DDDV sponsored chapter (1/1) from Lin O! Buy me a koffee on ko-fi for more chapters. Thank you for your support!
Seeing her friends eat so little, Lu Yaoyao finally understood her demon friends’ concern when they saw her eating barely anything. She kept urging them, “Eat some more, don’t worry, we have plenty of spirit stones!”
The trio refused in unison: “No, no, no.”
To avoid further persuasion from Lu Yaoyao, Chao Muxue changed the topic, pointing casually, “Are those merchants?” The group she was pointing to were clearly cultivators, but they looked different. Their clothing was quite peculiar, and they didn’t have the fresh, ethereal aura typical of cultivators.
Strangely enough, sightings of traveling merchants were rare in Tianyan City, despite its close proximity to the number one sect in the Cultivation Realm, which also made it the busiest city. Chao Muxue had seen traveling merchants once or twice in Tianyan City, but these merchants looked different from those she had seen before.
Lu Yaoyao also looked over. Seeing the group that Chao Muxue pointed to, her chewing slowed unconsciously. “Are they?” she tilted her head.
These merchants seemed friendly. They took a table at a stall, eating and chatting. However, Lu Yaoyao was reminded of a group of traveling merchants she encountered when Daddy took her to run away from home when she was still a baby. Those people gave her a bad feeling at the time and she also remembered the peculiar way they looked at her, but she was safe since her Daddy was with her. Later, her Father arrived, and she didn’t see those merchants again.
Lu Yaoyao had heard that some traveling merchants were bad, trafficking humans, demons, and devils alike, and she suspected that the ones she encountered back then were indeed traffickers who sold demon cubs. Pondering for a while, Lu Yaoyao got up and approached a kindly-looking diner, curiously asking, “Big brother, do you know who those traveling merchants are and what they sell?”
The person she approached had a ferocious look, his face strangely ugly. He was also alone, with no one sitting near him despite the crowd, as if there was a strange vacuum around him. He initially didn’t react when the childish voice posed him a question and just buried his head in his food, eating, until he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. He lowered his head and saw a pretty child gazing up at him.
“Big brother?” Lu Yaoyao, upon getting a clear view of the person’s face, was slightly surprised but not afraid.
B-big brother? Twenty-three-year-old Zhong Wushuang was flattered and overwhelmed. “You… are you talking to me?” He spoke softly, afraid of scaring away the pretty child.
Lu Yaoyao tilted her head, “Yes!” She couldn’t help but take a few more looks. In a world filled with handsome men and beautiful women, she found it novel to see someone with such unique features. Despite having normal facial features, his face gave a strange, twisted impression. However, his aura was calm and friendly, which was why Lu Yaoyao approached him. She wouldn’t have gone to talk with this stranger if he gave him a bad vibe!
Although Lu Yaoyao had only said a couple of words, the other person seemed inexplicably excited. This pretty child didn’t get scared or cry when seeing his face and even initiated a conversation. Furthermore, there was no disgust or contempt in her eyes, only curiosity and wonder, which made him overjoyed.
Lu Yaoyao: “?”
“L-little sister, what did you ask me?” Zhong Wushuang stammered in excitement. “My name is Zhong Wushuang. Can we be friends? …Don’t worry, whether you want to be friends or not, I’ll answer all your questions…”
Zhong Wushuang looked at Lu Yaoyao with cautious and nervous eyes. He was so accustomed to people avoiding him. Having someone unafraid of him, even a four or five-year-old girl, made him eager to befriend her.
Lu Yaoyao smiled, “Sure, we’ll be friends from now on!” She had an impression that this person was a pure-hearted person worth befriending. Most importantly, his aura made her feel comfortable, so she found it nice to befriend him. “My name is Lu Yaoyao. You can call me Yaoyao.”
“Yaoyao.” Zhong Wushuang tried to show a gentle smile, but his expression became more twisted and fierce. He seemed to be aware of this and quickly stopped smiling. Seeing his new friend wasn’t scared off, his anxious heart finally calmed down.
“My mother calls me Wushuang, so you can call me Wushuang.”
“Then I’ll call you Wushuang.”
Zhong Wushuang nodded repeatedly, unable to keep himself from smiling again when he heard Lu Yaoyao call him by his name.
“Wushuang, do you know where those traveling merchants are from?” Lu Yaoyao asked.
Zhong Wushuang squatted down next to Lu Yaoyao. He was tall, much taller than Lu Yaoyao. Even squatting, he towered over her, so he lowered himself to better match his new friend’s line of sight. Glancing over at the merchants, he nodded and said, “I know. They are from Ye City. There’s a large auction in three days, and they are here to participate.”
Ye City? Lu Yaoyao recognized the name. After leaving the Abyss, the first city she visited was Ye City. She had rescued the half-demon Li Mu and other mixed races there. Because of the people’s treatment of mixed races, Lu Yaoyao had a negative impression of Ye City.
So they were merchants from Ye City—Lu Yaoyao mused. The merchants seemed to notice her gaze, and a couple of them looked over cautiously. Seeing it was just an innocuous adult and child, they didn’t pay much attention. They finished their meal, left a few spirit stones, and departed, quickly disappearing into the crowd. The stall owner swiftly cleaned up the table, and new customers soon took their place.
“Do you want to go to the auction? I can take you!” Zhong Wushuang offered enthusiastically.
Lu Yaoyao snapped back to reality and waved her hand. “I have to leave Luotian City early tomorrow, so I can’t attend the auction.”
“Huh?” Zhong Wushuang was shocked. “You’re leaving tomorrow?!” He had just made a new friend, and now she was leaving so soon?! Zhong Wushuang felt like his world was collapsing.
Lu Yaoyao reassured him, “Don’t worry. When I’m done with my tasks and pass by here again, I’ll definitely come to see you!”
Zhong Wushuang was still sad, but he didn’t dare say anything, afraid to break this miraculous friendship.
Lu Yaoyao thought for a moment and handed him a skewer of uneaten meatballs. “Here, for you.”
Zhong Wushuang accepted it, overwhelmed with gratitude. “For me?”
Lu Yaoyao nodded. “Eat it and don’t be sad. No banquet doesn’t eventually end. We can look forward to meeting again! If I don’t have time to find you, you can come to me. I’m a disciple of Guiyuan Sect.”
Zhong Wushuang found this very reasonable. Knowing he could also go visit his friend, he calmed down and took a bite of the meatball, cherishing it.
Lu Yaoyao then asked again, “Do you know what goods those merchants are selling?”
Zhong Wushuang thought for a moment and shook his head. “I haven’t looked into it, but I can find out.”
“I heard that some auction houses sell demons and devils. Is that true?”
“I don’t know about other places, and I’m not sure about those merchants’ business, but it’s definitely not that. Luotian City doesn’t allow such transactions.”
“Really?” Lu Yaoyao felt relieved. “Then there’s no need to investigate.” She looked at her new friend and thought that he seemed to have some status in Luotian City, as he knew quite a bit.
“W-well, are you sure you don’t want to go to the auction? There are many interesting and valuable items,” seeing Lu Yaoyao seemed interested, Zhong Wushuang couldn’t resist asking again. He hoped that maybe she would stay for the auction so that they could spend a few more days together.
Lu Yaoyao was indeed very interested in the auction; she had never attended one before! Unfortunately, the timing was not right—they had to rush off to complete the mission, so she had to regretfully miss it.
Seeing this, Zhong Wushuang didn’t bring up the topic again. Noticing the empty skewers in Lu Yaoyao’s hand, he said, “I know other places with delicious food. There’s a place that sells spirit beast meat—it’s very fresh and tender, and they cook it with their special sauce. One bite gives you a heavenly taste and lingering savor…”
Lu Yaoyao swallowed her saliva.
Zhong Wushuang enthusiastically invited, “Shall I take you there?”
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes lit up, “Sure!”
So, Lu Yaoyao, along with her newfound friend, left, leaving a group of forgotten old friends behind.
Wen Zixing and the others, who had been watching the whole time: “…”
Wen Zixing sat on the ground, jealous, “Let’s see when she remembers us!”
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Hahahaha .
If you don’t present yourself how do you want to be mind?ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ
I feel so bad for Zhong Wushuang not being able to make a single friend due to his appearance. Hopefully he’ll become a close friend of Lu Yaoyao, especially since he seems very sincere and kind. I’m more concerned about the merchants that just left, though, since they seemed overly cautious when they first felt they were being watched by Lu Yaoyao, but then let down their guard when noticing her age.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀