Lin Ling rubbed her sore wrists after working at the Exorcism Bureau for the whole day.
She had spent the entire time helping Xiu Jiming write reward reports.
They were preparing to submit them to Shen Zaixin later.
Once today was over, she would be heading with Xiu Jiming to the political center of Yunzhou, Longchuan County.
It was the most prosperous place in all of Yunzhou and the location of the Exorcism Bureau’s headquarters.
As darkness gradually fell, Lin Ling packed up her brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. She stretched and prepared to leave.
Glancing toward the area where Gu Xiao and Bai Yunyun worked, she noticed they were still under their lamps, working away.
Curious, she leaned in to take a look.
She discovered the two were actually not slacking off!
‘Wait, is tomorrow the end of the world?’
They were truly working—or rather, they were practicing their cultivation.
Silently cheering them on, Lin Ling turned and left.
***
Upon returning to the Fox Fairy Temple, Lin Kejing and the Temple Keeper became quite busy when they heard Lin Ling was preparing to go to Longchuan County.
The Temple Keeper prepared plenty of dry rations for her and helped Little Ling’er pack her everyday clothes.
He even took the time to teach Lin Ling how to manage her hair so she wouldn’t run outside with a messy bird’s nest on her head every morning.
The Temple Keeper had been braiding her hair for her every day, but now that she was traveling far away, he couldn’t go along.
He could only let Lin Ling learn for herself.
Meanwhile, Lin Kejing planted several life-saving divine techniques on Lin Ling’s body.
According to Lin Kejing, as long as she didn’t encounter someone exceptionally powerful, these techniques could at least protect her life.
Lin Ling looked at the two of them with gratitude, silently memorizing everything they told her.
The next day, Xiu Jiming arrived at the Fox Fairy Temple in a horse carriage.
He saw the little fox standing at the temple entrance, carrying large bags and small bundles of luggage.
Little Ling’er looked a bit weary.
Beside her, the Temple Keeper and several elderly neighbors were meticulously instructing her to stay safe on the road.
When she finally saw Xiu Jiming arrive to pick her up, Lin Ling had only one thought—to quickly escape the lectures of these elders.
She excitedly waved at Xiu Jiming.
Xiu Jiming got out of the carriage and helped Lin Ling put all her luggage into a storage bag, which he then tied directly to her belt.
He promised the elders that he would take good care of her.
‘Nice! This has way more space than the one I used before!’
Lin Ling played with the item Xiu Jiming had given her, her heart filled with joy.
Xiu Jiming glanced at the Temple Keeper.
The old man looked back at him.
The two seemed to know each other, but they didn’t speak a word at that moment.
The Temple Keeper simply instructed Lin Ling to follow him closely on the road and go wherever he went.
Seeing this, Xiu Jiming added, “Rest assured, Ling’er is absolutely safe by my side.”
Hearing this, the Temple Keeper’s drooping eyelids lifted slightly.
His gaze swept over Xiu Jiming like an ancient well, and the corners of his mouth curled into an expression that was hard to distinguish between a smile and a sneer.
“Heh, if you can truly be trusted, then that would be for the best.”
Xiu Jiming fell silent before finally saying, “I always do as I say.”
The Temple Keeper waved his hand and said nothing more.
With his hands behind his back, he led the elders back into the Fox Fairy Temple to continue their morning exercises.
—
Lin Ling boarded the carriage and sat in the cabin.
Looking at the scenery outside, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She glanced at the slowly moving carriage and couldn’t help but feel curious.
She wrote on a piece of paper: “Little Ming, are we just going to travel slowly in this carriage? Is it a bit weird?”
Xiu Jiming smiled and said, “This carriage is only taking us to the post station. Once we’re there, there will be faster spiritual beasts for us to ride. However, since you’re still young, Ling’er, it’s best if you ride the same one as me.”
Lin Ling didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.
She nodded obediently and said, “Oh.”
After leaving Yueshan County and arriving at the capital of Guanglan County, Xiu Jiming led Lin Ling to a strange facility.
It looked like a high-class garden, which left Lin Ling feeling puzzled.
Although her father had once been the governor here, she had never had the chance to enter a building used by cultivators.
She couldn’t understand why the style was like this.
After Xiu Jiming showed his Exorcism Bureau token, the person in charge respectfully led the two of them to a side hall and explained, “Master, these are all top-quality Flying Cloud Finches, specifically reserved for the masters of the Exorcism Bureau.”
Lin Ling stared blankly at the large bird, which was at least two people large, and couldn’t snap out of it.
‘Is this a damn finch?’
Xiu Jiming nodded, stepped forward to check the health of the Flying Cloud Finches, and after a careful selection, chose one with white feathers.
Lin Ling suddenly remembered something and asked on paper, “Didn’t you say we were going to find Shen Zaixin to report the official documents first?”
Xiu Jiming shrugged and said, “Yes, but Zaixin is also in Longchuan County right now. We can just take the documents to him there.”
Lin Ling pursed her lips and wrote dismissively, “Sigh, that’s really inconvenient.”
Xiu Jiming reached out and rubbed her ears, saying, “It’s nothing. We’re just passing through anyway. I’ll just have him come to the Longchuan Bureau to find us later.”
Then, Xiu Jiming sat on the spiritual beast first before pulling Lin Ling up.
Lin Ling sat right in front of him, with his chest directly behind her.
Xiu Jiming reached out, his arms passing under her armpits to grasp the spiritual beast’s reins.
Lin Ling suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right; it felt as if she were being held in his arms.
She said somewhat sheepishly, “Is this… inappropriate?”
Xiu Jiming looked at her and shook his head.
“No. With your current strength, I’m afraid the spiritual beast would throw you off if it went any faster, so this is the only way.”
Seeing this, Lin Ling stopped being fussy.
She comfortably used Xiu Jiming’s body as a cushion and leaned back into his embrace.
Feeling the young girl’s body heat, Xiu Jiming lowered his head and silently looked at the top of her head.
Her fox ears were constantly twitching from the excitement of the long journey.
Xiu Jiming’s hands tightened slightly on the reins.
The top of her head was just below his chin, and her ears would occasionally brush against him.
Her faint scent lingered at the tip of his nose.
He quietly took a deep breath, suppressing his suddenly accelerating heartbeat, and turned his gaze toward the distant sea of clouds.
The Flying Cloud Finch gave a long *screech* before sprinting forward over ten meters at an incredible speed and immediately flapping its wings to take flight.
Lin Ling instantly felt a strong force pushing against her back.
The town below shrank rapidly, and the wind whistled in her ears.
However, she was enveloped in a warm barrier of spiritual energy, turning the sharp gales into a gentle breeze.
Leaning against Xiu Jiming’s chest, she looked down and took in the entire architecture of Guanglan County, her heart filled with curiosity.
In her past life, she hadn’t even ridden a plane, but this time, she was riding a spiritual beast directly.