Xuanwu Kingdom, Lin Family Gully.
A beast-drawn carriage moved slowly along the muddy road.
Chu Xingchen had given the two a considerable amount of spirit stones, gold, and silver—after all, money often made conversations smoother.
To make a proper impression, Cui Hao had also rented a carriage for the journey.
Lin Luoyu guided the carriage with ease, her gaze tracing the increasingly familiar path. As a child, she had once run freely along these very trails, scavenging for wild fruits and herbs to fill her belly.
Her eyes seemed to catch glimpses of her younger self, rummaging through the undergrowth for treasures.
Back then, the grass teemed with insects, and any edible greens she found often had to be shared with a few bugs.
She also recalled the time she had mistaken a poisonous plant for food, suffering violent vomiting and diarrhea that nearly took her life.
Those days had felt endless, a relentless cycle of hunger and despair. Every morning, she awoke to an empty stomach, followed by a numbing sense of uncertainty.
Would she find food today? Was she going to starve to death?
Now, it all seemed like a distant dream—the memory of her younger self, clad in tattered hemp clothes.
Back then, Lin Luoyu could never have imagined that she would one day tread the path of immortality from this very place.
Cui Hao poked his head out from inside the carriage. "Senior Sister, aren’t we there yet? My backside’s about to fall apart from all this jolting."
Lin Luoyu snapped out of her thoughts and replied irritably,
"Good. Maybe then you’ll stop insisting on tagging along."
"I’m just worried you’ll get swindled," Cui Hao said, stepping out of the carriage. "If it were Third Senior Sister, I wouldn’t be half as concerned."
Lin Luoyu nearly laughed in disbelief. So, in Cui Hao’s eyes, her intelligence ranked below that of their still-childish third senior sister?
"Worried I’ll get swindled?" Lin Luoyu scoffed. "I’m more worried you’ll be the one scamming people."
Cui Hao chuckled and settled onto the opposite side of the carriage.
"You haven’t even mastered Master’s signature techniques yet. What if this trip back is just a ploy to trick you into becoming someone’s concubine, and you blindly agree…?"
Lin Luoyu could hold back no longer. She kicked Cui Hao straight off the carriage.
Thud!
The sound of his landing echoed, but within moments, Cui Hao climbed back up, completely unharmed and spotless.
He had anticipated her reaction and had already summoned a small spiritual shield.
Otherwise, he’d be covered in mud right now.
Climbing back onto the carriage, Cui Hao adopted a more pitiful tone. "You won’t tell me anything, so of course I have to assume the worst…"
"Then at least think before you speak," Lin Luoyu said, exasperated. "Most villagers may be uneducated, but they’re not fools. They understand the gap between immortals and mortals better than anyone."
"What if there’s someone who doesn’t know their place?"
"You’re the one who doesn’t know his place right now."
"If that’s the case, Senior Sister, isn’t this just a triumphant return? A chance to show off? Why are you so bothered by it?"
"Show off…" Lin Luoyu let out a disdainful laugh. Her gaze shifted forward, where the outlines of a modestly sized village were now visible.
She turned serious. "We’re almost there. Keep your mouth shut, don’t act recklessly, take flattery with a grain of salt, and don’t agree to anything they ask you to do."
Cui Hao nodded quickly, realizing that his fourth senior sister wasn’t as naive as he’d thought. He ducked back inside the carriage.
The rumble of the wheels continued for a while before excited voices erupted outside.
"It’s Immortal Lin! She’s back!"
"Go call the village chief! Our village’s immortal has returned!"
"That’s a spirit beast carriage! Immortal Lin must have joined a legendary immortal sect! Our Lin Family Gully has finally produced a true celestial being!"
Cui Hao leaned against the carriage door, listening. The voices—men, women, young and old—were filled with pride, as if Lin Luoyu’s ascension had brought glory to them all.
The carriage came to a halt.
Lin Luoyu’s voice rang out. "Village Chief, this time, my…"
Cui Hao quickly cleared his throat and stepped out, his eyes landing on an elderly man with a cane, his hair white but his spirit still vigorous.
Under the collective gaze of the villagers, Cui Hao cut in.
"I am Lin Luoyu’s senior brother. You must be the village chief?"
The village chief hastily straightened his robes and began to kneel, only to be stopped midway by Lin Luoyu’s outstretched hand.
She shot Cui Hao a questioning look—what are you playing at?
Though prevented from kneeling, the village chief still wore an expression of reverence, clasping his hands in salute. "Greetings, Immortal. This humble elder is unworthy…"
Cui Hao stepped down, his demeanor calm and dignified—enough to rival even half of their master’s presence, at least in Li Yingling’s eyes.
By elevating his own status, he could shield Lin Luoyu from any unreasonable requests the village chief might make.
Or at least negotiate a compromise, sparing her from awkward situations.
He reached out to steady the village chief.
"Since you are Senior Sister Lin’s elder, there’s no need for such formalities."
The village chief hesitated briefly before nodding. "If the Immortal permits… We were unprepared for your arrival today. If you do not mind, please honor my humble home with a cup of tea."
Ignoring Lin Luoyu’s accusatory glare, Cui Hao pressed on.
"No need for tea. My junior sister mentioned that there have been demonic disturbances near the village?"
The village chief nodded gravely. "Indeed. At night, eerie winds howl through the eastern woods… and strange voices can be heard. To the west, water ghosts haunt the riverbanks. Recently, these malevolent creatures have multiplied."
"Several villagers have nearly lost their lives…"
"We sent young men to report to the Demon Suppression Bureau in town, but the response has been delayed repeatedly. They claim these are difficult times… Now, many have fled Lin Family Gully in fear."
"Had Immortal Lin not just begun her immortal journey—a critical time—we would never have dared to trouble her with a letter."
The village chief sighed heavily, his face etched with sorrow.
Cui Hao studied him. The man seemed sincere, his words detailed and plausible. If this was an act, his acting was impeccable—far beyond Cui Hao’s own abilities.
He shot Lin Luoyu a puzzled look—so this is just about exterminating demons?
Now it was Lin Luoyu’s turn to ignore him.
The village chief hesitated before speaking again.
"Immortal Lin… Li Junzi mentioned that if you returned, she would like to see you. She wishes to apologize for what happened in the past."
Cui Hao’s ears perked up.
Li Junzi? The past? An apology?
His expression shifted to one of vindication. No wonder Fourth Senior Sister had been so reluctant—there was definitely more to this story!
Who would have thought that his seemingly honest, straight-laced senior sister had been hiding the truth all along?
Lin Luoyu’s face remained impassive, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Cui Hao understood. This was her way of wrestling with indecision. Though she hadn’t mastered their master’s core teachings, she had at least perfected the art of concealing her emotions.
After a long pause, Lin Luoyu finally nodded.
"I’ll see her."
The village chief visibly relaxed upon hearing this and turned his gaze to Cui Hao, asking:
"Will this immortal master accompany you, or would he prefer to visit my humble abode for some tea first?"
Lin Luoyu glanced at Cui Hao, who was dressed in an exaggeratedly sage-like manner, his eyes brimming with curiosity and mischief.
After a moment’s thought—since this guy had insisted on tagging along for no good reason—she said:
"My senior brother is immensely powerful. He can handle subduing demons all by himself."
Cui Hao: "…………???"
Oh, wonderful.
So the Foundation Establishment-stage senior sister stays guarding the hometown, while the Qi Condensation-stage junior brother gets to wreak havoc out there, is that it?