Chapter 37 You'll run into peach blossoms~ Gu Xiaozhu is still here...
Gu Xiaozhu was still chatting with the system, completely unaware of what Jiang Zhihe and Teng Shao were talking about over there.
[Host, on your way to the Demon Realm, you will pass through the main city of the mortal realm—Dayan City, which is also where the imperial palace is located.]
There's only one minor plot point there: the protagonist encounters the Second Prince and notices his severely depleted vital energy. He approaches the prince to inquire and investigate, later discovering it's a fox demon causing the disturbance. After eliminating the fox demon, the protagonist continues their journey.
[However, this current plot point is nothing to worry about. If we encounter that fox demon and she tries to harm the host, I can simply chop her down! Or, the host can just throw the spirit orb at her; its potent poison will be enough to kill her instantly!]
Gu Xiaozhu nodded.
In the original story, the fox demon was at most at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Although it's unclear how much her cultivation level will change after the plot deviates, it shouldn't exceed the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul realm.
So it seems she is indeed very safe.
On the other side, Jiang Zhihe finally finished talking with Teng Shao. He excitedly approached Gu Xiaozhu and said with a smile, "Xiaozhu, let's go!"
After saying that, he pulled Gu Xiaozhu directly to the spirit boat docking point next to the square, and with a wave of his hand, a huge spirit boat appeared in front of everyone.
Gu Xiaozhu's eyes widened in shock. Although she knew Jiang Zhihe seemed to possess a spirit boat, this spirit boat...
Isn't it too big?
It looks like a mid-grade spirit boat. These spirit boats are fast, stable, and come with their own defensive array. Just one of them would cost an astronomical amount of spirit stones.
Has he become this rich since becoming the young master of the Hehuan Sect?
In the original storyline, Jiang Zhihe was the leader of the First Sword Sect, but sword cultivators always have one common problem—poverty.
This time, the plot has taken a turn, and Jiang Zhihe has not only changed his identity, but he has also become richer!
Teng Shao also walked over at this moment. He looked calmly at the spirit boat and said, "The spirit boat is quite nice."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhihe immediately raised his head proudly: "That's right! My taste is top-notch!"
"Let's go! Let's go up quickly!"
And so, the three boarded the spirit boat and set off towards the Demon Realm.
… …
Because the demon race is ostracized by righteous cultivators, the Demon Realm is located in the northernmost, wildest part of the continent. Even at the speed of a mid-grade spirit boat, it would take dozens of days to travel there.
There are certainly enough spirit stones to propel the spirit boat, as for food...
The three of them take turns cooking.
That's right, all three people on the spirit boat can cook.
Gu Xiaozhu knew Jiang Zhihe could cook, but Teng Shao's ability to cook did surprise her. In the original story, Teng Shao was the Holy Son of the Demon Realm, a person of noble status, so his meals were usually prepared by a chef. Therefore, logically, he shouldn't be able to cook.
Jiang Zhihe, being more outspoken, asked directly, "Hey, Brother Teng, I didn't expect you could cook!"
Teng Shao glanced at him and said in a calm voice, "In the Demon Realm, there is a lot of intrigue and backstabbing. To prevent anyone from poisoning my food, I usually cook my own meals."
Jiang Zhihe and Gu Xiaozhu: ...They're really cautious!
The group had very little entertainment along the way. Aside from chatting, browsing the Spirit Network, they played the board games that Jiang Zhihe had brought. Gu Xiaozhu was silent for a moment after seeing the familiar board games.
Why are there such modern things in the world of cultivation?
However, Jiang Zhihe, who couldn't stay idle, was naturally not satisfied with this, so he would also stop the spirit boat when passing through towns and take the remaining two people to play in the town.
Gu Xiaozhu had no objection to this. But surprisingly, Teng Shao also had no objection!
Actually, Teng Shao didn't want to agree at first, but Jiang Zhihe pulled him aside and said something, and his attitude changed completely. He readily agreed to go to town for fun.
This slowed their progress, and after more than ten days they had only covered half the distance.
Sometimes Gu Xiaozhu felt that they weren't there to help Teng Shao compete for the Demon Lord position in the Demon Realm, but rather to enjoy a leisurely vacation.
"Hey? The Great Yan Royal City is just ahead! Let's go to the city and have some fun for a day!" Jiang Zhihe said excitedly, looking at the map in his hand.
Teng Shao shrugged, tacitly agreeing.
Gu Xiaozhu nodded helplessly.
It really feels like being on vacation!
So they put away the spirit boat not far from the capital city of Dayan and walked all the way to the city gate.
The Great Yan Royal City, where the imperial palace is located, is naturally far more prosperous than other cities. A large crowd gathered in front of the city gates; as far as the eye could see, there were cultivators, merchants, and wealthy young men.
[Host, I just checked the royal city again. The fox demon is still there. Its cultivation level has indeed increased, but it has only gone from the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm to the late stage. It poses no threat to us!]
So this time, host, you should have some fun and relax!
Gu Xiaozhu: "???"
"Your abilities have grown so great that you can survey the entire royal city?" Gu Xiaozhu asked in her mind.
The system's electronic voice even sounded somewhat proud: "Of course! With more system energy, my power is naturally recovering and increasing as well!"
Gu Xiaozhu raised her eyebrows slightly, but ultimately agreed with what He said.
Upon entering the city, she was greeted by bustling streets and a vibrant atmosphere filled with lively people, giving Gu Xiaozhu a feeling of being in another world.
After all, it had been several days since I last entered the city, and during those days, the sky was blue and the clouds were white all the way. After seeing so much of that, it was hard not to feel lonely.
"Come and take a look! Freshly baked buns!"
"Sir, please come this way."
"Bai Xiang Lou's new products are here! Everyone come and take a look!"
Gu Xiaozhu was engrossed in what she was watching when she suddenly heard a voice beside her say, "Hey, miss, would you like me to tell your fortune?"
She suddenly snapped back to reality, turned her head, and saw a fortune-telling stall against the wall to her left. A flag hung in front of the stall, with the words "Calculate the world, understand all living beings" written on it.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that the stall owner was a girl about her age, dressed in simple gray clothes and with many jingling items hanging from her body.
Her long brown hair was tied into two bunches, but it was still a bit messy. She wore a pair of small round sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, and behind the sunglasses were a pair of dim, lifeless eyes.
Is she blind?
Gu Xiaozhu's heart stirred.
[Oh? Host, this is Zhu Songyun, the successor of the Thousand Machines Pavilion in the original story.]
Gu Xiaozhu: "???"
"But... Zhu Songyun isn't blind, is she?"
In the original storyline, Zhu Songyun was the disciple and successor of the Pavilion Master of Qianji Pavilion. Whether it was divination, array formation, or talisman drawing, he was among the best of his peers.
Furthermore, those who practice divination by observing celestial phenomena, because this is inherently against the will of Heaven, will suffer backlash if they delve too deeply. Generally speaking, excellent divination practitioners will strictly control the boundaries of their divination to prevent suffering backlash.
"I'm not sure, maybe it's a plot deviation?" the system replied.
Just as Gu Xiaozhu was frowning in thought, Zhu Songyun adjusted his small round sunglasses and said with a grin, "So, miss, would you like to have your fortune told? It's free!"
Jiang Zhihe, standing behind Gu Xiaozhu, also looked over curiously. Teng Shao remained expressionless, standing to the side, unmoved.
“…Okay.” Gu Xiaozhu finally agreed. Given Zhu Songyun’s personality, she would never just randomly find someone to tell her fortune.
This move must have a deeper meaning!
Zhu Songyun grinned and pulled three copper coins from his pocket, casually tossing them onto the table. The three coins clattered and jingled as they landed.
Although she is blind, she can still perceive her surroundings through spiritual power. If you ignore her dim eyes, she really behaves no differently than an ordinary person.
She squinted at the copper coins on the table for a while, then looked up at the girl in front of her, and then at the boy in red behind the girl, a sly smile on her face.
"Girl, you're about to meet your match!"
Gu Xiaozhu: "???"
Jiang Zhihe: "??!"
Jiang Zhihe reacted even before Gu Xiaozhu. He stepped forward and hurriedly asked, "What peach blossoms? They shouldn't be the kind of peach blossoms I'm thinking of, right?!"
Zhu Songyun chuckled and said, "It's the kind of peach blossom you're thinking of~"
Jiang Zhihe: "..."
Soon, Zhu Songyun patted Gu Xiaozhu on the shoulder again and said earnestly, "Although this peach blossom is rich, handsome and powerful, he is a bad peach blossom. You'd better not go for it, girl."
Jiang Zhihe quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! We can't keep this kind of scumbag!"
Gu Xiaozhu looked at the two of them with a strange expression: "I never said I wanted it from beginning to end..."
Jiang Zhihe breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Although he knew for sure that Xiaozhu wouldn't be interested at all, he still felt relieved after hearing the affirmative answer.
Ha! I knew it! With someone as outstanding as him, how could Xiaozhu possibly be interested in anyone else!
"Oh, right, and this young master..." Zhu Songyun still had a cheerful expression. She tossed the copper coins on the table again, scattering them, and said, "You'll soon be encountering some romantic opportunities too~"
Jiang Zhihe: "???"
His expression changed drastically, and he immediately looked at Gu Xiaozhu's expression beside him. Fortunately, apart from a little surprise, Gu Xiaozhu did not show any other emotions.
This made him feel both fortunate and inexplicably a little lonely.
Zhu Songyun watched the two with an expression of anticipation, and continued, "Oh, by the way, this young master's love interest is quite a nice person, so don't let him be too heartbroken."
Jiang Zhihe was speechless: "Seriously, are you here to tell fortunes or to sow discord?"
Zhu Songyun's eyes widened immediately, and he looked completely innocent: "Hey, hey, hey, what did I do? I was just stating the facts."
Seeing this, Jiang Zhihe immediately pulled Teng Shao over, who was watching the show from the side, and pointed at him with a face full of dissatisfaction, saying, "What about him! We both have them, so does he also have some romantic opportunities?"
Zhu Songyun merely glanced at Teng Shao, tossed aside a copper coin, and said directly, "Oh, he doesn't. He has too much malevolent energy; he's destined to be lonely and widowed."
"puff……"
Teng Shao looked expressionlessly at Jiang Zhihe, who had completely turned hostile, and asked, "Is it funny?"
Jiang Zhihe tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth: "Um... a little bit?"
Teng Shao looked at his twisted mouth and rolled his eyes speechlessly: "Once you're done calculating, hurry up and leave."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Seeing this, Gu Xiaozhu and Jiang Zhihe followed.
Zhu Songyun raised his eyes, "watching" the three people gradually disappear into the crowd, and then "looked" at the divination symbols on the table.
"When the gods fall, a sea of blood will descend."
"Gather the three souls and cover all living beings."
"So... what I saw back then was all real." Zhu Songyun murmured, his face blank.
She gazed in the direction the three had left, as if she had made up her mind, and quickly packed up her stall and coins, chasing after them in the direction they had gone.
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