Chapter 25 The Thousand-Year-Old Pearl Unseen: A Trip to Pingzhou
Pingzhou has a dry climate and lots of dust and sand. Mingying lifted the curtain and jumped down from the cloud carriage, only to be choked by the wind as soon as she looked up: "Cough cough cough... How come here... cough cough cough..."
Mingyan frowned in disgust, took out a veil from her bracelet, and threw it to her.
Mingying clutched her chest to calm herself, then obediently put it on, blinking her exposed eyes: "Mingyan, there are so many things inside your bracelet."
Mingyan said irritably, "This is yours, can't you recognize it?"
She never wore a veil, and no one knew when she put it in; it was probably one that Mingying had given her before and she forgot to throw away.
Mingying touched her veil and tried to recall, but couldn't remember anything. She was a mortal and couldn't use storage artifacts, so when the two went out, Mingyan always carried their belongings, and they would occasionally hang out together.
Pingzhou's appearance was quite different from the three places Mingying had seen. The streets seemed lively but not prosperous, the shops were simple and rough, the road surface was full of potholes, peddlers carried their loads on shoulder poles, and several children in short brown clothes ran around, looking at these outsiders with curious eyes.
As they walked down the street, heading to the inn to meet Elder Lü and discuss the situation, Mingying looked around, finding everything new and interesting: "Pingzhou is not quite what I expected."
Feng Yi, holding a map, led the way. He was engrossed in studying it when he accidentally bumped into a child running around. He took a few steps back and apologized repeatedly, but the child didn't even glance at him and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Feng Yi's gaze returned to his hand. He picked up the map and compared it to the marked streets. Hmm—something didn't seem to match.
Xiao Jingze had been here once before, and not much had changed in the past few years. He wasn't interested in sightseeing and idly twirled the gold ring in his hand, glancing at Mingying indifferently: "What kind of person are you thinking, like Yun Chuan?"
Feng Yi finally found the right way on the map. He turned around and explained, "Because of the climate and terrain, there are few people living in Pingzhou. The Jin family tried to develop here a few years ago, cough cough cough..."
He was choked by the sand and coughed violently, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve. The other three looked at him with complicated expressions. Mingying pointed to herself and asked, "Did I... infect you?"
Feng Yi waved his hand: "It has nothing to do with Miss Ming, I just choked on my own."
He reached out his other hand to touch his belt, intending to put on a veil as well, but after searching for a while, he couldn't find it. He looked down and exclaimed, "Huh, where's my brocade pouch?"
Feng Yi stood there in a daze for a while. His storage pouch was nowhere to be found. Could it have been lost?
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead: "That kid from just now!"
Mingying looked around: "Which child?"
Feng Yi untied the rope from his waist and gestured to them, recounting the scene that had just unfolded. The rope's break was clean, with obvious signs of being cut by a sharp weapon.
Xiao Jingze raised an eyebrow: "It's rumored that thieves are rampant in Pingzhou, mostly a group of five or six-year-old mortal children who specifically target outsiders. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator like you has fallen victim to them. It seems this little thief is not simple either."
Mingying looked at the barely remaining rope. She had never seen such a brazen thief: "He's more than just not simple. There were three cultivators present who didn't even notice."
Holding the broken rope, Feng Yi looked dejected: "It's over, the Ganoderma lucidum that the young lady took is still inside!"
Mingyan looked around but didn't find anyone suspicious. Her eyes were cold: "Even mortals can't open storage artifacts. Since you say it's a child from here, why don't you ask these vendors? But they probably know each other, so they might be covering for each other."
Mingying patted his shoulder to comfort him, saying, "Let's ask first. Young Master Xiao still has a compass; we'll surely find it."
Feng Yi handed the hanging rope to Xiao Jingze with a gloomy face, then glanced at his attire and said in a very puzzled tone, "Among the four of us, you are the most conspicuous. Why didn't this thief steal from you? Every item on you is more valuable than this tattered brocade pouch of mine."
Xiao Jingze tossed the gold ring up, and the compass landed in his hand. He reached out and turned the pointer: "This shows that this is a clever repeat offender."
He would know even if you touched his magical artifacts, let alone stolen them.
Mingying observed them carefully for a while. The four of them were indeed out of place on this street, especially Xiao Jingze, who was dressed in a gold and red python robe with gold thread trim, a gold crown inlaid with jade, a gilded belt hook, and a circle of jingling gold rings. From head to toe, it was as if the words "Money talks" were written all over his body.
Xiao Jingze stared at the compass, remaining completely calm under their gazes. In contrast, Ming Ying wore a blue-green dress with a plain sash at the waist, dressed quite modestly to blend in with the local customs. Half of her face was covered, making her look like an ordinary young woman who was cleaner than the others.
Mingying suggested in a low voice, "I think we should disguise ourselves. If you walk around the streets dressed like this, everyone will remember you."
Xiao Jingze tapped the compass and smiled at her, "Is that so? But I like it this way."
Okay, Mingying understands his personality quite well. Since he likes her, it's probably unlikely to change. She looked at Feng Yi again and said hesitantly, "Then how about Young Master Feng stands a little further away from him?"
Xiao Jingze chuckled softly. With the compass already set, he tossed the broken rope back: "Found it."
Feng Yi leaned forward to take a look, his gaze following the pointer to the child hiding behind the peddler. The child made eye contact with him, then took off running. Feng Yi chased after him, shouting, "Stop!"
Soon Feng Yi returned carrying the petty thief, who looked fearless: "It's just a broken purse that I can't open, it's worthless, just consider it lost."
Feng Yi wiped the sweat from his brow. The little thief was incredibly fast; he wouldn't have been able to catch him if he hadn't used a Swift Wind Talisman. He put the brocade pouch away and sneered, "If it's worthless, why would you steal it? Where are your parents?"
The little thief pouted nonchalantly: "There are no adults in my family. You can ask someone else if you don't believe me."
Feng Yi dragged him forward and, seizing the opportunity, asked the tea shop owner, "Excuse me, whose child is this?"
Wang Niang, the owner of the tea shop, had already noticed these distinguished-looking outsiders. Holding her teapot, she waved her hand impatiently and said, "You lot, watch your step! His parents are long dead; it's none of our business!"
Feng Yi scratched his head: "Auntie, what's going on now?"
Wang Niang put down the teapot, flicked her handkerchief, put her hands on her hips, and started cursing: "We're all neighbors and relatives. When the old woman who took him in had her accident, everyone gave her a proper burial. We also helped out because we felt sorry for him. Who knew he would raise such an ungrateful wretch! My shop was doing business peacefully, and he even dared to steal from the customers' wallets! If I hadn't caught him red-handed, he would have ruined the shop long ago!"
Mingyan stepped forward and asked in a good-natured manner, "Did he do this kind of thing before?"
Wang Niang glanced at her sideways, her tone softening somewhat: "Hmph, when Granny Wu was alive, he was still honest. Who knows where he learned those crooked skills!"
Seeing that no one spoke, Wang Niang hurriedly turned around to greet the guests. Such a small thief was not easy to deal with. Ming Ying frowned and looked at him for a while. The little thief made a face at her.
Mingying remained calm and earnestly discussed with him: "You run so fast, you'd be perfect as a delivery boy at a restaurant, what do you think? You'll have more options when you grow up. I know a kid who's about your age, and she's very popular."
Mingyan snorted: "You wish! Which restaurant would want him?"
"Why not give it a try? How will you know if you don't try? By the way, what's your name?"
The thief shook his head and spat at her: "Who do you think you are, trying to tell me what to do!"
Xiao Jingze quickly pulled Mingying away, glancing at her with an ugly expression: "What are you talking to him about? This kind of kid should be taught a lesson."
Mingying wasn't angry. She rested her chin on her hand and thought for a while: "Do you have any magical artifact that will strike you with lightning if you do something bad? If you put it on him, he won't be able to steal anything."
Xiao Jingze smiled and said, "That's true."
The thief struggled with a look of resistance. Xiao Jingze selected a copper ring from his storage ring and put it on the thief's hand, a slight smile playing on his lips: "You know we are cultivators, right? If you take something that doesn't belong to you, it will get hot. If you don't return it in time, you will be struck by lightning. Don't believe me? You can try it."
Seeing that he had finished threatening them, Feng Yi put the child down. The child glared at them fiercely, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he quickly ran away and disappeared.
Mingying asked curiously, "What is that bracelet?"
Xiao Jingze tapped his thumb ring: "A little gadget I made a long time ago."
——
The streets and alleys of Pingzhou all looked pretty much the same. After Feng Yi led them back to where they started, Ming Yan rolled her eyes speechlessly at the familiar scene.
Of these three, Mingying had never left Yunchuan, and Xiao Jingze seemed to only know how to find his way using magical artifacts. They actually let a directionally challenged person who couldn't even find his way with a map lead the way.
Mingyan, with a cold expression, snatched the map from her hand: "I'll do it."
It was nearly evening when they arrived at the inn. Mingying looked around and asked, "Where is Elder Lü?"
Feng Yi pointed to the female cultivator with the coldest demeanor on the field: "That is Elder Lü."
The four people looked in the direction he pointed, but none of them went forward for a moment.
Lu Qianhe sat by the window with her arms crossed, looking like she had been waiting for quite some time, and her expression was far from pleasant. Moreover, she had a solemn face, sharp facial features, a broad back, and looked strong and powerful, as if she could lift four people with both hands.
Mingyan paused in her steps, thinking of the sound cultivator she had seen at the academy. A sound cultivator? This person's physique is more like a physical cultivator than a physical cultivator!
Lu Qianhe noticed their gazes and glanced over without expression. Feng Yi jogged forward, took out a letter, and bowed: "Elder Lu, I'm really sorry, there was a little trouble on the way. This is a letter from the young lady."
Lu Qianhe glanced indifferently at his back, took the letter, and opened it on the spot. Seeing that Elder Lu had a very good temper, Ming Ying slowly leaned closer, staring in amazement at the muscle lines on her arms, full of envy, and whispered to Ming Yan, "Ming Yan, is this how all sound engineers are?"
She never liked learning the piano since she was little, but she never expected it would improve her health. Her mother never mentioned it.
Ming Yan replied decisively, "Of course not."
After thinking for a moment, she gave a reasonable explanation: "Perhaps her cultivation method is different."
Feng Yi chuckled: "Don't be surprised, many body cultivators can't beat her."
He patted his chest with lingering fear, and grimaced as he recalled the scene on the arena back then: "Her seven-stringed zither hurts a lot when it hits people; one hit can knock down a whole group of people."
Mingying looked like she had just learned something: "I see."
She was too naive when she was little, otherwise she would have studied the piano seriously. After reading the letter, Lü Qianhe carefully put it in her arms and finally stood up. Xiao Jingze raised an eyebrow. He had only heard about it before and thought that the height was just a rumor, but he didn't expect it to be true.
The innkeepers were speaking much quieter, which Lü Qianhe was used to. She looked at the few little kids in front of her, her gaze first sweeping over Ming Yan. Ming Yan's attire was simple and neat, with a long sword at her waist. Her swordsmanship seemed decent. She looked wary but not afraid of Lü Qianhe. Lü Qianhe nodded: Not bad.
Her gaze then swept over Xiao Jingze, her brows furrowing slightly. From his crown to his belt and then to the ring on his hand, she noticed that this man was not only flamboyantly dressed but also had a very casual demeanor. Lü Qianhe was not very satisfied, but she was expressionless and her face showed no emotion. In her mind, she crossed out: a fearless weapon cultivator.
She looked at Mingying one last time, her brows furrowing even more. Mingying looked back at her obediently, her hair adorned not with gold or silver jewelry, but with a hairband wrapped around it, and she wore a veil, her eyes sparkling.
Seeing Elder Lü looking over, Mingying smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Hello, I'm Mingying."
Lu Qianhe recognized at a glance that this was the mortal she was to protect on this trip. She never liked dealing with such troublesome, sickly beauties, but since the young lady had given the order, she would do her duty to complete the task. Seeing that she didn't speak, Mingying blinked her eyes and let her look at her. Lu Qianhe turned her head and, without any intention of exchanging pleasantries with the others, went straight to the point: "I'll take you into the village."
The four followed her out of the inn. Lü Qianhe conjured a seven-stringed zither from thin air, stood the head of the zither upright on the ground, and drew an array in the open space with flowing grace.
Mingyan examined it and said, "It's a teleportation array."
A teleportation array requires two arrays: an entry array and an exit array. The cultivator must first draw the exit array and then draw the entry array at the entrance. During this time, the exit array must be kept intact. Very few cultivators have the spiritual power to support two teleportation arrays, and very few people would learn such a purely altruistic technique that consumes spiritual power.
Lü Qianhe does not specialize in formations; she focuses on using the zither to break through all laws. Her strength is likely greater than that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
As Mingying stepped into the formation, a flash of golden light appeared, and in the blink of an eye, the environment changed. She opened her eyes, and a yellow dog barked twice at them from under the green tiles and yellow walls. They had arrived at Yishui Village.
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Author's Note: *This chapter's plot has been slightly revised.
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