Chapter 38: Mortals Are Important

Shen Qingxue paused at the bottom step, her obsidian eyes narrowing beneath her veil as she looked toward the doorway. Having lived through midnight ambushes, she immediately sensed that something was off.

"Husband..." she murmured, leaning close to my shoulder. "Someone was attacked right outside the inn last night?"

"Ignore it," I said smoothly, taking her hand and leading her toward an empty corner table away from the doorway. "In the mortal world, petty grudges, tavern brawls, and clumsy thieves slipping on wet roofs happen every single day. Mortals have short lifespans, their days are filled with endless, chaotic friction. If you let your mind get tangled up in every stray incident you come across, you will become far too attached to mundane affairs."

Qingxue sat down obediently, but a trace of thoughtful hesitation lingered in her dark eyes.

"Does that mean a cultivator should sever all connection with mortals?" she asked quietly. "Should an immortal look down upon them like dust?"

I smiled faintly, pouring two cups of hot roasted barley tea.

"That is where most fools lose their way," I said, my tone turning relaxed yet solemn. "Ignoring trivial matters doesn’t mean you abandon your conscience or refuse to extend a helping hand when true injustice stands before you. You must learn to find a balance. Mortals are fragile, messy, and short-lived, yes. But they also represent the very essence of human life, love, sorrow, warmth, and grit. The higher your realm ascends, the more detached you become from mortal needs. That is why so many ancient monsters lose their humanity entirely, viewing millions of lives as nothing more than livestock or spirit stones."

I tapped the table with a light chuckle, pointing my chin toward the crowd by the door.

"Take that unconscious fellow outside," I continued. "He’s an ordinary mortal, involved in a mortal crime, and the mortal authorities are already taking care of it. If you were to rush out there, flash your strength, and interfere, you would only cause pointless panic and disrupt the order of their town. Wisdom lies in knowing when your blade is truly needed, and when it is better to let the world turn on its own."

Shen Qingxue looked at me, listening to every word with rapt attention, her eyes softening into deep, sparkling admiration.

"Master always finds a way to turn the simplest matters into profound guidance," she said with a smile behind her veil, her voice full of genuine affection. "I truly love learning from you."

"A handsome husband who is also a wise teacher? Truly, heaven was generous to you." I grinned shamelessly, handing her a pair of bamboo chopsticks.

She giggled softly at my shamelessness, the slight tension on her brow vanishing completely.

We ordered a hearty breakfast of steaming chicken porridge, fried dough sticks, and salted duck eggs. After finishing our meal, we checked out of the inn and took a leisurely stroll through Autumn Wind Town’s morning market.

Even though my space ring was already stuffed with high-grade rations and spirit fruits, you could never have too much food on the road.

Besides, walking through the bustling morning stalls gave Qingxue another chance to experience the lively, ordinary life of a mortal settlement without fear.

We picked up several sacks of dried spiced beef, pickled vegetables, and sweet sesame pastries, stowing them away quietly once we stepped into an alley.

Returning to the inn stables, we found our two Iron-Hoof Blood Stallions well-fed, brushed clean, and full of vitality.

I tossed the trembling stable boy another small piece of silver for his good work, mounted my horse, and helped Qingxue into her saddle. We trotted through the town gates, leaving Autumn Wind Town behind as we picked up speed along the wide dirt thoroughfare.

By midday, our steeds had eaten through dozens of miles.

We had completely cleared the neutral territories surrounding Mount Mystic Cloud and traversed nearly the entire breadth of the Great Wu Kingdom counting yesterday and today’s journey.

Rolling green hills gradually flattened into rugged limestone gorges, and by early afternoon, the jagged wooden watchtowers and spiked palisades of the border demarcation came into view.

I pulled my reins, bringing my stallion to a halt near the edge of a rocky ravine overlooking the border checkpoint.

Along our ride through the kingdom’s wilderness, I had deliberately had Qingxue dismount whenever we crossed paths with low-tier beasts, giving her hands-on combat experience.

Seeing me stop the horses, she knew the drill immediately.

"Stay here, wait for your prey, or track one down?" she asked, her voice calm and ready.

"This time, you find it yourself," I said with a smile, dismounting lightly and leaning casually against a weather-beaten pine tree. "Use the instincts you honed in the borderlands. I’ll keep an eye on the perimeter."

"Yes, Master." Shen Qingxue slipped off her saddle, drew the steel longsword she had strapped to her hip, and stepped into the dense thicket of the ravine.

I completely retracted my Late-Stage Golden Core pressure, leaning against the tree with my arms folded, watching her move.

Within minutes of entering the brush, she tracked down her quarry.

A guttural, low growl echoed from behind a cluster of jagged limestone boulders. Prowling out into the clearing was a Spike-Tailed Iron Boar, a massive, bristling creature the size of an ox, covered in coarse, wire-like bristles and sporting a thick, bone-plated snout.

A Tier 1 Magical Beast, roughly on par with an advanced human cultivator in the Body Strengthening Realm.

The moment the beast locked its red, bead-like eyes onto her, Shen Qingxue underwent a complete, terrifying transformation. The soft, blushing, obedient girl who had snuggled into my chest and teased me over breakfast vanished without a trace.

Her delicate, pale face turned colder than ancient mountain frost. Her jaw was set in iron, and those obsidian pupils turned into two bottomless pits of predatory, lethal focus the true visage of someone bearing the Indomitable Asura Dao Heart.

Now this was my wife.

’Wish I had some popcorns.’