Chapter 93: First Publication on Jinjiang Backfires
Inside the formation, Tang Yan carefully took out a jade box from his storage bag. Inside lay a plant radiating spiritual light. Yao Sisi didn't recognize what it was, but she could tell it was extraordinary.
She asked, "What's this?"
Tang Yan looked at her with eyes full of admiration: "Junior Martial Aunt, this is a gift for you. It is a spiritual tea tree seedling, no less than grade five."
Yao Sisi paused: "Five-grade spiritual tea is already something that even Nascent Soul cultivators can enjoy. Aren't you worried about giving it to me like this?"
Tang Yan touched his chest, shook his head, and said, "It doesn't hurt at all; in fact, it feels pleasurable."
Yao Sisi: "..."
"It's too precious, I can't accept it. Besides, I helped you infuse your body with spiritual energy out of a love for talent, without any expectation of reward. I already thought the seeds you just gave me were very good, this is really unnecessary. You can use it to exchange for some resources that will be enough for your cultivation for a long time."
Tang Yan knew she was right, but he hadn't given it away on a whim: "I was lucky to get something like this, so why should I think about gains and losses? It's not easy to get even one. I don't want to sell it to anyone else, I just want to give it to you!"
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, and seeing the sincerity in her young disciple's eyes, Yao Sisi took the spirit tea sapling and said, "But such a precious thing, I'm not sure I can take good care of it, and I'm afraid I'll let you down."
Tang Yan: "It's alright, you can do whatever you want with the spiritual object now that it's yours."
Yao Sisi put the tea seedlings into her spatial storage. She searched through her storage bag and found a defensive magic artifact, a jade-looking badge with simple carvings but good defensive capabilities.
"Take this for self-defense!"
Tang Yan was surprised to receive a return gift. He paused for a moment and said, "I gave my martial uncle a gift out of sincerity, not to get a return gift in return..."
Yao Sisi: "I know, I don't need this name tag anymore, so it's perfect for you to use for self-defense."
At this moment, she had already dispelled the concealment formation. "If there's nothing else, you should go back and cultivate as soon as possible!"
Tang Yan held the name tag in his hand, nodded, and said, "Then I'll go back." He then asked somewhat awkwardly, "But... can I exchange communication talismans with you?"
Yao Sisi raised an eyebrow: "Of course!"
Not far away, Qi Mu saw that the other party was holding a badge made by Yao Sisi. A hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes. Moreover, he didn't know what was wrong with this disciple's body. It seemed that there was something that concealed his physique. He couldn't tell whether the other party still had primordial yang without direct contact.
But he couldn't find a reason to take his pulse.
Qi Mu became somewhat irritated, and his gaze towards Tang Yan turned cold.
After Yao Sisi finished dealing with the matter, she returned to Qi Mu and said, "Let's go back!"
On the other side, Tang Yan, receiving Qi Mu's gaze, also felt strange, thinking to himself: Junior Uncle said this person has a good personality, but the other person doesn't seem to be so. Last time I saw him, he was full of hostility, and this time he's still the same...
He touched his face, wondering what had upset him.
If I need to contact my junior uncle again in the future, I should avoid this one!
Qi Mu had no idea that this person was planning a secret rendezvous, and one that would be done in secret, away from him. He pulled Yao Sisi aside and asked, "Do you have any free time lately?"
Yao Sisi: "The timing is fine, what's wrong?"
Qi Mu: "I recently accepted a sect mission to escort resources outside. That place is a bit dangerous. Can you come with me?"
Yao Sisi was taken aback and asked with concern, "Why did you take on such a dangerous mission? What if something happens?"
Qi Mu naturally wouldn't accept missions that were too dangerous; he just wanted her company. He couldn't fathom her thoughts, but he could get her to leave the sect to avoid those eyesores bothering her: "It's not particularly dangerous. I didn't know when I accepted the mission before; I heard that place is a mixed bag..."
Yao Sisi glanced at him helplessly, "What is the mission? I'll go pick one up later and we'll go together."
After Qi Mu explained the mission, Yao Sisi wasn't in a hurry to return to her cave. She went to accept the mission first before coming back.
She calculated that since she was earning contribution points by completing tasks anyway, she could gather enough materials for another batch after finishing this task.
Qi Mu's mission wasn't to depart immediately. Yao Sisi took advantage of this time to visit the library again, searching for books related to weapon crafting and weapon spirits. She spent several days browsing through the vast sea of books and finally discovered a clue.
She took the document downstairs to make a copy, planning to study it thoroughly once she returned from this mission.
The new sect mission is to deliver sect supplies to Yinhun Town. It's a chaotic place with all sorts of people, including demonic cultivators, ghost cultivators, fallen Buddhas, and evil cultivators. There are also ordinary people, but they are few in number. The sect also has a stronghold there, which is very well hidden. They need to conceal their identities and pretend to be independent cultivators to deliver a batch of goods.
Overall, it's not too dangerous.
As for what kind of goods they were, Yao Sisi didn't know. Anyway, the sect had issued special storage bags that couldn't be opened easily; she just needed to deliver them.
Delivery missions like this happen frequently, the only difference being the delivery location. That's why she went directly to the mission hall to accept the mission, fearing that if the mission was lost, it would be too dangerous for Qi Mu to go to such a place alone.
Before setting off, the two bought robes commonly worn by rogue cultivators and prepared some medicinal pills for supplies.
The town of Yinhun was quite a distance from the sect, and the two of them had to use teleportation arrays and travel several times before finally arriving nearby.
This town is in a very special location, nestled in a misty valley. It is shrouded in smoke year-round, with an eerie atmosphere and little spiritual energy, making it a place that ordinary people are unwilling to visit.
However, it happens to be quite close to the Demon Realm, so it attracts all sorts of people, including half-demons and demon cultivators.
When Yao Sisi and Qi Mu entered, they were wearing gray cloaks with wide hoods that covered most of their faces. This kind of attire was very common here, and the two did not attract attention, completely blending into the crowd.
Although Yin Hun Town is called a town, it is actually not small. It was originally a village, so the name has been used ever since. Overall, it is only about half the size of a city.
Yao Sisi and Qi Mu had just arrived and were unfamiliar with the area. The two were chatting privately when a boy of about ten years old bumped into their feet. He seemed a little scared and knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly.
Yao Sisi frowned, and a wisp of spiritual energy emerged from her fingertips, lifting him up: "Don't kneel. If you feel you've offended me, then tell me how to get to the Bridge of Broken Souls."
The little boy was stunned for a moment after being lifted up. It seemed that he hadn't seen such kindness in a long time, which made him freeze. Then he quickly recovered and said to her, "I... I live not far from there. You can take the immortal master there."
Yao Sisi turned her head to look at Qi Mu, signaling with her eyes whether he wanted to follow the little boy.
Qi Mu's gaze swept over the little boy, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. He wanted to take this delivery mission to relax with Sisi. If it weren't for the fact that this mission offered more contribution points and was located further away, allowing for a longer date, he wouldn't have chosen it. However, he didn't expect to encounter someone who would ruin the atmosphere as soon as he arrived.
The atmosphere between them was just right as they walked, but it was all ruined by those few kowtows.
Seeing that she was tilting her head and waiting for a reply, he nodded casually.
Seeing that Qi Mu had no objections, Yao Sisi said to the little boy, "You lead the way!"
She followed silently, glancing around discreetly. She had never been to such a place before and was somewhat curious, but after a while, she realized that apart from the unpleasant environment, which resembled a heavy smog, there was nothing particularly special about it.
What's unusual is that a lot of people were covering their faces, as if they were afraid of being recognized, and everyone was in a hurry.
When they followed the little boy to the Bridge of Broken Souls, the atmosphere there was much better than before. She casually tossed a spirit stone to the little boy, "Here, play with it!"
The little boy was rather ordinary-looking, very thin and seemingly always hungry, with only his chubby cheeks making him appear a bit too young.
The Bridge of Broken Souls looked very high, and their destination wasn't far from here, but she wasn't sure if the little boy was trustworthy, so she said to Qi Mu, "Let's wander around here for a bit. We have enough time anyway, so let's not go over there yet."
Qi Mu always listened to her; as long as he was with her, he didn't find even the Bridge of Broken Souls annoying.
Yao Sisi stepped off the bridge and looked around at the scenery. The bridge was very high and red lanterns were hanging on it, but the festive lanterns hanging on the gray bridge surface looked really strange.
There were two rows of shops under the bridge, and that's how they came across it. The two of them strolled around the area when they suddenly saw some commotion ahead. There were a few shady-looking guys, and it was hard to tell if they were demonic cultivators or evil cultivators. They weren't covering their faces and were chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere seemed very relaxed.
Perhaps out of place with the street scene, Yao Sisi couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. When Qi Mu saw her looking at the group of people, he quietly moved closer to her. Their sleeves were intertwined, making it look like they were holding hands. As for the noise outside, it had nothing to do with him.
Yao Sisi didn't notice the subtle movements of the person next to her. She saw a group of cultivators on the street, led by a couple, looking at something at a stall, while their henchmen behind them frantically praised it.
The praise was clearly exaggerated, yet the couple seemed quite pleased with it.
Qi Mu noticed that she kept looking in that direction, so he finally glanced at it with a bit of his attention.
They were a group of demonic cultivators, quite noisy. He glanced at them and then looked away, focusing all his attention on the people beside him. "There seem to be some unusual items at those stalls over there. Shall we go down and take a look?"
Yao Sisi nodded, "That's fine, there's a mixed bag of people here, maybe we'll stumble upon something good."
The two walked along the street. Just then, the little boy who had been there earlier pushed through the crowd and was embraced by the couple. The man patted the little boy's head and asked, "You must be the errand boy from the city gate. What are you rushing off to?"
The little boy lowered his head and bowed his back, answering respectfully, "In response to Senior Black Blade, I want to go back to see my mother as soon as possible. She was injured last time she went out and it is inconvenient for her to be alone."
Yao Sisi heard the Black Blade Senior chuckle: "So filial, huh? In that case, you should head back soon!"
The little boy said, "Thank you, senior. I'll be going now."
Yao Sisi looked away. It was a very simple encounter. It seemed that the two knew each other and their tone was very friendly. She turned her attention to a nearby stall and saw a pair of gloves that looked very nice.
She picked up the gloves and examined them; they felt wonderful to the touch and were perfect for wearing while cultivating spiritual plants. "Boss, how much are these?"
The other person didn't reply to her, but instead glanced at something not far away. Yao Sisi followed their gaze and didn't think anything of it. But then, she smelled a bloody odor and subconsciously frowned.
Where is this bloody smell coming from?
She was certain that Mingming hadn't had it before.
Because there are many taboos in Yin Hun Town, cultivators don't casually use their spiritual sense to investigate. Most of the time, they can only use their naked eyes to see. She looked at the group of people who had just been very lively with a strange expression. She saw that they had finished buying their things and were walking towards the bridge, right in front of Yao Sisi.
Soon, she realized why there was a bloody smell. She saw the guy surrounded by people, who was called Senior Black Blade, holding a fresh head in his hands.
The veins and meridians on it trembled irregularly, dripping bright red blood, as if they had been forcibly ripped from the body.
She recognized the owner of the head as the little boy who had led her there.
He was talking to his Daoist partner with a grin, while his partner was holding the little boy's body.
"It's more comfortable to hold such an obedient child in your own hands!"
In that instant, Yao Sisi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, as if ice had pierced directly through her heart from the soles of her feet, chilling her entire body.
She even forgot where she was and what she was supposed to do.
A surge of anger exploded in his chest, but he had to suppress it.
At that moment, the senior Black Blade, who was holding the severed head, glanced at her through the vast crowd!
That one look was filled with a smile, the most ordinary smile, yet it sent shivers down your spine.
Yao Sisi avoided looking at her.
Suddenly, a warm hand appeared beside her and held it tightly. Yao Sisi was immediately pulled back to reality. She covered Qi Mu's eyes with her other hand: "Don't look!"
Qi Mu was embraced by her, feeling the stiffness in her body, and the scene from just now reappeared in his mind's eye, along with her face that turned pale instantly.
He regretted it; he shouldn't have let her come.
How could we forget that people who grow up in the sunlight cannot bear such darkness?
The hand covering his eyes gradually became sweaty.
Soon, the group of people on the street went up the bridge and slowly disappeared from the two's sight. Yao Sisi looked around at the people strolling calmly, completely unaffected by the scene just now. They were so indifferent, or rather, so numb, so... indifferent.
Ironically, she had previously thought this place was quite ordinary.
These people are so terrifying that they don't even bother to look up when someone commits murder in the street.
Yao Sisi hated herself. She had felt fear for a moment. She wasn't as righteous as she thought. She knew that the other person's cultivation was higher than hers, and he had many followers around him. She had almost no chance of winning.
Rationally, she could forgive herself for the momentary panic and fear.
Her hand, which had been covering Qi Mu, gradually slipped away, and she smiled somewhat reluctantly: "Young Master, let's go and turn in the mission first, and forget what we just saw, okay?"
This was the first time Qi Mu had seen her smile like that, and for a moment she didn't know how to comfort her.
In my memory, her laughter was unrestrained, cheerful, happy, and mischievous, but never this forced.
It felt as if a knife had taken up residence in my heart. This knife had lost its way, foolishly wandering endlessly at the tip of my heart, staining its bright blade with countless drops of blood...
He took her hand, drew closer, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry..."
Yao Sisi's body was still a little stiff. It wasn't that she was afraid of killing; if it were a villain, she might even take a knife and deal with him herself. But she couldn't bear it. It was such an ordinary chat, with no motive for murder, so how could it be... so...
“Young master, there’s no need to apologize to me. It’s my fault. If I hadn’t asked him to lead the way, he wouldn’t have run into that group of people. I even suspected him of having ulterior motives before. It was my fault… I made a mess of things. It was my fault…”
A tear rolled down Yao Sisi's cheek. This was the first time Qi Mu had ever seen her cry since they met, and for a stranger's child no less.
This tear was even more painful than being slowly sliced to death.
Yao Sisi held Qi Mu's hand, gripping it tighter and tighter. She forced herself to stay alert: the young master was kind-hearted and had never experienced anything dirty.
She had to take him away immediately, away from here...
That person's name was Black Blade, she remembered it!
The two quickly handed in their tasks, but Yao Sisi didn't rush to leave. Qi Mu seemed to have guessed her intentions and became even more hesitant to leave. He shouldn't have been so jealous as to bring her out.
He was wrong!
He's completely wrong!
That evening, the two booked an inn on the street. Qi Mu was worried about her being alone, so he followed her into the same room.
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