The sun was scorching and the yellow sand was endless.
On the vast desert outside the **Jade Pass City** in the **Central Region**, a caravan with several carts of goods moved quickly following the guides' directions.
In one wagon filled with goods within the caravan, Si Xuanji was sitting on Xiao Yunluo's lap, holding a monocular telescope and gazing out of the wagon window like a curious baby.
Xiao Yunluo, who was being used as a cushion, could only lean on the surrounding goods. It was too hot, but she did not dare to complain. She only had the parrot to tease to relieve her boredom, and she wiped the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief from time to time.
While Ye Anping and Feng Yu Die were in the **Southern Region**, she studied diligently in the ***Black Star*** Sect, practicing from the early stage to the late stage of the *Foundation Building*. Then, she waited with great anticipation for Ye Anping and the others to come back and show off her achievements.Sadly, Ye Anping hadn't returned yet when Si Xuanji dragged her to this shitty place, and now, she had been gone for over three months.
That's three months!
Three months of staying with her mother!
She felt suffocated.
When she went to the ***Dragon House*** before, she could do whatever she wanted. When she saw something delicious that she liked, she would simply go in to buy and eat it. If she wanted to 'read' at night, she could just lock the doors and windows and lie on the bed with the quilt in her arms and read.
But now, with all her bravery, she didn't dare to read those books anymore. In fact, when she left this time, she didn't even dare to put those books in her storage bag.
Once Si Xuanji found out, she would definitely become just an 'unworthy daughter'."..."
Now, Xiao Yunluo looked at her mother's thin back with some grievance and reluctance on her face, but she didn't dare to complain. She simply turned her head and looked out the window, her mind wandering thousands of miles away to kill time.
The yellow sand was endless, and the distant horizon shimmered distortedly in the burning sun with an ethereal appearance.
The boredom in her eyes gradually turned into a dreamy look.
---*Ye Anping came back from the **Southern Region**, landing his flying sword in their courtyard. He found her, took her hands, and held her in his arms. "Yunluo, I'm back."*
---*She went to the kitchen to cook noodles, but Ye Anping sneaked over, kneaded her butt, and hugged her from behind. "Yunluo, you look so good, I want you..."*
---*Ye Anping shyly raised her chin with his index finger. "Yunluo, would you like to practice dual cultivation with me?"*
... ...
A hint of pink gradually appeared on Xiao Yunluo's cheeks. Her feet arched in her small wooden clogs, and she rubbed her toes lightly...
Then, she was brought back to reality from her fantasy by a drake's voice. *"Spring is here!! Love is in the air!!"*
Xiao Yunluo was startled and turned her head, looking in horror. It took her a moment to realize what the parrot meant. Her cheeks flushed as she said, "Stupid parrot, what are you saying... What spring? Spring has passed. It's already summer."
*"Hehe!! Hehe!!"*
?
Being laughed at by the parrot, Xiao Yunluo frowned and poked its head with her finger.
"What are you laughing at? Naughty bird..."
*"Hee hee! Hee hee!!!"*
Xiao Yunluo felt a little helpless. She couldn't lower herself to a parrot's level, right? So, she lifted the bird from her shoulder, took out a comb from the storage bag, and helped it preen its feathers.
At this moment, the chatter of the *Foundation Building* guards could be heard from outside the wagon. "By the way, the reward for the *Immortal Thief* has been doubled again. I heard that just a while ago, that person seemed to have broken into the ***Sword Gate*** Sect's treasure trove. The ***Sword Gate*** Sect has recently issued a high reward, stating dead or alive. After we arrive at the **Jade Pass** later, should we try our luck?"
"Come on, that dude has a bounty on his head for decades but his gender is still unknown, let alone his cultivation level. Even if we meet, we won't recognize him."
"We should try our luck anyway, right? We can also get a lot of spirit stones for providing information. That person stole something from the ***Sword Gate*** Sect, so he must be eager to cash it out. The black market in **Jade Pass** is the largest within 800 miles, so we might be able to come across... it."
... ...
"The *Immortal Thief*..."
Xiao Yunluo curled her lips. She had heard the Elders of the ***Black Star*** Sect talk about this person before.
When she was six years old, that cultivator, who had been labeled as the '*Immortal Thief*' by rogue cultivators, had sent a letter to the ***Black Star*** Sect saying that he would go to the sect's *Library* a month later to steal something. In the end, the matter was left unsettled.
"Mother..."
Si Xuanji snorted and instantly turned her head, pushing the monocular in her hand against Xiao Yunluo's nose as she reprimanded her. "What did you call me?"
"Sister Xuanji..."
Si Xuanji relaxed her expression, put down the telescope, tilted her head, and smiled crookedly. "What is it?"
"Those people outside are saying that the *Immortal Thief* has entered the ***Sword Gate*** Sect's treasure trove..."
"Yes... I heard it." Si Xuanji sighed slightly, stating, "That person said ten years ago that he would come to the ***Black Star*** Sect's *Library* to steal something. What do you think he stole?"
?!
Xiao Yunluo's eyes widened in disbelief, and she asked, "Did that person really steal something? Didn't the Elders say that he didn't come?"
Si Xuanji smiled and leaned into Xiao Yunluo's arms, closing her eyes. "He stole a piece of tile from the roof of the *Library* and even carved the words '*I was here*' on the beam. When I found out, I kicked Elder Lei to the frontier to work the land."
"Huh? A tile... and he even carved some words?"
Si Xuanji didn't intend to continue, and she yawned sleepily instead. "I'll take a nap. Wake me when we get there."
"Oh..."
Xiao Yunluo was a bit speechless. Among the *Void Returning* stage cultivators in these four regions, probably only her mother still maintained the habit of sleeping, but she didn't dare to say anything and continued looking out the window in a daze.
... ...
The wagon swayed on, and the sky had already darkened when the caravan arrived at the **Jade Pass**.
The **Jade Pass City** that stood in the center of the desert was the only place that was still lit up with fireworks at night because there were too many demonic beasts near the land, and this pass city was the ***Imperial*** Sect's first line of defense against them.
After arriving at the city, Xiao Yunluo bid farewell to the caravan people who brought them here. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, she found a random inn and booked a room, ready to continue her journey early in the morning.
However, while she was sleeping soundly...
*Whoosh---*
A breeze blew through the window of the room, causing it to slightly vibrate.
Sensing something, Si Xuanji slowly opened her eyes, turned her head, and looked around. Seeing that her daughter was sleeping like a dead pig, she felt helpless for a moment, then she simply pulled up the quilt and covered her face.
The next moment, the window slowly opened a crack, and a white shadow flashed in from the outside. The boots landed on the wooden floor, but there was no sound.
The person was small in stature, wearing a fox mask and snow-white tights that were very conspicuous in the night.
Looking at the two people on the bed, a cunning smile spread beneath the foxy mask.
