Fu Nanhua, noticing Cai Jinjiǎn's low spirits, suggested they take a leisurely stroll. The two walked side by side, treating it as a way to lift her mood. Along the way, Fu casually shared strange tales from southern Dongbaoping Continent. Though Cai Jinjiǎn forced a few smiles, her temperament had indeed improved since leaving Mud Bottle Alley. Her impression of this scion from Old Dragon City grew more favorable. Despite its rich heritage and abundance of talent, Old Dragon City, being situated in the remote southern regions, was often looked down upon by orthodox sects like Yunxia Mountain, who considered themselves superior. In the past, calling someone a "southern barbarian" behind their back was already considered a sign of civility.
With a bitter expression, Cai Jinjiǎn said, "Brother Fu, although the Cloudroot Stones are vital to Yunxia Mountain, since we struck a deal beforehand, I shall not renege. Even if it costs me everything, I will repay you."
Fu Nanhua comforted her, "Whether Gu Can's fortune is already set in stone remains to be seen."
Cai Jinjiǎn's face dimmed. She shook her head and replied, "True Monarch Liu Zhimao's reputation is indeed tainted, yet his methods are formidable—otherwise, he wouldn't have carved out a place for himself in the Book Lake region. Such fortunes cannot be forced. Should I provoke him, how could I possibly withstand the wrath of a rogue grandmaster? I fear I've already earned his enmity. Once I leave this town and am no longer protected by saints and rules, who knows what extreme measures Liu Zhimao might resort to? Brother Fu, I believe you've sensed something as well during our time at the border. The entourage sent with me by Yunxia Mountain is weak and no match for him."
Fu Nanhua chuckled. "Set your mind at ease. For the sake of those ten Cloudroot Stones alone, Old Dragon City shall ensure your safe return to Yunxia Mountain."
Cai Jinjiǎn turned to him with a radiant smile, her limpid eyes filled with tender affection. Fu Nanhua felt quite pleased with himself and reached habitually for his jade pendant, only to recall it had been gifted to the boy named Song Jixin. Cai Jinjiǎn, feeling a sense of relief, subtly leaned her shoulder against Fu Nanhua's as they walked.
Her detour to Mud Bottle Alley had been a calculated gamble, a spur-of-the-moment decision born of cautious deliberation. But she had lost the bet—ten priceless Cloudroot Stones gone. This made her anxious about the rest of their journey and inadvertently deepened her reliance on Fu Nanhua. Or perhaps it was simply the gambler's instinct taking root. If ten stones were a gamble, why not fifty? Win, and the rewards would be immense. Lose...
But Cai Jinjiǎn believed she would not lose. She could not. She was Cai Jinjiǎn, Yunxia Mountain's most gifted cultivator! Her cultivation had always been smooth, her breakthroughs swift and effortless. She refused to believe her rise would end in a backwater town.
As her spirits lifted, Fu Nanhua—now feeling the overall situation was under control—finally allowed himself to truly appreciate the beauty and grace of the Yunxia fairy. There was no denying her natural allure; such a woman, if taken as a Dao companion, would bring harmony both in cultivation and in bed. An esteemed elder had once praised her as "the wind of Cloudroot Mountain, a figure destined for the heavens"—a rare and precious partner indeed.
The elders of Yunxia Mountain, long accustomed to leveraging alliances and business acumen, had spared no expense in nurturing her—harboring the hope that she might one day fetch a worthy match. Compared to the political marriages of mortal nobility, cultivator unions were pursued with far more caution and foresight.
Yet Fu Nanhua harbored little fondness for Yunxia Mountain. That a sect would place its entire future on the shoulders of a single woman—no matter how talented—left a sour taste in his mouth.
He cautioned, "Should the boy next to Song Jixin be the chosen heir of some power beyond the town, and if he still holds that porcelain artifact of true name, then your intervention could invite trouble. The trail may lead straight back to you—and to Yunxia Mountain. What's more, both Song and Liu Zhimao might catch wind of what you did."
Cai Jinjiǎn laughed, "Brother Fu, perhaps you've been too focused on tracking fortunes to notice certain unspoken rules here. Local boys, if not taken away by the 'porcelain buyers' by age nine, are seen as having mediocre talent and thus low value. The older they grow, the less they're worth. No sect would waste a fortune adopting such boys when they could instead invest heavily in their own disciples."
The mere mention of that straw-sandaled boy filled Cai Jinjiǎn with revulsion. "Mere mortals should know their place!"
Fu Nanhua, careful with his words, tried to persuade her gently, "You're right in principle, but that boy is ignorant of your noble status. A single lesson would've sufficed—why strike twice?"
He suspected her aggressive behavior concealed deeper motives—perhaps even tied to the elusive fortune itself. Was she the prey, or the hunter? Old Dragon City had gone through tremendous effort, offering prices far above those from Zhengyang and Yunxia Mountains, just to acquire a few fragmented hints. That was how Fu Nanhua had come to know: for three thousand years, this town's so-called fortune lay not only in the treasures left behind by fallen sages, but in something much greater—something that might only awaken at the brink of the town's total collapse.
In such turbulent times, when dynasties fall and mountains crumble, legendary artifacts are destined to resurface in anticipation of a new order.
Cai Jinjiǎn's voice darkened. "Don't mention him again. The mere thought disgusts me."A rare trace of malice flickered in her usually serene eyes, though she restrained herself—unwilling to mar her image in Fu Nanhua's heart. But should she ever meet that boy again beyond this town, she vowed to let him die swiftly, not merely drag his sickly form through another decade of pitiful survival.
She especially loathed his eyes.
Deep inside, she harbored a fixation she had never fully examined. That kind of pure, untainted gaze—she had scarcely seen it in all her years at Yunxia Mountain, a sect renowned for its clarity and cleanliness. What right did a poor boy from a filthy alley have to possess something so rare, day after day, year after year?
Cai Jinjiǎn tilted her head and rubbed her eye, making her already slender brows appear even more delicate.
Fu Nanhua, idly observing the scenery, teased, "There's an old saying in the well alleys of Old Dragon City: a twitching left eye heralds fortune, the right eye disaster. Which one is it for you?"
Startled, Cai Jinjiǎn jerked her hand away and glared at him—it was her right eye that had twitched.
Fu Nanhua, realizing his mistake, hurried to recover. "Just common folks' nonsense, nothing to take seriously."
Cai Jinjiǎn's lips curled into a smile. She turned slightly to the side, gazing at him with playful pride. "Got you, didn't I?"
Fu Nanhua paused, staring at her girlish, impish demeanor—and, quite unexpectedly, his heart stirred.For a moment, he hesitated. His resolve to kill her began to waver.Would it not be more beneficial to make her his Dao partner—to bind her to Old Dragon City's northern ambitions?
If Cai Jinjiǎn secured this fortune, her status within Yunxia Mountain would surely soar. If handled well, she might not be a liability… but a gateway.