Chapter 86

As they approached Phoenix City, Tao Xian’s expression became somewhat strange, as if he were lost in a memory, but soon he shook his head, seeming unable to recall whatever it was.

Lin Du could tell that Tao Xian himself found it odd.

The flying boat slowly descended onto the open space before the city gates. The rule of Phoenix City was that no flying was allowed within the city, no matter one’s status.

Mo Lin and Xia Tian stepped out of the boat, appearing as they did before—one looking handsome and the other cold, both standing straight and without any sign of abnormality.

To enter the city, each person needed to pay ten spirit stones. Lin Du glanced at Tao Xian.

Tao Xian hesitated, “Huh?”

“What’s our purpose for coming here?”

“To cure Taoist Mo Lin’s illness.”

“Then what about the entry fee?” Lin Du crossed his arms and stared at him, his meaning clear.

Tao Xian: …

With tears in his eyes, he reluctantly paid the entry fee for all five of them.

That was supposed to be his savings for marriage!

“May I ask, is there a Granny Ma in the city?”

The guard nodded. “Yes, are you also here seeking medical treatment?”

His gaze fell on a pale woman standing in the middle of the group, hands clasped together.

“Yes. Could you direct us to where Granny Ma currently resides?”

The guard withdrew his gaze and looked at the man in front of him, then raised two fingers.

Tao Xian gritted his teeth and took out twenty more spirit stones, forcing a smile as he handed them to the guard.

The guard casually slipped them into his storage pouch. “At the end of the alley on South Street, the courtyard with the most vines—that’s where Granny Ma lives.”

Tao Xian thanked him and led the group inside.

Shao Fei walked very slowly, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Tao Xian kept glancing at her, seemingly ready to lend a hand at any time. “What’s wrong with you? Are you injured, or did you not eat, so you lack strength?”

The three members of the Supreme Sect walked behind them. Mo Lin, noticing the situation, spoke up without thinking, “How could she have skipped breakfast? At Jun Ding Mansion, we give prisoners two meals a day—one in the morning and one in the evening, with plenty of steamed buns and porridge!”

Lin Du added casually, “At Jun Ding Mansion, we’ve always treated prisoners well.”

Not only do they get meals, but they also receive moral education. Truly a bargain.

Tao Xian was speechless, while Shao Fei chimed in, “I’ve had breakfast, Senior Brother Tao, no need to worry.”

In fact, before Tao Xian arrived, she had already memorized the morning’s rules and regulations. She was even called to lead the recitation for speaking too quietly.

“I was forced by Qi Zhun earlier, and his Poison backfired, injuring my life essence.”

Shao Fei’s voice was extremely weak, as if she might lose her breath at any moment.

Tao Xian let out an “Oh” and asked no more.

Injury to the life essence—that was beyond his help. She wasn’t a personal disciple of the Supreme Sect, where cultivation resources were abundant. Fei Xing Sect had many disciples, and they all had to compete for cultivation resources. Pills were even more precious, especially ones that could restore life essence, which he didn’t have.

With Shao Fei slowing them down, their pace was sluggish. Lin Du grew impatient and pulled out a handful of spirit talismans, flipping through them like counting bills, before selecting a yellow first-grade swift movement talisman. He infused it with spiritual power and slapped it onto Shao Fei’s back.

Feng Chao had once stuffed Lin Du with all the low-grade spirit talismans she’d made while teaching her disciples. Though they could be sold for a decent price, she was always too busy to bother, so they ended up stashed away in a drawer.

Tao Xian’s pupils dilated as he watched Lin Du nonchalantly stuff the thick stack of talismans back into his pocket without even organizing them.

Damn rich kids!

Does he even know how expensive spirit talismans are these days? Just the paper for one costs at least ten spirit stones at wholesale price!

When Shao Fei was hit with the talisman, she instinctively turned around, only to realize her body was now moving swiftly on its own, completely out of her control.

Dressed in a simple white gown that looked almost ethereal, she had a delicate, willowy frame. Her expression shifted from suspicion to alarm, yet her legs, still shackled with chains, moved like the wheels of a spinning bicycle. Her flowing robe fluttered in the wind, revealing her pants and boots stained with red paint.

Lin Du: Great, now I know what work the prisoners at Jun Ding Mansion were assigned yesterday—painting walls, red ones at that.

The others quickened their pace.

“Wait, we don’t even know which way to go!”

At the crossroads, Tao Xian asked a street vendor for directions.

Shao Fei couldn’t stop herself and kept walking forward. Lin Du, quick on his feet, grabbed the collar of her robe.

But the talisman’s effect was still active, and Shao Fei’s legs continued their frantic running motion on the spot, like an engine stuck in overdrive.

When Tao Xian turned around to point them in the right direction, he saw Lin Du calmly holding onto Shao Fei by the collar with one arm, while she continued her uncontrollable running, her small stature making her look like a flailing mouse trying to swim mid-air.

By now, many passersby were staring at them curiously.

One bold onlooker asked, “Excuse me, fellow cultivator, has she been cursed by some strange Poison? She looks quite ill, maybe even on the verge of madness?”

Lin Du responded, “Ah, yes. See the shackles on her legs? They’re to prevent her from running too fast in her fits of madness. Sorry you had to witness this spectacle.”

Shao Fei, utterly mortified, raised her hand to cover her face, only to be kindly guided in the correct direction by Tao Xian. Lin Du released his grip just in time.

Like a pull-string toy from childhood, once the string was released, the toy shot forward. And so did Shao Fei.

Lin Du even remembered to bid farewell to the passerby who had asked the question, smiling as he gracefully waved his robe and caught up with the group.

The young man, dressed in a fine brocade robe with a jade hairpin, had lively features. Even though he moved quickly, he appeared as graceful as a fleeting glimpse of a startled swan, causing passersby to take a second look.

Phoenix City was quite different from Dingjiu City. The streets were somewhat chaotic, with yellow dirt, small vendors packed tightly together, creating a bustling and crowded scene. As they walked southward, the architecture gradually changed, transforming into courtyard homes and cave dwellings, a stark contrast to the style of Dingjiu City.

When they finally arrived at the courtyard covered in vines, Lin Du reached out and removed the Swift Movement Talisman from Shao Fei.

Without the talisman’s support, Shao Fei stumbled and fell to the ground.

She had expected Tao Xian to come and help her up, but when she looked up, she saw that Tao Xian was standing there with a slight frown, staring blankly at the courtyard ahead.

Lin Du also noticed Tao Xian’s odd behavior. “Taoist Tao, what’s the matter?”

Tao Xian shook his head. “I just find it strange—these vines have grown so thick, living inside must be like never seeing the light of day.”

Indeed, the strange vines cascaded down like a waterfall, not only covering the entire roof of the courtyard but also spilling over the walls, with the tips curling on the ground in slender, vibrant green tendrils. A faint, peculiar fragrance lingered in the air, and the place looked as though no one lived there.

Mo Lin stepped forward and knocked on the door, announcing, “I am Mo Lin of the Supreme Sect, here to seek Granny Ma!”

The door of the courtyard was particularly low and weathered, just an ordinary wooden door with visible cracks on its surface.

He knocked for a long time, but no one answered. In fact, due to Mo Lin’s strength, the two doors had already begun to part slightly.

With a creak, the courtyard door opened. Inside, strange vines filled the wooden trellises, with small white flowers blooming in the shady areas, releasing an overwhelming fragrance.

Xia Tianwu suddenly frowned slightly. This scent… it seemed familiar. But these vines, he had never seen before.

As if the opening of the door had triggered some sort of mechanism, the dense vines suddenly retreated slightly. Two young women emerged from within.

They were dressed in elegant clothes with silver ornaments, their silver crowns swaying with each step like tinkling bells. Their faces bore strange smiles—sweet, but with an eerie edge. Their complexions were as rosy as peach blossoms, and their eyes sparkled like stars.

“We have guests. Are you here to see Granny Ma? She went into the mountains and is not here today,” one of the women said, her voice crisp like a songbird.

“She went into the mountains, she’s not here today,” the other repeated.

Lin Du immediately sensed something was wrong. Sharply attuned to the situation, she asked, “May I ask which mountain Granny Ma went to, and when she will return?”

“We don’t know. Granny Ma went into the mountains, she’s not here today.”

“I know, I know! Before Granny Ma left, she told us to say she went into the mountains and isn’t here. If it’s urgent, she told us to direct visitors to Qīnglú Village to find her,” the first girl said.

Lin Du thanked them, then turned to glance at Tao Xian. He was staring intensely at one of the girls, as if lost in deep thought, so focused that veins were bulging on his forehead.

Something was off.

Lin Du furrowed his brow. Both Tao Xian and the two girls seemed… not quite right.