Several Xuan Shu City disciples, seeing Cen Wuyue approaching, sized her up with serious expressions, but they weren’t fierce. 

No other reason, Cen Wuyue had a face that made people instantly feel goodwill. 

She was always smiling, harmless and innocent, and looked very young. 

With a curve of her lips, two dimples appeared as if filled with honey. Even the most stone-hearted person would unconsciously relax a bit when faced with such a smile. 

—Especially since she was holding a string of such down-to-earth fried rice cakes. 

“What is it, fellow Daoist?” the leading disciple asked. 

“Senior Sister Sang Qing asked me to help look for clues related to the thieves who broke into the City Lord’s mansion last night,” Cen Wuyue pointed to the entrance of the dark alley behind her. “I found a person covered in blood inside, with only a breath left. I don’t know if it’s related to last night’s events, but I’d like to trouble you to notify Senior Sister Sang.” 

The disciples already showed trust when they heard “Sang Qing,” but their expressions changed when they heard “covered in blood.” Two of them rushed into the dark alley without saying a word. 

These two were fast, but the mecha puppet was even faster. Clearly, it was the vanguard responsible for dangerous work. 

Worthy of Xuan Shu City, the art of mecha puppets lived up to its reputation as the best in the world. 

Cen Wuyue stepped aside to make way for the Xuan Shu City disciples, watching them anxiously use the mecha puppet to carry out the battered bloodied person inside. Then, wings sprouted from the back of the mecha puppet, and it took off into the air, flying in the direction of the City Lord’s mansion. 

“Wow.” Cen Wuyue watched the departing mecha puppet with envy. 

Yes, not all cultivators could fly. 

They might be able to run very fast on the ground, or jump very high, but not everyone could fly. 

The leading patrol disciple hurriedly walked back and cupped his fist at Cen Wuyue, “This person’s life is hanging by a thread, so I took the liberty of taking him back to the City Lord’s mansion to heal his injuries. Would fellow Daoist be willing to wait here with me for Steward Sang to come?” 

“Okay.” Cen Wuyue had no objections. 

Or rather, it was perfect. 

The rope made of divine sense finally stopped strangling Cen Wuyue’s neck like it was trying to kill her, becoming as quiet as if it were dead. 

The younger Xuan Shu City disciples scattered in twos and threes around, asking the surrounding mortal merchants about the situation, while the older patrol disciple stayed by Cen Wuyue’s side. 

He glanced at the fried rice cakes in Cen Wuyue’s hand and revealed a smile that was almost kind, “Fellow Daoist hasn’t been cultivating for long, right? That’s why you can’t give up your cravings.” 

“I wouldn’t say it’s not long,” Cen Wuyue said, “But my master doesn’t care about that.” 

The patrol disciple showed a nostalgic expression. 

“It’s good to eat more while you can. I’ve been in closed-door cultivation for five years. Although I often miss it, since I’m seeking the Dao, I have to give up something. Compared to those…” He suddenly stopped there, changed his breath, and then continued, “The desire for food is the least significant loss, isn’t it?” 

Cen Wuyue blinked, “That’s true.” 

Compared to those who kill people and sever emotions at every turn, the sacrifice of a few years of closed-door cultivation does seem insignificant. 

“By the way, how did fellow Daoist find him?” the patrol disciple asked, puzzled. “We’ve been searching around here all morning, how come we never noticed this alley?” 

“It’s because he activated a repellent array before he died, causing people who approached to unconsciously ignore this place,” Sang Qing’s voice answered the question. “Your cultivation is still shallow, it’s normal that you didn’t notice.” 

The patrol disciple suddenly understood. 

“Cen Wuyue, how did you discover it?” Sang Qing’s gaze fell on Cen Wuyue. 

“Senior Sister, I told you a long time ago, my eyesight is especially good.” Cen Wuyue confidently gave two thumbs up, one of which was poking a bamboo skewer of fried rice cakes. “And my master also told me that my luck is especially good!” 

Sang Qing didn’t comment after hearing this, and turned and left expressionlessly. 

Cen Wuyue sighed. 

Alas, no one believes the truth. 

Now that there was a “live mouth,” someone would naturally be responsible for keeping him alive and prying open his mouth. 

Sang Qing checked the surroundings and specifically asked the patrol disciples about the situation at the time. 

“When I found him, he was already barely breathing.” The patrol disciple who entered the alley first said very positively, “It would have been too late if we had come a quarter of an hour later. Fortunately, this fellow Daoist discovered him in time.” 

He nodded at Cen Wuyue. 

Sang Qing’s gaze also fell on Cen Wuyue, “Indeed, it’s very coincidental.” 

Cen Wuyue, who had just stuffed a large mouthful of shrimp crackers into her mouth, blinked, raised her head, and nodded at them proudly: That’s right, my luck is really good. 

Sang Qing dismissed the patrol disciples and said to Cen Wuyue, “You acted quickly. If he can reveal the location of another accomplice, you can leave when the Zhiyuan Festival opens the city.” 

This was the second time Cen Wuyue had heard this term, and she asked curiously, “Is the Zhiyuan Festival for flying kites? Can non-locals participate? Can I sign up? What are the prizes?” 

“Stopping emotions and entering the abyss,” Sang Qing interrupted Cen Wuyue’s beautiful fantasies with a cold expression, “The City Lord will throw the contract mecha puppet into the Karma Abyss to suppress karmic obstacles and evil thoughts.” 

Cen Wuyue felt that there were more and more words she didn’t understand. 

Master didn’t teach me these things before I came down the mountain! 

Sang Qing seemed to understand her confusion with just a glance at Cen Wuyue, and opened her mouth again, “The Karma Abyss is a polluted spiritual meridian. Whether mortal or cultivator, entering deep into it will be harmed.” 

Cen Wuyue understood a little, but not completely, “But isn’t the contract mecha puppet very important to the mecha master? Wouldn’t it be a waste to only use it for this?” 

That would be like making a miser give away all his wealth, or making a passionate lover kill his beloved… Oh, maybe this is the path to severing emotions that some desperate ruthless cultivator came up with? 

Sang Qing was unmoved, “Ordinary mecha puppets can only last for up to three years. If it’s a contract mecha puppet, it can suppress it for at least a hundred years. The City Lord is noble.” 

“I wonder what the City Lord’s spiritual contract mecha puppet looks like.” Cen Wuyue fantasized wildly, “Besides humanoid mecha puppets, you also make other shapes, right? Spiders? Chicken legs? Big mushrooms?” 

Sang Qing looked at the roasted chicken leg in Cen Wuyue’s hand, and then said coldly, “Before forcing a confession, you can continue to search for the other person’s whereabouts in the city. The sooner you find him, the sooner you can leave.” 

“The sooner I can eat osmanthus fish strips,” Cen Wuyue emphasized. 

Sang Qing ignored Cen Wuyue and went straight back to the city. 

Cen Wuyue slowly returned to the inn again. 

The seriously injured person inside seemed to be in better condition. At least the hole in his stomach seemed to have gotten smaller. 

Cen Wuyue kindly shared a portion of peppered rice cakes with the injured person, and received a refusal. 

She didn’t mind, casually found a place to sit down, and familiarly struck up a conversation with him, “What’s your name? You should have a name, right?” 

“My name isn’t a secret. Don’t you know how to ask around when you go out?” he replied unhappily. 

If she really asked around, it would be too suspicious. 

Cen Wuyue decided to continue calling him “the owner of the flying shuttle.” 

“What medicine did you give him just now?” The owner of the flying shuttle frowned, leaning forward slightly. “Even if it only creates the illusion that the corpse is still alive, I’ve never heard of such a medicine.” 

“I don’t know, my master gave it to me.” Seeing that he really wanted to know, Cen Wuyue simply took out one and threw it to him. 

The owner of the flying shuttle caught it in surprise, looked at Cen Wuyue suspiciously for a long time, then raised it to his nose and sniffed it lightly, and then frowned even more tightly, “…Why does it smell like dirt?” 

Cen Wuyue shook her head with no psychological burden, “I don’t know, my master didn’t say what the ingredients were.” 

In short, she pushed all the blame onto her master, anyway, there was no outsider in this world who could find the secret realm of her sect. 

The owner of the flying shuttle looked at it again and again, and ultimately didn’t figure anything out, so he carefully put away the pill, breathed a sigh of relief, and asked while pondering, “How long will this medicine last?” 

Cen Wuyue asked him uncertainly, “Ten days to half a month?” 

“It’s your own pill, and you’re asking me?” The other party rolled his eyes when he heard this. “It would be best if it could last for a month. If he dies halfway, we’ll have to find another way.” 

Cen Wuyue said, “Then let’s make it a month.” 

“…Does your medicine even work?” 

— 

The next day, Cen Wuyue wandered around the city as usual, and found some unexpected hidden shops in many nooks and crannies. 

“The current City Lord is a great person!” The owner told Cen Wuyue with a beaming smile, “After she took over as City Lord, our lives have been much better than before—the taxes have been reduced, and the city is safer. We didn’t dare to keep the shop open at night before, let alone leave the city! So, although there are some scum and demonic paths among the immortals, the immortals in our Xuan Shu City are all kind-hearted!” 

Cen Wuyue listened carefully while raising her hand, “Boss, another bowl!” 

“Okay, here you go!” The owner busied himself nimbly, and didn’t stop talking, “Since you’re from outside, immortal, you should know, right? We mortals don’t dare to walk around outside casually without some protection. If we run into those… how can we escape! You’re right, aren’t you?” 

“Everyone in this world can cultivate.” Suddenly, someone interjected with such a sentence. 

The owner was startled and quickly turned to the customer who spoke, waving his hands and stamping his feet anxiously to signal silence, “Customer, you can’t talk nonsense! Immortals and mortals are different!” 

Cen Wuyue also followed suit and looked over. 

It was a girl in her twenties. 

The reason she could say the age so confidently was because Cen Wuyue could confirm that the other party was not a cultivator. 

But this girl had a sword hanging at her waist. 

The sword looked like it had been used for many years, old, but well maintained, faintly revealing sharpness. 

She had a beautiful face, but there was an old scar on her face, near her jaw, adding a bit of coldness.