Chapter 29: Stepping into the Jianghu

Dugu Baitian steadied his emotions before pushing open the door again.

At that moment, a loud cry came from the street, shaking the heavens, and it seemed to never end.

He was secretly shocked, had Liu Ruyan's singing really reached an incredible level, blending emotions into her voice, resonating with people?

He arrived outside Xuan Xuan's door and listened carefully with his ears. There was a steady breathing sound coming from inside, indicating that the little girl was still asleep. What a lazy cat she was, sleeping so soundly. He couldn't help but wonder how she cultivated her Emperor-level skills. Dugu Baitian gently pushed open the door, closed it carefully behind him, and walked in quietly.

Xuan Xuan lay there quietly, covered with a blanket, her delicate and curvy body emitting an alluring beauty. Her long, black and smooth hair covered half of her face, with long eyelashes, a straight and lovely nose, and red lips, all exuding an astonishing charm. Even in her sleep, the little girl still had a faint smile on her face, revealing two cute dimples, appearing so charming, innocent, and pure. One of her arms was exposed outside the blanket, pale as jade with a faint halo, emitting a sacred radiance, so naturally beautiful that one dared not have any impure thoughts.

Dugu Baitian was completely captivated, as if looking at a painting, and couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming. The sleeping beauty on the bed was Xuan Xuan, which he found hard to imagine. She embodied coquetry, cuteness, innocence, and holiness all at once, a contradictory unity. How could so many different qualities appear in one person?

Dugu Baitian looked at Xuan Xuan, who exuded irresistible charm from head to toe, and swallowed unconsciously. He suddenly realized that he was actually fickle. Although he couldn't forget his feelings for Sutu Mingyue, Li Shi had also left an indelible impression in his heart, and now Xuan Xuan was also tempting him irresistibly.

But as soon as he thought of Xuan Xuan's terrifying martial arts, a chill ran through his heart. He also remembered the miserable experience of "accidentally" kissing her in the underground palace and almost being killed. His "hot heart" immediately cooled down. Angry Xuan Xuan was definitely a female tyrant, someone not to be messed with, and he just stood there quietly, watching her.

Looking at the sleeping Xuan Xuan, a strong thought arose in Dugu Baitian's mind: if he were to take off the mask on her face now, she would definitely not know. However, he hesitated a bit, as Xuan Xuan was a Emperor-level master, and if he wasn't careful, she could wake up. Just thinking that she was a Emperor-level master, Dugu Baitian's heart moved, realizing that he was walking into the bedroom of a supreme-level master without being noticed, which was quite strange. The alertness of a Emperor-level master would not be so poor. Yes, it must be because that this little girl was pretending to sleep, wanting to see how he would behave. With this in mind, Dugu Baitian remained composed, turned around, and walked out.

Just as he pulled open the door, he heard Xuan Xuan's lazy voice, "Xiaobai, why did you come in so quietly and leave so quietly?"

Dugu Baitian thought to himself, "That was close, this little girl is indeed pretending to sleep. I was so careless, how could the loud noise on the street not wake her up? From any angle, this little girl is pretending to sleep." But he said, "Xuan Xuan, you're really like a lazy cat, the sun is almost setting, and you're still lying in bed. I wanted to call you to have lunch, but seeing you sleep so soundly, I didn't have the heart to wake you up, so I left quietly."

"I'm so hungry, Xiaobai, bring the food into the room for me."

"What, you want to eat in bed?"

"Why not? Is it not allowed?"

Dugu Baitian was speechless.

Dugu Baitian led the shop assistants back to Xuan Xuan's room again, but the little girl had already finished dressing up. She had planned to lure the tiger out of the mountain, and it seemed to have worked.

The shop assistant put the food on the table and left. For some reason, Dugu Baitian really wanted to see the little girl eat, but Xuan Xuan insisted on chasing him out.

"Xuan Xuan, don't you think it's a delightful sight to have a handsome man like me in your room?"

"Your face full of beard is disgusting, it's nauseating to look at, hurry up and get out."

"I'm wearing a mask, let me take it off and show you my peerless looks."

"Stop being disgusting, I've long been tired of your appearance."

Dugu Baitian looked aggrieved with a full face, "Xuan Xuan, do you have a penchant for new things and get tired of the old? How could you heartlessly abandon such a handsome, suave, elegant, and extraordinary handsome man like me?"

"Bang!"

Xuan Xuan slammed the door shut, narrowly missing Dugu Baitian's nose.

After finishing their meal, Xuan Xuan rested for a while, and then the two of them left the inn and soon arrived outside the city.

Dugu Baitian asked, "Xuan Xuan, where are you planning to go?"

"I want to travel around the continent, wherever is fun. For example, places like the underground palace we explored last night. I know there are several interesting places on the land, and I want to go there and take a look."

Dugu Baitian was amazed in his heart. To think that such a terrifying place could be considered fun, Emperor-level experts were indeed different from ordinary people.

"Xiaobai, where do you want to go?"

"I also want to travel around the continent, but my ambition is in the Jianghu. I want everyone in the martial world to know the name Dugu Baitian."

Xuan Xuan shook her head and said, "You naive boy, is that your ambition? When you get older, you will regret it. You will regret the mistakes you made when you were young. In fact, living in this world, it's inevitable to be bound by fame and fortune, but all of that is illusory, in the end, everything is emptiness."

Dugu Baitian said, "I never expected our little Xuan Xuan to speak like an old philosopher. Be careful not to age your young heart like that."

Xuan Xuan said, "You naive boy, think seriously about yourself. Even if you have a great reputation in the martial world, what's the use? It's just an empty name, not as good as those cunning schemers who can still have some chips in their hands in the end. What do you have? In the end, it's all for nothing."

Dugu Baitian said, "I'm not interested in power, I'm only interested in martial arts. I came out this time to gain experience, to see the divine skills of various sects on the continent, and to perfect my own martial arts. My ultimate goal is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts and unravel the mysteries of martial arts."

Xuan Xuan sighed, "Once you enter the Jianghu, you are no longer in control of your own destiny. I have a premonition that you will be drawn into the power struggles of the continent. The martial world is like a large dye vat, many things are not what you intend, but you must adapt to it. Gradually, you will find changes within yourself. 'Once you enter the martial world, you are no longer in control' - it's a cliché, but it truly captures the bitterness and helplessness of martial artists, and reveals the essence of the martial world."

Dugu Baitian said, "The martial world may be full of helplessness, but it is certainly also full of passion. Instead of living an ordinary life, it's better to spend ten years in the martial world, enjoying freedom for a few years. With the vast sea, fish can leap over it, and with the high sky, birds can fly freely. As a young man like Dugu Baitian, how can I live an ordinary life? I want my life to be filled with legendary colors."

Xuan Xuan looked at him excitedly and said with a smile, "You brat, look at how excited you are. I feel like going to venture into the Jianghu too. If you keep wandering around to deceive kids, I guarantee the martial world will have ten times as many people."

Dugu Baitian chuckled, "Are you going to venture into the Jianghu or not, little girl?"

Xuan Xuan narrowed her beautiful eyes, "You brat, do you want to get beaten?"

"Hehe."

Xuan Xuan said, "Actually, even if I want to venture, I can't. Have you heard of any Emperor-level masters showing off everywhere? There is an agreement among Emperor-level masters that they are not allowed to interfere in the conflicts of ordinary martial artists. Once discovered, other Emperor-level masters will unite and attack."

Dugu Baitian heard this for the first time and was curious, "Is all of this true?"

"Of course it's true. Emperor-level masters have incredibly high cultivation levels. The power of one person can determine the life and death of countless others. In order to maintain peace in the jIANGHU, they reached this agreement, which is the consensus of many emperor-level masters."

"How many Emperor-level masters are there in the martial world?"

"That's a secret. Only Emperor-level masters are allowed to know."

...

Ps: Jianghu and the martial world somewhat mean the same.