The long street of Clear Spring Town.
"Make way! Make way, everyone!"
A handsome, spirited young man strode brazenly through the crowd, bare-chested, with a wild boar slung over his shoulder.
Behind him followed a woman who looked like an immortal maiden stepped out of a painting.
This pairing of "beast and fairy" instantly drew the attention of the entire street.
Every passerby turned to look, and the sight of the white-robed woman left them all dazzled.
The two were, naturally, Si Shuo and Jiang Ling, who had emerged from the barren mountains.
"What are you staring at? Never seen another man's wife before? Keep looking and I'll gouge your eyes out!"
Si Shuo glared irritably at several hooligans who were practically drooling over Jiang Ling.
After years of fighting amid flashing blades, he exuded killing intent even without his immortal essence. One glance told the hooligans he was not someone to provoke. Without daring to utter a word, they lowered their heads and slunk away.
Jiang Ling gave him a displeased look. "Who are you calling your wife?"
"Hey, just a stopgap. A stopgap."
Si Shuo chuckled, his skin as thick as a city wall. "I'm only trying to spare us unnecessary trouble."
Jiang Ling could not be bothered with him. Yet, for some reason, watching him curse and shove a path through the crowd for her eased some of the irritation in her heart.
Before long, Si Shuo stopped outside a restaurant. Three large characters swept across its sign like soaring dragons and dancing phoenixes: "Moon-Gazing Tower."
He tossed the boar down in front of the counter with a thud. "Shopkeeper, do you buy wild game?"
The portly shopkeeper jumped and was about to lose his temper, but his eyes lit up when he saw the quality of