He almost bit his own tongue off.
He triple-checked to ensure he wasn’t seeing things; for a moment, he thought he might be hallucinating. How did this little ancestor end up in Shuangfeng City?
Despite his surprise, his mind was still clear, and he quickly lowered his voice while covering the surroundings with Spiritual Energy. His adept control of Spiritual Energy surprised the girl, who last month realized he didn’t yet possess this ability.
"Significant progress, eh? Have you succeeded in Foundation Establishment?"
Her brows slightly curved, revealing a refreshing smile. It was clear she truly hoped he could become stronger, to... better endure beatings.
The rapid progress he made over the past month was all thanks to that bottle of Elixir she gave him. Although the potent effects of the medicine made him feel a bit uncomfortable recently, as if there was a fire pent up inside his body, his physical strength was incomparable to before.
Therefore, his answer was very honest.
"No, I’ve just grasped the knack, but I still need time to convert Spiritual Energy... wait, why are you in Shuangfeng City? Look at the excitement downstairs; if people knew your identity, wouldn’t that provoke a mass attack?"
"They couldn’t beat me even if they all teamed up."
Her light, fluttering comment left Jiang Feng speechless. Although it sounded a bit arrogant, it seemed to be true.
Be it Feng State or the East Continent, or even the entire Long Country, none could really be considered as part of the Central Plains. Strictly speaking, the countries surrounding the Central Plains could only be considered as buffers in warfare. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fiɾe·net
Having reached Foundation Establishment was already considered talented; if one succeeded in Core Formation, they could practically walk sideways across the entire Feng State, as long as they don’t show off in front of a bad-tempered, mad woman, everything would generally be unobstructed.
He glanced outside the window.
Many cultivators were grouped in threes or twos, openly discussing the recent Gu Poison outbreak. Each one had an expression like their whole families had been murdered, with saliva flying everywhere, gathered around the Immortal Pavilion arguing non-stop.
Though it seemed on the surface that they were outraged by the harm to the common people, in reality, it was all about "interests" and mutual contention.
Although the Gu Poison outbreak affected many, the death toll was not high. Only towns that housed creatures like Jakar suffered severe casualties; the majority were merely infected without life-threatening concerns.
Clearly, many cultivators wanted to profit from this Gu Poison outbreak, whether by plundering the opponent or skimming some profits from the Cultivation Sect collectively forming the Immortal Pavilion.
The leading bigwigs feasted on the meat, and they only need a bit of soup to thrive. As for how many would die or how many innocents would be involved if a real conflict broke out, that was irrelevant to these troublemakers.
After all, it’s every man for himself.
"Then you’re really bold; first, let’s clear it up, my cheap junior sister has been very energetic these last few days, and if she goes crazy, I doubt you could escape."
With a sigh, he poured tea for the young girl. Just to be on the safe side, he added another word.
However, having not seen her for over twenty days, he found that his first reaction upon seeing Cen Yueyue again was concern, followed by a tinge of joy he was reluctant to admit.
He shook his head, discarding those mixed thoughts from his mind. Since she had come all the way here, he naturally had to entertain the guest properly.
"Don’t worry, she won’t do much to me. Last time, it was just a show. Our Cen Family Village and your Purple Cloud Palace don’t have deep-seated hatred; it’s just regular competition."
Cen Yueyue smoothed her temple hair, today still dressed in the standard attire of the Central Plains.
She was pale and beautiful with a rosy complexion. Her hair was styled in a simple updo secured with a hairpin. Her outer garment, though refined, seemed to carry a sense of antiquity—it wasn’t outdated, but a nostalgic aesthetic.
The lower part of her dress was a popular emerald pleated skirt embroidered with white cranes. This outfit indeed had a bit of a young lady’s flair, but...
It didn’t quite match her temperament.
Strictly speaking, it resembled the attire that already married young women would wear, especially those who are dignified and beautiful.
He had wanted to tease her about her outfit the last time they went out, but there wasn’t time, and after all, who critiques someone’s clothing for not fitting?
Well, even though her attire didn’t quite match her temperament, unless she admitted it herself, no one would guess she was from the Southern Border.
"That’s good. Didn’t you say you were going home for a mission? How do you have time to come here for fun?"
When mentioned, Cen Yueyue held her head high with pride.
"Having come out, how could I possibly just go back home so easily."
"I took a brief stroll around the Feng State border. Although it’s not bad, there was nothing I really liked. I have to say, the clothing I saw when I entered the State City caught my fancy."
"Central Plains’ clothing is more comfortable to wear. The silk in Southern Border is too stiff, and the environment here is definitely more comfortable, not like back home where it rains every day and the air is filled with miasma, it’s so annoying."
For most women, shopping is an irresistible delight, and it was no different for Cen Yueyue.
Compared to the Southern Border where she grew up, she was evidently more interested in the Central Plains—especially since the clothes she was wearing were ones she found in her mother’s collection.
Though the style was somewhat dated, this fine, cotton-like material was only available in the weaving technologies of the Central Plains, and environment-wise, the rich soil of the Central Plains was definitely better.