Chapter 160 - 122: The First Day

Chapter 160: Chapter 122: The First Day

"When are you leaving?"

"I’m leaving today."

Lu Changyuan ladled another bowl of congee. "In such a hurry?"

Xia Lianxue smiled sweetly. "The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back. Besides, I can’t just let Miao Yu Palace decline on my watch, can I? The new year is a perfect time for a fresh start, to give Miao Yu Palace a whole new look."

The Little Fairy was, after all, the first-generation Palace Master of Miao Yu Palace. If the palace were to end with its first generation, it would be a laughingstock to others.

Lu Changyuan asked again, "Do you want me to go back with you?"

"No need. It’s not like I’m a child."

Although she was quite childish around Lu Changyuan, Xia Lianxue was a genuine Cultivation Great Power. It was one thing to be clingy with her Young Master in front of family on Celestial Mountain, but back at Miao Yu Palace, she needed to maintain a certain level of dignity.

The majestic Little Fairy in a White Skirt!

The Silver-haired Maiden nearby suddenly spoke up. "I have to make a trip back to the Black Realm, too. Mm, but I’ll be back. Cultivating here is more beneficial for my Dao, after all."

She had recovered from her injuries at the Daoist Sect and had sent a message to the one at Compassionate Palace, but she hadn’t actually been back yet. This trip had been far too long.

Su Youwan felt that she had experienced the Red Dust. Watching the joyful and harmonious people of the Daoist Sect, she inexplicably felt a longing to see her master—not through the Ci Hang statue, but to actually go and see her in person.

’So I’ll go back, tell my master I’ve found a man I like, and then come back... I also need to ask Fourth Brother how to snatch a man away.’

The Little Ancestor of Compassionate Palace was very busy, too.

It seemed the lively and bustling Celestial Mountain was about to become quiet and deserted in an instant.

Xia Lianxue tilted her head to look at Qiu Yuehan. "Senior Sister, are you going back with me?"

Qiu Yuehan silently shook her head.

’What would I go back for? I have to stay at the Daoist Sect and have the Old Monster teach me swordsmanship.’

Some fairies had already forgotten they were the chief of Miao Yu Palace, only remembering they were the junior sister of the Daoist Sect. ℯ

Forgetting her roots!

Xia Lianxue gave Qiu Yuehan a suspicious smile. ’If that’s the case,’ she thought, ’then Young Master and Senior Sister will be alone together. Although that’s part of my plan, I still feel a little uneasy about it.’

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt looked back at Lu Changyuan, revealing a faint smile that showed a hint of her pearly white, perfectly neat teeth.

Lu Changyuan was a little baffled. He was still eating his congee and found the Little Fairy in a White Skirt’s smile somewhat inexplicable. So, he asked, "Why aren’t you eating your congee?"

Xia Lianxue stared at Lu Changyuan, a smile in her lovely eyes. She said softly, "I woke up too early this morning, so I don’t have much of an appetite... I have something else to drink later. You go ahead and eat, Young Master."

* * *

Qiu Yuehan silently stroked the Dragon Bone in her hand. ’Junior Sister is leaving soon,’ she thought. ’I suppose I can be a bit more unrestrained during swordsmanship practice tonight.’

"I’m going to practice my swordsmanship."

She finished all her congee, picked up her sword, and walked toward the bamboo forest. Following the path up Celestial Mountain, Qiu Yuehan soon reached the halfway point. Here, a giant boulder jutted out from the mountainside. Standing on it, one could see the scenery below Celestial Mountain from its midpoint.

Qiu Yuehan sat cross-legged on the huge boulder, took out the Dragon Bone, and held it up to the sun, once again recalling the legend.

The bone was black, but now, under the bright sun and clear sky, there was no resemblance at all. How could a dragon possibly transform into the sun?

A thought suddenly struck Qiu Yuehan. Why not go ask that shop owner exactly where he found this bone?

With this in mind, Qiu Yuehan immediately headed back down the mountain.

Because it was the first day of the new year, the sound of firecrackers still echoed in waves from the streets of the Dynasty, making it feel extremely lively.

Qiu Yuehan walked straight to the antique shop on the corner she had visited before.

The shop was still there, now adorned with red lanterns. The furnishings inside were unchanged, and the owner was still the same white-bearded old man.

Seeing Qiu Yuehan approach, the old man chuckled. "What can I get for you, young lady? Everything in my little shop is quite old, genuine antiques."

Qiu Yuehan froze for a moment.

’It’s like... this old man doesn’t recognize me?’

She frowned and asked, "Where did you find that bone of yours?"

"Bone? What bone?"

Qiu Yuehan sensed something was amiss. "Five days ago, in the afternoon, I saw you being bullied by a Cultivator. He wanted to take a treasure from you. I stopped him, and you gave the bone to me."

The confusion on the shopkeeper’s face couldn’t have been faked. "Fairy, you must have the wrong shop. I’ve never had any bone. Besides, here at the foot of the Daoist Sect’s mountain, who would dare bully us mortals?"

Hearing this, Qiu Yuehan’s pupils contracted. She took out the bone and held it out to the shopkeeper. "You really don’t recognize this bone?"

"I don’t, Fairy. Not to be rude, but isn’t this just a glowing rock? If I saw this thing on the ground, I wouldn’t even bother picking it up. My little shop is an antique store, you know."

’That’s right.’

’The shopkeeper is a mortal. A mortal would have no idea where this thing came from. He probably only took it home because it glows... There are plenty of glowing rocks in this world; it’s not like it’s some treasure.’

’So why wouldn’t the previous shopkeeper sell it?’

The shopkeeper added, "What’s more, I never even saw you five days ago, Fairy."

Qiu Yuehan frowned. "What were you doing that day?"

"Just running the shop as usual. But around 1:00 PM, I started feeling really sleepy, so I fell asleep right here in the store. I didn’t wake up until 7:00 AM the next day. I’m old, so I tend to sleep a lot more."

’1:00 PM?’

That was around the time she had just arrived at the clothing store.

’If the shopkeeper was already asleep by then, who was the white-bearded shopkeeper she met?’

Qiu Yuehan asked, "Did you see a Cyan-robed Cultivator?"

He was the Cyan-robed Cultivator who had tried to snatch the bone.