Inside the most luxurious inn of Cliff-Sea City.
Mu Li looked at Fu Qingzhou ahead of her, unable to understand how things had turned out this way. She had clearly planned to part ways with him upon arriving in Cliff-Sea City, yet somehow she kept following him around, as if bewitched.
Perhaps because so many cultivators had recently come to Cliff-Sea City, the inn was booming with business. Even though night had already fallen, the place was still brightly lit.
The innkeeper, busy with his abacus, looked up and greeted them warmly: “Are the two seniors here to stay?”
Fu Qingzhou, used to extravagance, replied, “Two superior rooms.”
“Apologies, the top rooms are all taken. Only standard rooms remain. But rest assured, they are fully equipped and our service is excellent.”
Fu Qingzhou glanced at Mu Li, saw she had no objection, and smiled at the innkeeper: “Then two standard rooms will do.”
The innkeeper immediately ordered attendants to lead them upstairs.
At the room doors, Fu Qingzhou said to Mu Li: “We’ve traveled all day. You must be tired. Rest tonight and gather your strength. We’ll plan for the secret realm tomorrow.”
He pointed to the inner room. “You take that one. If anything comes up, call me.”
Mu Li looked at the inner room and nodded. “Alright, thank you.”
Fu Qingzhou opened his own door and said softly, “Then rest well, Fellow Daoist Mu.”
Mu Li bade him goodnight, entered her room, shut the door, and released Duoduo from her pocket.
Duoduo had been cooped up all day and was restless. Mu Li fed him two pills, murmuring: “Handsome, good-tempered, considerate… but such a tragic end. If I get the chance, I’ll try to save him.”
The next morning, Mu Li opened her door—only to find Fu Qingzhou chatting happily with Xuanyuan Yunfei and Su Xuening right outside.
Well, more precisely, they were at Fu Qingzhou’s door, but since their rooms were adjacent and the standard rooms were small, opening her door revealed all three.
In truth, only Fu Qingzhou and Su Xuening were conversing cheerfully. Xuanyuan Yunfei stood cold and expressionless, merely listening.
Mu Li, having read the novel, knew Xuanyuan Yunfei disliked Su Xuening associating with Fu Qingzhou. And she herself very much did not want to interact with these three. Could she still shut the door quickly?
“Fellow Daoist Mu, you’re awake. I was just about to call you. Who would have thought Fellow Daoist Su and Fellow Daoist Xuanyuan were staying here too?”
Fu Qingzhou, oblivious to her awkwardness, greeted her warmly.
“Heh…” Mu Li forced a smile. “What a coincidence.”
Su Xuening’s face flickered with awkwardness for a moment, but she soon regained her usual calm composure. “Indeed, Fellow Daoist Mu, what a coincidence.”
Even Xuanyuan Yunfei’s perpetually stiff face shifted. He looked at Mu Li for a while before saying, “So you’ve reached Foundation Establishment. Congratulations.”
He couldn’t quite sort out his feelings. Mu Li had once been his fiancée. To say he’d never cared would be false. But her cultivation had been far beneath his, and he had never wanted her as a Dao partner. Meeting Su Xuening, a genius equal to himself, had only reinforced that. He had worried Mu Li might cling to him after the annulment. Yet now she treated him with cold indifference, avoiding him as if he were a plague. That, too, left him unsettled.
Mu Li didn’t care what he thought. She nodded coolly. “Thank you. But compared to you all, my cultivation is nothing.”
Su Xuening glanced between Mu Li and Fu Qingzhou, then asked curiously: “Fellow Daoist Fu, you said you had private matters and couldn’t come with us to Cliff-Sea City. How is it you’re now with Fellow Daoist Mu?”
Mu Li’s expression remained calm. “We happened to meet on the road.”
Fu Qingzhou frowned slightly, explaining: “I was ambushed and gravely injured. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Mu gave me a ride.”
“Ambushed?”
“Yes. These cultivators are truly brazen—daring to rob in broad daylight.”
The three of them, handsome and talented, already drew attention. With Mu Li joining them, even more eyes turned their way.
Many cultivators from Ling City were present, eagerly whispering about their tangled relationships.
Mu Li felt nothing good ever came from crossing paths with the male and female leads. Ignoring the stares, she cut into their conversation: “I still have many things to prepare. I’ll go into the city. I won’t disturb your reunion.”
She had no time for their drama.
As for saving the supporting male character, others were already late-stage Foundation Establishment, while she had only just advanced. Better to save herself first.
Leaving the inn, Mu Li pulled out her veiled hat. With so many Ling City cultivators here, seeing her alongside the leads could spark endless gossip. Best to stay low-profile.
She wandered the streets aimlessly, occasionally buying cheap spirit herbs.
But Cliff-Sea City was no match for Ling City. Resources were scarce, and with the secret realm about to open, everyone hoarded their treasures. After half a day, she had only acquired low-grade herbs.
“Should’ve just stayed at the inn to cultivate,” she sighed, stopping in her tracks.
Suddenly, a small boy darted up to her, nervous but eager. “Senior, are you looking for something? I know this place well—I can guide you.”
The boy was dark-skinned, thin, no more than ten years old, with Qi Refining level two. His clothes were worn, showing his family’s poor condition.
In this world, strength meant everything. A cultivator might lack spirit stones for pills or artifacts, but basic food and clothing were never a problem. Even at Qi Refining level one, mortals would shower them with wealth to curry favor.
Mu Li had never seen a cultivator dressed so poorly. She looked at him kindly. “What payment do you want?”
Encouraged by her gentle tone, the boy bit his lip and said crisply: “I want a Foundation Establishment Pill.”
Mu Li was stunned. Foundation Establishment Pills were far more precious than ordinary ones, difficult to refine, and rarely possessed by cultivators.
She hadn’t expected the boy to ask for that. “Why do you think I would have a Foundation Establishment Pill?”