Day two arrived, and the city walls of Frozen Winter City were packed with people.
The upcoming visit of the Saintess of Yaochi to Frozen Winter City was no secret.
Those well-informed had known for a long time that Linglong was coming, just not the exact date.
And the Qian Family’s commotion at the south city wall yesterday had effectively announced that Linglong would arrive today.
Now, the crowd eager to catch a glimpse of the Saintess had filled the walls to capacity.
Amidst the surging crowd, Hua Jian, bundled in thick clothes with a pale, sickly face, struggled to weave her way through.
The people around her, seeing her determined despite her frail appearance, took pity and made way.
Of course, they weren’t just letting her pass because she looked pitiful— there was also a little white-haired, blue-eyed girl beside her, flanked by several capable cultivators in Qian Family attire.
They were from the Qian Family—who would dare not make way?
“Thank you, thank you, everyone~” Hua Jian thanked the cultivators who cleared the path, looking every bit a well-bred, good girl.
If not for Qian Feixu knowing Hua Jian’s true identity, she might have been fooled by her act.
‘Tch, putting on a pitiful, obedient act, how shameless!’ She shot a dark glare at Hua Jian.
‘Saying one thing and meaning another, honeyed words and a sword heart, one face in public and another behind your back—what a thoroughly wicked enchantress!’
With their own ulterior motives, the two of them and their guards reached the gate tower.
Here, it was more spacious than the walls on either side, and with cultivators maintaining order on both sides, the crowd thinned considerably.
Those allowed to stand here were almost all the “nobility” of Frozen Winter City—members of the Qian Family clan and local families who had lived in the city long enough to build solid foundations.
But looking around, they were mostly young people, apparently drawn by interest in Linglong, the world-renowned Saintess of Yaochi.
Qian Feixu was quite famous among this group. As soon as they saw her, they began teasing her about finally meeting her idol.
Almost every young master and young lady in Frozen Winter City knew about Qian Feixu’s admiration for the Saintess of Yaochi.
They had come today partly to see how she would behave upon meeting her idol.
“Scram, scram, scram, get out of my way! I want to stand at the very front!”
Qian Feixu puffed up her cheeks and shooed away the teasing boys and girls, claiming the prime viewing spot for herself.
The young people she drove off weren’t angry—they had a decent relationship with her.
To them, her behavior was just their usual bickering. Moreover, given her status, she was indeed entitled to stand there.
Just then, someone finally noticed Hua Jian standing beside Qian Feixu.
Qian Feixu was familiar to everyone, but this girl was not. Why was she with Qian Feixu?
Some young men looked at Hua Jian’s pale, sickly profile, their eyes flickering.
In that instant, they even wanted to step forward and ask her name and family background…
‘Damn it, was this love at first sight?’
Compared to those tempted by her beauty, the girls acted more normally, but a few were still attracted to Hua Jian’s looks and couldn’t resist approaching.
“This young lady looks unfamiliar—which family are you from…?”
Before the approaching girl could finish, Qian Feixu quickly sidestepped to block Hua Jian, looking like she wouldn’t allow anyone to get close.
“This is Cousin Feixue’s friend. She’s very impressive, and she’s not a ‘young lady.’”
Hua Jian coughed a couple times right on cue and took over apologetically, “I’ve been ill since childhood. I apologize for the misunderstanding, miss.”
Hearing Hua Jian’s voice, the approaching girl became even more confused.
Her voice was just too beautiful. Wow, she felt like she was falling in love!
Gripping Qian Feixu’s hand, she leaned in and whispered, “Feixu, tell big sister—does she have someone she likes? Do I have a chance?”
“No! Don’t let her fool you—she’s not a good person!” Qian Feixu quickly waved the girl away.
This was also her cousin, and she couldn’t let Hua Jian deceive her.
After chasing her away, Qian Feixu turned back and glared at the surrounding young people again.
Pointing at Hua Jian, she declared loudly, “This is Sister Feixue’s guest. Don’t you dare have any ideas about her, got it!”
Since she couldn’t reveal Hua Jian’s true identity, she had to use Qian Feixue’s authority to suppress them.
Among the younger generation in Frozen Winter City, only Qian Feixue could command genuine respect from others.
Everyone else had something about them that others found objectionable.
With Qian Feixu invoking Qian Feixue, the crowd’s curiosity about Hua Jian finally subsided—at least they didn’t dare try to get chummy with her in front of Qian Feixu.
After temporarily suppressing everyone’s curiosity, Qian Feixu glared at Hua Jian in annoyance.
‘She knew it—every woman from Flower Valley was no good! Look at her, still trying to seduce people at a time like this. Who would believe she’s a good person?’
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m dressed like this, so I have to match my demeanor to my outfit,” Hua Jian said.
In an angle invisible to everyone else, she showed a sly smile and stuck out her tongue at Qian Feixu.
At this moment, all the pitiable air about her vanished, replaced by a seductive aura.
Changing faces as easily as drinking water—that was a trait befitting a Demon Path Saintess.
“I can’t wear this outfit and act like a burly man who could uproot a mountain and dominate the world—that’d be an eyesore.”
Hua Jian claimed she was just going with the flow; she acted according to her clothes.
When she wore her Ten Thousand Flowers Valley Saintess robe, she wouldn’t act like this, since that outfit suited a more energetic and wicked temperament.
She would adapt accordingly then.
“Tch, chameleon.”
“It’s called acting. And the more I act like this, the less anyone will suspect my identity. Do you want everyone here to know who I am?” Hua Jian subtly gestured at the young people on the tower.
No matter what these youths thought of the Wanhua Saintess, if her identity were exposed, this place would blow up.
Then Qian Feixu wouldn’t be able to watch Linglong’s entrance in peace—she’d have a whole mess to handle.
So Hua Jian was actually doing this for Qian Feixu’s sake, helping her!
But instead of thanks, Qian Feixu called her a chameleon, two-faced—really hurtful.
“Sigh, it’s like feeding a dog with Lü Dongbin’s kindness but getting bitten back…”
“What’s Lü Dongbin? And who are you calling a dog?!” Qian Feixu didn’t know who Lü Dongbin was, but she could tell Hua Jian was insulting her.
“Whoever answers is who I’m calling.”
“You… I’ll fight you—”
Before Qian Feixu could explode, Hua Jian looked up at the sky and said a single sentence that made Qian Feixu swallow her anger.
“The Yaochi ship has arrived.”
The moment she heard her idol was coming, Qian Feixu immediately swallowed the rest of her words.
She pulled a small mirror from her pocket to check her appearance.
Quickly and carefully, she inspected her outfit, confirmed it was perfect, then raised her head and puffed out her chest, ready to greet her idol with the best posture— even if her idol probably couldn’t see her at all.
Hua Jian wasn’t as tense. She remained calm, looking up at the clouds on the horizon that were gradually turning hazy.
That’s where the Yaochi procession was.
Because they had come at the Qian Family’s invitation for support, the Yaochi had put on quite a show this time.
As they approached Frozen Winter City, they transformed the mist around the flying ship into colorful smoke, artificially creating a magnificent aura.
It felt less like the Yaochi support team arriving and more like an immortal palace descending from the heavens.
The Qian Family’s welcome party also moved to greet them.
Various auspicious spirit beasts circled and danced outside the city gates, joyful music resounded across heaven and earth, as if determined to let everyone know this was a great day.
“So impressive…” Hua Jian couldn’t help but sigh as she watched the auspicious clouds.
When they entered the city, they had come stealthily. But the Yaochi could enter with such fanfare— the difference between the Right Path and the Magic Path was clear in this moment.
And this was just the beginning of the welcome ceremony.
The Yaochi procession had only just appeared on the horizon; it would take another half-hour to reach Frozen Winter City.
During this time, Frozen Winter City had all sorts of welcome activities.
For example, they directly used spiritual power to lay out a welcoming path, had people dancing gracefully in the sky—in short, anything that looked good, they did, giving the Yaochi plenty of face.
Hua Jian was also amazed. This was the first time she had seen such a grand spectacle.
Before this, she had never observed a ceremony this big from so close.
Reflecting on her past life, the biggest event she had seen was probably the anniversary celebration at the restaurant where she worked… Jumping to this level now, it was no wonder she was awed.
“You look a bit embarrassing right now,” Qian Feixu said without much interest.
She had seen quite a few grand spectacles, some even bigger than this.
For example, the ancestral worship ceremony held once every ten years was far more awe-inspiring than this welcome.
“I’m seeing this for the first time—can’t I be a little amazed?” Hua Jian rolled her eyes at Qian Feixu.
She really had nothing in common with this big young lady. Her childhood had been so miserable—where would she have seen such scenes?
Now she was being looked down upon by people born with silver spoons in their mouths; it was so unfair.
“But you’re a Saintess—how have you never seen this?”
“Saintesses are different. That one is a proper Saintess; I’m not.”
Hua Jian spread her hands, indicating that Saintesses also have differences among themselves.
Linglong was a real Saintess with an official title, able to travel the world openly.
She, Hua Jian, was a Demon Path Saintess hunted like a rat by everyone. Could they be the same?
“Hmph, you’re right about that. You can’t compare to Saintess Linglong.”
‘So you only heard that part, huh?’ Hua Jian felt the same helplessness as Qian Feixue.
You really can’t reason with a brainwashed fan.
Ignoring Qian Feixu’s chatter, Hua Jian continued to watch the spectacular sight in the sky.
As time passed, the Yaochi flying ship finally revealed its shape.
It was a massive tower ship, the color of faint jade. From the outside, you couldn’t imagine such a huge vessel could fly in the sky.
The cultivators of Yaochi now lined up outside the ship to guard it, gradually connecting with the Qian Family’s welcome party.
Finally, the ship stopped outside Frozen Winter City. The Yaochi cultivators split into two rows in the air, and a brilliant golden staircase extended from the ship.
The entire tower area fell silent. No one dared make a sound. Everyone was waiting for the protagonist’s appearance.
Tap. Tap. Tap…
Clear footsteps sounded from the staircase.
A young girl in a platinum-white gown walked out of the ship, accompanied by two Spirit Emperors.
Horns on her head, eyes blazing like torches—this was the world-renowned Saintess of Yaochi, Linglong!
In an instant, cheers erupted from the entire city wall. Almost everyone was shouting Linglong’s name, even if they couldn’t clearly see her.
At the top of the tower, Qian Feixu completely lost her composure.
She leaned over the railing, half her body hanging out. If Hua Jian hadn’t grabbed her collar, she might have actually leaned all the way out.
“So far! I can’t see the Saintess at all!” Qian Feixu craned her neck, but Linglong’s location was too far away for her to make out clearly.
Spirit Masters had better eyesight than normal people, but the distance was still too great.
“What a pity. Saintess Linglong is dressed especially beautifully today,” Hua Jian laughed lightly, starting to needle Qian Feixu.
Qian Feixu couldn’t see Linglong clearly, but Hua Jian could.
First, she was a Spirit King, with naturally better eyesight than Qian Feixu.
Second, she wasn’t human, so her eyesight couldn’t be compared to humans’.
By slightly adjusting her eye structure, she could obtain vision far superior to normal people.
Combined, Linglong appeared to Hua Jian as if standing right before her.
“Her horns are like the purest jade in the world, flawless. The scales on her tail look polished to perfection. If I could reach out and touch them, I can’t imagine how comfortable they’d be.”
“Those golden eyes are so majestic. And her lips—today she seems to have put on some gloss, so dewy. I’d love to lick them…”
Listening to Hua Jian’s whispers in her ear, Qian Feixu’s expression grew more and more aggrieved. Why could Hua Jian see what she couldn’t? It wasn’t fair!
So mean! This wicked woman was even flaunting it, rubbing salt in her wounds!
“Sigh, pity that a certain little fan can’t see such a beautiful Saintess Daren,” Hua Jian shook her head, saying with great regret.
“You…”
“But if this little fan is willing to spend a few spirit stones, maybe this kind-hearted Saintess could share what she sees~” Hua Jian laughed, rubbing her fingers together in Qian Feixu’s direction.
‘Hua Jian knew it was wrong to trade Linglong’s beauty for spirit stones.’
But Qian Feixu beside her was too pitiful, her neck stretched out like a swan, her whole body leaning out as if to perform a free fall.
Wasn’t it a good deed to take pity and broadcast what she saw for free?
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