Chapter 310: Prime city 2.

"Maybe."

The little girl woke around midday.

She sat up, rubbed her eyes and immediately looked toward Su Yubing.

"Are we going home?"

Su Yubing reached over and fixed the girl’s messy hair.

"We’re going back to the Southern Continent."

The girl nodded.

"Then can I stay with you?"

Mo Yuxin looked at the child.

She had never been particularly good with children, but after traveling with this one for so long, she had become used to her presence.

"Until we find your family."

The little girl smiled.

"Okay."

Su Yubing looked at Mo Yuxin.

"That was almost gentle."

"I am always gentle."

"You’re terrifying."

"Only when necessary."

The little girl raised her hand.

"Sister Mo."

Mo Yuxin looked at her.

"What?"

"Can I call Sister Su my mother?"

Mo Yuxin’s expression changed instantly.

Su Yubing covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

"No," Mo Yuxin said.

The child looked disappointed.

Mo Yuxin hesitated.

"You can call her Aunt Su."

Su Yubing looked at her.

"Aunt Su?"

"You suggested we keep her until we find her family."

"And somehow that means I become an aunt?"

"It seemed logical."

Su Yubing lightly pinched Mo Yuxin’s waist.

"You are getting punished tonight."

Mo Yuxin’s eyes brightened.

"What kind?"

Su Yubing immediately regretted saying it.

The little girl looked between them.

"What punishment?"

"Nothing," Su Yubing said quickly.

Mo Yuxin smiled.

The old woman steering the ship shook her head.

"I have transported cultivators for three hundred years. You two are the strangest passengers I have ever carried."

Mo Yuxin looked at her.

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"I know."

The Southern Continent appeared the following morning.

From above, it looked much more ordinary than the mysterious road had made it seem.

Green mountains covered huge portions of the land. Rivers crossed the plains like silver lines. Great cities could be seen in the distance, each protected by huge formations. Flying swords and spirit ships moved through the sky, and the deeper they traveled toward the center, the denser the spiritual energy became.

The old woman eventually brought the ship down on a mountain plateau not far from a major trade route.

The three travelers stepped off.

The little girl looked around.

"We are back."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"Yes."

The woman handed Mo Yuxin a small bronze token.

"Keep this."

Mo Yuxin looked at it.

"What is it?"

"A return token. If you ever need to use the old route again, throw it into a large spatial formation and it will recognize you."

Mo Yuxin examined it before putting it away.

"Thanks."

The woman smiled.

"Maybe this time, try reaching the place you intended to visit."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"We’ll try."

The ship disappeared into the clouds.

Mo Yuxin turned toward the road.

They had finally returned to the Southern Continent.

And now there was one simple goal.

Reach the heart of the continent.

The place known by every cultivator in the Southern Continent.

The Prime City.

The city under the jurisdiction of the Tang Sword Sect.

Unlike ordinary sects that controlled a single mountain range or a few towns, the Tang Sword Sect governed a huge central territory. Its influence reached almost every major trade route in the region. The Southern Branch of the Tang Sect was technically an extension of the main Tang Sect in the Central Continent, and the main Tang Sect was one of the five greatest sects in the entire cultivation world.

The Prime City was their southern headquarters.

Mo Yuxin had heard the name several times during their travels.

It was said that the city had seven outer districts, twelve inner markets, countless sect residences and the largest public cultivation plaza in the Southern Continent. Every few years, great sects sent disciples there. Merchant families maintained permanent branches. Independent cultivators went there looking for opportunities. Alchemists, weapon refiners, beast tamers and formation masters all gathered there.

Most importantly, the city had rules.

Very strict rules.

No open killing inside the city.

No destruction of public formations.

No private duels within the central districts.

No sect was allowed to forcibly recruit unaffiliated cultivators.

No one could use spiritual suppression against ordinary residents.

The Tang Sword Sect enforced these rules personally.

Mo Yuxin liked that.

Su Yubing did too.

They started walking.

The road was broad and busy. Cultivators traveled in groups, merchants moved caravans and spirit beasts pulled carts. Every few dozen kilometers, they passed small cities or villages.

For the first three days, nothing unusual happened.

That was exactly how Mo Yuxin liked it.

They stopped in roadside restaurants.

They bought snacks.

Su Yubing tried local fruit.

Mo Yuxin bought too much of it.

They slept in normal inns.

At one small mountain town, Su Yubing saw a shop selling handmade hair ornaments.

She stood there for nearly half an hour.

Mo Yuxin stood beside her the entire time.

The shopkeeper looked between them.

"Your wife has very good taste."

Mo Yuxin nodded immediately.

"Yes."

Su Yubing selected a simple silver hairpin decorated with a tiny white flower.

She asked the price.

The shopkeeper quoted a modest number.

Before Su Yubing could pay, Mo Yuxin placed twice the amount on the counter.

Su Yubing looked at her.

"Why twice?"

"She said you have good taste."

"That’s not a reason."

"I liked hearing it."

Su Yubing laughed softly.

She took the hairpin and turned around.

"Put it on me."

Mo Yuxin’s expression softened.

She carefully gathered Su Yubing’s long hair and slid the silver pin into place.

The shopkeeper smiled.

"Beautiful."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"Very."

Su Yubing looked at her reflection in a polished bronze mirror.

The woman standing beside her was tall and handsome, dressed simply, with calm black eyes and an expression that rarely changed. Su Yubing, beside her, looked softer and more elegant, with a natural charm that attracted attention without effort.

The shopkeeper clearly thought they were a perfect pair.

Mo Yuxin thought so too.

They left the shop holding hands.

The little girl walked behind them carrying a bag of spirit fruit.

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TO BE CONTINUED,