother Xue has one, Fellow Daoist Qi has one, and Senior Brother has one."
"Don't let Feng Ye hear this." Qiao Lingshan said sweatily, "Otherwise he will definitely say something like 'I will risk my life to get the golden bell for the Yun family' and 'I will abandon you after having sex with you' and so on..."
Xiao Wu was right. The fewer people watching, the better. After all, everyone in the group was still recovering from injuries, and even Su Chi, the best fighter, was not in good shape. If they forced themselves to fight, they would probably damage their foundation.
Yun Xian took out the Xingyan Sect's Yirong mask that Miss Liu had given him from the pile of storage rings. It was already dark and it was time to check in.
As she went upstairs, she grabbed a tabloid from the newspaper rack. She had to admit, the efficiency here was still a bit slow. The latest issue of the tabloid was actually two days old. If it were Qiankun City, they would have been smeared on people's faces right after it was written.
After closing the door and turning on the light, Yun Xian leaned back on the soft cushion beside him and continued to read the tabloid intently.
Today's tabloids keep pace with the times. After the South City incident, they even quickly opened a special column on fighting demons. Yun Xian read it out unconsciously as he read it: "Ten little tricks to teach you how to identify whether the opponent is a demon. Heroes, please tell your friends and family, so that we can all learn together!"
"First, their clothing style is unconventional. Regardless of gender, age, or status, everyone wears something quite unusual, an art form that humans cannot yet comprehend (and could easily injure Hehuan Sect monks)."
"Secondly, the demons have no common sense and cannot distinguish the four seasons..."
What he said was all true, but a little impractical. Now that the demons have surfaced, and there's a hint of a full-scale invasion, we should be able to capture as many as we can. Even a small amount of meat is still useful, so it's fine.
However, regarding the Nancheng Miaoshoumen incident, the main source of the chaos was not the demons, but the people who were possessed by demons. It was easy to judge the demons, but how to judge the people who were possessed by demons?
"Huh? Really?" Yun Xian flipped the page and read out with a hint of surprise, "A few tips to tell if someone around you is possessed. They have a violent temper, resort to violence over trivial matters, don't understand what others say, and have bloodshot eyes... At this point, some readers will ask, if this person has always been like this, how can you tell? I'll answer you here. Have you ever thought it's your fault that such a person is still alive... Hmm?"
Qiao Lingshan, who had been listening attentively for a long time, fell silent along with her: "..."
"That's actually true." Yun Xian agreed, "It's just a bit aggressive."
Qiao Lingshan said, "Don't watch it. It's useless. No one likes watching this. They all like watching those made-up programs. Brother Su seemed to have just bought some cakes and pastries. He asked if you wanted some."
"Cakes?" Yun Xian raised his head a little and said, "Did you buy them for me?"
"I didn't say who I bought it for..." But who else could I buy it for besides Yun Xian? Others don't like this kind of sweet, childish food. Qiao Lingshan panted and turned the quilt over, then slowly lay down. "If you're hungry, go out and eat. If you're not hungry, don't go. It's late, I want to sleep, don't bother me."
Yun Xian: "Where is he?"
Qiao Lingshan: "In his room."
"..." It's not good to go into someone else's room. What if I get angry? How can this delicate flower like the eldest brother resist? Yun Xian dog took off his new socks stealthily and got into the quilt. "Then I'm not hungry."
His foot deliberately rested on her calf. Qiao Lingshan shivered from the cold and shouted angrily, "Yun Xian!!"
Yun Xian blew out the candle with a playful smile, "Go to sleep! I have to get up early tomorrow!"
In the darkness, she couldn't help but think that it was actually quite good to maintain the status quo.
They say love is a calamity, but at least it has the word "calamity" at the end, so it's obvious that it's not a good thing. Besides, she's only nineteen, she's still a child, and she can't fall in love too early.
If I had to say which age is the most suitable...
Yun Xian thought wildly for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion of "forty-nine years old". He happily threw off the quilt and fell asleep contentedly.
The next day, Yun Xian arrived at the breakfast stall outside the inn on time, and Su Chi was already sitting at a seat waiting for her.
He has put on a mask and now looks unremarkable, but his back is as strong as a bamboo and his temperament is cold. There is an aura of beauty surrounding him that is inexplicably contradictory when combined with his ordinary face.
Many people passing by couldn't help but look at him twice.
Yun Xian sat down in front of him, still half asleep, ordered two bowls of noodles, and said, "Big Brother, what kind of swordsmanship should we practice today?"
Yes, that's right. After the Miaoshoumen incident, the special period was over, and the daily two-hour sword practice routine had to be restarted.
Su Chi said gently, "No hurry. Finish your meal first."
Dongjie likes to add sesame paste to noodles. It has a familiar taste. Yun Xian hasn’t eaten it for a long time and almost buried his face in it.
It was early morning, the fog had turned to frost, and several children were carrying small bags and going to a private school together, hand in hand, laughing and talking all the way.
I don’t know what kind of difficult situation happened in Jiange that required Xiao Wu to be recalled, but at least for now, Donglai Town is peaceful and tranquil, and there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual.
Yun Xian was eating noodles, and Su Chi just sat quietly watching her eat.
Not long after, two more men approached the breakfast stall, leading a horse. Both wore the same martial arts uniform, swords, and crowns, appearing to be from the same sect.
In addition to Jiange in the Eastern Realm, there are many sword sects that use swords as their martial arts. The sword manuals are ever-changing, and a slight change will make them different from others. However, Jiange has not made the effort to bring all these small sects under its wing, but let them flourish.
Of the two, the one walking in front was an older man, his cultivation level seemed more solid, his aura was harmonious, and his steps were steady; the one walking behind was a young girl who was still quite young, with some soft flesh still on her face. She looked left and right as she walked, and her expression was extremely lively and pleasing.
They look like a pair of senior and junior brothers and sisters.
The senior brother glanced at the steaming breakfast stall, neatly tied his horse aside, and said, "Sit down. Aren't you hungry? Eat quickly."
Yun Xian raised his eyes and met the girl's curious gaze. The girl immediately looked away like a frightened sparrow, blushing a little.
The brother and sister sat down next to them.
"Big Brother," Yun Xian said in a voice transmission, "Places like restaurants, stalls, and clinics are particularly easy to eavesdrop on. But I've never understood why they insist on speaking even though they can clearly communicate through voice."
Su Chi said, "It would look very strange if two people sat together, looking into each other's eyes but not talking."
Yun Xian: "...Yes. That's what you said."
To say it was weird was an understatement; it looked downright sick.
Sure enough, the two people next to him had barely eaten a few bites when they started talking ramblingly, "Brother, do you think the altar will really open in the next few days? With my level of cultivation, I'm definitely just going there to make up the numbers. Otherwise, I'd better not go."
"What's the rush? If not this month, then next. If you don't go, there are tons of people vying to go. Why would you refuse such a great opportunity? If you don't practice, are you going to spend your whole life practicing swordsmanship against the air?"
"I didn't mean that. Why are you being so aggressive? I just don't have much confidence."
"Neither I nor the Sect Master expect you to get so little at the altar. You're going there to train, to train, understand? Fight a few more times and get hurt, and your strength will improve dramatically."
"What if someone beats him to death?"
"It shouldn't be so bad..."
Yun Xian was multitasking, eating noodles while listening, wondering hesitantly, "Altar? What altar? Could this tiny Donglai Town be practicing some kind of feudal superstition, some evil ritual... It sounds like a lot of people would go there?" No, he had to listen again.
She wanted to listen more, but the other two didn't want to talk anymore. After that, they just kept on talking about trivial matters, you quipping me and I quipping you back, it was pure brother-sister style, and the insults they exchanged were quite sincere.
Yun Xian finished her noodles. Su Chi wiped the sesame paste from the corner of her mouth and stood up, saying, "Let's go."
"Sit for a while." Yun Xian said, "You can't do strenuous exercise right after eating."
"..." Su Chi said helplessly: "You don't want to practice again."
Yun Xian: "No, no! I just finished eating and my stomach is bloated, so Qingyan can't fly."
"It's so hard to restart. If you give up now, it will be even harder to pick it up later." Su Chi said, "Forget it, rest for another incense stick, okay? You shouldn't practice too much now, just move around a little."
Yun Xian: "Okay."
The other junior sister on the other side was almost done eating. After hearing this, an idea struck her, and she also said, "Brother, can we rest for a while before we set off? The horses also need to eat grass. We have been walking for almost a night."
"Okay." The senior brother said, "Rest as long as you want. It's best if we wait until the altar is finished before we arrive. We'll make our final appearance and give everyone a big surprise. It's the horse that walks, not you. How about I carry you over?"
The junior sister retorted, "It hurts me too when I'm riding a horse! It's all your fault for being useless. You're such a grown-up and can't even lead someone on a flying sword. Otherwise, why would we even need to leave?"
"You can fly the sword if you want. I'll hang a chain on it for you, and you can just sit on it like a swing." The senior brother chuckled, "Don't keep talking nonsense. Finish your meal quickly and get up. Is there glue on the chair?"
Back and forth they exchanged words, and in the blink of an eye it was a bloody storm. The junior sister was not to be outdone, but she spoke too hastily, choking on the noodles in her throat, and immediately burst into tears: "Cough cough cough cough!!"
The senior brother handed over the paper while laughing wildly with glee: "Hahahahaha!! Look at you!! You look so miserable!"
Junior Sister: “…You’re really annoying!!”
She glared at him angrily, then stood up to feed the horses. Yun Xian finished packing and went back to the inn to get Taiping. There was only a small breakfast stall with only two brothers sitting there. The air was very silent for a while.
After a while, someone finally spoke: "You shouldn't..."
They both spoke and shut up at the same time.
The senior brother was stunned and said, "Okay, okay, it's okay, you go first."
Su Chi looked at him expressionlessly, his tone full of disapproval: "This junior sister of our sect should be taken care of by you, why are you treating her like this?"
Was he hallucinating? The senior brother was incredulous: "Are you serious?"
Su Chi: "Or?"
Senior Brother: “?”
Su Chi: “?”
"No, you're not pretending, are you? Do you really think I have a problem, not you?" The senior brother had never spoken so sincerely before. "I've been wanting to say this for a long time. That was the tone you used to talk to our junior sister? Are you serious? It gave me goosebumps all over my body, and I could have swept them all over the floor. And you're taking care of her? What do you mean by that? You like her, don't you know it?"
Su Chi: “………………”
I don’t know how long it took, or maybe it was only a moment, he blinked extremely slowly, and his thick eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyelids.
What... like, I don't understand. I don't understand.
But his subconscious mind, which was always successful, told him that what this person said seemed to be right.
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