Xinglan flew out of the city with Shen Manyun in tow.
As they left Wuwang City, Shen Manyun turned back to look at the city, which was shimmering with a faint glow.
The Dream Stones were still glowing, and the city walls seemed to be veiled in a thin mist, like a dream in the clouds.
It was a beautiful city, hidden away in a corner of the world.
“Wuwang City is quite beautiful, isn’t it?” Xinglan’s hoarse voice broke the silence.
“Yes,” Shen Manyun replied.
In the original book, she only knew that Yan Feiguang came from Wuwang City, but she had no idea what the city was actually like.
Now, every detail of it had become vivid and real.
“There was no Wuwang City before,” Xinglan said.
“It’s new?” Shen Manyun asked.
“Yes, but I was very young when it was built. I only laid a few small bricks at the base of the city wall.”
Xinglan stretched lazily and flew into the dense forest.
The area outside the city was indeed very safe. It seemed that the wild beasts had been driven away to welcome the esteemed Grand Ritualist.
Shen Manyun had never seen the so-called “Chaotic Spirit Storm,” and the place was unusually quiet.
After crossing several mountains, Xinglan stopped at the peak of the highest one.
He placed Shen Manyun on the cliff at the summit, transformed into his human form, and stood beside her, looking down.
At the foot of the mountain, there were miles of tents, and at the end of the encampment, a continuous stream of carriages was pouring in.
The female lead, who was touring the southern border, had coincidentally arrived near Wuwang City and decided to stay there to celebrate her birthday.
Wherever she was, that place became the center of the world, so carriages kept arriving to celebrate her birthday.
Although this was only a scene from the early part of the original book, the female lead’s reputation was already high enough that almost everyone in the world admired her.
Shen Manyun looked at the pure white tents, like clouds, and thought that in the center of the encampment, the female lead and Yan Feiguang must be there.
And Yan Feiguang must be hiding that Evening Orchid, waiting for the most romantic moment to present it as a birthday gift.
“The city lord once celebrated my birthday too,” Xinglan sat down beside Shen Manyun. “He gave me a piece of candy, which I later gave to you.”
“Was it sweet?” Xinglan asked.
Shen Manyun recalled the candy Xinglan had given her as a token of thanks. Naturally, it was sweet, but she remembered that the candy had been softened by Xinglan’s grip.
“Yes, it was sweet,” Shen Manyun nodded.
“Do you celebrate your birthday?” Xinglan asked.
“No, I don’t,” Shen Manyun replied.
“I’ll celebrate it for you in the future. When I grow up a bit more, I can work and earn money,” Xinglan said.
“But I don’t have a birthday,” Shen Manyun said softly, looking at the beautiful tents.
Why was she so interested in this book?
Of course, it was because the female lead possessed many things she didn’t have.
People always chase after what they don’t have, what they yearn for, even if it’s just a fantasy, it holds a strange allure for them.
“How can you not have a birthday?” Xinglan became curious. “Even we soul beings have birthdays.”
“I didn’t know I had one before, but the city lord later told me when I was born.”
Xinglan was naive; he believed Yan Feiguang was omnipotent “You could ask the city lord too.”
“Silly child,” Shen Manyun was amused by him and let out a soft sigh.
“Shall we just watch from here?” Shen Manyun changed the subject.
“Let’s go down,” Xinglan grabbed Shen Manyun’s hand and led her down the mountain.
“Humans aren’t very welcoming to soul beings, so be careful,” Shen Manyun reminded Xinglan.
“I know,” Xinglan raised his hand and made a sweeping motion in front of Shen Manyun’s face and his own.
He had some talent for magic, and Shen Manyun felt something sticky slap onto her face and body.
It clung to her features and limbs, but when she tried to touch it, it wouldn’t come off.
“It’s an illusion spell,” Xinglan had also changed his appearance, turning into a petite girl.
Shen Manyun felt amazed and wondered what she looked like now.
Finally, she found a puddle of water in the forest and looked down at her reflection. She too had become a delicate-looking girl.
It wasn’t much different from her original appearance both were ordinary and unremarkable.
Shen Manyun and Xinglan’s clothes had also changed into white uniforms with red embroidery, the attire of the palace servants from Luodu.
There were many servants brought from Luodu, and the female lead’s birthday banquet was bustling with activity. Shen Manyun and Xinglan managed to blend in without being noticed.
And so, they infiltrated the female lead’s encampment.
In the tumultuous life of the female lead from the original book, this birthday banquet was unusually uneventful.
Shen Manyun wasn’t afraid of any mishaps, which was one of the reasons she agreed to come with Xinglan.
“Where is the city lord?” Xinglan hid in the kitchen, casually peeling an orange as he asked Shen Manyun.
Shen Manyun stood guard at the door for him. She now realized that Xinglan had just come to join in the fun.
As soon as they arrived at the camp, he had taken her to the kitchen to steal food.
“I don’t know,” she took the peeled orange from Xinglan and also started eating.
“He really likes the Grand Ritualist. I haven’t seen her yet, but she must be beautiful!” Xinglan rummaged through the dishes steaming on the stove.
“She is beautiful,” Shen Manyun replied, nervously glancing outside, afraid someone might come in.
“I want to see her,” Xinglan stroked his chin, already forming a new plan.
Just then, a supervisor entered the kitchen, and Shen Manyun immediately stood up, pretending to chop vegetables, while Xinglan threw all the orange peels into the fire under the stove.
“Why are you still here? The banquet is about to start. This is the Grand Ritualist’s special day; we can’t afford any delays!” the supervisor barked, hands on hips.
“Alright, we’re short on servers. You two go serve the dishes to the Zhongyang City delegation. Don’t just stand there, hurry up!”
And so, Shen Manyun and Xinglan each picked up a heavy food box, so heavy it made their backs ache.
“Where is Zhongyang City’s location?” Shen Manyun, being honest, was ready to get to work.
“How should I know?” Xinglan grumbled.
He set the food box down and sat on it “I should have transformed into something else. Whoever wants to do this job can do it.”
“There are so many people in the camp; they’re not worried about any accidents—” Xinglan opened the food box and looked at the dishes inside.
“Why do they get to eat such good food? If I were to drop some poison in here….. they’d still eat it, right?”
His hand nervously brushed over the food box, and Shen Manyun noticed his beautiful face starting to distort, as if he was struggling to maintain his human form.
After all… he wasn’t human.
“I’ll go deliver the food for you,” Shen Manyun took the food box from him, not daring to let Xinglan do anything bad.
“Why bother? You shouldn’t do it either,” Xinglan grabbed Shen Manyun’s wrist.
“Manyun, don’t you think it’s unfair? Why do the people from Luodu get to have so many people serving them, while we soul beings have to hide our identities and are hunted down by humans the moment we show ourselves?”
“Why is that? How did it come to this? What have we done wrong?”
Xinglan’s emotions were becoming unstable, and his grip on Shen Manyun’s wrist tightened.
Shen Manyun felt her wrist ache, but she couldn’t answer Xinglan’s questions.
She didn’t know why either.
“Aren’t you angry? Don’t you want to be like them?” Xinglan pulled Shen Manyun closer, turning to look at her.
“I don’t know…” Shen Manyun hadn’t seriously considered his questions. She just wanted Xinglan to calm down.
Since leaving Wuwang City, his emotions seemed to be getting more and more unstable. Was this the danger of soul beings?
“Can you rest for a bit? I’ll go deliver the food and come back, and we can hide and play together, okay?” Shen Manyun asked
patiently.
“No,” Xinglan stubbornly looked at her.
Shen Manyun could only sigh softly, not daring to leave, so she held the food box and stayed by Xinglan’s side, her hands stiff and sore from holding it.
She watched as Xinglan’s face became more and more distorted, but she didn’t know what to do.
But in the next moment, for some reason, Xinglan’s agitated eyes suddenly calmed down.
It was as if a flame had been extinguished, or the tide had receded. His head drooped, and he suddenly regained his composure.
“Manyun, I didn’t scare you, did I?” he said softly.
“No, you didn’t…” Shen Manyun suddenly heard the sound of melodious music. Not far from the tents, it seemed like a procession was welcoming someone.
Looking back, at the end of the bustling crowd, she saw Yan Feiguang leading the way.
He was protecting the sedan chair behind him. In the wind, the light purple gauze of the sedan chair fluttered, outlining the graceful figure of the legendary Grand Ritualist.
She seemed like the most sacred and noble existence in the world, her mere presence capable of dispelling all filth.
Perhaps… perhaps Xinglan’s sudden calmness was also influenced by her?
The crowd was too dense, and soon Shen Manyun could no longer see Yan Feiguang and the female lead. They were so far away, as if they were in a different space.
“Let’s deliver the food,” Xinglan took the food box from Shen Manyun.
“I’ll do it…” Shen Manyun followed behind him.
In the center of the procession, surrounded by music and congratulations, Yan Feiguang reached out to the stopped sedan chair.
She didn’t take his hand but slowly stepped down.
“Did you prepare a birthday gift?” she asked.
“Yes,” Yan Feiguang touched the brocade box hidden in his sleeve.
“Give it to me later,” she entered the tent.
The music began to play, and the grand banquet commenced.