Chapter 14

Dingjiu City, the largest city in northern Zhongzhou, was reached by descending from the Supreme Sect’s mountain gate. After passing through the protective formation’s misty cloud sea, Mo Lin led them into a dense forest. In the blink of an eye, the forest behind them vanished, and they arrived at the largest street in the city.

The broad stone-paved road was flanked by the Jun Ding Mansion and the inns for distinguished guests and Supreme Sect disciples. The walls of these courtyards were extremely high, grayish-white, solemn, and imposing.

As they walked further, they began to see specialty stores and shops from the Supreme Sect’s own sect.

Mo Lin introduced the children along the way. The guards all greeted them with cupped hands, and some even came out to specifically greet him.

“Master Uncle, taking the new disciples out for a tour?”

“Yes,” Mo Lin replied while returning the greeting. He turned to explain to them, “You are direct disciples of the Supreme Sect. If you meet senior figures from the Jun Ding Mansion, they will call you ‘Master Uncle.’ Ordinary workers might address you as ‘Young Master.’ Don’t be alarmed; just respond politely.”

In the cultivation world, strength was revered. As new disciples of the Supreme Sect, they were destined to become prominent figures in the future. The term “Supreme” itself signified great power.

Mo Lin led the group to the bustling and casual East Market. The wide bluestone road was now filled with vibrant activity. The streets were crowded with people, carts, and numerous interconnected shops adorned with green and gold signs, intricately carved windows, and painted beams with red railings.

The prosperity of the human world was unmatched.

Lin Du looked up and saw a cluster of kites in the sky, brightly colored and fluttering in the blue expanse, creating a picturesque scene.

“How do you like it? Dingjiu City is a great place, right?” Mo Lin asked, seeing the children’s eyes sparkle with excitement, his own face breaking into a cheerful smile.

Lin Du smiled and replied, “It’s a great place.”

It couldn’t be better.

“That’s the largest ready-made clothing store in Dingjiu City. Want to go in and have a look?”

Ni Jinxuan was the first to respond enthusiastically, “Let’s go!”

As soon as they entered the clothing store, Ni Jinxuan’s eyes lit up. She grabbed Lin Du and headed straight for a row of clothes. “Little Master Uncle, this one looks great. It seems perfect for you.”

“Little Master Uncle, how about this one?”

Lin Du, like a puppy being tugged around, was led by Mo Lin to try on several outfits under his deliberate indulgence.

“I forgot to tell you, all the stores in the city offer discounts to our Supreme Sect disciples, and you can also charge your purchases. Just settle the bill with the sect leader or me later.”

“And every year, each direct disciple receives a subsidy of ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones for spending in the city. It’s one of the sect’s annual allowances, so Little Master Uncle needn’t worry about money.”

Mo Lin’s smile was sincere, and Lin Du felt a warmth in her heart.

“You don’t need to take such care of me; I actually have a bit of money,” Lin Du said.

Mo Lin smirked, then, considering her pride, said softly, “There are still many places where you’ll need to spend money. Just keep it for yourself.”

Lin Du looked at the intricate dresses, which she found difficult to even try on. Fortunately, she had noticed along the way that some female cultivators wore simple, large robes instead of elaborate hairstyles. The cultivation world was relatively open-minded, and they didn’t pay much attention to one’s attire.

Even the most extravagant outfits were just a splash of color in the crowd, hardly making a difference.

Lin Du liked this world where everyone could be themselves, much like a first-tier city in her previous life—a world where clothing and adornments were not strictly defined.

She picked out a few outfits to try on and then signaled to pack them up.

Ni Jinxuan and Mo Lin looked at the pile of clothes with mixed feelings—black, gray, azure—nothing bright or colorful. Even her several-thousand-year-old master dressed more brightly than she did.

“Little Master Uncle… you’re only thirteen this year.”

Lin Du lifted her eyelids to glance at them, “Just look at my sickly face. I look as pale as someone who’s been dead for three days. Even if I wear red, I’d still look like a ghost.”

Her remark made the attendant packing the clothes laugh. He looked up and examined her closely, saying, “The Little Master Uncle’s temperament suits lighter colors, like a delicate snowman.”

After buying clothes, they went to purchase headpieces. Seeing Lin Du still hesitating, Ni Jinxuan wanted to ask but was interrupted when Lin Du turned and smiled at her, “Jinxuan, I don’t recognize these. Could you show me what they are used for?”

Her attitude was open and unpretentious, which made the others who had hesitated to speak earlier feel embarrassed.

They knew Lin Du had grown up eating from others’ tables without parents and had only recently had the luck to join the Supreme Sect. She had probably never seen these things before.

Seeing her so openly ask, even Mo Lin, who was hesitant to explain earlier for fear of offending her, felt a bit moved.

Ni Jinxuan immediately brightened up, “I’ll teach you. Here, these are hairpins, combs, and hair ornaments…”

She picked up a pink butterfly-shaped hairpin and demonstrated it to Lin Du, who had difficulty imagining how she would look with such adornments.

“Do you like this, Little Master?” Lin Du leaned back slightly to avoid the overly pink item, holding Ni Jinxuan’s wrist and positioning it on her head. “If you like it, please wrap it up, and put it on my account.”

She handed the sect’s disciple token, given to them personally by the sect leader a few days after joining, to the attendant with a smile.

The Supreme Sect’s disciple token, made of uncorruptible purple gold, was engraved with a formation to lock in the user’s aura and bloodline to prevent impersonation. One side displayed the sect’s emblem, and the other side showed the disciple’s rank and name, with unique engraving techniques that couldn’t be imitated. In Zhongzhou, no one disrespected this token.

The attendant took the token and, upon seeing the name side, was momentarily stunned.

The inscription read, “Ninety-ninth Generation Disciple Lin Du.”

Even the usually smooth-talking attendant couldn’t help but look up at the slender youth before him. Lin Du, who was lazily observing, raised one eyebrow slightly, as if asking what was wrong.

The attendant knew that the Supreme Sect had reached its hundredth generation of disciples, but this young disciple, who was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, was of the same generation as the current sect leader. The smile on his face became more genuine.

Ni Jinxuan had intended to stop this but was too late, pondering whether she should give a return gift.

Lin Du, seeing through her thoughts, smiled, “Since you taught me today, I’ll consider myself half a master. In the future, if I have questions about these things, I’ll just ask you. Think of this hairpin as a token of apprenticeship, don’t think too much about it.”

“You don’t need to be so kind to me, Little Master Uncle. We are fellow disciples and should help each other,” Ni Jinxuan said, her big, sparkling eyes looking at Lin Du.

Lin Du smiled, “You should know that a person’s kindness isn’t measured by a small hairpin but by what they do for you daily.”

In the original story, the demon lord casually gave a hairpin to Ni Jinxuan, leading her to believe that the demon lord’s cruelty was actually affection.

Teaching children often involves subtle influences.

Lin Du sighed internally, realizing the long and challenging path of being a mother.