"You're welcome," Yang Yunhai replied casually, then continued eating rabbit meat.
Soon, after finishing their meal, the two resumed their journey.
Since they were now in the area where ordinary century-old soul beasts lived, the two of them, given their strength, were naturally unafraid of danger. As a result, their pace was not slow.
By dusk, with the sun not yet fully set, they had already exited the Star Dou Forest.
Seeing that night was approaching, Yang Yunhai suggested they find a spot to make a fire and eat dinner.
"I'll go collect some firewood." After arriving at a clearing, Yang Yunhai quickly put down his belongings and turned toward some deadwood nearby.
Zhu Zhuqing quietly watched. After Yang Yunhai walked away, she glanced at the bundle he had left on the ground, then lightly touched her ear and took out a carpet, laying it out on a clean spot. Then, she pulled out another one and laid it on another clean area nearby, where she sat and began to comb her hair.
Since Yang Yunhai had rescued her from the pool, her hair had been loose, and there hadn't been time to tidy it during their journey. Now, she finally had the chance.
Not long after, Yang Yunhai returned carrying firewood. When he saw the carpet beside the bundle, he smiled and said, "Thanks."
"It's nothing," Zhu Zhuqing replied softly.
Yang Yunhai nodded without saying more and began setting up the fire.
Soon, a campfire was lit. Yang Yunhai brought over the soft-boned rabbit he had killed earlier, expertly skinning and preparing it.
Before long, skewers were sizzling over the fire, releasing a mouth-watering aroma.
A short while later, the crisp sound of footsteps approached. Yang Yunhai turned to look.
Zhu Zhuqing had finished tidying her hair. Although her clothes weren't leather like in the animated version he recalled from his previous life, her hairstyle was exactly the same, tied in a pair of cat-ear buns on top of her head. Long hair flowed down both sides, completely covering her ears and the purple teardrop-shaped earrings.
"Nice hairstyle. Looks good," Yang Yunhai nodded slightly.
Zhu Zhuqing noticeably paused for a moment, then walked slowly and calmly over to the fire, sitting down gracefully beside him.
Her posture was elegant, and her expression remained calm and cold, with no visible emotion.
"Here." Yang Yunhai handed over a few skewers of rabbit meat.
"Thank you," Zhu Zhuqing finally spoke, her voice soft as she reached out to take them.
"No problem," Yang Yunhai smiled.
Zhu Zhuqing ate gracefully, and seeing this, Yang Yunhai didn't say much more and began eating heartily.
Soon after, Zhu Zhuqing, with her smaller appetite, finished first. She got up and sat on the carpet to begin cultivating.
She's certainly diligent, Yang Yunhai thought to himself.
He quickly finished the remaining rabbit meat, tidied up, and also sat down on the carpet to cultivate.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, the two set off again.
Two hours later, they spotted a dirt road. Following it, they arrived at a human town by afternoon.
"Zhuqing, are you still planning to go to Soto City?" Yang Yunhai asked as they sat down in a restaurant after ordering.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze immediately dropped slightly. After a brief silence, she nodded. "Yes."
Although disappointed, there were things she had to do. Only by doing so could she begin a new life.
Yang Yunhai nodded. "Then we'll part ways after we arrive at Soto City. I just happen to have something to do there as well."
As for the hair crystal, if he could buy it, he didn't want to leave it for Tang San. Maybe it wouldn't be too threatening to him, but you never know,what if it hits the head or eyes? With his current mental strength, the fine hair-like crystal might still be hard to detect or guard against.
Especially since, once infused with soul power, it explodes on impact.
Even the soul saint Zhao Wuji, known for his defense, had trouble handling it. Let alone someone like him right now.
Mechanical-type hidden weapons were fine,they were just tools. But skill-based hidden weapons could be combined with internal or soul power, as clearly mentioned in the original novel. That alone made their potential unpredictable.
Say what you will, but Guanyin's Tear piercing Qian Renxue's heart and Bodhi's Blood killing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King were real accomplishments. This suggests that skill-based hidden weapons truly had something special.
In his previous life, people often downplayed Tang San's hidden weapons as unsophisticated, but in reality, until your strength grows enough to disregard such threats, underestimating unfamiliar enemies can be dangerous,especially if you've never seen the weapon in action.
Better to play it safe.
Besides, it was on the way and didn't waste much time. Soto City was in the southwest of Balak Kingdom,head south to reach Star Dou Forest, or head north via the official road through Jialing Pass to reach Heaven Dou City. Very convenient.
Now he just wondered whether Tang San had already reached Soto City... Thinking this, he smiled slightly and added, "Afterward, I'll head north along the official road to Heaven Dou City to find a high-level soul master academy. I don't want to miss the Continental Soul Master Tournament. Who knows, maybe we'll even become opponents then."
"They say battle is the best teacher. Once the tournament begins, I won't hold back."
Zhu Zhuqing only nodded lightly again.
Toward this man who had crossed the line with her yet had only known her for a short time, she truly didn't know how to interact with him or what to say.
"Sir, your food is here." A soft voice interrupted them as the waiter ran in with dishes.
Once everything was served, Yang Yunhai picked up his chopsticks and called out, "Let's eat. Afterward, we'll buy some dried rations here and then head to the city gate's relay station to hire a driver and a carriage. That way, we can cultivate while traveling,saves effort."
"Okay," Zhu Zhuqing nodded and began eating quietly.
Soon after, Yang Yunhai finished his meal quickly, walked to the counter, paid the bill, and bought rations.
When he returned, he saw that Zhu Zhuqing had finished as well. After calling to her, the two walked toward the city gate together.
Fifteen minutes later, the sound of rolling wheels echoed as an elegant carriage rolled out the gate.
Inside the carriage, Yang Yunhai sat near the door with his eyes closed, immersed in cultivation.
Opposite him, Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged. She slowly opened her eyes.
Her clear, watery eyes quietly gazed at Yang Yunhai's face. After a while, she bit her lip, rubbed her slightly red eyes, and quickly closed them again to enter meditation.
Only when the driver called out for meal time did the two of them open their eyes.
"Time to eat."
"Okay."
After a brief exchange, they silently ate their meal and continued cultivating.
Just like that, time passed day by day.
Three days later, the driver's voice rang out again: "Young master, we've arrived at Soto City."
"Okay," Yang Yunhai opened his eyes and replied softly, "Thank you."
Then he turned to Zhu Zhuqing, who had also just come out of meditation, and stood up while saying, "Let's go."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded and followed him out of the carriage.
Looking up at the sky, the sun had tilted slightly westward,it was still afternoon.
"There's still time. I plan to stroll around the city and see if there's anything I want to buy. Want to come with me?" Yang Yunhai asked as he looked back.
If I'm short on money, maybe she can cover for me... he thought to himself.
"Alright," Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly.
The two then entered the city together, occasionally chatting as they browsed through various shops.
After a while, Yang Yunhai's gaze fell on a certain general goods store with a circular symbol on its sign. Upon closer look, the symbol contained three distinct icons: a sword, a hammer, and a dragon.
This should be the one, he thought, leading Zhu Zhuqing over without drawing attention.
When they reached a nearby street across from the store, Yang Yunhai suddenly stopped and turned to face it. After scanning the signboard, he said, "There are several soul power fluctuations inside. Looks like they sell soul tools. Zhuqing, let's go take a look."
With that, he stepped toward the shop.
The shop door was open. The interior looked dim. As they entered and glanced around, they saw only one person inside. The three walls were sparsely decorated with items that appeared old, even damaged,nothing that looked valuable.
"It's still here!" Yang Yunhai's gaze quickly locked onto a dull yellow crystal.
Makes sense. When I left Nuoding City, there were still over 20 days until the academy opened. I met Tang Hao on the way and visited the Blue Silver Emperor's mountain. That didn't take long. I flew to the Star Dou Forest afterward, and thanks to understanding how to use Blue Silver Grass to gather information, finding and killing a soul beast and absorbing the ring didn't take much time.
Judging by the time, there should still be two or three days left before the academy starts.
Tang San didn't need to go anywhere else and liked forging hidden weapons. Arriving late would be normal. Thinking this, he walked calmly toward the crystal.
Turning to the man reclining on a chair,Flender,he asked, "Boss, how much is this crystal?"
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