Before she sat down, Aunt Wang caught a glimpse of Ling Chunxi’s face and gasped in surprise. “Your face, Miss. Your face… It’s beautiful. Your skin is so good. What happened?”
“My skin recovered well. All right, that’s enough Aunt Wang. Let’s eat.” Ling Chunxi smiled affectionately at Aunt Wang, thinking that she was making a mountain out of a molehill. However, as Ling Chunxi studied her reflection in the mirror in her room after breakfast, she saw that Aunt Wang wasn’t exaggerating. In comparison to how her skin was before, the difference was heaven and earth. It was understandable why that rascal Ling Yuanhong couldn’t recognize her to the point of daring to approach her. What a shame that decision turned out to be a death sentence for him.
A short while later, Ling Chunxi began practicing the Thundercloud Ninth Heaven’s Cultivation Method. With her current abilities, the only thing she lacked was the experience of a real battle and most importantly—a weapon. She raised her head towards a thin-bladed metal sword hanging upon the wall across from her and sighed softly. This sword would be unable to withstand the domineering Thundercloud Battle Qi. A better sword was required. The problem was, where would she find one? She discounted the iron shop in Shi Qu Town as she knew there wouldn’t be any good weapons there. Ling Chunxi thought carefully about this matter as stroked the length of her very full purse. It was settled then. She had decided to go to White Stone City.
Though White Stone City was very metropolitan, it managed to retain a quaint atmosphere. As it was a city with longstanding history and convenient methods of transportation, many merchants were based there. Taking a look at the iron shops there wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Ling Chunxi bid Aunt Wang farewell then made her way to the station with Little White in tow to take a carriage to White Stone City. Aunt Wang had found a wide-brimmed hat for Ling Chunxi to cover her face with and had instructed her a thousand times over to keep it on until she got home. After all, Ling Chunxi would be traveling alone and in such circumstances, beauty usually invited trouble.
It was noon when Ling Chunxi arrived at White Stone City. Looking at the pristine white stones that built its walls, she understood where the city got its name from. The gleam of sunlight emitted a faint halo off the white stones, creating an impression of mystery and magnificence. Likewise, the stoic guards posted at the city gate also exuded a sense of majesty.
The wide bluestone roads, which were wide enough to accommodate eight horses at once, were filled with people bustling about amongst patrolling soldiers. There was a dazzling array of shops on both sides of the road, each containing a myriad of products.
It was easy to locate the iron shops due to the large banners parked at the side of the road with large iron lettering. However, procuring a weapon could wait till later. First, Ling Chunxi needed to fill her stomach!
After exploring the street for a bit, she chanced upon a beef restaurant featuring beef prepared in many different ways. There was stewed beef, braised beef, roasted beef, and even cold mix beef. The smell wafting from this restaurant stopped her in her tracks. As though she was on a mission, Ling Chunxi hurriedly marched towards the delicious aroma with Little White tucked under her arm. In her haste to enter the restaurant, she almost collided with another customer at the door.
She managed to halt her advance in time. But when she began to apologize to the person she almost bumped into, a cold and familiar voice began to speak.
“Ling Chuxi?” The voice was aloof and devoid of any warmth, yet it carried with it a hint of surprise.
“Um, yes?” There was something odd about this. Her face was covered by the hat and she didn’t know anyone from White Stone City. Who was it that recognized her so instantly? Wait, she knew this voice. Once Ling Chunxi lifted her head and made eye contact with the speaker, her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Ling Yichen? What was he doing here and how did he recognize me?’
“Why are you here?” asked Ling Yichen in his monotonous drawl, making his question seem more of a statement.
“Why are you here?” Ling Chunxi fired back. Whenever Ling Yichen spoke, his face was always expressionless, as though he had some sort of facial paralysis.