Su Yueli took the clothes and glanced at them.
It was a light green and white sheer outer robe, a white inner ruqun, and a moon-white undergarment.
Although it was still a dress, the hem wasn't too wide and the sleeves were relatively narrow. Compared to those cumbersome flowing fairy dresses, this outfit seemed a bit more acceptable.
Resigned, Su Yueli took the clothes and walked into the changing room.
A moment later, the curtain was pulled aside.
Tie Ling'er, who had been haggling with the shop owner, turned her head and instantly froze.
Su Yueli stepped out. The light green sheer outer robe complemented her fair, jade-like skin, radiating a cold, ethereal aura.
Her dark hair was tied into a high ponytail with a simple hairband.
Her exquisite features, combined with her coldness and heroic spirit, managed to turn this somewhat soft and feminine dress into a sharp, striking beauty, making her look like a female sword immortal.
“My goodness...”
The shop owner stared blankly, her mouth slightly agape.
Tie Ling'er circled Su Yueli twice, her eyes shining with excitement. “It looks amazing! Sister Yueli, if you walk down the street like this, the young masters of Qingzhou City won't be able to take their eyes off you!”
Su Yueli tugged at the hem of her skirt, still feeling a bit awkward.
As for young masters staring at her... she would rather they didn't.
If she got harassed, she was afraid she might actually throw a couple of punches. It wouldn't be good to cause trouble for Senior Tie Tu right after arriving.
Tie Ling'er paid the bill, and the two walked out of Jinxiu Boutique, re-entering the bustling night market.
“Ling'er, how did Uncle Tie and my master meet back then? Can you tell me about it?”
As they walked, Su Yueli asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.
Over the past twenty-five years, Lu Chen had almost never mentioned his past.
Now that her master was dead, she wanted to know more about his history.
Tie Ling'er took a bite of her candied hawthorn and tilted her head in thought. “Actually, I don't know that much either. It's just things my dad mentioned occasionally when he was drunk.”
“According to my dad, he and Uncle Lu roamed the martial world together when they were young. Both of them were stubborn and ended up offending quite a few enemies.”
“Later, Uncle Lu started a family and planned to live a peaceful life. But once, he got dead drunk outside, and his enemies found a vulnerability and sneaked into his home...”
Tie Ling'er's voice softened, and she sighed. “By the time Uncle Lu sobered up and rushed back, his entire family had been killed. From then on, he became a completely different person. He didn't speak all day and just trained like a madman, thinking only of revenge.”
“My dad tried to persuade him, but nothing worked. In the end, he could only promise that once Uncle Lu finished his training, the two brothers would seek revenge together.”
“But on my dad's wedding day, Uncle Lu broke his promise. To avoid dragging my dad down, he left a letter and went to the enemy's place alone with his blade. He slaughtered their entire household, and after that, he vanished without a trace.”
Hearing this, Su Yueli fell into a silence.
Twenty-five years ago, her master had fled to their small mountain village while heavily injured. It turned out he had just exacted his blood vengeance.
Su Yueli looked down, her gaze landing on the wine gourd hanging from her waist.
In the past, when they were on the mountain ridge, she had asked Lu Chen why martial artists ate meat but didn't drink alcohol.
Lu Chen had merely waved his hand and said that alcohol would dissipate a martial artist's blood qi and cloud their mind.
Only today did she realize that her master didn't drink not because he feared dissipating his blood qi, but because he was afraid of getting drunk.
He had gotten drunk once and lost the people he cared about most in this life. Thus, he punished himself by not touching a single drop of alcohol for twenty-five years, a penance for that irreversible mistake.
“Master...”
Su Yueli let go of the gourd at her waist, her eyes darkening slightly.
As the two continued forward, Su Yueli gradually reined in her thoughts.
Now that she was staying in Qingzhou City, she couldn't just live off others forever.
Although Tie Tu was her master's life-and-death friend, she was a Third Realm martial artist with capable hands and feet. She had to find some work to earn money.
Whether it was for investigating the clues behind her master's death in the future or continuing to climb the martial path, she wouldn't be able to take a single step without money.
Just as she was planning where to find a livelihood, their path was suddenly blocked.
Su Yueli looked up.
Two young men in martial arts uniforms were standing in the middle of the street, looking at them with sleazy grins.
“Sister Yueli, those are disciples from the Changwei Dojo.”
Tie Ling'er leaned in close to Su Yueli's ear and whispered, “Changwei Dojo has always been competing with our Iron Bone Dojo for fame in Qingzhou City. These two are usually very smooth-talking and annoying, but they aren't downright evil. Let's just ignore them.”
As she spoke, the two young men had already approached them with smirks.
“Oh, isn't this Junior Sister Ling'er from the Iron Bone Dojo? It's been a while, and you've grown even prettier.”
The leader greeted her in a slick tone, then shifted his gaze to Su Yueli's face.
A flash of amazement crossed his eyes.
The young man cupped his fists, feigning politeness, while staring intently at Su Yueli. “May I ask who this lady next to you is, Junior Sister Ling'er? She looks unfamiliar. Could she also be a new disciple of Master Tie?”
Su Yueli also felt uncomfortable, a hint of displeasure touching her brow.
Their intentions were far too obvious.
Her voice was calm. “Move.”
Having his face brushed aside like this, the young man's smile faded, unable to maintain his composure. “Miss, I only wish to make a friend. In Qingzhou City, having more friends means more paths. You should at least show some respect to our Changwei Dojo, shouldn't you?”
“It's not safe for two young ladies to be walking around the streets so late at night. Why don't I escort you back?”
As he spoke, he actually took a bold step forward, wanting to intimidate this ignorant outsider girl.
But before he could even reach out his hand, Su Yueli raised her eyes and swept a cold glance over him.
With just a single glance, her Third Realm blood qi bore down on the two young men like a massive mountain.
The leader's face instantly turned pale. He felt the air around him tighten, and those cold eyes looked as if they were staring at a corpse.
Gulp...
The young man swallowed hard, his legs taking two steps back uncontrollably as a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
“S-sorry to bother you. Goodbye!”
Neither of them dared to say another word. They squeezed into the crowd as if they had seen a ghost, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Watching their pathetic escape, Tie Ling'er's eyes sparkled with sheer admiration.
“Wow! Sister Yueli, you're so amazing! You scared them off without even lifting a finger!”
Tie Ling'er grabbed Su Yueli's arm, her tone filled with envy. “If I hadn't been afraid of the pain and had stuck with martial arts, would I be as impressive as you are now?”
Su Yueli withdrew her blood qi and smiled helplessly.
“But...”
Tie Ling'er stuck out her tongue and added in a whisper, “Actually, they wouldn't have dared to make a real move in Qingzhou City anyway. The City Lord's Mansion has strict laws. Even cultivators aren't allowed to fight privately within the city, or they'll be punished.”
“No private fighting?”
Su Yueli raised an eyebrow.
This rule was actually quite good. It would save her a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Rate on N.U.
