Wei Rou booked a carriage to the eastern gate and got on with Sheng Xuan. Seeing his eager expression, she could only sigh.
"Xuan'er, always follow me and listen to everything I say, okay? If there is even a shred of danger, quickly use your protective items," she said.
Sheng Xuan was at a loss for words. She was just like his mother. Both liked to lecture.
"If you see anything wrong with Auntie too, run away at once," she seriously said.
"What are you saying Auntie? I could never leave you alone!" he said.
Seeing his sincere eyes, Wei Rou's heart warmed. She caressed his face. "How sweet but Auntie would much prefer you take care of yourself. If something happens to you, Auntie won't be able to rest easy ever."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen." He grabbed her hand, softly massaging it.
Wei Rou was taken aback. She tried to pull it back, only for his grip to tighten. She did not know what to do.
"Your hand's so soft, Auntie," he said.
"They are old and wrinkly, not good at all." She shook her head.
"No way. It's so smooth and gentle." He ran his fingers over her palm.
"Stop it, give it back to me." She pulled hard.
"No, I want to hold onto it. I am scared," he put on a needy expression.
Wei Rou pursed her lips. She let out a breath and began to lecture on the wilderness.
He kept nodding and humming.
"How long is it going to take to get there Auntie?"
"Hm, probably an hour," she said with some certainty.
"That long?" Sheng Xuan was surprised.
"Well, yes, the city is really huge," she said. "You should rest as much as possible."
"Mm, I should take a nap then," he said. "Can I lean on you?"
"Sure," she softly said.
Sheng Xuan placed his head on her shoulder, catching a whiff of her gentle fragrance.
Wei Rou did not mind this. She gently patted his face.
"Hold on Auntie." He hugged her waist. "This is better."
"Hey!" She was a little surprised. "You are so clingy."
"Can not I hug you?" he looked at her with puppy eyes.
"Fine, Auntie will indulge you," she said.
"Auntie is the best," he sweetly said, kissing her cheek.
"Alright, close your eyes," she rubbed his cheek.
"Mm."
Feeling the warmth of his body, Wei Rou's mood lifted. With Wei Lan staying at his place, the house had become empty, and she was lonely.
...
Beyond the walls, there were farmlands everywhere. A shantytown was near the walls with a mix of the poor, rogues and gangs.
Wei Rou had the carriage stop at a point. At the moment, both were dressed inconspicuously and hooded.
Wei Rou led him around, introducing a variety of things while they walked toward the intimidating wilderness in the distance.
Wei Rou off-handedly mentioned, "Lan'er and I used to live around this area."
"Wow, this does not seem safe at all," he said, noting the fierce, ugly-faced men roaming around. The ordinary thin-bodied commoners would shrink back or evade their gazes.
"Yes, it was not easy," she said. Although it sounded light, Sheng Xuan could feel the weight behind each word.
"How did you manage it, Auntie?" Sheng Xuan curiously asked. "Lan'er must have been a child still, right?"
"Yes," Wei Rou observed her surroundings, familiar and unfamiliar. "I would hide her in the cellar every time I went out. Most people did not even know I had a child," she said in a sarcastic tone.
"She must have hated it," he thoughtfully said.
"Of course. She used to want to play outside. She would look through the gaps between windows but I never let her. I don't know if she ever understood why. Lan'er has always been a sensible girl, so she always listened to me," Wei Rou said with some melancholy.
"Don't blame yourself, Auntie. You did what you had to." He tried to hold her hand, only for her to hide it.
Wei Rou craned her head toward him, her eyes gentle. "I also want to thank you for that."
"For what?"
"For playing with her and making her childhood so colorful," she said.
Sheng Xuan chuckled. "She also made mine better. I don't need a thank you."
Wei Rou smiled.
Bang!
Their eyes darted to the direction of the noise.
"How dare you sell somewhere else?" a burly man roared at the middle-aged man on the ground.
"I did not! I swear I did not!" the man cried out, face bloody.
The pit-faced man beside the burly one pointed his finger toward the man. "Brother, he is lying! I saw him sell his wares on Blue Lion Street!"
"You dare lie!" the burly man yelled, kicking him and beating with a stick.
A small crowd gathered. No one came forward to help. Some even found it amusing to watch, some relieved it was not them.
Wei Rou's face was calm. She said, "That man is from the Red Whale Gang. Back in the days, it was Blue Whale, I suppose their leader has changed."
"Are there no enforcers here, Auntie?" Sheng Xuan asked.
Seeing him unperturbed, Wei Rou inwardly approved it.
"There are but it's outside the city. Your life is not much greater than a dog's," she said crassly. "And where there are people, there is corruption."
Sheng Xuan observed the one-sided battering. The middle-aged man was covered in blood, his voice strained. Still, he kept saying he did not.
"Auntie, it does not look like the man is a martial artist," Sheng Xuan commented.
"Yes, he is just a mortal. He won't likely survive this."
"It's one thing if it's people of the same realm but I never liked it when the gap is so wide. It's not fun," he casually said.
Wei Rou raised an eyebrow.
Sheng Xuan flicked his finger, a yellow light shot out, sharp and piercing.
Schkk!
It sliced apart the legs of the burly man from knee down.
"Ahhh!"
A blood-curdling cry erupted as blood sprayed out, pooling on the grime-covered road. The pit-faced man stood rooted to the spot, terrified.
Except for the burly one's loud cries, everything else fell silent. Feeling the shocked and wary gazes from all around, Sheng Xuan was thrilled. Wait, he could attract attention like this too.
"Xuan'er..." Wei Rou murmured, not sure how she felt about this. She wanted to support this but she did not know if it would truly benefit him. Being a good person and a cultivator? A contradiction.
"Auntie, I have yet to kill anyone. That won't do, would it?" he calmly said, walking toward the burly man.
"Wait, Xuan'er, that's... let me handle it," she said.
Sheng Xuan had already arrived in front of the man, hearing his piercing cries.
"Please, no! Don't kill me!" the burly man begged, his usually predatory eyes now meek like a roe deer's.
Sheng Xuan's heart trembled. He was not a stone-cold person.
'Since he is part of a gang, he is probably really bad, so it's only cleaning up the trash from the world,' he mused.
His right index finger tip lit up as he pointed it toward the man.
"No! Please! Nooo!" the man howled, his blood ran cold. All around seemed slow and inaudible as he sensed the approaching aura of death.
"Your luck is so shit, why did you have to make a scene in front of me?" Sheng Xuan shook his head, his expression stiff.
"Bang," Sheng Xuan murmured.
Woosh!
"No-"
A small bloody hole formed on the man's head. His body went limp, eyes lifeless as his head and arms fell down.
Sheng Xuan stared at the body, his heart racing, hand trembling.
He took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Taking a life is too damn easy," he murmured.
"Xuan'er, are you okay?" Wei Rou looked at him in concern, holding his hand.
He showed her a twitching smile. "I am okay, Auntie."
"You should have let me finish it, you did not need to force yourself," she sighed.
"I just need more practice, Auntie," Sheng Xuan said, hand still unsteady, and turned his head toward the pit-faced man whose heart chilled to the core.
"S-senior! Boss! Master! Please spare me!" He kowtowed, slamming his forehead onto the pavement.
"Why did not you run?" Sheng Xuan asked.
"I-I was scared," the man said.
"Were you lying? Framing the other guy," Sheng Xuan asked.
The pit-faced man vigorously shook his head. "No, I was not, Senior. I swear on my life I saw him selling out there!"
"I- I was... not..." the bloodied man breathed out.
Bang!
"Ah-" The pit-faced man's eyes were wide open, unable to comprehend or continue. His body fell to the side, blood pooling on the ground.
"Stop, Xuan'er!" Wei Rou hurriedly called. "That's enough. Let's go home. We can go out another day!"
"I am okay now, Auntie." He patted her hand. "I am becoming a cultivator."
Wei Rou did not know what to say.
Suddenly, fireworks flew into the sky, exploding into a cloud of red.
"Help! Someone is killing the Red Whales!" a shout reverberated all around.
The amused and shocked crowd woke up from their stupor, knowing things were going to escalate. Among the mix, there were also cultivators. Everyone rushed to stay away.
"How strong is the Red Whale Gang, Auntie?" he wondered aloud.
"Their leader should be in the late stage of Spirit Sea and they should have several hall masters who might or might not be of similar stature," Wei Rou said. "We should leave, Xuan'er."
"Huh? Why should I be scared of them?" Sheng Xuan gave her a confused glance.
"That's-" Wei Rou stopped midway, realizing if he even had to be wary of some gangs, what was the point of a noble background? Her face twitched.
Sheng Xuan threw a pill into the bloodied man's mouth.
"Th- Thank you..." The man opened his eyes with difficulty.
"Mm."
Sheng Xuan looked into the distance. Instead of gang members surrounding them, a group in lavish clothes approached, holding a tall sign.