Chapter 71 - A Girl Dies Every Day in Her Dream Life

"They could give them another hundred or even a thousand years, and all they'd produce are more useless wastes." Wu Hai said nothing more and simply kept his head lowered. "I understand. I will go to the Youxiang Restaurant..." Yu Haoqiang replied impatiently. "Honestly, just get on with it. Why bother with all the formalities of a banquet?" "We must consider the wishes of our ancestors." Wu Hai stood up, feeling a sense of relief deep inside. He knew very well the leader's temperament, which has always been disdainful of such roundabout methods. When the subject of the Nascent Soul elder was broached, Yu Haoqiang's eyes narrowed slightly, but he made no comment. "Oh, by the way, keep an eye on an item for me at the Demonic Pass auction in a few days," Yu Haoqiang said. "What item?" Wu Hai was slightly taken aback. It was the first time the leader had made such a request. As the most extreme body cultivator, Yu Haoqiang had no use for artifacts or weapons; his body itself was the strongest artifact. Iron forging was merely a part of his cultivation method. "It's called the 'Demon-Subduing Vajra,' a treasure of the Wuyan Temple," Yu Haoqiang stated. "I recall it was picked up on the battlefield by a previous scavenger slave." "Do you need me to retrieve it?" Wu Hai inquired. Isn't the Demonic Pass auction their own auction? If he wanted something, couldn't he just take it? Why was he asking to watch it? "No, no, no. There's no need to retrieve it. Just let it be auctioned off normally," Yu Haoqiang said, squinting slightly. "I just... want to see who it ends up with." ... In the inn's first-floor reception area. This small inn was indeed not large. Aside from the counter, there was barely enough space for four or five sets of tables and chairs. It seemed business was sparse because when Nangong Mengxiang and Luo Xue came downstairs, the entire hall was virtually empty. The door was half-open, and looking through the gap, it was apparent that the outside foot traffic wasn’t exactly sparse, just that no one bothered to come in. With a careful sense, the only customer in the inn seemed to be Nangong Mengxiang. "Is business really this bad? Why do they even stay open?" Luo Xue observed, pondering internally. "These sisters... are a bit strange." There was a possibility they could be undercover agents for the Juexiao Sect. Nangong Mengxiang, however, walked familiarly to a table and sat down, inviting Luo Xue over. "Come on, try this inn's specialty. A bowl of seafood congee in the morning is quite soothing!" With that, Nangong Mengxiang ladled some congee into a small bowl for Luo Xue and began eating from the big basin herself. Since there was only one serving of breakfast, and Luo Xue wasn’t particularly hungry, she sat down and tasted it with small bites. "It's really... seafood." Luo Xue was amazed. How long had it been since she’d eaten such a dish? Life after the apocalypse wasn’t worth mentioning. In her last life of dreams... when she was treated as a quick-enhancement vessel, she mostly ate leftover spiritual ingredients and elixir dregs. Such things could indeed increase cultivation, but the unprocessed spiritual materials and elixir waste had impurities and toxins. It was unclear whether they increased cultivation faster or led to a quicker demise. The taste was, unsurprisingly, not appealing. During her time in Juexiao Sect, although the senior sister treated her well, her cooking was quite average, just passable as mundane meals. Halfway through her meal, when Luo Xue suddenly seemed lost in memories, with a few tears slipping down her cheeks, Nangong Mengxiang panicked, "Luo Xue, what's wrong? Is the congee not to your liking?" "No, no, it's just... I remembered something," Luo Xue gently wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed, "The congee is delicious, I really like it." "Glad you do," Nangong Mengxiang smiled, ladled another big spoonful of congee into Luo Xue's bowl. "Here, have a bit more, no need for tears, hu hu..." "I'm not crying." Luo Xue turned her face slightly. "You say that, but your tears are about to drop into the congee." Nangong Mengxiang patted Luo Xue's hair and couldn't resist giving it a gentle rub. Surprisingly, Luo Xue's hair looked coarse but felt particularly soft... That familiar gesture made memories stir up within Luo Xue, prompting her to quickly bury her face in the congee, "Stop it, just eat..." At that moment, the twin sisters came down, shoulder to shoulder. The expressions on the faces of the small inn owners were quite peculiar, as if they had "holding something back" inscribed on their foreheads. Moreover, they kept glancing at Luo Xue, but every time their eyes met hers, they would quickly avert their gaze as if shocked, with their faces slightly flushed. Were it not for the timing, it would almost seem like young maidens encountering their crush. Seeing this, Luo Xue recalled her earlier conjecture, frowning slightly. Could they truly be undercover agents of the sect? Wait, could sect agents really be this foolish? Considering it carefully, given the Nine Sects of the Immortal Realm, Juexiao Sect’s espionage skills wouldn't be so lacking... Would they? After much nudging back and forth at the counter, the younger sister Sha Keke hesitantly emerged and approached the table where Nangong Mengxiang and Luo Xue were seated. Luo Xue's right hand dropped, gripping the short sword hidden by her thigh. "Uh, Nangong..." Sha Keke bit her lip, resembling a girl about to confess, hesitantly saying, "My sister and I... would like to invite you... to the Youxiang... Restaurant... for lunch..." "What did you say?" Nangong Mengxiang looked up, perplexed. "I didn’t quite catch that. Was it something about eating?" Sha Keke’s little head nodded slightly, then continued, "Lunch... at Youxiang Restaurant..." During this, she didn’t dare to even glance at Luo Xue. All the while, Sha Keke was ruminating internally on what she should say if questioned by Nangong Mengxiang, how she should respond if refused, and why her sister insisted she handle such a task... Ugh, every time there was rock-paper-scissors, she lost. "Lunch, how exciting!" Nangong Mengxiang immediately accepted, gleefully patting her purse, "Coincidentally, I earned a hefty sum yesterday, my treat!" Earned money... Luo Xue nearly choked. Not only was the money insufficient, but her own life was almost at stake. More so, to rescue Nangong Mengxiang, Luo Xue expended a costly Nine Reversal Revival Pill. Considering its value, it's uncertain whether it was a gain or a loss... But... what exactly is this pair of sisters up to? Even though the invitation was extended to Nangong Mengxiang, Luo Xue had a hunch they were actually targeting her. Could Youxiang Restaurant be a Juexiao Sect hideout? As Luo Xue pondered, Nangong Mengxiang inevitably extended the invitation, "Luo Xue, want to join for lunch at a large restaurant?" Nangong Mengxiang patted her chest confidently, "Don't worry, the bill's on my part, and your part will be returned to you! I did some rough math; it's worth at least two Mysterious-tier Condensing Qi Pills!" "The elixirs I used to save you are worth more than that..." Luo Xue touched her nose. She exchanged items for cash at the elixir workshop merely due to the lack of liquid assets, but in reality, she was quite wealthy. Her senior sister's treasures were indeed abundant... "Really?" Nangong Mengxiang blinked in surprise, "No wonder I healed so quickly, and my cultivation improved a bit..." Improved cultivation? Oh right, she did feed Nangong Mengxiang some of her mother's treasured brew. In an instant, Nangong Mengxiang seemed crestfallen, "Ah, I guess I can't afford it. All the money has to go to Luo Xue... never mind, never mind." Beside them, Sha Keke, who had been relieved to complete her task, was left dumbfounded by those words. Luo Xue was caught between laughter and tears, only able to say, "It's okay, we can talk about it later. I'm not lacking. Just remember to hand me the Condensing Qi Pills, since I don’t have much cash on hand." "Really?" Nangong Mengxiang blinked, "Then... lunch later?" "Of course, no problem." Luo Xue nodded, slightly turning to observe the brightening expression of Sha Keke, with a glint of coolness in her eyes. Let's see what you two are planning... "However, before heading to the restaurant, I need to make some preparations." Luo Xue smiled, but her gaze shifted toward Sha Yiyi at the counter. Sha Yiyi shivered instantly, experiencing an inexplicable feeling of being seen through from the depths of her heart. After finishing breakfast, Luo Xue returned to her room on the second floor, mentioning that she needed to prepare before going to the restaurant, leaving Nangong Mengxiang alone in the lobby. The twin sisters exchanged significant glances, with Sha Yiyi contemplating asking Nangong Mengxiang about Luo Xue's situation, yet worrying it might seem too deliberate. After all, she was indeed plotting something against Luo Xue. Unsure of what exactly Nangong Mengxiang's attitude toward Luo Xue was, Sha Yiyi dared not act rashly. Sha Keke, on the other hand, hid behind Sha Yiyi, feeling guilty as if caught doing something wrong, not daring to meet Nangong Mengxiang's eyes. Nangong Mengxiang sat cross-legged on the chair, eyes closed, calming her breath. Though Luo Xue's elixirs had been very effective, and coupled with Nangong Mengxiang's formidable physical resilience, her wounds were mostly healed. However, recovering from injuries that had brought her to the brink of death wasn't instant, and many hidden injuries remained. Nangong Mengxiang's strength now was at most seventy percent of her peak. Of course, even at seventy percent, she could still easily overpower most at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, thanks to the advantages body cultivation brings. Body cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage have distinct advantages over other cultivators with the same level of cultivation. However, they are a significant resource drain—only a major sect could sustain such resource-intensive cultivation. After several awkwardly tense moments, the sound of a door opening upstairs echoed through the inn. "She's coming!" Sha Yiyi's heart tightened with anxiety. She had no idea what Luo Xue had been preparing upstairs, but the look in Luo Xue's eyes before she left had left her feeling inexplicably uneasy. Could her plans have been uncovered? But why hadn't Luo Xue mentioned anything directly? Moreover... she didn't quite resemble a furnace slave, instead carrying the aura of a prodigy from a prestigious sect... Lost in tangled thoughts, a small figure descended the staircase step by step. What came into view was a white-haired girl in a simple, plain white short dress. "Who... are you?" Sha Yiyi blurted out, wide-eyed. "You don't know who I am?" The white-haired girl smiled, speaking in a voice Sha Yiyi recognized immediately.