After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 19

The one who was called out was a woman in an orange dress. She halted upon seeing Mi Xiu, her face blank with confusion.

Mi Xiu waved her hand, the silver bell on her wrist tinkling softly. The woman in orange seemed dazed for a moment before forcing a smile.

“It’s you!” The woman in orange stepped forward and linked arms with Mi Xiu, her smile exaggerated. “Mi Xiu, it’s been so long!”

Mi Xiu withdrew her hand and patted the arm linked with hers. “What a coincidence. What are you heading off to do?”

As the two began chatting casually, Ling Lan’s confusion only deepened.

Jiang Mianhao whispered, “Xiu Xiu is so impressive. She ran into a friend as soon as we came down the mountain.”

Ye Qingge, standing behind her, observed everything that was happening, including the silver bell Mi Xiu had concealed beneath her sleeve.

A flicker of familiarity passed through her.

Ye Qingge caught sight of a black shadow flitting through the air and immediately turned to follow it.

That bell was a demonic artifact, and the fleeting shadow just now was that of the ao bird.

The sudden reappearance of the long-vanished ao bird was undoubtedly an encouragement to Ye Qingge.

It seemed this trip down the mountain wasn’t entirely without gain.

Seeing Ye Qingge leave, Jiang Mianhao called out softly and turned to Ling Lan. “Lu Jiu, she…”

Mi Xiu was still engrossed in conversation with the woman in orange. Ling Lan took Jiang Mianhao’s hand and instinctively moved to follow Ye Qingge. “Let’s go with her.”

Compared to the dubious and suspicious Mi Xiu, the highly skilled Lu Jiu was far more trustworthy.

Faced with the chaotic mortal world, sticking with the fairy personally verified by Grandma Banyan was definitely better than following Mi Xiu.

By the time Mi Xiu had fully bewitched the woman in orange and turned back, all she saw were three retreating figures.

Tsk. Mi Xiu frowned, left the woman in orange behind, and quickened her pace to catch up.

“Mian Mian!” Mi Xiu sped up, running with her hands on her hips, panting. “Wait for me!”

They hadn’t gone far, and her call carried through the crowd.

Jiang Mianhao’s heart softened. Her hand was tightly clasped with Ling Lan’s, and as she stopped, Ling Lan halted as well.

“Can we wait for her?” Jiang Mianhao asked worriedly, her voice soft. “Xiu Xiu is just a girl who recently took human form. It wouldn’t be safe for her to be alone.”

Ling Lan had no intention of caring, but since Jiang Mianhao had spoken, she couldn’t refuse. She simply stood by Jiang Mianhao’s side and waited.

……

……

Ye Qingge chased the shadow through several streets.

Finally, the black aura dissipated at the mouth of an unnamed alley, vanishing without a trace.

Ye Qingge grew anxious, but the moment she tried to summon her inner energy, it was forcefully pushed back.

Her final breakthrough had long been delayed, and her spiritual power was always restricted.

The black aura had vanished completely, forcing Ye Qingge to stop in her tracks.

Ye Qingge had never left Yang Qing Hall. This was her first time descending to the mortal realm.

The streets were filled with shouting people and vendors of all kinds.

Freshly steamed buns were unveiled as the vendor took a deep breath and called out, “Bao—zi—ai—” echoing through the street.

An old man carrying a wooden pole performed like an acrobat, the candied hawthorns on his shoulder spinning dazzlingly. Under the sunlight, the sugar-glazed haws shimmered brilliantly.

Toddlers, just learning to walk, wobbled unsteadily, babbling indistinctly, “Want… want…”

An elderly woman who had been walking for a long time hesitated for a long while, swallowing her saliva repeatedly before finally stopping in front of a steamed bun stall.

“Hey, I’d like a bun,” the old woman said as she pulled back the bedding from the bulging bundle on her back, revealing a child fast asleep.

Though no longer connected by an umbilical cord, mother and child were bound together in a new way. The child’s place of growth had shifted from the womb to her back.

There were also peddlers who hadn’t yet found a spot, carrying bamboo baskets slung over their shoulders filled with fruits, calling out as they walked, “Take a look, wealthy masters! Grown by my own hands, fresh and ripe.”

There were also elegant young ladies and madams from noble families out on the streets, carried in luxurious sedan chairs by four bearers, strong and nimble as oxen, weaving effortlessly through the crowd.

The bluestone pavement, worn down over years of footsteps, rain, and sun, had long become smooth and glossy. Occasional wet patches made it impossible to tell whether they were from human sweat, raindrops, children’s urine, or spilled oil.

The bustling chaos before her eyes filled Ye Qingge with immense weariness.

Yet, what Ye Qingge saw as the clamor of a troubled world was, in Jiang Mianhao’s eyes, a paradise on earth.

Everything around her was utterly captivating. The fragrant, steaming buns, soft and chewy with each bite; the sugar-coated hawthorn berries skewered together, sweet with a hint of sourness; not to mention the clay figurines molded along the way, and the lipstick and hairpins for women.

“Lanlan!” Jiang Mianhao took a pig-faced dough figurine made by an old woman, pouted and widened her eyes, holding it next to her face as she laughed. “Do I look like it?”

Ling Lan was amused and coaxed, “No, you’re much cuter than it.”

Jiang Mianhao glanced down at the little pig dough figurine, but her gaze was quickly drawn away by a passing flower basket seller.

Ling Lan shook her head with a smile, took out some money, and paid for the pig-faced dough figurine.

What Rong Qi had sent back wasn’t just clothes and jewelry. There were also many gold and silver ingots. At first, Ling Lan hadn’t known what they were for, but after seeing others use them to trade, she finally understood.

A single silver ingot brought back a handful of copper coins. As Ling Lan carefully placed them away with both hands, Jiang Mianhao had already followed the flower basket seller.

Finally making it through the long, chaotic market district, Ye Qingge turned around only to realize that the two behind her hadn’t kept up.

Before she could retrace her steps, a long-silent voice echoed in her mind.

[Your Highness, Goddess, how have you been lately?]

Ye Qingge paused mid-step and said solemnly, “Matchmaker?”

[My sudden interruption, may I ask how your progress is going?]

At the question of progress, Ye Qingge fell silent for a moment, glancing at the still-absent figures, a flicker of impatience in her heart.

[Have you made no progress with that love tribulation?]

[No matter. Now that you’re accompanying her down the mountain to train, it’s a perfect opportunity for the two of you to deepen your bond.]

As the Matchmaker’s words ended, a sudden flash appeared in Ye Qingge’s hand.

Two small pendants lay in her palm.

[These are Love Knots. Once you both wear them, you’ll share a sensory connection. In moments of crisis, gripping the pendant will instantly bring you to each other’s side.]

[If you prefer she not know your thoughts, use your spiritual power to shield it, and you’ll only sense hers.]

Ye Qingge lowered her gaze to the pendants in her palm; warm jade the size of a fingernail, intricately carved into the shape of a round disk.

“I don’t need these,” she said. After half a month together, Ye Qingge believed she already understood Jiang Mianhao well enough.

Yet Jiang Mianhao’s sudden change in behavior left Ye Qingge somewhat puzzled.

[Your Highness, Goddess, for the sake of overcoming this tribulation sooner, please bear with it a little longer.]

With that, the mental connection abruptly cut off.

Her thoughts still lingered on the soaring bird she hadn’t been able to track.

Ye Qingge thought impatiently, why couldn’t she just kill them outright?

As she was lost in thought, someone suddenly patted her shoulder. She spun around to find a smiling face pressed close to hers.

Along with the smile came a candied hawthorn berry.

The next second, the smile vanished as the girl clutched the candied hawthorn and desperately slapped at the restraint around her neck.

“What are you doing!” Ling Lan shouted, drawing her wooden sword and swinging it at Ye Qingge.

Seeing the pink light closing in, Ye Qingge belatedly released her grip. The ice blade she had flung out sent the wooden sword flying far away.

Jiang Mianhao, now able to breathe freely, gasped for air and coughed painfully. “Lu Jiu, don’t you recognize me anymore?”

Ignoring the sword that had been knocked away, Ling Lan stepped forward to support Jiang Mianhao, asking worriedly, “Mian Mian, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Jiang Mianhao replied, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. “Lu Jiu, were you startled by me?”

Ye Qingge glanced down at her palm, then at the finger marks she had left on Jiang Mianhao’s neck.

Realizing belatedly that she had lost focus, she nodded and replied, “Yes, I mistook you for someone else.”

“But you still shouldn’t have used such force!” Ling Lan glared at her, gently patting Jiang Mianhao’s back. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Jiang Mianhao shook her head, clearing her throat. “I’m sorry, Lu Jiu. I won’t surprise you like that again.”

“Why are you apologizing to her?” Ling Lan gritted her teeth. “She’s the one who choked you!”

Jiang Mianhao, still holding the candied hawthorn, murmured softly, “Lanlan, don’t be angry. It was my fault for startling Lu Jiu first.”

Just as the three of them were caught up in the tension, Mi Xiu, who had been chasing after them for a while, finally caught up.

Panting heavily, Mi Xiu exclaimed, “You guys! Couldn’t you have waited for me? The moment you started chatting, you all disappeared!”

Ling Lan shot her a glance and said, “Mian Mian and I did wait for you, but you insisted on chatting with that woman. You’ve only just taken human form. How do you already have acquaintances as soon as we come down the mountain?”

Her words were blunt, but Mi Xiu didn’t take offense. Instead, she smiled and explained, “You don’t understand. My family is well-known, and that person is an old friend of mine. We met during my first thousand years of cultivation.”

“She runs an inn here, and we can all stay there. I had just finished talking to her when I turned around and realized you were all gone!”

After rattling off her explanation, Mi Xiu stepped forward and took Jiang Mianhao’s hand, coaxing gently, “Mian Mian, you, Lanlan, and the Immortal Lord helped me take human form. Now that we’re in the mortal world, let me do my small part to help.”

Her words were sincere as she held Jiang Mianhao’s hand and gave it a gentle shake.

With her left hand held by Ling Lan and her right hand grasped by Mi Xiu, Jiang Mianhao found herself in a dilemma.

Ling Lan’s gaze fell on Jiang Mianhao’s captured hand, and when she looked up again, her expression turned unfriendly.

They were newcomers to the mortal world and still unfamiliar with it. If they rejected Mi Xiu’s offer, they truly had no idea where to stay.

Ye Qingge, who had remained silent until then, suddenly stepped forward and said calmly, “In that case, we’ll trouble you.”

Her agreement took the other three by surprise, especially Mi Xiu, who stared wide-eyed at Ye Qingge.

Unfazed by the attention, Ye Qingge calmly retrieved two gold ingots from her sleeve and handed them over.

Overwhelmed, Mi Xiu hastily reached out to accept them, mumbling, “Thank you, Immortal Lord.”

Ye Qingge’s gaze, however, lingered on the silver bell on Mi Xiu’s wrist, her eyes darkening slightly.

The words came from Ye Qingge’s mouth, and Jiang Mianhao couldn’t resist Mi Xiu’s repeated persuasion, so she reluctantly dragged the unwilling Ling Lan along to the inn Mi Xiu had mentioned.

Ling Lan hugged her wooden sword, her mind swirling with countless thoughts as she stared at Ye Qingge’s back.

Each of the four harbored their own thoughts. Mi Xiu quickly finished her conversation with the woman in orange and returned with three keys.

“She only has three upper rooms left. How should we assign them?” Mi Xiu looked troubled, holding up the keys.

Without a second thought, Ling Lan took one and said, “Mian Mian and I will share a room.”

Jiang Mianhao’s gaze fell on the keys, and she instinctively stole a glance at Lu Jiu before quickly lowering her head.

Without waiting for a response, Ling Lan pulled Jiang Mianhao upstairs like a whirlwind.

Ye Qingge calmly took the key Mi Xiu handed her and followed them up.

Time flew by, and it was already evening. The streets at midnight were brightly lit and even livelier.

Ye Qingge intended to go downstairs to find Jiang Mianhao, but as she passed the backyard, she was drawn by the sound of laughter.

Below the inn was a patch of greenery for people to relax in, with lanterns hanging all around the corridors, making it look as bright as daytime.

Following the familiar laughter, Ye Qingge slowly walked to the backyard. The first thing she saw was a girl in a purple robe leaning against the doorframe.

Hearing the slow footsteps behind her, Mi Xiu smiled faintly and clicked her tongue. “It seems Mianhao has already developed feelings.”

The two girls playing in the courtyard didn’t hear Mi Xiu’s remark, but the person behind her spoke up.

“What feelings?” Ye Qingge’s tone was flat and unemotional.

Startled by the sudden voice, Mi Xiu nervously turned to look at the speaker.

The immortal lord she had been trying to talk to all day was now standing behind her, initiating a conversation.

“It’s just Mian Mian seems to have developed affection,” Mi Xiu coughed lightly, deliberately fiddling with the ends of her hair to let the fragrance from her neck drift out a little.

Ye Qingge ignored her small gestures, her gaze fixed on the two laughing girls.

Jiang Mianhao was running happily ahead, holding the fish-shaped lantern she had bought that day, while Ling Lan, with a doting expression, chased after her with another lantern.

Under the bright moonlight, the girls’ laughter was as pleasant as silver bells.

Affection? Ye Qingge recalled the Wuji Mystic Master’s warning.

“When affection arises, sever the bond of love.”

Since affection had already taken root, did that mean it was time to kill?