Cultivators Must Not Interfere in Mortal Affairs

The team stood in the open field, Hu Tieniu raised his hand and gave the order, and the training began immediately.

Eight hundred crossbowmen stepped forward in unison, their steps perfectly synchronized. The powerful crossbows in their hands were made entirely of high-quality steel, and their bow strength far surpassed that of ordinary military crossbows.

At the sound of the command, the crossbowmen in the front row pulled their triggers simultaneously, the sound of arrows piercing the air becoming one after another, and they all struck the wooden targets a hundred paces away; the second and third rows followed in turn, firing in perfect unison, the rain of arrows continuous without any gaps.

As the crossbowmen retreated, two hundred spearmen stepped forward, each wielding a three-meter-long steel spear with its tip gleaming and sharp.

At their command, they simultaneously thrust forward with their spears, their movements perfectly synchronized. They would retract their spears, step forward, and thrust again, repeating the motion with tremendous force. When on the defensive, they would prop their spears diagonally on the ground, the tips pointing towards the sky. Their formation was impeccable, appearing unbreakable.

After a quarter of an hour of drills, the soldiers moved about in an orderly and disciplined manner, without the slightest sign of disarray. The soldiers wore crimson hard helmets and thick black cloth protective gear with steel plates embedded inside. Although they did not look as heavy as iron armor, they were exceptionally sturdy and robust.

Xiao Mingshu crossed her arms and stared at Shen Jingchuan for a while, then turned her head and said:

"Your soldiers' attire is quite strange; their helmets are neither helmets nor armor."

"They were all made in the clan's workshops," Shen Jingchuan said casually. "They look unremarkable, but they can defend against ordinary swords and arrows; they're very practical."

Xiao Mingshu glanced at it and nodded slightly. No matter how sturdy the mortal protective gear was, it was just an ordinary object in the eyes of cultivators. She wasn't very interested in it to begin with, and just thought to herself, "As expected," before turning back to continue watching the training.

After the drills were completed, Shen Jingchuan gave Hu Tieniu a few more instructions on the precautions for the nighttime operation, and then left without lingering, taking Xiao Mingshu and her servant down the mountain.

As the sun approached noon, we arrived at the Inquiring Goose Pavilion.

Shen Jingchuan took out his pocket watch and glanced at it; it wasn't even one o'clock yet, which was lunchtime.

As soon as the group entered, the restaurant manager, seeing that his owners had arrived, hurriedly greeted them with a smile and led them to the private room reserved on the second floor.

As I walked along, I saw that most of the diners in the hall were speaking with the Yuxi Prefecture accent, and they all seemed to be prominent figures.

After entering the private room and sitting down, Shen Jingchuan casually asked:

"Business is good today, so many customers from the city!"

The waiter quickly bowed and replied:

"Young master, most of these are high-ranking officials and nobles from Yuxi Prefecture. At first, they were just passing merchants who tasted our dishes and found them novel. After returning home, word spread, and these days more and more guests are coming from the city, and the restaurant is full every day."

This private room was specially reserved for you by Chief Hu; it will never be opened to others, even if the room is full.

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand:

"No need for that. I'll let you know in advance next time. It's a waste to leave it empty. We should take customers when it's time to go."

The waiter quickly agreed, bowed, and left. Before long, the dishes were served in a continuous stream, with a pretty little maid standing beside them, responsible for serving the food and adding tea; she was very efficient.

Xiao Mingshu and Huan'er couldn't stop eating after just one bite. It took them a while to stop. The taste of the dishes made with modern seasonings was something that these natives from another world couldn't resist, and the same was true for the cultivators.

After taking a sip of tea, Xiao Mingshu's gaze fell on the window. She had noticed it as soon as she entered the room: several large panes of clear glass were embedded in the entire wall, allowing the sunlight to stream in without any obstruction, making the private room bright and airy.

She got up and walked to the window, gently tapping the glass with her fingertips, then turned back and said:

"Is this another one of your Shen Household's creations? Several large pieces of transparent glass embedded in the wall are rather extravagant. However... looking down from here, it's quite bright and spacious."

The second floor offers a wide view, with panoramic views of the streetscape and distant mountains, much more enjoyable than ordinary carved windows.

Shen Jingchuan smiled and said, "What's with all this talk of extravagance? If you like it, you can come and eat anytime. Just mention my name, and it'll all be on me."

"Tch, does your sister need the money for a few meals?"

Xiao Mingshu pursed her lips, but didn't deny that the food was indeed unique, more to her liking than any restaurant she had ever eaten at. Suddenly remembering something, she asked:

"By the way, why is this restaurant called Inquiring Goose Pavilion? It's quite an elegant name."

After finishing his meal, the sun was already setting. Shen Jingchuan stood up and pointed to the opposite side of the street through the window:

"Sister, look over there, there's a Wild Goose Tomb. The building's name comes from this. Let's go take a look after we finish eating."

Xiao Mingshu, a cultivator with keen eyesight, looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw a small earthen mound on the roadside slope, with a stone tablet in front of it, the words "Wild Goose Tomb" clearly visible.

A thought struck her, and she instantly remembered the famous poem "Groping for Fish," blurting out, "Could it be... the pair of geese you wrote about in that poem?"

Shen Jingchuan nodded:

"Yes, the two geese who died for love are buried here."

The two walked slowly over and stood quietly in front of the Wild Goose Tomb for a moment. The autumn wind swept across the wild grass on the slope, making it sway gently, which did indeed have a somewhat sorrowful feel to it.

After a while, Xiao Mingshu turned her head to look at Shen Jingchuan, her tone tinged with emotion:

"You're such a contradiction. Judging from this poem alone, you seem like a very passionate person; but you're usually so carefree, and you have two wives and a yard full of beautiful women—you don't seem like the type to be devoted to love at all."

Shen Jingchuan scratched his head and grinned, "I'm good to them all, including my sister."

Xiao Mingshu glared at him immediately and slapped his arm in an annoyance. "You're so cheeky."

The two didn't linger and turned back to the carriage. Liu Hu gently pulled the reins, and Little Black Treading Snow easily started the carriage, quickly heading towards Yuxi Prefecture along the official road.

As dusk fell, with about half an hour before the city gates were locked, Shen Jingchuan changed into a neat black outfit and quietly slipped out of the west courtyard. Just as he reached the moon gate, he saw Xiao Mingshu leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, watching him. She had obviously been waiting there for a while.

"Where are we going?" she asked, raising an eyebrow slowly.

Shen Jingchuan paused, no longer bothering to hide it, and chuckled, "I'm going out to take care of some business. I'll be back at dawn."

Xiao Mingshu straightened up and took two steps forward, her expression losing some of its playful tone:

"I know what you're going to do. Let me remind you, cultivators have rules: they cannot arbitrarily interfere in mortal affairs or attack ordinary people. If they are forced to take action, anyone who witnesses it must be silenced. Otherwise, if it gets back to the ears of the imperial court officials, they will come knocking on our door, causing a lot of trouble."

She spoke casually, and at the end, she even gave him a slight smile, but there wasn't much of a smile in her eyes.

Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood the weight of those words. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, sister, I'm just going to watch the show and keep watch. I won't lift a finger."

Xiao Mingshu scoffed and waved her hand at him, "You'd better just watch. If you really cause trouble, I'm not going to clean up your mess."