“Wuwuwu, Master, you’re too good to me!”
Xiao Xi was feasting on chicken at the table, washing it down with cold tea, leaving a mess.
“I haven’t had this much to eat in a long time!”
“You’ve taken me to so many places in Heavenly Deduction City these past few days, it’s only right.” Lu Li had already reached Foundation Establishment, but he still needed to eat. If he went ten or fifteen days without food, he’d probably be wolfing it down just like Xiao Xi.
“But you seem to know a lot of shops in Heavenly Deduction City.”
“Of course! My fortune-telling has never been wrong, so everyone… well… but it doesn’t work on you, Master.” Xiao Xi glanced at Lu Li, and her appetite dwindled by half.
“What’s going on?”
“Maybe I have a special constitution.” Lu Li didn’t intend to reveal the Yin Yang Sect’s secret art of body transformation.
“So, you can tell fortunes by looking at my belongings or reading my handwriting?”
“Yes, that’s called Object Divination and Character Divination, but it clearly doesn’t work on you, Master.” Xiao Xi’s face fell.
“Never mind, let’s eat.”
“Yes, let’s eat.” Lu Li’s mood had actually been pretty good these past few days.
Xiao Xi tried a new divination technique every day, and none of them yielded any results, which sparked some interest in divination for Lu Li.
This week of leisure had also helped Lu Li relax considerably.
Back in his hometown of Hundred Immortals Town, he had lived hand to mouth, much like Xiao Xi.
He had finally managed to enter a sect, only to encounter the Yin Yang Sect’s peculiar cultivation technique, which had left him with little rest over the past few months.
Now, being able to sit in an inn, drink clear tea, and eat local specialties was a life he couldn’t have imagined.
Moreover, Xiao Xi had changed her clothes. After washing off the dust, she wore a simple blue short jacket, looking much cleaner than when they first met.
With her bright eyes and agile movements, she didn’t seem like an ordinary beggar.
But Lu Li didn’t ask. Since she wasn’t saying anything, there must be some difficulty she couldn’t speak of.
As he looked at the busy shops on the street and the lively scenes, the Mystic Token inside his bracelet vibrated.
“Master, what’s wrong?” Xiao Xi noticed the change in Lu Li’s expression as he took out the Mystic Token.
“It looks like something’s come up.” Lu Li tossed a silver piece onto the table. “Do as you please.”
Stepping onto his Flying Sword, Lu Li flew to the third road, then soared into the sky, heading toward the Ascending Heavenly Palace of Heavenly Deduction City.
After a few cups of tea’s time, the guards at the entrance inspected the bracelet on Lu Li’s wrist and led him to the Southern Hall.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Lu Li saw a vast courtyard filled with all kinds of wooden and iron chests, along with many mortals and Qi Refining Stage Miscellaneous Service Disciples who were inventorying them.
“Is this Lu Li of the Yin Yang Sect, Saint Son Lu?” As Lu Li scanned the chests in the courtyard, a burly man stepped over the threshold and approached.
“Just in time, I need help here.”
“Please speak, Senior.” Lu Li swept his Divine Sense and felt the same pressure from this man as he did from his master. “Is it about assisting with the inventory of the chests?”
“Yes, some of the items contain spiritual energy, and mortals can’t touch them.” The burly man handed over a golden invitation.
“My name is Li Zhengshen, Early Golden Core of the Giant Spirit Gate, in charge of this cargo transport. I need to go scout the demon beasts along the route. I’m leaving everything else to you.”
“No problem.” Lu Li scanned the golden invitation and saw a brief description of the situation.
The Northern Domain itself was close to the Yao Race’s territory, and conflict had been ongoing for years, draining the strength of both sides.
In recent years, after the Heavenly Deduction Sect produced a Saintess who never made a mistake in fortune-telling, the Yao Race’s schemes became useless. The cultivators always set up ambushes in advance, beating the Yao Race without any chance to fight back.
So a few months ago, the Yao Race came to the Heavenly Deduction Sect to sue for peace, sending a batch of gifts.
As a return gift, the Heavenly Deduction Sect had to reciprocate.
This time, Lu Li was responsible for escorting these items to the Yao Race’s territory.
“This is back to my old job,” Lu Li said, putting down the golden invitation with a rare relaxed smile. “And as a man… it’s truly refreshing.”
Since it was his old line of work, and since Lu Li was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he began giving orders directly in the courtyard.
He inspected all the cargo in batches, and within a single morning, he finished inventorying everything. Any shortages were recorded on the golden invitation, awaiting Li Zhengshen’s return.
In the afternoon, Lu Li asked Xiao Xi to order food from a nearby inn, and the courtyard suddenly became lively.
“So Immortal Master Lu used to be an escort guard too!” a dark-faced man laughed. “That means one of us escort guards has become a cultivator!”
“It was just a stroke of luck.” As Lu Li waved his hand, his Divine Sense sensed Li Zhengshen flying over as a streak of light. Seeing the bustling courtyard, Li Zhengshen looked a bit bewildered.
“Reporting to Senior, all gifts have been inventoried, and any shortages have been recorded,” Lu Li said, immediately handing over the golden invitation.
“Good lad, I thought this tedious task would take ten days to half a month.” Li Zhengshen glanced at it and laughed heartily.
“I’ve heard that the Saint Sons and Saintesses of the major sects all have terrible tempers. I was ready for you to just let the servants handle it.”
“Your junior was also an escort guard before, so I know these matters can’t be delayed too long,” Lu Li said.
“Well said, I like that.” Li Zhengshen counted on his fingers, then looked up at the sun that hadn’t yet set.
“In the business of transporting goods and escorting convoys, it can’t be done without mortal guards. We cultivators may fly fast, but the roads under heaven are still walked by mortals.”
While speaking, Li Zhengshen took out a wine jar half the height of a man from his Storage Bag, laughed heartily, and smashed the seal off.
“Thanks to Lu Li, we have a whole week. Tonight, we drink until we’re drunk!” Li Zhengshen waved his hand, filling all the cups on the table.
The rich aroma of wine spread throughout the courtyard.
Such generosity made the escort guards silently cheer in their hearts.
“But Senior, it would be better to first replenish the missing items,” Lu Li said, looking at the familiar scene, feeling relieved. “Then everyone can get completely drunk.”
“Yes… oh, is that your servant?” Li Zhengshen nodded, then looked at Xiao Xi, who was standing to the side looking a bit lost. “Shall we send her?”
“No, I’ll go with her.” Lu Li took the golden invitation and led Xiao Xi out of the courtyard.
As soon as they left the courtyard, they could hear the cheers from behind and smell the faint aroma of wine.
“The Giant Spirit Gate is truly generous,” Lu Li remarked.
“This sect requires a Corresponding Spirit Root, and their cultivation methods are relatively simple,” Xiao Xi explained.
“But Master, you’re taking me to check the missing items. Aren’t you worried I might take something?”
“These past few days, you haven’t taken anything from me,” Lu Li said with a smile.
“The money you saved was all sent back by the waiter, wasn’t it?”
“That’s true… but Master, you trust people too easily.” Xiao Xi kicked a pebble in the courtyard, for once not grinning. “What if I had deceived you?”
“It’s always good to trust the people around you as much as possible. And I really like the atmosphere in Heavenly Deduction City. Maybe that’s influencing me.” After a busy afternoon, Lu Li had learned where the warehouse was.
Xiao Xi did the inventory, the warehouse staff double-checked, and then they loaded the items into the Storage Bracelet.
“Alright, Xiao Xi, let’s go drink.” Lu Li twisted the green bracelet on his left wrist.
“Great!” Xiao Xi’s face lit up, but then her eyes flicked to Lu Li’s wrist.
“Master, I have a question.”
“What?”
“Isn’t this bracelet a women’s style?”
“This…” Lu Li could only laugh it off.
“It’s a long story.”
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