I'm just an ornamental fish in the water.

Seeing that Jiang Li was so cooperative, Chi'er was satisfied, but on the surface she pushed Jiang Li away a little, showing quite disdain.

"Go away, go away! You're a perfectly respectable young man now, how dare you get so close to me?"

Jiang Li chuckled and took a half-step, following the force, still keeping her body slightly lower, pretending to listen.

Chi'er laughed and said, "Actually, the key to this purchasing trip is the word 'trip' in the last two characters."

"Once you leave the Divine Palace, if you want to buy everything you need, you'll have to travel to every market in Luoyang. Vegetables, grains, meat, seasonings, and tools—you can't get them all from just one household."

"In this way, we can naturally see many aspects of human life, and that's the key point."

Jiang Li's expression shifted, but she promptly feigned a puzzled look and asked, "Sister, your words are still quite profound."

Seeing this, Chi'er gave Jiang Run a disapproving look, but inwardly she was very satisfied.

"Silly little brother, remember this well: if there are any mistakes in the purchasing, no one will say anything to you. Even if there are, your sister will cover it up for you."

"Just remember to write down anything interesting you see, and when you come back and the Empress summons you, tell her about it. Remember, don't bother the Empress with anything that's too painful to talk about. Just tell her some everyday jokes and stories about family matters."

Chi'er sighed and said, "Her Majesty is actually quite lonely in the palace. When she's in the mood, she can chat and laugh with us maids for a long time, but most of the time, she's alone and lost in thought."

"If you can make the Empress happy, that will be your greatest achievement as a purchasing agent."

Jiang Run understood. Combining the information he had just heard in the reception hall, it seemed that Lady Luo Shui had been suppressing her feelings for so many years.

Without thinking too deeply about it, Jiang Li nodded gratefully to Chi'er.

"I will always remember my sister's words of advice."

"Perfect timing! The palace just happens to need to purchase a batch of meat for those water palace generals. Go and make the trip."

Chi'er took out a token from his bosom and personally tied it to Jiang Li's belt, laughing, "We've been eyeing this celestial brocade for a long time, and now you get it."

After chuckling, Chi'er said seriously, "Once we leave the palace and enter Luoyang, this token must never leave your side."

"Luoyang City is a major city in the Divine Land of China, and there are many human cultivators in it. Although our Luoshui Divine Palace's aquatic people are of righteous origin, they are still anomalies."

"Without this token to prove your identity, you might be targeted by those cultivators who don't distinguish right from wrong and are only interested in exorcising demons."

"You must also remember that unless absolutely necessary, you should not get into a conflict with human cultivators in the city. Even if we are in the right, it is still their territory."

"Moreover, the world outside is not stable these days, so we must be careful in everything we do."

Jiang Li listened attentively. Although he was not a child, the outside world was still unfamiliar to him.

Looking down at the token, it was made of white jade with cloud patterns on all four sides, and the four large characters "Luoshui Divine Palace" were etched in gold.

"The Queen specifically instructed that since you have just been born into a human body, you should experience the world and see the great principles of human relationships. Therefore, you must go alone."

As Chi'er spoke, he touched his sleeve and handed a bag of silver and a small book to Jiang Li.

"This is the list of purchases, and the amount of money required."

"in addition……"

Chi'er looked around and, seeing that no one was around, took out a slip of paper, stuffed it into Jiang Li's hand, and whispered, "Besides the items on that list, there are some other items that you also need to take."

"These are some things that we sisters need."

Jiang Li responded, opened the note and glanced at it. Her expression was somewhat strange, but she still put it away.

"Then, sister, I'll be going now."

"Go ahead. Although you should be careful, if you really encounter someone unreasonable, don't be too tolerant. Our Luoshui Divine Palace is not lacking in anything, and the Empress will stand up for you."

Chi'er said softly, "After all, no matter what, Her Majesty's status is undeniable."

Jiang Li nodded knowingly.

Although aquatic creatures like myself in the Luoshui Divine Palace have not been officially appointed by the Heavenly Court and are considered as alien spirits cultivating the righteous path in the eyes of humans.

But Lady Luoshui is the eldest daughter of His Majesty the First Common Ruler of the Human Race.

After giving a few more instructions, Chi'er left the Luoshui Divine Palace.

Once outside the Luo River, Jiang Li looked at the somewhat desolate scenery around her and the hurried people dressed in ancient costumes, and a sense of bewilderment inevitably welled up in her heart.

This world, though somewhat similar to his previous life, is no longer the same world.

No matter how much he genuinely felt he was a human being, in the eyes of the humans of this world, he was an anomaly. To put it nicely, he was called an elf; to put it bluntly, he was a monster.

Jiang Li looked at the passing people, and the people were looking at him.

In the eyes of the common people, the young man was dressed in a well-fitting red silk robe, with a white jade pendant around his waist. He was tall and straight with fair skin, clearly the kind of person only a wealthy and noble family could afford to raise.

Therefore, none of them dared to look too closely, only glancing at the person before hurriedly looking away, for fear of offending the important person.

He was just wondering why such a distinguished person would come to this desolate place outside the city alone.

Moreover, judging from its demeanor, it seemed quite bewildered. Could it be someone's lost child?

At this moment, a kind-hearted woman, seeing the boy's appearance, felt a surge of pity and bravely went over to him. She awkwardly bowed and greeted him, imitating the mannerisms of the important figures she had seen before.

"May I ask, young sir, what brings you here all alone in this desolate place?"

Jiang Li snapped out of his daze and, upon hearing this, smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "Greetings, madam. My name is Jiang Li. I have been ordered by my family to go to Luoyang to broaden my horizons. However, it is my first time traveling, and I have gotten lost. I would be grateful if you could show me the way."

Hearing the refined manners of the young man, the woman became even more reserved and whispered, "Young master, just follow the Luo River northward for about ten miles, and you'll reach the territory of Luoyang City."

"My lord, you should hurry up. The world is not stable these days, and even this place is not a safe haven."

The woman spoke softly, looked around, and when she found that there was no one with a fierce look on their face, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for the pointers."

Jiang Run smiled and nodded, then reached into his sleeve, pried off a small piece from the silver ingot, about an ounce, and handed it to the woman in front of him.

"Please do not refuse my offer to show you the way."

The woman hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it, saying gratefully, "Thank you for your generous gift."

Jiang Li smiled and continued along the Luo River.

The woman stared in disbelief at the silver coins in her hand. Just a few words and he had given her silver. How wealthy must this young man's family be?

Just as she was thinking this, she looked up, but the young man in red was no longer there.

…………

Jiang Li continued forward, each step covering a distance of over ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

He carefully savored this feeling, which was quite novel to him, since he had just obtained true qi and was somewhat unfamiliar with all extraordinary applications.

However, just as Jiang Run was using the technique of shrinking the distance to an inch to move forward, when he was about five or six miles away from Luoyang City, he suddenly felt as if he were sinking into a quagmire, unable to take a single step.

The surrounding air seemed to have become thick and sticky.

Jiang Li frowned, but remained calm. She looked around and locked onto a figure by the roadside.

It was an old man dressed in hemp clothing, wearing a blue turban, with white hair and beard, sitting on a blue stone by the roadside, chuckling as he looked at Jiang Li.

Despite being dressed in ordinary clothes, in Jiang Li's eyes, this old man possessed a serene and carefree aura of Daoism.

Just by looking into each other's eyes, Jiang Li felt calm and her breathing became smoother.

When Jiang Li looked over, the old Taoist simply smiled and winked.

"Even if it is an envoy from the Luoshui Divine Palace, it is still too ostentatious to use such methods outside Luoyang City. It would be better to walk into the city quietly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the invisible barrier surrounding Jiang Li vanished instantly.

Jiang Li thought for a moment, then stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am Jiang Li, a servant of the Luoshui Divine Palace. I have just been appointed to this post by the Goddess of Luoshui and am unfamiliar with the rules. I thank you for your guidance, Daoist Master."

"Please bestow upon me your Dharma name and venerable title, so that I may pay my respects."

The old Taoist stroked his beard and smiled.

"I am Ge Xuan."