Chapter 48: Returning to the Old Place

Mu Yunqing took Su Jiu’s pulse and found that the “Three-Day Red Face” poison in her body had unexpectedly weakened, and her pulse was also very stable, as if it had returned to normal.

Su Jiu borrowed Mu Yunqing’s sword, twirled it in her hand, and a look of surprise appeared on her face, “Senior Brother, I can use my spiritual power!”

Although she still couldn’t return to her previous level, it was a huge surprise for Su Jiu.

Mu Yunqing looked at her joyful expression and smiled.

This happy and cheerful Su Jiu was the real her.

Since Su Jiu could now use her spiritual power, they flew together on their swords to the Li Dynasty. By the evening of the second day, they had arrived in the capital of the Li Dynasty, Shangjing City.

They landed their swords outside the city. According to the customs of the cultivation world, cultivators who came to the mortal realm had to seal their spiritual meridians and absolutely could not use magic in front of mortals.

Mu Yunqing sealed his spiritual meridians, but he refused to let Su Jiu do the same.

“Your body is still weak now, and your spiritual power is thin. Even if you enter the city, no one will know you’re a cultivator, so you don’t need to seal your spiritual meridians, do you?”

Although Mu Yunqing knew that there wouldn’t be any danger in the Li Dynasty, he still couldn’t let go of Su Jiu.

If she didn’t seal her spiritual meridians, at least if there was any danger, she would have a chance to fight back.

“Junior Sister, listen to Senior Brother.”

Su Jiu thought about it and didn’t refuse Mu Yunqing’s kindness.

After all, compared to the clueless Mu Yunqing, she knew what was wrong with the Li Dynasty.

Although she had skipped most of the plot, Su Jiu had seen this part of Mu Yunqing’s return to the Li Dynasty.

In the original plot, Mu Yunqing hadn’t gotten any action yet. He didn’t even realize his feelings for Shen Wangchen at this time.

It wasn’t until a letter arrived from the Li Dynasty, informing him that his brother, the emperor, had died suddenly, that Mu Yunqing, missing his homeland, went to the Li Dynasty to investigate the truth. He was ambushed by demonic creatures in the Li Dynasty palace and was seriously injured.

Shen Wangchen came to save him, and he had his first time with him in the Li Dynasty palace.

At that time, Su Jiu was only focused on eating meat, but now, thinking about it carefully, wasn’t this Li Dynasty arc written by the author just so that Mu Yunqing could get some action?

Su Jiu: She was naive.

For a moment, she was actually a little afraid to enter the city.

Who knows where the plot has gone astray.

Don’t let it be that instead of Mu Yunqing and Shen Wangchen getting together, it’s…

Stop it!

Su Jiu shivered, quickly pulling her thoughts back.

“Junior Sister?”

Seeing Su Jiu suddenly trembling, Mu Yunqing thought she was cold.

It was already late, so they entered the city.

They didn’t go directly to the palace, but booked two upper rooms at an inn.

Downstairs, Mu Yunqing observed the surroundings.

He had followed Shen Wangchen to cultivate at the age of twenty, and he had never been back to the mortal world since. Even the fact that the current emperor was his former brother was something he only heard from his fellow disciples who had come down to the mortal world for training.

As for Shangjing City, he hadn’t been there since he went up the mountain over twenty years ago.

However, the old place was still the old place. Mu Yunqing looked around, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes. He pointed to a dumpling shop at the end of the street and said softly to Su Jiu, “Look, the owner of that dumpling shop is still the same one from when I was a mortal.”

But the owner was only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time, just helping his father.

Now, he was a middle-aged man with a full beard, with two teenagers around ten years old.

Su Jiu followed his gaze and couldn’t help but laugh, “Senior Brother, you really like to eat his dumplings?”

Mu Yunqing smiled, his eyes fixed on her, “How did you know?”

Su Jiu propped her chin with the back of her hand, tilted her head slightly, looked into Mu Yunqing’s eyes, and said softly, “Senior Brother once mentioned casually when I was a child that there was a very delicious dumpling shop in Shangjing City of the Li Dynasty. He also said that if he had time to go down the mountain in the future, he would definitely take me to eat there. I suppose that’s the one you’re talking about, right?”

She smiled, a faint dimple appearing at the corner of her lips, “Senior Brother rarely mentions his time in the Li Dynasty, only this dumpling shop. And now, you can recognize the owner at a glance. I suppose it’s the one you like.”

“Am I right?”

She raised her chin, a bright smile on her face.

Mu Yunqing laughed in surprise.

“When did I say that, you still remember?” He looked at Su Jiu gently, remembering that she could remember what he said at such a young age, a warmth spread through his heart.

“Since Senior Brother mentioned it to you, then today, Senior Brother will take you to try it.”

Mu Yunqing stood up with a smile and extended a hand to Su Jiu.

The dumpling shop was doing very good business. By the time Mu Yunqing and Su Jiu got in line, it was already dusk, and the lights were coming on.

The candlelight illuminated Mu Yunqing’s face, “Two bowls of dumplings, one without scallions and cilantro.”

The owner lowered his head to scoop rice, and when he heard this, he couldn’t help but say, “Hey, sir, no scallions and no cilantro, what’s the point of eating that… You?!”

When he saw Mu Yunqing’s face, the owner’s spoon fell into the big pot, and his eyes widened.

“No, I must be hallucinating…”

The owner shook his head, rubbed his eyes with one hand, closed them, and opened them again. Seeing the young man in blue still looking at him with a gentle smile, exactly the same as the gentle and elegant crown prince in his memory, he suddenly felt like he had gone back twenty years.

“It’s me.”

Mu Yunqing smiled, his lips pursed, and he spread out his palm. In his white palm were eight copper coins.

“If I remember correctly, a bowl of dumplings is four copper coins, right?”

The owner looked at him, then his gaze slowly moved down, landing on the copper coins in Mu Yunqing’s palm. When he looked up again, his eyes were a little wet.

“Yes, yes, it’s still the same price.”

He wiped his tears with his sleeve, then wiped his hands on his clothes, carefully took the eight copper coins from Mu Yunqing’s palm, and gently placed them in the wooden box in front of him.

“Your Highness…”

Mu Yunqing smiled and shook his head at him, “Shhh, I’m no longer Your Highness.”

The owner nodded quickly.

Su Jiu sat not far away, watching the conversation between Mu Yunqing and the owner.

She had cultivation, so she could naturally hear what they were saying.

“He still remembers you?”

Su Jiu was a little surprised, “Also, how could you, a golden prince, sneak out to eat at a street stall?”

Mu Yunqing sat opposite Su Jiu.

“Are you surprised?” He asked with a gentle smile, “Who says that a crown prince can’t eat food from street stalls?”

Su Jiu muttered softly, “It just doesn’t fit your persona.”

After all, the Mu Yunqing in the original book was a noble and elegant, golden prince, who seemed gentle but was distant from everyone.

Su Jiu couldn’t imagine that the real Mu Yunqing would also be like the other commoners present, quietly waiting for a simple bowl of dumplings.

“My persona?” Mu Yunqing thought for a moment and laughed curiously, “What am I like in Junior Sister’s eyes?”

Su Jiu tilted her head, thinking about the description of Mu Yunqing in the original book.

“Hmm, born the crown prince of the middle palace, he received a strict education from a young age, he is calm and composed, steady and reliable, meticulous and trustworthy, the most qualified crown prince in everyone’s eyes,” she paused, “and also the most qualified Senior Brother in our eyes.”

But how can one be considered qualified?

Who sets this standard?

Su Jiu was a little confused.