Meanwhile, in another inn, a group from the Fire Phoenix Sect was chatting in the tea house on the first floor.
The entire inn had been rented out by the wealthy Fire Phoenix Sect to serve as a resting place for their Disciples and the Elders leading them.
In truth, while it was called a training expedition for Disciples, the primary focus was actually Su Xiaojiu alone; the others, though not exactly “bodyguards,” weren't core Disciples either, mostly Outer Sect Disciples and ordinary Inner Sect Disciples, with only a few truly capable individuals.
Mainly, Su De couldn't possibly feel at ease leaving Su Xiaojiu alone in the Secret Realm; these Fire Phoenix Sect Disciples, while not all Geniuses or Prodigies, had the advantage of numbers, making it easier to look after each other in the Secret Realm, and there were also a few Qi Refining Peak Disciples with formidable strength.
With these people present, there was no fear of anyone.
These Disciples were laughing and chatting, with no one supervising them, so no one held back, and their voices were loud enough to be heard outside.
However, Su Xiaojiu was not among them.
Su Xiaojiu was currently in her guest room on the top floor, sitting cross-legged and Cultivating.
Large inns like this usually had specific rooms inscribed with Gathering Spirit Arrays to facilitate Cultivators' Cultivation.
But Su Xiaojiu quickly opened her eyes and stood up.
“How boring.”
She walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked down at the street below.
She watched the people coming and going, her gaze constantly searching, as if looking for someone's trace, but she didn't find them.
For the past two days, she had been required to act in groups and was not allowed to go out privately.
After all, there was only one Elder and two stewards leading the team, but over thirty Disciples, making management inconvenient.
Su Xiaojiu's personality was inherently not steady; she liked to run around, and she had just recently run away from home, so of course, she couldn't be allowed to run around alone at this time.
But Su Xiaojiu couldn't stand it anymore.
“It's fine if you make me Cultivate in the Sect, but we're already out, so why do I still have to be confined in an inn!”
Su Xiaojiu grumbled, not knowing to whom she was complaining; even if the Elder heard her, he wouldn't pay her any mind.
Su Xiaojiu's eyes darted, and seeing the window before her, an idea struck her.
“You want to keep me confined? No way!”
Su Xiaojiu directly climbed out the window, intending to jump straight down from upstairs.
But halfway through, she discovered that the space at the window had been sealed, and Su Xiaojiu bumped her head against it, feeling a sharp pain.
She covered her head, squatted on the ground, and slowly massaged it.
“Young Miss, why must you be like this?”
A helpless sigh came from beside Su Xiaojiu's ear.
A middle-aged man in a fiery red long robe entered through the door, exuding the aura of a Late Stage of Nascent Soul Stage.
This person was Elder Kong, the Elder leading the Fire Phoenix Sect's training team on this trip.
“Elder Kong, can't you tell me beforehand when you set up barriers and Restrictions! You've confined me in this room; be careful, I'll accuse you of illegal imprisonment!”
Elder Kong showed a puzzled expression.
“Young Miss, illegal imprisonment… what does that mean? Besides, I only sealed your window; which law does that violate?”
Ever since Su Xiaojiu's Transmigration, she often spoke strange words and peculiar terms that others couldn't understand.
However, this matter was only known to a small circle of people; most were still unaware of it.
This was also a form of protection from Su De for his daughter.
“Never mind that, I say it is, so it is!”
“Young Miss, there's no need for you to be like this. If you really want to go out, just tell me, and I'll take you out for a stroll. This is also the Sect Master's request.”
Su Xiaojiu, however, angrily turned her head away.
“Am I an eight-year-old child or something? Can't I live without someone following me around?”
“This is also to fear you encountering danger. This place is not as safe as the Fire Phoenix Sect. Didn't Young Miss encounter mountain bandits last time…?”
“It's not the wilderness; this is within Qingfeng City! What could possibly happen to me in the city!”
“Always be cautious.”
Su Xiaojiu waved her hand.
“I know, I know! You can go!”
Elder Kong sighed and bowed in farewell.
Su Xiaojiu, in the circle of Elders and stewards, was notoriously difficult to manage.
Of Su De's nine children, which one hadn't been raised by these Elders and stewards from childhood? But among them, only the two daughters were difficult to raise.
No one knew why.
Su Liu Liu was difficult to raise because she loved to curse; she usually seemed gentle and refined, but when she got angry, her mouth had no clean words.
It's better now, as she's grown up and knows how to restrain herself, but when Su Liu Liu was young, she would curse however she pleased, and these Elders and stewards couldn't curse back, could they?
Although reporting back to Su De would still result in a beating for Su Liu Liu, it was still very unpleasant to listen to.
As for Su Xiaojiu, she was mischievous; from a young age, she would climb roofs and remove tiles, and loved to run around aimlessly. At twelve, she secretly snuck into the Medicine Garden to grab Spirit Medicine and chew on it. When she was discovered, Su Xiaojiu was already bleeding profusely from both nostrils because the Spirit Medicine she ate was too potent.
One must know that consuming Spirit Plants or Medicinal Pills that the body cannot bear is harmful to the body.
After growing up, Su Xiaojiu not only didn't become more mature, but she also liked to run around even more.
Elder Kong could only hope that Su Xiaojiu would mature a bit more as she grew older.
Otherwise, he would just have to wait until her Realm was higher, so he wouldn't have to be her personal nanny anymore.
After Elder Kong left, Su Xiaojiu took out her tongshen jade talisman and sent a message in the group chat.
“Anyone want to play mahjong?”
Hong Shan's online mahjong had already been launched in a small-scale trial, with remarkable results. Hong Shan naturally gave "experience qualifications" to the remaining three people in the group.
Of course, in reality, only Su Xiaojiu occasionally played with Hong Shan.
But this time, there was no movement from Hong Shan's side, and Su Xiaojiu waited for a long time but didn't hear from her old playing partner.
She had originally intended to team up with Hong Shan and then match online on the tongshen jade talisman.
To Su Xiaojiu's surprise, it was An Chen who responded this time.
“How do you have time to play games with me?”
“Nothing to do.”
An Chen truly had nothing to do.
With less than a day left, he could only stay in the inn and wait for the Qingfeng Secret Realm to open at noon the next day.
His inn room actually had a Gathering Spirit Array, and even if it didn't, he always carried his Spirit Gathering Array with him, but An Chen didn't want to Cultivate here.
An Chen felt that it was time for him to rest for a short period.
He was entering the Secret Realm tomorrow, so he needed to adjust himself; a night of Cultivation wouldn't improve much.
At night, when Grand Elder Qin Chuan returned to the inn to check on An Chen's situation, he suddenly found An Chen “addicted to online mahjong.”
The Grand Elder's expression became solemn, then suddenly relaxed.
A Cultivator of this age should prioritize Cultivation, but this was An Chen, and he suddenly felt that it was fine for him to play for a while.