Jiang Yu was fifteen that year, in the lovely season of budding youth. She looked like a carefree child, without much of a dynastic princess's airs.
Lü Bufan followed Jiang Yu north, listening to her chatter nonstop along the way and occasionally offering a few words in reply.
Before an incense stick could burn down, a Purple Bamboo Grove appeared before Lü Bufan. A scattering of people rested or chatted in front of it.
A man in a pale blue robe stood before the grove, craning his neck in anticipation. It was Mo Bai.
The moment he spotted Lü Bufan, Mo Bai waved happily, but his expression changed when he got a clear look at the girl beside him. "Attendant Lü, it's been so long! I've missed you dearly. Have you been well?"
Lü Bufan answered stonily, "Stop pretending. This is the Princess of Huating of Northern Qi. As for the rest... Her Highness knows everything..."
Mo Bai flushed and bowed. "This rogue cultivator, Mo Bai, pays his respects to Your Highness."
Jiang Yu bent her knees in return and narrowed her eyes. "You have such lovely skin, Immortal Master Mo Bai. Those girlfriends of mine were quite fond of it... Hehehe..."
Mo Bai shuddered, then immediately followed Lü Bufan's example, treating it like a passing breeze and relying on the thickness of his skin to withstand it.
Lü Bufan glanced at the sky. "Where is the Cultivator Market? What time does it open?"
"It opened at daybreak," Mo Bai said. "It's just north of Guest Reception Island, but the entrance fee is one spirit stone... Choosing a stall costs another."
"So that's two hundred taels of silver? Certainly not cheap... A middling household down below the mountain only saves ten or twenty taels after a year of hard work.