Together

When they were strolling around Banxiang City earlier, they had already asked about the location of the talisman masters' residences.

They had also secretly wandered over here a few times before, so there was no need to search for it now.

Upon receiving Lin Xiao's voice transmission talisman, Liu Chun was very surprised.

But hearing Lin Xiao say through the talisman that he had brought Jiang Youfu over to broaden his horizons at the once-in-a-century talisman master conference, Liu Chun understood and shook his head with a smile.

Come to think of it, their sect master and the other sect members were still young.

When the voice in the talisman ended, Liu Chun immediately left his room and walked outside.

The place they were staying was a massive courtyard, designed with housing capable of accommodating over fifty thousand people.

But now, compared to when over fifty thousand people had gathered here previously, this enormous place seemed very empty and quiet, even with some of the talisman master conference staff present.

This giant courtyard had a total of four gates.

At this moment, Lin Xiao and his companion were waiting for him at the North Gate.

As Liu Chun approached, he saw two people with completely unfamiliar faces and figures standing outside the main gate waiting for him.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu naturally saw him too, and the two immediately waved at him, excited yet restrained.

He stepped forward and sized up their appearances for quite a while before finally speaking:

Brother Xiao?

Liu Chun was a bit uncertain.

Because he truly couldn't tell if these two were the Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu he knew, even though their current expressions and movements were incredibly similar.

Lin Xiao hurriedly nodded,

Yes, yes, yes, it's me. This is Fuzi. After all, when traveling away from home, we two just wanted to be a bit cautious. We use this disguise on and off, and today we just happened to be using it, hehe.

When he spoke, Lin Xiao used his original voice.

Hearing his familiar voice, Liu Chun finally felt relieved and said to the two of them:

Since you were going to come, it would have been so much better if you had just come together with me in the beginning.

Hearing him bring this up, Jiang Youfu said:

Elder Liu, it was because I suddenly heard them talking about this talisman master conference and got interested, which is why I pestered Brother Xiao to bring me here to play.

Lin Xiao then asked him:

Elder Liu, do you have anything else to do later? Or are you going straight back?

Liu Chun, who had originally been very happy to see the two of them arrive, sighed softly and shook his head upon hearing this question.

I cannot go back for the time being; I have to find my younger sister. Recently, I met an Elder Zhang from the Tianxuan Sect. He promised to help me inquire about my sister's whereabouts within the sect. I have already made an appointment with him to meet in Yuanling City in a while, so I still have to go stay in Yuanling City for a period of time.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu exchanged a glance, and Lin Xiao said:

Why don't we just wait with you! In case... there's anything you need help with, an extra person is always an extra bit of strength, right?

This... Hearing his proposal, Liu Chun hesitated a bit. Won't this delay your cultivation...

Jiang Youfu hurriedly chimed in:

Elder Liu, you don't need to worry about that!

Saying so, he specifically leaned close to Liu Chun's ear and sent him a voice transmission:

We brought a spirit gathering array with us! Although the spiritual energy outside in the cultivation world isn't as abundant as in the sect's cultivation rooms, it's generally much better than in the mortal realm!

Besides, there are still so many places I haven't played in yet! While keeping you company, you can also take us out to stroll around. You're definitely more familiar with Yuanling City than the two of us.

And just like that, the matter of the three of them returning to Yuanling City together the next day was settled.

Lin Xiao told Liu Chun their current address and asked him to go find them after packing up the next day, after which the two returned to their cave dwelling.

Now that the talisman master conference had ended and they had contacted Liu Chun, there was nothing left for them in Banxiang City, so it was time to retreat.

They also had to inform Yuan Qing and ask him what his plans were.

After all, they had come together initially. Although they had rarely met up to chat these past few days, both Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu felt that this person was quite nice and shared whatever news he had with them.

Even though it was Lin Xiao who had saved him twice beforehand, if the guy had no sense of gratitude and kept quiet about everything, what could they have done about it?

Since neither side were bad people, and after getting along these past few days, having an extra friend was quite nice.

After the two returned to the cave dwelling, they were surprised to find that Yuan Qing was actually there.

Lin Xiao subconsciously glanced at the color of the sky outside the cave dwelling.

It had just gotten dark.

Seeing his action, Yuan Qing smiled at them and said:

The talisman master conference ended today, and my matters are just about handled as well. I figured that even if you two were strolling around, you definitely wouldn't return too late, so I waited here.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao nodded, walked over to sit down, took a sip of tea, and said:

That's perfect, we also have something to tell you. We just came this time to watch a friend's examination. Now that things are over, we have to go back. What about you?

He didn't explicitly say that their departure time might be tomorrow.

Because he thought that if Yuan Qing wanted to leave with them but needed a few more days, it wasn't as if they couldn't wait an extra couple of days.

At worst, they could just have Liu Chun come over and squeeze in with them for foot baths.

He expected to get an immediate answer, but unexpectedly, Yuan Qing remained silent for a moment before looking up and asking him:

Daoist Lin, can I leave with you guys?

Lin Xiao was just about to open his mouth and agree, saying of course he could, but then he noticed the very solemn gaze Yuan Qing directed at him.

He froze for a moment.

Only then did he realize that Yuan Qing didn't mean going back to Yuanling City with them, but rather, following him back to wherever he was going.

Staring fixedly at Lin Xiao, Yuan Qing spoke once more:

Daoist Lin, I... it is impossible for me to return to the Tianxuan Sect now. I originally thought about going home to help my older sister, but she still rejected me yesterday... She said I should go out and travel for a while, relax myself, and then carefully think about my future.

Hearing this, Lin Xiao thought for a moment and then asked:

Then why don't you just go traveling directly, instead of asking me?

Although their sect was indeed quite short of people right now, he still had to ask clearly about the situation before considering it. He couldn't just bring anyone he met back to the sect.

Even if he casually brought someone back, the Path of Questioning the Heart might not necessarily approve of it.

Yuan Qing lowered his head and answered:

I don't know... where I can go.

Unlike Yuan Zhiyun's independence and assertiveness since childhood, Yuan Qing had always lacked ideas of his own, nor did he possess the heroic spirit to travel alone with a sword.

Therefore, he couldn't do what Yuan Zhiyun suggested, going out to relax, travel around, and contemplate his life goals along the journey.

But he wouldn't refuse Yuan Zhiyun either, so he sought out Lin Xiao.

This person who, to him, was absolutely someone he could follow.

What he thought was that Daoist Lin didn't look like a disciple of a prominent family or a large sect. Even though he seemed to have quite a few good things, he always felt that the aura Lin Xiao exuded was completely different from the two types of people he had encountered in the past.