"Young Master Long, these spirit dishes are all compliments from our humble establishment for you. Please enjoy yourselves."
After the waiter finished respectfully, he quickly retreated.
"You really are the young master of Lingzhou City," Chu Lingwei couldn't help but sigh. She was very curious how Long Ziqian managed to be so overbearing in Lingzhou City that these shopkeepers feared him so much.
"Daoist Chu, you flatter me." Long Ziqian laughed heartily. He could walk anywhere in Lingzhou City. "Daoist Chu, please."
"Thank you."
Long Ziqian's usual seat was by the window on the second floor of the Drunken Spring Pavilion, offering a view of all the patrons and the streets of Lingzhou City. The vantage point was excellent.
Seeing so many delicious dishes, Feng Ming picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily, enjoying himself immensely.
Long Ziqian watched Feng Ming with a smile in his eyes. Who would have thought that the young girl who always accompanied Chu Lingwei was her spirit beast?
Moreover, it was the phoenix renowned throughout the entire Xuanyuan Continent.
Sensing Long Ziqian's gaze, Feng Ming shot him a glare before burying her head back into her meal and eating voraciously.
Feng Ming, in her human form, was truly adorable. Her glare did not inspire fear but rather an overwhelming cuteness. Long Ziqian couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hey, did you guys hear? Chu Lingwei from the Cultivation Academy has come out of seclusion?"
Just then, a voice discussing something reached Chu Lingwei's ears, causing her hand, which was reaching for tea, to pause.
Were they talking about her?
"I heard. All the cultivators in the Xuanyuan Continent know." The cultivator at the same table replied, tutting twice. "And what's more, she left the Cultivation Academy immediately after emerging from seclusion to gain experience in the outside world."
"Truly a disciple of Bei Chenfeng," the first speaker exclaimed, "So many people on the Xuanyuan Continent were waiting for her to emerge from seclusion, and she actually dared to venture out?"
"She's the youngest disciple of the Academy Head. With her master protecting her, no one dares to scheme against her. Not to mention, she has a powerful senior brother..."
Chu Lingwei's hand lowered slightly, and she gently placed the teacup in her hand on the table. She wondered why she had been afraid to leave the Cultivation Academy.
"But she killed so many spirit beasts. I heard many cultivators are waiting for Chu Lingwei to leave the Cultivation Academy? To avenge their spirit beasts."
"No way? They actually dare to seek revenge on Chu Lingwei?"
Chu Lingwei: "..." When did she ever kill spirit beasts?
Chu Lingwei looked at Long Ziqian in confusion, wanting him to explain clearly what was going on.
Long Ziqian shrugged. He thought Chu Lingwei already knew she had become an enemy to many cultivators.
"What's there to be afraid of? Some people had a life-bound contract with those spirit beasts. When the spirit beasts were slain, the cultivators suffered backlash, and their cultivation could no longer advance. This is essentially cutting off their path of cultivation; it's an irreconcilable hatred..."
"Alas... who says it isn't..."
"But then again, Chu Lingwei destroying those cursed lakes wasn't entirely wrong. The mistake was that she ruined many people's futures..."
Chu Lingwei finally understood. She was now not only an enemy to the demon and ghost races but also to many cultivators.
She felt a dark line form on her forehead. She, an enemy of all those who had their spirit beasts killed in Jingliang Forest and were seeking retribution. Was it really appropriate to be burdened with such a charge?
Seeing Chu Lingwei's darkening expression, Long Ziqian couldn't help but smirk.
"Daoist Chu..."
Chu Lingwei glared at him. He must have intentionally brought her here to let her hear how many enemies she had. Fortunately, she didn't use her true appearance when going out, or she would have been attacked by now.
"What exactly is going on?"
Long Ziqian rubbed his nose. "Do you know that all the spirit beasts that entered Jingliang Forest have been slain?"
"I know." Her maternal uncle had told her yesterday.
"Everyone in the Xuanyuan Continent knows that you destroyed that lake..." Long Ziqian said, feeling a bit guilty, as he had also played a part back then, but had let Chu Lingwei take all the blame.
"So, all the cultivators who lost their spirit beasts are blaming me?" Chu Lingwei was both angry and amused. "Do these people know that there was something wrong with that lake?"
"Naturally, they know." This was the darkness of human nature. They clearly knew there was a problem with those lakes, but having lost their spirit beasts and suffered setbacks in their cultivation, they would not consider it their own fault.
Chu Lingwei snorted heavily and slammed her hand on the table. "Since that's the case, if they dare to seek revenge, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Daoist Chu, don't underestimate these cultivators. Your current journey might be dangerous," Long Ziqian said with a worried expression.
"It's nothing. Consider it practice for me. I haven't tasted blood for ten years, and I'm starting to miss it." Chu Lingwei gave Long Ziqian a meaningful look and picked up her chopsticks to eat, as if the matter she had just heard was already settled.
Long Ziqian's mouth twitched. Why wasn't Chu Lingwei acting as expected?
After eating the spirit dishes, Chu Lingwei and Long Ziqian strolled through Lingzhou City. Long Ziqian, as a good host, would readily present anything Feng Ming liked.
"Wow, this is so cute." Feng Ming stopped in front of a small stall and picked up a stone of indeterminate texture. "I like this."
"How much is this? We'll buy it." Long Ziqian said, reaching into his pocket for spirit stones to pay.
"One hundred low-grade spirit stones." The stall owner, who had noticed the artifact on Long Ziqian, greedily opened his mouth and named an exorbitant price.
Hearing the price, Feng Ming's little face flushed with anger. "Do you think we're fools? This broken rock is worth one hundred low-grade spirit stones?"
The stall owner was taken aback that it was the little girl haggling. He had thought this four or five-year-old girl knew nothing and that he could make a handsome profit.
Chu Lingwei pursed her lips and smiled. Feng Ming was a little miser; it was difficult to trick her out of spirit stones.
"This... this is a stone I painstakingly obtained from an ancient secret realm..." the vendor insisted, his face stiff, trying to explain.
"It's still just a rock." Feng Ming directly placed the stone back on the stall. "Let's go. This rock isn't even worth one low-grade spirit stone, and you still want to trick me."
"Ten low-grade spirit stones, we'll take it." Long Ziqian took out ten low-grade spirit stones from his pocket and asked the stall owner if he wanted to sell.
This was a stone without any spiritual energy. He would have sold it for even one low-grade spirit stone.
"Sell..." The stall owner said without hesitation and immediately handed over the stone.
"Wait, I'll buy this stone."
Just then, a female voice called out, and a hand reached out to take the stone. Long Ziqian, with quick reflexes, threw the spirit stones to the stall owner and snatched the stone into his hand.