After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

As soon as Yu Linzhou left, Lin Zhixu immediately poked his head out of the courtyard.

Once he confirmed that the purple figure was indeed gone, he grabbed Little Black and quickly slipped out the door.

The barrier rippled slightly.

Yu Linzhou remained in the courtyard, not even lifting his eyelids, pretending not to see or care.

Lin Zhixu left Qiyue Peak and was planning to go to Wucang Peak to find Luo Yiyan when he unexpectedly bumped into Luo Yiyan who was coming this way.

The two were taken aback when they met, then smiled at each other.

They made a shushing gesture in unison, then sneaked out of the sect and headed straight for the city at the foot of the mountain.

The guards recognized them and readily let them pass after seeing the tokens.

The two entered the city and strolled leisurely along the main street.

Three months have passed since I last came down the mountain. The shops on the street are still the same, but a few have changed their signs.

Luo Yiyan took a deep breath and sighed, "It's much more comfortable down the mountain. Staying on the peak for too long makes me feel suffocated. To be honest, I don't even know if choosing to cultivate here was the right decision."

The system emitted a piercing, booming alarm: [Host! Under no circumstances should he be allowed to have such thoughts!]

Lin Zhixu: "...What's right or wrong? The cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world, that's just how it is. When we were in the village, we were carefree, but when we encountered danger, we still hated our own powerlessness."

"Have you forgotten that time when it was just a nobody at the second level of Qi Refining who could rob and kill at will, and we were powerless to stop him? Isn't it precisely because you hate your own weakness that you came to cultivate immortality? Why do you have such thoughts now?"

Luo Yiyan was somewhat confused: "I don't know. I started cultivating immortality because I wanted to protect you and everyone else. But now I feel that cultivation is too difficult, and I can't protect you at all."

Lin Zhixu paused and looked at him seriously: "Luo Yiyan, I don't need your protection, and you don't need to take everything on your own."

"Every path is a choice you make, and no one can guarantee that the choice is the right one. Once you've made a decision, don't regret it. If you really feel lost, then shut out all external noise and work hard to improve yourself."

"When you reach the summit and look back, you'll realize that everything was for the best."

Luo Yiyan seemed to be encouraged by his words, and the confusion in her eyes dissipated, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

"Zhixu, what you said makes so much sense. I feel like you've really matured a lot."

Lin Zhixu: ...How could he not be mature? He's lived two lifetimes.

To change the subject, Lin Zhixu saw a chestnut vendor nearby, walked over, and took out a few copper coins from his storage bag to hand over.

"I haven't had chestnuts in a long time, let me treat you to some."

The stall owner quickly packed two paper bags and handed them over, still steaming hot.

Lin Zhixu stuffed one of the bags into Luo Yiyan's hand.

Luo Yiyan took the bag, warmed her hands by holding the paper bag, peeled off a piece and popped it into her mouth. It was so hot she was panting, and she mumbled, "So sweet. The only good thing about the cultivation world is that the food inside is much better than outside."

"It's a pity that eating is not allowed in the sect. If you are seen eating, you will be scolded. My master also said that the desire for food will make people lazy. I haven't had a hot meal in a long time."

The two ate and strolled around, and when they came to a stall selling spirit beast feed, Lin Zhixu stopped.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman with a round face. Seeing that a customer had come in, she greeted him warmly: "What would you like to buy, sir? My stall has a full range of spirit beast feeds, and we have all kinds available."

Lin Zhixu asked, "Do you have any food for canine spirit beasts? They're still young, and their teeth haven't all fallen out yet."

The woman deftly pulled out several oil paper packets: "Yes, yes, yes, this is made from demon beast bone powder mixed with spirit grains. It's perfect for cubs, as it supplements calcium and nourishes their fur."

Lin Zhixu asked about the price, which was a bit expensive, but he still readily paid for a few packs.

He bought a few more animal bones to grind his teeth, and then stuffed all of these things into his storage bag.

Luo Yiyan asked curiously, "Did you buy this for your little black dog? Why haven't I seen you bring it out?"

Lin Zhixu: "I put it in my spatial storage. There are too many people here, and I'm afraid he'll get lost. He's going through the teething stage, and he always bullies the spirit beasts on Qiyue Peak. I wonder if he needs to grind his teeth."

Luo Yiyan stared at the spirit beast pouch at his waist, her eyes filled with undisguised anticipation: "Could you let me touch it? I wanted to touch it last time when it guided me on Qiyue Peak, but I was in too much of a hurry and didn't get a chance."

Why can't that be?

Lin Zhixu opened the spirit beast pouch and took Xiao Hei out of it.

The little guy was curled up asleep when he caught a familiar scent. Before he even opened his eyes, his tail was already wagging like a windmill.

Lin Zhixu handed Xiao Hei over, and Luo Yiyan carefully took it into his arms. His fingers sank into the soft, shiny black fur, and his expression visibly melted.

"So soft." He buried his face in the fluffy fur on the back of the black dog's neck and rubbed against it, sighing in a low voice, "Seeing it makes me want to have one too."

"Then let's raise it," Lin Zhixu said. "When we're tired from cultivation, we can tease it a bit, which is quite stress-relieving."

Luo Yiyan thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it, I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of it. It would be too irresponsible to raise a child and then not take good care of it."

He stroked Little Black a couple more times, then reluctantly returned it. Little Black clung to his sleeve with its paws, refusing to let go, but Lin Zhixu pried them off one by one and stuffed them back into his spirit beast pouch.

"Anyway, Xiao Hei is always here," Lin Zhixu said. "You can come to Qiyue Peak anytime you want to find it."

Luo Yiyan smiled and nodded, then suddenly remembered something, her eyes darkening for a moment: "...Never mind, I'm afraid I'll be kicked out again if I go. I don't want to make things difficult for you anymore."

Lin Zhixu: "It's alright, we'll do it secretly. If you can't get into Qiyue Peak, I can go out and find you."

Luo Yiyan's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she suddenly asked, "So, would this count as having an affair?"

Lin Zhixu's face stiffened; he hadn't expected to hear such words from the upright and kind protagonist.

"What?"

Luo Yiyan realized she had said the wrong thing, her face flushed red, and she quickly waved her hand.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I misspoke. I was just joking."

Lin Zhixu could only assume it was a slip of the tongue.

He didn't notice the fleeting disappointment in Luo Yiyan's eyes when she looked away.

Luo Yiyan quickly composed herself and her tone returned to normal: "Actually, I came out today because I have something to take care of."

Lin Zhixu: "What are you going to do? Is it dangerous?"

Luo Yiyan said, "I need to go to the black market to buy a spiritual medicine for my master. Are you going back first, or would you like to wait for me somewhere?"

Lin Zhixu recalled the scene in the original novel where Luo Yiyan was targeted and nearly got hurt when she first went to the black market, and shook his head: "I'll go with you. The black market is a mixed bag, it's too dangerous for you to go alone, at least two people can look out for each other."

Luo Yiyan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Lin Zhixu asked, "How could Immortal Venerable Wucang be so comfortable letting you go to the black market alone? Didn't he send someone with you?"

Luo Yiyan said helplessly, "Originally, Senior Brother Ming was supposed to come with me, but something came up at the last minute. It seems that Master needs it quite urgently, so I had no choice but to come by myself."

"I originally planned to just visit you briefly at Qiyue Peak and then leave, but I didn't expect to run into you here."

It turned out to be the case.

Lin Zhixu: "It's getting late, let's hurry up and leave. It'll be even more dangerous at the black market later."