The road paved with broken stones had long been ground over by countless footprints and carriage wheels.
It was pitted and uneven. Since it had rained not long ago, water had pooled in the low places, mingling with mud and sand until it looked utterly murky.
A pair of white shoes, their soles dusted with dirt while their surfaces remained spotless, skimmed over a puddle.
Then came another pair of straw sandals, their steps slightly unsteady, as though their wearer were being pushed along. One foot landed squarely in the puddle, and in an instant, mud splashed onto the hem of the gray Daoist robe that had once been clean.
After that, two pairs of black cloth shoes stepped over the puddle, pale blue Daoist robes swaying above them.
"Move it!"
A voice urged them on.
Inkstone, the Thousand Faces Sect cultivator in a gray Daoist robe, had just been shoved from behind and stepped into the puddle. He turned around and expressionlessly glanced in Luo Jian's direction.
The round-faced young man met Inkstone's gaze for an instant, then seemed to realize something and hurriedly looked away.
Though the man's cultivation had been completely sealed by True Person Yue, and his body was bound by Immortal Qi—
He was still, after all, a Divine Ability Realm cultivator: a middle-aged man in a gray Daoist robe with a long scar across his face.
Luo Jian was somewhat afraid.
But Inkstone did not get angry. He merely smiled in Luo Jian's direction, the wrinkles on his face bunching together as he bared two rows of white teeth.
He said nothing. He simply lifted his foot and shook the mud droplets from his trouser leg, then continued forward.
Seeing this, Luo Jian turned to Zhou Yan beside him as if seeking help.
Zhou