Qing Tu was far from Yun Cuo.
Even after crossing the Jin River, they still had to traverse the wilderness. Xie Xi was worried about Chu Yu being jostled too much so they found a place to rest every two days. All along the way, Xie Xi pinched and caressed little Chu Yu to his heart's content.
Please read the novel at bcnovels πΉβπ πΈβ‘πChu Yu deeply regretted all the many liberties that he had taken when the protagonist was a shota. With an impassive face, he allowed the protagonist to play with him as much as he wanted. Anyway, with every passing day this child will get used to his current childlike appearance, therefore, it will eventually lose its novelty.
However, he hadn't expected that when Xie Xi noticed that Chu Yu was not resisting, Xie Xi got even more excited and started to enjoy himself more and more. Chu Yu was thus hoist by his own petard. Though he was indignant, he was powerless to resist so he simply resigned himself to this treatment and proceeded to ignore it.1 Xie Xi then lifted him up and continued to tease him, trying to get a reaction.
Each of them used their ultimate skill and, as a consequence, each had to reap what they had sowed. Chu Yu's face was rubbed and pinched until it was swollen and Xie Xi's eyes turned red. In the end, Xie Xi lost.
Chu Yu was satisfied.
If he avoided thinking about the consequences, it was fun to see the protagonist so deflated.
Half a month had passed before they arrived at Yun Cuo. A snowstorm was raging. Snow and hail crashed against their faces like sand and pebbles. The moaning of the wind filled the air and there was no one in sight.
Although the demonic cultivators had discovered a top quality Lingshi (translucent crystals with spiritual energy trapped within) vein in Yun Cuo, there were too many people who wanted to use it and not enough crystals so it was impossible to satisfy all of them. In the end, the distribution of resources was uneven. Thus, when a top quality Lingshi vein was excavated, a great war broke out. With their last dying breath, they used up all their human and material resources to create one large array that locked in all of the spiritual energy near the Lingshi vein. The land that was enclosed in that large array was called "Ling Jing."2 Outside of Lign Jing was a vast, desolate wilderness.
After a few days of traveling in the bleak outskirts of Yun Cuo, they finally reached a city.
Well, it looked like a city but at first glance, it appeared to be deserted. The city walls were in ruins; the gates were decaying, and the city's sign was blurry and hard to read.
Chu Yu stared at the blurry calligraphy for a long while, trying without success to read it, but in the end, he had to give up.
Despite the harsh environment and the fact that this was the demonic cultivators' stronghold, there were still mortals living in this place. They didn't know if this was just their luck as newcomers or whether this was bad luck for those mortal residents.
Chu Yu looked around as they entered the city. The inside was as dilapidated as the outside. It couldn't compare at all to the cities and towns in the Righteous Path cultivators' territories that were all very prosperous. Here there was only desolation and silence. The few people they saw didn't make any noise.
This was a barren land under the demonic cultivators' control and he feared that the few mortal inhabitants were simply not enough. Even so, these mortals all looked to be a bit more violent than ordinary people.
Chu Yu, who wasn't used to being in such a place that was full of such vicious undercurrents and antisocial behavior, leaned closer to Xie Xi. Unconsciously grabbing Xie Xi's sleeve, Chu Yu whispered: "Hurry up and ask someone for directions."
When Xie Xi lowered his head. When he saw the nervous expression that was present on that child who had a face like white jade with pink cheeks, a warm current seemed to flow into his heart. This soft, tender feeling made him reach out and gently pinch Chu Yu's little face. Xie Xi nodded.
Chu Yu rolled his eyes as he listened to Xie Xi say: "Shixiong, do you really not want Shidi to carry you in his arms?"3
Chu Yu snorted.
Xie Xi sighed in regret and casually looked around for someone to ask for directions.
He asked a middle-aged man, with an indescribable dark air and a numb expression. He looked at Xie Xi coldly then at the cute little fish. His voice was husky and low: "You are outsiders?"
Xie Xie frowned, took Chu Yu into his arms and nodded.
The man's face was still expressionless as he carefully looked Xie Xi over. "Your clothes aren't like the clothes that the people from Yun Cuo wear." He paused, then seemed to think of something. The expression on his face suddenly turned to one of shock. "You're a righteous cultivator?"
Chu Yu was keenly aware of the strange tone of his voice, which sounded like he was extremely displeased. Turning his head around to look at the people who had heard that sentence, Chu Yu suddenly felt uneasy.
Xie Xie paused and nodded again, but his hand silently moved towards Duan Xueβs hilt. Chu Yu saw the situation and quickly grabbed Xie Xi's hand.
Although the atmosphere in this city was very strange and the man's tone of voice wasn't very good, it was easy to see that all of these people were just mortal without any spirit roots. If Xie Xi got too excited, one sweep of his sword would be enough to leave the city without any living beings.
"A Righteous Path cultivator?" Muttered the man with his head hanging low. Suddenly, his face became grim and twisted, and he roared: "A Righteous Path cultivator?! Just what are you doing here? All of Jing Ling's cultivators have already left.