Chen Muxue was walking with Xiaohua when she noticed that familiar figure.
"Halt! Audacious black-hearted merchant, how dare you come again!" Chen Muxue drew out her iron pot and shouted, pretending to be serious.
She thought to herself, this is within the forbidden area of the Qian Ding Sect's barrier. If this person can stroll around so effortlessly, either the barrier is too weak, or he is too strong!
Either scenario is very unfavorable for her.
What she didn't know was that both scenarios could exist simultaneously.
"Cough, Sect Leader, I mean no harm. Today I happened upon some good items and thought to come and apologize, to clear up misunderstandings." Cen Lizhui quickly offered the basket full of crawfish to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Chen Muxue took a closer look and instantly brushed away any past unpleasantness. After all, she didn't really eat that Life Fruit or anything, and Zhui Li didn't engage in any forced sales, so no substantial harm was done—those misunderstandings were just small matters.
She was just wondering how to catch crawfish! Who knew, a pillow arrives when you're taking a nap.
Dagui looked at the basket in Cen Lizhui's hand and then at Chen Muxue, hesitantly saying: "Isn't it a bit too coincidental?"
Hearing this, Chen Muxue's sense of caution returned. She carefully assessed Cen Lizhui: although he was dressed in coarse cloth as usual, he was impeccably clean, with no sign of mud, and the basket of crawfish in his hand also appeared very clean.
It seems he's not acting on a whim! When she used to buy farmed crawfish at the market, they never looked this clean. Nobody here raises such things, right? Getting them this clean means they've been washed.
Convinced by her own reasoning, or perhaps too tempted by the crawfish, Chen Muxue waved her hand: "Alright, since you're so sincere, I accept your apology! Leave the crawfish with me, and you may go."
Cen Lizhui was petrified on the spot.
Wasn't this supposed to be the part where she politely invites him into the sect as a guest and maybe have a meal together?
Xiaohua stepped forward to take the basket, but Chen Muxue quickly took it herself: "You're small, but you think big. Look, this basket is taller than you are!"
"Are they really tasty?" Xiaohua didn't mind; she just questioned while looking at the little clawed creatures struggling in the basket.
These ugly things look just like demon beasts! Who ever heard of demon beasts that were edible? Isn't it only spirit beasts that are safe to eat?
Chen Muxue chuckled quietly, saying nothing. If they found it unappetizing, all the better; she could finish this whole basket by herself!
She weighed it, estimating it to be about five to six pounds, realizing it would take some time to prep them.
Fortunately, there wasn't much mud. Just remove the shrimp vein and snip off the annoying little legs, and it should be fine.
Considering this was a cultivation world, heavy metal pollution shouldn't be severe, right? Leave the shrimp heads; she likes to suck out the roe.
While pondering all this, Chen Muxue led a bunch of kids away without looking back, leaving Cen Lizhui standing bewildered in the wind.
Throughout his life, both in daily life and cultivation, Cen Lizhui had always gone with the flow. How could today turn out like this!
As the leader of the Qian Ding Sect, wouldn't one want to make many friends? Unbelievable!
In Qingshan County, Huo Lian quickly received the Second Prince's letter through a cultivator.
"Immortality... even the royal family can't escape this temptation," Huo Lian sighed as he watched the letter burn in the flames.
He didn't fully trust the Second Prince, because people like them, who can't cultivate, don't realize that the Qiankun Cauldron is just a high-grade magic artifact and can't possibly achieve what's claimed in the letter.
So the real secret lies within the people...