Traveling with a Companion

Men had their interests: drinking, playing cards, and visiting pleasure houses.
Women also had their preferences: appreciating gardens, trying on clothes, and strolling through flower streets.

At this moment, Gong Ning was being led by the arm by Bai Peilan, walking down the streets of Profound Heaven Peak.
Surrounded by a flock of chirping women, she felt quite uncomfortable.

Gong Ning remembered that when she was in school in her past life, the most annoying thing was a group of female classmates walking hand in hand, treating the corridor like their living room.

Now that she had become like this, she felt a pang of guilt, afraid that by walking slowly, she was blocking someone’s way.

“I heard the newly opened Jade Pavillion has brought in gauze woven by the merfolk of the East Sea.
Jingzhi, you’re naturally beautiful, yet you’ve been wearing the elder’s uniform all this time.
Don’t you want a change of pace?”

Bai Peilan turned back to look at Gong Ning’s face.

This made Gong Ning feel a little shy and annoyed.
Bai Peilan always liked to talk about her appearance.
And when she did, she sometimes brought up her previous male identity, as if she was determined to make Gong Ning fall in some way.

Gong Ning saw the teasing in her eyes and was about to scold her when she heard Bai Peilan exclaim, “Ouch!”
Taking a closer look, she saw that Zhou Yu’an had pinched Bai Peilan on the waist.

“Master, don’t mind her.
Sister Bai’s water spiritual root is overflowing into her brain, so she often speaks nonsense.”

“No, that’s nothing, but why do you keep calling me Master…”

“Hmm?
Isn’t this very normal?
Just like how a couple, after being together for a long time, will gradually simplify their address for each other from ‘the child’s father’ and ‘the child’s mother’ to ‘his father’ or ‘his mother’.
There’s nothing wrong with me calling you Master, right?”

‘No, how on earth did this logic form…’

But Zhou Yu’an had already walked into the Jade Pavillion.
Bai Peilan was also pulling her, so it wasn’t right not to go.

Stepping into the Jade Pavillion, a faint fragrance of Snow Soul Orchid filled the air.
Between the light gauze curtains, various fabrics shimmered under the light of the spirit lamps.
The shopkeeper was a female cultivator in a moon-white long robe.
Seeing the three of them enter, she immediately greeted them warmly.

Bai Peilan eagerly pulled the shopkeeper to see the East Sea merman gauze, while Gong Ning was attracted by a piece of fabric that shimmered with starlight.
The fabric was like a flowing galaxy, with the trajectory of stars hidden within.

“Master, have you taken a fancy to this fabric?
As far as I know, this thing is called Cloud Robe.
When a cultivator undergoes a tribulation and the sky is filled with swirling clouds, only when the clouds are saturated with spiritual energy is there a chance for it to form.
But now there are other ways to weave it artificially, yet it’s still headache-inducingly expensive.”

Gong Ning touched it lightly and felt a cool spiritual energy flow.

It was beautiful, and even she was a little moved, but Gong Ning’s thinking was still primarily focused on practicality.

“Does it have any special effects?”

Hearing this, Zhou Yu’an felt there was a chance.

“Yes, it can suppress unnecessary spiritual energy leakage and also has the effect of a Mind-Clearing Pill, keeping one clear-headed at all times.
Does Master want to buy it?”

Gong Ning was mostly convinced, but not for herself.

“I’m buying it for my disciple.
She happens to be good at needlework and is quite skillful.”

Zhou Yu’an was taken aback, not expecting this outcome.

‘But, isn’t this even more exciting?’

Bai Peilan almost failed to buy her East Sea merman gauze.
She didn’t have enough money, so Gong Ning lent her some.
Who knew she would hug Gong Ning’s arm intimately in gratitude.

After becoming an elder, one was generally not short of silver.
Elders were responsible for selecting tasks for disciples who needed to earn spiritual merits, and there was a legitimate commission.
Of course, there were also under-the-table methods that could earn a lot.

Apart from this, the status of an elder itself held power.
As long as one’s standards were low, it was very normal to use one’s position for personal gain.

Obviously, the disciples of the Heart-Sword Hall couldn’t support the first source of income; no disciples would accept commissions.
And the second, she was even less likely to earn from.
She had no connections, no network, and a high moral standard.

After wandering for a while longer, stopping at many shops or stalls, half an hour had barely passed.

Fortunately, she had the system space, and they also had storage magical treasures.
Otherwise, they would have had to carry large and small bags to the elders’ seating area.

But…

“Elder Bai, we’ve walked all this way, are we still going to hold hands?”

“Are you scared?
A natural-born woman like me isn’t even scared, yet you’re scared?”

Zhou Yu’an also nodded in agreement.

All readers of “The Crippled Immortal” knew that to treat someone like Master, one had to get her used to her female identity, to naturally accept her, and let her completely identify with herself.

To be certain, affirmative, and one hundred percent in agreement!

But not everyone was as idle as the Heart-Sword Hall.
Even within the Heart-Sword Hall, not everyone had read “The Crippled Immortal.”

Xue Yingdong stood by the elders’ seating area, counting the time on her fingers, occasionally looking around with an impatient expression.

Seeing the three of them approaching from afar, she let out a sigh of relief, but quickly put on an ugly expression.

“What is this, holding hands like this?
Do you know you are elders?
Can you set an example!”

Bai Peilan shivered and shrank her head.
It seemed this person was indeed timid of authority, but she still held on, with the attitude of listening but not changing.

Zhou Yu’an, on the other hand, was much better, saying righteously, “What’s wrong with holding hands?
We haven’t violated any public order or good customs.”

“…”

Xue Yingdong wanted to argue, but she lacked the strength.

“Forget it… the Heart-Sword Hall is in this dilapidated state anyway.
Let others say what they want.
Where are those people?”

Gong Ning asked, “Which people?”

“Who do you think?
Hu Zhenyuan, Zhang Zhubian, where are those people?”

Gong Ning curiously glanced at the elders’ seating area.
Good heavens, not a single one had taken their seat.

Bai Peilan leaned close to Gong Ning’s ear and whispered, “I told you not to rush.
See, no one has come yet.”

As expected of the Heart-Sword Hall, it perfectly matched Gong Ning’s stereotype.

Gong Ning felt a little sorry for Xue Yingdong.
In the entire Heart-Sword Hall, she was the only one who did her job seriously.
Countless times, things had gone against her wishes, yet she was still so diligent.

“…Elder Xue, those who don’t want to come will never come.
Instead of worrying about them, why don’t we take our seats first?”

Hearing this, Xue Yingdong’s eyes lingered on Gong Ning’s veil for a moment, and finally, she sighed.

“Let’s go, take our seats.”

Although the elders’ seating area was separated by factions, it was not completely separated.
Next to the Heart-Sword Hall was the Sky-Sword Pavilion.

Gong Ning saw those old acquaintances after a long time.

Before they could even take their seats, a sharp voice rang out.

“Gong Ning, where are you going?
After staying in the Heart-Sword Hall for so long, have you forgotten your own roots?”

Gong Ning turned her head.
It was still that Gong Changqian speaking.

He was also an outer sect elder, yet he was always so aggressive.
It seemed someone had deliberately pushed him out to say these words.

“You have a big…”

Zhou Yu’an couldn’t stand the shouting of a petty person and was about to retort, but Gong Ning held her back.

Gong Ning didn’t want to bother with him.
After all, today would settle everything.
Whatever the outcome, they would eventually tear off all pretenses.

But at this moment, Xue Yingdong spoke up:

“Which faction’s elder are you?
Are you investigating someone else’s roots now?”