When Jiang Li arrived at the side of the Red Dust Fairy, she had already wrapped herself tightly from head to toe, leaving not a single inch exposed. Even her delicate hands were covered by silk black gloves, and her watery, beautiful eyes were hidden beneath the brim of a black gauze hat.
Jiang Li could tell that all of this attire had been refined by the Red Dust Fairy with her immortal power—it could greatly diminish her presence and even conceal her from Divine Sense. Of course, Jiang Li’s Divine Sense was far too strong to be fooled by such means.
If any ordinary person other than the Red Dust Fairy were to wear this outfit, they could practically walk through a crowded street shouting at the top of their lungs and still be ignored by everyone. Jiang Li’s first thought was that this outfit was simply perfect for assassination.
Even so, when the Red Dust Fairy wore it, she still drew attention. Even if people didn’t notice her appearance or figure, they would still be drawn by the way she walked and the sound of her gentle voice. However, compared to the chaos that would result from her revealing her true appearance, this was already much better.
Right now, at most, she could only be considered a somewhat eye-catching beauty. It seemed the Red Dust Fairy had made proper preparations before sneaking away from home. Jiang Li felt a trace of relief.
If she had appeared openly in the city without any disguise, he truly wouldn’t know how to handle it.
“This puppet isn’t worth that much.”
The Red Dust Fairy was currently puffing her cheeks in anger as she tried to reason with a street vendor, attempting to persuade him to lower the price. Clearly, however, the vendor wasn’t the type to listen to reason. On the small stall were several finely crafted wooden puppets, cute and delicate, their inner mechanisms made of tiny gears.
As long as one injected a little spiritual qi, they could move for a long time. The Red Dust Fairy had taken a liking to a small monkey lifting a peach above its head, but she only had a small amount of spirit stones left—if she bought the puppet, she would have nothing remaining.
Indeed, the puppet wasn’t worth that much, but the vendor was crafty enough to notice the veiled lady’s fondness for it at a glance. Even if he quoted a sky-high price, she would still end up buying it. Besides, her voice was just too pleasant to listen to, so he enjoyed bargaining with her simply to keep hearing it.
At worst, she thought to herself, she could make one herself. But then she remembered the admonishments of her juniors, who had repeatedly told her not to waste her immortal power. Refining her robe with immortal power so she could safely leave home was one thing, but creating a puppet that way… she could already imagine their endless nagging.
After all, she hadn’t come out solely to play. She had come to prove to her juniors that she could be independent and go out on her own.
“One low-grade spirit stone.”
Jiang Li tossed a stone to the vendor. The vendor saw the not‑so‑friendly smile on his face and instantly realized that this man meant trouble. Afraid something bad might happen to him on the way home, he hurriedly handed over the monkey puppet.
Seeing Jiang Li buy the ten‑low‑grade‑spirit‑stone puppet for only one stone, the Red Dust Fairy looked at him with admiration—he was amazing.
“Fairy, have you played enough?”
Jiang Li asked. The Red Dust Fairy met Jiang Li’s gaze and gathered her courage.
“N-no, not yet.”
“Do you still have any spirit stones on you?”
“N-no.” “Then what are you planning to do?”
“I… I can sing very well. I can make spirit stones by singing!”
The Red Dust Fairy answered earnestly, clearly having thought about it beforehand—she intended to make a living using her strengths. Jiang Li pressed his forehead helplessly. Fortunately, he had come early; otherwise, he might have witnessed an Immortal standing on the street corner, singing for coins.
If word of that ever spread, Immortal Elder Changcun would probably rush out to fight him, and then get beaten senseless in return.
“Don’t take me back, please?”
The Red Dust Fairy pleaded. Even through the black veil, Jiang Li could feel her pitiful gaze. Despite her immense charm, the Red Dust Fairy was, after all, an immortal corpse being.
She had no memories of her past life and was like a child at heart. Throughout the past three years, she had spent most of her time in slumber, barely maturing mentally. The Holy Maiden Jing Xin claimed to be her descendant, but judging from the way she acted, the Red Dust Fairy probably saw Jing Xin as her elder.
Otherwise, how could a group of juniors possibly have persuaded their forebear ancestor to stay obedient? It was because the Red Dust Fairy placed herself in such a humble position that she behaved so docilely. Jiang Li sighed inwardly.
He knew that keeping her cooped up in the Red Dust Pure Land wasn’t a long‑term solution. Though they told her it was a peaceful retreat, in truth, it was little better than soft imprisonment. There was no way she could remain in the Red Dust Pure Land forever.
Eventually, this matter would have to be resolved. Taking this chance, Jiang Li intended to let her explore the outside world for a few days to see if it would cause any problems. If she were trapped for too long, she might well grow resentful.
If she ever lost her temper and flew around the entire Nine Provinces showing her true face, that alone would create chaos.
“Very well, just a few more days, then,” Jiang Li said.
The Red Dust Fairy immediately brightened with joy. With the current Human Emperor personally accompanying her, she was clearly more at ease than before. Jiang Li kindly told her where she could go and what she couldn’t do.
For instance—teahouses were fine, but she mustn’t drink tea; storytellers’ performances were fine to listen to, but brothels were off‑limits. She could browse the shops and even haggle for prices.
Whenever she failed to drive the price down, she would stomp her foot in anger and demand spirit stones from Jiang Li—then simply buy the entire shop and claim everything for herself. By the time they finished walking down one street, the Red Dust Fairy had already become a small wealthy lady owning several shops.
Eventually, Jiang Li sold all of those shops back.
“Are you craving food?”
Jiang Li asked after noticing how she kept glancing longingly at restaurants and snack stalls.
He understood.
Though she practiced inedia, eating wasn’t just about filling one’s belly. He himself often bought candied hawthorns to snack on. Earlier, he had stopped her from drinking tea only because he didn’t want her to have to lift her veil and expose part of her face, attracting attention.
But now, since she wanted to eat something, that wasn’t a problem. Jiang Li booked a Heaven‑class room for her at an inn and ordered the finest dishes from the best restaurant to be delivered there. On the way, he also bought a variety of snacks to bring to her.
Just as he was passing the lobby of the inn, he noticed an argument.
“What? No Heaven‑class rooms left? Do you expect my young master to stay in an Earth‑class room? Do you have any idea who my young master is?!”
A servant was grabbing the innkeeper by the collar, shouting arrogantly. A brawny man nearby slammed the table and stood up, his voice booming.
“Is your young master made of supreme‑grade spirit stone? Or is his flesh carved from supreme‑grade spirit stone?”
A pretty young girl joined in mockingly, “Exactly, is he a spirit stone sprout or something?” The man’s expression stiffened, and he barked, “You’ve got guts—tell me who you are!”
“Commander of the Human Emperor Palace, Zhang Konghu.”
“Envoy of the Dharma Body Sect, Li Nian’er.”
The man faltered but still tried to bluff, sneering.
“Do you two know who I am?!”
Zhang Konghu and Li Nian’er exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison.
“No idea.”
Both of them were faintly puzzled—was there really some force greater than the Dharma Body Sect or the Human Emperor Palace? The man quickly turned on his heel and ran off. Better run—thank Heaven they don’t know me!
(End of Chapter) Thanks to fellow readers 20170525081404046, 20171018211836570, 153122756376497, Xue Jian Weixing, Cheng Tian, Mingzi Zhenggebuhuao, HJYq, Avalon12, ovan2021, Lurenjia Zhi Hun, Fenghuanyuan Zhenxiong, Shangchu Ganxu, White Album~, Guangxi 800,000-Dumb-Chief, Mutongyu, 20210209194733321310351 for your monthly ticket support.
Special thanks to reader WuzhuMoon for the reward.