Chapter 323: First Stroll in Qifeng City
On the bustling streets of Qifeng City, an unseen shadow of a chicken darted stealthily through the crowds, keeping its target locked in sight.
Having been discovered once before and nearly exposed again at Phoenix Perch Tower, Manager Ji was now acting with even greater caution.
Originally, it had planned to tail a certain Holy Saint of the Demon Sect from a quiet, open area. But after some hesitation, it decided to hide in plain sight amidst the city.
This way, even if the backlash flared up again and one of its chicken feet accidentally became visible for a short moment, it would be much harder to detect.
As for why it needed to observe from such close proximity... well, ever since arriving in Qifeng City, it had encountered a significant problem.
It couldn't sense the presence of the item it sought—the thing capable of purifying the corrupted Ancient Phoenix Essence within its body.
This meant it had no choice but to rely on the information the Demon Sect Holy Saint might know.
'I learned about the potential existence of that thing in Qifeng City through the secret legacy of the Ancient Phoenix Netherkin in the Netherland. And as for him... although I don't know how he obtained the Ancient Phoenix Essence, nor why he hasn't refined or absorbed it, the fact that he came straight to Qifeng City suggests he likely knows a lot more about this.'
A prime opportunity to exploit!
Manager Ji felt a bit smug.
The world often mocked Netherkin, particularly low-tier Netherkins with ordinary bloodlines, for their lack of intelligence—a claim even the Netherkins themselves couldn't refute. But it was clear that it had long surpassed that low-level group, elevating itself to a new tier as a Netherkin of exceptional intellect.
Its analysis was flawless!
Especially now, after arriving in Qifeng City, the Demon Sect Holy Saint's suspicious behavior was becoming increasingly evident.
On the surface, he appeared to be merely strolling the streets, casually buying things with the two young ladies at his side. But the Holy Saint had, without a doubt, been making subtle moves in secret.
What puzzled Manager Ji was why he kept quietly buying certain local specialties of Qifeng City again and stashing them in his storage bag.
What could the purpose of this be? Was acquiring the special item left by the Phoenix Great Netherfiend tied to sacrificing these mundane goods?
Or was it possible that its earlier exposure had, in fact, made the Holy Saint suspicious, and this was his way of throwing off potential trackers?
Manager Ji fell into deep thought but continued to follow closely, refraining from attempting to acquire the items the Holy Saint had purchased.
Regardless of the reason, the Holy Saint was clearly hiding something.
And as for what that might be, Manager Ji felt the answer was already obvious.
All it needed to do was snatch the treasure. Whether the Holy Saint succeeded in obtaining the item or not, in the end, both it and the Ancient Phoenix Essence, along with the Antediluvian Nether Eye he carried, would all fall into its grasp.
Now, it just needed to wait patiently and observe carefully.
As a high-intelligence Netherkin, patience was something Manager Ji prided itself on.
<+>
Luo Wusheng, meanwhile, was quite satisfied with his current situation.
Walking the streets with two beautiful girls by his side, he was drawing countless glances—some filled with envy, others with jealousy, and a few tinged with curiosity and speculation.
Fortunately, no one recognized him as the Holy Saint of the Demon Sect.
The name "Luo Wusheng" had indeed reached Qifeng City, but since he'd rarely appeared in public even in the Royal City, people in Qifeng City wouldn't recognize him as easily.
Especially now, with his entirely new outfit.
Dressed in elegant brocade and jade accessories, he exuded the air of a wealthy young master.
This attire, of course, had been carefully prepared by his adorable junior sister well in advance.
That Sword Fairy, who spent most of her time either practicing swordsmanship or being adorably clueless, had little concern for her own appearance, let alone dressing him up.
As such, even if someone vaguely remembered seeing him, it would be hard to identify him under these circumstances.
At that moment, a voice called out in front of him.
"Sir, here is your Phoenix Pastry."
Luo Wusheng looked at the several bags of crisp and sweet treats handed to him, smiled, and took them into his arms. Then, with a subtle shift of his body, he moved to a blind spot and deftly slipped two of the bags into his storage bag.
The movements were smooth and practiced, as if he'd done this countless times before.
After completing the task, he sent a trace of spiritual awareness into his storage bag.
By now, every type of specialty he had seen in Qifeng City—especially the edible ones—had found its way into at least one slot in the bag.
'That's quite a lot... and most of it is food. My lovely Shuangxue probably won't be able to finish it all anytime soon. But that's fine—with the food preservation techniques in this cultivation world, they'll stay fresh for ten days to two weeks without any problem.'
Today marked his second day back, and he still hadn't figured out how to deal with the fallout when Little Yuli eventually learned about her losing one of her harem.
'Oh well, one step at a time. For now, I'll just work on raising her favorability toward me to prevent any dramatic drops that could tank it into the negatives.'
With that thought, a faint smile formed on Luo Wusheng's face as he stepped past a few passersby and exited the shop named "Phoenix Pavilion."
The moment he stepped outside, he was once again greeted by the familiar softness on both sides.
A fragrant breeze wafted over, making Luo Wusheng's heart stir slightly.
'Ah, my efforts in raising their favorability weren't wasted after all.'
Looking at the two stunning girls who had quickly taken up positions on either side of him, Luo Wusheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Well, it made sense for his mischievous junior sister to stick close to him. But as for Little Yuli...
She normally wouldn't act like this unless she was in her stupid mode. Could it be that seeing his junior sister set an example had lowered her own boundaries a bit?
Of course, it also likely had something to do with him earning her favor.
Shaking off his thoughts, Luo Wusheng let out a light hum and lifted the bag of Phoenix Pastry slightly. Two small hands immediately reached out to take it from him.
"Mm~~"
The Sword Fairy, a known lover of sweets, blushed slightly but couldn't hide the satisfied look in her eyes.
It was clear that she really liked this treat.
On the other side, Bai Xiaoyao maintained her signature mischievous smile.
"Heehee~ Thank you, Senior Brother~"
The demoness spoke sweetly as she placed the pastries into her storage bag. However, two pieces of Phoenix Pastry remained in her delicate hand.
With a swift motion, she brought the pastries to Luo Wusheng's lips, expertly slipping one into his mouth with her fingers.
Luo Wusheng was momentarily stunned by the burst of sweetness in his mouth, only to see his junior sister push the other piece into her own dainty lips.
Noticing his gaze, Bai Xiaoyao's lips curved upward slightly. She extended her little pink tongue, gently licking the sugar powder off her fingers.
Luo Wusheng instinctively swallowed the sweet pastry in his mouth, but before he could react further, his arm was tugged by her other hand.
"What's wrong, Senior Brother? You're staring at Xiaoyao so much..."
Bai Xiaoyao blinked innocently, her expression pure and guileless. "Weren't you saying we should go see the Qifeng Parasol Tree in the city? From here, we can only see a bit of its crown."
"Ah, uh, right..."
Snapped out of his thoughts, Luo Wusheng responded reflexively.
Beside him, Little Yuli glanced at the treats in her hand, then at the scene next to her.
Suddenly, the bag of Phoenix Pastry in her hands didn't seem so appealing anymore.