Chapter 31: 031 Part 1

For cultivators, time passes without notice. Wei Mingyi had been in this cultivation world for a long time but had yet to properly explore Cangwu City. Her last trip to the inner city was merely to reclaim land after the Lu clan’s decline; she hadn’t stayed long. Now, contemplating her cultivation, the sudden urge to go out arose, and she prepared to put it into practice.

“Cultivation must follow one’s heart’s desire, without any hindrance, don’t you think?” Wei Mingyi gazed intently at Wu Chongyun, her expression animated. “I want to walk around Cangwu City. If I can’t go, I fear it might unknowingly turn into a knot in my heart.”

Wu Chongyun lifted her eyes to meet Wei Mingyi’s gaze. Her expression was calm, and though her eyes were no longer a pinch of cold ashes, they also didn’t burn with enthusiasm for everything like Wei Mingyi’s. If she wanted to go down the mountain, then let her go down. What did it have to do with her? She thought to herself, but before the words could be spoken, Wei Mingyi half-lifted her from the wheelchair. Leaning against Wei Mingyi, she slightly turned her head to glance back at the wheelchair.

“Shizun, the weather is fine and beautiful. Let’s go.” Wei Mingyi flicked her sleeve, storing the wheelchair in her Qiankun Pouch. She wrapped her arm around Wu Chongyun’s waist and leaned close to her ear, coaxing her gently.

Wu Chongyun looked expressionlessly at the sky.

Although it was clear today, in December, the phrase “fine and beautiful weather” simply didn’t apply.

She struggled out of Wei Mingyi’s embrace, turning her face away from her.

Wei Mingyi raised an eyebrow slightly, seeing that Wu Chongyun wasn’t truly angry. Although she had said no, this attitude showed that if she were actually taken down the mountain, she wouldn’t resist. After her thoughts turned a few times, she took out a fur-collared cloak and carefully draped it over Wu Chongyun’s shoulders. For a cultivator, such an action might be a bit superfluous, but Wei Mingyi took pleasure in it, immersing herself in the task.

“Now that those troublesome people have left, Cangwu City should be much quieter,” Wei Mingyi said, satisfied as she watched the knotted tie strings hanging down, fluttering slightly in the wind. She then took Wu Chongyun’s hand and led her outside.

Wu Chongyun lowered her eyes, looking at their interlocked hands, and tried to pull free slightly.

But Wei Mingyi didn’t let go, so she simply let her be, just following closely as they descended the mountain gate.

Cangwu City.

Ever since it was declared a dead zone, many small cultivation families had moved away. Now, there were few cultivators and many ordinary mortals. For mortals, a dead zone had little impact; they didn’t need to cultivate, so they couldn’t possibly leave their homes and livelihoods because of it.

The moment Wei Mingyi stepped into the city, a loud clamor of vendors hawking their wares reached her ears. Shop banners along both sides of the street fluttered in the wind, and there were also people pushing carts selling goods along the street.

Perhaps because the weather was fine, a group of children bundled up in thick clothes were playing games in the street, babbling a song about seeking immortals, picked up from who-knows-where.

Wei Mingyi was interested in everything. She tugged Wu Chongyun along, pausing now to look at a stall selling clay figurines, then stopping to scrutinize sugar figurines closely.

Wu Chongyun, with lowered lashes, followed Wei Mingyi quietly, not speaking. When Wei Mingyi stopped, she also stopped, half-leaning against Wei Mingyi, appearing somewhat indifferent and languid.

“Does Shizun want some?” Wei Mingyi tilted her head slightly, her hair brushing past Wu Chongyun’s face. She licked her lips and, without waiting for Wu Chongyun’s reply, bought two sugar figurines.

Wu Chongyun stared at the sugar figurine for a long time before saying, “No.”

Wei Mingyi laughed. “Has Shizun never had one before?”

Wu Chongyun pursed her lips, ignoring Wei Mingyi.

Her memories from over two hundred years ago were somewhat blurred. She only vaguely remembered the loneliness and helplessness of living under someone else’s roof as a child. Although those people treated her decently, how could she dare ask for anything? Later, when the main family took her away, it was just ceaseless cultivation day and night. Such food, utterly devoid of spiritual energy, was not to be touched.

Hearing Wu Chongyun’s refusal, Wei Mingyi felt a little regretful. Holding one in each hand, she bit into hers; it was very crisp. But in terms of deliciousness, it couldn’t compare to what Wei Mingyi had tasted back in modern society. Leaving the sugar figurine stall, she took a couple of steps. Glancing back at Wu Chongyun, she raised her hand again, flashing a sly smile. “It’s very sweet. Does Shizun really not want one? Or does Shizun want that—” As she spoke, Wei Mingyi pointed, her gaze settling on a vendor selling candied hawthorn sticks not far away. A crowd of kids surrounded the vendor, chattering noisily.

Wu Chongyun glared disapprovingly at Wei Mingyi, who was teasing her like a child. She halted, folded her arms, and refused to walk further. Wei Mingyi walked a couple more steps before noticing she’d fallen behind. She blinked, then backtracked to Wu Chongyun’s side, drawing out her tone: “Why isn’t Shizun walking? Do you want your disciple to carry you on her back?”

Wu Chongyun grew more annoyed, a faint cloud of displeasure appearing on her face.

Wei Mingyi couldn’t help but laugh. Before Wu Chongyun’s anger could erupt, she quickly raised her hands as if surrendering and said, “Alright, alright, Shizun doesn’t want any. It’s just me being greedy.”

Wu Chongyun: “…” She bit her lower lip, snatched a sugar figurine from Wei Mingyi’s hand, and took a bite as if venting her frustration.

Wei Mingyi’s eyelid twitched. Her gaze fixed on Wu Chongyun’s crimson lips.

She drew a breath. The other intact sugar figurine in her hand swayed slightly.

“Shizun,” she called out to Wu Chongyun, and finally couldn’t help asking, “Is it sweet?”

Wu Chongyun had abstained from food for two hundred years, subsisting only on pills daily. She had long lost the desire for food and any perception of sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy flavors. She looked at Wei Mingyi in confusion, only realizing what was happening when she saw Wei Mingyi deliberately dangling the other sugar figurine in front of her. A fiery blush instantly crept up her pale face. Hearing Wei Mingyi’s low chuckle, the spreading flush became uncontrollable. She stuffed the half-eaten sugar figurine back into Wei Mingyi’s hand, raised her hand to brush back her hair, and pretended nonchalance. “Not sweet.”

“Mm,” Wei Mingyi nodded, staring at the bite mark on the sugar figurine. “The sugar figurine isn’t as sweet as Shizun.”

Wu Chongyun bit her lip, feeling somewhat at a loss. Although she had deceived Wei Mingyi before, trying to get her to undo her binding, that situation was fundamentally different from now. If Wei Mingyi had actually done something to her back then, she wouldn’t have just lain there; she would have surely taught her a lesson. Afraid that Wei Mingyi might take a bite from the sugar figurine out of spite, she snatched it back once more, then turned her back to Wei Mingyi, refusing to look at her smile-filled eyes.

Wei Mingyi didn’t tease Wu Chongyun further. She was truly afraid Shizun would plop down on the spot and refuse to return to the mountain with her. Hearing faint sounds from behind, Wei Mingyi guessed she was eating the sugar figurine. Once the sounds stopped, Wei Mingyi walked around to face Wu Chongyun. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her lips before asking, “Is Shizun tired?”

Wu Chongyun lowered her eyes and uttered a single word: “Tired.”

Wei Mingyi acknowledged this, but she didn’t suggest heading back. Calmly, she took out the wheelchair and settled Wu Chongyun into it. After handing the remaining sugar figurine to Wu Chongyun, she moved behind the wheelchair. Pushing Wu Chongyun forward, she said, “Since we’ve made the trip here, why not browse a little longer.”

Her oral desires temporarily satisfied, what remained was the matter of “clothing.” Cangwu City had many ready-to-wear clothing stores, but most catered to mortals. Those clothes were too fragile; they had no restrictions on them, requiring one to constantly wrap them in magical power for protection, and they couldn’t change form infinitely with one’s thoughts. They weren’t suitable for cultivators. Fortunately, there was a shop called “Rainbow Feather Garments.” Besides mortal clothing, it also sold Dharma garments.

This was a minor, unranked family. The entire family cultivated a single technique, Rainbow Feather Melody, and passed down their wondrous tailoring skills from generation to generation. They didn’t seek to ascend to immortality through cultivation; they merely wished to live stable lives like ordinary people. After Cangwu City was designated a dead zone, they hadn’t moved away but stayed to continue their business. Wei Mingyi had never interacted with this family, but the Sect Leader had mentioned that in the past, many clothes for Chongyuan Sect were tailored by Rainbow Feather Garments.

“Shizun is always in black. It seems a bit… not vibrant enough,” Wei Mingyi said, looking down at Wu Chongyun, her hands itching. She was currently the richest person in Chongyuan Sect. Those transactions had been negotiated by the Sect Leader, but after completion, apart from the basic portion needed for sect construction, the rest had been returned to her by the Sect Leader. Never mind buying a few clothes—even if she bought all the Dharma garments in the entire shop, Wei Mingyi wouldn’t bat an eye.

Wu Chongyun corrected her: “Mystic and white.”

Wei Mingyi glanced at her, thinking that mystic black and mystic white weren’t all that different.

Her gaze swept back and forth across the shop. Red, blue, purple—she wanted one of each. She rather hoped Wu Chongyun would try some on, but seeing Wu Chongyun’s tired, languid expression, she figured she probably wouldn’t want to move. Fortunately, Dharma garments didn’t have fixed sizes and could automatically adjust to a cultivator’s form.

“I’ll take all of them,” Wei Mingyi declared with a wave of her hand, displaying unusual extravagance. Wu Chongyun just glanced at her blandly and finally pointed to a white double-breasted Daoist robe embroidered with cranes, trimmed in red, and said, “Yours.” Before, they had been short on money. Later, no one paid attention to such minor details. Without coming to Cangwu City to shop, Wei Mingyi had just been wearing her old Daoist robes.

Wei Mingyi made an “Oh” sound; she had forgotten about herself. She flashed a brilliant smile at Wu Chongyun, accepted the Daoist robe, then piled it together with the rest of the clothes into Wu Chongyun’s arms.

Wu Chongyun was stuffed with an armful. The stack of clothes nearly blocked her vision. Wei Mingyi’s action was too natural; she also froze for a moment. It wasn’t until they left Rainbow Feather Garments that Wu Chongyun said, “Qiankun Pouch.”

Wei Mingyi: “…” Upon entering this city where mortals came and went, she had been engulfed in the air of the mortal world, momentarily forgetting she was a cultivator. Saying, “My apologies,” she quickly stowed the items piled on Wu Chongyun away.

Wu Chongyun gave a cold snort, thinking to herself that next time, under no circumstances, would she go down the mountain with Wei Mingyi again.

The mortal world bustled and hustled. Those who lived long on the mountain rarely came into contact with the noise and clamor of dust-laden life.

The smoke and fire of humanity were a dim memory from two hundred years ago.

Pushed by Wei Mingyi, Wu Chongyun felt as if all the passing people were like fish in the sea, and she gradually blended in among them.

When she came back to her senses a short while later, her spirit platform clear again, Wu Chongyun looked up to see Wei Mingyi with her sleeves rolled up, buying wine. She was listening with great interest to neighbors gossip about trivial household matters, even showing a trace of longing.

After Wei Mingyi returned, Wu Chongyun glanced at the small wine jug she carried and asked, “You like wine?”

“I don’t,” Wei Mingyi shook her head. She was a lightweight drinker. It was rare for Wu Chongyun to ask, so seizing the topic, Wei Mingyi chattered on, “When I was little, my family needed wine for cooking. I would carry a small jug to buy a few coins’ worth and sneak a sip on the way home.” Besides wine, there was soy sauce, but no kid would secretly drink soy sauce.

Wu Chongyun didn’t quite understand. She was, after all, too far removed from the secular world. For someone with Wei Mingyi’s talent to only reach Meridian Opening First Layer after over twenty years was somewhat unusual. Perhaps she had started on the Dao path too late. But why so late? Why did she embark on this path? She had appeared alone in the wilderness. If the Sect Leader hadn’t picked her up, she might have died.