Yu'er, who had "fallen" into Mo Hua's hands, was following this kind little older brother he had met in passing, matching him step for step as they headed toward Qingzhou City.
The sky had already darkened, and the figures around them were sparse and lonely.
Night shrouded the mountains and woods.
Yet after a short while, things grew noisy again, as if there were always cultivators coming and going in the dark, crossing paths.
Mo Hua could sense these people's traces clearly with his Divine Consciousness, but he did not know the identities or origins of these cultivators, so he showed no reaction.
These cultivators were heading outward; the closer they drew to Qingzhou City, the quieter it became instead.
By around midnight, they were still twenty li from Qingzhou City.
Yu'er had walked for several hours. His face was slightly pale, and he was utterly exhausted. His calves felt as if they had been filled with lead, and he could hardly lift his legs, but he seemed afraid of being abducted and sold again, or perhaps he wanted to see his parents sooner so they would not worry, so he kept gritting his teeth and enduring.
Mo Hua released his Divine Consciousness and surveyed the surroundings, then stroked Yu'er's little head.
"Let's rest nearby for the night. Tomorrow morning, we'll enter the city..."
Yu'er said softly, "Yu'er isn't tired..."
Mo Hua said, "It's too late. The city gates may not be open. Sleep properly first and build up your strength."
There were many Immortal Cities in the cultivation world.
Different State Boundaries and different Immortal Cities all had somewhat different curfews and gate restrictions.
Based on Mo Hua's past experience traveling outside, some Immortal Cities had curfews at night.
Some did not, but if they encountered a major incident,