The male supporting character was actually myself.

But the words "saintess" weighed heavily on her shoulders, so she could only think about it in her heart.

How can one be considered a saint if one is not dignified and composed?

Even the Heavenly Dao requires her to be as cold as ice and be a saintess, so what else can she do?

After buying a lot of delicious food, Leng Ruoyan wandered around until she found a large stage. To avoid being discovered by the cultivators, she could only hide in the distance and listen to the opera with her superhuman hearing. While sitting by the river, she took out a hot bun from her storage ring and took a big bite. Then she took out a chicken leg and gnawed on it in half!

"Hmph! Look at Liu Jiangchen, we're both in our early twenties, both are treasures of our sects, how come there's such a big difference!" She muttered indignantly, her mouth stuffed full like a little hamster. "She's been living in the city for a long time, she's probably having a great time playing now!"

"Why should I? I don't want to be a pretentious saintess, waaaaah~"

The more she thought about it, the angrier and sadder she became, so Leng Ruoyan stuffed even more food into her mouth.

So she's a little foodie?

This appearance has absolutely nothing to do with the Ice Queen Saintess; no wonder Senior Demon Cat said that her body and mind don't match.

Several guardians followed closely behind Liu Jiangchen. Just as they were about to stop him from walking towards the secluded riverbank, he made a shushing gesture and pointed to a spot not far away.

The four guardians sent by the Xiaoyao Sect to protect the sect's precious treasures were all experts who had stepped into the Tribulation Transcending Realm, so they could naturally see through Leng Ruoyan's little illusion at a glance.

"Huh? The Holy Maiden of the Hidden Sect?"

"Her illusion technique isn't very good, but the aura is definitely hers."

"To have reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm in his early twenties, his illusion techniques are already quite good, he is a genius."

"It's fortunate that we concealed our presence, otherwise she would have noticed us long ago..."

…………

The four guardians whispered among themselves, and Jiang Chen could only cough awkwardly, "I'm with the Holy Maiden of the Hidden Divine Sect, so I should be safe. Are you all...?"

"Oh, I see!" The leader immediately had an "I understand now" look on his face. "No wonder you insisted on staying here for a few days. It turns out you had already made plans."

"Tsk tsk, I get it, I get it. It takes young people to find ways to date. They didn't even notice us right under our noses."

"Then we won't bother you any longer. As usual, take the teleportation orb and teleport away immediately if anything happens. Leave the rest to us!"

After the guards left, no one helped him conceal his presence, and Jiang Chen was immediately noticed by Leng Ruoyan as soon as he got close.

Just then, she put a piece of pastry into her mouth, her lips smeared with oil and a few crumbs of pastry, and she was holding a roasted corn cob in her hand, looking at the man standing under the big willow tree with a look of horror.

Leng Ruoyan: …(⊙＿⊙；)…

No! He can't see through the illusion; he doesn't know it's me!

No, no, no, you didn't see anything, hurry up and go!

Jiang Chen: ⊙(?◇?)？

Why is this girl stuck?

Did you choke because you ate too fast?

"Host, my mission is complete! You guys chat all you want, I'm going to play now!" The fluffy little ball hopped away into the distance. From the moment it saw the ice queen sneak out with her secret stash of money, it knew it had succeeded again!

My host's wedding of the century is definitely happening, I'll go to the forum and brag about it later!

"So the Holy Maiden also enjoys listening to opera? Even though my eyesight and hearing are excellent from this distance, the experience isn't very good." Jiang Chen made an excuse to greet her first.

Leng Ruoyan: (≧w≦；)

Oh no! How could he see through my illusion?

What if I get recognized?

Oh no, oh no, if Master finds out...

She felt very anxious, as if she had a rabbit hopping around inside her.

What should we do in this situation?

"How many spirit stones do you want?" Leng Ruyan took a step forward, with a hint of fearlessness, "Name your price."

What else can we do besides bribing him with spirit stones to keep him from talking nonsense?

That's Liu Jiangchen!

The most valued and prized alchemist of the Xiaoyao Sect is always protected by his guardians, who are afraid that someone might secretly sabotage him and harm him in the slightest.

She was just a Saintess at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, and she couldn't beat him; she also couldn't let him tell anyone what he had witnessed, so she could only think of bribing him.

Jiang Chen: ? ? ?

Why are you suddenly talking about money?

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately realized that this saintly woman, who usually presented herself as aloof and ethereal as a snow lotus, didn't want anyone to know that she had sneaked out to buy chicken legs and was squatting by the river eating them...

“Miss, you misunderstand. I just happened to be passing by.” Jiang Chen explained with a slight smile, “Fengyang City is celebrating the Heavenly God Festival with lanterns and colorful decorations. Such a beautiful scene, and I thought I would like to invite you to watch the lanterns and admire the moon together.”

Leng Ruyan, looking wary, dispelled the illusion, reverting to her usual icy beauty persona.

Colorful lights hung from the trees along the riverbank, their reflections shimmering on the water like stars. In this hazy, soft glow, a girl in a white dress with petal-like hem looked like a dream.

“Senior Brother Liu, this matter is very important to me.” She took another step forward, her right hand still holding the roasted corn but wielding it like a long sword. “I must make sure… you never reveal what happened tonight!”

The peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivator exuded a powerful aura, and her words remained as cold as ever, but the oil and pastry crumbs on her lips ruined the atmosphere she had painstakingly created.

Comparing the two, Jiang Chen found the girl incredibly cute, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.

"Miss Leng, please rest assured, I will not reveal a single thing about what happened tonight."

We are not like our predecessors who have experienced many hardships. How can we really shut ourselves away and remain calm and undisturbed?

"Look at me, I'm running around having fun too, I totally understand. But, you're likely to get caught sneaking out like this, so how about I help you cover up a lie, and I guarantee you'll have a great time tonight!"

Leng Ruoyan: (⊙_⊙)?

What should I do?

Although... he said he'd let me have a good time all night...

Seeing that the offer wasn't enough, Jiang Chen continued to tempt her, saying, "Miss Leng, you don't often travel among mortals, do you? The food you buy is actually quite ordinary. I know where to find better food!"

Besides, I often run around and play, so I have a lot of pocket money. I can treat you to lots of delicious food!

As he spoke, he casually pulled out a money pouch and weighed it in his hand.

The distinctive sound of silver clashing echoed from within.

Leng Ruoyan felt that the rabbit she was carrying was jumping around even more fiercely.

She didn't want to go with just anyone, but it was Liu Jiangchen! Besides, he could cover for her and even treat her to a meal with lots of delicious food!

I finally managed to save up a little bit of silver, and I've already spent it all...

"You...you tell me first, how can you help me cover up this lie so I can play freely all night!" Leng Ruoyan lowered her voice. "The identity of the Holy Maiden means that she cannot be tainted by the dust of the world. What happens tonight can only be known to heaven, earth, you, and me."

So that's why she was trapped by her identity. No wonder there's such a big difference between her before and after.

The little girl is quite pitiful; she can only sneak out to enjoy her freedom, and most likely she can only do so once a year.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen casually took out a roast chicken from the food maker and handed it over, "Here, smell this, doesn't it smell much better than the ones you bought?"

Don't worry, I'll summon the guardians later and ask them to inform your sect that I was very interested after witnessing the Holy Maiden's blessing and would like to discuss the elixir and its usage with you.

"I'm sure your esteemed sect will grant us this much courtesy. Wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for us to stay in Fengyang City together tonight instead of returning?"

Chapter Twenty-Six: You're really going all out, aren't you?

That's a fantastic suggestion!

Moreover, the roast chicken in his hand smelled so good! I've never smelled meat that smelled so good before!

I really want to taste what it tastes like...

Leng Ruoyan's heart leaped with joy, a smile almost spreading across her face, but she immediately suppressed it with her years of honed poker face skills. Then she realized—Liu Jiangchen had at least four more protectors with him!

These were just the guards who accompanied him when he visited the Hidden Gods Sect. Who knows if the Free and Unfettered Sect might have assigned him additional bodyguards?!

Those guardians were all powerful beings who had stepped into the Tribulation Transcending Realm. How could I possibly detect them if they wanted to conceal their aura?

It's over! It's completely over!

The thought of eating and drinking without any regard for her image, while being watched by a group of big shots, sent a chill down Leng Ruoyan's spine.

Will the image of the reclusive saintess, painstakingly cultivated over many years, completely collapse tonight?

She looked up at the sky, a look of despair flashing across her eyes.

"Miss Leng, what do you think of my suggestion?" Seeing that the other party remained as cold as ice, Jiang Chen stepped forward and handed the roast chicken closer. "If you think it's feasible, I'll summon a protector to invite him to your sect to explain. You see, it's getting late..."

Leng Ruoyan: [?_??]

call?!

It means that...those powerful beings weren't with us!

Her mood was like a rollercoaster. Suddenly, she felt that there was a way out again and hurriedly nodded, "Senior Brother Liu's idea is very good. As long as we don't reveal what happened tonight, everything is fine."

Finally, Jiang Chen managed to calm this "ice queen" down, and they strolled through the streets together, chatting softly.

The saint's blessing ceremony had just ended, and twinkling starlight could still be seen drifting down from time to time, adding a dreamy and hazy beauty to the streets that were already decorated with a dazzling array of colorful lanterns.

"Ah, actually I'm not particularly greedy for food." After chatting for a while, Leng Ruoyan decided to change her image in Liu Jiangchen's mind, after all, what just happened was really...so embarrassing!

Seeing the other person's beautiful eyes sparkling as they looked at her, she feigned composure and said, "Having cultivated to the Nascent Soul Realm, one should have long since abstained from grains and no longer crave food, but I..."

Leng Ruoyan subconsciously looked up at the sky and explained in a very soft voice, "I was born in the Shenyin Sect. Both my parents were high-level cultivators, so I have stayed in the sect since birth and have never left the mountain."

Everything in the mortal world seems to me like an extremely distant other world.

After I displayed my talent for cultivation and was chosen as the Holy Maiden, I had even less chance to descend the mountain to explore. It wasn't until I took over the previous Holy Maiden's duties of blessing that I truly saw what the mortal world was like and tasted the various foods they made, which, although lacking spiritual power, were full of the warmth and flavor of everyday life.

She pinched the hem of her clothes and sighed, "For me, taking a short time to indulge in a vengeful meal is a once-a-year opportunity that is completely my own. Only then can I feel free."

Jiang Chen noticed that she always subconsciously looked up at the sky when she spoke, and couldn't help but feel strange. "If you say that, Miss, the Hidden God Sect is being too strict and demanding. If you keep suppressing your nature like this, I'm afraid it will breed inner demons."

"No, no, no! Our Hidden Sect is fine, we don't blame them." Leng Ruoyan hurriedly waved her hand, then glanced at the sky and said something in a very low voice.

The surrounding area was filled with noise, and even cultivators with exceptional hearing could not hear clearly.

He moved even closer and asked curiously, "What did the young lady just say?"

They were already side by side, but now they were almost touching. Leng Ruoyan could smell a faint woody scent on the other person, like a ray of bright sunlight shining into a deep forest on an afternoon...