Immortal Soaring Blade

It took almost five days for them to leave the deep mountains and find the official road. Fortunately, there wasn’t any trouble during this time. They encountered a few spirit beasts, but when they detected Pei Su Su’s aura, they all fled in fear.

Little Black had awakened a few times during these past several days. He would look around in a daze and then smack his lips a few times before going back to sleep. Zhao Jiuge felt a bit helpless facing this abnormal situation.

When they discussed this matter, they agreed that Little Black must have been after the Tiger Flood Dragon’s inner core. That’s why he was so excited when he felt the Tiger Flood Dragon’s presence. Spirit beasts cultivated by absorbing spirit force too, but they absorbed it much slower than people, even though they had stronger physical bodies. In order to progress rapidly, they had to devour heavenly treasures or inner cores of similar beasts. The inner core was the essence of every spirit beast’s cultivation.

Zhao Jiuge looked at the surrounding scenergy and said with some doubt, “We should be out of the Yan Province.” He knew the general direction but didn’t know their exact location. The 13 provinces were simply too large, and many places were unmarked.

Looking around, the surroundings were completely green. Even after leaving the mountains, the region was covered in endless hills and a dense bamboo forest. The official road was like a yellow belt wrapped around these green hills.

“I don’t know where this is, but at least I finally see people, and no people from the Giant Sword Sect should be chasing us now.”

Pei Su Su shrugged. She looked down the official road and saw a tea stall on the side of the road. The tea stall wasn’t big, but there were two figures busily moving around.

“Let’s go rest at that tea stall and ask them where this place is.”

Zhao Jiuge looked at the tea stall not far away. He could see that it was almost full.

The three of them quickly arrived beside the tea stall, and Pei Su Su was the first one to cheerfully go inside. This tea stall was open-air, placed next to the vast bamboo forest.

The spring breeze blew by and some of the bamboo fluttered in the wind. Feeling this cool breeze, even one’s mood would become better.

The tea stall was small, and they used some yellow fabric tied to the bamboo to corner off an area.

There were some cheap, porcelain teapots that had turned a bit yellow in the humble stall, and there were also some pastries. There were seven or eight tables set up in the area. The tables were made of ordinary willow and had been used for a long time. Some parts had even turned a little black, but the tops of the tables were wiped unusually clean.

The smells of pastries, bamboo, and tea mixed together in the air. Sitting inside the bamboo forest gave off a different feeling. No wonder this simple tea stall was very busy and only had two empty tables. 

Pei Su Su sat down on an empty table close to the bamboo forest. San Wu and Zhao Jiuge quickly followed.

There were a total of five tables filled with people. One of them had two middle-aged men wearing blue. They were both carrying two bamboo baskets filled with fresh bamboo shoots.

Looking at how the two middle-aged men were dressed and the wrinkles on their faces, he could tell that they were just ordinary people. As for the other four tables, they were all filled with spirit force fluctuations, like they were afraid people wouldn’t know they were cultivators. They were all carrying treasures of various shapes and colors.

The table to the left was a couple in their twenties. The man was handsome and somewhat cold, and he was wearing a long, black robe. The woman had a sweet expression and a temperament that didn’t belong to a mortal. She had a green silk scarf casually draped over her shoulders.

The two of them didn’t have any treasures out, but the spirit force fluctuations they gave off revealed their identities as cultivators. The two of them had their teacups in their hands and had their heads lowered while talking to each other. The sweet-looking woman would occasionally smile, while the cold-looking man remained cold, as if he wanted to keep people far away. Only when he looked at the woman did his gaze soften a little.

The table to the right was a little big. There were seven or eight men in uniforms crowded around it. It looked a bit crowded, but it was also very lively.

These men were all wearing cyan uniforms and had cloths strapped around their waists. They all had their cuffs rolled up and looked very unrefined. There were large blades placed down beside the table, and each of them gave off a faint of light. They were obviously all magic treasures. These men were probably disciples of the same sect or some faction.

The table to the left was a bit laughable because there was only an elegant young man sitting behind it, but there were eight people sitting behind him!

The young man’s face was as smooth as jade. He was wearing a gorgeous, gold and white robe and had a flying sword on his back. It was unknown what the quality of the sword was, but it had an extravagant appearance. The hilt of the sword was covered in flashy spirit stones, which was not practical, and this was what Zhao Jiuge felt was laughable.

This rich young master from an unknown family drank tea while constantly looking around. There were four charming women rubbing his shoulders and thighs. Behind them were four men in black that were obviously his bodyguards. Just this entourage made it look like he was someone that couldn’t be underestimated, but people at their cultivation level were not worthy of Zhao Jiuge’s attention.

The last table was the one to the right, and the one Zhao Jiuge found to be the most normal. There was a total of three people, just like them. One of them was a white-haired old man in a grey robe. His aura was hidden, but his immortal temperament made him feel remarkable.

To the left and right of the old man were a young man and a young woman who were both around 17 or 18 years old.

The young man seemed to be filled with curiosity and kept looking around. Several times, the old man asked him a question, but the young man was too absent-minded to hear.

The young woman beside him was wearing a large, red dress. Her skin looked so tender that it looked like it would break if someone breathed on her. Zhao Jiuge’s gaze caused her to lower her head in embarrassment. If not for Pei Su Su’s arrival, she would have shined even brighter.

Previously, people were afraid of the white-haired old man’s aura, so the people around didn’t dare to carelessly look over.

When Zhao Jiuge was observing the three of them, the old man seemed to notice it. He turned around and looked back at Zhao Jiuge. The old man’s hair was all white, but his eyes were clear like spring water. Zhao Jiuge felt like he was being completely seen through.

Seeing three more people sit down, the lady managing the stall quickly wiped her hands on a rag. Then she dried her hands on her apron and quickly arrived before Zhao Jiuge’s table.

“Hello, guests. What do you guys want to order?”

The boss lady was about 30 years old and had the charm of a mature young woman. She smiled while wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Zhao Jiuge’s group of three were obviously dressed like cultivators, but the boss lady wasn’t surprised at all. The world was filled with cultivators, and the strange beasts that appeared deep in the mountains would be dealt with by cultivators. As a result, not only were people not afraid of cultivators, they had a very good impression of them. Running a tea stall in this location, she had seen all kinds of cultivators pass by. The world was in peace, so evil cultivators wouldn't dare to carelessly appear before people.

Hearing the voice that contained a hint of an accent, Zhao Jiuge looked up at the smiling boss lady. Even though she was around 30 years old, her skin was as tender as a teenager’s.

She was wearing a simple, blue flower-dress that had its own charm. Her hair was curled up with a piece of wood, and a few strands of her hair were stuck to her forehead due to sweat.

“Give us some tea and pastries.” Zhao Jiuge was a bit distracted by how beautiful she was. He didn’t expect to encounter a woman like this deep in the mountains. Different places really raised different kinds of people.

“Little Qing, quickly, bring the tea to the guests.” The old lady was busy managing the tables, so told the little girl to pour tea before she went back to get the pastries. They were osmanthus flower cakes that she had made herself. Although they were simple, they had a crispy texture and a nice fragrance.

Zhao Jiuge wanted to look at the boss lady a bit longer, but she immediately left after taking their orders.

Zhao Jiuge suddenly sucked in a mouthful of cold air as he felt a sharp pain coming from his waist.

“Who let you look around as you wish?” Pei Su Su pinched a spot around Zhao Jiuge’s waist. She twisted her hand, causing Zhao Jiuge’s face to distort in pain.

San Wu saw Zhao Jiuge’s miserable state and immediately laughed.

While she viciously pinched Zhao Jiuge, she didn’t forget to turn and stare at San Wu.

San Wu immediately stopped laughing when Pei Su Su stared at him. He immediately closed himself off from the world. This rapid change even caused the suffering Zhao Jiuge to laugh. He didn’t understand why San Wu always looked at Pei Su Su like she was a ferocious tiger.

Soon, the little girl pouring water and tea for the tables arrived with the tea. Zhao Jiuge had no silver on him—the concept of silver remained at his village that he left over 5 years ago.

San Wu naturally didn’t have things like this, but Pei Su Su had some. She loved to play around, and when she snuck away from home before, she would carry some with her. Back then, it was due to her sneaking out of home that she had met Zhao Jiuge. Elder Yang had secretly followed her at that time.

Seeing the tea arrive, Zhao Jiuge wanted to wait for the beautiful boss lady to bring the pastries before asking her where this place was.