Luo Jin Xiao smiled because he had already guessed that Qu Wei Yin would react this way.
That night, Luo Jin Xiao found a spot in Qu Wei Yin’s room and went to sleep. The next morning, as the day began to dawn, the two of them set out on their swords.
The morning mist wafted through the mountains, obscuring the view below. The mountain range near Regretfully Mountain was endless, with only a few peaks emerging from the fog.
Qu Wei Yin was moving at a fast pace with her sword. To conceal her identity, she wore a simple white dress typical of ordinary women. Her hair was tied back with a ribbon, giving her a modest and refined appearance when seen from behind.
Luo Jin Xiao’s attire was more elegant, a turquoise dress with blue floral embroidery at the hem, cinched at the waist with a gold-trimmed sash. Her hair was neatly arranged with a silver hairpin, giving her a crisp and neat appearance.
After flying for about half an hour, Qu Wei Yin descended to the ground. Luo Jin Xiao followed. Beneath them was a small town surrounded by mountains and water, offering a picturesque view. Despite the onset of autumn, flowers were blooming everywhere.
By now, the sky was fully lit, with a fiery red sun rising on the horizon, casting a pink glow across half of the sky. Inside the city, merchants with their carts had already lined the streets, breaking the silence of the early morning with their lively shouts.
Even though Qu Wei Yin’s clothes were modest, she still attracted a lot of attention as she entered the city.
When Luo Jin Xiao noticed the attention around her, she took a straw hat out of her bag and put it on Qu Wei Yin’s head. Qu Wei Yin suddenly felt something on her head and reached out to remove it, but Luo Jin Xiao stopped her.
“Even though it’s unattractive, it can help shield your face,” Luo Jin Xiao approached and whispered, “With your appearance, people are bound to stare at you without covering your face.”
Qu Wei Yin withdrew her hand, no longer bothering with the hat on her head, and her face blushed.
Luo Jin Xiao noticed that the hat was crooked and reached out to straighten it. At the same time, Qu Wei Yin’s pace slowed down and they bumped into each other, with Qu Wei Yin almost being hugged by Luo Jin Xiao.
The scent enveloped them, and Luo Jin Xiao realized that the scent she had smelled came from Qu Wei Yin’s green hair. She hesitated for a moment before quickly backing away.
Even though she had distanced herself, the scent still lingered in her nostrils.
With her back turned, Qu Wei Yin was also not at ease. Her eyes flashed slightly and she clenched her fists.
Her moment was interrupted by a cry. An elderly man with a limp was pushing a one-wheeled cart and shouted at Qu Wei Yin, “Miss, freshly baked steamed buns.
Qu Wei Yin snapped out of her thoughts, waved him off, and continued walking briskly.
Luo Jin Xiao shook off the heat on her face and caught up with Qu Wei Yin again. They turned into a sparsely populated alley when Qu Wei Yin suddenly said, “The missing people might have left traces of their spiritual energy in this area. Help me search for any traces of them around here.”
Luo Jin Xiao silently agreed and walked more carefully. Although the city was not large, it had many alleys and side streets, and sometimes, after navigating through layers of houses, they found themselves retracing their steps.
As they tried to avoid attracting attention, the two of them struggled not to show any differences from the others, making their progress even more difficult.
“Young Martial Uncle, maybe I should let Little Sweetie go. She’s a wild beast and should have a sharper perception than us,” Luo Jin Xiao suggested after narrowly stumbling into the river for the fifth time.
Qu Wei Yin furrowed her brow, glanced at the trickling water in front of her, and nodded in agreement.
Luo Jin Xiao reached into her bag, and after rummaging around, she could not find a single hair of Qiong Qi. She had no choice but to turn the bag upside down and shake it vigorously.
Suddenly, a flash of white light emanated from the bag, and a figure tumbled out. Startled, Luo Jin Xiao quickly reached out to catch it.
The figure that fell out was none other than Qiong Qi. It seemed to have just woken up, its round eyes half closed. It was wrapped in Luo Jin Xiao’s arms, smelling her scent and using its paws to hug her neck, nuzzling her with its nose.
If it had been a tiger cub, the gesture would have seemed natural, but in its human form, it seemed rather ambiguous.
The young girl wrapped around Luo Jin Xiao’s neck like a soft dough had her knees held by Luo Jin Xiao, while her bare, beautiful feet dangled and swayed continuously.
Luo Jin Xiao was stunned, as was Qu Wei Yin by her side.
“No, I put her in the bag when she was still in her animal form. How did she transform inside by herself?” Luo Jin Xiao argued hastily, almost biting her tongue as she tried to explain.
She tried to release the Qiong Qi, but despite her seemingly small hands, it held on tightly and refused to let go, making her arms ache. Frustrated, she looked at Qu Wei Yin with a pleading expression.
“Young Martial Uncle…”
Qu Wei Yin raised an eyebrow and looked at them. With one arm around the young girl’s back and the other hand on her knee, the two of them looked surprisingly harmonious.
Without a word, Qu Wei Yin turned around and walked away.
“Hey, Young Martial Uncle, scare her a little before you go! Don’t leave!” Luo Jin Xiao shouted desperately as she tried to catch up.
Meanwhile, the Qiong Qi wanted to lick her face. Luo Jin Xiao had to cough and put on a fierce expression, threatening, “Let go of your claws or I’ll only feed you pig’s feet from now on!
At her words, the Qiong Qi blinked its big eyes that quickly filled with mist, looking pitiful and innocent, and Luo Jin Xiao’s heart softened.
After a struggle, she finally let go of the Qiong Qi and ran after Qu Wei Yin, panting, “Young Martial Uncle, wait for me.
“It seems like you have important business to attend to,” Qu Wei Yin said coldly.
“There’s nothing important, accompanying Young Martial Uncle to look for someone is what’s important,” Luo Jin Xiao replied with a forced smile, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Upon hearing this, Qu Wei Yin made an unnatural purse of her red lips.
The Qiong Qi caught up with her, taking quick steps with an eager and curious look in their eyes. When passersby saw them, they looked at Qiong Qi with pity. Some even glared at Luo Jin Xiao and Qu Wei Yin angrily as they passed by.
Qu Wei Yin was not used to being treated like this by others. She paused and confronted Luo Jin Xiao. “Why don’t you give her proper shoes?”
“I already have, but she refuses to wear any,” Luo Jin Xiao sighed and reached out to pull Qiong Qi back as she hurried toward the butcher shop, securing her firmly to her side.
“I called you here for a reason. Help us search for any traces of spiritual energy around here,” Luo Jin Xiao whispered to the Qiong Qi.
Despite its animal-like instincts, the Qiong Qi was intelligent. After hearing Luo Jin Xiao’s words, she puffed out her cheeks and started searching along the main street.
However, she was often distracted by various curiosities along the way. For example, when she caught the scent of meat, she refused to move and even bit Luo Jin Xiao’s clothes.
The Qiong Qi’s antics made Luo Jin Xiao completely exhausted on the way. In the end, she had to spend a few coins to buy some chicken legs to tempt the Qiong Qi to keep searching. The Qiong Qi stood on her tiptoes and used her lips to nuzzle Luo Jin Xiao’s face while grabbing the chicken legs.
The Qiong Qi also playfully patted Luo Jin Xiao’s shoulder, looking quite cute. Suddenly, Luo Jin Xiao felt a wave of hostility coming from behind her. She turned around to see Qu Wei Yin, who was calmly wielding the Moonlight Star Sword that was now in her hand.
“Why are you so lazy?” Qu Wei Yin’s tone was icy, sending shivers down her spine.
Startled by her, the Qiong Qi’s grip loosened and she awkwardly stepped aside, managing to grab a chicken leg from Luo Jin Xiao.
“Find her quickly,” Qu Wei Yin demanded, causing the Qiong Qi to sprint off, leaving her fluttering ribbon behind.
Luo Jin Xiao stood on the spot, unsure of what had angered Qu Wei Yin. She wanted to ask, but was silenced by Qu Wei Yin’s sudden cold gaze. Feeling increasingly confused, she breathed a sigh of relief when Qu Wei Yin finally left. She covered her chest with her hand, feeling increasingly confused.
After walking for about an hour, the Qiong Qi suddenly stopped and rushed towards a door. Quickly, Luo Jin Xiao grabbed the tail of Qiong Qi’s dress just in time to stop her.
“Why do you insist on barging in everywhere?” Luo Jin Xiao scolded her and grabbed her tightly.
Qu Wei Yin looked up at the huge sign in front of her, her expression puzzled. “Where is this?” she asked.
“Don’t you know, Young Martial Uncle?” Luo Jin Xiao asked in surprise.
Qu Wei Yin shook her head. Even though she had lived for over two thousand years, she had mostly stayed in the mountains and did not like to go out. Her time in the demon realm made her even more unfamiliar with the mortal world.
After a while, with some effort, Luo Jin Xiao plucked up the courage to say, “This place is called the Fragrant Courtyard, commonly known as the Land of Fireworks.
Qu Wei Yin nodded slightly, her cheeks blushing slightly, her eyes no longer staring at the door.
The Qiong Qi furrowed her brows and looked threatening as she turned to grab Luo Jin Xiao’s clothes and drag her inside. This caused Luo Jin Xiao to stumble forward and realize that something was wrong.
“When you say ‘strange,’ do you mean there’s something unusual inside?” Luo Jin Xiao whispered.
The Qiong Qi snorted in response.
Luo Jin Xiao and Qu Wei Yin exchanged a glance and both calmed down.
“Let’s go,” Qu Wei Yin said and took the lead into the door. Luo Jin Xiao was unable to stop her and had no choice but to quickly follow.
As they entered, a woman dressed in gold and silver intercepted them. She looked at Qu Wei Yin and Luo Jin Xiao and said in a shrill voice, “Ladies, this isn’t the place for you. Our Fragrant Courtyard is for men only. However, if you have other intentions, we might make an exception…”
Luo Jin Xiao frowned and was about to say something when Qu Wei Yin coldly cut in.
“So women can’t be guests here?” Her gaze pierced through her straw hat and shot a cold glance at the woman who was breaking out in a sweat.
Qu Wei Yin had left her speechless. Luo Jin Xiao also felt like she had broken out in a sweat. She discreetly wiped it from her sleeves, thinking how appropriate it was for Qu Wei Yin to make outrageous ideas normal.
The woman stuttered. “We have never received female guests, but… we could consider making an exception…”
“Well, let’s change the rules today,” Qu Wei Yin snorted and grabbed Luo Jin Xiao’s wrist, striding into the room. The woman was incredulous as she watched Qu Wei Yin’s actions.
She seemed to suddenly understand something, straightened up and cleared her throat, “Come in, we have many private rooms. Choose the one you want.”
Upon hearing this, a blush crept onto Luo Jin Xiao’s face. She hurriedly took out a silver ingot from her bag and handed it to the woman, then gestured with her lips to tell her to keep it a secret.
The woman patted her ample breasts and smiled meaningfully.
At that moment, the Qiong Qi burst into the room and immediately rushed at Luo Jin Xiao, sticking to her like glue. The woman’s eyes widened in surprise.
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