The vendors shouted and advertised their goods.
"Silver Scale Pendants, five wen each, durable and unbreakable!"
A child held a wooden sword and dashed through the streets.
"Tianbusong, the Way of the Sword lasts forever, yee-ha! Sword, come!"
The chubby boy stumbled and fell, and his wooden sword slipped from his hand, smashing into a stall and shattering a pendant worth five wen.
A dispute followed, with arguments such as the child being young and ignorant, being just a child, and so on.
Men and women strolled through the streets, each with their own appearance.
Jiang Wanyu blended into this bustling market.
Her delicate little face became even fairer as her vitality waned.
She bit into a candy, and with a forceful bite, it shattered into countless starry fragments, demonstrating its sharpness.
"Boss, give me four tail beast buns."
She spread a row of copper coins in her hand and handed them over, along with a small piece of low-grade spirit stone.
The drowsy boss suddenly widened his eyes. "Alright, should I serve them here or pack them up for you, guest?"
The tail beast was a second-rank demonic beast that resembled a domestic pig with a long tail.
Due to its delicious taste, it is often consumed as food.
For a small and inconspicuous bun shop like this, there are definitely no sales.
Due to the level of customer flow and consumption, few people would come to this shop specifically for expensive ingredients.
The loss from the spoiled ingredients that end up in their hands would take a month of hard work to make up for.
However, this doesn't stop the boss from taking on the business. They quickly used their eyes to urge the boss's wife to go to the market and get some ingredients.
The profit earned from this deal alone could rival what they would earn in seven or eight days of working tirelessly from dawn to dusk. There is no reason not to seize this opportunity.
"Pack it up."
Jiang Wan Yu sat down at the nearest seat by the shop door and popped another piece of candy into her mouth.
As the candy dissolved in her mouth...
...
When the seventeenth piece went down her throat.
Gurgle...
Hmm?
Of course, it wasn't her making that sound.
After coming to a realization, she decided to enjoy her remaining three years in peace and embarked on a journey of eating and exploring.
Jiang Wan Yu cast her gaze around.
A young girl was draped in clothes covered in patches and already washed to a pale color, which seemed a bit out of place.
The roaring tide of hunger swept over her, squeezing out the last remnants of her energy.
She looked at the steaming buns in the bun shop.
Gurgle She swallowed her saliva.
The dusty little face clearly showed her desire to eat.
"Yao Yao, do you want to eat?"
Behind her was an elderly man walking with a limp. He took out a few copper coins, pondered for a moment, gritted his teeth, and spoke up.
"Want... how is it possible to want to eat? These buns are sour."
She had been sensible since she was young. She counted the copper coins handed to her by another customer and estimated the approximate price of the buns. She quickly changed her statement.
Instantly, the bun shop owner became unhappy. What did it mean to say the buns were sour? What does it imply?
It means the ingredients are not fresh!
Everyone could feel that the child's words were innocent and straightforward, daring to speak the truth.
Wasn't this damaging his reputation? He cut off people's money: "You can't talk nonsense. I've been running this street for seven or eight years, and no one has ever said they were sour. Be careful, I'll report you to the authorities."
He reached out to grab the little girl named Yao Yao.
But he was stopped by a feeble little hand: "Why bother arguing with a child? I'll pay for her to taste it and see if the buns are really sour."
Jiang Wan Yu tossed a few copper coins and turned to pat the little girl's head. "You should eat slowly. I'll treat you to another one later. If you eat too quickly, it'll be gone."
She took the hot buns wrapped in oil paper from the shop owner and handed them to the little girl.
The little girl quickly realized what was happening. She took the buns, restrained her instinctive impulse, and began to eat slowly. The soft and savory pork blossomed in her mouth.
Her eyes squinted, making a rumbling sound like a beast enjoying its meal.
Her movements seemed slow, but in the blink of an eye, she finished the bun completely. She touched her little belly and said, "It's delicious! Sister, I'm so satisfied."
She looked up and stared earnestly at Jiang Wan Yu, refusing to look away.
After a long time, as if trying to remember her face, she said, "Thank you, sister. My name is Liu Xi Yao. When I grow up, I will definitely repay you."
Liu Xi Yao's face showed a conflicted expression, as if she had made a major decision. "By the way, sister! Xi Yao picked a red lotus today! It feels so comfortable to wear, warm and cozy. Let me warm your stomach, sister. I'll give it to you as a gift."
Red Lotus City, named after the red lotus, of course, could not be without its characteristic product, the red lotus.
Of course, this was just a gimmick used by unscrupulous merchants to deceive outsiders.
She couldn't refuse the child's kind intentions. "Thank you, little sister."
Perhaps because she was young and innocent, she sensed Jiang Wan Yu's thoughts and felt a bit dissatisfied. "Sister, don't underestimate this red lotus. It's different from the ones you've seen before. It will bring you good luck. I just told it a moment ago that I wanted to eat buns, and soon I had hot buns to eat! If you don't believe me, make a wish to it, sister!"
From childhood to adulthood, Jiang Wan Yu had come into contact with countless red lotuses. They were nothing more than ordinary lotus flowers cultivated from a young age with ink infused
with red color, dyeing their bodies in various shades.
She forced a smile. "Alright then, I wish for everything to get better."
She reached out and took the red lotus from Liu Xi Yao's hand.
In the instant their hands touched, a strange fluctuation shimmered on the ring on her right index finger, devouring the red lotus completely.
The ring lost its original color and turned blood red.
Jiang Wan Yu pondered, not understanding whether this change was good or bad.
It was an heirloom from her mother, whose origins were mysterious, and her father had always remained silent about it.
Oh well, there's nothing worse than this.
That's what she thought.
Due to the loss of her spiritual power, she couldn't sense the terrifying aura awakening within the ring.
At the same time, in the sky, twenty-eight constellations were suspended.
Eleven dormant constellations, among them, one peculiar constellation slowly emitted a faint light, as if showing signs of awakening.
"Sister, did I cause trouble..." Liu Xi Yao was at a loss, having never seen such a scene before.
"It's alright, it's alright." Jiang Wan Yu looked at the tearful little girl.
She didn't know how to comfort a child, so she simply handed out a box of candies, but hesitated and took one back, offering it to a tiger's tooth: "Life is already so hard, have something sweet."
She said it as if speaking to the young girl, but also to herself.
Liu Xi Yao imitated her and placed a candy under the tiger's tooth with a 'crack'.
The sweetness spread in her mouth.
"Customer, your tailed beast bun is ready."
The untimely interruption came from the bun shop owner.
Jiang Wan Yu took the bun and stuffed one into Liu Xi Yao's mouth. "Here's your second bun as promised."
She sighed inwardly. With her own safety uncertain, she could only help Liu Xi Yao to this extent. Mortals who eat a tailed beast bun wouldn't suffer from major ailments in the short term, at least they wouldn't freeze to death in the next harsh winter.
Because Jiang Wanyu didn't have the requirement to savor her food this time.
Liu Xiyao swallowed a piece of beast meat with her cheeks puffed up. "Sister, when Xiyao grows up, I will definitely repay you. You are my best sister."
The piece of beast meat entered her stomach and was instantly digested without a trace.
A bone in her chest faintly emitted a dragon's roar, as if awakening from a long slumber.
How could Xiyao be an ordinary girl? When she meets Wanyu, she transforms into a dragon.
The innocent girl repeated once again, "Sister, Xiyao will definitely repay you when I grow up..."
Jiang Wanyu earnestly remembered this most innocent smile. "Alright, sister will wait and see how you will repay me when you grow up."