Chapter 126 Encounter
Unknowingly, two more days had passed.
The streets of Immortal Spirit City were still bustling with liveliness.
Chen Xingcai wore a goose-yellow long dress, a crimson ribbon tied at her waist, walking lightly along the bluestone road. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, her skin fair as snow, and her bright eyes and white teeth carried a natural spirit.
The cries of street vendors and the chatter of cultivators seemed to pause slightly as she passed.
Not far away, a young cultivator in luxurious brocade caught sight of her and his eyes lit up. Just as he was about to step forward to strike up a conversation, his companion yanked him back.
"What are you doing?" the young cultivator frowned.
His companion lowered his voice. "It's your first time in Immortal Spirit City, don't act recklessly!" He gestured toward the graceful figure ahead. "This young lady is not someone you can provoke."
The young cultivator scoffed. "Isn't she just a beautiful girl? I am a disciple of Yunlan Sect. Can't I even speak a few words to her?"
His companion sneered. "A year ago, a core disciple of a great sect passed through here and thought the same. After being rejected, he persisted shamelessly, pestering her nonstop. Do you know who finally came out to settle it?"
The young cultivator hesitated. "Who?"
"The City Lord's Manor," his companion whispered even more softly. "This girl belongs to the City Lord's Manor."
The young cultivator's expression changed, and he instinctively took half a step back.
His companion patted his shoulder. "The power behind Immortal Spirit City may be a mystery, but everyone knows it well—" He glanced around to ensure no one was listening before continuing, "The foundation of this city is in no way inferior to any top sect in Qingzhou."
The young cultivator swallowed hard. When he looked again at Chen Xingcai, the frivolity in his eyes was gone, replaced entirely by respect and awe.
At this moment, Chen Xingcai had stopped at a pastry shop, picked up a piece of peach blossom cake and tasted it, her eyes curving with delight, completely unaware she had just saved yet another foolish cultivator from courting disaster.
In her mind, she could not help but recall the strange admonitions from her father and master two days earlier.
"Xingcai, remember to keep away from monks when you go out these days," her father had said indistinctly while munching on a spirit fruit. "Especially those who look kind and speak pleasantly. Stay far away."
"Oh, and if you meet a veiled woman selling trinkets at a stall, pretend you didn't see her and walk away."
She had nodded blankly. Not long after, her master had uncharacteristically appeared and, with a meaningful tone, gave similar advice. "Little Xingcai, if a monk tries to speak with you these days, don't respond."
"And if you encounter a young man at a stall telling fortunes and reading characters, pretend you didn't see him and walk away."
Her master had even shown a hateful expression. "Ominous."
What kind of nonsense was this…?
Had her master been offended by some fortune-teller?
Chen Xingcai was confused, but since it was advice from both her father and master, she decided to obey.
After all, both cherished her deeply, and in such matters, they would not speak without reason.
After wandering a little longer, her gaze was drawn to a jewelry shop.
The shop was small but arranged with exquisite care.
On a sandalwood rack, hairpins and jade ornaments were neatly displayed, each glowing warmly under the sunlight.
Among them, a carved white jade hairpin stood out—the head of the pin was a half-blooming magnolia, its petals thin as cicada wings, and several small spirit pearls were embedded at the flower's core, radiating a faint white shimmer.
"Young lady, you have good eyes," the shopkeeper, a kindly middle-aged woman, greeted her with a smile. "This pin was carved from Snow Jade of Lingzhou. It is the only one in all of Immortal Spirit City."
Chen Xingcai picked it up, tilting it toward the sunlight. The jade was clear and the craftsmanship delicate. Suddenly, she thought of her third senior sister, who always liked such elegant ornaments. If this were pinned in her cascading hair, it would surely look beautiful.
"Can I try it?" she asked.
"Of course," the shopkeeper replied warmly, bringing over a bronze mirror.
Chen Xingcai gently placed the hairpin by her temple, and in the mirror appeared a radiant face.
It really did suit Third Senior Sister…
The more she looked, the more she liked it. Suddenly, her gaze fell upon another, a jade-green hairpin of similar style but plainer design.
"Wrap this one up too," she said, pointing to it.
The shopkeeper, overjoyed, quickly placed both hairpins into a brocade box with care.
Chen Xingcai accepted the box, took a spirit stone from her pouch, and handed it over without even glancing at it.
"This… this is far too much!" The shopkeeper looked at it and froze, flustered. "The two pins cost only thirty taels of silver. I don't have change for this…"
"Keep it," Chen Xingcai waved her hand with a smile. "No need to return anything."
She lacked for many things, but spirit stones were not one of them.
The shopkeeper was elated, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, young lady, thank you! With such generosity, you are destined for a long life of blessings…"
Chen Xingcai smiled lightly, tucked the brocade box carefully into her sleeve, and turned to step back into the flow of people on the street—when suddenly her vision dimmed.
Someone blocked her path.
She looked up to see a young man in ornate clothing.
His face was handsome, his skin fair, his features refined, but his dark, sinister eyes ruined the impression. They gave him a gloomy air.
Within those eyes flickered an unsettling light, mixing greed, lust, and a deeper, indescribable emotion that made Chen Xingcai feel instantly uncomfortable.
What's wrong with this man…?
She instinctively felt disgust and tried to sidestep him without a word.
But when she moved left, he moved left; when she moved right, he followed right, clearly intent on blocking her.
"Move aside," Chen Xingcai said coldly, her tone carrying warning.
The young man suddenly smiled, though the expression was nothing but chilling.
He spoke slowly, his voice as eerie as a ghost crawling out of the underworld:
"Long time no see, sister."
…
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