Just when Zhi Rui was looking for somebody to guard her, she heard a commotion outside the gates.
"Young lord has arrived!"
The guards on the gate announced.
Suddenly a feeling of revulsion surged on Zhi Rui's gut, she frowned and closed her eyes.
"hmmm, this is interesting."
On her memories, every time her elder brother came back, he would in one way or another, always appears wherever she is, and whenever she talked anything with the maids He would investigate what was talked about. then would make questions about her. Always trying to know what she needs or want.
The old Zhi Rui was confused and didn't know what to do. thus she avoided him. Interacting only when was obliged, the nausea was an instantaneous reaction to his name.
But as the new Zhu Rui, she took on herself to solve past affairs.
She walked to the entrance free and easy like a fox, which directly caught the guards and soldiers off guard.
Cheng Zheng just got down from his horse when Zhi Rui appeared.
"Elder brother Zheng, I'm heading for the city and need a ride; do you want to come along?"
Cheng Zheng stood still, showing no response.
"You don't want to?" Zhi Rui asked looking fixedly at him.
The soldier beside Zheng li knows his master treat his words as gold and after he freed himself from the astonishment effect his young lady gave.
He answered.
"I'm sorry young lady, the young lord had to organize some things in the front line, forcing him came all the way mounted without rest, he's to tire–pfft–"
He didn't understand what happened until the ground hit his face dirting his bloody mouth.
Zheng li looked at him on the ground coldly while cleaning his hands. without a word, he got on his horse again and extended his hand to Zhi Rui to help her mount.
But Zhi Rui only smiled with mirth, without breaking eye contact with him, she neared the next mounted soldier and got up behind him in a jump.
Seeing no reaction from Zheng li besides taking his hand back, Zhi li giggled and.
"If I'm not wrong the market's general store is open at this hour right? Let's go there."
Zheng li merely nodded at her and motioned the soldier with her to go forward
She then embraced the soldier in her horse, making him blush.
but she didn't care, only staring at her brother.
his looks are similar to her, exceptionally handsome, green eyes, black hair except for his skin which is paler, everything else is similar.
----------
Soon they reached the front of the store.
"this place is crowded." Zhi Rui complained while getting down the horse.
Zheng li without opening his mouth stood directly at her side, looking coldly at the people around. No one dared to get close.
Zhi Rui saw this with merriment.
The whole way she didn't take her eyes off him, and each time he stole glances at her she would embrace the soldier guiding the horse tighter.
Zhi Rui and Zheng li reached the counter of the store.
She didn't bother with the astonishment in the salesgirl's face.
"Show me every book and knowledge related to cultivation and spells"
the sales girl flustered
"O-okay Miss, do you want breathing methods or path methods?"
"No, I want general knowledge, not methods. like a beast encyclopedia or a book that details the common knowledge of paths. things like that okay?"
"Y-yes, right away miss!"
Zheng li observed her from the side, instead of talking to him Zhi Rui examined the tavern at the corner across from them.
A woman alone was drinking and dining with three men, they all were wearing some kind of heavy armor, but she was wearing a light one, mobility adapted.
leather from her neck to the skirt that barely reached her knees, and a leathered loose overskirt that reached her ankles but didn't get in the way. waist and shoulder pads were studded with some kind of metal.
her eyes are golden with just a thin black iris. But when their gaze met, that thin iris expanded into a small, round black well.
"Miss this is everything we have available right now. the 'encyclopedia of famous cultivators and their paths'it has extensive and detailed knowledge about the wars and the most popular paths and cultivator of each time from the last millennium, including the details of the path of great names from the demonic to righteous cultivators."
putting the big book aside; the sales clerk picked the thinner one
"And this other is a high-class book of basic knowledge on cultivation."
Zhi Rui listened to everything without taking her eyes off the woman on the bar, then asked
"total?"
"The encicloédia is quite old and the unique in the country so it's a hundred common crystals. the other book is high class but it's basic knowledge so it's only ten crystals"
'Crystals? for books? it needs a hundred gold to change for one common crystal, and 100 common crystal made a green crystal . and a hundred of the same is worth one white crystal.'
Zhi Rui looked at Zheng li "Pay it for me?"
Zheng li frowned "Are you not getting your allowance?"
Zhi Rui smiled, "Yes I am, and no I didn't forget to bring money. I just don't want to spend."
Zheng li stared at her with his cold face that didn't change for anything.
against all odds, he reached for the beg on his waist and paid the bill.
Zhi Rui, as if it was nothing turned to the salesgirl "Why the crowd today?"
"Answering the Young lady, the common people are making a public execution of a woman tonight, they are about to read her crimes."
Seeing the surrounding getting silent Zhi Rui wrote something in a piece of paper and put it on Zheng li's hands, then looked at the woman wearing leather armor.
Zheng li understood clearly what she wanted, and instead of questioning or resisting he followed her wishes and went on to deliver her letter.
While Zheng li went away, Zhi Rui walked through the crowd until she sighted a huge bonfire with a woman tied to it
the people were just waiting to throw rocks at her.
There was an especially grotesque man with a glass in his hands instead of rocks.
the man spoke aloud.
"Today we punish this indecent woman for the crime of adultery, robbery, and scamming! we shall not waste time with details, let the execution start!"
everybody screamed in curses, the man was even more agitated he swung his arm but he stopped just before he threw the broken glass, the people around him grew solemn and he looked ahead again, a young woman stood on the way.