The main street of Godwind City was bustling with people.
The exchange competition had just ended, and most of the students from the Five Elements Academy had left, but the city's liveliness did not diminish much.
Street vendors shouted their wares, the woks for roasted chestnuts clattered loudly, and the ovens for baking flatbreads emitted white smoke, enveloping the entire street in a warm, inviting aroma of food.
Shui Bing'er walked beside Feng Xiaotian, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the street stalls. She was usually either cultivating or leading teams at the Skywater Academy, and rarely had the opportunity to stroll around like this.
The streets of Godwind City were quite different from those of Skywater City. The snacks sold on the street and the trinkets displayed on the stalls all seemed rather novel to her.
Feng Xiaotian noticed her excitement and didn't urge her, just stayed by her side. He explained whatever Shui Bing'er was looking at.
As she approached a dessert shop, Shui Bing'er slowed her pace.
Two copper pots were set up at the entrance of the shop, one simmering red bean paste and the other cooking osmanthus lotus root starch, steaming upwards. The Sisi aroma mingled with the afternoon sun, bathing the whole street in a warm and cozy atmosphere.
Shui Bing'er glanced at it a few more times, her gaze lingering for a moment on the bubbling pot of lotus root starch.
Feng Xiaotian followed her gaze and asked, "Want to try some?"
Shui Bing'er hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Isn't that too childish?"
Shui Bing'er spoke with a serious expression, not like she was being coquettish, but rather as if she was seriously considering the question. At the Skywater Academy, she was the captain, the core member, and a role model for the group of girls.
The team members only saw her calm and composed side; few people would associate her with the image of her standing on the street buying sweet soup.
Feng Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh when he saw her expression.
"Of course not." Feng Xiaotian's tone was natural, as if he were stating a matter of course. "Every girl has the right to taste all kinds of delicious food. It has nothing to do with being childish."
Shui Bing'er looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Wait here for me, I'll go buy it for you." Feng Xiaotian had already walked towards the shop, but after taking a couple of steps, he turned back and added, "Red bean paste flavor, or lotus root starch flavor?"
Shui Bing'er thought for a moment, "Lotus root starch flavor, I guess."
Feng Xiaotian nodded, turned around, and squeezed into the queue.
Shui Bing'er watched his retreating figure as he squeezed into the crowd, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved slightly. The afternoon sun fell on her face, softening that faint smile.
She stopped at the street corner, her gaze casually sweeping over the surrounding vendors.
"Wow, this girl's pretty."
The voice came from behind, carrying an undisguised frivolity. Shui Bing'er frowned slightly and turned around.
Three men stood behind her. The one in the lead was burly, with his arms crossed and a malicious smile on his face.
His two accomplices spread out to his left and right, subtly blocking her from both sides. Judging from their clothes and appearance, they seemed to be local thugs, and there was no outward display of Soul Power, so it was impossible to tell their strength at the moment.
"Shopping alone?" The man in the lead looked her up and down, grinning. "How about having a drink with us?"
Shui Bing'er's face turned cold. She didn't speak or back down, but simply stared at the other person quietly.
Some pedestrians noticed the commotion, but seeing three men surrounding a girl, most of them lowered their heads and quickly walked away.
"Not saying anything? That means you're not giving me face." The man reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.
Shui Bing'er dodged to the side, and with a flick of her right hand, a wisp of cold air swept across her palm, not condensing into an ice blade, but merely brushing against the back of the man's hand.
The chill was extremely thin and sharp; the man felt a bone-chilling cold on the back of his hand, and when he looked down, he saw that his skin was covered with a layer of white frost.
The man abruptly withdrew his hand, his smile freezing on his face.
"So you're Soul Master." The man rubbed the frost off the back of his hand, his expression shifting. He glanced at the passersby on the street, his gaze sweeping over a patrol of city guards on a distant street corner. His lips moved, but in the end, he only let out a cold laugh.
"They've got personality, just you wait and see."
The man didn't say anything more, but winked at his two accomplices, and the three of them turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Shui Bing'er watched them leave, the chill in her palm slowly dissipating. She withdrew her gaze, not taking the little incident to heart. Every city has a few of these street thugs who try to pick you up, and since they were sensible enough to leave, she didn't want to cause any more trouble.
The three thugs didn't go far. They retreated to the eaves of a building on the street corner.
The man in the lead leaned against the wall, looking down at the frost on the back of his hand that hadn't completely faded, his face grim.
When she looked up again, she saw a young man carrying two bowls of sweet soup squeeze through the crowd, walk up to the girl, and hand her one bowl. They exchanged a few words and continued walking side by side.
"So you have company." The Soul Grandmaster on the left narrowed his eyes. "Where did I see you earlier?"
"That guy was queuing for dessert, not next to the girl," the Soul Elder on the right clicked his tongue. "He was walking with that girl, so he's probably Soul Master too. If they're both Soul Master, that's a bit tricky."
"So, are we still going to follow or not?" The Soul Grandmaster looked at the Soul Elder on his right.
The Soul Elder on the right did not answer immediately. He squinted at the backs of the couple at the alley entrance for a moment, then scoffed.
"What's there to be afraid of? There are three of us, two of whom are Soul Elder. What are we afraid of?"
The man at the head of the group didn't respond. His gaze swept through the crowd on the young couple walking side by side.
He had just reached out to put his arm around the other person's shoulder, but the other person didn't even give him a second glance, directly driving him away with a chilling aura. With so many people watching, losing face in public like this—if word got out, how could he ever show his face in this area again?
"Follow me." He wiped his hands on his trousers and straightened up. "Find a chance for revenge."
The two strolled along most of the street, Shui Bing'er's pace gradually slowed down. It wasn't that she was tired; with Soul Master's stamina, walking this distance was nothing.
The afternoon sun made her feel lazy, so she sat down on the stone steps at the entrance of an alley, looked up at Feng Xiaotian and said, "Let's rest for a while."
Feng Xiaotian sat down next to her and followed her gaze to the other side of the street.
Across the alley from the entrance is a small shop with a small storefront. Several Wind Chime hang at the door, and the window displays various handmade braided ropes and jade pendants. It looks like a shop that specializes in selling trinkets that girls like.
Shui Bing'er's gaze lingered on the shop window for a moment.
Feng Xiaotian followed her gaze and asked, "Would you like to go inside and take a look?"
Shui Bing'er thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at him, a faint smile playing on her lips, "Why don't you help me pick one out?"
"Me?" Feng Xiaotian was taken aback.
"Hmm." Shui Bing'er straightened the hem of her skirt above her knees, her tone natural, "I want to see what your taste is like."
She spoke with a serious expression, but a hint of mischief was clearly hidden in her eyes.
Feng Xiaotian looked at her for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, stood up, and patted his clothes. "Alright, then you wait for me here. Don't complain if I don't pick something you like."
"Let's choose first." Shui Bing'er leaned against the wall by the stone steps, a rare hint of laziness on her face.
Feng Xiaotian chuckled and shook his head, then turned and walked towards the small shop. He entered the shop, and the bell at the door rang once. Behind the display window, his figure moved back and forth between the shelves, carefully selecting items. Shui Bing'er glanced at him through the window, couldn't help but smile, then looked away, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes.
The alleyway quieted down. Occasionally, a few pedestrians would pass through, their footsteps echoing on the stone slabs before fading into the distance.
But unnoticed by Shui Bing'er, three shadows were watching her from the street corner. Those three shadows had been following them all the way and were now silently approaching the alley entrance.