The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and the hum of spinning wheels echoed through the mountains and forests. In the blink of an eye, spring had passed, and summer had arrived.

The Chi Dragon Mansion was located in a region known for its intense heat, and now the area was filled with scorching spiritual energy. Many locals, including ordinary people and even some cultivators, were on the verge of heatstroke due to the overwhelming heat.

“Ah~ It’s so hot~”

On a mountain road in Du Chun City, a horse-drawn carriage rolled along slowly, and a melodious sigh could be heard from inside. A female cultivator with long, snow-white hair was fanning herself with a round fan, lifting her skirt to let in some air. Her actions were just like those of ordinary elderly men on the street, and they seemed completely out of place with her delicate and graceful features.

Sitting beside her, another female cultivator with pale purple hair glanced at her and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. She looked at her companion with disdain and said, “You feel hot? You can immediately return to the Profound Star Sect if you want. I didn’t force you to come along. If you insist on following, hmph!”

“Oh~” Feng Yudie quickly put down her skirt and became obedient. “It’s just that without Junior Sister Pei around, it’s so boring in the sect. Besides, I can protect Senior Sister Xiao.”

“Who asked for your protection?!”

“But what if we encounter some bad people…”

Xiao Yunluo cast a glance at her and said, “We’re not going out to hunt demons or capture criminals. With Li Xianshi guarding around the Chi Dragon Mansion, we won’t even see any bad people or demons. I’m just here to offer birthday wishes, and you insist on following.”

“Okay~ since I’m already here, Senior Sister Xiao, just think of me as your little assistant. I can help with pouring tea and water.”

Xiao Yunluo sighed deeply and reached out to lift the curtain of the carriage window. She gazed into the distance at the Chi Dragon Mansion perched among the clouds on Chi Dragon Mountain.

About half a month ago, Mr. Qi had found her, informing her that Mountain Lord Li Feng of Chi Dragon Mountain was celebrating his 1,200th birthday. Since Li Feng was a close friend of her mother’s and now controlled Chi Dragon Mountain, one of the larger cultivator forces in the Western Region, she was chosen to represent her mother in offering birthday wishes.

Of course, that was just one of the reasons.

The Chi Dragon Conference was considered one of the major events in the Western Region, and it coincided with Li Feng’s 1,200th birthday. The attendees would include the young masters or elders from almost all immortal sects in the Western Region.

Xiao Yunluo’s mission was to offer birthday wishes on behalf of the Profound Star Sect while establishing her reputation among the elders and young masters of various sects.

She glanced at the Chi Dragon Mansion in the distance and then at Feng Yudie sitting beside her. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

She really wished that the person by her side was Ye Anping…

If it were her and Ye Anping coming together, they could explore the city together when they arrived at the bottom of the mountain. Then, at the Chi Dragon Conference’s banquet, she could use her identity as the young miss of the Profound Star Sect to support Ye Anping, the young master of the Hundred Lotus Sect.

Afterward, Ye Anping would surely find her reliable and maybe even fall in love with her…

Lost in her fantasies, Xiao Yunluo’s cheeks flushed, and she bit her lip while gently rubbing the embroidered shoes on her feet.

“Ah~ It’s so hot… It would be great if Junior Sister Pei were here…”

Hearing Pei Lengxue’s name, Xiao Yunluo instantly felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, immediately sobering her up.

Right… Pei Lengxue also liked Ye Anping, and they had grown up together. But upon further thought, if Ye Anping wanted to be Dao companions with Lengxue, they would have become Dao companions a long time ago.

Since they still maintained their senior and junior sibling relationship, it was very likely that it was because they had grown up together, and Ye Anping had completely failed to notice Lengxue’s feelings. At least in matters of the heart, Lengxue was easily fooled and quite naive.

Thinking this way, Xiao Yunluo realized that she might not have to helplessly watch Ye Anping fall into someone else’s arms.

“Well, there’s still a chance…”

“Hmm? What chance?” Feng Yudie asked, tilting her head.

Xiao Yunluo glanced at her and said, “Just keep fanning yourself.”

“Oh…”

… …

Before long, the carriage arrived at the city gate of Du Chun City. Du Chun City was still scorching hot, and many commoners along the roadsides were mostly shirtless. Even many cultivators seemed unable to bear the extreme fire spiritual energy here and were sitting in the shade, tugging at their collars.

Xiao Yunluo walked slowly down the street, fanning herself with a paper fan, while Feng Yudie constantly squeezed under her umbrella, causing her to look disgusted and helpless.

Helpless because Feng Yudie’s striking silver hair made it difficult for her to kick her away with one foot.

“Aren’t you hot?! If you want an umbrella, go buy one yourself,” Xiao Yunluo said.

“This umbrella is so expensive, I don’t want to be a fool,” Feng Yudie pointed to a stall selling umbrellas on the side of the street.

Following her direction, Xiao Yunluo saw a sign in front of the stall that read, “Sunshade Umbrella, Thirty Spirit Stones Each.”

Xiao Yunluo furrowed her brows slightly and looked at the sign in front of the cold tea stall next to it, which read, “Heat-Relief Cold Tea, Ten Spirit Stones per Bowl.”

These prices were already considered exorbitant.

Feng Yudie complained, “Indeed– the merchants in this city are outrageous. They’ve raised the prices of everything related to cooling down tenfold. Not to mention cultivators, the commoners here must be suffering…”

Xiao Yunluo slightly frowned in agreement, but just as she was about to continue walking forward, Feng Yudie ran straight to the umbrella stall.

“Hey! Boss, are these umbrellas made of Spirit Stones? Why are they so expensive?” Feng Yudie asked.

The boss, who was hiding in the shade of a tree, glanced at her and waved his hand, saying, “Cultivator? Buy if you want to buy! Don’t buy, then get lost.”

“Ugh…” Feng Yudie raised her eyebrows, put her hands on her hips, and said, “Can’t you be a bit more polite to your seniors?”

“Alright, you can buy if you want, but according to the sign, cultivators pay the price on the sign, while ordinary people pay the original price, one Spirit Stone per umbrella, just like at the tea stall across the street.”

“Ah?”

Hearing this, Feng Yudie was taken aback. This was the first time she had heard of such a thing, and she asked, “So you’re saying you only make money from cultivators, not from ordinary people?”

“That’s right, the umbrella stall, the tea stall, and all the others in the city are operated by the Dragon-Slaying Society. Our Young Master said that making money from ordinary people is unethical, while making money from cultivators is virtuous and good for cultivating the Dao,” the boss explained.

Feng Yudie had originally stood on the moral high ground and wanted to argue with the unscrupulous merchant, but now that the moral high ground had been taken by her.

Seemingly enthusiastic, the boss continued, “Ever since our Young Master returned to Du Chun City, all the other merchant associations here, such as the Green Peak Society, have been beaten away by our Young Master. Our Young Master has a wide network of connections and has a senior in the Foundation Establishment stage…”

“Excuse me!!”

Feng Yudie’s head shrank, and she sneakily returned to Xiao Yunluo’s side.

“What’s wrong?”

“They call themselves the Dragon-Slaying Society. For cultivators, it’s fifty times the price, and for ordinary people, it’s the original price.”

Xiao Yunluo raised her eyebrows slightly and murmured, “Well, the Dragon-Slaying Society seems to have quite a unique style– But it makes sense too. Here in Du Chun City, cultivators and ordinary people live together, and the lives of ordinary people are not easy on a daily basis. Most cultivators don’t look highly upon ordinary people.”

Xiao Yunluo shrugged and then continued walking forward with Feng Yudie. After walking for another street, they saw a teenager squatting in front of an alley, gnawing on a steamed bun.

If he were just a beggar, they wouldn’t have necessarily stopped, but what caught their attention was that this young man was a cultivator at the third or fourth level of Qi refining, and although his clothes were dirty, it was obvious that the material was of good quality.

A Qi refining cultivator reduced to such a state…

Xiao Yunluo didn’t have any intention of approaching and talking to the young man, but Feng Yudie was especially curious. She quickly walked up and asked, “Hey, what’s wrong with you? You’re dressed so well, and you’re a cultivator. Why are you squatting here like a beggar?”

The young man, who was approached by Feng Yudie, sniffled and raised his head. He was momentarily stunned by the appearance of Feng Yudie and Xiao Yunluo, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Two senior cultivators, I– I’ve been replaced!”

“Replaced?”

“Yes! I am the young master of the Jiang Family. My real name is Jiang Yu. I was on my way back home after my father’s death, but I was intercepted by two people. They robbed me of the jade pendant and the letter that prove my identity.”

Xiao Yunluo nodded and asked in confusion, “Why didn’t you go back and discuss this with your family? Wouldn’t they recognize you?”

“I left home to cultivate seven years ago, and…” He picked up the steamed bun in his hand and tearfully continued, “I went to the Jiang Family recently, but the result…”

“What happened?”

“I was just about to explain the situation, but the two servants at the gate heard the first sentence and threw some steamed bun at me, driving me away. They said that I was the 737th person who had tried to impersonate Young Master Jiang.”

Feng Yudie was taken aback for a moment, then she turned to look at Xiao Yunluo, who also wore a puzzled expression. She asked, “Can’t you prove your identity? Like telling them your father’s birthday or some things only you would know?”

“I tried that! I mentioned my father’s birthdate, but those two servants said that previous impostors also knew my father’s birthdate. Some of them even mentioned that my father had a mole on his buttock…”

“I…” Feng Yudie was at a loss for words, silent for a while, then furrowed her brows and asked, “So, 737 people know that your father has a mole on his buttock?”

“I didn’t even know whether my father had a mole on his buttock or not! Besides my mother and my father himself, who else would know?!” the young man replied.

“Then why would so many people want to impersonate you?”

“Many of them are ordinary people. Impersonating me allows them to get free steamed buns and cold tea, so many people are now pretending to be me. You can go to the front of the Jiang Family and see for yourself. There’s still a line of them waiting…”

“Hmm…” Feng Yudie looked at him and pondered for a moment. She asked again to confirm, “Are you really the young master of the Jiang Family?”

“I swear! Cross my heart!” Jiang Yu exclaimed.

“Alright then,” Feng Yudie grinned mischievously and continued, “We’ll help you prove your identity, but after it’s done…”

She raised her eyebrows and made a money-related gesture with her hand.

Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment but quickly understood that she meant payment. He agreed eagerly, “Sure! As long as you help me prove my identity, I’ll pay whatever you ask…”

However, before Jiang Yu could finish speaking, Xiao Yunluo quickly reached out and pulled Feng Yudie away.

“Hey?!”

“Don’t meddle in other people’s business.”

“Huh? Senior Sister Xiao, there’s an opportunity! There’s a chance to make money! We just need to show our identity cards. The Jiang Family can’t possibly deny the identity of Profound Star Sect disciples, right?”

Xiao Yunluo gave her a stern look and said, “Profound Star Sect disciple identity cards are not omnipotent. Besides, this is someone else’s family matter. Whether he is really the young master of the Jiang Family is uncertain, and who knows how this situation might turn into a mess?”

“If he’s fake, we can just leave. If he’s real, then we could earn some spirit stones for nothing!”

“If you want to help him, you can come back and find him later. Don’t drag me into this.”

After thinking for a moment, Feng Yudie hurriedly called out to Jiang Yu, who was still sitting there in anticipation, “Young Master, wait for me. I’ll find you when I have time, and we can discuss it further.”

Seeing Feng Yudie being dragged away, Jiang Yu’s eyes were filled with renewed hope. Originally, he had considered going back to find his master, but he hadn’t learned how to ride a sword yet. Going back and forth would take at least five months, and by then, everything would have changed.

But now, there was a cultivator who was willing to speak up for him, and that cultivator was a disciple of Profound Star Sect. He refused to believe that the imposter would dare to confront Profound Star Sect!

“Heh!” Jiang Yu chuckled and then proceeded to eat the steamed bun in his hand. “Hmm? It’s actually quite tasty…”