Chapter 26: Penniless in Jiang City Part 2

She had seen plenty of beauties, but none as strikingly captivating as this Miss Jing today.

The woman had bold, striking features and a tall, slender figure. Most eye-catching were her brows and eyes: sharp brows paired with slightly rounded eyes, combining sharpness with liveliness.

This beauty was truly radiant and captivating, dazzlingly striking.

Her naturally elegant etiquette suggested she hailed from a great clan, even if Zhou Xun had never heard of any Jing Family.

If Lu Mingyi could hear Zhou Xun’s thoughts, she would have laughed. Her etiquette lessons had always barely passed.

As it was, she felt the woman’s burning gaze and said calmly, “Second Miss Zhou flatters me. I’ve returned to Jiangxia to visit relatives, and Jiang City has indeed changed greatly.”

“Hey, don’t call me ‘Second Miss Zhou’—just call me by name!” Zhou Xun blurted out, then hurried to follow the topic. “Miss Jing, you say Jiang City’s changed a lot? How long has it been since you were back?”

Lu Mingyi smiled charmingly. “You tell me to use your name, yet you call me ‘Miss Jing’? Just use my name.” Then she added, “As for how long… What year is it now? I need to calculate.”

Zhou Xun’s heart leaped at being allowed to use Lu Mingyi’s name, thinking this Miss Jing was not only beautiful but approachable too. She replied at once, “It’s the Xin-Si Year of the Metal Great Year.”

The Cultivation World used the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth—for great years of 100 years each.

But Lu Mingyi remembered dying in the Xin-You Year of the Fire Great Year.

Her breath hitched. It had been a full 180 years!

“Jing Yao, did I get the year wrong?”

Zhou Xun noticed Lu Mingyi seemed lost in thought and asked.

Lu Mingyi snapped back, smiling. “No, my math’s just poor—I need a moment. I left Jiangxia at five, so it’s only been twenty years.”

“What? You’re only twenty-five now?!” Zhou Xun’s eyes widened as she sized up Lu Mingyi again, thinking, This little sister is way too young. “Jing Yao, don’t take offense. I’m one hundred fifty, at Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer, so I could tell your cultivation. Your aptitude is truly astonishing!”

“Senior Sister Zhou Xun overpraises me. The Nine Provinces are vast; I’m just a drop in the ocean.”

Lu Mingyi had checked this body’s bone age, but oddly, she couldn’t pinpoint it precisely—only that it seemed young—so she made up an age.

A twenty-five-year-old at Qi Refining Great Perfection would just barely qualify as an inner disciple at Taiqing Sect.

“Hey, hey! What a fateful encounter today!” Zhou Xun sighed deeply. “Little Sister Jing Yao, since you haven’t been back to Jiangxia in ages, let me treat you to a meal today! The best restaurant in Jiang City!”

Lu Mingyi chuckled inwardly: How could there be such a good deal in the world? She was starving, eyes dimming, when this Zhou Xun showed up to chat her up and offer food?

But she was famished now. Better to follow Zhou Xun and see what her game was. They were still in Jiang City, after all—she couldn’t do much.

Lu Mingyi then realized that Zhou Xun had just called her “little sister,” which sent her into another fit of amusement.

Zhou Xun was one hundred and fifty years old this year, but even counting the time she’d spent dead, Lu Mingyi was pushing one hundred and eighty!

The two passed through the city gate and entered Jiang City.

Lu Mingyi observed her surroundings carefully and truly sensed the passage of those one hundred and eighty years.

In these years, Jiang City must have developed at an astonishing pace. The shops and residences within the city seemed to have been completely renovated, with even the eaves covered in layers of green-colored glazed tiles that gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.

At the first corner of the main road, there used to be a small stall where Lu Mingyi loved to eat the bean curd skins. Even after she began fasting, whenever she returned to Jiangxia, she would make a special trip to eat a few servings. But now, that corner housed a newly opened pawnshop.

Something worth celebrating was that the largest and liveliest restaurant in Jiang City—Yunmeng Pavilion, her favorite since childhood—still stood strong. And remarkably, even after one hundred and eighty years, the food there suited her taste just as perfectly as before.

“Jing Yao, y-you should eat a little slower…”

Zhou Xun stared at the empty plates in front of her, feeling that her understanding of this beautiful Miss Jing had been refreshed once again.

Though her eating manners were elegant and her movements refined… the speed was just too fast!

A pot of sparerib lotus root soup, a plate of steamed Jiangxia fish, and a bowl of rice—all gone in the blink of an eye!

“Mm? Oh, my apologies, Senior Sister Zhou Xun. My family is extremely strict, so it’s been a long time since I’ve had a meal like this. I’ve really made a fool of myself.” With that, Lu Mingyi wiped her mouth and stopped eating.

Seeing her pause, Zhou Xun waved her hands hurriedly. “No, no, I didn’t mean you’ve eaten too much! I was just surprised by your speed… Waiter! Another serving of stir-fried yellow beef, please!”

In truth, Lu Mingyi hadn’t eaten much at all—just a normal portion for one person. It only looked exaggerated because of how quickly she’d devoured it.

Moreover, the dishes she’d ordered were affordable home-style fare, while Zhou Xun had added quite a few expensive ones herself.

Though ravenous during the meal, Lu Mingyi had first taken small bites to test the food with a minor spell for obvious drugs or poisons. Seeing no issues and Zhou Xun eating freely and generously, she had finally relaxed a bit.

“No need for me, Senior Sister. I’m truly full now. You eat more.”

As she spoke, Lu Mingyi neatly arranged her bowl and chopsticks in front of her.

Zhou Xun had just bitten into a piece of meat when she saw this. She held back, then held back some more, but finally couldn’t resist sighing. “Little Sister Jing Yao, I know this might be a bit rude, but I still have to ask… Which great clan is your family from, or which sect do you study under? This level of refinement is honestly rare—even I’ve never seen the likes of it.”

Lu Mingyi froze for a moment, but before she could come up with an explanation, Zhou Xun continued on her own. “Ah, with your talent like this, don’t tell me you’re… from the Taiqing Sect across the river?!”

Jiang City and Taiqing City faced each other across the river, so calling Taiqing Sect “across the way” was perfectly fine. And as the world’s top sect, the second miss of the Zhou family naturally knew of its resounding fame.

In the Nine Provinces, which young cultivator didn’t dream of joining Taiqing Sect? Only those whose talent fell short of the threshold ever gave up on the idea!

But as soon as Zhou Xun voiced this probe, she saw the beautiful woman across from her—whose smile had always been warm—smile even more brightly.

It was a radiant smile, yet it sent a chill down Zhou Xun’s back.

Lu Mingyi’s tone rose playfully. “How could someone like me ever join Taiqing Sect? It’s just that my family has many rules and raised me strictly, that’s all.”

“You’re too modest, Jing Yao! With your aptitude, it would truly be Taiqing Sect’s loss if they didn’t recruit you!”

Lu Mingyi didn’t want to dwell on Taiqing Sect, so she responded with a faint smile.

She fell silent for a moment, picked up her neatly arranged chopsticks, and casually ate a few bites of greens before setting them down haphazardly to the side.

This time, she didn’t tidy her bowl and chopsticks.

Come to think of it, this habit of neatly arranging utensils after a meal had been drilled into her at the Shen Family.

As the foremost clan in the Nine Provinces, the Shen Family’s style was arrogant and luxurious, naturally demanding impeccable poise and etiquette.

In the past, Shen Mingzheng had always brought Lu Mingyi along wherever she went. Thus, even without bearing the Shen name or wearing their disciple robes, Lu Mingyi had absorbed every Shen Family rule.

Yunmeng Pavilion was located at the easternmost edge of Jiang City, right by the Great River—the longest river in the central southern region. They were now seated in a private room on the second floor, with a window overlooking the Great River’s surging waves, blending almost seamlessly with the horizon.

The Great River at Jiangxia was grand, bold, and boundless—entirely different from Lin’an’s winding streams or Taiqing City’s cliffside waterfalls.

As Lu Mingyi watched one wave rise and crash back down, she realized once more: she had truly changed her name and returned to this world.

Since it was a fresh start, she should cast aside everything from her past.

Including these rules and habits.

With that thought, the restless emotions surging in her heart finally dissipated.

Lu Mingyi picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup of hot tea. Just as she prepared to subtly probe Zhou Xun about the current state of the Cultivation World, a clamor erupted from downstairs outside the door.

Yunmeng Pavilion was Jiang City’s grandest restaurant, with top-tier ambiance. And in their private second-floor room, the soundproofing should have been excellent.

Yet under these conditions, the noise from the first floor still reached them clearly—evidence of quite the commotion.

A bold, hearty voice rang out:

“Boss! How many rooms do you have left at Yunmeng Pavilion today? We’ll take them all—name your price!”

Lu Mingyi’s brows furrowed. Her fingers lightly traced the rim of her teacup, and she felt this voice sounded somewhat familiar.