Chapter 30 : Watching the Excitement
None of the three—Yun Qingyue, Su Hao, and Bei Luo—were ones to waste time, and receiving guests from the two sects wasn't anything new, so they didn't spend much time before settling the necessary arrangements.
Seeing that the business was concluded, Su Hao said: "In that case, let's stay at this Yingxian Tower for now. There are still one or two days before the people from the two sects arrive, and we don't often have time to visit Xuanqing City. If Junior Brother and Junior Sister have any plans, feel free to go about them. If there are any changes, we can communicate via sound transmission."
As his words fell, before Yun Qingyue and Bei Luo could respond, the little white tiger who had finished the dried meat perked up her ears—she hadn't forgotten that Yun Qingyue had promised to take her sightseeing around the city, and hearing this naturally excited her.
The little white tiger jumped to the ground, called "awoo" and beckoned to Yun Qingyue: "The meeting's over, let's go."
This gesture was so obvious that Yun Qingyue naturally understood, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes. Fortunately, Su Hao and Bei Luo couldn't possibly hold anything against Jianbing, especially since she was still a cub, so Su Hao said: "Since Jianbing has something to do, Junior Sister Yun should go ahead."
In contrast to Su Hao's considerate manner, Bei Luo spoke with a hint of mischief: "Oh, is Jianbing eager to go out? I happen to be the most familiar with Xuanqing City. Why don't I come along and guide Junior Sister and Jianbing?"
The little white tiger didn't even spare him a glance upon hearing this, her disdain and dismissal evident.
Seeing this, Yun Qingyue couldn't help but smile, while also feeling warmth in her heart—she had always been disliked by spirit beasts, so being favored like this was a first. Although the little white tiger's behavior might seem offensive to others, being the favored one naturally brought joy and reluctance to reproach. And with her temperament, she wouldn't think to demand anything from the little white tiger, nor did she feel qualified to discipline her.
Given this, Yun Qingyue didn't say much more, simply picking up the little white tiger and saying to the two: "Senior Brothers, I'll be taking my leave now."
Bei Luo had just been joking with the little white tiger, and wasn't upset at being disdained. He smiled and waved, bidding them farewell. As for Su Hao, seeing Yun Qingyue carrying Jianbing everywhere, he hesitated to speak but ultimately didn't voice his concerns.
That was a divine beast, and specifically the white tiger known as a war deity—how was she being raised like a little spirit cat in Yun Qingyue's care? If this continued and became a habit... Well, it was probably because Jianbing was still young, so he shouldn't be too critical. After all, the Sect Leader and Divine Lord Zhiming were still there; they certainly wouldn't let Jianbing be spoiled.
Finally, the two watched as Yun Qingyue once again carried Jianbing away.
Outside Yingxian Tower was the bustling market street, but just before leaving, Yun Qingyue suddenly asked: "Did you find the dried meat delicious? If you like it, we can buy some more to take with us."
Clearly, when leaving the private room earlier, Yun Qingyue had already noticed the plate that had been eaten clean.
Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed at being caught snacking secretly, Jiang Mo blushed slightly, though fortunately her thick fur concealed it. This embarrassment was quickly set aside, and after thinking for a moment, she nodded in agreement—she didn't know what kind of meat the dried meat was made from, but it tasted very good. She had unconsciously finished the entire plate and was still somewhat unsatisfied.
Yun Qingyue truly seemed to share a spiritual connection with her. While instructing the waiter to pack some dried meat, she told Jiang Mo: "This is the meat of the Wind Fire Spirit Steed, with ingredients like Heaven Lotus Grass and Spirit Rhinoceros Fruit. Eating it will be beneficial for you."
Jiang Mo nodded upon hearing this, though she actually didn't know what Wind Fire Spirit Steed, Heaven Lotus Grass, or Spirit Rhinoceros Fruit were. But what did that matter? She had secured Senior Sister's patronage, and Senior Sister had the money to feed her—that was enough.
The waiter quickly brought the dried meat Yun Qingyue had requested, not just a small plate but a large package, enough to last a long time as a snack.
And this was just the beginning. After Yun Qingyue left Yingxian Tower with the little white tiger, beyond this formal restaurant, there were many more local specialties outside that attracted the tiger—isn't going out shopping all about buying and eating? Now that Jiang Mo had become a white tiger, she had almost no use for clothing or accessories, so the joy of shopping was naturally reduced to just eating.
Thus, Yun Qingyue discovered for the first time that the little white tiger, who had seemed to subsist on wind and dew when they first met, was actually a foodie.
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Xuanqing City was large and prosperous, especially with Xuanqing Sect's internal competition and the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition approaching, which seemed to further stimulate consumption in the city.
Unlike Su Hao, Bei Luo, and Yun Qingyue, who were senior disciples, most of Xuanqing Sect's members were outer disciples and ordinary inner disciples. Although the sect would distribute cultivation resources, what each person received was insufficient for their cultivation needs. So they displayed their various talents—refining pills, drawing talismans, or making formation disks to sell—doing their utmost to secure more resources.
Jiang Mo, carried by Yun Qingyue, ate all the way until her little belly was slightly distended. Only then did she have the attention to spare for other things. She noticed various vendor stalls, about a third of which were set up by Xuanqing Sect disciples, while the majority belonged to various wandering cultivators who had come to join the excitement.
Recalling the classic plot device of finding treasures at bargain prices, Jiang Mo immediately became interested. Her paw with its soft pad tapped on the back of Yun Qingyue's hand, and then she called "awoo" "awoo" at Yun Qingyue with some excitement.
Yun Qingyue immediately understood that she was interested in those small stalls. Since she had brought the little white tiger out to play and broaden her horizons, she indulged her wishes and stopped. Then the little white tiger leaped from her arms, and with what she thought was a majestic tiger's stride, walked toward those small stalls, occasionally drawing close to examine items carefully.
The vendors, seeing Yun Qingyue following behind, didn't say much. However, the little white tiger's conspicuous fur still drew many sidelong glances. After a closer look, discovering that this spirit beast was pitifully weak, most people lost interest, thinking they had mistaken it. The gazes that remained on the little white tiger were mostly curious—curious how this spirit beast could so closely resemble a white tiger. Was it natural or artificial?
Jiang Mo initially felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at, but gradually grew accustomed to it and became indifferent.
As she drew near those stalls to look at the items, she quietly asked the system: "System, do you think there are any treasures here? In novels, protagonists often find bargains at stalls like these, things like cultivation techniques or divine artifacts."
The system had actually read such stories too. Being a system that didn't need sleep, it had spent its free time organizing all the files it had downloaded and packed before the transmigration. Those files were a jumble of everything, with recipes and other life skills comprising only a small portion, while the bulk was terrifyingly large. With nothing better to do, it had started reading them, learning about the cultural system of its host's original environment.
Thus, having also read cultivation novels, the system immediately scanned all the items on those small stalls and could now righteously tell its host: "Little one, a tiger needs to be grounded. All these stories are just deceptive!"
Hearing this, Jiang Mo wasn't disappointed; after all, she was just a tiger—why would she expect a protagonist's treatment?
Just as she was thinking this, a simply dressed young man suddenly appeared at a nearby stall. From the little white tiger's perspective, the young man immediately spotted an inconspicuous stone on the stall but pretended to be interested in the spirit herbs next to it. Then she watched as the young man haggled with the vendor, eventually buying the herbs at a price higher than market value, while taking the stone as a bonus.
This... this routine couldn't be more familiar! Could she really have encountered a protagonist finding a hidden treasure?!
The system, seeing the little white tiger's suddenly widened eyes, guessed what she was thinking but calmly said: "Don't rush, Host. Just stay here and watch a little longer."
What else was there to see?
Jiang Mo was curious but indeed didn't hurry to leave. Then she saw that after the young man disappeared into the crowd, the vendor at the stall smirked, rummaged in his pocket, and nonchalantly pulled out an identical stone, placing it back in the original position.
The little white tiger suddenly understood—there was no protagonist finding a bargain, only a fool who thought he had.
Indeed, the schemes in real life were far more numerous than in novels... Having witnessed this spectacle, the little white tiger no longer hoped for a bargain, but these stalls in the cultivation world were still quite interesting to observe.
For instance, nearby was a small stall selling talismans, claiming that their Raging Flame Talismans, though second-grade, had power comparable to third-grade ones. Most remarkably, despite their talismans being so good, they were selling them at second-grade prices. So with the competition approaching, cultivator friends short on funds couldn't afford to miss this—buy ten and get one free, an unbeatable deal.
Having heard too many advertisements, Jiang Mo had no interest in this, even finding the advertising pitch too clichéd. Yet someone actually believed it, went over to buy ten talismans, and received an extra one of the same kind.
The person, holding the free Raging Flame Talisman, thought that they should test its power before the competition, so they used it on the spot.
With a soft "puff," the talisman turned into a flame, with power perhaps enough to light a cigarette...
The little white tiger burst out laughing, attracting the attention of the awkward vendor and buyer, frightening her into instinctively stepping back. Then she bumped into Yun Qingyue's leg, the hem of her blue robe brushing past her eyes, instantly giving her tremendous confidence.
"What are you looking at? You sell fake goods and still dare to be fierce!" The little white tiger bared her teeth, relying on human support.
Those who would buy and sell second-grade talismans probably had cultivations ranging from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, and would naturally not be polite to a weak little spirit beast, but faced with a Golden Core cultivator like Yun Qingyue, who was just one step away from the Nascent Soul stage, they didn't dare make a sound. The two hurriedly put on smiles and withdrew their gazes awkwardly, but when they looked at each other, sparks flew.
The buyer wanted a refund, the seller refused, and at an impasse, they came to blows.
Jiang Mo still wanted to watch the excitement, but Yun Qingyue picked her up: "Let's go. If they fight in the city, the city guards will come soon." Then the two would either eat prison food, pay a fine much higher than the cost of the talismans, or miss the competition.
In short, they were both fools.
The little white tiger obediently allowed herself to be carried away without resistance. After turning a corner, she discovered that the flow of people was converging in one direction. Having come to see the excitement, she promptly patted Yun Qingyue's shoulder and pointed in the direction of the crowd, making "awoo" sounds twice, indicating her desire to go.
Yun Qingyue's steps faltered slightly, showing some hesitation. Later, though something seemed to occur to her, she still followed the flow of people.