332: Chapter 332 Rumors Begin

It was as if the shocking catastrophe heard just moments ago at Zuixian Tower was merely a bizarre topic of conversation over tea, never truly disturbing the daily life of this border town.

Luo Xiaojiu trotted a few steps, trying hard to stand on tiptoe to keep up with Chu Changsheng, attempting to walk side by side with him—unfortunately, the height difference was a fatal flaw, and she ultimately lagged half a step behind.

She secretly lifted her eyes, stealing a glance at her Revered Master's perfect and indifferent profile.

The setting sun outlined his sharp jawline; his nose was as high and straight as a distant mountain, and his lips were as pale as falling snow. His eyes were calm and waveless, bottomless, as if they held ten thousand stars, yet also as if they were completely empty.

It felt as if a little kitten was scratching at her heart; curiosity grew like wild grass, covering her entire chest.

Finally, she couldn't help it. She leaned close to Chu Changsheng, deliberately lowered her voice, and with twelve points of curiosity and a hint of imperceptible probing, asked in a whisper:

"Revered Master... tell me, just how strong must that ruthless person who destroyed the Myriad Demon Palace be? Why... why would he do such an earth-shattering thing?"

Chu Changsheng's pace did not falter in the slightest. His gaze looked straight ahead at the winding official road leading out of the city. The willows on both sides of the road were brushed by the evening breeze, drooping with thousands of green silk ribbons that swayed gently in the sunset glow.

His tone was as faint as the evening breeze brushing past one's ears, carrying a trace of light chill, yet also seeming to contain endless vicissitudes: "The Karma of this world all has its destined course. Perhaps it is for hatred, perhaps for the Dao, or perhaps... for a single thought."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the sunset glow before him, sweeping over the extremely distant horizon. There, the clouds changed and surged like waves, as if he could see that Northern Nether Demon Realm a thousand miles away, now turned into a dead zone, and could see that sword, stained with the Demon Ancestor's blood, once standing above the Nine Heavens.

But for just an instant, that faint trace of remoteness vanished without a trace. His gaze fell back onto Luo Xiaojiu's little face, which was filled with curiosity. In those deep eyes, a faint smile seemed to flash, so fast, like a meteor streaking across the night sky, impossible for anyone to catch.

"The path of cultivation is magnificent, yet filled with hidden dangers. The affairs of others are still too far away for you."

Luo Xiaojiu nodded, half-understanding, and gave a soft "Oh," her cheeks slightly puffed out.

Her Revered Master's words seemed to say a lot, yet also seemed to say nothing at all.

However, she understood the last sentence—it meant she was too weak right now, just a little fledgling who had only just managed to get enough to eat. She shouldn't worry blindly about the grudges and entanglements of those big shots, and that honestly following him to cultivate was the Righteous Path.

She pursed her lips, but in her heart, a thought couldn't help but emerge: Once I follow Revered Master and cultivate well, becoming as powerful as Revered Master, will I be able to know these secrets?

Will I also be able to split the clouds with a single sword, just like that mysterious person?

The evening breeze blew past, carrying the sweet fragrance of osmanthus from the street, circling the figures of the two.

Chu Changsheng's steps remained steady, and Luo Xiaojiu followed closely behind him, her little legs moving fast. Their figures gradually melted into the sky filled with sunset glow, finally disappearing at the end of the long street.

"Then... Revered Master, is our sect powerful?"

Luo Xiaojiu's short legs moved quickly, just barely keeping up with Chu Changsheng's side. She tilted her little head up with all her might, her eyes shining like diamonds tempered with starlight, the hope contained within almost overflowing.

If the sect was powerful enough to walk sideways in the cultivation world, then wouldn't she, a Disciple picked up halfway, be able to share in the glory?

From now on, she wouldn't have to huddle in a broken temple to endure the cold, wouldn't have to gnaw on moldy steamed buns, and wouldn't have to live by looking at others' expressions.

Chu Changsheng looked straight ahead, his ink-colored eyes calm and waveless. His pace remained unhurried, and he didn't even glance at her. He only let two words roll gently from his throat, as faint as a breeze brushing over a lake: "Passable."

Luo Xiaojiu: "..."

Fine, her Revered Master was truly a man of few words; trying to pry even half an extra sentence out of him was probably harder than ascending to heaven.

She scratched the back of her head dejectedly, swallowing all her curiosity and questions back down. She obediently lagged half a step behind him, her worn-out straw sandals stepping on the bluestone slabs, making a soft clatter.

Yet inside, it felt as if a mischievous kitten's paw was scratching her heart, itching terribly.

That mysterious person who killed the Demon Ancestor with one sword and triggered the world-destroying immortal calamity, the sect that her Revered Master described so lightly as "passable," and this unknown immortal path that had suddenly stretched out beneath her feet, endless as far as the eye could see—all of this stirred ripples in her heart, giving rise to a vague longing and an indescribable throb of excitement.

The blood and terror of the sect-destroying tragedy made one's scalp tingle, yet that power which could change the color of the world and make the sun and moon lose their luster with a mere gesture also made her feel a nameless yearning rise in her heart, alongside the palpitations.

She subconsciously raised her hand to touch the warm, smooth jade pendant at her neck. The cool sensation spread from her fingertips, instantly soothing the restlessness in her heart.

The name Luo Xiaojiu, and the thin, upright figure fluttering with robes ahead, seemed, in some mysterious way, to be pulling her from that muddy, unbearable past toward an entirely different new world.

In this world, there were no broken temples where one's teeth chattered from the cold, no moldy steamed buns that were hard to swallow. There was a Senior like her Revered Master—seemingly indifferent, but perhaps hiding a soft heart—there were sweet pastries that could fill one's belly until it was round, and perhaps...

There was also that power capable of shaking the heavens and moving the earth, which was both terrifying and deeply longed for.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the osmanthus fragrance and the scent of human life from the street into her lungs. When her straw sandals landed on the bluestone slabs again, they were significantly steadier and firmer than before.

Regardless of whether the path ahead was a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, or brocade flowers, she would just follow her Revered Master closely and keep walking one step at a time!

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the bluestone street of Linyuan City a warm gold, and a shop with a gilded sign on the side of the street shimmered in the sunset glow—

"Fairy Clothing Pavilion" the three large characters were written in a vigorous, sweeping calligraphy style, the strokes sharp. The colorful silk banners hanging at the entrance fluttered in the breeze, and the luster of the silks and satins dazzled the eyes.

In front of the shop, Luo Xiaojiu held a bright red candied hawthorn skewer in her left hand, the crystalline sugar coating wrapping around the plump hawthorn, shimmering alluringly in the sunlight.

In her right hand, she clutched a lifelike sugar-painted rabbit, the tips of the ears outlined in sugar threads perking up, the sweet, cloying fragrance drilling straight into her nose.

She stood on tiptoe, her little head leaning into the entrance of the shop, peering inside with longing. Her pink little tongue licked the sugar stains at the corner of her mouth from time to time, her appearance endearingly naive.

"Revered Master, what are we doing here?" She asked, looking up with her little face. As she spoke, she quickly licked the ear of the sugar-painted rabbit again, her eyes squinting from the sweetness.

"It... it wouldn't be to buy me new clothes, would it?"

When she said this, she felt like she was dreaming. Her voice was wrapped in a bit of cautious excitement, and the end of her sentence couldn't help but rise.

Chu Changsheng stood to one side with his hands behind his back. His gaze swept indifferently over the dazzling array of silks, satins, embroidered handkerchiefs, and sachets in the shop. His thin lips parted slightly, and his voice remained calm and light: "You guessed right."

He paused. There was no ripple in his tone, yet it was like a small stone thrown into the lake of Luo Xiaojiu's heart: "Pick whatever you want; Revered Master will pay."

"Okay!"

Luo Xiaojiu jumped up almost instantly, her crisp cheers resounding throughout the entire street, startling several sparrows from the eaves.

She was so happy she forgot herself. She raised her hand and threw the half-eaten candied hawthorn and the unfinished sugar painting behind her. Not caring where they rolled, she bolted into the Fairy Clothing Pavilion, running and shouting at the top of her lungs, her voice loud enough to lift the roof:

"Boss—! A big customer is here! Hurry up and bring out all your most beautiful silks and satins, and your most exquisite hairpins and jewelry for this Fairy!"

This posture was exactly like a nouveau riche entering the bustling market for the first time, causing passing pedestrians to look over, unable to hold back their laughter.

Chu Changsheng stood where he was, watching her small figure, like a happy little oriole, rush into the shop in a flurry. He shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his usually indifferent lips curled up in an imperceptible arc.

This Disciple of his seemed... indeed quite different from the other three in the sect.

Inside the Fairy Clothing Pavilion, sandalwood incense curled, the warm stove was burning brightly, and the exquisite lozenge-patterned copper mirror was polished to a shine, clearly reflecting every detail of one's features.

Luo Xiaojiu stood before the mirror, looking at her brand-new self inside. Her eyes widened larger than copper bells, her mouth slightly agape, unable to close for a long while.

Her originally withered, tangled hair, stained with dirt, had been combed until it was black and smooth by the nimble-handed shop assistant, tied into two round, obedient buns, fastened with bright red silk ribbons. They hung over her shoulders, swaying gently with her movements, adding a touch of cuteness.

She had changed into a brand-new goose-yellow ru skirt; the skirt hem was as light as spring willow catkins, rippling in layers with the slightest sway of the wind.

The collar and cuffs were embroidered with fine white floral patterns, the stitches so exquisite that not a single flaw could be found. The material was high-quality cloud brocade, unbelievably soft. Pressed against her skin, it felt warm and comfortable, so comfortable that she almost hummed aloud.

The clean clothes set off her originally slightly sallow little face, instantly making it fairer, revealing a healthy, rosy glow.

Those big eyes, which always revealed cleverness and vigilance, were now watery, filled with curiosity and joy. The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, truly resembling a cute and naive little girl, charming and lively.

Who could have imagined that the pretty, clean, and cute little girl before them was, not long ago, a little beggar rolling around in the streets and alleys, covered in mud and filth, unable to even get enough to eat?

She blinked curiously at the mirror, then reached out her chubby little hand and gently tugged at the hem of her skirt.

The soft cloud brocade slid past her fingertips, carrying the faint fragrance of orchids. An unfamiliar, warm feeling spread quietly in her heart like warm water, soothing all the grievances and coldness she had endured since she was small.

So, this is what it feels like to wear new clothes and be clean.

It's like... being carefully held in someone's palm, treated like a rare, precious treasure.