The Senior... Who Is Ling An'an?

You He froze. When he came back to his senses, he asked awkwardly:

"Senior... S-Senior... do you still need something?"

Jing Pu pursed his lips and tossed down the bundle of food in his hand.

"I asked Elder Ling just now. This is the way back to Nanning Village, right? I heard it takes at least two or three days to walk there, so I brought you something to eat. Don't go hungry on the way back."

You He took the food Jing Pu had given him. He nodded blankly, then said, "Th-then, thank you, Senior..."

Having delivered the food, Jing Pu glanced at You He below but didn't say anything else. He called out a farewell, turned around, and rode off on the Dragon Horse.

Jing Pu did find it strange. That fellow sure ran fast. He'd covered so much ground in such a short time. He didn't seem like an ordinary mortal...

But on second thought, it wasn't all that surprising. Mortals in a cultivation world were bound to be different from those on Earth. Besides, Ling Tiannan and the others hadn't said there was anything wrong, so Jing Pu didn't give it much thought.

After Jing Pu left, You He frowned and opened the bundle to take a look. He bared his teeth in disgust and immediately flung it to the ground. It was the same spoiled food from earlier!

What did this mean?!

Was it a warning?!

Or was he mocking him?!

You He wasn't spineless. If he'd been humiliated like this under ordinary circumstances, he'd rather fight to the death than give up. He would never have taken the initiative to offer his Demon Pill and beg for mercy.

But this time was different. You He had absorbed that Auspicious Qi from heaven and earth and obtained an unparalleled opportunity. After going back and resting for a while, he'd be able to gather the Tribulation Lightning Clouds again and make another attempt at the Tribulation Crossing Stage.

As long as he could ascend to the Tribulation Crossing Stage, he'd gain another thousand years of Origin Lifespan. He could take his time with everything else.

You He looked in the direction Jing Pu had left. Once he was sure Jing Pu was gone, he suddenly took out a pill, put it in his mouth, and began restoring his Spiritual Power and True Qi.

Before, You He had been afraid that people would surround him while he was recovering. Now, he wasn't worried. The cultivators here all knew he was around, and that fellow had said he was letting him go.

"So you give me spoiled food and treat me like a damn monkey, huh? Just wait till I make my triumphant return. I'll kill that son of a bitch!"

Grinding his teeth as he spoke, You He slowly closed his eyes and began refining the pill inside him.

On the way back, Jing Pu sneezed and couldn't help pulling his clothes tighter. Autumn was coming soon, after all. The weather had gotten much cooler.

When Jing Pu returned to where they'd been before, Ling Ju and the others were chatting about something. As soon as they saw him, Ling Tiannan and the others hurriedly asked, "Senior, did you deliver the food?"

Jing Pu nodded. "I did. If there's nothing else, shall we head back?"

Ling Tiannan and the others nodded. Then they all took out their Flying Swords and followed the Dragon Horse through the air.

There were quite a few people around, so Ling Ju didn't feel comfortable sitting with Jing Pu again. She borrowed a Flying Sword from Ling Tiannan and flew alongside Jing Pu.

As they chatted on the way back, Jing Pu suddenly looked at Ling Tiannan, curious. "By the way... I haven't seen Ling An'an at all. What's she been up to?"

Ling Tiannan paused, then quickly replied, "An'an went into seclusion to make a breakthrough."

Jing Pu nodded slightly, curious. "Will it take long?"

Ling Tiannan thought for a moment, then hurriedly answered, "About two months. Is there something you need from An'an, Senior?"

Jing Pu shook his head with a smile. "No, I just haven't seen her in so many days. I kind of miss her."

Hearing Jing Pu's words, Ling Tiannan felt a little excited. "I'll thank you on An'an's behalf for caring about her, Senior. Once she comes out of seclusion, I'll make sure she comes to see you first."

Ling Ju, listening to Jing Pu and Ling Tiannan's conversation, felt puzzled. She knew she shouldn't pry into things like this, but she couldn't help herself. Almost as if possessed, she suddenly asked, "Senior... who is Ling An'an?"

Jing Pu was taken aback. He turned to look at Ling Ju beside him and smiled. "The first friend I made after arriving here. She's a good person. Thanks to her, I was able to join the Divine Sword Sect."

Everyone was used to Jing Pu's modesty. After hearing his answer, Ling Ju nodded thoughtfully.

When they passed Qinghe Town on the way back, Jing Pu finally remembered what he'd been planning to do.

He called out to Ling Tiannan and the others, then went down with his shopping list in hand. Ling Ju immediately followed him.

As for Ling Tiannan and Di Chen, they both really wanted to go with Jing Pu. After all, every moment spent talking with Senior Jing Pu was worth ten times as much experience.

But since Ling Ju had gone along, the others knew better than to insist. They felt it was a pity, but had no choice but to let it go.

Jing Pu was quick when it came to shopping. He'd been to Qinghe Town once before, and with the shopping list he'd made earlier, he bought almost everything he needed in just over an hour.

Now he just had to stop by the bun shop from before and buy some more buns and steamed bread.

Jing Pu and Ling Ju were walking through the bustling market in Qinghe Town. Both of them were so strikingly beautiful that they couldn't help drawing people's stares wherever they went.

Jing Pu was thick-skinned and didn't care. Ling Ju, on the other hand, took out a thin, moon-white veil and put it over her face.

But Jing Pu thought it was pointless. Ling Ju's beauty couldn't possibly be concealed by a single veil. Those clear, rippling blue eyes alone were already captivating enough, to say nothing of her ethereal elegance.

Still, with the veil on, Ling Ju seemed more at ease. She no longer cared about the gazes around her and instead looked with curiosity at the lively market.

It seemed to be Ling Ju's first time in a place like this. She was curious about everything and completely absorbed in it. She even seemed to have forgotten Jing Pu's status and was no longer as reserved as before. Whenever she spotted something new, she'd ask him about it.

The two of them really did seem like friends now. Jing Pu preferred it this way. He'd thought Ling Ju was quite afraid of him before.

Jing Pu had no idea what there was to be afraid of. Not just Ling Ju—everyone in the Divine Sword Sect seemed afraid of him. Jing Pu preferred getting along with people like friends.

They strolled along, chatting, and soon arrived at the same bun shop as before.

The shop was packed. It was morning, after all, and lots of people were out eating breakfast. Jing Pu immediately called inside, "Sis, do you have any buns left?"

A sweet voice quickly answered from inside, "Coming, coming~"

When the graceful proprietress came out, she saw Jing Pu and Ling Ju and paused. Then she gave Jing Pu a mischievous smile. "You're impressive, young master. You've only been in the Divine Sword Sect for a few days, and you've already found yourself such a stunning Dao companion?"