Hu Qiao’er was dressed in the attire of a Shenxiao Sect disciple, and not just any disciple, but an Inner Disciple.
Even though Hu Qiao’er looked much too young… or rather, too small, Qin Zifeng did not judge people by their appearance.
He bent his back in a bow; this gesture made him seem even older.
He spoke humbly, “Registered Disciple, Qin Zifeng, greets Senior Sister.”
Seeing this scene, even though Jiang Che had already briefed her beforehand, she couldn’t help but get nervous.
She hurriedly reached out to support Qin Zifeng, who looked even older than her own grandfather, and anxiously said, “Grandpa, please, you can’t do this. You’re the Town Chief of Shenxiao Town, no matter what, you’re my elder.”
At the word ‘elder,’ Qin Zifeng was startled for a moment.
No one in Shenxiao Town had ever addressed him like this before, and his heart was both uneasy and a bit excited.
Qin Zifeng drew in a sudden breath—sharp and deep—as if he’d been choked.
His thin chest heaved violently, as though he might faint from being called ‘elder.’
Hu Qiao’er was startled by his reaction and quickly patted him on the back.
“Grandpa! Are you alright?”
But it only lasted a few seconds before Qin Zifeng caught his breath.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, just got a bit excited.”
Once he had recovered, Qin Zifeng noticed the boy standing behind Hu Qiao’er.
The boy was still dressed in that familiar plain gray robe, with a cloth covering his eyes.
It hadn’t always been the same one—sometimes Yun Fan had washed it, sometimes Hu Qiao’er, sometimes even Xu Qianlan had someone clean it.
Even now, on Xu Qianlan Chief’s Xuandan Peak in Shenxiao Town, rumors still circulated that the reclusive Xu Head had adopted a boy toy.
“Senior Sister, and this one is…?”
Qin Zifeng spoke with his hoarse voice, as if he remembered something.
Just as Hu Qiao’er was thinking how to explain, Qin Zifeng stepped forward, squinting closely at Jiang Che.
“So it’s you, little one. Couldn’t find your way home again?”
Jiang Che had only recently seen Qin Zifeng, and Qin Zifeng’s memory hadn’t worsened with age.
Jiang Che gave a faint, polite smile—the kind meant to deal with people.
“I suppose so. This is my sister, she came to find me.”
“Oh, I see. Who would’ve thought your sister is actually an Inner Disciple? That’s impressive.”
Qin Zifeng stroked his beard in admiration.
“But what brings you to see me? Surely you’re not here to check up on this Registered Disciple during the Reunion Festival?”
Hu Qiao’er and Jiang Che both smiled awkwardly.
Then, following Jiang Che’s instructions, Hu Qiao’er told Qin Zifeng about the Baozi Shop owner’s situation, and along with it, shared their suspicions about that cultivator, hoping he would contact the sect for support.
This was the most convenient way. Jiang Che and Hu Qiao’er could have reported directly to the sect, but that would be less efficient and more uncertain.
Qin Zifeng looked grave—he clearly understood the seriousness of the matter.
Still, according to the rules, he checked Hu Qiao’er’s Sect Token.
After confirming there was nothing amiss, he promised to handle it, using the need to contact the sect as a reason to step out.
Jiang Che and Hu Qiao’er remained in Qin Zifeng’s home.
“Ah Che, why do they always have to check the token? The process to make these tokens looks pretty simple to me. Give me some time and I could forge one myself.”
Hu Qiao’er asked Jiang Che in confusion.
She had never figured out what was so special about the token.
“Qiao’er-jie, do you remember what happened when you received your token?”
Hu Qiao’er recalled that day.
Her token had been handed to her personally by Yun Yan.
When she accepted it, she distinctly felt a slight loss of energy—though at the time she didn’t know it was Spirit Power.
Jiang Che continued to explain:
“Shenxiao Sect Tokens are made from a rather unique kind of Lingmu. What’s special is, it can bind the Spirit Power of the first holder, and then the token remains in an activated state.”
“As long as the token stays by the owner’s side, the Spirit Power inside will always be preserved. But if it leaves the person it’s bound to, the power will disperse and the token becomes just dead wood.”
“What’s most unique for Inner Disciples is that each identity token is paired with a Minghun Token. You’ll have the chance to see them at the sect in the future.”
“As for their use, they’re actually linked to the disciple’s life and death.If a disciple dies, the Minghun Token will react accordingly.”
As Jiang Che explained, Hu Qiao’er, who already knew Jiang Che was closely connected to Shenxiao Sect, felt there was no harm in him knowing all this.
After hearing the explanation, Hu Qiao’er nodded thoughtfully.
She remembered the scene when she met Yun Yan.
She’d gone alone, led up Lingxiao Peak by a Senior Sister named Jiang Yan.
In Hu Qiao’er’s eyes, Yun Yan had the air of an immortal sage.
But that Senior Sister Jiang Yan told her the Sect Master Yun was a very strange old man.
Hu Qiao’er was more mature than other girls her age, but when facing someone like Yun Yan, with the aura of a transcendent elder, she couldn’t help but feel too intimidated to meet his gaze.
Because Yun Yan’s eyes always gave her the feeling she was being seen through.
Back then, Yun Yan told Hu Qiao’er something.
“Child, this old man is glad you chose Shenxiao Sect. This choice is good for you, and good for Shenxiao Sect. As long as you remain in Shenxiao Sect, what you wish to know—you’ll learn it, sooner or later…”
Hu Qiao’er still didn’t quite understand what he meant.
“Qiao’er-jie?”
“Hmm?”
Seeing Hu Qiao’er lost in thought, Jiang Che was surprised.
He’d rarely seen her daze off like this, but figured something must have happened when she got her Sect Token.
Just as Jiang Che was about to ask what she’d been thinking about, Qin Zifeng pushed open the door, panting, carrying an oil-paper package and two bamboo tubes.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, voice tinged with relief, “Alright, everything’s taken care of. The sect will be sending someone to investigate soon, so don’t worry.”
As he spoke, he put the oil-paper package and bamboo tubes on the table and opened them.
The hot aroma of youtiao and doujiang drifted through the air.
“You must be hungry, right? It’s the festival, so all the big restaurants are packed. I could only get these from a street stall—hope you don’t mind.”
Hu Qiao’er’s eyes lit up. She smiled as she took the doujiang, “It’s nothing, Grandpa Qin. We love eating this stuff anyway.”
Jiang Che was actually quite hungry—he hadn’t eaten since lunch, and as soon as he smelled the food, his stomach growled.
He groped his way to the seat, picked up a youtiao and took a bite.
The crispy, fragrant taste made him think: The youtiao in this world are even better than in my previous life.
As he chewed, a thought popped into his head.
Swallowing, he turned to Qin Zifeng and asked, “Grandpa Qin, didn’t the sect ever think about arranging a successor for you, so you could retire and enjoy life in the sect?”
Qin Zifeng waved his hand, chuckling, “No such thing. This old man’s been more than content just being Town Chief all my life. It’s all thanks to my Senior Brother Jiang, back in the day…”
“Senior Brother Jiang?” Hu Qiao’er perked up at the name, tilting her head curiously.
Jiang Che tensed and quickly cut in, “Grandpa Qin means Senior Sister Jiang from Lingxiao Peak, haha!”
He forced a laugh and hurriedly changed the subject.
“By the way, Grandpa Qin, you’ve been Town Chief for so long—did the sect never give you a Transmission Jade Slip? Running back and forth like this is such a hassle.”
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