After Ying Ruoli lay down again, she closed her eyes and rested for more than a quarter of an hour. Then she began to toss and turn on the couch. Finally, she sat up again, put on her shoes, walked out of the hall, and went straight to the outside of the water palace.
The guarding Yaksha hurriedly bowed and greeted him.
"Mrs. Jiangshen!"
Ying Ruoli glanced at them, nodded, and said to the left and right.
"You guys guard the Water Palace. I'll be back after I see Uncle Ji."
After saying this, without waiting for the Yaksha to take the order, Ying Ruoli rushed out of the water palace's restriction, entered the Tongtian River where the water was relatively turbid and turbulent, twisted her body slightly and swam away.
Ying Ruoli swam for a hundred miles in the river and then jumped out of the river, turning the splashes of water into mist. She did not step on the clouds, but rose into the sky with a cloud of mist and headed towards Jizhou.
This time, Ying Ruoli flew at an extremely fast speed. It was night when Ji Yuan came to Tongtian River, and at daybreak, Ying Ruoli had already arrived above Ning'an County. From afar, in the corner of Tianniufang in the city, there was a tall tree with a clear green crown that was particularly eye-catching, as if surrounded by gusts of spiritual wind.
Ying Ruoli had excellent vision. Although she could not predict her uncle Ji's whereabouts through divination and other methods, she could vaguely see through the treetops and analysis that there was no one in the Ju'an Pavilion. Even the doors inside and outside the house were locked.
"Mr. Ji hasn't come back yet? Or did Uncle Ji never plan to come back and was just passing through Tongtian River?"
Ying Ruoli felt a little distressed and unknowingly had landed in Ning'an County.
Although she had known Ji Yuan for a long time, this was Ying Ruoli's first time to Ning'an County. Although she had something on her mind, she was still curious about this quiet county full of life. Even if Uncle Ji was not there, she wanted to take this opportunity to stroll around Ning'an County and wait for a while. Maybe Uncle Ji would come back. Otherwise, she was not sure she could find Uncle Ji. After all, her father, in the form of a real dragon, had been looking for Uncle Ji for several years in order to invite him to the birthday banquet.
After entering the city, Ying Ruoli took off her Jiangshen gold-threaded gauze robe, collected the gold gauze ribbon, and also took off the pearl hairpins, scale crown and other items on her head. She just tied her long hair with ordinary hair accessories, wore a light green silk skirt and a long gown, and walked alone step by step on the streets of Ning'an County.
To be honest, even so, it was hard for the pedestrians and vendors around her not to notice Ying Ruoli, because although she changed her attire this time, her appearance did not change, so many people in the county either stole glances at her or stared at her in amazement.
"Hey... which wealthy family's daughter is this..."
"Isn't this the Empress from the palace?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, she's looking over here..."
The villagers were simple and honest. When they saw Ying Ruoli looking at them while discussing her, they would avoid her gaze out of guilt. Almost no one dared to look her in the eye.
Ying Ruoli just smiled, and after a burst of mist, her face looked hazy, but she walked like a dragon with elegance, and her natural charm still made many people subconsciously take a few more glances at her.
Ning'an County is neither small nor big. People are everywhere buying New Year's goods. Many places are decorated with lights and colorful lanterns. People's faces are filled with relaxation at the end of the year and joy of preparing for the New Year. Ying Ruoli took a casual walk and finally came to Tianniufang, where she saw the "legendary" Sun's noodle stall. Guarding the stall was still Sun Fu, who was old but still in good health.
"I want to try it and see if this noodle is as delicious as the rumors say!"
When this interesting thought came to her mind, Ying Ruoli strode forward and walked towards Sun’s noodle stall.
At the moment, there were only two tables with three people eating at the stall. They were also eating wontons for breakfast. When Ying Ruoli came over, she of course attracted everyone's attention. Even though her face was covered to a certain extent, Ying Ruoli was a woman after all. It was impossible for her to make herself ugly for no reason. So even if she couldn't be seen clearly, she still gave people the impression of being beautiful. Sun Fu was even more special. In his eyes, he could actually see more clearly.
Sun Fu originally thought that his granddaughter was already a pretty girl. He had always seen few women who could compare with his granddaughter Sun Yaya. But the person in front of him made Sun Fu feel that she was not a beauty of this world.
"Shopkeeper, can you give me some of your braised noodles and offal? Even though it's morning, there should be some, right?"
The dragon girl had already smelled the aroma of the marinade in the cart, but she asked this question deliberately, scanning the diners around her who turned back to eat noodles, and finally focused on the old man in front of the cart.
Sun Fu collected his thoughts and quickly replied.
"Yes, yes, yes. Wait a moment, girl. I'll do it for you right away."
Ying Ruoli smiled and nodded, then found an empty table and sat down. While waiting, she rested her chin on her hands and occasionally looked up at the sky.
Not long after, Sun Fu's voice interrupted Ying Ruoli's thoughts.
"Girl, the noodles and offal are ready."
As he was speaking, Sun Fu came over with a tray, placed the braised noodles and offal on the table, and said with a smile.
"Please enjoy your meal, young lady."
"okay."
Ying Ruoli took the chopsticks from the chopstick cage, picked up a few big pieces of noodles and put them into her mouth, chewing and savoring the flavor of the noodles. Then she picked up some offal and put them into her mouth, swallowing them together with the noodles.
Sun Fu had been keeping an eye on this side and saw that this girl should have eaten more extravagantly than the average lady from a wealthy family, but she still looked very elegant and was not splashed by any soup. It felt like he was watching Mr. Ji eat, so he couldn't help but ask carefully.
"Girl, do you like this noodle?"
Ying Ruoli chewed the noodles a few times and swallowed them, then gave Sun Fu a smile.
"not bad."
"That's good, that's good, take your time, girl."
Ying Ruoli nodded and continued to eat the noodles, but her words just now were not what she meant. In fact, in her taste, the noodles were just so-so. Not to mention some dishes in the Immortal Palace, even some famous restaurants in the world might not be comparable. It could only be said to be mediocre, at least not at all special. Ying Ruoli even felt that the noodles were a bit salty.
But Ying Ruoli would not say that the noodles were bad. Instead, she seemed to be eating them with gusto. Perhaps Uncle Ji ate these noodles for the flavor, the atmosphere or... the feelings
At this time, Ying Ruoli, who had already eaten half a bowl of noodles, suddenly put down her chopsticks and turned to look at the street from where she came. A little further away, a fat man in a brocade robe was walking quickly towards Sun's noodle stall.
The chubby man in brocade robe was Wei Wuwei, his iconic smiling face never changing. Before he reached the stall, Wei Wuwei said to Sun Fu.
"Old Sun, one serving of braised noodles and one serving of offal. Shouldn't this be the last serving so early in the morning?"
"How can that be possible? Yes, yes, Mr. Wei, please sit down first. Oh, by the way, Mr. Ji hasn't returned home yet."
Sun Fu obviously knew Wei Wuwei. He greeted him warmly and started tinkering with the cabinet cart. Wei Wuwei kept smiling. He had expected that Ji Yuan was not at home. This would be the result most likely anyway, so he was not disappointed at all.
Instead, Wei Wuwei and several other diners at the table were smiling and wishing everyone a happy new year in advance, saying some auspicious words of wishing everyone good luck and prosperity, and only came to Ying Ruoli last.
"Haha, happy new year, young lady! Wish you good fortune and prosperity!"
"Well, Happy New Year!"
Ying Ruoli also had a smile on her face. She didn't expect to meet such a mediocre little human cultivator. Could he be from Yu Huaishan
It was not until Wei Wuwei and Ying Ruoli actually met each other that the former was suddenly shocked, because he found that he could not really see the face of this person who he thought was a beautiful woman. He clearly thought she was just a pretty woman.
'A cultivator, and his cultivation is much higher than mine!'
This was Wei Wuwei's first reaction. Although his cultivation was not high, his vision was not low, so his expression did not change, but he slightly bowed and saluted.
"My name is Wei Wuwei, nice to meet you, young lady!"
"Haha, this is an interesting name. It sounds like saying 'hey hey hey'."
"Uh, yes, yes..."
If someone else had said this, Wei Wuwei would have been very upset, but of course he couldn't get angry when the woman in front of him said it. This was true not only for her cultivation but also for her face.
"Mr. Wei, if you don't mind, please sit here."
"Thank you very much. I dare not refuse!"
The Dragon Girl's words were exactly what Wei Wuwei wanted, so of course he sat down aside. The men at the other two tables immediately started talking in low voices, thinking that rich people had means.
Wei Wuwei actually wanted to tell them to shut up when he heard the discussion over there, but when he saw that the woman didn't seem to care, he felt relieved.
"Do you know Uncle Ji?"
'Uncle Ji?'
Wei Wuwei was slightly stunned, but of course he nodded in agreement.
"I know you. I have known you for many years. When the New Year is coming, as long as I am free, I will come to visit you in person, give you some New Year gifts, or invite you to my humble home."
"oh… "
Ying Ruoli responded thoughtfully, while Wei Wuwei asked carefully after careful consideration.
"I wonder if the young lady and Mr. Ji are..."
"I'm his niece."
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, Wei. I'm sorry!"
Wei Wuwei bowed again, his heart was not at peace. It turned out that Mr. Ji had a niece, so did he have other relatives? But Ying Ruoli just smiled and continued to eat her noodles.
When Ji Yuan just returned to Ning'an County on the cloud, he was still in the sky. The first thing he did was to look outside Tianniufang. He saw Wei Wuwei and Ying Ruoli eating noodles together. He was stunned. Why were these two people sitting together
So when Wei Wuwei served his portion of noodles, Ji Yuan had already appeared beside them.
"You are..."
Hearing Ji Yuan's voice, Ying Ruoli and Wei Wuwei looked to their sides at the same time and stood up with joy on their faces.
"Uncle Ji!" "Mr. Ji!"
"Uncle Ji, we just met. Please take a seat. Ruoli is trying the braised noodles you mentioned. It's really delicious!"
Sun Fu over there was bowing to Ji Yuan, and he was very happy to hear what the Dragon Girl said.
"Is sir the same as always?"
"Well, thank you for your help."
After Ji Yuan nodded, he pressed his hands down, motioning the two people at the table to sit down. He then sat in an empty seat at the table. After glancing at Wei Wuwei, he frowned and looked at the Dragon Girl.
"Ruoli, what happened?"
Ji Yuan knew that the Dragon Girl would not disturb him easily, and had never been to Ning'an County. This time she should have come out to chase him, but she arrived first, so something must have happened.
Ji Yuan was still wondering if something had happened to the old dragon, or if it was something about the dragon corpse worms, while Ying Ruoli forced a smile and whispered in a low voice.
"Uncle Ji... Ruoli got into trouble this time and was driven back to Tongtian River by my father. I... crippled Gongxiu, the son of the Nanhai Gonglong Lord."
"Waste?"
"Um… "
Ying Ruoli rarely looked like a little girl, but she stretched out her right hand and gestured with a claw.
"One claw broke it, and his offspring was cut off..."
Ji Yuan's eyebrows jumped suddenly, while Wei Wuwei on the side felt a chill in his lower body.
... ...
PS: I would like to recommend the book "Da Dao Ji" by the author Pei Tugou. If you are interested, you can check it out.