Chapter 78 Part 2

“Yeah, once we’re at the Taiqing Sect, I’ll take good care of you,” Shen Mingzheng huffed from the side. “If you see someone you don’t like, I’ll sort them out for you!”

Lu Mingyi looked at Shen Mingzheng—who couldn’t quite meet her eyes yet spouted words of care—and let out a few chuckles.

“What are you laughing at? I’m serious!” Shen Mingzheng’s ears turned red in an instant.

“Alright, alright, I know. On the first day at the Taiqing Sect, I’ll tell all our fellow disciples I have a ‘good big sister’!” Lu Mingyi held back her laughter.

Shen Mingzheng’s eyes widened as the blush spread from her ears to her fair cheeks: “G-Good… big sister?! What kind of nickname is that?!”

“What’s wrong? You’re two years older than me—calling you ‘big sister’ is perfect…”

“Only two years! That hardly counts for cultivators!”

“Ah, if you don’t like it, I won’t call you that anymore?”

“I didn’t say I don’t like it!”

“…”

Because she’d been so young when she lost her parents, and had ample time to come to terms with it—not to mention Lu Mingyi wasn’t one to wallow in emotions—that afternoon’s conversation in Facing Light Pavilion stayed etched in her heart. The following days continued as usual, now tinged with anticipation.

Later, the day came to depart for the Taiqing Sect.

It all felt like a dream. She awakened a Metal Spiritual Root and was immediately taken as a direct disciple on Sword Peak by the very Long Rainbow Sword Venerable who had saved her—the one revered by the world, seemingly distant and unapproachable.

That same night after awakening her Spiritual Root and achieving Qi Induction into Body, Lu Mingyi lay nervously in one of the bedrooms in her new master—the Long Rainbow Sword Venerable’s—Lingxiao Pavilion, and tentatively opened the Storage Ring.

As Shen Pianchen had said, Lu Zhanyan and Jing Yu’s relics weren’t numerous.

Pills and talismans meant little to Lu Mingyi. Beyond some worn robes and stacks of popular storybooks from those centuries, there were only two magic tools shattered beyond recognition.

The Silver Long Sword’s blade was in pieces; the Ink-Green Spear was snapped in two. Their tool spirits had naturally dissipated with their owners’ deaths.

So this is all that’s left after people die. It all fits in one tiny ring.

Even for two people.

Lu Mingyi considered piecing the magic tools back together, but even repaired, the cracks remained.

Gazing at those scars, she quietly restored the sword and spear to their broken states.

Later, Lu Mingyi stored these profoundly meaningful magic tools in her Qiankun Pavilion account.

Until her death and rebirth. With her changed appearance and body, the Qiankun Pavilion account from her previous life was naturally inaccessible.

But Lu Mingyi comforted herself that this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Although her mother’s and A-ma’s relics were no longer in her hands, they were at least still sitting in Qiankun Pavilion.

And now, out of the blue, these two magic artifacts had been delivered right back to her.

Lu Mingyi stared at the Crimson Ring in her palm, the broken sword and spear drifting in her sea of consciousness. She stood in place, silent for a long while.

“What’s wrong?”

Guan Du stood nearby and, seeing Lu Mingyi’s grim expression linger for so long, couldn’t help but speak up.

“Nothing, I’m heading out first.” Lu Mingyi shook her head and bid Guan Du farewell.

However, she pocketed the ring.

In truth, Lu Mingyi vaguely understood what Shen Mingzheng meant by doing this.

If the account holder at Qiankun Pavilion died, their account typically faced one of two fates.

First, it would be inherited by their kin; second, if the holder had no relatives, then three hundred years after their death, Qiankun Pavilion would auction off the stored items, using the proceeds to develop the holder’s hometown.

Strictly speaking, Lu Mingyi fell into the latter category.

She had planned to wait out the three-hundred-year limit herself, then go to Qiankun Pavilion to buy back her parents’ relic artifacts.

But since Shen Mingzheng had managed to retrieve the items she’d stored there, it meant the first procedure had been activated—her relics had been inherited by the Shen Family.

It was a bit surprising, but not impossible.

Qiankun Pavilion had indeed been founded by the Shen Family, but to win the trust of the Nine Provinces and demonstrate their sincerity, they’d established a dedicated merchant guild to oversee Qiankun Pavilion’s daily operations.

Under those circumstances, let alone Shen Mingzheng—even Shen Pianchen wouldn’t find it easy to withdraw items from a specific account.

The fact that Shen Mingzheng and the Shen Family could claim Lu Mingyi’s account items under the name of inheritance stemmed precisely from her deep ties to the Shen Family.

Even if the Shen Family never publicly acknowledged raising her, the facts spoke for themselves: Lu Mingyi had grown up in the Shen Family household, coming and going alongside Shen Mingzheng, with food, clothing, and daily needs on par with the young mistress herself.

In the Nine Provinces, plenty of people did believe Lu Mingyi was the Shen Family’s adopted daughter.

By sending over her parents’ magic artifacts, Shen Mingzheng was, on one hand, returning the items to their rightful owner and catering to her tastes; on the other, hinting at those shared memories that created an “unbreakable bond” between them.

For Shen Mingzheng, this is way too indirect, Lu Mingyi thought.

Though the Crimson Ring was now put away, that nonexistent burning sensation seemed to linger.

With a complicated mood, Lu Mingyi reflected that yesterday’s “calm and composed” talk with Shen Mingzheng had apparently missed the mark—her counterpart clearly hadn’t given up yet.

“Why bother?”

Walking under the dappled tree shadows, Lu Mingyi let out such a sigh.

Not long after she left, Guan Du—who had been sitting in her room enjoying breakfast—suddenly received a transmission. It was from her master, Jiang Liuzhao, summoning her over right then.

“Mm—cough cough!”

Guan Du coughed sharply. Her hair unbound, face unwashed, she leaped up in a panic at the thought of meeting her master, hurriedly casting a few spells to tidy herself. Then, with a crystal steamed dumpling in her mouth, she dashed out the door.

On the way, Guan Du mused leisurely: I really owe it to Lu Mingyi. Before, I hardly got chances to see Master Jiang Liuzhao. Now it’s practically “every day.”

But… is Master really pulling off this kind of long-distance chit-chat with Lu Mingyi?

Guan Du pictured their faces and expressions, feeling a mix of bewilderment and the weight of her daunting task.

After she’d walked a ways, she spotted a shadow gliding through the sky overhead.

Looking up, it seemed to be another white crane.

“…Huh? That bird again?” Guan Du blinked and murmured, “Does the Shen Family really keep spirit pets?”

It was past chen hour by now; the late-spring sun had fully risen, its glare making it impossible to make out the sky clearly against the light.

Compared to the rainy days of the past few, today’s weather was truly fine. Lin’an City’s main streets bustled with more people.

Vendors hawked their wares amid the throng, calls ringing out endlessly—Lin’an as prosperous as ever, just like a hundred and eighty years ago. Be it the Demon Sect’s machinations or that deadly Spirit-Devouring Gu, Lin’an, steadfast in the rear of the Nine Provinces, always presented a picture of peace and harmony.

Of course, this owed much to Shen Pianchen’s exceptional management, which was why so many in the Jiangnan Region genuinely supported the Shen Family.

Lu Mingyi strolled down the street, observing the passing crowds, until she reached the front of the Bean Skin Shop.

Earlier, when she’d heard that Ji Yan had prepared the bean skins and sent them over instead of coming straight to Yaoguang Ravine to make them, Lu Mingyi had recalled her conversation with Ji Yan from yesterday.

Could it be that Ji Yan prioritized the Yaoguang Ravine order to honor that “promise,” then clocked in at the shop on time?

My words were probably just casual, but the Yaoguang Ravine order is a big deal.

Would Ji Yan really bump that important order back just for some vague, offhand verbal agreement?

Thus, Lu Mingyi felt a bit surprised yet not entirely so to see Ji Yan here.

Today, she still wore gray robes, but compared to yesterday, they bore darker oil stains.

That fair, refined face took on a look of earnest focus as she stirred the iron wok, beads of sweat gathering on her smooth forehead and pert little nose.

Lu Mingyi watched silently, appraising: Looks pretty professional and skilled.

The shop was doing brisk business, right at peak breakfast hours. Lu Mingyi queued up for a bit before buying some.

The moment Ji Yan spotted her, her eyes lit up. Cautious yet unable to help herself, she glanced at Lu Mingyi and whispered, “Miss Jing—you really came!”

“Yeah, didn’t we agree on it yesterday?” Lu Mingyi smiled faintly.

“Ah…” Ji Yan blinked, gazing at that subtle yet radiant, captivating smile. A blush crept onto her face—whether from the stove’s heat or something else, who could say.

Lin’an City’s main hub sprawled along both banks of the Jinghang Great River, its beautiful surroundings ensuring the city never lacked traces of flora and fauna, especially birds.

Even so, cranes were exceedingly rare.

At this moment, a pure-white, elegantly tall white crane perched on the Jinghang Great River’s bank.

For a crane, its eyes weren’t the usual red but a pure black.

Of course, it wasn’t sitting here by choice—its legs were currently as useless as a cripple’s, unable to support standing, forcing it to remain seated.

Those ink-black eyes quietly reflected the scene across the river.

She saw Lu Mingyi giving that girl from yesterday a gentle, faint smile, while the girl flushed with a hint of red.

Tingyu silently lowered her head, once more gazing at her reflection in the river water.

Sure enough, someone her age would be a better match, right?

As Tingyu mustered the will to observe the pair again, her eyes narrowed. Her long beak suddenly darted out, lightly snatching a slender, pale-blue snake from the water.

Tingyu: “…”

The snake: “…”

Now, silently watching Lu Mingyi and Ji Yan chat and laugh merrily from across the river were not just one bird, but also a snake.