The sun hung high over the sprawling lands of the Ling Kingdom, casting long amber shadows. A full month had passed since Xiaoyu's departure and the beginning of Mu Chen and Shen Xi's new journey.
The farewell at the manor had been bittersweet. Xiaoyu, usually the most spirited in the household, had been gripped by an uncharacteristic reluctance when the woman in black arrived to take her to the Sun Continent.
Though her eyes sparkled with excitement for the vast world ahead, leaving her home and parents for the first time weighed heavily on her heart. In the end, she disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving a quiet absence behind.
Now, Mu Chen and Shen Xi stood amidst the surging crowd of the Ling Kingdom's imperial city. The atmosphere was electric, far more chaotic than usual.
People moved with a shared purpose. Like Mu Chen, most were heading toward the Great Xia Dynasty, drawn by the promise of opportunity within the ancient ruins.
As they moved through the crowd, the contrast between the two of them and everyone else was impossible to ignore.
Mu Chen glanced sideways at her, a faint, teasing smirk playing on his lips as he noticed the dozens of heads turning in their wake. "I have to say, Shen Xi, your beauty attracts attention very easily,"
Mu Chen commented, his voice casual but carrying a hint of genuine observation.
It was an understatement. Every few steps, groups of young men and even seasoned cultivators would stop in their tracks, their expressions shifting into a uniform look of astonishment as they beheld her.
Shen Xi, for her part, felt a slight prickle of discomfort. While she was certainly aware of her appearance, she remained speechless in the face of such blatant scrutiny. It wasn't her fault she was beautiful, but she still wasn't used to the sensation of being a spectacle for the masses.
She turned her gaze toward him, her eyes dancing with a playful light as she offered a quick, sharp retort. "You're not bad looking either. Lots of young girls are looking at you,"
Shen Xi chuckled back, gesturing subtly toward a group of young maidens who were whispering and stealing glances at Mu Chen's composed, deadpan profile.
The city they currently traversed was a massive hub of commerce and power, firmly under the control of the influential Lin family. Its architecture was grand, with towering structures of dark stone and gold trim that reflected the wealth of the ruling house.
Eventually, their path led them to the front of the Treasure Pavilion, a legendary establishment known for housing the most sought-after artifacts and scrolls in the region.
Shen Xi's eyes brightened as they approached the pavilion. Since she had received the fragmented memories from the Life-Death Seal, her interests had taken a sharp turn toward the arcane. Studying formations had become more than just a passing curiosity; it had become a hobby that bordered on an obsession.
Depending on the complexity and the grade, a single high-tier formation could be worth hundreds of thousands of spiritual stones. Such prices were staggering for most, and as for the legendary Earthly and Heavenly formations, they were beyond the reach of even the wealthiest dynasties.
As Shen Xi prepared to dive into the collection of scrolls, Nibi, the golden cat nestled comfortably in her arms, let out a long, bored meow. The five-tailed creature looked at the dusty shelves and the serious scholars with a look of pure disdain.
To Nibi, these terrestrial formations were a bore, far beneath her dignity as a divine beast. She shifted restlessly, her tails flicking against Shen Xi's silk sleeves.
Mu Chen noticed the cat's agitation and felt a similar weight in his own eyelids. The dry, scholarly atmosphere of the pavilion was starting to make him feel a familiar sense of drowsiness.
Mu Chen turned to Shen Xi, gesturing toward the bustling marketplace outside. "You continue," he said, shifting his shoulders. "I and Nibi are going to eat something."
Shen Xi looked at him, then at the grumpy cat in her arms, and shook her head in mild amusement. She could see that Mu Chen was already halfway to a nap just by looking at the scrolls.
"Okay," she replied with a soft joke, "also, Nibi has gained extra weight in the last month. I don't think I can carry her much longer anyway."
Hearing the word "weight," Nibi's ears twitched. She flicked her tails and adjusted her whiskers in a silent, indignant protest, as if to insist she was still perfectly fit and in her prime.
Despite her protest, she didn't hesitate to hop from Shen Xi's arms, landing gracefully atop Mu Chen's head. Mu Chen let out a mock grunt of effort as the cat settled into her usual perch, her weight shifting his balance just a fraction.
"Yes, she definitely has gained weight," Mu Chen joked, his hands finding their way back into his pockets.
In response, Nibi delivered a sharp, reprimanding hit to the side of his head with her paw. Before he could complain, she pointed one clawed toe toward a specific direction in the market, her nose twitching. She could smell something exquisite—likely a high-end fish stall—hidden amongst the myriad scents of the city.
"Okay, okay, I got it," Mu Chen muttered, yielding to the feline's demands.
...
Mu Chen wove through the dense crowds of the food district, the sizzle of frying pans and the aromatic steam of roasted meats filling the air. He moved with a lazy, effortless stride, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him.
Without turning his head or breaking his stride, Mu Chen spoke into the air. "You have been following me the whole time. Do you need something?"
He found the situation somewhat unprofessional. Ever since he had stepped out of the Treasure Pavilion, this person had been trailing him, and they weren't even bothering to hide their presence with any degree of skill. It was a clumsy pursuit.
In response to his call, a young woman stepped out from behind a large spice stall, moving to stand directly in his path. She was a striking figure, with long, vibrant green hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of emeralds.
Her eyes, clear and sharp with black-and-white irises, were not focused on Mu Chen at all. Instead, they were staring intently at Nibi, who remained perched atop his head.
The woman's gaze was filled with a fervent, almost fanatical emotion. She looked as though she were beholding a religious icon. The intensity of her stare was so great that Nibi instinctively pulled her half-eaten fish closer to her chest, hiding it behind her tails as if she feared the stranger was after her snack.
"I am Xiao Li, princess of the Xiao Kingdom," the woman introduced herself, though her eyes never once drifted toward Mu Chen's face. She wiped a bit of stray saliva from the corner of her mouth, her obsession with the cat reaching a fever pitch. "Heheh, big brother, how much does that little beast you have on your head cost? Just tell me your price. I, Xiao Li, am more than willing to pay."
Her expression was one of absolute confidence, radiating a sense of I have more money than you could ever spend, so don't hesitate to name your price.
Xiao Li was no ordinary princess. She was a practitioner of the rare Beast Heart Technique, a specialized path of cultivation that allowed her to communicate telepathically with spiritual beasts. It gave her the unique ability to borrow the strength of a beast, unleashing a force that far exceeded her own natural realm.
Because of this technique, she had recognized the truth of Nibi the moment she saw her. A five-tailed beast was something one might not find in an entire lifetime of searching across the Sky Continent. She knew that with the right cultivation, such a beast could potentially evolve into a nine-tailed terror, a creature whose power would rival the four Great Overlords of the Thousand Beast Continent.
The chances were slim, but the mere potential was enough to drive her into a frenzy of greed.
Nibi, hearing Xia Li reason of staring her, she slowly pulled her fish back out.
Xiao Li, seeing Nibi's action, felt a sharp throb of irritation. Her mouth twitched. As she felt insult to her status. Did this little beast actually think I was after her snacks?