The sun slowly fell behind the mountains and a fine snow drifted down. The *Traveler's Pavilion* was still bustling and the drinkers on the first floor soon forgot that there was a *Core Formation* stage cultivator present and went back to drinking and playing dice.
Since there were not many staff members in the restaurant, Xu Xiyue exchanged a few words with Ye Anping, and when someone ordered wine, she quickly bowed and ran to deliver wine to other guests.
Ye Anping pretended to taste the roasted chicken and drink, and from time to time glanced at the busy Xu Xiyue, pursed his lips slightly, and raised the corners of his mouth, as if to say: *This wine is really not bad!*
But in his heart, he felt some regret.
He really wanted to see a scene often written in those miscellaneous books, such as a drunkard getting angry and harassing Xu Xiyue who was serving dishes, after which, he would show off in front of her and be her savior.It was a pity that the people here were simple and honest, and those who came to this inn to drink were regulars.
After a while, the drinkers in the *Traveler's Pavilion* left one after another, and only Ye Anping and Li Longling were left at their table on the first floor.
The lady shopkeeper had been paying attention to Ye Anping for the past hour. At first, she was just worried that he didn't eat well, and was ready to apologize at any time.
But gradually, she noticed that whenever Xu Xiyue walked by him, his eyes were glued to her.
At this time, she suddenly remembered some rumors from the **Southern Region**. It was said that the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect's Master Yun was particularly fond of going to some remote places, relying on his high cultivation to seduce pretty girls, and then either taking them as his concubines or throwing some spirit stones to settle the matter.
As for the girl with the bird who came with him, the lady shopkeeper reckoned that she was most likely his concubine...
Thinking of this, the lady shopkeeper found herself in a dilemma. If it was a cultivator in the middle or late stage of *Foundation Building*, she would have driven him away directly, but that "gentlemanly scoundrel" was a *Core Formation* cultivator.After considering it for a while, she decided to call for help.
She sneaked to the back door of the inn, took out a special jade slip that Xu Xiyue's sister had given her a while ago from the storage bag, engraved some words on it with her mind, and then swung her hand.
The jade slip instantly turned into a golden light and flew toward **Heavenly Wind City**.
Ye Anping didn't notice it, but Li Longling saw the shopkeeper's moves.
She pondered for a while before saying, "Master Ye..."
"What?"
Li Longling hesitated, thinking that it should not be a big deal, so she shook her head slightly and changed the subject. "...Forget it, it's nothing."
?
"Longling, if you have any questions, just ask..."
"It's really nothing." Li Longling smiled as she picked up the wine pot. She filled her cup, raised her head, and drank it. "By the way, this wine is not bad... I haven't drunk it before."
"It's brewed with spirit plants that warm the body."
The two chatted casually for a while, and about half an hour later, a sudden gust of wind swept past, outside the inn.
Xu Mulan, clad in silver armor and wielding a spear, brought three late-stage *Foundation Building Snow Guards* and landed her flying sword in front of the inn, angrily stepping over the threshold.
Xiyue, who was bringing a few empty plates to the counter, turned her head and was puzzled to see her sister aggressively coming in.
"Sister? Why are you..."
"Phew..."
Xu Mulan was relieved to see that she was fine.
Just now, she was still in the *Commander's Mansion* in the **Heavenly Wind City** thinking about the case of missing children, when a jade slip flew in through the window. It said: *A gentlemanly-looking scum in the Core Formation stage is harassing Miss Xiyue.*
She was so scared that she immediately picked up the spear and rushed over, taking a few attendants with her.
Ye Anping was also startled by Xu Mulan and the others who entered the room. He was quite confused for a while. It was okay for Xu Mulan to come to see her sister, but why did she carry a spear...
Xu Mulan patted Xiyue on the head, then went to the counter and talked to the lady shopkeeper.
Then, the lady shopkeeper pointed at him.
Xu Mulan immediately turned her head and glared at him.
?
*What did I do*… Ye Anping was confused.
Xu Mulan glared at Ye Anping, but after seeing his face, she was also stunned. She said a few words to the lady shopkeeper, then put the spear behind her back and walked toward him and Li Longling.
Ye Anping quickly stood up and cupped his hands. "Commander Xu, what happened?"
Xu Mulan narrowed her eyes and asked somewhat doubtfully. "Someone reported you for harassing my sister in public?"
?
Ye Anping's eyes twitched, and he looked at the lady shopkeeper behind the counter. Then he saw her coming over and saying, "Yes, Commander Xu. He has been secretly looking at Miss Xu for more than an hour..."
"..."
Ye Anping was speechless. He only glanced at her a few times. It wasn't that exaggerated...
Li Longling couldn't hold her laughing when she saw this. She smiled and explained for Ye Anping. "Pfft – Commander Xu, Mr. Ye just told me that the girl serving the dishes looks a lot like you, so he took a few glances and after asking her, we found that she is indeed your sister."
"So that's how it is."
After listening to Li Longling, Xu Mulan turned to look at the confused Xu Xiyue before making introductions to the lady shopkeeper, who was standing beside her, awkwardly. "Shopkeeper Huang, this girl is the leader of the ***Dragon House*** in the **Western Region**. This young man is her escort, not an outlaw. You don't have to be so vigilant."
"Ah... ***Dragon House***..." The lady shopkeeper turned pale after hearing this. She looked at Ye Anping with fear and bowed her head. "Seniors, I was blind. I hope you will forgive me."
"...No problem."
After the false alarm, Xu Mulan breathed a sigh of relief and asked the shopkeeper to go back to the counter. Then, she sent the *Snow Guards* she brought to the nearby table and sat down with the two.
"Xiyue, bring another pot of good wine for Miss Li and Mr. Ye."
"...Got it."
Xu Xiyue nodded and ran to the backyard to get more wine.
After sending Xu Xiyue away, Xu Mulan asked, "Miss Li, why did you come to this mountain valley? If you want to stay in a hotel, wouldn't it be better to stay in **Heavenly Wind City**? If that doesn't work, just tell me and I can arrange for you to stay in a guest room in the *Commander's Mansion*... It's cold and snowy in the **Northern Region**..."
Ye Anping smiled awkwardly and replied, "It's a rare opportunity to come to the **Northern Region**. Shouldn't we experience the local customs and culture? The roasted chicken here is quite delicious."
Li Longling smiled without saying anything, just reached out to stroke the Fire Phoenix's feathers and nodded.
Xu Mulan raised her eyebrows, a little surprised. "Mr. Ye, you are already in the *Core Formation* stage but you're not fasting?"
Ye Anping smiled, took out a glass, and poured some wine for Xu Mulan. "I haven't tasted enough of the world's flavors. If I start fasting now, won't I miss a lot?"
"You haven't tasted enough?" Xu Mulan was silent for a while. "Mr. Ye, how old are you?"
"How old I am?" Ye Anping smiled wryly. "I'm twenty-two this year."
What?!
This sentence made Xu Mulan's eyes widen. Had he formed a golden core at the age of twenty-two?
Even the three *Snow Guards* at the next table couldn't help but look toward Ye Anping, chattering in low voices.
"So young and promising?"
"So tender!"
"No wonder his face is so smooth..."
Xu Mulan looked Ye Anping up and down unconsciously and thought he was bragging. She had practiced for so many years, and although she had heard of some people forming a golden core at the age of twenty, this was the first time she had seen one...
For normal cultivators, building the foundation at the age of twenty was already considered good, and *Core Formation* cultivators were generally sixty or seventy years old.
Seeing her doubtful look, Ye Anping smiled slightly. "Does it seem exaggerated? I just got lucky and met a few opportunities."
"...Mr. Ye has such a good aptitude. You must have formed a first-grade golden core."
"Well… see for yourself."
Ye Anping had never boasted before, but this was his sister-in-law after all. After a moment, he waved his sword finger slightly.
Golden energy flowed out from his fingers and condensed into an orb floating on his fingertips.
Just like meeting your partner's parents, if you show them several property certificates and bank passbooks, their goodwill will definitely increase.
"This golden core, what grade does Commander Xu think it has?"
"..."
Xu Mulan narrowed her eyes and shook her head as if she had taken a blow. Then, she took a sip of wine before cupping her hands. "I admit defeat and will drink this glass as punishment."
"A toast back to you."
Ye Anping also clinked his glass in return, while Li Longling sighed. "Mr. Ye, this is the first time I've seen you show off like this."
"Longling, Commander Xu is an upright person. There is nothing wrong with being more frank."
"Oh..."
Xu Mulan looked at Li Longling and could not help but feel a little jealous. This man and woman of similar age traveled thousands of miles from the **Western Region** to the **Northern Region** together, and they probably had a good relationship.
Not to mention Ye Anping's handsome face.
But he had formed a golden elixir at the age of twenty-two, and it was even a heavenly golden elixir.
Once those cultivator families found out about it, they would all rush to drive their daughters here like driving pigs.
"Alas..."
"Commander Xu, why are you sighing?"
"It's nothing..."
Xu Mulan shook her head. She was just lamenting that she had been single for so many years and finally met a man who looked pretty good. In the end, this man was much younger than her and already had someone...
Never mind, he's just a little more handsome and talented.
She stopped thinking about it, turned her head to look at the waning moon outside the window, and suddenly remembered the missing children case, so she asked tentatively, "Mr. Ye and Miss Li, how long are you going to stay around **Heavenly Wind City**?"
"We originally wanted to stay for half a month... Did something happen?"
"So you're going to stay in **White Moon Town**? Or..."
Li Longling could tell that there was a hidden meaning in her words. She smiled and nodded, spreading her hands. "Commander Xu, if there is anything you need our help with, just say it. As long as we can do it, we will not refuse."
"...Yes." Ye Anping also nodded. "Please speak, Commander Xu."
"Then, I won't beat around the bush."
Xu Mulan let out a long sigh, then took out a file from her storage bag. "There is a serial kidnapper around **Heavenly Wind City**. In recent months, he has kidnapped several teenage girls and so far, twenty-two of them have been killed."
Hearing this, Ye Anping, whose demeanor had been quite leisurely, instantly became alert and he narrowed his eyes, asking, "...What?!"
Xu Mulan was startled by Ye Anping's sudden change. "Mr. Ye, what's wrong?"
Li Longling, who was looking at Ye Anping through the Fire Phoenix's eyes, frowned slightly. She could see that the children's kidnapping surpassed Ye Anping's expectations. She held out her hands and said, "Commander Xu, please tell us the details."
"Well... I guess it's okay to reveal it to you guys. In fact, the *Snow Guards* have been investigating for so many months, but there is no clue at all, and we don't know where to start. Although I have sent *Snow Guards* to be stationed in various towns, the lack of manpower still allowed the bad guys to take advantage of the loopholes..."
"So, you want us to help investigate this matter?"
"No!" Xu Mulan interrupted, shaking her head. "Actually, I want you two to look after my sister for me."
Li Longling tilted her head in confusion. "Then, why don't you take Miss Xu to the *Commander's Mansion*?"
"First of all, I can't take all the girls around here to the *Commander's Mansion*. I am the commander of the *Snow Guard*, the shield of the **Heavenly Wind City**. How can I openly favor my sister? If people knew about it, what would happen to the *Snow Guard*'s reputation?
Secondly, my sister is a bit stubborn. She has never wanted to cause trouble for me, her elder sister. Although I told her it's no problem, she's always like this... She doesn't even wear the clothes I buy for her, and rather patches her worn clothes herself..."
"I see." Li Longling nodded. "No wonder she is actually serving dishes in the restaurant..."
"She wanted to earn spirit stones on her own. She also saves all the pocket money I give her. It's really... Sigh..."
As the two talked about this, they noticed that Ye Anping looked down as if he was thinking about something with a frown, and his expression was not very good.
Li Longling asked in a low voice, "Mr. Ye?"
"Yes... it's nothing." Ye Anping came back to his senses, smiling. "Miss Li and I will live here and will look after your sister."
"Then, I will thank you in advance." Xu Mulan stood up and bowed to the two of them. "When I catch the villain, I will reward you handsomely."
While they chatted, Xu Xiyue came back from the backyard with warm wine, tiptoed carefully, and put the wine pot on the table.
"Please enjoy your meal, and call me if you need anything..."
After that, she wanted to leave, but Xu Mulan stopped her.
"Xiyue."
"Yes, Commander?"
"These two distinguished guests of **Heavenly Wind City** will stay in **White Moon Town** for a while, and you will be responsible for taking care of their daily life in the next few days."
Xu Xiyue glanced at Ye Anping, then at the blind sister beside him, and nodded. "...Yes, I understand."
Then, Xu Mulan cupped her hands and bowed again to them. She glanced at the three *Snow Guards* at the next table before leading them out of the restaurant.
After Xu Xiyue watched the four people leave, she looked at Ye Anping. "Senior, my sister has a hot temper and still has no cultivation partner, so her tone is a bit harsh, but she is a good person."
Li Longling smiled and asked, "Why did you mention to Young Master Ye that your sister has no cultivation partner?"
"...I just said it casually." Xu Xiyue smiled. "Seniors, how about I take you up to see your rooms first?"
