***
“We’re here! Let go of me!”
Lin Muyu’s cheeks were flushed with a rosy hue as she looked at Yunduo with some reproach. Her collar had been tugged into a disheveled state, and her hair had come slightly loose, creating a uniquely charming appearance.
Every time Lin Muyu told her not to touch her, Yunduo would always wave her hand dismissively and say:
“We’re both girls, what’s wrong with a little touching?”
If she hadn’t met Su Wanqing, Lin Muyu might have actually thought nothing of it.
After all, it was normal for girls to be close with each other, hugging and embracing.
But ever since meeting Su Wanqing, she understood that one needed to be wary not just of men, but of women too.
Who knows, they might just be lusting after your body.
She wasn’t the type of oblivious straight girl who would think it was all just a joke until her friend’s hand was already inside her clothes.
“Mm… Her little disciple is much more interesting than her eldest disciple.”
Yunduo murmured softly, the corner of her mouth curling into a meaningful smile, her eyes still carrying a hint of lingering interest.
“I really want to snatch her away and keep her by my side~”
Though Lin Muyu didn’t hear clearly what she was saying, seeing her strange expression made the back of her neck feel cold.
What bad things is this woman thinking about now?!
“Alright, alright, little one. Since we’ve arrived at the place, I’ll go play elsewhere now.”
Yunduo said with a playful laugh, seemingly having completely forgotten about the mission.
“You’re not participating in this mission?”
Lin Muyu instinctively asked, her brows furrowing slightly.
“Those few points the mission gives, what can they even be used for?”
Yunduo winked at her, her tone carrying a mischievous quality.
“If you’re short on points, big sister will take care of you~”
“?”
Lin Muyu was completely stunned. Wasn’t that way too direct?
Could Yunduo really be a sugar mama?
But if that were the case, why would she even accept this mission?
Before Lin Muyu could fully understand Yunduo’s intentions—
“Catch.”
Yunduo raised her hand and tossed over a warm jade token. The jade token felt cool to the touch, with an adorably round little cloud carved on the front, bearing some resemblance to Yunduo’s cute hair accessory.
“If you run into trouble in the future, just crush it, and big sister will immediately come rescue you~”
After Yunduo finished speaking with a smile, she eagerly turned and jumped onto the large cloud floating in mid-air, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Only Lin Muyu was left standing alone by the roadside, her hair disheveled in the wind.
Now Lin Muyu was completely certain, Yunduo was definitely a big shot.
However, this big shot’s personality was rather erratic and eccentric, completely unlike those composed senior cultivators in her impression.
She shook her head, pushing aside all those jumbled speculations in her mind.
The most important thing right now was to enter the city first. Other matters could wait.
That’s right, Lin Muyu hadn’t gone directly to the secret realm entrance, but had first come to this border city at the edge of Great Xia.
Qinglan Sect had a dedicated outpost in this border city, intended to provide a place for disciples heading to the secret realm to temporarily rest and resupply.
And Lin Muyu had come here first to gather information.
For this very reason, the border city was now packed with righteous disciples from various major sects, having become a paradise for cultivators.
As for evil cultivators… Lin Muyu pondered silently, there were probably quite a few mixed in among them as well, they just didn’t dare to openly establish outposts like the righteous sects did.
After all, in this world, righteous cultivators still dominated on the surface, while evil cultivators could only operate in the shadows.
But she was certain that once the secret realm opened, evil cultivator disciples would definitely sneak in, specifically lying in ambush to hunt righteous disciples and plunder treasures.
“Entry fee, 1 tael of silver.”
Just as she reached the city gate, two armor-clad guards stepped forward and blocked Lin Muyu’s path, their tone carrying an official seriousness.
“1 tael of silver? That’s quite expensive.”
Lin Muyu muttered quietly and casually pulled out a small piece of gold.
For ordinary people, 1 tael of silver as an entry fee was indeed not cheap.
But she was no longer the broke teacher from before, this amount of money was nothing more than a drop in the bucket to her now.
It was just that silver was too cumbersome to carry around, so Lin Muyu had specifically exchanged all her mortal currency for gold, which was both lightweight and valuable.
Her action of pulling out the gold wasn’t particularly discreet and was seen clearly by those queuing to enter the city.
Immediately, the gazes of those around her became heated, with some people whispering to each other.
“Look at that bearing, could she be some young lady from a great family?”
“Either way, her family must be extraordinary…”
Lin Muyu felt somewhat baffled by these stares.
Logically speaking, with many cultivators stationed in this city, and cultivators generally not lacking in mortal wealth, why would everyone react so strongly to her pulling out a piece of gold?
What she didn’t realize was that cultivators entering the city didn’t need to use the main gate at all, let alone pay any entry fee.
She had been constrained by her previous life’s mindset and hadn’t realized that cultivators possessed privileges far beyond her imagination in the mortal realm.
“Is this enough?”
Seeing the guards staring at the gold without speaking or allowing her passage, Lin Muyu couldn’t help but frown and urged them on.
“It’s, it’s enough!”
The soldier nodded hurriedly, but his face showed some difficulty as he carefully explained.
“It’s just, Miss, we… we can’t make change.”
This young lady before him was so generous, clearly someone he couldn’t afford to offend.
“The extra can be your reward.”
Lin Muyu waved her hand, her tone very magnanimous.
Gold was just an ordinary item to her. She had more spirit stones than she could count, let alone this bit of mortal currency.
The storage ring her Master had given her was filled with mountains of spirit stones. She still hadn’t finished counting them all, and estimated they would last her several hundred years.
“Thank you, Miss! Thank you, Miss!”
The soldier was both shocked and delighted, quickly stepping aside and shouting to his companion behind him.
“Quick, let her through!”
Under the envious and curious gazes of those around her, Lin Muyu walked through the city gate with a calm expression.
This was her first time entering a major city in this world, but the scene before her was somewhat unexpected.
The so-called major city didn’t seem as prosperous as she had imagined.
The streets were indeed crowded with people, shoulder to shoulder, with noise rising and falling continuously.
Vendors carrying poles sold snacks on the roadside, shop assistants stood at storefronts calling out for business, and common people led their children through the streets, everywhere was filled with the atmosphere of daily life, but it lacked the grandeur she had imagined.
Lin Muyu strolled leisurely through the streets with some curiosity, ignoring the surprised looks cast her way from the roadside.
The original body had been extremely beautiful to begin with, standing out even among the numerous disciples of Qinglan Sect. Now in the mortal realm, this face was even more eye-catching, drawing sideways glances every few steps.
She felt a twinge of regret in her heart.
If she had known it would be like this, she should have found a veil to wear before leaving.
Being stared at by so many people like some rare curiosity really didn’t feel good.
Just then, urgent shouting suddenly rang out.
“Move aside! Everyone move aside!”
Before Lin Muyu could react, she saw a girl with a grayish complexion and ragged clothes charging straight toward her.
She instinctively stepped aside to dodge, and her gaze inadvertently met the girl’s eyes directly. The girl’s eyes were full of panic, with some poorly concealed anxiety.
Immediately after, Lin Muyu’s gaze moved downward at lightning speed, just in time to catch the girl’s hand sneakily reaching toward her…
“You’re… a thief?”