Where there's excitement, there's Qinghe

Most vendors were set up on the left side, while the right side was occupied by street performers. Though in truth, performers were few and far between, with merchants dominating the scene.

At the entrance of the street, stalls selling goods were most common, and only further in could one find food vendors.

Li Yingling now carried a small but exquisitely crafted lantern in her hand.

She still remembered how, as a child, she had envied others carrying lanterns and dreamed that one day, she too would have one.

Now grown up, Li Yingling finally had her own—more beautiful than anything she had imagined in her childhood dreams.

Holding up the lantern, she squinted with a smile and asked her master,

"How does it look? Pretty, right?"

Chu Xingchen had already finished his candied hawthorn skewer, leaving only the wooden stick dangling from his lips.

Hearing Li Yingling’s question, he turned his gaze toward her. The lantern’s glow cast a soft light on her face, making her fair skin seem almost luminous.

Li Yingling possessed the [Beauty] trait.

Even in her youthful appearance, she was undeniably lovely, and her current joyful expression only added to her charm, radiating warmth.

Chu Xingchen smiled sincerely. "Of course my eldest disciple is beautiful."

Li Yingling lifted her chin proudly.

"I already know I’m pretty! I was asking about the lantern."

Chu Xingchen shook his head with a hint of regret.

"Ah, the lantern… Well, compared to my eldest disciple, it falls a bit short."

Li Yingling turned away, her red dress swirling in an elegant arc as she strode forward with the lantern in hand.

"Master, you’re such a smooth-talker."

Cui Hao shot his master an admiring glance—truly, the master was a master for a reason!

Though this outing was meant to celebrate Li Yingling’s birthday, Chu Xingchen had instructed his disciples beforehand—everyone should enjoy themselves to the fullest.

So now, Chen Baiqing browsed through books at a nearby stall.

Lin Luoyu bought a hairpin for her mentor.

Cui Hao fiddled with a peculiar little trinket in his hands.

Ning Qianqian picked out new robes for her father.

Li Yingling, too, paused whenever something caught her eye.

Despite the bustling crowd, their group never strayed too far apart. Though they wandered freely, not a single one got lost.

It was as if an invisible thread of connection bound them together.

With Li Yingling still leading the way, they slowly made their way toward Zen Forest Temple.

After walking a while longer, the scent of steaming food filled the air, and rows of food stalls came into view.

Li Yingling glanced down the seemingly endless stretch of vendors and remarked,

"This festival feels even livelier than the Zen Forest Dharma Assembly from before."

Chen Baiqing tucked two newly purchased books into his spatial ring before looking up at his senior sister.

"Does Senior Sister not like it?"

"I love it," Li Yingling replied with a smile, gently pinching Chen Baiqing’s cheek.

As she turned her attention back to the stalls, her eyes landed on two familiar figures at a noodle stand.

One was tall, the other small—both dressed in matching white robes adorned with intricate patterns.

The smaller figure held chopsticks, completely unfazed by the steaming bowl of freshly cooked noodles in front of her.

Without hesitation, she scooped up a mouthful, not even bothering to blow on it before devouring it.

The stall owner watched in shock, about to intervene, only to see the girl’s face light up with pure delight.

The taller figure, meanwhile, wore a slightly exasperated expression and waved the owner off, signaling that everything was fine.

The little one was none other than Qinghe, while the other was Xie Lingyu.

Qinghe, still chewing, suddenly sensed someone’s gaze and turned to look.

Spotting Li Yingling, she immediately stood up, bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, waving enthusiastically.

Xie Lingyu also glanced over, offering a gentle smile and a small wave.

Li Yingling was stunned…

Hadn’t Xie Lingyu and this little dragon just returned to Tianyan Sect?

"Master, look!" Li Yingling called out, only to find Chu Xingchen already standing beside her. "Isn’t that Xie Lingyu and Qinghe?"

"Seems our group is about to grow again," Chu Xingchen chuckled. "Shall we greet them?"

Li Yingling nodded with a smile.

Together, they approached Qinghe and Xie Lingyu.

"Baiqing…" Qinghe mumbled through a mouthful of noodles. "Long time no see."

Chen Baiqing simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Li Yingling couldn’t help but ask, "Qinghe, didn’t you and Xie Lingyu just return to Tianyan Sect?"

Qinghe swallowed her noodles and grinned triumphantly.

"Where there’s fun, there’s Qinghe! With so much good food here, of course I had to come!"

With that, she was about to leap at Chen Baiqing for a reunion hug—

But Xie Lingyu swiftly grabbed her by the collar.

"Shouldn’t you think before you act?"

Qinghe immediately froze, then nodded solemnly, even casting Xie Lingyu a grateful look.

Li Yingling found the whole exchange baffling.

Qinghe picked up her bowl again. "Wait for me! I’ll finish my noodles, then we can all go have fun together."

Li Yingling turned to Xie Lingyu. "Why didn’t you come to the sect first, Senior Aunt?"

Xie Lingyu smiled. "We arrived late, and Qinghe was hungry, so I brought her here for noodles first."

In no time at all, Qinghe inhaled the rest of her meal.

Satisfied, she turned to Xie Lingyu. "Pay up!"

But before Xie Lingyu could react, Chen Baiqing stepped forward, asked for the price, and settled the bill.

Qinghe’s eyes sparkled with emotion. "I knew Baiqing was the best!"

Without further questions, their group expanded by one person and one dragon.

Qinghe immediately latched onto Chen Baiqing, dragging him to every stall that caught her fancy.

Chen Baiqing, carrying plenty of silver, bought her anything she truly wanted without hesitation.

After all, the prices here were hardly steep—at least, not for him.

Delighted, Qinghe stuck to Chen Baiqing’s side like glue.

The group continued forward.

Soon, they passed fortune-tellers offering love divinations, as well as stalls selling paintings and calligraphy.

Cui Hao lingered here for quite some time.

The long street remained aglow with lanterns, and laughter never ceased.

What had once seemed an endless stretch of road now felt far too short in Li Yingling’s heart—Zen Forest Temple was already within sight.

A pang of reluctance struck her. She didn’t want to part with her companions or this joyous atmosphere.

But she stepped inside regardless.

The moment she entered the temple grounds, a familiar voice called out from a side gate.

"Senior Sister, it’s been a while."

Li Yingling turned in surprise.

There stood Li Xingtian, dressed in a black robe trimmed with gold, looking as though he had taken great care with his appearance.

Arms crossed, he leaned against the wall with a broad smile, as if he had been waiting for her all along.

For some reason…

Li Yingling found himself thinking that his second junior brother actually had quite a charming smile.