"It's you! What are you doing here?"
Qinghe jumped up, his eyes fixed on Shen Xun.
Mo Junqian carefully examined Shen Xun and asked, "Senior Sister, do you know him?"
Qinghe didn't know how to introduce him, since they weren't familiar with each other.
Shen Xun spoke first: "I am Zhu Xun, a page of the Heavenly Book Pavilion. The sect leader asked me to go with you to find the Divine Pearl."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Jiang walked up to him, sized him up for a moment, and then suddenly conjured a sword, pressing it against Shen Xun's shoulder. She said, "You're lying. If Master were to send someone, he would definitely inform me beforehand, but I haven't received any news. Besides," Li Jiang's narrow eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, "I've been in the Qingyun Sect for so long and have never seen you before. The Heavenly Book Pavilion has never recruited any pageboys. Tell me, who exactly are you! How do you know about the Divine Pearl?"
The other two, besides Qinghe, also looked at Shenxun with suspicion.
In contrast, Shen Xun remained calm and composed, completely unaffected by the sword at his neck, his dark pupils unfathomable.
Qing looked left at Shen Xun, right at Li Jiang, and then up at the sun. If they delayed any longer, they might not reach the first stop today.
He then tried to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, stop doubting. This... junior brother is indeed the page of the Heavenly Book Pavilion. He was injured before and has been sleeping, locked on the third floor to recuperate. He was the one who saved me when I was trapped in the Fu Mountain."
Mo Junqian suddenly looked at her: "Senior sister, you went to Mount Fu! Were you injured? I heard there are many magical beasts there, did they hurt you?"
Qinghe shook her head and gave him a reassuring look.
Li Jiang sheathed her sword, but remained skeptical.
"I don't care what your purpose is, but if you resort to any underhanded tactics, I won't let you off the hook."
In the end, the group chose to ride horses, simply because the minority had to obey the majority.
Qinghe maintained a high level of interest in leaving home for the first time.
Back in the real world, she watched mostly period dramas. Whenever the main characters were traveling the world and wandering the four seas for some reason, she longed to be like them. Fortunately, now it's her turn.
However, he still needs to practice riding horses more.
After walking for more than an hour, Mo Junqian keenly noticed Qinghe's discomfort and suggested, "There's a teahouse not far ahead, let's rest for a bit."
Everyone agreed.
When they arrived at the teahouse, Qinghe felt as if he had seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and immediately jumped off his horse to stretch his arms and legs.
The group arrived at the tea stall and sat down, where the waiter greeted them with a smile.
"Tea, and some pastries, please."
The waiter took the money and called out to the inside, "A plate of tea and pastries, please!"
Li Jiang looked around and saw that there were quite a few passersby in the shed, including merchants and cultivators, a mixed bag.
Mu Dong asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are there so many people? Are they all heading to the capital of Tianqi?"
Li Jiang picked up a chopstick and played with it, explaining to him, "In a few days, it will be the grand festival of Tianqi Kingdom—the Flower Parade and Wine Offering. These people should all be going to participate in the festival."
Upon hearing about the festival, Qinghe became interested: "Flower parade and wine offering?"
“This young master is right,” the waiter said, carrying a tea tray and placing the tea and pastries down one by one. “You all look like you’ve come from out of town. This Flower Parade and Wine Offering is the most important festival in our Tianqi Kingdom. Over the years, many visitors have come to visit, most of them arriving more than a month in advance. If you arrive a few days later, all the inns in the city will be full, and you’ll have to sleep on the streets!”
Qinghe took a sip of tea, the fragrant aroma instantly relieving the dizziness from riding. "Xunhuajiu, that name sounds strange, is there something to it?"
The waiter, observing the situation, immediately continued, "The 'Flower Tour and Wine Offering' is, as the name suggests, a celebration of flowers and wine. On the day of the festival, all unmarried young men and women in the city would wear clothes and accessories adorned with flowers and stroll through the streets in pairs. If they found someone they admired, they would give them an item they carried. This is the Flower Tour. In the evening, everyone would gather together and, through a vote, select the most beautiful and handsome couple to hold a grand banquet on the lotus platform of Posuo Lake to offer sacrifices to all living beings. This is the Wine Offering."
Qinghe raised his eyebrows, which was quite interesting, somewhat resembling the Flower Festival in ancient times.
The waiter continued, "This festival has been celebrated in our Tianqi Kingdom for hundreds of years. Every year on this day, His Majesty the King opens the national granary to distribute grain and money to the people, and he personally sets up an altar to offer wine and pray for peace and prosperity for the Tianqi Kingdom. Poor people like me, whose annual harvest is pitifully small, rely on that day for survival!"
Mu Dong: "But this is a grand event in Tianqi. It's understandable that merchants would come, but why are there so many cultivators?"
The waiter chuckled, "Young master, you must have heard of the great name of Tianqi Academy. Tianqi Academy has cooperated with our Tianqi Kingdom for many years. For such a grand event as the Flower Parade and Wine Offering, Tianqi Academy will definitely send people to participate." The waiter leaned down and whispered, "These people are all here for Tianqi Academy."
Mu Dongming understood and slipped a few taels of silver to the waiter as a tip.
The waiter took the money, smiled even more attentively, said "Enjoy your meal, sir," and went to attend to other customers.
After the waiter left, Li Jiang urged, "Let's eat quickly and get to the capital soon. Maybe we can find an inn to stay in."
Everyone nodded and sped up.
It wasn't until they arrived in the capital of Tianqi that they truly felt the approach of the grand festival.
The streets were so crowded that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were packed with people, most of whom were from out of town, looking travel-worn and coming and going in an endless stream.
It was inconvenient for several people to lead their horses through the crowd, so they simply found a corner to stay in and sent one of them to find an inn.
Qinghe originally intended to take on this task, but was met with strong opposition from the others, who argued that with young and strong men present, how could a young woman be allowed to do such a thing?
Qing and Leng looked at them coldly, protesting against this kind of male chauvinism.
Ultimately, the task fell to Li Jiang and Mo Junqian, while the other three stayed behind to watch the luggage.
Qinghe pulled Shen Xun to sit on a dilapidated wooden cart by the roadside, her expression still displeased: "Do I look like a little girl?"
Shen Xun said expressionlessly, "You're doing alright; I'm in a worse situation than you."
Qinghe looked him up and down; his body was less than three feet tall. She nodded; he was indeed in a worse state than hers.
"By the way, why are you keeping a child's body? Is it because your injuries haven't healed and you can't return to your original form?"
Shen Xun gave an ambiguous answer: "I guess so."
Qinghe knew he didn't want to talk about it, so she stopped asking and instead looked at the crowds of people coming and going on the street.
"Tell me, is the Water Control Pearl actually in this capital city?"
Shen Xun followed her gaze and said, "Yes."
Qinghe: "Why are you so sure?"
Shen Xun remained calm: "I guessed."
Qinghe sighed: "I hope your guess is right."
With his back to her, a glint of golden light flashed in Shen Xun's eyes, disappearing in an instant, where Qinghe couldn't see.
Half an hour later, Li Jiang and Mo Junqian returned.
"How about it?"
Mo Junqian shook his head: "We arrived a bit late, and all the inns in the city are full."
"What should we do then?" Mu Dong asked with a worried look. He was already picky about his bed, and without a guest room to rest, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep well for several days.
Shen Xun suggested, "When we came here, I saw a dilapidated temple. We can go there."
Mu Dong scratched his head, puzzled, and asked, "Really? I didn't see it."
Qinghe picked up his bundle without hesitation, led his horse, and said, "Let's go. Even a dilapidated temple is better than sleeping on the streets."
Mo Junqian took the bundle from Qinghe's hands and said, "Senior Sister, I'll take it."
With someone offering to take on the work, Qinghe was happy to be idle, leisurely leading the way with Shenxun, holding the horse's reins.
Li Jiang walked at the back. Usually talkative, he was unusually silent this time, his sharp eyes fixed on Shen Xun's back, lost in thought.
Shen Xun, who was walking in front, sensed the pair of eyes behind him, but he just smiled slightly and ignored them.
The temple was very dilapidated; the roof was leaking.
Li Jiang set up a defensive array around herself and then used her divine sense to carefully examine the area. Only after confirming that there was no danger did she sit down.
Mu Dong and Mo Junqian went outside and found some dry grass to spread on the ground. The group sat together and began to discuss how to find the Water Control Pearl.
Li Jiang: "Master only told us that the Water Control Pearl is in the capital of Tianqi. I want to go to the imperial city first. The emperor of Tianqi has always loved to collect the world's most precious treasures. Maybe the Water Control Pearl is in the imperial city."
Mu Dong rested his elbow on his thigh and propped his head up with his hand, puzzled. "Why did the sect leader only tell us that the Water Control Pearls were in Tianqi Kingdom, instead of their exact location? Doesn't even the Divine Records know where these pearls are?"
Li Jiang shook her head: "I don't know either."
Mu Dong suddenly slapped his thigh: "I know! It must be that the Divine Record is broken and can no longer make prophecies, right?"
Before Li Jiang could speak, Qing He suddenly raised his hand and tapped Mu Dong on the head: "The most urgent thing now is to find the Water Control Pearl. Stop thinking about other things. I agree with Senior Brother's suggestion to go to the Imperial City first."
Mo Junqian: "But how are we going to sneak into the imperial city? With an invisibility talisman?"
Li Jiang: "No, the imperial city is a very important place, and there must be a barrier around it. You can't get in with an invisibility talisman."
Mu Dong: "Why not disguise yourself as a guard or a palace servant or something?"
Li Jiang glanced at him sideways: "I already said that within the barrier, any disguise is ineffective."
Mu Dong pouted sullenly.
Qinghe: "I have a bold idea."
Li Jiang interrupted her without hesitation: "Stop your audacious ideas. A direct attack is tantamount to suicide. There are plenty of experts in the capital."
The atmosphere was silent as everyone pondered.
After a long pause, Li Jiang said, "How about this, we each go out and scout around to see if there's any way to get into the capital."
Qinghe agreed: "That's the only way."
Li Jiang stood up and patted herself off: "I've already set up a defensive array around this dilapidated temple, so it won't be taken over by anyone else. We'll meet here at 5 PM." With that, she vanished in a flash.
Mo Junqian looked at Qinghe and said, "Senior Sister, let's go too."
Before Qinghe could speak, Mudong said, "I want to go with Qinghe. Junior Brother Mo, you should go with Zhu Xun."
Mo Junqian ignored him and only looked at Qinghe.
Qinghe looked at the two people standing in front of her, wondering where the tension between them came from.
"I see you two arguing all the time, which is not good for future unity. You two should be paired up and work on your relationship."
After saying that, he grabbed Shen Xun and left without looking back, leaving Mu Dong and Mo Junqian staring at each other in bewilderment.
Mu Dong glanced at Mo Junqian sideways, raised her head and said, "Forget it, being with you might just hold me back. I prefer to act alone."
Mo Junqian ignored him completely and turned to leave the dilapidated temple.
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