The carriage was lavishly decorated, and the coachman had a sturdy presence. His movements were sharp and precise, not like those of an ordinary servant.
Alex led Selene and approached the carriage.
He smiled apologetically and explained their situation.
Perhaps it was because of his sincere attitude, or perhaps it was because Selene was indeed adorable, but the carriage owner not only didn't get angry but also warmly invited the master and disciple to ride in the carriage, saying they would give them a ride along the way.
Alex politely declined.
The coachman conveyed his message inside the carriage. After a short while, a delicate fair hand reached out from the curtain, holding a handkerchief with a few tempting pastries on it.
She held it out in front of Selene.
Then a gentle female voice spoke.
"Do you want to eat them?"
As soon as the pastries appeared, Selene couldn't take her eyes off them.
Hearing the carriage owner's question, she first nodded instinctively, then came to her senses and quickly shook her little head, looking at Alex for help.
Noticing her master's nod of approval, she responded with a clear and eager voice, "I want!"
The woman inside the carriage chuckled and deliberately teased, "Then call me sister, and I'll give you"
Selene was craving the pastries so much that she called out without hesitation, "Sister, sister, sister, sister!"
The woman inside the carriage laughed even more happily. She moved her hand, indicating for the little girl to come forward and take them.
"Little Taoist, your disciple is really fun"
Being called a little Taoist, Alex wasn't annoyed. He smiled and said, "A child's heart is beautiful in its innocence"
Unexpectedly, the woman snorted coldly upon hearing this. "Uncle Wang, let's go"
'These stinky Taoists, with little to no ability, are fluent in spouting profound and abstruse principles'
'Unfortunately, Miss Ji Er from Luoyang City was known for disliking this kind of talk the most'
Wang sighed and lashed the horses.
Alex stood in place, watching the carriage slowly drive away.
Beside him, Selene hurriedly stuffed a mouthful of pastries. She picked up one of them, mumbling as she held it up to Alex, "Master, you eat one too! It's delicious!"
Alex didn't refuse and took a bite.
It was soft and sweet but not overly so.
Selene looked down at the few remaining pastries in her hand, then at the carriage gradually moving away, and couldn't help feeling a little worried.
"Master, do you think we'll meet that sister again in the future?"
Alex glanced over. "Why? Are you still thinking about her?"
Hearing this, Selene's eyes darted around. "Master, what nonsense are you talking about! I'm not the kind of greedy little kid!"
"So you don't want to meet her again in the future?"
Selene licked her fingers. She was about to nod but felt that she shouldn't appear so undignified.
So she turned her head and said with a slightly troubled expression, "It's not that it's not okay.."
"Haha~"
Alex chuckled lightly and took her hand again. "Let's go too"
"So Master, can we…"
"As long as you want, of course we can"
On the official road, the little girl bounced up and down.
"Hehe, then I want to eat lots and lots of pastries"
"Eating too much will make you fat and give you cavities"
"Then I'll eat a little less, not lots and lots, just a lot"
Under the orange sunset, a large hand held a small hand, walking at a leisurely pace.
At the end of the road, a grand and magnificent city was faintly visible.
"Selene, when you eat someone's pastries, you have to pay them back"
"Ah!"
The little girl froze. She patted her pockets, but they were empty, with nothing inside.
"But Master, I don't have anything to pay back with"
Many years later, Selene would always think back to this afternoon.
That was the first lesson her master taught her.
Making a mistake is not actually scary, as long as you make up for it in time.
...
...
After school in the evening.
Alex returned to the dormitory.
Most of the students at the High School were boarders under closed management. They went home on Friday afternoons and returned on Sunday evenings for the first evening self-study session. They could only go home on weekends.
The dormitory was a six-person room. Alex returned a bit late, and everyone had already arrived except for him.
As soon as he walked through the door, he immediately attracted the attention of all his roommates.
"Well well, without a word, you've become a big shot in our School now"
A boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes darted over. He patted Alex on the shoulder and gave a thumbs up.
He started the conversation, and the other roommates chimed in.
"Man, I never thought Alex, who's usually as quiet as a mouse, could have such a kickass day!"
"Alex? Seriously? You should be calling him Big Bro!"
"Haha, alright, Big Bro Alex~"
They were joking around, but someone quickly noticed the bandaged hand of Alex and asked with concern, "Bro, does it hurt? I heard that the knife went right through. Just thinking about that scene makes my legs tremble"
Alex sat down on his bed and casually said, "It doesn't hurt"
He had already answered this question many times, but he still didn't show any impatience.
Having gone through nine lifetimes, his temperament had long shed many of the emotions that ordinary people should have.
"Oh! Really? Let me take a look?"
"Get out of the way. Don't move around. Brother Alex, let me have a look. I'm a professionally inherited old Chinese medicine practitioner. It'll definitely work"
"That's not right. Last time, didn't you say your family was in veterinary medicine and wanted you to apply for that major in college too?"
"Veterinarians are also doctors!"
Ignoring the antics of these silly roommates, Alex went straight to wash up.
The thick-browed boy rubbed his chin. "You know what, it really doesn't look like it hurts. He can even get water and wash his face by himself"
"Maybe people's physiques can't be generalized. Back when I was a kid, I also stepped on a nail that pierced through my entire foot, and I could still run for more than ten miles"
"Bro, are you serious?"
...
...
Late at night.
At a private residence in Shadehaven City.
Thick, viscous blood flowed on the floor, emitting a strong, bloody smell.
On the sofa lay a family of three, neatly arranged.
In the darkness, a figure sitting cross-legged on the ground slowly opened his eyes.
His complexion was a sickly pale, with a flash of scarlet light passing through his eyes.
The man stood up, glanced at the corpses on the sofa, and frowned deeply.
"It seems that the flesh of ordinary people is no longer sufficient for my wounds to heal, let alone make further progress.."
The man muttered to himself with a gloomy face.
"Just a little bit more, just a little bit more.."
He was unwilling.
He was clearly just one step away from reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining...
Although reaching the peak of the third level of Qi Refining was already enough to walk around most places with impunity.
But this was Shadehaven City, backed by Shady Mountain!
He was injured by the old Taoist from Shady Mountain and had no choice but to flee into the city.
Theoretically, in today's modernized world, he should have long been captured by surveillance and other high-tech equipment.
But the man relied on a hand of earth escape technique he had obtained by chance, which happened to perfectly avoid all surveillance methods, allowing him to escape in time after each crime and turn danger into safety.
He felt the violent and crazy blood qi around his body, which was emitting bursts of extreme craving.
They needed flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of cultivators!
Thinking of the old Taoist's sword, a deep fear flashed in the man's eyes.
He definitely couldn't go to Shady Mountain.
Although he had entered the demonic path and did things in a more extreme manner, he wasn't foolish enough to actively seek death.
'Oh, there is a way~...'
w if he had thought of something, a cruel arc appeared at the corner of the man's mouth.