Chapter 288: Senior Brother, Three People and One Horse
A month and a half later.
The blazing sun hung high, and dust and sand swirled in the Gobi Desert.
Beneath the towering and majestic gates of Sandstone City, caravans passed by incessantly.
A Ferghana Horse, carrying three people wearing bamboo hats, stopped at the city gate.
The one holding the reins was a youth wearing a bamboo hat. In his arms sat a woman dressed in a cyan-blue immortal robe, her hair tied up in a long ponytail.
If one only looked at these two, they might assume they were a cultivation partner couple traveling in the Central Domain. However, behind the youth sat another woman, dressed in a black gauze long dress, with a few strands of silver hair showing from beneath her bamboo hat.
In the teahouse at the city gate, many patrons looked at them with curiosity:
“Who do you think they are related to? One in his arms, and another on the horse behind him.”
“I think the one in front is his sister or something, and the one hugging him from behind is his wife.”
“How is that possible? His wife would definitely be the one he’s holding. The one hugging his waist from behind must be his sister…”
The teahouse owner came over to serve tea, glanced at the three, and said, “Perhaps they are both wives?”
The hushed whispers reached their ears, and Ye Anping’s face instantly darkened.
He knew that flying swords were not allowed near the Central Domain, so when he reached the border of the Western Regions, he planned to buy three horses. However, it seemed there was some kind of plague, and all the horses were gone. He searched for a long time before finally buying the Ferghana Horse they had now.
Therefore, after entering the Central Domain, they had no choice but to travel like this, with three people riding one horse.
Feng Yu Die, who was clinging to his waist, tilted her head and saw that Ye Anping had stopped. She grinned and leaned over, asking, “Young Master Ye, are you tired of riding? Do you want to switch with me? I’ll ride.”
“Heh…”
Ye Anping knew immediately that she simply wanted to be close to Pei Lianxue. He naturally refused, sneered, and flicked the reins again, riding the horse through the Jade Pass city gate and into Jade Pass City.
Unlike the immortal cities and towns of the Western Regions, which were beautiful and serene, Jade Pass City was a stark contrast.
Inside Jade Pass City, as far as the eye could see, there was no sign of green—only yellow sand roads, sandstone buildings, and a scorching sun overhead.
Even Ye Anping, who had cultivated diligently since childhood, found it difficult to bear the intense heat of the Jade Pass Gobi Desert. If it weren’t for his junior sister in his arms, who was like a natural iceblock, he would have likely suffered heatstroke on the road.
The three rode their horse and casually found an inn. Ye Anping entered the inn and asked Feng Yu Die and his junior sister to find a seat, while he went to the counter. Before the shopkeeper could ask, he casually took out ten Spirit Stones and placed them on the table: “Shopkeeper, three pots of cold water.”
This action startled the innkeeper greatly. He quickly reached out to cover the ten Spirit Stones with his hand, his eyes darting around at the other customers in the shop.
“Young Master, is this your first time in Jade Pass?”
Ye Anping raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “What? Ten Spirit Stones aren’t enough for three pots of water? If not, I can add another ten.”
“No, no… it’s not that it’s not enough…” The shopkeeper wiped sweat from his brow and hurriedly waved his hand, advising, “Young Master, Jade Pass is different from the Western Regions. Most people here are rogue cultivators on the road. You and the two young ladies with you are also around the Mid Foundation Establishment stage. Listen to this old man, do not flaunt your wealth. It’s not good if you attract unwanted attention.”
Ye Anping smiled, waved his hand, and took out another ten Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, placing them on the table: “Is this enough now?”
The shopkeeper’s eyes twitched. Seeing the playful smile on Ye Anping’s face, he inexplicably sighed, realizing this kid was simply unyielding. He stopped talking, accepted the twenty Spirit Stones, and went to order the water.
Ye Anping glanced back at Feng Yu Die, who had already taken a seat at a table. He paused for a moment: “Also, bring a roasted chicken.”
“Huh? On such a hot day, Young Master still wants roasted chicken?”
“Just get it done if I asked you to. Is the money not enough?”
“…It’s enough, it’s enough.” The shopkeeper pouted and said, “Old Huang, bring a roasted chicken! To that table by the left entrance.”
Ye Anping shrugged and scanned the other customers in the inn again. He noticed that three or four cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage sitting at a corner table clearly glanced his way, but he paid no mind and walked to Feng Yu Die’s table to sit down.
He naturally understood the principle of not flaunting wealth.
He also knew that Jade Pass was a lawless place, teeming with greedy thieves.
However, in the game, when Feng Yu Die brought Xiao Yunluo to Jade Pass, they were targeted by that Immortal Thief because they spent a lot of Spirit Stones buying water and roasted chicken.
He wanted to recruit that Immortal Thief, and the simplest way was to first meet her, and being targeted was the easiest way to achieve that.
Feng Yu Die seemed to have noticed that the people at the next table were glancing at them. After Ye Anping sat down, she asked, “Young Master Ye, why were you showing off so much? Those people have definitely noticed us, and they might come to rob us tonight.”
Pei Lianxue, sitting beside her, looked at Ye Anping and said, “Senior Brother is luring the enemy deeper.”
“Mmm…” Ye Anping patted her head and then asked Feng Yu Die, “When we passed by Sword Sect earlier, wasn’t there a wanted notice?”
Feng Yu Die recalled for a moment and blinked, asking, “The Immortal Thief?”
“Mmm, if she’s willing to take the bait, that would be best. If not, then so be it. You two remember, when she comes tonight, don’t hold back. Fight her to the death…”
Ye Anping explained his plan to his junior sister and Feng Yu Die. Before long, the inn waiter brought the roasted chicken and water. Feng Yu Die began to feast, while Ye Anping also took the opportunity to look outside the door.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he could capture the Immortal Thief.
In his memory, that person was named Su Wan’er, a cultivator specializing in escaping and thievery, possessing a divine ability called “Star Plucking Art,” a spell that could displace space.
In the game, Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo encountered her after arriving at Jade Pass and suffered a great loss. Su Wan’er used the Star Plucking Art to steal their Spirit Sword and all their Spirit Stones, leaving them to struggle and camp out along the way without money for lodging.
Thus, Feng Yu Die and Su Wan’er developed a deep animosity.
Later, during the Imperial Sect incident, Su Wan’er stole many more things from Feng Yu Die. It wasn’t until the very end of the incident that Feng Yu Die managed to get even, retaliating in kind.
However, after removing Su Wan’er’s fox mask, he discovered that Su Wan’er was quite beautiful, and then…
Thinking of this, Ye Anping’s face darkened. He couldn’t help but look up at Feng Yu Die, who was now with a greasy mouth, gnawing on a chicken bone.
*Slurp…*
?
Seeing him looking over, Feng Yu Die blinked blankly, then twisted her eyebrows and asked in unclear speech, “Why are you staring at me?”
“Nowhere. Eat slowly…”
Ye Anping rested his chin on his hands and sighed silently.
Feng Yu Die in front of him and the Feng Yu Die in his gaming memories seemed to be no longer the same person.
The Feng Yu Die in the game would be unable to move if she saw a beautiful girl and wanted to strike up a conversation. Every time Xiao Yunluo discovered this, she would get beaten.
But now…
“Junior Sister Pei, do you want some roasted chicken? This chicken leg is the best, I’ll save it for you…”
Pei Lianxue elegantly drank her tea, glanced at her, and said, “No.”
Feng Yu Die offered the chicken leg to Pei Lianxue’s mouth: “Try it~ It’s delicious. It’s different from the flavor in the Western Regions. The roasted chicken here is spicier.”
Pei Lianxue frowned and said coldly, “I said, no!”
Feng Yu Die retracted her small hands with a dejected look and took small sips of the chicken skin. “Oh…”
Watching the interaction between the two from the side, Ye Anping felt a little speechless and sighed. Feng Yu Die had been enthusiastically trying to curry favor with his junior sister for almost three years and still hadn’t given up…
Should he say she was too foolish, or too devoted?
Ye Anping stopped thinking about it. The priority now was to figure out how to capture Su Wan’er.
If he didn’t capture her, she would cause trouble between the Imperial Sect, the Demon Race, and the Demonic Cultivators later, which would be extremely troublesome. Moreover, he needed her help with some matters.
But then again, Ye Anping suddenly felt curious about what Su Wan’er actually looked like.
In the game, she was just an NPC wearing white night-traveling clothes, a fox mask, and the title “Snow Mountain Flying Fox” above her head.
As for what was under the mask, the developers hadn’t created it, just like Li Longling’s eyes, which were empty inside.
But since Feng Yu Die was smitten with her, it meant her appearance must be quite good…
Right?
Just as Ye Anping was imagining Su Wan’er’s appearance, he suddenly heard the faint chime of the “Returning Star Bell” from his Storage Bag.
*Ding-a-ling~~*
?!
This clear and pleasant sound made Ye Anping’s hair stand on end. He felt his body temperature instantly drop by ten degrees and quickly turned to look around.
Si Xuanji was nearby?
How could that be? She and Xiao Yunluo had left three months earlier. Even if they walked slowly, they would have long since passed Jade Pass and shouldn’t be here.
Or was she deliberately waiting for him?
Ye Anping felt a slight confusion, but a second chime echoed in his mind.
*Ding-a-ling~~*
He frowned slightly and quickly looked around. There were quite a few customers in the inn, men and women, but no one with a short stature like Si Xuanji.
Seeing Ye Anping’s expression turn vigilant, Pei Lianxue instinctively prepared her Spirit Sword. She glanced at Feng Yu Die, who was eating roasted chicken, and whispered, “Stop eating.”
“Huh?” Feng Yu Die froze for a moment. She looked at Ye Anping’s expression, quickly wiped her oily hands on the table, and frowned, looking around. “Where is it?”
Seeing that he had made them both vigilant, Ye Anping felt a bit helpless. After thinking for a moment, considering that Si Xuanji hadn’t appeared and perhaps wanted him to go out alone, he said, “Junior Sister, it’s nothing. I’m just a little surprised. You two eat first, I’m going out for a bit.”
“Ah… Senior Brother, don’t you need us to accompany you?”
“No need, I’ll just look around nearby, I won’t go too far.”
Ye Anping stood up and walked to the inn entrance. He calmed himself and listened to the chime of the Returning Star Bell from his Storage Bag, transmitted through his Spiritual Sense.
*Ding-a-ling~~*
“To the left…”
He looked to the left. About fifty feet away, there was a teahouse with the words “Sha Ge” written on its plaque.
If he remembered correctly, that should be the pawnshop of the Jade Pass black market.
“The black market? Where is she going?”
Ye Anping frowned slightly, feeling that the bell’s chime might not be pointing to Si Xuanji, and a sense of caution arose in his heart. He took out a few Talisman Scripts and a small dagger, hid them in his sleeve, and prepared himself before walking over.
