Wait a minute, where is my master?

Gusu City West, on a secluded street.

There was a snack stall, mainly selling small eats like wontons, noodles, and buns.

The stall owner was an elderly man over fifty, his hair somewhat graying, busying himself behind the stall with his granddaughter.

The stall wasn't big, having only a large steaming pot, several stacked steamers, and three or four small tables.

It was currently full of people.

"Sister, here are the wontons you wanted."

A little girl dressed in light green with twin buns walked to the table with a bowl of wontons, her chubby cheeks red and slightly out of breath, seemingly a bit tired.

"Hmm, thank you, little sister."

Little White reached for the ceramic bowl, her mouth still chewing on the half-chicken she had just "rescued" from East Street, and she mumbled a response.

The wooden table in front of her had bowls stacked up to a meter high.

"Little White~"

"Sister Little Yu, your bowl hasn't arrived yet!"

"Okay, Little White, let me try one first."

"No way, you said the same last time, and then you ate six!"

Little White tightly guarded her bowl, giving Yu Yaoer no chance to take advantage.

Jin Xu watched his two demon pets playfully competing over a bowl of wontons, his lips curling slightly upward, then silently shifted his own bowl of noodles closer to his chest.

Xia Yunzhao, following suit, did the same.

Fatty Zhao had led several people to this stall; he said that in his youth, while roaming Gusu, he stumbled upon this stall and tried it on a whim, only to find it astoundingly delicious.

Since then, Dabao had become a regular customer at this snack stall.

Originally, the group of them was strolling along the busiest main street of Gusu City.

The three women bought quite a few trinkets on the main street, such as masks, hairpins, rouge, jewelry, and so on.

Midway, they even passed the fountain landmark—Zheng family's old residence—created by Jin Xu, and Xia Yunzhao expressed her surprise.

Being from Shangjing City, she had actually heard of this legend in Gusu City.

She recalled a maidservant from the palace once telling her about it when she was a child.

The three women were having fun, apparently seldom experiencing such relaxation.

And Mr. Mei from the three old friends called the "Suihan Sanyou," kept reflecting on the fleeting nature of time, mentioning that he had been to this place decades ago when it wasn't called Yingchun House, and then noted how a brothel from the past was now turned into a restaurant.

After wandering around the area a bit more, Dabao had initially planned to take everyone to Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City.

But Yaoer suggested that they look for delicious snacks within the city instead.

She mentioned how, back when she lived among humans, she loved tasting the food from stalls found in the streets and alleys the most.

So, Dabao led them here.

"Little Fatty, the place you found is really nice. If we go to Qingmu City one day, I'll take you for lamb soup; the taste is on par with this one."

Mei Shouyi set down his ceramic bowl, wiped his mouth, and praised while also sharing about the distinctive foods of Qingmu City, showing he was quite the gourmet himself.

Dabao, smiling cheerily, agreed, saying they should definitely try it and also suggested,

"I know a few more stalls and small shops; since it's still early, why don't we go and try them all?"

Hearing this, a look of intrigue appeared in everyone's eyes, and Jin Xu also nodded in agreement.

Unfortunately, Li Mi suddenly sent a message stating that the meeting was over and asked Xia Yunzhao and Jin Xu among others to return.

The plans to explore the delicacies of Gusu City had to be put on hold, and everyone agreed to have a good time exploring once their duties were fulfilled.

Fatty Zhao settled the bill, and the group bid farewell to the old man and the little girl.

Before leaving, the little girl asked her grandfather for a basket of buns to give to the handsome Taoist "brother" and the pretty but voracious gray-haired "sister."

Jin Xu, courteously thanked them and decided to support the grandfather and granddaughter's business whenever possible.

Mei Shouyi felt resentful, wondering why the little girl didn't give him any buns. Was it just because he wasn't as handsome as the young Taoist?

...

The group returned to the watchman's residence.

Inside the hall.

Li Mi had already negotiated that each of the three families would contribute one Nascent Soul, three Golden Cores, and ten Foundation Establishments, forming three teams to be dispatched by Zhou Fengyu, the Great Commander of the city guards.

Due to Gusu City's vastness and the inability of the Void Refinement Realm Spiritual Sense to cover it entirely, as well as the need to conserve strength, Nascent Soul Realm Cultivators were arranged to assist the City Protection Array, taking turns scanning Gusu City with their Spiritual Sense to prevent the Demon Sect from causing trouble in the city.

The Golden Cores and Foundation Establishment Cultivators, along with personnel drawn from the city guards, were responsible for addressing the increasing incidents in the vicinity of Gusu City caused by Transformation Fruits leading to attacks by magical creatures and evil cultivators, while also monitoring for any unusual activities nearby.

If there was a chance, it would be ideal to obtain some artifacts imbued with the aura of the Demon Sect; these could help the watchmen track their whereabouts using the Thousand-mile Sky Patrol Device.

As for Jin Xu, Li Mi hoped he could stay in Gusu City for a while, ready to lend support whenever strong enemies appeared.

Essentially, he was an on-call firefighter.

The young Taoist said there was no problem but made a request to Li Mi.

"Mr. Li, though I have lived in remote mountains, I've always liked to learn about new and old events, oddities, and various curiosities in the Cultivation World. Could you help me find some related books during my time in the city?"

Jin Xu planned to use this opportunity to understand the Cultivation World of the Nine Provinces better.

He also wanted to figure out what his real strength was.

"Of course, that's no problem. Since Jin Xu, the young Taoist, has this interest, you can stay here at our residence during your time in the city. The third floor here is the watchman's library. With this token, you'll have free access,"

As he spoke, a token materialized in Li Mi's hand and he passed it over.

A simple request like this could earn the goodwill of a powerful cultivator; there was no reason for him to refuse.

Jin Xu courteously accepted the token, thanked him, and then attendants came to lead the three to their arranged rooms.

Xia Yunzhao also wanted to go, but she was held back.

Li Mi was troubled. How could the Seventh Princess of the Great Xia Dynasty be so bewitched by a mere Taoist perhaps just because he was handsome!

Your city is about to be threatened!

"Your Highness, Mr. Mei, Mr. Zhu, our current situation is not good."

At this moment, the leaders of the three families had already left, leaving Xia Yunzhao, Mei Shouyi, Mr. Zhu, and Li Mi in the hall.

He coughed twice, paced back and forth in the hall holding a scroll, his face lacking the stern fierceness he had when arguing with the head of the Li family.

"Mr. Li, this is..." Xia Yunzhao didn't understand, since Gusu City had Jin Xu, the young Taoist, stationed here.

"The moment I received your message about the Transformation Pond, I reported it to Shangjing City. However, this morning, they replied that the Demon Sect indeed has plans, but the specifics are unclear to Shangjing City as well, and the three from Qingmu Academy are the last reinforcements they are sending; they asked us to figure out the rest on our own."

After saying this, he hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Such abnormal behavior means that Shangjing City might also be in trouble.

Princess, can you perhaps use your own channels to find out what exactly is going on?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yunzhao looked hesitant.