Leaving the pharmacy, it was already noon, and time for lunch.
However, at this hour, there probably wouldn't be any tables available at the restaurants, so Jiang Xia had no choice but to simply buy a couple of jianbing guozi, as she couldn't afford to wait in line.
Jiang Xia and Xingxing found an empty spot to finish their jianbing guozi and then continued their stroll.
It had been a very long time since Jiang Xia had taken such a leisurely walk down the streets by herself.
Yet this time, no matter how long she walked, she wouldn't feel tired—unlike before, when she would be exhausted after covering just a short distance.
As she walked on, Jiang Xia found herself entering the old district. There were still plenty of ancient buildings here, which attracted many tourists to check in and take photos.
Every corner here possessed a unique history and culture, brimming with charm.
*Oh? Spiritual power fluctuations? Could cultivators be fighting?*
Jiang Xia carefully sensed that the spiritual power fluctuations were coming from the alley on the left.
Her curiosity was piqued, so she quietly walked over. This was her first time witnessing a fight involving spiritual power.
She felt a little bit excited.
Turning left and right, going deeper and deeper, Jiang Xia soon lost her way.
None of that mattered, though; as long as she could eventually find her way out, it was fine.
Jinjin sat on Jiang Xia's shoulder while Xingxing closely followed her footsteps.
The little creature didn't dare let Jiang Xia hold it in her arms because it was too easy to get smacked.
Jinjin really was a little villain, simply detestable.
Before even reaching the spot, she heard an angry female voice shout out.
"Jiang Chao, you've got some nerve, actually committing violence in broad daylight!"
"What violence in broad daylight? If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. I'm helping him," a man's voice replied, sounding very gentle, with a hint of subtle doting in his tone.
What Jiang Xia saw was a man dressed in white immortal-hero attire and a woman in light-blue immortal-hero attire, both holding long swords and sparring with each other.
Another woman was watching from the side, and a man was lying motionless on the ground, though what had happened to him remained unclear.
"Impossible! Seeing is believing—take this!" the woman said righteously, refusing to buy it.
*Swish, swish, swish!* The swords in their hands traced arcs through the air.
After thirty consecutive moves, she still couldn't defeat the man opposite her.
"Alright, alright, let's stop fighting. If we keep going, you'll lose," Jiang Chao said while dodging, looking at the young woman before him with a hint of coaxing in his voice.
"You—!"
"No way!" The woman in blue was unconvinced.
"Junior Sister, stop fighting. If this keeps up, you really will lose," another woman nearby chimed in, unable to watch any longer.
"Really?" That Junior Sister still looked somewhat doubtful.
"Really."
"Fine."
"Hmph, I'll let you off this time." The Junior Sister still looked a bit disgruntled.
She truly was a spoiled young miss.
"Pfft." Jiang Xia couldn't help letting out a chuckle.
This sound immediately put the three of them on high alert.
*Where did someone come from? None of us sensed them!*
"Who's there? Come out!" the man shouted loudly.
"Sorry to disturb you," Jiang Xia said, having exposed herself, and had no choice but to step out. By this time, Jinjin and Xingxing had already hidden themselves away.
"Who are you? How did you notice us?" the woman in blue asked Jiang Xia with intense curiosity.
They had clearly set up a Barrier—how had this person gotten inside?
"I was just passing by, felt the fluctuations of spiritual power here, and came over out of curiosity to take a look," Jiang Xia explained.
"Are you also a Cultivator?" Jiang Chao asked Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia nodded and said to the three people in front of her, "Yes, but I'm a beginner and haven't had any practical combat experience yet. When I saw you making your moves, I got rather curious, so I came over to watch and observe."
"Ah, so you're a beginner. No worries, once your spiritual power reaches a certain level, you'll get to experience real combat," the gentle woman said.
Then she turned back to Jiang Chao and asked, "What's going on with that guy over there?"
"That guy? He was already lying here when I arrived. I went over to take a look, and I had just finished saving him when you guys showed up," the man explained.
"Then why couldn't you just act normal? You made me misunderstand you," said the woman who had been fighting.
"We didn't have the right materials, so I had no choice but to resort to special methods," the man explained.
"Hmph." The young girl who had been fighting let out a huff, turned her head away, and stood there by herself in embarrassment.
The other two wanted to laugh but managed to hold it in.
With the battle over and the misunderstanding cleared up, the man withdrew the Barrier.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Jiang Chao, a disciple of the Kunlun Mountains Hai Sect," the man said to Jiang Xia.
"I'm Muyun, a disciple of the Kunlun Bishui Sect," the gentle woman said.
"I'm Lan Jing, a disciple of the Kunlun Bishui Sect," the girl who had been fighting said.
Jiang Xia also introduced herself.
"I'm Jiang Xia, unaffiliated and a rogue cultivator."
Since she didn't belong to any sect, that made her a rogue cultivator.
Hearing that she was a rogue cultivator, the three of them were extremely surprised. Rogue cultivators were very rare nowadays, and they hadn't expected to actually run into one.
"You're actually a rogue cultivator? That's amazing!" Lan Jing said in astonishment.
"What's wrong with being a rogue cultivator?" Jiang Xia didn't understand.
"You might not know this, but there are very few rogue cultivators left. Without anyone to guide you, even taking that very first step is incredibly difficult. That's why you're so amazing."
"Oh, oh, oh. I really didn't know about that; I'm completely clueless when it comes to these things," Jiang Xia nodded, indicating she understood.
"Since you're a rogue cultivator, no wonder you've never fought before. We who cultivate within sects receive specialized combat training," Lan Jing said, looking at Jiang Xia.
"No wonder every move and stance of yours seemed so structured; it felt like you'd all been through professional training," Jiang Xia nodded and said.
"You can even tell just by looking at that? Awesome!" Stars practically glittered in Lan Jing's eyes—this person was truly impressive.
"By the way, are you here for the Cultivators' auction?" Lan Jing continued to ask.
"What auction? I have no idea. I only came to Beijing to make money," Jiang Xia admitted honestly.
"Haha, you're so down-to-earth," Jiang Chao laughed.
"Hehe, but what kind of things do they sell at the auction?" Jiang Xia asked curiously.
Could an auction in the Immortal Cultivation World be like the ones in novels, featuring artifacts suitable for cultivation and all sorts of precious elixirs?
"We're not entirely sure about that either. The confidentiality for this auction has been handled exceptionally well, but a lot of big figures are coming, so it should be quite important. We're just the vanguard team, here to have fun first," Lan Jing explained to Jiang Xia, revealing the purpose of their trip.
"Oh, oh, oh," Jiang Xia nodded.
"Do you want to come along? I have an admission ticket and can take you in," Lan Jing asked Jiang Xia.
The other two didn't show any unusual reactions, acting as if this was standard procedure.
They were also rather curious about Jiang Xia and approved of Lan Jing's approach. Jiang Xia didn't look like a bad person, so it wouldn't hurt to make friends with her.
Besides, since this person was a rogue cultivator and yet had managed to slip into their Barrier without a sound, what if they could manage to rope her into their Sect?
"Sure, thank you for showing me around and broadening my horizons." Jiang Xia hadn't expected the other party to agree so readily to take her along. No matter what intentions they might have, she wasn't afraid.
It just so happened that she could go and see what this auction was like; it would be her first time attending one.
The group walked out of the alley.
"I'm so hungry! It's all your fault for not explaining things clearly," Lan Jing said, rubbing her stomach and glaring at Jiang Chao with displeasure.
"Yes, yes, my treat—I'll take you out to eat," Jiang Chao said with a smile.
"Let's hurry."
"Jiang Xia, come with us too."
"No need, I only just finished eating not long ago," Jiang Xia declined. It wouldn't really be proper to freeload a meal after just meeting them.
"How could that be? He has money, let's bleed him dry! Big Sister Jiang Xia, let's go." Sensing that Jiang Xia was older than her, Lan Jing grabbed Jiang Xia's arm and pulled her along.
"Hahaha, right."