After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Ling Xiaodong sat obediently under the shade of a tree. By now, he had already washed himself clean in the stream and changed into another set of clothes from his bag.
He was currently being sternly scolded by Aunt Yun.
“How could you be so reckless! If something happened to you, how am I supposed to explain it to your master? Or to Xiaoyan!”
Ye Yiyun sat cross-legged beside him. Because she had been so flustered with concern for Ling Xiaodong just now, she hadn’t noticed and had twisted her ankle.
“Aunt Yun, I know I was wrong.”
Seeing him bow his head and admit fault, Ye Yiyun’s expression softened somewhat.
But she still needed to teach Ling Xiaodong a lesson so he wouldn’t be so frivolous again. Her face remained stern.
“Do you know how dangerous it was just now? You scared me so badly, I thought my soul was going to fly away!”
Ling Xiaodong scratched his head.
“Dangerous? It wasn’t that dangerous, was it? Those mountain bandits were all weak. Even if I couldn’t handle them, wasn’t Aunt Yun here to help?”
Ye Yiyun’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she glared at Ling Xiaodong.
“Help? What use would I be?”
“I’m not skilled in the Dao of Killing, and I’m only a lowly Five Elements Realm cultivator. If we ran into a martial arts grandmaster, I wouldn’t even have time to cast a spell before getting cut down. Just now, we almost met on the road to Huangquan.”
Ling Xiaodong frowned.
“That’s an exaggeration. The only one fast was that big guy.”
Ye Yiyun patted Ling Xiaodong’s head, half annoyed.
“Do you even know who he was?”
“Who?”
“Kuangdao Lu Chen. Even among the top three hundred grandmasters on the world’s ranking list, he’s near the front. I never thought he’d be hiding here as a mountain bandit. We really should have cast a divination before leaving — I didn’t expect the journey to be this dangerous.”
Seeing her still visibly shaken, Ling Xiaodong quickly grabbed Aunt Yun’s soft thigh resting on her crossed legs.
“Aunt Yun, please calm down. We’re fine now, aren’t we?”
He hurriedly changed the subject.
“By the way, he said something about a ‘Great Grandmaster’ before he died. Do you know what that means?”
“He was a grandmaster expert. Since you defeated him in one move, he thought your strength was far above his, and only a Great Grandmaster could do that.”
“What’s a Great Grandmaster?”
“A martial ranking. Ah, I won’t bore you with that now, or you’ll want to pick fights again.”
Ye Yiyun earnestly advised him:
“Anyway, don’t fight if you don’t have to. Aunt Yun doesn’t want you to be too strong. Staying safe is the most important thing, understand?”
She then recalled how Ling Xiaodong had punched a hole through a man’s chest and grew curious about what kind of ability her junior nephew possessed.
“How did you do that just now? I never knew you, Xiaodong, were so powerful.”
Ling Xiaodong grinned mischievously.
“I’ve always been this strong. Aunt Yun just didn’t know.”
Ye Yiyun reached out and ruffled his hair, chiding him.
“Stop joking and be honest!”
Ling Xiaodong himself wasn’t quite sure either. He scratched his head and fixed his tousled hair.
“Well… I don’t really know either. I just saw him charging at me with his blade, and I didn’t hold back in time.”
Ye Yiyun, of course, didn’t believe his nonsense.
“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine. Aunt Yun won’t force you — everyone has their secrets.”
Though Ling Xiaodong’s strength far exceeded a grandmaster, which surprised Ye Yiyun, she reminded herself he was the disciple of her junior sister, so it made sense.
After all, it was her junior sister. Who else could rival such a prodigy?
She withdrew her hand from Ling Xiaodong’s palm and reached out to steady herself against the tree trunk, swaying as she tried to stand up.
“Ah!”
But she lost her balance and sat back down abruptly.
Her willow-like brows knitted tightly and her ruby lips pressed together, clearly in pain as she bent her head and held her right foot.
Ling Xiaodong quickly stood and hurried over, leaning close with concern.
“What’s wrong, Aunt Yun? Let me see!”
Ye Yiyun frowned, biting her silver teeth quietly, then said slowly after a moment:
“It’s nothing. Just twisted my ankle.”
“What should we do?”
Ling Xiaodong looked up at the sky. The sun was already sliding toward the west. They still had some distance to Peng City and couldn’t very well camp out in the wild.
He thought for a moment, then turned around and squatted down with his back to Ye Yiyun.
“Aunt Yun, get on. I’ll carry you.”
Ye Yiyun stared at Ling Xiaodong’s back, feeling conflicted.
She was a grown woman and having her junior nephew carry her felt a bit embarrassing.
But this wasn’t the time to be picky. Getting to Peng City as soon as possible was the priority.
After a brief hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Ling Xiaodong’s neck and lay down on his back.
Though Ye Yiyun looked plump and well-rounded, she was surprisingly light.
Ling Xiaodong supported her long, soft, jade-like legs with both hands, thinking that women really were made of water—how else could they be so delicate and boneless?
Especially the round, full curves pressing against his back, flattened like a soft cake with incredible elasticity.
Ye Yiyun felt a bit embarrassed and said nothing while lying on Ling Xiaodong’s back.
Ling Xiaodong focused on keeping distractions at bay, and the two quietly pressed forward.
The sun gradually set in the west, and the sky was painted with evening clouds.
Ling Xiaodong, still carrying Ye Yiyun, finally arrived at the gates of Peng City.
From afar, they saw the guards by the gate. Ye Yiyun patted Ling Xiaodong’s back and whispered:
“Put me down quickly.”
Ye Yiyun’s skin was thin and delicate. Alone, it was fine, but if anyone saw her being carried by her junior nephew all the way into the city, her dignity as the Lord of Qingfeng Temple would be ruined.
Ling Xiaodong helped Ye Yiyun to the city gate.
Two guards blocked their way and scoffed:
“Peng City is under lockdown. No one may enter or leave!”
Ye Yiyun cupped her hands respectfully.
“I am a humble Taoist of Qingfeng Temple, Qingfeng Daoist, invited by the city lord to exterminate demons.”
Ling Xiaodong cooperated by handing over their travel permit.
The guards examined the permit and their bags, and after confirming everything was in order, they quickly let them pass.
Ling Xiaodong was surprised the gatekeepers didn’t demand bribes like in the novels his master read.
Then he realized his master had been invited by the city lord to exorcise demons, so no obstacles were natural.
Though Peng City was the westernmost city of the Zhou Dynasty, it often traded with border tribes, so there was considerable traffic and it was bustling.
Because cities were rare in the west, most of the population gathered in Peng City.
Ling Xiaodong supported Ye Yiyun as they casually entered an inn, wanting to find a place to settle down first.
He approached the front desk and asked:
“Innkeeper, do you have any vacancies?”
The innkeeper held an abacus, glanced at them, and smiled warmly, revealing a golden tooth:
“You’re just in time. We have one remaining room in the ‘Heaven’ grade. But, the price is a bit higher than usual.”
Ling Xiaodong was surprised.
“Only one room? But I don’t see many guests here.”
The innkeeper rubbed his hands awkwardly.
“Well, you see, Peng City is locked down recently. Many caravans are trapped inside and can’t leave. The only reason we have one room left is because a guest just checked out. Other inns won’t have any vacancies.”
The junior uncle and aunt exchanged glances but, unwilling to sleep on the street, they booked the last room.
Hearing the booking, the innkeeper’s face blossomed like a flower as he waved his hand.
“Waiter! Take this handsome young man and his lady to ‘Heaven’ Room Number One!”
Ye Yiyun blushed prettily but didn’t bother to explain, while Ling Xiaodong didn’t pay attention to what the innkeeper said. His concern was the price of the ‘Heaven’ room.
‘Heaven Room Number One’—that had to be expensive!
Ling Xiaodong felt like the innkeeper was ripping them off, but Aunt Yun was the Lord of Qingfeng Temple, wealthy and carefree, so the cost didn’t matter.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: It really was good to tag along with Aunt Yun for an easy meal!
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