Am I the only good person in this cultivation world?

Yao Han did not act rashly. First, he sent a wisp of his divine sense towards the outside of the cave.

They didn't see any monsters, but they found a little girl under a tree nearby.

The girl was about his age, wearing a bright green dress, with two small braids tied behind her head with white ropes, swaying playfully as she moved.

She was carrying a basket on her back, which was mostly filled with wild vegetables and straw mushrooms. At that moment, she was bending over and picking a few straw mushrooms growing under the shade of a tree into her hand.

Yao Han was relieved and withdrew his divine sense.

With a quick glance, he took out a new set of clothes from his storage bag, changed into them, pushed aside the branches at the cave entrance, and stepped out.

He deliberately made some noise, but the little girl didn't hear him at all, gritting her teeth and struggling with the mushroom in front of her.

"It's just a mushroom, is it that hard to pick?" Yao Han said with a smile.

"It's easy for you to say that when you're not the one suffering. Didn't you see it's stuck in a crack in the rock... Ah!"

The little girl screamed and jumped up from the ground, leaping three feet high.

Yao Han's lips twitched, and he picked at his ear.

He's a promising candidate for practicing sound-based techniques.

"W-wh-when did you appear! You scared me to death!"

"I... bah, I've been standing behind you for ages. Don't stare at me like that. You didn't even notice, so who can you blame but yourself?"

Yao Han's train of thought hasn't quite shifted yet.

Given his current appearance, it's rather strange that he calls himself an old man.

Since I've been reborn, it wouldn't hurt to be a teenager again.

The girl looked at him with unusual vigilance, hugging her small body tightly: "Whose family are you? Let me tell you, I found this place first, don't try to take it from me."

Yao Han smiled and said, "No, no, it's all yours."

"Hmm, that's more like it. I'm going to have Grandpa make soup with these mushrooms. His fish soup is so delicious, and when you break open a steamed bun and put it in, it tastes amazing..."

The girl talked to herself for a while before suddenly realizing something and looking at me suspiciously: "Wait a minute, I've never seen you before. Aren't you from Jiangjia Village?"

Jiangjia Village.

Yao Han silently recited the place name in his mind, comparing it with the map he remembered.

Although they were dragged along by the cliff owl for a whole night, it seemed that they were not far from their previous destination, "Purple Hill City," but rather closer.

His eyes flashed, and he quickly came up with his explanation:

"I was originally heading to Ziqiu with a caravan, but last night I encountered a monster and got separated from my family."

"Oh, is that so?"

Without a second thought, the girl believed Yao Han: "So you spent the night by the river? You must be starving! Come on, I'll take you back to the village and let you try my grandfather's cooking!"

Perhaps because Yao Han looked to be close to her age, she didn't have any reservations.

"By the way, my name is Xiao Lu, Jiang Xiao Lu. What's yours?"

"My name is... Yao Han."

He thought about it for a moment and realized there was no need to hide his identity, so he told them his real name.

"Then I'll call you Xiaohan?"

Yao Han's lips twitched, but he didn't respond.

"Xiaohan, how old are you this year?"

"Xiao Han, are you from Li Family Village or Wang Family Village? Judging from your clothes, you're not from the city, are you?"

"Are you from Ziqiu City? Is the city fun? Fourth Uncle always says how big and wonderful Ziqiu City is, but I've never been there before."

This little girl can talk so much!

Yao Han is a quiet person and doesn't like noise.

Jiang Xiaolu kept chattering in his ear, which gave him a headache. He wondered if it was because he had been using his spiritual sense too much lately.

However, as I chatted with her, I actually rediscovered some of the feelings I had when I was young.

Purple Hill City...

He must have been there, but it was many years ago. At that time, he was probably still a rogue cultivator.

"...Then, south of the City Lord's Building, across a white arched bridge, lies Baiye Street, stretching from Chenjia Hutong in the west to Zuixianglou in the east. As soon as night falls, the vendors come out of their homes and line up in two rows on the street—sugar figurines, tea sellers, acrobats—you can't see the end of them...Why aren't you saying anything?"

As Yao Han walked, he described the Ziqiu City from his memory to Jiang Xiaolu.

"Hehe, please continue."

Jiang Xiaolu faced him, walking backwards with her hands behind her back, her little braid swaying with her body, her pair of bright, watery eyes never blinking.

"Okay, where was I?"

"They're street performers! What kind of tricks do they do?"

"There are so many. Things like breaking boulders with their heads, slicing kidneys with curved swords, swallowing swords and breathing fire..."

It's no wonder Yao Han remembers it so clearly, because Ziqiu City is one of the top cities in the Jing Kingdom. Although he had only been there once, it left a deep impression on him.

Ziqiu is located in a strategic location in the Jing Kingdom, with convenient access in all directions. Whether returning home or going to Shuiyue Palace, it will be an essential route.

As they talked, the trees around them gradually thinned out, and a bluestone path appeared on the ground.

Looking ahead along the bluestone path, the shimmering river stretches towards the distant mountain valley, where the sky and water meet, resembling a jade ribbon descending from the heavens.

On both sides of the river, a dozen or so wooden houses were built along the water. Several village women sat at their doorsteps, washing clothes and vegetables in the river. When they saw the two people walking by, they greeted them with smiles.

The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. A gentle breeze, moistened by the moisture, caressed Yao Han, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.

Since achieving Foundation Establishment, he has not entered the mortal world for a long time and has not interacted with ordinary people.

Yao Han suddenly felt that it wasn't bad to just take a casual stroll like this occasionally.

Jiang Xiaolu led the way, greeting the uncles and aunts in the village as she chased away the chickens and ducks blocking the way.

Before long, the two arrived at a wooden house.

"Sir—I've brought a guest back!"

Jiang Xiaolu threw the basket on her back at the door and ran into the house, her footsteps thumping loudly on the wooden planks.

"Ouch, be gentle! You brat, if you stomp another hole in the ground, you'll have to figure out how to fix it yourself!"

"Oh dear, this wooden plank isn't going to break so easily~ The mushrooms we picked are all at the door, the baskets are full. It's not just the two of us today, we have guests too, how about we cook another pot?"

Yao Han strongly suspected that Jiang Xiaolu brought him along just to have a few more sips of soup.

"Alright, alright, go wash up first, I'll put the fire on." A hunchbacked old man with white hair and beard slowly walked out of the house: "Let me see, whose child is this?"

Yao Han repeated his reasons to the old man.

"Hmm~ You're obviously a city kid; your health isn't even as good as this old man's!"

Yao Han smiled but remained silent.

"If you want to go back to Ziqiu City... why not stay here a few more days? In about half a month, a fleet of cotton-carrying merchant ships should stop in the village for a rest. You can take their ship westward, and you'll arrive around there."

"Then thank you, sir." Yao Han clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

"You speak so formally, child. No need to be so polite with me. It's not easy for anyone when they're away from home. Just call me Grandpa like Xiaolu does—alright, go inside and rest. Wait for your soup."

Old Jiang and Xiao Lu busied themselves at the stove, while Yao Han, unable to help, could only meditate and wait inside the house.

After a while, a faint fragrance wafted into his nose, making his stomach growl.

Yao Han touched the tip of his nose helplessly.

It's been so long since I felt this hunger pang.

There's no way around it; even Qi Refining cultivators need to eat.

The fish soup was ready, and the three of them sat down at the table, enjoying a few slightly dry steamed buns for lunch.

Old Jiang's cooking skills are indeed excellent. The milky white fish soup is fragrant and delicious. After taking a sip, a warm feeling rushes from your stomach to your head.

Yao Han was sweating profusely from drinking.

The sun rose and set, the river turned blue and red, and the day passed by in the midst of chatting with the grandfather and grandson.

He wanted to start meditating and cultivating as soon as possible, but Jiang Xiaolu kept pestering him to tell her more about things in Ziqiu City.

They didn't stop until the little girl fell asleep.

Helpless, Yao Han left his bed for her, and the two switched rooms.

After closing the door, Yao Han sat down in front of the bed. He pondered for a moment and then took out a cultivation manual from his storage bag.

Brilliant Light Technique

He had already decided that he would no longer practice the demonic arts from his previous life.

With dual spiritual roots of metal and water, he doesn't need to rush things; a steady and methodical approach is the best strategy.

Although the Blazing Light Technique is a basic skill, it is most suitable for him now.

With this as a foundation, it's not too late to switch to other techniques later.

He was determined to go to the Water Moon Palace anyway, and with its resources, he wasn't worried about not finding a cultivation technique he liked.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about you."

Yao Han flicked his finger toward the animal skin bag at his waist, his divine sense moving in and out of the bag. The more he looked at the pile of spirit stones, the more satisfied he became, wishing he could count them a hundred or eighty times.

With these 177 spirit stones in hand, what great things cannot be accomplished!

Once we arrive at Ziqiu, we'll see if we can find some like-minded people and purchase some elixirs and magical artifacts...

Ok?

Yao Han paused in thought.

One hundred and seventy-seven?