Chapter 97: Why be so polite? It's for the child

"What!? The Sect Master actually wants to send that Ruan Xing to the Central Province?"

Elder Xu slammed his hand onto the table; with the Spiritual Power he didn't intentionally restrain, the wooden table emitted an unbearable creaking sound and shattered into splinters that flew in all directions.

A sharp splinter, carrying Elder Xu's fierce Spiritual Power, flew past the side of Lu Qisheng's face, leaving behind a bloody scratch.

Elder Xu hadn't aimed at him on purpose, and his protective Spiritual Power could have blocked the splinter, but he suppressed his instinctive reaction.

"Xi'er entered the Secret Realm to kill her, and now she has come out safe and sound, even gaining the Sect Master's appreciation, yet Xi'er died in the Secret Realm. How is this fair?" Elder Xu's tone was filled with grief and malice toward Ruan Xing.

Although he usually felt that Xu Sixi failed to live up to his expectations, Xu Sixi had decent aptitude; even after coming to Nanzhou, his mind wasn't on cultivation, but his rate of cultivation improvement was within the normal range. His elder brother had high hopes for Xu Sixi, and he had also kept a Breaking Boundary Pill in his collection for Xu Sixi to use in the future.

Lu Qisheng lowered his head, the drooping strands of hair casting a shadow over his face, making it impossible to see his expression clearly. He said indifferently, "She managed to reach Foundation Establishment at six; perhaps she possesses some fortuitous encounter or trump card, which is why she was able to kill the Senior Brother when he hunted her. Now that she is keeping a low profile, she is likely afraid that the Master will discover this matter and settle the score with her, so she is avoiding the limelight for now."

Elder Xu pondered for a moment. "That is indeed a possibility... Heh, but it doesn't matter how it happened. Xi'er is gone, and I must give my elder brother an explanation."

He couldn't cover up the matter of the Golden Terrace Secret Realm. Looking at the Sect Master's attitude, he was likely going to wash his hands of it, so he couldn't count on him either. He had to look after either the Sect or the Xu Family, didn't he?

He raised his eyes to look at Lu Qisheng; this disciple was no longer of one mind with him. Even if he let him form a Golden Core and sent him to the Central Province, he wouldn't be of much value to the Xu Family.

Two days after talking with the Sect Master.

Ruan Xing, as usual, cast a Dust-Gathering Technique on herself after waking up and leisurely left the mountain gate.

At the speed of a Flying Sword, she could reach Yunyang City by sunset, but Ruan Xing landed in a small town before arriving at Yunyang City.

This was all because of the requests of the two big shots. They had been inside the Storage Bag for a month and naturally wanted to come out for some fresh air. But they weren't Flying Swords; they wouldn't obediently listen and stay hidden. What if they encountered some Golden Core True Person and the secret of their Puppet Body was discovered? Wouldn't she be finished? So, she couldn't go to Yunyang City.

This place was mainly a gathering place for mortals, with fewer Cultivators. Both big shots had been at the Transformation Stage before they died, so they could still manage to keep the yin energy from leaking out of their bodies, as long as they weren't carefully observed by high-level Cultivators, there wouldn't be any problems.

Finding a secluded alley to let them out, having not seen signs of human life for a long time, the Demon Lord looked around, his eyes filled with nostalgia and curiosity, while the Fairy found a veil from somewhere and covered her face.

"Why cover up? Afraid of being seen?" the Demon Lord teased.

The Fairy said coldly, "We are using other people's bodies. What if we run into someone familiar with the original owners?"

The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow. "Yo, you're quite thoughtful."

Ruan Xing hurriedly said, "It doesn't matter. Both of these people are Central Province Cultivators; they should be in Nanzhou for the first time, so no one will recognize them."

The Fairy gave a light huff, but she didn't take off the veil, turning her head and walking out of the alley.

"Demon Lord, how does it feel? Has it changed since several thousand years ago?" Ruan Xing asked.

The Demon Lord nodded casually, stretched, and put his hands behind his head. "It's alright. I didn't pay much attention to these mortals before, but it doesn't look as lively as I thought."

"This is just a small town, there aren't many people. If we go to a big city, I'm worried that other Cultivators will notice something amiss," Ruan Xing explained, then saw the Demon Lord give an indifferent 'hmm' and reach out his hand toward her.

Ruan Xing was confused. "What's this for?"

"Give me money," the Demon Lord said righteously. "I've been stifled for thousands of years. It's the first day I've finally come out, and you won't even let me enjoy myself?"

"Hey, aren't you..." Ruan Xing suddenly shut her mouth, resignedly taking out some Silver and Spirit Stones and handing them to the Demon Lord. She suddenly remembered that all of the Demon Lord's belongings had been consumed by him; he was truly and completely penniless.

She remembered that what they had discussed before was that she would bring them out, they would give her their inheritance, and then they would go their separate ways, neither interfering with the other, right? Why was she responsible for their expenses during this time?

Forget it, they were big shots; she didn't dare to refute anything they said.

However, why did she feel like this scenario was a bit familiar? The Demon Lord took them without any hesitation, strode to the stall in front, and lowered his head to pick out some trinkets that children liked. "I want this, and this too. Here, keep the change!"

Casually tossing down a piece of Silver, the Demon Lord took the items and went off to catch up with the Fairy on his own.

Ruan Xing nodded to herself while watching. This Demon Cultivator looked unrestrained and willful, yet he still had some sense of propriety; he didn't let the shopkeeper discover that he didn't use his mouth to speak.

The two big shots who hadn't seen living people for thousands of years breathed in the atmosphere of the mortal world wantonly. Ruan Xing followed them at a leisurely pace for a while, and seeing that they hadn't caused any trouble, she turned away, reassured, to do her own business.

She had to go to the market where Cultivators gathered to buy a few Storage Bags, not just for herself, but also to prepare a few for Ruan Tao and the others, along with some essential items for Cultivators.

It had to be said that things in the Cultivator market were really much cheaper than at Wanbao Tower. A Storage Bag with fifty cubic meters of space was actually only a few hundred Spirit Stones. Ruan Xing bought one large one and several small ones of ten cubic meters.

However, the quality was indeed uneven. She wanted to buy some materials to take back for Ruan Tao to refine low-grade Pills suitable for her, but the prices of some raw materials were normal while the quality was quite unreliable. She had looked at several shops and stalls and felt dissatisfied. It was a pity that this small town didn't have a Wanbao Tower; otherwise, even if the price were higher, at least the quality would be guaranteed.

She had just walked out of a shop and was on the street preparing to look at a few more when her peripheral vision caught something, and her footsteps halted.

An elderly Cultivator, over sixty years old, was holding a young girl's hand as they came out of a shop selling Dharma Artifacts. He squatted down, put a protective Dharma Artifact in the style of a longevity lock around the girl's neck, carefully tucked it into her collar, and then straightened her slightly crooked pigtails.

The young girl just stood there blankly, letting the old Cultivator fuss over her.

Isn't that Cai Xueshi and Cai Jiao?

Just as she was thinking of them, they had delivered themselves to her door. But how could they be here? She remembered that Inner Sect Disciples of the Six Suns Study weren't allowed to leave the mountain until they reached Foundation Establishment, right?

Ruan Xing walked straight over and greeted him with a smile. "Cai Xueshi, we meet again. How have you been these days?" Hearing this long-lost form of address, Cai Xueshi was stunned for a moment, stood up straight, and saw Ruan Xing. "It's you, Gang Leader Ruan. Long time no see."

"Hmm, why aren't you cultivating properly on the mountain? How did you end up here?" Ruan Xing swept her Divine Sense over them. Cai Jiao was still the same as before; it seemed Cai Xueshi hadn't found a way to save her. However, Cai Xueshi's cultivation speed wasn't slow. He had only been in the Cultivation world for seven or eight months and was already at the eighth level of Qi Refining, almost catching up to her, someone who had a Simulator as a cheat.

Cai Xueshi was silent for a moment, the expression on his face somewhat weary. "That's a long story."

"Then let's chat about it. It's almost dark anyway, I'm staying here tonight, and I have nothing to do right now. Here, I brought a gift for A Jiao." Ruan Xing took out a piece of Soul Nourishing Wood the size of a fingernail, hooked the longevity lock on Cai Jiao's neck, opened it, and put it inside. "This is Soul Nourishing Wood. It has the effect of condensing the soul and opening up intelligence. The effect varies from person to person. If you're lucky, perhaps in a dozen years or so, A Jiao will be able to recover her memory and the intelligence of a normal person."

"This..." Cai Xueshi was so shocked he stuttered. "Such a precious item, how could I..."

But he couldn't bring himself to say the words of refusal.

Ever since he started Spirit Refining, he had inquired in many places for something with a similar effect, but the results were unsatisfactory. Cultivators could train their Divine Sense and expand their Soul Sea at the Golden Core Stage, and naturally, their Divine Soul would be powerful after reaching Nascent Soul. However, if one wanted to repair the soul of a low-level Cultivator or even a mortal, it was extremely difficult. Items that could have such an effect were few and far between, extremely rare, but they didn't have much value to Cultivators, so no one would specifically collect them.

For this period of time, he had still gained nothing regarding saving Nannan.

Only after becoming a Cultivator and practicing Cultivation did he better understand how difficult it was to accomplish something.

He just didn't expect that on such an ordinary, plain day, he would see Ruan Xing again, and she had brought him new hope.

"Don't be so polite, it's for the child," Ruan Xing said with the tone of a mature adult giving out red envelopes during the New Year.

"Let's go," she waved her hand, signaling Cai Xueshi to follow her to the restaurant on the street behind.

In Cai Xueshi's impression, this mysterious Gang Leader Ruan wouldn't help others for no reason, and he could feel that Ruan Xing's cultivation was far beyond his own. He didn't know what Ruan Xing could still be plotting regarding him.

But the Soul Nourishing Wood was already hanging on Nannan. The treasure he had dreamed of that could allow Nannan to recover to normal had been obtained so easily; he could no longer make the decision to refuse Ruan Xing.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he took Cai Jiao's small hand and followed Ruan Xing.

"Tell me, what's going on? You weren't expelled, were you?" Ruan Xing asked. If so, her investment just now would have gone down the drain. But giving it before asking and giving it after asking were different. For Cai Xueshi, the former would make him more moved and inclined to repay her, while the latter would be a purely transactional relationship. She hoped that Cai Xueshi would act from his heart so that she could feel at ease using him.

"I... my master is very bothered by Nannan's existence. He doesn't want me to invest too much emotion into a tool that has no value... So, a few months ago, I sent Nannan down the mountain and found a family to look after her for me. She is very well-behaved and very quiet. I come to see her every once in a while."

He had started Cultivation just for Nannan; how could he give up because of a single word from his master? But he couldn't disobey his master either; after all, his current cultivation still required the Sect's resources. He could only compromise: send Nannan down the mountain and come down to see her occasionally.

"So that's how it is." Ruan Xing reached out to pat A Jiao's little head; she was slightly shorter than Ruan Xing, making it very easy to pat. "You don't need to worry too much. A Jiao currently has no consciousness and no memories, so you can just focus on your Cultivation with peace of mind. Your Sect's techniques are extremely fast-acting; at your current speed, reaching the Golden Core Stage in a dozen years or so shouldn't be a problem. By then, the Soul Nourishing Wood will have fully nurtured A Jiao's soul, and once your cultivation level is raised, you will have a say in the Sect. You'll be able to do whatever you want."

"Then is Gang Leader Ruan able to do whatever she wants now?" Cai Xueshi asked in a low voice.

"That's not quite it; I haven't reached the Golden Core Stage yet," Ruan Xing sighed and said.

Nascent Soul cultivators are rare in Nanzhou, with only a few of them in total; reaching the Golden Core Stage is already enough to walk sideways.

However, speaking of this, she remembered again that the techniques of the Six Suns Study are fast-acting, and on average, they recruit four or five Inner Sect Disciples every thirteen years. These Inner Sect Disciples are not allowed to leave the mountain before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage without permission, so they should easily reach the Golden Core Stage and be unlikely to perish while weak.

After so many years, the number of accumulated Golden Core Stage cultivators should be quite large, so why does their public information only list one Nascent Soul Stage Master of the Study and a few Golden Core Stage Elders? Where did those Inner Sect Disciples go? Ruan Xing's thoughts drifted over this question for a moment before she stopped dwelling on it.

Now is not the time; when her cultivation level is high enough in the future to trade blows with the Boundary Tree, everything about the Six Suns Study will no longer be a secret to her.

"But I still don't know what you want me to do." Cai Wen used honorifics. Although he was grateful, a trace of defensive wariness toward Ruan Xing remained in his heart. Ruan Xing helping him must mean she wants him to do something, just like every time the two of them met before.

Ruan Xing found it somewhat amusing. "What can you do right now? Your first task is to cultivate properly."

Cai Wen lowered his eyes in disappointment. "Yes."

There was only one decent restaurant in this town. Ruan Xing brought Cai Wen and the other inside. She hadn't eaten mortal food for a long time, so she treated it as a meal to treat them, and she could also satisfy her own cravings.

As soon as she entered, she saw a scene that made her vision go dark.

The Demon Lord sat behind a screen of light gauze, smiling and waving at Ruan Xing. "Over here, come quickly."

The Demon Lord and the fairy sat in a booth separated by a screen, the table in front of them covered with a dazzling array of delicacies.

That wasn't the point; the point was that it was Spirit Rice! Demon Beast Meat! Dishes made from spirit plants! Having been in the world of Cultivation for so long, she had only eaten Spirit Rice once during a Simulation at the Six Suns Study, and had never touched it in reality.

It was simply because it was too expensive, and the cost-effectiveness of converting Spirit Qi was not high; it was better to just take a Pill to cultivate. This stuff was purely for wealthy Cultivators to satisfy their appetites and flaunt their status.

"How many Spirit Stones did you spend?" Ruan Xing looked at the food on the table, which was fragrant, colorful, and overflowing with Spirit Qi, her heart bleeding.

The Demon Lord picked up a piece of Demon Beast Meat with his chopsticks, his lips parted slightly, and with a gentle inhale, he swallowed the Demon Beast Meat. "I didn't count, but there isn't much left of what you gave me."

Damn it! She had given him at least three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones! And it was all gone in just this one meal!

"Can you even taste it, yet you ordered it!" Ruan Xing sat down and viciously grabbed a meatball, stuffing it into her mouth. "You don't cultivate and you can't taste it either, what a waste! Leave it here for me to eat!"

While eating, she forcefully pulled Cai Wen to sit down as well.

Thanks to high school student Zhou Yingting for the tip~ Thanks to Nine Directions Flowing Lake for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Precious Orchid Fragrance for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20190927135209710 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20240511135128652 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20240224150037849 for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)