Chapter 54: Visitors from Home

‘Who is that girl? Why is she with Mu Lingxi? And why are they smiling so happily…’

Such thoughts flashed through Yun Fei’s mind.

Unconsciously, she stopped walking, only snapping back to reality when someone called out to her.

“Miss, would you like a tanghulu? I have the original flavor, fruit flavors, spicy… I have almost every flavor you can imagine!”

The person speaking to her was a middle-aged tanghulu street vendor.

Yun Fei sensed him and found he was a completely ordinary mortal with no trace of spiritual power.

“Every flavor? Are you sure?”

There was still over an hour before the agreed-upon time.

Yun Fei calculated that she had plenty of time.

The vendor’s words piqued her interest.

This was the first time she’d heard tanghulu came in various flavors.

She had never eaten one in her life!

It seemed to be a specialty of the Profane Realm; there certainly weren’t any sold in the Devil King City.

“Absolutely sure! I’ve been selling tanghulu for over ten years. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with innovations and developed several new flavors myself. They sell quite well and are very popular with children and cultivators like yourself!”

“Cultivators? What makes you say that?”

“I observed your bearing just now; you must be quite skilled! Looking closer, you have a natural, imposing aura about you, and your eyes are extraordinary. You must be a cultivator from that academy on the mountain. I’ve seen many like you, most who have cut off worldly affairs to devote themselves to cultivation. And how many childhood memories, almost forgotten, does a simple stick of tanghulu evoke for such cultivators? That’s priceless spiritual wealth!”

Seeing the vendor’s smooth talk, Yun Fei didn’t interrupt his rambling.

After all, she understood that most merchants were like this, going to great lengths to keep customers.

“Alright then, boss. Give me a bitter-flavored tanghulu.”

“Coming right up! Just a moment, miss… Wait, what did you say? Bitter?”

The vendor was initially happy to have a customer, but when Yun Fei’s words registered, the sparse wrinkles on his face twitched slightly.

“Yes, bitter. Don’t tell me you don’t have it?”

“I do! Of course I do! It’s just that no customer has ever asked for that flavor before. I need to look for it in the box!”

The vendor secretly wiped sweat from his brow, lifted the lid of a box beside him to reveal a large stick densely packed with tanghulu, and began rummaging through it.

Soon, he found one with a green “candy coating” and handed it to Yun Fei.

“Miss, the coating isn’t sugar; it’s bitter gourd juice with edible coagulant. My unfilial son made it to prank naughty kids. I never thought I’d actually sell one. Seeing as this tanghulu and you seem fated, I’ll give it to you!”

‘What a joke,’ he thought.

He had only asked because he saw Yun Fei lingering near his stall for a long time.

He never expected his off-the-cuff sales pitch would actually work!

But he could tell Yun Fei was from the mountain.

How could he dare charge her?

What if she got in a bad mood and decided to kill him?

Those lofty cultivators wouldn’t care about the lives of mortals like him.

Seeing this, Yun Fei didn’t refuse.

She accepted the tanghulu and stored it in her spatial storage.

She didn’t plan to eat it herself.

She already had someone in mind to give it to~

Before leaving, she glanced once more toward the tavern and saw Mu Lingxi was still there chatting.

So, out of a desire to avoid what irritated her, Yun Fei quickened her pace and swiftly left the area.

Not long before, by the window of that tavern, Mu Lingxi, dressed in her night-travel suit, was absentmindedly nibbling on a pastry, staring out the window in a daze.

‘What exactly is Yun Fei going to do? So secretive, even using an invisibility technique!’

“Young miss, what are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought?”

“Ah… Xiao Wan, it’s nothing. Why did you suddenly come over?”

Seeing she had been daydreaming for too long, Mu Lingxi quickly pulled her gaze back from the window, her pretty face slightly flushed.

The girl called Xiao Wan had been watching Mu Lingxi closely.

Seeing her reaction, her super sixth sense told her that Mu Lingxi was hiding a huge secret from her!

So, she suddenly slapped the table with a “smack!”

“Young miss, your acting still isn’t good enough. Your thoughts are written all over your face! Tell me, are you in love?”

“Ah? This…”

Mu Lingxi truly hadn’t expected Xiao Wan’s intuition to still be so sharp.

Even though several years had passed since her master took her as a disciple and brought her to the sect, and she hadn’t been home for years…

“…Xiao Wan, you still know me best.”

Facing family, Mu Lingxi chose not to hide it and reluctantly admitted the truth.

“…I knew it! What’s the young man like? Young miss, you must keep your eyes open. Don’t be deceived by a man. That’s exactly what Madam is worried about, which is why she asked me to come find you for a meeting after you entered the academy. You’re alone outside with no relatives to support you. Madam has spent most nights unable to sleep these past few years. Hearing you were chosen as the Saintess, she knew all sorts of men would appear around you. The master also instructed me to tell you—he’s a man himself, and he can guess with his feet that many of those men will approach you with either filthy or profit-driven intentions…”

“Ah… Stop! Xiao Wan, stop! When did you become as nagging as mother? I’m an adult now. I can see things clearly. Besides… the person I like is a girl.”

‘Even though she was originally a man, but it’s fine. She can’t change back now.’

“What?! A girl?”

“I know this might be hard for you, a mortal, to understand. Mortals need to carry on the family line, so same-sex love is absolutely unacceptable. But I’m a cultivator. I will inevitably have a long life. Things like carrying on the family line are meaningless to me.”

Xiao Wan felt her worldview suffer a massive impact.

She took a big gulp of fruit wine, forcing herself to appear calm.

“Ah, it seems I can no longer look at you, young miss, with mortal eyes… Suddenly, I feel that after not seeing you for a few years, an insurmountable thick barrier has grown between us…”

Xiao Wan’s eyes fell dejectedly, but suddenly, as if she thought of something, she brightened up again.

“In that case, the master and madam’s worries are easily resolved. No need to worry about men with bad intentions deceiving my innocent young miss.”

“…Hey! Xiao Wan, is that really the image I have in your heart?”

“Of course! In the eyes of this servant, the master, the madam, and all the servants at the Mu Family who watched you grow up, you’re still that young lady who never quite grew up!”

Seeing Xiao Wan’s serious expression, Mu Lingxi couldn’t help but chuckle.

Amid her laughter, a question bothered her: the Mu Family only had her, an only daughter.

“By the way, Xiao Wan, I mentioned the issue of carrying on the family line. Without me, does mother have any thoughts of having another child? If not, will our family line end?”

“Goodness! What kind of unlucky talk is that, young miss! The master and madam would definitely not let their own family line die out. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with madam’s health; she can still have children. In fact, I haven’t even told you yet—Madam is already six months pregnant!”

“She’s already pregnant? That puts my mind at ease… It’s just, mother having a child at her age now is a bit hard on her. I thought under grandfather’s pressure, father might choose to take a concubine…”

“Oh~ So you still underestimate the love between the master and madam, young miss. Being able to meet people like them is my great fortune in three lifetimes! Did you know? I was actually a child they picked up. Even before madam was pregnant with you, they took great care of me. They said that although I hold the status of a maid, I don’t actually have a deed of sale. They’ve always treated me as their own. Not long ago, they even asked a matchmaker to find a marriage prospect for me…”

“Oh? Really? I’ve never heard about that. But that’s a good thing, right? How is that marriage prospect? Are you satisfied?”

“Quite satisfied. He’s a centurion in the city guard. He’s~ handsome and upright. After I return this time, he’s going to come propose.”

Saying this, Xiao Wan suddenly shyly lowered her head, interlocked her fingers, and unconsciously twisted her body slightly.

“Then I wish you happiness, Xiao Wan~” Seeing Xiao Wan’s blissful appearance, Mu Lingxi sincerely offered her blessing.

“Oh, young miss, the master and madam also gave me a surname. I now share the Mu surname with you. From now on, my name is Mu Wan. I never dreamed I would one day have a surname!”

“Hmm… Mu Wan… That’s a very nice name~”

Mu Lingxi responded with a smile.

“Young miss, it’s quite late now. Will it disturb your cultivation? I still want to hear about your cultivation experiences! And best of all, tell me about you and your sweetheart?”

“It’s fine. The thing cultivators care least about is time. I’ll tell you all about it~”

‘After all, it’s highly possible we may never meet again. This is what cultivation is like—saying goodbye to mortal relatives one by one is something most cultivators not from cultivation families inevitably experience.’

‘If there’s a chance… I should go back and visit more often.’

That was her master’s advice.

But over the years, she hadn’t returned even once.

This year… I’ll go back for the New Year.

While chatting with Mu Wan, Mu Lingxi suddenly seemed to sense something and instinctively looked down at the street below.

However, she didn’t see Yun Fei’s figure.

‘Strange… I definitely sensed her aura. How did it suddenly disappear… Huh? That girl looks familiar… Ah! She seems to be Yun Fei’s maid, right? I saw her in the academy files before. Why is she here? Would she know where Yun Fei went?’

“Young miss?”

“Ah! It’s nothing. We’ve chatted enough and satisfied your curiosity. It’s late now, and you’re setting off back to the Northern Territory tomorrow, right? Rest early. Oh, and help me pass on a message—tell them I’ll come back to visit for the New Year this year.”

“! Yes, young miss!”