Chapter 175: Yelan City

Perhaps out of guilt that could not be easily ignored, Xiu Qingcheng’s attitude toward Meng Yingxing recently could be described as excellent.

Previously, small matters that required Meng Yingxing’s help to prepare were now interrupted by Xiu Qingcheng with a “Let me do it” every time Meng Yingxing started to prepare.

This made Meng Yingxing, who was accustomed to doing these chores, somewhat unaccustomed.

What Meng Yingxing was also unaccustomed to was Xiu Qingcheng’s gentle attitude.

Knowing why Xiu Qingcheng was acting like this, Meng Yingxing spoke up, telling her there was no need to feel guilty and that things could just be as they were before. However, in return, he received a glare from Xiu Qingcheng.

“Hah? You’re telling me not to feel guilty?”

Xiu Qingcheng looked at Meng Yingxing with a baffling expression, rolling her eyes.

“How could I be feeling guilty? It’s just that your spiritual veins are damaged recently. If I, as your master, continue to order you around like before, wouldn’t that make me appear unreasonable?”

Meng Yingxing pursed his lips helplessly.

“Alright, whatever Master says is what it is.”

Xiu Qingcheng, on the other hand, pondered with a bit of pride that her “Make Amends” operation seemed very successful.

In order to obtain the Blood Kong Flower to refine the Heaven-Turning Spiritual Pill as soon as possible, Xiu Qingcheng and Meng Yingxing obtained permission from the Tianfeng Sect and set off the day after Xiu Qingcheng remembered where the Blood Kong Flower grew.

Yelan City was located in the hinterland of Zhi Prefecture, far from Changle Prefecture. Meng Yingxing originally wanted to continue traveling by water, but was stopped by Xiu Qingcheng.

“Master?”

Meng Yingxing was slightly surprised to see the Ting Tian Sword fly out of its scabbard and hover horizontally in front of him.

“If you travel by water, do you plan to arrive by the New Year next year?”

Xiu Qingcheng gave a tsundere humph. “Flying is faster than running. Get on; we’ll just fly on the sword to get there.”

A hint of difficulty appeared on Meng Yingxing’s face.

“Master, with my current condition, I cannot control a sword.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Ting Tian Sword came straight at him and knocked on his head.

“Stupid! Who asked you to control the sword! This time I will reluctantly take you flying. You must thank your master properly!”

The Ting Tian Sword swayed back and forth in front of Meng Yingxing, looking as if it was claiming credit.

Although Meng Yingxing rubbed his head where Xiu Qingcheng had knocked it, an inadvertent smile appeared on his face.

“In that case, many thanks, Master.”

Meng Yingxing skillfully stepped onto the Ting Tian Sword, allowing Xiu Qingcheng to take him to Yelan City.

“Mm… Yelan City. I remember it’s in that direction. Disciple, don’t fall off the sword; I’m accelerating.”

After identifying the direction of Yelan City in her memory, Xiu Qingcheng casually reminded Meng Yingxing, then immediately went full throttle, flying towards Yelan City like a meteor.

At this time, the sky was just breaking, and the fine rain had just cleared.

Yelan City.

Here, the population was numerous, the atmosphere of daily life was thick, and everywhere revealed a rich scent of human existence.

The sunlight was just right today; warm sunlight fell into the city, and not a single shadow could be seen.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no! I’m going to be late!”

On a street busy as a market, a young girl rushed through the bustling crowd like the wind, looking flustered.

The owner of a bun shop who had been on this street for decades saw the girl running from afar and couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

Before the girl arrived, her voice had already reached the bun shop owner’s ears.

“Uncle Li! Four meat buns!!! Quick, quick, quick!”

“Got them ready for you long ago. Little Xu, you are a quarter of an hour slower than usual today.”

The owner took out the long-prepared oil paper package and placed it on the table beside him.

The girl finally ran up to him, panting, and reached out to grab the bulging oil paper package.

“Shen Xu, I heard the City Guard is going outside the city for training today? are you late?”

A person sitting behind Shen Xu eating breakfast also recognized her. He would rather put down his chopsticks to tease Shen Xu a couple of times.

As his voice fell, the surrounding diners laughed together.

The Shen Xu before them had a pretty face with a heroic spirit. Her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail, and she wore a red outfit with white trousers, long boots covering her shins, and a long sword at her waist.

Shen Xu seemed unable to tolerate this; she turned her head sharply, her round eyes glaring at that person.

“Not late yet! As long as I run there, I’ll definitely make it!”

“Little Xu, heard you passed the City Guard selection with great difficulty? Don’t get kicked out!”

“That’s right, Little Xu; if you get kicked out, we’ll all feel sorry for you!”

People around were all talking at once; it seemed everyone knew this girl named Shen Xu.

Looking at the crowd before her, Shen Xu couldn’t help but smile.

Her smile was warm, like the sunlight falling from the sky.

“Aiya, no more talk, I’m leaving! Or I really will be late!!”

Shen Xu waved to the crowd, held the oil paper package, and left in a hurry.

Shen Xu opened the oil paper package and ate the buns while running. By the time she arrived at the designated place for the City Guard outside the city, the last bun was still stuffed in her mouth.

“Captain Hong! City Guard recruit Shen Xu reporting for duty!”

The girl stood still in front of the assembled City Guard and gave an impeccably straight salute to the team leader.

It was just a pity that her mouth was bulging, making her words unclear.

Captain Hong, with his hands behind his back, turned sideways and squinted at the solemn girl in front of him.

“Shen Xu, what are you eating? Smells so good?”

He spoke seemingly gently, but the murderous intent in his words was self-evident.

Shen Xu hurriedly swallowed the bun in her mouth with force and shouted with full vigor: “Report to Captain Hong! It’s buns from Li’s Bun Shop on Eighteenth Street; they are delicious! If Captain Hong wants to eat, I can bring some for you guys next time!”

Hearing Shen Xu’s words, the City Guard soldiers who had long formed ranks couldn’t hold back their laughter one by one.

As the City Guard of Yelan City, they had undergone professional training and generally wouldn’t laugh.

“What are you laughing at? Is it very funny!?”

Hong Chengliang glared at the people below, and the soldiers immediately dared not utter another word.

Then his spearhead pointed at Shen Xu again, his voice stern: “Shen Xu! You are late by one minute! This is a violation of City Guard discipline!”

“There are important matters today! The punishment will be discussed later! Don’t let me see a next time! Return to the ranks first!”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

Shen Xu lowered her head and nodded repeatedly, looking wilted.

After receiving Hong Chengliang’s permission, Shen Xu then scurried to the very back of the team like a gray mouse.

Hong Chengliang looked around at the neatly numbered team before him, then smiled broadly and began to talk about the specific matters to be done today.

The current City Guard of Yelan City, although called the City Guard, was actually more like a small squad formed by a few hundred people.

Although the number wasn’t large, in this relatively peaceful era, these people were enough.

Just now Shen Xu was severely criticized by Hong Chengliang, but she still listened to Captain Hong Chengliang’s speech with extreme focus.

She originally thought today was just simple training, but unexpectedly, this so-called training was just a cover the City Guard put up for the residents in the city.

In reality, terrifying demonic beasts had appeared outside Yelan City recently, something unprecedented, and the City Guard was needed to investigate and eliminate them.

Hearing the words ‘demonic beast’, many people couldn’t help but panic in their hearts.

After all, most of the time, for those without spiritual cultivation talent, the distance from demonic beasts was very far.

Shen Xu, however, had light shining in her eyes upon hearing about the appearance of demonic beasts.

“Shen Xu… those are demonic beasts; aren’t you afraid?”

A female City Guard member beside her noticed Shen Xu’s excited appearance and couldn’t help asking in a low voice.

Shen Xu grinned, her teeth dazzlingly white. “Isn’t our City Guard here to protect Yelan City from foreign invasion! Eliminating demonic beasts is my duty!”

“Just thinking that I can finally defend my home and country like that female general back then makes me excited!”

She was about to say something more but was awed into silence by a reprimand from Hong Chengliang at the front, lowering her head and daring not speak again.

A moment later, after Hong Chengliang finished explaining the precautions, he led the City Guard toward the place where the demonic beasts appeared.

As soon as the City Guard arrived at the indicated location, they ran straight into the target demonic beast and engaged in a fierce battle with it.

Although the demonic beast possessed infinite strength, under the combined efforts of the City Guard, it was gradually suppressed.

Unfortunately, just when the battle was intense, unexpected changes occurred; there wasn’t just one demonic beast, but two helpers as well.

After a chaotic slaughter, the battlefield was split. Shen Xu and a few others went together to chase down one of the demonic beasts that was already heavily injured.

“Demonic beast, where do you flee!”

Shen Xu chased at the very front, jumping back and forth on the high trees, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing demonic beast before her.

“Shen Xu! Shen Xu! Eh! How is this recruit girl so skilled? Is she not afraid of falling from the tree?”

The people chasing the demonic beast with Shen Xu were lagging far behind her, almost losing sight of the backs of both her and the demonic beast.

After chasing for a while longer, they actually lost both Shen Xu and the demonic beast.

Shen Xu chased all the way and, with incredible luck, forced the demonic beast into a dead end.

She jumped down from the tree, flourished a sword flower with the long sword in her hand, and looked at the uneasy demonic beast with a smug expression on her face.

“Stop running! Surrender!”

As her voice fell, the demonic beast turned around violently—

It was an ape-shaped demonic beast covered in purple crystals, with four eerie eyes embedded in its human-like cheeks.

Although she had already seen this demonic beast, seeing it again now, Shen Xu couldn’t help getting goosebumps.

“So disgusting…”

Facing Shen Xu before it, the ape beast roared, no longer fleeing, and charged straight at Shen Xu.

It threw a fierce punch; clearly injured, its speed was faster than before, catching Shen Xu off guard.

As the saying goes, do not chase a desperate enemy; this was probably the reason.

Push the enemy too hard, and the enemy will explode on you regardless of consequences.

Shen Xu fought with the ape beast for a moment, but a demonic beast was a demonic beast after all. Dozens of people combined weren’t its match, let alone a tiny Shen Xu.

Shen Xu was blasted away by the ape beast’s punch, and when she got up, she didn’t even know where the sword in her hand had flown.

The ape beast roared and charged again, intending to put Shen Xu to death.

Shen Xu’s expression changed, yet she couldn’t counterattack.

“Demonic beast, cease hurting people!”

At the critical moment, a diamond-blue sword shot over, piercing straight through the ape beast’s thigh.

Shen Xu was stunned and subconsciously looked in the direction from which the diamond-blue sword had shot.

Unknown when, two people stood in that direction.

A black-haired young man, dressed in white, with matchlessly handsome features and crimson-gold pupils bright as heavenly stars.

Shen Xu swore she had never seen such a good-looking man in Yelan City.

A woman with black and red long hair, dressed in a white dress and red robes, standing barefoot on the ground. Her appearance was beautiful and sharp as a sword, captivating both humans and gods.

Shen Xu swore she had never seen such a fairy-like figure in Yelan City.

It was just… the fairy wasn’t wearing pants; would her legs be cold?