Chapter 524: Visiting a Place of Old
Heavenly Cloud City, Ancient Cloud Continent.
It was the end of another year. For cultivators, this was just another insignificant moment in their long and busy lives, but for mortals, this was the most important time of the year.
Light snow was falling from the sky, and aside from some inns and taverns inhabited by cultivators, the rest of the city was completely covered in a blanket of snow. In accordance with an old tradition passed down from time immemorial, newly cut-down peach tree branches were stuck into the snow between the window frames, while vibrant and colorful couplets had been stuck onto the door frames.
The sun had already set, and dusk was transitioning into night.
On a street to the east of Heavenly Cloud City, all of the shops had put up large red lanterns, illuminating the entire street with a festive red glow.
There was steam rising up all over the street as all types of hot foods were being sold, and all of the merchants were loudly advertising their wares, giving the street a lively and bustling atmosphere.
A petite and beautiful young woman wearing a red cloak was currently slowly walking along the street with a delectable tanghulu in her hand.
Her entire face was concealed within the large hood of her cloak, and there was a lonesome look on her face.
"Big Brother and the others aren't here, and Master Li is still gone... I'm all alone..." she sighed to herself in a dejected voice before taking a bite out of her tanghulu.
Right at this moment, she suddenly raised her head, and she spotted a tall azure-robed man at the end of the street, approaching her with a smile on his face.
Her eyes instantly sprang wide open with incredulity, and she hurriedly swallowed the mouthful of tanghulu before hurriedly rushing over to him.
Only when she had almost reached him did she notice that there was an adorable little girl by his side, grabbing onto his robe with both hands as she looked around with a curious expression.
"Master Li!"
The young woman immediately removed her hood upon reaching the azure-robed man, then extended a respectful curtsey.
The man was none other than Han Li, who had traveled all the way here from the Primordial Wave Continent, while the woman was Meng Qianqian.
"No need for formalities. I entered the city through the eastern gate, and I just so happened to sense your aura, so I came to pay you a visit," Han Li said with a smile.
Jin Tong's gaze had been drawn to all of the food being sold along the street, but she turned her attention to Meng Qianqian before pursing her lips slightly in disdain as she asked, "Who's this, Uncle? Her cultivation base is so low, and her aptitude is also terrible!"
An exasperated look appeared on Han Li's face as he scolded, "Don't be so rude! She's your junior martial sister!"
Meng Qianqian lowered her head in a slightly embarrassed manner, then said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Senior Martial Sister."
"I have a junior martial sister now!" Jin Tong immediately exclaimed in delight, then summoned a vial of pills before tossing them at Meng Qianqian. "Here, this is for you."
None of the mortals dared to stop and stare at Han Li's trio, but Han Li could tell that they were all sneaking furtive glances their way, so he said, "Let's get back to the Moonview Forest first. I have some things to tell you."
"Yes, Master Li!" Meng Qianqian hurriedly replied.
"It smells so good here! I want to eat first before we go," Jin Tong protested as she caught a whiff of the fragrant aroma wafting out of a nearby restaurant.
Han Li naturally didn't dare to leave her here on her own. If she were left unchecked, she could easily eat the entire city!
Hence, he had no choice but to comply with her demands. "Alright, let's have some food then. It's been a long time since I've had mortal food myself."
"Which shop has the best food?" Jin Tong asked in an eager voice, and she was barely able to contain her own salivation.
"Are there any larger restaurants nearby?" Han Li asked as he turned to Meng Qianqian, who hurriedly nodded in response.
"There are two large restaurants nearby. I can take you to them right away."
He had explored the city quite extensively during her time here, so she was very familiar with the food being sold here, and she immediately led Han Li and Jin Tong to the nearest large restaurant.
However, Jin Tong was already unable to wait any longer, and she was drawn to a steamed bun stall on the side of the street.
"The steamed lamb buns here are quite popular. We can have some of them first," Meng Qianqian suggested.
Han Li nodded in response, and the three of them sat down at the stall.
The stall waiter could tell that these three were no ordinary customers, and he hurriedly rushed over to them with a warm smile as he asked, "What would you like to order? Our steamed lamb buns are the best in the city!"
"We'll have three steamers of lamb buns and three bowls of lamb offal soup," Meng Qianqian ordered as she pulled out a silver ingot.
"Coming right up!" the waiter declared before departing, and it didn't take long before the order was brought to the table.
Jin Tong was already at her limit, and she grabbed into a steamed lamb bun, which was even larger than both of her hands combined, then sank her teeth into it.
The soft and sumptuous steamed bun instantly split open, and the golden soup inside spilled into her mouth, bringing with it a delectably meaty aroma.
A blissful look appeared on her face as she began to munch down the steamed bun at an speed.incredible speed.
The waiter was very alarmed to see this, fearing that she would burn herself on the piping hot steamed buns, but before he had a chance to say anything, the first bun was already finished, and Jin Tong wiped the oil from her lips before stuffing a second bun into her mouth.
As she ate, her movements became faster and faster, and by the end, it as as if the steamed buns were being zapped out of existence, vanishing into thin air one after another.
All the while, the waiter gawked on with his mouth agape.
"These steamed lamb buns are incredible, Uncle! Get me 100, no, 1,000 steamers of these!" Jin Tong yelled with an ecstatic expression.
Not only was the waiter completely rooted to the spot, even the other diners had all turned to look at her.
"Are they really that good?" Han Li chuckled.
"They are!" Jin Tong insisted as she smacked her lips.
"How many more steamed buns do you have? We'll take them all," Han Li said as he turned to the waiter with a smile.
The waiter was still reeling from what he had seen, so he didn't reply right away.
Han Li thought that the waiter was concerned that he wouldn't have enough money to pay for the meal, and he was just about to pull out some silver when he realized that he didn't have a single tael of silver on him, only a mountain of Immortal Origin Stones.
Ironically, he was too rich to afford food in this city!
Meng Qianqian immediately came to his rescue, flipping a hand over to place a mid-grade spirit stone onto the table.
Compared with the mortals of the Spirit Realm and the Mortal Realm, those of the Northern Glacial Immortal Region generally lived longer and were healthier. Even though the most commonly used forms of currency among them were still silver and gold, they were not unfamiliar with immortal currencies like spirit stones.
Spirit stones contained the world's origin qi, so even though a mortal couldn't directly absorb spiritual power from them, they could still carry spirit stones around to extend their lifespans and improve their health.
Hence, spirit stones were a type of premium currency that was extremely sought after among the upper class.
However, the spirit stone that Meng Qianqian had just pulled out was of a far better quality than normal spirit stones, making it a very rare sight in the mortal world, and it instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Thankfully, the female boss of the stall had also had her attention drawn to Han Li's table by all the commotion, and after taking a glance at the mid-grade spirit stone on the table, she knew that it was her lucky day.
She immediately hurried over to the table with a wide smile as she said, "I'm extremely honored that you think so highly of my steamed buns, esteemed customers, but this spirit stone is far too precious for me."
Despite what she was saying, she had already silently slipped the spirit stone into her pocket.
After that, she declared that her stall was closed for business, then respectfully urged everyone to return the next day. All of the other customers could also tell that Han Li's trio were no ordinary people, so they duly obliged. Only as they turned their attention back to their own tables did they realize that all of their steamed buns had already disappeared.
"This stuff tastes much better than treasures!" Jin Tong exclaimed with an ecstatic expression.
"Senior Martial Sister, you... you normally eat treasures?" Meng Qianqian asked with a stunned expression.
"Of course," Jin Tong replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "What other good stuff is there to eat?"
"There's a ton of delicious food being sold on this street," Meng Qianqian hurriedly replied, then began to rattle off a list of available foods, while Jin Tong listened with a pair of enraptured eyes.
"I don't know what any of those things are, but they all sound really delicious! Let's finish up here, then take me to the next shop!" she urged as she wiped away the drool that was threatening to dribble down her chin.
Right at this moment, the waiter arrived at the table with 10 more steamers of buns, all of which were sucked into Jin Tong's belly in an instant.
A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face as he took a sip of his lamb offal soup.
The soup was a little murky, and it was very flavorful, and it filled his stomach with a sense of gentle warmth.
This was something that he hadn't experienced in a very log time.
Han Li had already forgotten the last time he had enjoyed such mortal delicacies, and that sip of soup instantly sent him on a trip down memory lane, evoking memories of the small village in the Mortal Realm that had been his first home.
He looked around at the lively and bustling street, and he couldn't help but heave an internal sigh.
Having spent all his time cultivating, a change of scenery was quite a pleasant experience.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶