After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

The New Year is over.

The snow began to melt, and the locust tree in the yard was still bare, but a few birds whose names I didn't know had appeared on its branches, making noise early in the morning.

Cang Yao folded the last piece of clothing that had dried and put it into Lin Chu's bundle.

"Bring this one too."

She stuffed another piece in.

The bundle was so bulging it could hardly be tied up.

Lin Chu stood to the side watching, wanting to say something, but didn't say anything.

Ever since the New Year, Cang Yao has been talking about one thing.

At first, she would mention it while eating.

"Is the capital far? Is it farther than Yushan County? What if you encounter bandits while traveling such a long distance alone?"

Lin Chu said that the official road of the Great Zhou Dynasty was very safe.

She changed her story the next day.

"If you're staying at a guesthouse alone, who will cook for you? The food there probably won't be very good. Who will wash your clothes? Can you even wash them yourself?"

Lin Chu said he could wash himself.

On the third day, she simply stopped laying the groundwork.

"Lin Chu, take me with you."

Lin Chu put down her chopsticks: "No."

Why?

"The journey is too far."

"I'm not afraid of going far."

"It's inconvenient for you, you're a girl."

"I can protect you on the way," Cang Yao said earnestly. "I'm very powerful now."

Lin Chu paused for a moment.

He knew she was telling the truth.

According to the system, Cang Yao's current cultivation level is almost that of a human Nascent Soul cultivator. Not to mention mountain bandits, most of the cultivators in the Zhou Dynasty would be no match for her.

But he still shook his head.

Cang Yao didn't say anything more.

But from that day on, she changed her approach.

When Lin Chu was reading, she would move a stool and sit opposite him.

She didn't speak, but simply rested her chin on her hand and looked at him with a very quiet gaze.

That look in his eyes wasn't one of grievance or anger; it was just a quiet, calm gaze, as if waiting for an answer that would come sooner or later.

Lin Chu turned a page of the book.

She looked.

Another page has been turned.

She was still watching.

When it was time for dinner that evening, Cang Yao spoke up again.

"Lin Chu."

"Um."

"Take me with you."

"..."

This conversation repeated itself for several days.

Finally, Mr. Chen couldn't listen anymore.

That evening at dinner, Cang Yao looked at Lin Chu with that quiet gaze again. Mr. Chen put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.

"Let her go."

Lin Chu raised her head.

Mr. Chen poured himself a cup of tea and said slowly, "It's better for two people to travel together than for you to walk such a long way alone." He paused, glanced at Cang Yao, and added, "Besides, Yao is not an ordinary girl. If something happens on the road, it's uncertain who will take care of whom."

Cang Yao's eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded vigorously.

Mr. Chen picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and his gaze fell on Cang Yao.

She was a completely different person after she came back last time.

A girl disappeared for more than half a month, and when she came back, her figure had changed.

He has lived for so many years and has seen a lot of things.

Some things don't need to be asked; just keep them in mind.

Lin Chu remained silent for a while.

"Mr. Chen—"

"Alright," Mr. Chen waved his hand. "You're a grown man, stop dawdling. This girl has begged me to this extent; if you don't agree, even this old man won't be able to stand it anymore."

Cang Yao turned to look at Lin Chu, her peach blossom eyes filled with anticipation.

Lin Chu glanced at Mr. Chen, then at her.

"……All right."

Cang Yao jumped up from the stool.

"I'll go pack my things right away!"

She ran into the east room, and before she could even close the door properly, she heard the sounds of something being rummaged through.

Mr. Chen slowly sipped his tea and looked at Lin Chu.

"Be careful on the road."

Lin Chu nodded.

Two days before setting off, Cang Yao returned to Longting.

Xiao Xiao is still in seclusion; the wooden sign on the door hasn't been touched.

Cang Yao stood at the door for a while, then squatted down and slipped a note through the crack in the door.

"Xiaoxiao, Lin Chu and I went to the capital. He said there are lots of delicious foods there. I'll learn how to cook them for you when I get back. You should focus on your cultivation and not be lazy."

She placed the osmanthus cakes she had brought from the shore at the doorway, stood there for a while, and then turned and left.

On the morning of the day we set off, a lot of people came to the village.

Aunt Wang got a horse-drawn carriage. Although it wasn't very fancy, it was sturdy and durable. The horse that pulled the carriage was raised by Uncle Zhao in the village. It was gentle and suitable for long journeys.

"This carriage was borrowed by your Uncle Zhao. Find a place to park it when you get to the capital; you'll need it on the way back," Aunt Wang instructed as she stuffed things into the carriage. "There's food and drink in the carriage for the journey, so don't skimp on it."

Lin Chu and Cang Yao got into the car.

Mr. Chen stood at the gate of the courtyard and waved to them.

"Do your best on the exam."

Lin Chu nodded, flicked the reins, and the carriage rumbled onto the road.

It takes more than a month to travel from Qinghe Village to Yujing City by official road.

Lin Chu had plenty of time, so she wasn't in a hurry and traveled at her own pace.

We stopped to rest when we passed through small towns, and stopped to sit for a while when we saw beautiful scenery.

It was Cang Yao's first time traveling far from home, and everything was new and exciting to her.

"Lin Chu, look, that mountain looks like a big steamed bun."

"That lake is huge, much bigger than our stream."

"What's that? That one in the field? A cow? Why is it soaking in the water?"

Lin Chu answered one by one.

Sometimes when she couldn't answer, she would just say "I don't know," and Cang Yao wouldn't mind, and would go find the next new thing.

She wore a veil, but her captivating peach blossom eyes were already alluring enough.

When I stopped to rest at a tea stall in the small town, passersby would often turn around and look back.

"Who is that girl? Even with a veil, she can't hide it; she's definitely a beauty."

"Who is that man next to her? Is he her brother or sister?"

"It doesn't seem like it. Look at the way that girl poured him tea, they're probably a young couple."

"What incredible luck that kid had."

Cang Yao was completely oblivious to the stares and was busy pouring tea for Lin Chu.

After pouring the tea, I put the teapot away and broke off half a tea cake and handed it to him.

"eat."

"I'll do it myself."

"You must be tired from your journey, eat more." She stuffed the pancake into his hand, then rested her chin on her hand and watched him eat, her eyes crinkling.

A month later, the carriage finally made its way onto the last stretch of the official road leading to Yujing City.

The official road became wider and wider, and the number of pedestrians on the road increased.

There were peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, and also well-dressed caravans.

Houses began to appear in clusters on both sides of the road, transforming from a few scattered houses into dense streets and alleys.

Then Cangyao saw the city wall.

Above the city gate were three large characters: Yujing City.

The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, one of the most magnificent cities in the Vast Domain.

She tilted her head back, her neck stretching further and further backward.

"Lin Chu, how high is this city wall?"

"About several tens of feet."

"Several tens of feet..."

The city before us is many times larger than the Coral Palace.

The city wall extends to both sides, seemingly without end.

The glazed tiles on the city gate tower gleamed in the sunlight, and the gate passage was bustling with activity and noise.

The carriage entered the city.

Cang Yao's eyes became even busier.

The street was more than twice as wide as the main street in Yushan County, with shops lining both sides, signs crowded together and banners side by side.

Shouts and calls rose and fell.

The passersby were dressed differently from those in the village. Most of the men wore long gowns, while the women wore skirts that trailed on the ground, and some even wore exquisite hairpins.

Naturally, some people also noticed Cang Yao.

Although she wore a veil, her captivating peach blossom eyes were so striking, and coupled with her slender figure, it was hard not to notice her on the street.

"Tsk, that girl..."

"Is that her man next to her? He looks like a scholar."

"Scholars are good, scholars are blessed."

There were many eyes on them, but no one came up to cause trouble.

Lin Chu led Cang Yao to the inn they had inquired about beforehand and asked for two adjacent rooms.

After settling into the room, Cang Yao leaned against the window and looked out.

People were coming and going on the street, and in the distance stood a very tall tower, its tip almost touching the clouds.

"Lin Chu, what kind of tower is that?"

Lin Chu walked over and glanced at it: "It should be some kind of observatory in the city center."

"What about that? That round house?"

"It's probably a theater."

There are many boats on that river over there.

"moat."

Cang Yao had seen enough, so she turned around and leaned against the windowsill.

"Beijing is really fun." She paused, "but it's so big, I'd definitely get lost by myself."

For the next few days, Lin Chu stayed in her room at the inn reading.

With the imperial examination approaching, there's a lot to review.

He would sit by the window for the entire day, occasionally getting up to stretch his muscles before sitting back down.

The hustle and bustle on the street had nothing to do with him.

Cang Yao didn't go anywhere.

While Lin Chu was reading, she sat on the chair next to her.

Sometimes he would flip through the well-worn copy of the Book of Songs, sometimes he would rest his chin on his hand and look out the window at the street, and sometimes he would just quietly watch Lin Chu.

One afternoon, Lin Chu was reading when he looked up at her.

"Aren't you going out for a walk?"

"I'm not going out."

"It's very lively outside."

"It's alright," Cang Yao said, moving her chair forward a bit. "But without you here, it's not very fun."

Lin Chu looked at her for a while, then lowered her head and continued reading.