Chapter 350: The thousand dao city 20.

They continued toward the inn.

For the next two days, the city remained calm on the surface.

The formal assembly continued each morning.

Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing attended the sessions, but they did not try to become political figures.

They sat near Luo Qinghe and Ning Shuyue, ate snacks, listened to proposals, and occasionally whispered comments to each other.

Yet they slowly began to notice a pattern.

Every major issue eventually affected the Battle Maiden Sect.

The city defense proposal was modified in a way that reduced the sect’s influence.

The mining distribution proposal moved several smaller resources away from their affiliated territory.

The alchemy proposal introduced restrictions that made it harder for the Battle Maiden Sect to obtain certain healing pills.

The shipping proposal raised costs on one of their supply routes.

The secret realm allocation gave them fewer positions.

None of these decisions alone was devastating.

Together, they were suffocating.

Su Yubing finally said during one session, "This cannot be coincidence."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"It is not."

"Someone is coordinating them."

"Yes."

"But which sect?"

"Maybe more than one."

That possibility worried Su Yubing more than a single enemy would have.

Mo Yuxin continued to observe.

She watched who spoke before each proposal.

Who supported whom.

Who always interrupted Battle Maiden representatives.

Who avoided eye contact.

Who left the hall when a certain proposal was discussed.

Patterns emerged.

The Heavenly Sword Sect was openly hostile toward the Battle Maiden Sect in political matters.

Golden Mountain Sect was primarily interested in resources, but several of its elders were willing to support anti-Battle Maiden proposals.

Azure Cloud Sect seemed neutral publicly.

Cangming Palace was mostly focused on trade.

Purple Heaven Valley was divided.

Some elders supported the Battle Maiden Sect because of long-standing relationships.

Others wanted to avoid angering the stronger sects.

Nine Heavens Academy remained relatively neutral.

Mo Yuxin told Su Yubing all of this one evening in their room.

Su Yubing sat on the edge of the bed while Mo Yuxin rested with her head in her lap.

Su Yubing ran her fingers through her hair.

"You have been thinking about this all day."

"Yes."

"Then stop for a while."

Mo Yuxin closed her eyes.

"I am resting."

"You are thinking with your eyes closed."

"That still counts as resting."

Su Yubing smiled.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?"

Mo Yuxin opened one eye.

"Spend the day with you."

"That is vague."

"Eat. Shop. Walk. Hold your hand."

"You have done all of those every day."

"Then tomorrow will be the same."

Su Yubing laughed.

"You are very easy to please."

Mo Yuxin sat up.

"I am not."

"No?"

"I need you."

Su Yubing looked at her.

The teasing disappeared from her expression.

Mo Yuxin reached out and rested her forehead against Su Yubing’s.

"Everything else is extra."

Su Yubing smiled softly.

"Then stay with me."

"Always."

They kissed.

There was no dramatic declaration.

They had already said things like this many times.

But every time, neither woman treated the words as empty.

The next day, they actually skipped most of the assembly.

Luo Qinghe later discovered this and called them irresponsible.

Mo Yuxin replied, "We are tourists."

Qinghe asked, "Then why did you attend the political meeting for three days?"

"Curiosity."

"And now?"

"We have enough."

Su Yubing smiled.

The four women wandered through the eastern merchant district.

This was the first time Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing had properly explored it.

The district was enormous.

There were entire streets devoted to spiritual fabrics.

Another sold nothing but weapons.

Another specialized in medicinal ingredients.

Another sold formation materials.

There were auction houses, lending agencies, beast markets, caravan offices, and hundreds of small independent shops.

The most interesting place was a huge market selling cultivation tools made by different regions of the Southern Continent.

Mo Yuxin became completely absorbed.

Su Yubing watched her.

"Do you actually need another sword?"

"No."

"Then why are you looking?"

"Because they are interesting."

Ning Shuyue, who was walking beside them, suddenly stopped.

She pointed toward a black sword displayed behind glass.

"That one is real."

Mo Yuxin looked.

"Yes."

"The rest are mostly replicas."

Mo Yuxin glanced at her.

"You know swords."

Ning Shuyue nodded.

"I specialize in them."

Mo Yuxin stepped closer to the display.

The sword was old.

Its blade was narrow and plain.

There were no flashy carvings.

But its spiritual energy was unusually stable.

Mo Yuxin asked the shopkeeper to remove it.

The shopkeeper hesitated.

"That sword is not for sale."

"Why display it?"

"To attract customers."

Mo Yuxin looked at Ning Shuyue.

Ning Shuyue almost smiled.

"That is clever."

Qinghe laughed.

"She likes that sword too."

Ning Shuyue looked away.

"I said it was real."

"You stared at it for five minutes yesterday."

"I was analyzing it."

"Of course."

Mo Yuxin quietly bought a different sword for Su Yubing instead.

It was not particularly powerful.

It was simply beautiful.

The blade had a faint blue tint and a handle wrapped in silver thread.

Su Yubing looked at it.

"Why did you buy this?"

"You liked it."

"I said it was pretty."

"Exactly."

"I was not asking for it."

"I know."

Su Yubing smiled.

"You really do this every time."

"Yes."

Luo Qinghe whispered to Ning Shuyue, "I want a wife like that."

Ning Shuyue looked at her.

"You already have one."

Qinghe blinked.

Then laughed and grabbed her arm.

"You are right."

The four women continued through the market.

Near the end of the district, they found a small tea house overlooking a canal.

They sat outside.

The weather was pleasant.

Spiritual boats moved slowly through the water below.

Children ran along the canal path.

Merchants shouted prices.

Cultivators flew overhead.

For a while, the world felt ordinary.

Mo Yuxin rested her head on Su Yubing’s shoulder.

Su Yubing fed her a piece of fruit.

Qinghe watched.

"You really need to be fed?"

Mo Yuxin answered, "Yes."

Su Yubing said, "She can feed herself. She just prefers not to."

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TO BE CONTINUED.