It was already late at night. The middle-aged rogue cultivator who had caused a scene outside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion swaggered away from the crowd, then abruptly grew tense and wary.
He slipped onto a narrow path, twisted and turned through several bends, and reached a corner of the Market Gathering. Without warning, his face changed, and his frame seemed to grow two inches taller. His appearance, build, and even his aura became those of another person.
Then he hurried toward the street entrance opposite and began browsing shops selling everyday goods as though nothing had happened.
Suddenly, a breath of energy swept toward him.
"Hm?"
Seemingly sensing something, he turned to look but discovered nothing.
It turned out to be nothing more than the mountain breeze flowing through the valley.
Li Ling left the valley with his arm around the Ninth Princess. With a flick of his sleeve, he released the Purple-Gold Flying Shuttle.
Light flashed within the shuttle. The Dharma power stored inside enveloped them both, transformed them into spiritual light, and carried them away through the sky.
Before long, they arrived home and landed on a path in the Inner Garden. Their stroll back to the Quiet Serenity Residence took far longer than their journey back from outside the city.
This was probably the soaring hawk's freedom Li Ling had spoken of before. A mere few dozen miles was practically no different from being right outside his own door.
One who ventured into the nearby wilds could return after three meals, his belly still full; one who traveled a hundred miles had to pound grain overnight; one who traveled a thousand miles had to gather provisions for three months. Li Ling no longer needed to share in any of those concerns.
Li Ling and the Ninth Princess