“Hehe~ Master, can I try one of your siumai?”
Gong Shangyu’s eyes shone with anticipation as she looked at Lu Li.
Her gluttonous expression reminded Lu Li of a certain disciple from his former life.
“You haven’t even touched your own portion yet. Why are you already eyeing mine?”
Lu Li asked her, confused.
Gong Shangyu grinned.
“I want to try a little bit of every flavor!”
Facing his disciple’s sparkling eyes, Lu Li handed over the fragrant rice siumai wrapped in oil paper.
“Hehe~ Thank you, Master! You’re the best!”
Beaming, Gong Shangyu unceremoniously picked up two siumai, carefully blew on them, and stuffed them into her mouth.
She squinted her pink eyes in satisfaction.
Seeing her unabashed happiness, a gentle smile involuntarily appeared on Lu Li’s face.
The fatigue from days of supervising cultivation and handling affairs seemed to fade slightly.
“Master, you should try some of mine too!”
After swallowing Lu Li’s siumai, Gong Shangyu handed him her own portion, which was loaded with seafood.
Lu Li followed her lead and leaned down to take a bite from the siumai in her hand.
He nodded.
“Mm… it is indeed fresh and delicious. Not bad.”
Seeing this, Gu Qingying felt a surge of jealousy.
She smiled at Gong Shangyu and said, “Junior Brother, why don’t you try some of my siumai as well?”
Gu Qingying then handed over her portion, which had been doused in an unknown amount of rice vinegar.
Gong Shangyu caught the scent, frowned, and politely declined.
“Senior Brother, you should eat it yourself.”
Looking at the dark, vinegar-soaked siumai in Gu Qingying’s bowl, Lu Li couldn’t help but find it strange.
‘How does Qingkong’s siumai smell so weird? How much vinegar did he put in there?’
As Lu Li was thinking this, Gu Qingying suddenly smiled at him.
“Master, can I have one of your siumai?”
Looking at the innocent smile on Gu Qingying’s face and then at the black bowl of vinegar siumai in her hand, Lu Li gave in and handed her his own.
Lu Li didn’t think there was anything wrong with the three of them sharing food and having indirect contact.
Although practitioners of cultivation emphasized Inedia and pure training, satisfying one’s appetite occasionally did no harm.
Since the bond between Master and disciple was close, sharing food was perfectly normal.
Time passed amid the bustle.
Lu Li led Gong Shangyu and Gu Qingying through the night market of Yicheng for about 30 minutes as the lanterns began to glow.
After walking for a while, Lu Li started to feel a bit tired, gradually losing interest in the overwhelming variety of trinkets and the surrounding noise.
In contrast, Gong Shangyu and Gu Qingying were still full of energy, their eyes constantly flitting between the stalls on either side of the street.
‘As expected, whether they are mortals or cultivators, the temperament of the young is always similar.
They have no resistance to this kind of lively prosperity,’
Lu Li thought to himself.
He was also surprised by his two disciples’ appetites.
Since they entered the night market, their mouths hadn’t stopped moving as they sampled all sorts of snacks.
Even now, they could still eat.
Meanwhile, Lu Li felt quite full.
While Lu Li was lost in thought, Gong Shangyu acted as if she had discovered a new world.
She quickly stuffed a piece of soft, snow-white mochi she had just bought into Lu Li’s mouth.
Watching him chew, she said excitedly, “Master, Master, isn’t this mochi fragrant and sweet? Let’s take a short break and then head over to Vajra Temple. Qingkong and I heard that the Thousand-year Bodhi Tree in the temple is in full bloom. At night, under the light of the lanterns, the scenery is magnificent. So many people are going to see it!”
She blinked as she spoke, her voice tinged with a hint of spoiled playfulness.
Lu Li was caught off guard by the sudden feeding and could only respond vaguely as he slowly tasted the sweet mochi.
It was indeed delicious.
After finishing the mochi, Lu Li followed the high-spirited Gong Shangyu toward the famous Vajra Temple.
They passed through a corridor hung with countless wooden prayer plaques and ribbons, illuminated by various lanterns like a glass fairyland, until they reached the famous Bodhi Forest behind the temple.
Because of the Lantern Festival and the blooming Bodhi flowers, the forest was packed with people.
The thick branches of the ancient Bodhi trees were draped with red prayer ribbons tied by faithful men and women.
Under the glow of countless lanterns and spiritual orbs, it looked like a flowing red ocean that complemented the pale yellow Bodhi flowers.
The faint sound of Buddhist chanting and the scent of sandalwood created a solemn yet brilliant atmosphere.
Lu Li used one hand to protect Gong Shangyu, who was terrified of getting lost, while gesturing with the other for Gu Qingying to stay close.
Gu Qingying seemed a bit stiff, as if she wasn’t used to such a dense crowd.
The three of them moved slowly with the flow of people under the sacred Bodhi trees, surrounded by shifting light and noisy voices.
Gong Shangyu was very excited, occasionally pointing at the blooming flowers or uniquely shaped lanterns while sharing interesting rumors she had heard.
Gu Qingying remained quiet.
She didn’t pull away from Lu Li’s hand as he guided her closer; instead, she lowered her head, her cheeks flushed under the lantern light.
Her gaze occasionally darted toward the joined hands of her Master and Gong Shangyu before quickly looking away.
Her purple eyes held a complex expression, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
‘Hmph, Gong Shangyu really knows how to find opportunities to get close to Master…’
Children ran past laughing while holding pinwheels, and pairs of cultivators and mortals walked hand in hand.
There were even white-haired old men walking slowly with canes.
It was a peaceful scene of a prosperous world.
Even the incense and the floral scent of the Bodhi trees in the air seemed to carry a sense of peace and fulfillment.
Immersed in this rare relaxation and the peaceful atmosphere, the three of them maintained a tacit silence as they moved with the crowd.
Lu Li kept his protective stance, Gong Shangyu happily accepted the care, and Gu Qingying followed beside them with her own thoughts.
It was as if invisible threads connected the three of them, forming a harmonious picture of a Master and his disciples traveling together under the waning lanterns.
“Master, it’s really beautiful and peaceful here…”
Gong Shangyu whispered as she looked at the lanterns and flowers filling the sky.
“Yes, it is…”
Gu Qingying echoed softly, her eyes involuntarily drifting to Lu Li’s profile.
Lu Li let out a soft sigh as he looked at the festive night scene, his thoughts drifting.
“This kind of prosperity and the lights of ten thousand homes are indeed captivating. However, the world of cultivation is one where the strong prey on the weak. The Demonic Path lies in wait, and the world outside the Jin Kingdom is not entirely peaceful. To maintain this tranquility and protect this land for a long time, one must have enough power.”
He recalled the missing children case in Yangzhou City, his encounter with the Yin Corpse Sect, and the devastation caused by the Demonic Path’s invasion in his former life.
His tone turned slightly heavy.
Hearing this, Gu Qingying subconsciously pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, remembering her past life.
Gong Shangyu, however, didn’t seem to fully grasp the weight of her Master’s words.
She pumped a small fist, her voice full of confidence.
“Master is right! To protect scenes like this, for the sake of the Sect and the commoners who rely on us, I will definitely work hard in my cultivation and become a powerhouse who can stand on my own soon!”
As she finished, she seemed to think of something.
A red flush crept onto her cheeks, and her gaze became a bit dazed.
‘If only I could protect this prosperity with Master, standing side by side, how wonderful that would be…’
Seeing her so motivated, Lu Li rubbed her hair in satisfaction.
He noticed her hair felt soft, unlike the coarse hair of most men.
However, Lu Li didn’t find it strange.
Instead, he encouraged her.
“It’s good to have such an ambition. If you practice diligently and keep your Dao Heart firm, your future will be promising.”
However, at that moment, both Gong Shangyu and Gu Qingying—who was also imagining things because of words like “side by side” and “future”—weren’t really listening to Lu Li’s encouragement.
They both felt their faces burning and their hearts racing.
If one looked closely, it almost looked like steam was rising from the tops of their heads.
Lu Li turned his head to look at his two disciples, who had suddenly become exceptionally quiet and red-faced.
He felt a bit puzzled.
‘What is wrong with these two? Does this Bodhi flower fragrance have some side effect other than calming the mind? Or did they eat something bad?’
He was about to ask when the blushing Gong Shangyu, her mind racing with fantasies, suddenly pointed toward a stall not far away that was surrounded by people and emitting a cool spiritual energy.
Her voice was hurried as she tried to cover her embarrassment.
“Master! We’ve been walking for so long, and I’m a bit thirsty! Let’s go over there and get some cold drinks!”
Gu Qingying quickly chimed in, her voice faster than usual.
“Master, there seem to be a lot of people over there. My Junior Brother and I will go line up first. You can come over in a moment!”
Before he could respond, the two youngsters, whose faces were flushed with shame, ran toward the cold drink stall as if they had planned it, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Lu Li froze for a moment.
He wanted to warn them not to get separated in the crowd, but their figures flickered a few times and vanished.
He shook his head helplessly and began walking in that direction.
However, the closer he got to the stall, the more crowded it became.
Before Lu Li could reach it, a massive surge in the crowd pushed against him.
He was carried away by the human tide, his feet nearly leaving the ground as he was swept nearly 60 feet away.
By the time he managed to steady himself and break free from the dense crowd, he looked around and saw no sign of Gong Shangyu or Gu Qingying.
Even the location of the cold drink stall had become blurry.
“Bai Yu! Qingkong!”
Lu Li called out, trying to find his two disciples over the noisy chatter.
He tried to remember the path he had taken while pushing through the crowd to search for the stall.
As he was focused on finding them, a sudden, heavy force hit him from behind.
“Whoa!”
Lu Li stumbled.
Caught off guard, he was sent face-first toward the ground by a slender figure who had rushed into him from behind!