The next day.
Ye Fan went out again with his two senior sisters and the two old men.
All the cramming had been done. Now, the two senior sisters needed to relax and ease their taut nerves.
Everything required a balance of tension and release.
Constant tension could easily lead to problems.
The Second Elder was also very supportive of this outing for some fresh air.
Teaching those imbeciles in the palace all day had significantly raised his blood pressure recently.
Master Xie Yan was even simpler.
Wherever the Second Elder went, he went.
Although it wasn't the first time the two senior sisters had participated in the Imperial City Grand Competition, this was their first time truly exploring the Imperial City.
Second Senior Sister Zi Qing, in particular, seemed exceptionally excited.
Even though she was already a cultivator of the Golden Core realm, her innate talent for shopping was still fully unleashed.
The Fifth Elder of the Zhenxie Sect trailed behind them, not too close and not too far, constantly observing Ye Fan's actions.
Since Wu Poxie had made a request, he naturally had to help with this small favor.
As for the rule that no fighting was allowed in the Imperial City...
He had already devised a plan to lure Ye Fan and the others out.
Once they were outside the city, what threat could these individuals, whose highest cultivation was only Golden Core realm, pose? They would be at his mercy.
If he handled this well, Wu Poxie would surely reward him handsomely.
After a night of in-depth discussion on cultivation, his own cultivation had improved a bit.
With a few more such discussions, the benefits would be self-evident.
Thinking of this, the Fifth Elder subconsciously adjusted his waist.
Speaking of which, Wu Poxie, that woman, had become increasingly captivating lately.
He was finding it a bit difficult to handle.
Inside a clothing store.
Zi Qing was enthusiastically picking out beautiful clothes, while the two old men offered their opinions.
"Little Qing Qing, I think this one looks good on you."
"I think this one is nice too."
The atmosphere started normally, but it soon took a strange turn.
The two old men picked up women's clothes and kept trying them on themselves.
"Second Elder, are you planning to buy some women's clothes to wear?" Zi Qing was amused.
The store staff stood nearby, their expressions slightly contorted.
Seeing the two old men seriously choosing women's clothes for themselves, they instinctively wanted to laugh.
But upon seeing Master Xie Yan's left eyeball, they felt like crying...
"Actually, I think dividing clothes into men's and women's is a rather foolish thing," Master Xie Yan said earnestly. "If it looks good, anyone can wear it."
"Master Xie Yan speaks wisely," the Second Elder echoed, holding up a bodice.
Zi Qing couldn't laugh anymore.
She suddenly wished she could stay far away from the two old men.
The other ladies browsing for clothes were also amused by the old men's words and wanted to see who dared to be so shameless.
However, upon seeing Master Xie Yan, they promptly fled.
The store owner was on the verge of tears.
Her customers were scared away.
But she didn't dare to speak, only trembling and shrinking to the side.
"Senior Sister, aren't you going to pick out some clothes?" Ye Fan asked curiously.
His granddaughter was undeniably beautiful, with a great figure. Whatever she wore would surely look good.
Moreover, female cultivators in this world seemed to place great importance on their appearance, otherwise, so many wouldn't spend their spiritual energy to maintain their youthful looks.
Like his own master, for instance.
Ye Fan had even maliciously wondered what kind of old woman his master would be if she stopped maintaining her appearance with spiritual energy.
Speaking of which.
His granddaughter didn't seem very interested in beautiful clothes.
Ever since their first meeting, Ye Fan had rarely seen her change her clothes.
She always wore the same pale blue gauze dress.
"I don't need any..." Zi Bing replied faintly, though her voice seemed to tremble slightly.
Furthermore, her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
Her knuckles were even turning slightly white from the force.
The more Ye Fan looked, the more it resembled social phobia.
"Senior Sister, do you get nervous when you're in crowded places?" Ye Fan asked tentatively in a low voice. "Do you feel anxious, a sense of insecurity for no reason?"
"Yes," Zi Bing nodded, biting her lip.
It was confirmed!
"Then why did you come out?" Ye Fan couldn't understand.
"I was in seclusion cultivating, and my nerves were taut... I wanted some fresh air..." Zi Bing's voice remained faint yet trembling.
"If crowded places make you nervous, then what's the point of fresh air?" Ye Fan was even more confused.
"It is indeed very nerve-wracking, but it does provide some effect of fresh air."
"In that case, won't you be even more nervous during the Grand Competition?"
"That's different. I can fight then. Once the enemies are defeated, there's no nervousness to speak of."
As she said this, a hint of excitement and fanaticism flickered in Zi Bing's tense expression.
She looked like a warmonger.
Ye Fan couldn't help but recall a past incident.
Shortly after they left Ziyun Sect, they encountered a demonic beast.
At that time, Zi Qing was trembling with fear.
Later, Zi Qing screamed and flew over, smashing the demonic beast into a pulp with her great hammer.
In her words, once the beast was killed, she would no longer be afraid.
Ye Fan couldn't help but twitch his lips.
The disciples taught by his unreliable master were indeed just as bizarre.
Their thought processes were truly unique.
"How about this," Zi Qing said, having walked over at some point. "I know a scenic spot outside the Imperial City. Why don't we go there to play?"
And so, Ye Fan and his party headed out of the city.
After leaving the city, the two senior sisters took flight on their swords, while Ye Fan took out the large bed he hadn't used in a long time.
After flying for about half an hour, they landed on a mountaintop.
On the way, Zi Qing had been raving about the beautiful scenery here, and now that Ye Fan saw it, he found it wasn't an exaggeration at all.
The warm afternoon sun cast a golden glow on the Golden Luo flowers, turning the entire mountaintop into a golden sea.
In the distance lay a small lake, and a few small animals sauntered out from the adjacent purple maple forest, lying by the lake and leisurely sipping water.
Over a dozen Yunmings flew over leisurely, enjoying the abundance of Golden Luo flowers.
The crimson feathers of the Yunmings dotted the golden ocean, creating a scene of utmost tranquility.
Not far away, a group of monkeys frolicked in the sea of flowers.
Some even plucked Golden Luo flowers and tucked them into their fur, looking quite amusing.
The Yunmings and monkeys alike showed no panic at the arrival of Ye Fan and his group.
The monkeys chattered and waved fruits at Ye Fan and his companions, seemingly expressing a welcome.
"I discovered this mountain peak unintentionally when Senior Sister and I came for the Grand Competition last time."
The Second Senior Sister raised her hand, and a Yunming immediately landed on it.
"They are very spiritual and know we won't harm them."
As she spoke, she took out snacks from her ring and fed the Yunming.
"The environment here is excellent. It's indeed a good place to get some fresh air."
The Senior Sister also took out food and fed the other Yunmings that had flown down.
"Chirp chirp!" Seeing that they were being ignored, the monkeys let out displeased cries.
The two old men immediately perked up, took out food, and went to play with the monkeys.
Ye Fan casually picked some Golden Luo flowers and put them into his ring.
These things, when dried and used for roasting meat, were quite effective.
Thinking of roasted meat, Ye Fan subconsciously glanced at the Yunmings nearby.
The crimson feathers of the Yunmings, coupled with their petite size, were indeed beautiful. For those who liked to keep birds, they were worth collecting.
However, that wasn't the main point.
The main point was that Ye Fan had only seen Yunmings once before and had never truly befriended any.
He wondered what they tasted like.
The Yunmings, who were happily eating, instinctively shivered and looked around in confusion.
After confirming that there were no anomalies, they continued to eat, lowering their heads.