The capital was bustling like never before, with red ribbons hanging in front of every house and red lanterns lit to welcome the grand festival of flower parade and wine offering.
On Phoenix Avenue, the main street of the capital, stalls filled the entire street, selling all kinds of pastries and snacks, rouge and face powder, brocade pouches and hairpins, antiques and calligraphy and paintings, as well as magic tools and secret manuals. You could find almost anything you wanted.
Qinghe is a playful person. Before, when he was in the Qingyun Sect, he rarely went down the mountain in order to maintain his aloof image. Now, he was so attracted by the bustling scene in front of him that he almost forgot about his mission.
If Shen Xun hadn't reminded her, she probably would have slipped away from one end of the street to the other and never returned.
Shen Xun held tightly to Qing He's sleeve; with his small child-like body, he would surely be swallowed up by the crowd if he didn't hold on tight.
"I have to say, you've changed my perception of you. I always thought you were very aloof."
Qinghe was standing in front of the fan stall, comparing two fans, and he wasn't surprised at all when he heard this.
"I am still very aloof, I'm just being misled by what I see before me."
Shen Xun asked doubtfully, "Are you sure this isn't your true nature?"
Qinghe picked one out and paid for it. "Of course not, my target is a cool goddess, not a crazy woman. How about this fan?"
Shen Xun glanced at it and said, "Not bad, the sandalwood fan with its green gauze surface suits you very well."
Qinghe smiled happily.
Mo Junqian found Qinghe in a silk shop.
He originally went to the imperial city to investigate, but the imperial city was under martial law during this critical period. The emperor of Tianqi Kingdom had sent experts to reinforce the barrier, so he could not find any opportunity to enter and had to return empty-handed.
Qinghe was completely unaware of this; she was happily buying new clothes at the silk shop.
Mo Junqian could only smile helplessly at this; after all, she was still a girl.
The silk shop was doing very well, with many young ladies and gentlemen coming to order clothes. It was quite crowded, so Mo Junqian had no choice but to hold Shen Xun's hand and hide in a corner.
Mo Junqian was handsome and distinguished, and even in the wealthy capital of Tianqi, he was not inferior. A gem like him naturally shone wherever he went, and even when he stood in a corner, he was still noticed by those arrogant young ladies.
The atmosphere gradually quieted down, and the young ladies whispered messages to their maids. After a while, a maid came over to Mo Junqian.
"Young master, you must be from out of town. May I ask where you are staying temporarily? My young lady would like to invite you to our residence for a chat. What do you say?"
Mo Junqian remained indifferent and unmoved: "No need, thank you."
The young maid glanced at her mistress, then persistently pleaded with Mo Junqian, "Young Master, please reconsider, Young Master..."
Mo Junqian was a little irritated, and his face turned ugly. Just as he was thinking about whether to pull Shen Xun outside to wait, a creaking sound came from the innermost part of the room.
A person walked out from the inner room, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him.
He gently waved a fan, wearing a light green robe with bamboo accents, his hair tied up and his brows conveying a heroic spirit.
What a handsome and elegant young man!
Mo Junqian stared in disbelief, instinctively wanting to call her "Senior Sister," but then, realizing the people around her, she held back.
With a flourish, Qinghe closed his fan and walked up to the two of them, asking, "How do you like these clothes?"
Shen Xun circled around her once and whispered, "She looks good, but why is she dressed as a man?"
Qinghe glanced at Mo Junqian, seemingly unintentionally, and said coldly, "It's because some people dislike me for being a woman that I have no choice but to pretend to be a man."
Mo Junqian gave a helpless, bitter smile.
No longer wanting to linger and endure the stares of others, Qing and the shopkeeper paid the money, and the three of them left the silk shop.
It was almost noon, the sun was quite strong, and there were fewer people on the street; most had gone home for lunch.
Qinghe stood on the street, looking around, trying to find a restaurant to eat something.
Shen Xun tugged at Mo Junqian's sleeve and asked, "Didn't you go to the capital? What did you find out?"
Mo Junqian lowered his head: "The imperial city is under martial law and the barrier is being reinforced, so it's probably impossible to get in. We need to think of another way."
Shen Xun nodded.
Qinghe jumped over and said, "Let's go to that Zuixianju restaurant. I heard the food is pretty good."
Looking towards the spot Qinghe was pointing to, there was a three-story pavilion with flying eaves and painted corners, decorated in a grand style, standing tall in the middle of the emerald green lake. The surrounding water vapor added a touch of misty and ethereal atmosphere to the restaurant.
It doesn't look cheap at all.
Mo Junqian wanted to subtly remind Qinghe that they didn't have much money left.
Just as they were about to speak, a cry of alarm suddenly came from the street. The three of them turned around and saw that a horse had gone out of control.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Little Red, stop! Stop right now!"
Qinghe looked closely and saw a little girl in red on the horse, her face full of anxiety, struggling to hold onto the reins and trying to stop the horse.
But the horse was clearly provoked by something, and it charged wildly through the crowd, trampling and destroying many stalls along the way. The people on the street screamed and scattered to the side like frightened birds.
Just as it was about to reach the three of them, before Mo Junqian could make a move, Qinghe took off first, poured his spiritual energy into his fan, and pointed it at the horse's head. The gentle spiritual energy enveloped the horse's body, and the horse, which had been charging wildly, instantly calmed down.
This thrilling scene has finally come to an end.
Qinghe closed his fan, lightly touched the ground with his toes, and landed gracefully and nimbly.
The girl in red on horseback hadn't reacted yet, and was stunned for a while before suddenly realizing what was happening and immediately jumped off the horse.
Upon arriving before Qinghe, the girl in red clasped her hands in a fist salute and said sweetly, "Thank you for saving me, young master."
Qinghe waved his hand: "It's nothing, Miss, no need for such formalities."
With a voice as clear as a spring and looks as handsome as Pan An, the girl in red stared at Qinghe, her heart beating a little faster than usual.
"You saved me, and I should repay you. How about I invite you to a gathering at Zuixianju to express my gratitude?"
Qinghe's eyes lit up when he heard the words "Drunken Immortal Abode," and he immediately agreed without hesitation.
Mo Junqian and Shen Xun exchanged a glance. Since someone was treating them, they might as well take advantage of it.
The group headed to Zuixianju together, and Qinghe overheard whispers among those around them—
"Isn't that Princess Changping? I recognize her red horse!"
"That's right, it's Princess Changping! The princess has a lively personality and has always loved making friends with cultivators, so it's not surprising that she's here..."
Qing looked at the girl in red with surprise: "Are you a princess?"
Changping smiled and said, "That's right."
"Then why don't they bow to you?"
Changping explained, "The Tianqi Kingdom emphasizes equality between the monarch and his subjects. My father has long ago decreed that subjects need not be bound by empty formalities."
Qinghe nodded approvingly: "It seems that the ruler of Tianqi Kingdom truly has the talent to govern the world."
In the ancient society that Qinghe knew, there was never any concept of equality between the ruler and the people. Even though everyone had been praising equality for thousands of years, no ruler had ever been able to achieve it.
As the saying goes, the relationship between ruler and people is like that of fish and water; water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The current prosperity of the Tianqi Kingdom owes much to its ruler.
Zuixianju is the most luxurious restaurant in Tianqi Kingdom. Those who come here to dine are usually wealthy young men and high-level cultivators.
Changping led them directly to a private room on the third floor. The owner of Zuixianju came out to greet them personally. Judging from how familiar she was with the owner, she was obviously a regular customer.
Qinghe admired the interior decoration of the restaurant, resting her chin on her fan tip: "Not bad, not bad, fresh and elegant yet unconventional."
Changping walked over with his hands behind his back, playfully jumped up and down, and said, "Not bad, right? The entire interior design of Zuixianju was done by the owner himself."
Qinghe recalled the middle-aged man in his forties who had just spoken to Changping.
Changping chuckled, "That person just now wasn't the boss, just the person in charge. The real boss is only in his twenties, and his name is He Si."
Shen Xun sat on a chair covered with a goose down cushion, swinging his legs, and sighed, "He's quite impressive. He owns such a luxurious restaurant at such a young age. Unlike us, we're dirt poor and can't even afford a decent meal."
Changping asked, puzzled, "Are you very poor?"
Qinghe coughed and said, "No way, don't listen to children's nonsense."
When the food was served, Qinghe was once again amazed by the dishes.
Zuixianju truly lived up to its reputation as the top restaurant in the city; the table full of delicious dishes made her unable to look away.
Golden chicken, golden milk pastry, candied fruit noodles, fairy meat, morning glory bamboo shoots, mixed shredded vegetables, Han Palace chess... and some pastries whose names I don't know...
Absolutely delicious!
Qinghe's eyes were fixed on the food, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Compared to this table full of delicious food, what she used to eat was simply chaff.
Seeing that her eyes were red and she was practically spitting fire, Shen Xun kicked her from below and said, "Be more reserved."
Qinghe sat up straight, but her eyes remained fixed on the table: "So many dishes, you've gone to so much trouble. Actually, the few of us can't possibly eat this much."
Shen Xun silently rolled his eyes.
Changping cupped her face in her hands, looking only at Qinghe, and said with a bright smile, "It's okay, as long as you like it."
The words were ambiguous, and Qinghe didn't notice anything amiss. However, Mo Junqian keenly sensed something was wrong and was about to speak when Shen Xun suddenly kicked him.
Mo Junqian looked down at him, somewhat puzzled.
Shen Xun pretended to eat his food and whispered to him, "Aren't you worried about not being able to enter the capital? Here's a ready-made opportunity."
Mo Junqian instantly understood and tapped Shen Xun on the head: "I didn't realize you were so precocious, even knowing how to use people!"
Shen Xun tilted his head and warned him with a serious expression, "I don't like people touching my head."
Mo Junqian smiled, thinking it was just a child throwing a tantrum and didn't take it too seriously.
During the meal, Qinghe thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food, completely unaware of the amazed looks from the two people next to him and Changping's infatuated gaze.
Shen Xun watched as more than half of the food on the table was eaten by Qing He, then leaned on Mo Junqian's elbow and said incredulously, "She used to be able to eat this much?"
Mo Junqian thought for a moment and said, "Well... I think so."
Shen Xun: "I'm really starting to look at her with new respect."
Qinghe overheard their whisper, glanced sharply to the side, and the two chuckled and shut up.
When they had almost finished eating, Changping ordered someone to serve tea and snacks after the meal.
The lingering aroma of tea instantly filled the entire private room.
Qinghe held a cup of hot tea, pondering how to get information out of Changping. She knew exactly what Shen Xun was up to, and although it was a bit against etiquette, she had no other good ideas at the moment.
"I've heard that Her Highness enjoys associating with cultivators; surely she has quite a few retainers in her palace?"
Changping smiled and said, "Just call me Changping, no need to be so formal." She put down her teacup and said, "I do have many cultivator friends, but since I myself cannot cultivate, I would like to ask capable people in the world to help me find a way to cultivate again."
Upon hearing this, Qing and the others were not surprised. In fact, from the first moment she met Changping, she had already realized that Changping indeed had no cultivation at all.
You must understand how painful it is to be unable to cultivate in this world where spiritual power is revered. Countless people have gone bankrupt trying to become cultivators, and countless others have been bullied or even murdered because they cannot cultivate.
Fortunately, Changping was a royal princess. Even if she couldn't cultivate, with the protection of the royal family, she would never suffer such a fate.
Judging from Changping's tone, she didn't seem to be hiding her inability to cultivate. Even in front of experts like Qinghe and the others, she was poised and confident, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.
Qinghe then asked, "What caused you to be unable to cultivate?"
Changping recalled, "That was a long time ago."
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