My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

"hehe."

Knowing that she was being watched, Cui Ying did not rush to leave the city to meet her father. Instead, taking advantage of the early hour, she swaggered around the city.

But she realized that this group seemed to have her cornered and kept chasing her.

A flash of murderous intent crossed Cui Ying's eyes, and she suddenly turned and headed north of the city.

After handing over the spirit stones, she entered the underground trading market in Qingsha Alley through a magic array.

As soon as Cui Ying's figure disappeared at the entrance, several tall figures immediately appeared outside Qingsha Alley.

These people have varying levels of cultivation, different body types, and even very different styles of clothing.

The only thing they had in common was the fierceness and bloodlust in their eyes, which made the passing rogue cultivators quickly look away after a couple of glances.

"That brat noticed she's being followed and has already entered the black market. What do we do next?"

"Let's go in and take a look, but we don't all need to go in. That girl looks unfamiliar; she's obviously not a cultivator from the city. We'll just follow her out of the city and make our move halfway there!"

"good idea."

"Row."

"That's it."

The person speaking glanced at the hazy fluorescent light shrouding the entrance to the alley, unconsciously tightening their grip on the machete.

A tall, thin cultivator beside him licked his lips, fantasizing about which brothel he would go to for some fun after he got the spirit stones.

They'd recently pulled off a few heists, going to great lengths to snatch just two or three hundred spirit stones, which, when divided among the brothers, were almost gone in the time it takes to eat a meal. So, seeing Cui Ying as such a fat sheep, how could they possibly let her go?

Even if there are elders to take care of them, so what?

There were six of them, and the eldest brother was a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator.

That girl only has one person and one dog, and at most, an 'elder' whose existence is still unknown.

If it falls into the hands of those brothers, they'll easily take it down.

-

Now that we've arrived at the underground market, it's only natural that we should make some purchases.

Knowing that the family's oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were almost gone, Cui Ying went straight to the general merchandise stall inside after entering.

The underground trading market in Leiyun City is several times larger than that in Songlinfang Market, and many unusual little items can be found here at will.

Cui Ying walked to a stall selling spicy fruit and found that there were twenty or thirty varieties of spicy fruit used for spiritual purposes.

Thinking of the stir-fried snow frog her mother made with sour hawthorn berries last time, Cui Ying couldn't help but drool. With a wave of her hand, she bought a large bag of spicy berries of different spiciness levels.

Then I went to the magic array stall next door and picked out a decent-quality, mid-grade first-rank Fire Array that was good for both offense and defense.

Finally, when she left in front of a masked man who specialized in selling pills, her storage bag contained several more bottles of pills to enhance cultivation, restore mana, and stop bleeding and heal wounds.

In just a short while, several hundred spirit stones had been spent. Although they were all useful items, Cui Ying still felt a little heartache.

She sighed, "The spirit stones are like flowing water," and then aimlessly wandered around the market.

"Young friend in front, please wait a moment."

As Cui Ying was searching for her next purchase target, a thought suddenly struck her, and her right hand subtly reached for the storage bag at her waist.

As far as she knew, the backer behind this underground trading market in Qingsha Lane was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. These cultivators were incredibly audacious to dare to make a move here.

"Since you're asking for it yourselves, don't blame me."

But when Cui Ying turned around with a murderous look on her face, she suddenly froze: "Why is it you?"

The person who called out to Cui Ying was none other than the middle-aged beauty she had met once before at the underground trading market in Qingsha Lane.

Lei Yujing wore only a very plain black belted long dress today, and her long black hair was tied up with a blood-red jade hairpin.

Seeing Cui Ying's unfriendly expression, he also darkened his face and looked at Cui Ying with a stern expression, saying, "Young friend, what do you mean by this?"

Cui Ying grinned, and the murderous intent that flashed in her eyes vanished instantly.

"Senior, it's you! I thought it was that group of rogue cultivators who were following me."

Given Lei Yujing's experience, it's not hard to see that Cui Ying has mistaken someone for someone else.

But the killing intent that the girl in front of her inadvertently revealed in her eyes was indeed chilling to the bone, and even she, with her current cultivation level, couldn't help but feel a chill down her spine.

But Lei Yujing had no intention of pursuing Cui Ying's disrespect towards her. Instead, she smiled, a rare occurrence, and glanced around before saying:

"What's wrong? Did you make an enemy of someone, or offend some powerful force?"

"No, it's just that some people are blind and want to get themselves killed."

Whether in her past or present life, Cui Ying has never blinked an eye when killing people, and fighting against those of higher levels is as easy as a daily routine for her. So why would she be afraid of a few rogue cultivators who want to rob her?

After casually mentioning it, she quickly asked, "Senior, is there something you need from me?"

Unexpectedly, Lei Yujing did not answer Cui Ying's question directly, but instead said with a serious expression:

“I feel a connection with you, young friend. If you encounter any difficulties here, you can go to the Martial Arts Hall in the city and seek protection from the guards responsible for patrolling the inner city.”

"Ah."

Cui Ying was stunned for a moment, and then found it somewhat ridiculous.

She has lived for over two hundred years in both her past and present lives, and there are countless injustices she has suffered, yet no one has ever told her that she can seek refuge.

Thinking of this, she once again carefully examined the beautiful, alluring middle-aged woman in front of her, and a deeper meaning slowly crept into her eyes.

"hehe."

Lei Yujing covered her mouth and chuckled twice before revealing why she had stopped Cui Ying: "Young friend, do you remember what I bought from you last time? Do you still have it?"

"Spirit Deer Whip?"

Cui Ying subconsciously replied, then nodded with a broad smile:

"Yes, I've been lucky lately. I've killed several spirit deer recently."

"Great."

Upon hearing this, Lei Yujing quickly reached into her storage bag to take out spirit stones: "I'll take them all."

"No, no, senior, please don't rush to take out spirit stones."

"Ok?"

Lei Yujing paused in taking out spirit stones, and asked with some displeasure:

"Am I too late, and my young friend has already sold the item, or does my young friend no longer wish to make this deal with me?"

Cui Ying shook her head, a hint of helplessness in her expression, and said:

"Senior, you misunderstand. I left in a hurry today and brought some spiritual herbs and demon beast hides to the city to exchange for spirit stones. If I hadn't met you, I would have completely forgotten that I had spirit deer whip at home."

"Forgot to bring it!?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Yujing could not hide her disappointment.

Cui Ying thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Senior, didn't you just buy a spirit whip last time? It's good, but you can't let people eat too much of it!"

"Cough cough."

Lei Yujing blushed slightly at the question, coughed twice, and explained:

“You’re a young girl, but you know a lot. I’m not buying this for my husband.”

"Oh."

Cui Ying nodded in sudden understanding, without saying anything more.

Lei Yujing waved her hand and continued, "Where do you live, young friend? Shall I come to your house to get it now?"

“Senior, my home is in Shuangling Village, which is quite far from Leiyun City. Also, I have some other things to attend to and will need to be away from home for a few days. If you can wait, I will bring it to you next time I go to the city.”

"It seems that this is the only way."

Lei Yujing nodded somewhat helplessly, then looked at Cui Ying again and asked, "Young friend, is there anything else you wish to buy?"

Seeing Cui Ying shake her head slightly, she casually glanced around and said with a smile:

"Since you're free now, why don't you come to my residence for a cup of tea and familiarize yourself with the place? Otherwise, how will you sell your things to me next time you come to the city? To be honest, I had people keep watch here for several days before I heard any news of you."

"Hehe∽ Since it's a senior's invitation, then I'll accompany you."

Cui Ying smiled and, without much thought, followed Lei Yujing out of the underground trading market.

As soon as Cui Ying left Qingsha Alley, she noticed that the tail following behind her was also moving.

These guys are so persistent; it seems they're determined to squeeze some money out of me today.

Cui Ying raised an eyebrow and thought to herself, "Interesting."