Chapter 270 - 256: Huh? Go... to My House?
Li Chunfeng and Wang Xiedi had descended the mountain that housed the Guixi Sect. Ahead of them, a winding dirt road stretched toward the distant plains.
As Li Chunfeng moved, he used his Wind Manipulation Three Stacks while simultaneously practicing drawing and sheathing his sword. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and turned to Wang Xiedi beside him.
"Oh, right, Xiedi, did you bring any food? There aren’t many inns on the road ahead."
Hearing this, Wang Xiedi also stopped. He reached into his storage pouch and fumbled around for a moment before his hand froze. "Yes."
He took out a small porcelain vial from his storage pouch and tipped it into his palm. Only three dusty pills fell out. "I only have a few Fasting Pills left."
Wang Xiedi looked a little embarrassed. "These are leftovers from my time at Qingxu Temple. After coming to the Guixi Sect, I’ve just been eating at the Dining Pavilion, so I haven’t used these and forgot to restock."
Ever since joining the Guixi Sect, he had been able to eat hot meals at the Dining Pavilion every day. That mortal food didn’t cause any buildup of impure energy, making it far better than Fasting Pills. Besides, he never had the habit of putting mortal food in his storage pouch.
Li Chunfeng stared at the three pills and frowned. "This... well... how about... we go back and get some takeout from the Dining Pavilion?"
Both of them turned their heads at the same time, gazing back at the towering, cloud-piercing Luohai Peak behind them.
Going back... meant climbing that mountain path all over again.
The thought of making the trip back and forth made them both fall silent. ’It’s too much trouble. Let’s just forget it.’
"How about..." Wang Xiedi began hesitantly, "we see if there’s anything edible in these mountains? We could live off the land, maybe hunt some game?"
Hearing this, Li Chunfeng nodded. "Sure! Cooking some game sounds like a good idea! We can treat it as practice for our practical skills! It’s still early anyway. Let’s keep moving and look for something as we go."
Having reached an agreement, the two continued on toward Anhe City.
...
Amid a chorus of praise, Lin Qingfeng smugly withdrew his hand and turned to leave.
Su Ling’er also took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down after that absurd "feeding" incident.
And so, the two of them continued on their way.
They had just passed an intersection when a middle-aged woman carrying a vegetable basket walked toward them. The woman was walking briskly and was about to brush past them when she suddenly stopped, looking at Su Ling’er with some hesitation.
Su Ling’er recognized her too—it was Mrs. Zhang, the one in charge of procurement for her family’s estate.
The woman looked Su Ling’er up and down. "You look... a little familiar... but this outfit..." Finally, she asked tentatively, "Excuse me... are you... Miss Ling’er?"
Su Ling’er’s heart tightened. She quickly replied, "Mrs. Zhang, it’s been a long time."
"Oh my! It really is you, Miss Ling’er!" Mrs. Zhang’s confusion instantly turned to delight. "You’re back! The Master and Madam have missed you so much!"
She seemed about to say more, but her gaze fell on Su Ling’er’s black martial arts attire and the long blade at her waist, and she swallowed her words. "Miss, didn’t you go to..."
Fearing she would say the two words "Qingxu Temple," Su Ling’er quickly cut her off. "That’s right! I went to the Guixi Sect! I’ve already been accepted into the sect, and now that I’ve achieved some success in my studies, I’ve come home for a visit! It’s a reclusive and prestigious sect! The sect is full of masters, and their Cultivation Techniques are unfathomably profound!"
"Oh, oh, oh!" Mrs. Zhang was stunned by the explanation, then nodded repeatedly. "Well, isn’t that wonderful! Wonderful! You’ve really moved up in the world, Miss! I still have to go do the shopping for the manor."
"Oh, by the way, Miss, that Miss An from the An Mansion took her own life a few days ago. Such a pity. If you have time, you could go pay your respects."
"I must be going now, Miss. You should hurry home and see everyone! The Master and the others have all missed you!" After saying this, Mrs. Zhang scurried away.
Mrs. Zhang’s last words echoed in Su Ling’er’s mind.
’Miss An... An Qinyao... took her own life? The girl who always sat by the attic window, resting her chin on her hand and watching the clouds... How could she...’
No matter how beautifully the flowers bloomed on the spring branches, a single storm could make them fall.
Just as she was lost in thought, Lin Qingfeng’s voice sounded in her ear. "Junior Sister, is this your hometown?"
Su Ling’er: !!!
Her heart leaped into her throat. ’It’s over! I’ve been found out!’
She forcibly suppressed her panic and turned around. Not daring to look Lin Qingfeng in the eye, she cast her gaze toward the drifting clouds in the sky, trying to bluff her way through.
"Y-Yes, it is, Senior Brother."
"Did I... not tell you before? Oh dear, my memory must be bad, I must have forgotten. Hehe!"
’Don’t ask any more questions, please don’t ask any more questions! Just assume I came along for the ride and let this go! With Senior Brother’s oblivious personality, he shouldn’t get hung up on a small detail like this, right?’
Hearing this, Lin Qingfeng nodded, a look of sudden realization on his face.
Su Ling’er’s heart soared with joy. ’Great! It looks like he really didn’t...’
"Ooooh! No wonder!" Lin Qingfeng clapped his hands together. "No wonder you were so dead set on sticking with me, Junior Sister! So you heard I was coming to Anhe City and wanted to hitch a ride home!"
He looked at Su Ling’er. "Seriously, couldn’t you have just said so?! Why make things so complicated?! If you’re homesick, just say you’re homesick. It’s not like I’m an unreasonable person... Tsk tsk tsk."
"And another thing, you’re in your own hometown, and you still fell for that begging scam? I guess getting scammed really has nothing to do with what city you’re in."
"Uh..." Su Ling’er was indeed a little embarrassed about being duped in her own hometown. She could only continue to play dumb, acting a bit clueless. "Huh? I... I think I did say something? Did I remember it wrong?"
"It’s fine." Lin Qingfeng waved his hand magnanimously. "Whether you said it or not doesn’t matter. Sometimes I forget what I have or haven’t said, too. In any case, we’re here now." His tone shifted, and he waved his hand enthusiastically. "Come on, lead the way. Let’s go see your home."
"Huh? Go... go to my house?!"
Su Ling’er’s eyes widened instinctively. ’Someone of Senior Brother’s status... is going to my family’s small merchant manor?’
’Will Father think Senior Brother is ill-mannered? Will Mother serve him some weird dishes? And what about the ignorant servants at home...’
’This is the Senior Brother of a demonic sect! If some fool offends him, it won’t just be one person’s life on the line!’
’Even though my opinion of Senior Brother has improved a little recently, but... what if...’
Lin Qingfeng saw Su Ling’er standing there, frozen in place, and waved a hand in front of her eyes.
"Hey, why are you frozen again? You’re just leading the way, what’s with the daze? It’s not like I’m going to eat your family, am I?"