After Lu Yang and another put on masks, their appearances and auras changed completely, making them inconspicuous in the crowd.

"Two bowls of porridge, please."

Lu Yang was curious about the novelty, as the street chef was cooking something indistinguishable, except that it was a very thick pot bubbling away. Considering that similar shops were everywhere, it must be a special product of Buddha Country.

"Okay."

The chef dished out two scoops of the paste onto rice, which looked utterly unappetizing.

Lu Yang tasted it and was caught between laughter and tears; the flavor was beyond words.

Previously, they had always eaten vegetarian meals at Kaihuang Temple, or they had eaten at Goodman Cui’s, which was quite delicious. This had led him to believe that the culinary standards of Buddha Country were above par.

"I was wondering why no one in Great Xia buys this stuff. Who would eat this?" Meng Jingzhou couldn’t help but comment after tasting a few bites.

If the porridge from Buddha Country was really delicious, its people would have sold it in Great Xia long ago. It hadn’t spread in thirty thousand years, which shows how ordinary the taste of Buddha Country’s porridge is.

At the very least, it didn’t suit the tastes of Great Xia people.

The two were discouraged on their first outing, eating the porridge slowly.

To eat or not to eat? Not eating would waste food, but eating might be even worse than wasting it.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Old Meng, do you have some magic skill that blocks taste?"

"If I had, I would have used it already."

"The two masters?" a somewhat familiar voice called out, seeming to address Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

The two instinctively looked up and recognized the speaker: "Miss Cui?"

Now that they were disguised, no one could recognize them except for the Cui Family people.

They had previously visited Goodman Cui’s house wearing these very masks.

"It really is the two masters." Cui Queer didn’t expect to encounter Lu Yang and another at such a grimy stall; she had initially thought she was mistaken.

After all, few cultivators would want to come to this sort of place.

"Miss Cui, what brings you here too?"

Cui Queer pointed to a queue not far away holding bowls: "On the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth, dad always comes here to distribute porridge. Today is the fifth of May."

Lu Yang suddenly understood. No wonder he was called Goodman Cui. He had thought it was because he donated a lot of incense money to Kaihuang Temple, not realizing he really did good deeds.

"By the way, Miss Cui, are you busy later? We’re not familiar with this area, could you please show us around Kaihuang City?" Lu Yang awkwardly asked.

Originally, they had planned to casually stroll around without bothering the monks of Kaihuang Temple, but their first meal out turned out to be unreliable. They couldn’t afford to continue wandering aimlessly and possibly encountering more oddities.

Cui Queer readily agreed: "Sure, but I was actually planning to meet a friend to play. Do you mind if my friend joins us? She quite likes lively atmospheres."

Lu Yang raised his hand and smiled, "That’s perfect, we like lively scenes too."

"Then I’ll go tend to this first and see you later!" Cui Queer noticed that the porridge distribution was getting hectic, and it didn’t seem right to idle there, so she hurried over to help Goodman Cui.

After nearly half an hour, Lu Yang and his companion finally finished the challenging meal, and Cui Queer had also finished her tasks.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, masters."

"The timing is just right. Let’s go, and introduce us to your friend," they responded.

"Let’s go."

Cui Queer, brimming with enthusiasm, led the way. Lu Yang and the other had assumed her friend would be a young mistress from a wealthy family, but to their surprise, she kept leading them deeper into the slums.

Realizing their confusion, Cui Queer turned her head, embarrassed, and explained: "She’s a friend I made when I snuck out as a child."

Lu Yang revealed a strange expression, "Why does this road feel so familiar?"

Finally, Cui Que’er knocked on a household’s door, "Qiaoqiao, I’m here, open the door."

"Sister Queer, you’ve arrived."

The door opened, and it was indeed Tang Qiaoqiao, who had visited the Kaihuang Temple before.

"Who are these two?" Tang Qiaoqiao excitedly opened the door, seeing Lu Yang and another, somewhat surprised.

She remembered that Sister Queer had never brought strangers to their home before.

"Let me introduce them. This is Master Lu, and this is Master Meng," Cui Que’er noticed that Lu Yang and the other were in disguise and probably did not want to attract attention, so she did not introduce their full names. Tang Qiaoqiao, hearing their surnames, showed a surprised expression.

Recalling past events at Sister Queer’s home and all the overwhelming publicity, it was not hard to guess their identities, Little Face’s excitement turned her cheeks red.

"Please come in quickly."

"Brother, we have guests."

"Sister Queer is here, just say Sister Queer is here... oh, there really are guests."

Tang Qiaoqiao secretly nudged Tang Chuanwu twice with her elbow, "These two are real masters, one is Master Lu, the other is Master Meng, be polite when you speak."

Tang Chuanwu’s pupils contracted, probably guessing the identities of the two Lu Yang.

"Hello," Lu Yang pretended it was his first meeting with Tang Chuanwu.

"Hello, my name is Tang Chuanwu." For some reason, Tang Chuanwu felt unexplainably reserved in Lu Yang’s presence, as if his prideful secrets were going to be revealed.

It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be, even the figures of legend couldn’t see through his secrets. The ability to rewind time was known only to him, and only he could preserve his memories during the rewind.

"Are you studying pharmacology?" Meng Jingzhou noticed a book open on the table, listing various common herbs.

"Yes, my brother is an apprentice at a pharmacy," Tang Qiaoqiao proudly introduced her brother.

"Can you read?" Meng Jingzhou was slightly surprised; usually, literacy rates were quite low among children from the slums.

"Sister Queer taught me."

Cui Que’er slapped the back of Tang Chuanwu’s head, "How many times have I told you, call me sister."

Tang Chuanwu displayed a look of disdain, refusing to call her sister.

Lu Yang revealed a knowing smile, it seemed Tang Chuanwu had a crush on Cui Que’er.

That made sense, they had known each other since childhood, Cui Que’er was quite beautiful and kind-hearted, having a crush on her was nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as Lu Yang was about to tease them with a laugh, he suddenly heard a bang. The wooden door shattered, and several mysterious people clad in black robes burst into Tang Qiaoqiao’s home.

The hems of their black robes were painted with a red skull symbol.

Tang Chuanwu recognized the skull symbol, his expression dramatically changed, "People from the Skull Divine Sect!"

The leader let out an inhuman laugh, lifted his hood, and revealed a face swollen as if soaked in water.

"Boy, I am Protector Jiao of the Skull Divine Sect’s Twenty-Eight Constellations. You took something from my sect, did you think hiding it here would keep us from finding it?"

Protector Jiao licked his lips, surveyed Lu Yang and the others, who were just frail mortals.

"You tell me, hand it over willingly and we’ll let you keep a full corpse, or should I slaughter you all?"

Tang Chuanwu inwardly cursed his luck; despite his extreme caution, he had still been found by the Skull Divine Sect.

Cultivators truly possessed all kinds of incredible Divine Abilities!

Lu Yang’s mind was full of questions. What was the Skull Divine Sect, and why had he never heard of it?