Chapter 675

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

"Changsheng Daozhang, please take care."

"Prince, Imperial Consort, please stay. With this parting, this old Taoist will also handle the city's affairs as soon as possible."

They stayed in Qixing Cheng for several more days. The friction between the two countries' borders gradually eased, and the two generals had also fully taken over border affairs, so Lin Xingzhi planned to leave this city and head for the originally intended next destination.

Changsheng Daozhang naturally could not leave. The few disciples sent by the Dao Guan could not shoulder the responsibility, and that enemy country's National Preceptor had too many conspiracies and tricks, so he needed to stay for an additional period of time, and could only leave after the Dao Guan dispatched new Taoists.

"Changsheng Daozhang has it hard too," originally he only wanted to accept a disciple.

Lin Xingzhi smiled and gently pulled Shen Yao into his embrace, indicating that once Changsheng Daozhang's matters were settled, he would likely return to Jingcheng to cultivate as soon as possible.

"Jing'er is growing older," returning to the Dao Guan to cultivate with Changsheng Daozhang at this time, they as husband and wife could also accept it.

After all, parents cannot accompany a child for a lifetime; the path ahead, how to walk it, ultimately requires one's own decisions.

The carriage left Qixing Cheng and traveled forward all the way, heading toward one new city after another.

Benefiting from the transaction Shen Yao previously made with that group of cat demons in Qixing Cheng, before leaving the surrounding area of the northern region, their inspection tour went very smoothly.

It could be said they encountered not a single bit of trouble. Whether officials or commoners, their cute, obedient, and docile appearances were simply like little lambs.

Lin Xingzhi: ……Ah?

Looking at the Qing Sin Zhe delivered to his hand, Lin Xingzhi blinked. Well, regardless of the reason, anyway it had no harm to him.

"If the western cities are also like the present one, our return to Jingcheng time can be advanced." Going out on inspection, experiencing the customs of different places was certainly nice, but the toil of travel by boat and carriage inevitably exhausted body and mind; no matter what, it was not as comfortable as staying in Jingcheng and enjoying ease.

He reckoned that when they returned to Jingcheng again, the Emperor's rewards would certainly not be stingier than the previous few times.

Shen Yao heard this, raised her eyes, and glared at Lin Xingzhi. "Be careful the Emperor finds out and punishes you." Speaking like this, is she jinxing it?

Lin Xingzhi said with a straight face, "We husband and wife have worked hard outside for years; could it be we still cannot exchange for the Emperor's pity?"

Moreover, the three children had titles but no fiefdoms. This time Lin Xingzhi was determined to make the Emperor bleed heavily. He did not seek open parity with the palace's princes and princesses, but the benefits that should exist in private absolutely could not be few.

Shen Yao pursed her lips and laughed softly, thinking to herself: whether the Emperor would pity them was unknown, but the Emperor would certainly give the benefits that ought to be given in full.

Nowadays, in all of Li Guo, who could replace Lin Xingzhi? The Emperor was buying a horse's bones with a thousand gold. Before the royal family produced a new figure, Lin Xingzhi was such that even if he wanted the moon in the sky, the Emperor would have to rack his brains on how to pluck it down.

The couple's idle chat stopped here. Next came the serious business that could better mobilize human emotions.

Clothes were peeled off piece by piece, slowly piling up over the entire floor.

Shen Yao's gaze swept from bottom to top then top to bottom. By the time she reacted, she was already back on the Chuangyi.

As the hanging bed curtain fell, the self-contained narrow space became secluded and ambiguous. Breathing sounds intertwined, bodies naturally pressed close, finally merging into one, just like the two of them hated that they could not knead each other into their own flesh and blood.

Fragmented sounds continued intermittently for a long time, until the moon outside the window rose to the brow of the hills, all sounds stilled, and the room returned to its original tranquility.

…………

When she opened her eyes again, it was already high noon.

Shen Yao shook her head, stood up, and called the attending servants to help her off the bed to wash and dress.

She changed into a beautiful light green long skirt. Her hair was half pinned up, half let down. Beautiful bead strings were placed at the back of her head, making a ding-dang jingling sound as she walked.

The servants had already brought a sumptuous meal, all of Shen Yao's favorite flavors.

At this time they were staying and resting in a town named Luoyi.

Luoyi was a hundred li from Qixing. This was also the farthest city the cat demons were responsible for. Once they left here, the cities they encountered next would inevitably have constant troubles, big and small.

"Perhaps you can continue to hire us. The previous transaction was very fair. The Mao Yao Zu, we very much need this kind of Spirit Pill."

As clan leader, Da Hei recently could be said to be diligent to an excessive degree. Even its favorite sunbathing and rocking chair activities were temporarily given up, just to earn more Spirit Pills for the clan before Shen Yao left the relevant area.

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, indicating her alchemy pills were not inexhaustible things. Besides, the cat demons had already earned quite a lot during this period; they must not be insatiably greedy. One must know: maintaining one's original heart enables longevity.

Da Hei: ……

Da Hei felt this person's words were truly interesting. Willing to take out good things but unwilling to give more. It was only because the Mao Yao Zu kept their promise (actually because they simply couldn't beat her) that they would let go of the Spirit Pills.

"Human, really no more consideration?"

Da Hei was a bit unwilling to give up. While speaking, it walked up to Shen Yao and acted coquettishly cute. An old monster who didn't know how many years it had lived, truly had remarkably thick face skin.

Shen Yao couldn't help stroking Da Hei's soft fur. Listening to Da Hei's purring sound, she smiled and explained it wasn't that she wouldn't consider more, but because the Mao Yao Zu's strength was such: "Once the Spirit Pill's secret leaks out, have you thought about where the Mao Yao Zu would go from there?"

Within the permitted range, any transaction is fine. Once it exceeds this bottom line, unless the cat demons have a big background and big backing to rely on, they can just wait to be robbed by other demons.

Da Hei: ……

Da Hei angrily stood up, dodging the fingers still trying to rest on its body. "You human have such vicious thoughts, actually hoping our Mao Yao Zu meets with great misfortune."

The Spirit Pill's secret was currently concealed very well. Besides them knowing it in their hearts, other demons didn't know.

Shen Yao: ……

Shen Yao propped her chin, and pointed out the demons who had traded Spirit Pills with her. "You are merely one of them." The implication: other demons also had the possibility of leaking it.

Judging others by herself, there would certainly be some clever demons who would further associate it with the Mao Yao Zu.

Da Hei listened, its cat eyes widening. Its large brown vertical pupils slowly turned completely black.

Yeah!

Forgot there were still other demons here. Not all demons have integrity like us cat demons. What if another demon leaks it?

The beautiful black cat anxiously swished its thick tail, and constantly scanned the surrounding environment.

Shen Yao knew when to stop. She didn't say anything more to stimulate the black cat before her, until the black cat slowly returned to normal, then they switched to a new topic.

Setting aside the Spirit Pill matter for now, Shen Yao handed the final payment to Da Hei. This represented the transaction between both parties ending here.

"Human, smooth winds all the way."

"We'll meet again when the time comes."

Shen Yao watched with a smile as the black cat leapt out the window and left, the system hiding in her mind complaining that the Host had deceived the little kitty, when she herself was clearly a demoness too.

"What does it matter whether I'm human or demon?" It didn't hinder her actions anyway.

Besides, she had never admitted to being human — it was the cat demon who kept calling her that, so where was the deception?

System: ……

The little kitty being deceived wasn't all that miserable either; even knowing the Host was a demon wouldn't affect the transaction. The matter of the Spirit Pill was settled, and with the Luoyi affair concluded, the wedding guests formally set foot outside the Qixing Cheng perimeter.

"Mother Consort, Master, Master~"

Lin Chengjing fiddled with the Jade Pendant hanging from her own body, suddenly thinking of Changsheng Daozhang far away in Qixing Cheng, and couldn't help but murmur a few lines.

Shen Yao cradled Lin Chengjing and rocked her gently, "Does Jing'er miss Master?"

Lin Chengjing hummed an affirmation, nodding then shaking her head — it wasn't really missing him, just that with Master not by her side, she felt a little unaccustomed.

Because before, no matter how busy Changsheng Daozhang was, he would always make time to come teach Lin Chengjing a lesson or two, whether expounding on Daoist arts or sharing insights, striving to lay a solid foundation before Lin Chengjing formally entered the Immortal Path, not wasting a single shred of her talent and comprehension.

"Master will be able to come find Jing'er soon," Lin Chengjing would soon turn three years old, and Changsheng Daozhang treated her as his legacy disciple.

Compared to others, Changsheng Daozhang, who had to stay in Qixing Cheng, would only be even more desperate to come to Lin Chengjing's side.

"Jing'er will keep waiting for Master too," Lin Chengjing said, her eyebrows curving in a smile.

"Oh hehehe, worthy of being the Old Taoist's disciple; this Master is deeply comforted."

Changsheng Daozhang raised a hand to stroke his beard, overjoyed ever since receiving the letter delivered by flying bird; even though master and disciple were separated by a great distance, the bond between them remained firm and stable.

Lin Chengjing, who had only written the missing-you letter because Mother Consort urged her to: ……

Changsheng Daozhang's imaginings knew no bounds; even when handling affairs that day he wore a smiling face, startling the two generals in charge of matters — what happened to the Daoren? Could it be the enemy state suffered a calamity?

The enemy state hadn't suffered a calamity, but it wasn't far from one now. Changsheng Daozhang currently seemed divinely aided, his latent potential and explosive power far surpassing the norm; the wandering Daoist opposite was beaten into continuous retreat, panic-stricken.

"Hmph! Merely a heretic heterodox cultivator! Yet he still dares to provoke this Daoist Master!"

Changsheng Daozhang gave a cold laugh, forming a Hand Seal with one hand and charging straight for the wandering Daoist's face.

"You weren't using your full strength before — was it intentional or" looking down on him! The thought of this possibility made the wandering Daoist instantly furious.

Seeing this, Changsheng Daozhang chuckled, merely saying that dealing with such petty tricks required no full effort from him; even if the other was angry, so what? Could Daoist arts and Cultivation Realm still be swayed by human will?

Wandering Daoist: ……

Unable to beat Changsheng Daozhang, the wandering Daoist could only retreat in indignation; both sides thus sounded the gong to withdraw troops, to fight again next time they clashed.

However Changsheng Daozhang had long since received a letter from the Dao Guan — new personnel would arrive shortly, at which point Changsheng Daozhang would no longer need to remain in Qixing Cheng.

"Go back and tell the two generals: the enemy has withdrawn, everything else as normal."

Lin Xingzhi lifted the Curtain blocking the wind and sand, gazing at the boundless desert before him, and asked how much longer until they reached Sha Xi Zhen.

"Reporting to the Prince, two more days," Lin An replied.

"Make haste; the longer we stay here, the worse the food and water situation becomes," the desert had scarcely any places to replenish supplies; they had to reach Sha Xi Zhen before food and water became a problem.

"Yes"

Releasing his grip and letting the Curtain fall, Lin Xingzhi returned to the carriage interior and sighed helplessly.

Shen Yao patted Lin Xingzhi's shoulder reassuringly, "It's only been three days since we entered; the guide also said no severe sandstorms would occur in this timeframe — trust that we'll reach Sha Xi Zhen soon."

This desert was narrow yet broad in area; a good number of cities in the western region lay within it.

The Sha Xi Zhen Shen Yao's party was headed for got its name because a Stream passed through the city; it had even been forced to relocate several times due to the Stream changing course.

The desert had extreme temperature differences between day and night — one might need thick clothes in the morning, be forced to shed outer garments from the heat at noon, and have to put on even thicker coats once the sun set in the evening.

Daily Meals were all prepared before entering; after several consecutive days, even tasty food would become revolting.

Lin Chengyan and the three children were the first to kick up a fuss — they wanted to eat their favorite flavors; what were these dry pastries in their hands? They wanted to eat soft, tender snow pastries.

Lin Xingzhi fobbed them off with the excuse "there will be some once we reach Sha Xi Zhen," but unexpectedly the three children didn't buy it; still, Shen Yao had a way to calm them temporarily — pity such a method couldn't be used again and again.

"Be good, sleep now; when you wake up we'll be there."

Raising her hand to pat each of the three children's little bellies, then instructing the night-watch Servants to pay constant attention to keeping warm, Shen Yao left the Tent and returned to the carriage.

Lin Xingzhi was currently flipping through Lin Jinyu's travelogue; the western cities recorded therein were without exception covered in a thick layer of sand.

Even surpassing Suo Fang Cheng in the north.

"It's very late; you've labored all day, you should rest early," raising her hand to take the travelogue from Lin Xingzhi's grasp, Shen Yao shot a glare at the pillow-side companion who liked to study at night, hurriedly pushing him to lie down on one side.

Lin Xingzhi: ……

Lin Xingzhi's lips curled upward, smiling radiantly.

Shen Yao didn't want to say anything; staying in the desert day and night, even if safe, would make one restless and irritable; she turned her head to lean against Lin Xingzhi's embrace, banishing stray thoughts, and before long fell asleep.

A dreamless night; the sun rose outside the window, warm orange light sprinkling the ground, laying a thin blanket leading forward for early risers.

The guide rubbed his eyes, as if verifying something.

Wrong, no mistake, no mistake…… right?

"After finishing Morning Meal, continue the journey; any issues?" Lin An walked up to the guide and asked.

"No, no issues at all," the guide stammered; after Lin An nodded and left, he called out again, "Sir, sir, it seems we can reach Sha Xi Zhen today."

Originally it was said to be tomorrow, but this morning's Scene was overly familiar.

Perhaps my own nerves were too tight and I remembered wrong?

The guide comforted himself a few times in his heart; especially thinking of the reward he'd get upon reaching Sha Xi Zhen, he couldn't help but tremble with excitement.

Lin An hadn't paid attention to the guide's expression; upon hearing they could reach Sha Xi Zhen today, he immediately rushed to inform Lin Xingzhi.

Shen Yao, utterly surprised: …… Huh?

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" The System insisted it had not made a mistake this time; given the distance between Sha Xi Zhen and them, arriving in one day was a fantasy.

"Then let's wait and see what kind of demons and monsters the Sha Xi Zhen ahead actually is."

One of the two must be lying; compared to the overly objective System, overly subjective humans are more prone to error.

Facts proved that the Sha Xi Zhen reachable in one day was indeed not the true Sha Xi Zhen they sought, but this place was also Sha Xi Zhen — merely one of the abandoned old sites forced into disuse because the Stream changed course.