The embers of the fire in the long night, their dim light always tinged with a hint of ambiguity.
Zhu Yi returned to her room, where the thin, long thread she had left behind was still visible through the crack in the door, and Xiao Baizhi was fast asleep.
Perhaps because she had never slept in such a soft and warm bed before, she curled up into a small ball, looking rather pitiful.
Zhu Yi gently covered her belly, and quietly placed something under the dim light of a small lamp behind the screen.
She emptied out a small storage bag; the purple purse was perfect for a little girl of her age.
He took out a peach wood sword and a brand-new mid-grade treasure sword from his weapons.
This sword has no name; it was the one I kept for myself when I distributed supplies to the disciples of the Hehuan Sect last time.
A brand new spare jade spirit tablet, one hundred low-grade spirit stones, one mid-grade spirit stone, some master-level pills that Zhu Yi refined himself, and a small stack of talismans that he had painstakingly drawn by his little peach blossom.
Ever since Little Peach Blossom's branch was broken by Shen Hanfang, this lazybones has started to study magic on his own initiative, spending his days holed up in the Brahma Lamp, reciting talisman texts with the unfinished little mermaid.
Considering that the child was not yet ready to fast, Zhu Yi carefully took out some prepared food from her own rations and put it into a small jade box in her purple storage bag.
"Hmph, you foolish master, I thought you were so generous, but all you gave me was a little land and such a meager possession?"
Under the dim light, the blue-tailed mermaid's face, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, was somewhat blurry.
Zhu Yi clearly saw its little eye roll.
"That's right, I don't feel any pressure at all. I don't have the same generosity as Master, and we shouldn't give a child so much wealth all at once." Gently stroking the little one's long, crystal-blue hair, she was indeed like a Barbie doll, proud and prone to getting agitated.
"They're no different from wildcats."
"Stupid master, I'm ignoring you!" The little mermaid, with her puffed-up, frizzy hair, continued to complain about Zhu Yi. "Not only is she stingy, but she's also ugly, has no taste, and is so stupid. She still hasn't fixed the Brahma Lamp, and now I don't even have a beautiful seashell room to sleep in!"
What remained for Zhu Yi was the shimmering blue light on the table under the moonlight, and a small mermaid pearl rolled peacefully into Zhu Yi's hand.
Zhu Yi thought the blue shark pearl was really beautiful. "If I could make a pair into earrings, that would be gorgeous!"
"This is a protective mermaid pearl given to you by the little mermaid. It was painstakingly refined. If you encounter a powerful demonic snake attacking you when you go out, this mermaid pearl will transform into water to protect you."
Little Peach Blossom peeked out with her squinty eyes and tossed Zhu Yi a stack of new Xuan Tian talismans. "This immortal plant is an auspicious creature that can ward off evil and protect the home. I'm getting better and better at drawing these talismans!"
That lively and energetic demeanor gave off a "she's the boss, who's afraid of her?" vibe.
Nothing happened overnight, but a blizzard struck the next day.
Soft, white snowflakes fell on the branches.
The innkeeper lit a fire in the lobby.
Early in the morning, Zhu Yi followed behind Su Linyuan, shivering.
"Cold? Then you should rest well at the inn today?" His long, narrow eyes were as captivating as peach blossoms, and his faint smile showed that he was used to this complicated weather.
Zhu Yi straightened her face: "No, I need to go with you to investigate people. I just didn't realize how awful the weather was. Shouldn't September be the time when people are about to reap a bountiful harvest?"
Su Linyuan's slender fingers deftly danced across Zhu Yi's fox fur collar. "There's a snow snake. Every time it practices its skills, it sends down demonic snow to attract away the spiritual energy of this place."
Zhu Yi noticed that Su Linyuan's fingers paused, as if he had something on the tip of his tongue but didn't say it.
"Just tell me what's wrong. I'm already here, why would I run away at the last minute?"
The young girl was fully equipped, wearing cotton boots for swift travel, and under her light fur coat was a narrow-sleeved dress made of fiery red brocade silk. A white jade lantern hairpin was prominently inserted into her long ponytail, which was styled high by the capable young heroine.
Upon closer inspection, the small lamp on the hairpin has some cracks.
Su Linyuan lowered his eyes and said, "Half a month ago, I was almost able to eliminate the demons here, but the Demon Serpent Clan brought in an elder to fight against me, namely the Snow Serpent."
"The snow snake has set up a snake wall around Qingyuan Town, blocking everyone's way out of the town. So now Qingyuan Town is like an abandoned island, where people can neither enter nor leave."
"Huh?" Zhu Yi's small eyes widened. No one had told her that the mortal world was like this! If the snake was stuck in the wall, how did she and Jinbao get in?
No wonder Qingyuan Town is so dangerous, yet so few disciples from the Tianlan Sect came to help!
Su Linyuan found Zhu Yi's puzzled and bewildered expression, as if she had just figured out something earth-shattering, quite amusing. He smiled and said, "So, I don't know how you got in either. I went to investigate the Snow Serpent's Snake Wall last night, and it didn't look damaged at all."
Zhu Yi went back to find Jin Bao; he must know what had happened.
It must have been a premeditated scheme by Master Yujing. He specifically requested that I come to Qingyuan Town first!
Jinbao shook his head and led Xiaobaizhi away from Zhu Yi as if he were avoiding a plague, not daring to look her in the eye.
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