"Really?"
The girl's face lit up with delight.
Xu Taiping paused, then looked at the girl regretfully and said:
"But the woman I met was at least forty years old."
At those words, the delight on the girl's face immediately turned to disappointment, while a trace of relief flashed across Lu Chen's face.
Xu Taiping caught every change in their expressions.
"You brat, how dare you toy with my junior sister! Just watch me-"
"Senior brother!"
Lu Chen was about to berate Xu Taiping again, but the girl stopped him once more.
"Thank you for telling me, young fellow Daoist. Here are thirty Merit Coins. Please take them as payment for repairing your gate."
Looking somewhat dejected, the girl took out a money pouch and tossed it to Xu Taiping.
"Brat, thirty Merit Coins are more than enough to fix your lousy gate. Count yourself lucky!"
Lu Chen gave Xu Taiping a vicious glare.
"Let's go, senior brother. Please don't make things difficult for this young fellow Daoist anymore."
The girl, still looking dejected, tried to persuade Lu Chen.
"Since you've asked, junior sister, I'll let this brat off. Don't be sad. If we can't find her here, we'll go look at Green Peak Gorge."
At her words, Lu Chen turned to the girl with a face full of smiles.
"Yes, that's all we can do."
The girl nodded, then turned to leave.
"Wait."
Xu Taiping suddenly called out to stop her.
"What is it, young fellow Daoist?"
The girl turned back and looked at Xu Taiping in puzzlement.
"What's your name, big sister?"
Xu Taiping asked.
"You think you're worthy of knowing my junior sister's name?"
A vicious gleam appeared in the eyes of Lu Chen, the disciple from Five Peaks.
"If I meet the woman you mentioned again, I can tell her you came looking for her."
Xu Taiping answered with complete sincerity.
"Young fellow Daoist, my surname is Liu, and my given name is Zijin. If you really do meet my elder sister, please tell her that Zi Jin has been searching for her all this time. Whatever trouble she's encountered, Zi Jin is here for her. She has nothing to fear."
Delight appeared on the girl's face at his words, and she hurriedly made her request to Xu Taiping.
"All right." Xu Taiping nodded. "If I meet her, I'll pass on your message without leaving out a single word."
"Thank you!"
Liu Zijin clasped her hands and bowed solemnly to Xu Taiping.
"Let's go, junior sister. Eldest senior brother and the senior brothers from Sixth Peak are still waiting for us near Green Peak Gorge. If we're late, eldest senior brother will probably scold us."
Lu Chen rolled his eyes at Xu Taiping, then urged Liu Zijin to leave.
"Yes, let's go, senior brother."
Liu Zijin nodded and left the Green Bamboo Abode with Lu Chen.
"Phew..."
Once the two had left, Xu Taiping let out a long breath. Though he had seemed calm and composed, he had actually been rather tense.
After testing Lu Chen's reaction, he was certain that if he had shown even the slightest sign of knowing Liu Qingmei or wanting to tell Liu Zijin something, Lu Chen would have attacked him.
Though he did not know Lu Chen's exact cultivation level, after breaking through to the entering the sea realm, he could clearly sense the powerful fluctuations of true qi coming from him.
If I fought him head-on, what chance would I have of winning? Forty percent? No, perhaps not even twenty.
Xu Taiping pondered silently.
The pressure Lu Chen exerted on him was many times greater than the Tiger Wraith's. If they truly fought, he reckoned he might not even get a chance to strike.
Under these circumstances, handing Liu Qingmei's Dust-Seeking Incense to Liu Zijin was clearly unwise.
Still, by observing Lu Chen's and Liu Zijin's reactions, Xu Taiping had finally confirmed one thing indirectly once again-Sister Qingmei told the truth that day, and the scenes in the Dust-Seeking Incense were real. Lu Chen really was the one who harmed her.
Xu Taiping walked to the courtyard gate.
"I need to find a way to put the Dust-Seeking Incense into Sister Zi Jin's hands when Lu Chen isn't around, so she can see his true colors. Still, those two don't seem particularly close. At least that means Sister Zi Jin hasn't been bewitched by his honeyed words..."
Looking in the direction Liu Zijin and Lu Chen had gone, Xu Taiping murmured to himself.
"They said they were going to Green Peak Gorge. Could they be investigating that Tiger Demon too?"
Xu Taiping suddenly recalled the conversation between Lu Chen and Liu Zijin, and a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
The fiercest monster in this area was that Tiger Demon. It would only be natural for Liu Zijin to blame it for her sister's disappearance.
"If I get to Green Peak Gorge ahead of them, I might have a chance to speak with Sister Zi Jin. But that would mean risking an encounter with the Tiger Demon."
He began weighing the risks of going to Green Peak Gorge.
Xu Taiping had indeed promised Liu Qingmei that he would give the Dust-Leaving Incense to Liu Zijin, but that promise rested on one condition: his own life had to be safe.
Boom...
Just then, an enormous White-Headed Eagle suddenly landed outside the courtyard gate of the Green Bamboo Abode.
"Xu Taiping of the Green Bamboo Abode, here are the things you bought. Twenty Merit Coins in total, plus one more for me."
The White-Headed Eagle tilted its head up, tossing the bundle in its beak high into the air. It landed precisely in front of Xu Taiping.
Compared with White Rainbow, this White-Headed Eagle's voice was clearly much more youthful. It probably was not very old.
"Thanks for the effort."
Xu Taiping caught the bundle, then took the money pouch he had prepared from inside his robe and tossed it to the White-Headed Eagle.
The bundle contained the hundred or so arrows he had purchased, a set of leather armor suitable for traveling through the mountains, and some miscellaneous daily necessities.
He generally bought these supplies once every three months.
Just as Xu Taiping was about to return inside, he suddenly noticed that the young White-Headed Eagle had not left after receiving the Merit Coin. Instead, it stood there, studying him.
"Is there something else, Brother Eagle?"
Xu Taiping asked curiously.
"I heard Father say your roasted Yellow Sheep leg is delicious. Did you roast any today?"
The White-Headed Eagle asked Xu Taiping directly.
"Father? Brother Eagle, is your father Uncle White Rainbow?"
Xu Taiping looked more closely and suddenly realized that this young White-Headed Eagle bore quite a resemblance to Uncle Bai.
"That's right. White Rainbow is my father. My name is Bai Yu. Lately, Father has been talking about you all the time. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were his son."
Bai Yu answered with a hint of jealousy.
Xu Taiping gave an awkward smile at those words.
"Brother Bai Yu, I haven't managed to hunt any Yellow Sheep lately. When I catch one in a few days, I'll be sure to invite you to a feast."
He extended an invitation to Bai Yu.
"Why wait for another day? It's only a Yellow Sheep. I have nothing to do today anyway, so I'll go catch one for you. Just wait here!"
Bai Yu said proudly.
"Sure-wait, Brother Bai Yu!"
Xu Taiping had been about to nod in agreement. He was certainly willing to cook a meal for Uncle Bai's child. But just as he spoke, inspiration flashed through his mind, and he remembered something.
"What, have you changed your mind?"
Bai Yu sounded displeased.
"No, no, no."
Xu Taiping waved his hands repeatedly, then explained to Bai Yu:
"There's something you don't know, Brother Bai Yu. To make the finest roasted Yellow Sheep leg, choosing the very best Yellow Sheep meat matters even more than roasting technique. That's why I'd like you to take me along, so I can choose one myself."
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