Zhao Shuning had finally arrived in the capital, Chang'an.
After this long journey, she felt as if she had turned into a clay figurine. If it hadn't been for the members of the Misty Rain Tower and Shui Yunsheng who had lent her a hand along the way, it would have been impossible for a young girl like Zhao Shuning to reach this far - flung capital.
The moment she stepped into Chang'an, she found a teahouse to have a meal.
As she walked along the streets of Chang'an, Zhao Shuning felt extremely down - and - out. Chang'an was truly the capital. Everything was different here. The spiritual herbalists and alchemists were far more powerful than those she had known in the countryside.
Logically speaking, as a fourth - stage spiritual herbalist and a fourth - rank alchemist, her abilities would have made her a top - notch figure in Qinghui Town and Yanqing City. But in Chang'an, her skills were only mediocre at best. There were so many talented spiritual herbalists here.
Moreover, the cost of living was extremely high. There weren't many spirit stones left in her Qiankun Bag. After some searching, she finally found a teahouse, sat down, and ordered a pot of tea. For the rest, she had to rely on the complimentary snacks to fill her stomach.
"Even a hero can be stumped by a lack of money," she murmured.
The seat she had chosen wasn't the best one. It was on the second floor, near the street. In the past, when she was always following her master, she never knew how painful it was to be short of money. After she became the empress Ye Ling, needless to say, she never had to worry about money wherever she went. She had as many spirit stones as she wanted.
In Qinghui Town, the Zhao family was a prominent clan. The villagers would address her as the Second Miss Zhao. But now, in Chang'an, she had become completely insignificant.
Anyway, Zhao Shuning didn't have high demands for life. She just wanted to be able to fill her stomach. When her master had once thrown her into a deep valley for training, she had eaten all kinds of things. So having complimentary snacks was already quite good.
After Zhao Shuning had eaten and drunk her fill and let out a satisfied belch, the storyteller downstairs slapped his wooden board, picked up his fan, and was about to start his storytelling.
"I'm sure all of you have heard of the newly - emerged young general in Chang'an. You probably already know who I'm talking about."
"That's right. It's the white - robed young man, Zhao Huai, who has caused quite a stir in Chang'an in recent years."
Zhao Shuning, who was already at the door, suddenly straightened her back when she heard this name. She froze for a moment, then slowly turned around and quickly walked back to the seat where she had been drinking tea.
Fortunately, the waiter hadn't finished cleaning up her seat yet, so she didn't have to pay again. She gave an embarrassed smile.
"I just went to the toilet. I'll be sitting here for a while," she explained.
The waiter politely tidied up the things, refilled her with a pot of plain tea, and then retreated.
"How could I have forgotten that elder brother was taken in as a disciple by the clan and has now become so powerful," Zhao Shuning thought to herself.
Zhao Shuning and Zhao Huai hadn't seen each other for a very long time. Zhao Huai was the kindest person in the Zhao family to Zhao Shuning. He was like her real elder brother. From childhood to adulthood, no matter what happened, he always protected Zhao Shuning behind him.
Zhao Shuning still remembered that when she was a child, her mother was in poor health. Her father had to go up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs to exchange for money to buy medicine and food for daily life, so he didn't have much time to take care of her. So it was always Zhao Huai who took care of her when they were together.
Every summer, Zhao Huai would carry a bamboo basket on his back and go up the mountain to collect herbs. At that time, he would carefully put Zhao Shuning in the basket first. He even made a small bench and put it in the basket to prevent Zhao Shuning from getting tired while sitting in it.
So every summer, Zhao Shuning spent her time in the basket and had fallen asleep in it many times. In short, the relationship between Zhao Shuning and Zhao Huai couldn't be easily described in words. At that time, Zhao Shuning couldn't speak because she was just a baby and couldn't do many things. If it hadn't been for Zhao Huai's careful care, she might not have gotten enough nutrition in such a poor family.
So calling Zhao Huai elder brother was something Zhao Shuning whole - heartedly wanted to do.
After sitting down, Zhao Shuning propped her chin on her hands and began to listen attentively to the story of Zhao Huai. She had been wandering in the border areas before and knew very little about the news in Chang'an. She hadn't bothered to inquire carefully.
"Speaking of this white - robed young man, he has only been in Chang'an for a little over two years. He is only fifteen years old now."
"But this fifteen - year - old young man has shaken our capital."
"Zhao Huai always likes to wear a white robe. The place he likes to go to the most is the Demon Valley, which is five hundred miles away from our capital."
Everyone gasped. The Demon Valley was a place full of demons and ghosts. Even the outstanding disciples of the four great families didn't dare to step into that place easily.
"As we all know, the Demon Valley is extremely terrifying. Although there are many excellent spiritual herbs there, without the leadership of the clan elders, hardly anyone dares to go in. It's full of dangers. Maybe even a single leaf could take your life."
"As we all know, there have been no less than a hundred spiritual herbalists who have died in the Demon Valley. Even some alchemists from the clan usually go in but never come out."
"Only two young men have walked out of the Demon Valley, and both of them are disciples of the clan."
"The first one, I don't need to introduce. You should have all heard his name. He is Lan Anran, the direct disciple of the grand elder."
Lan Anran was as famous in Chang'an as Linlang, the only outstanding disciple of the An family. Everyone had heard of his terrifying strength several years ago. People said that Lan Anran would surely become the successor of Ji Qinglin and Xia Wanning.
But later, a second young man walked out of the Demon Valley, and that young man was Zhao Huai.
"Zhao Huai is from a small mountain village in the Eastern Ze Great Wilderness. Although he looks delicate and frail, no one who has ever fought against him has ever been able to defeat him. For example, Fu Nian, the great disciple of the clan, has an extremely powerful silk - binding net, but the white - robed young man easily broke it."
"The old man speculates that Zhao Huai came here probably to bring glory to his ancestors. This young man has a good heart, but he doesn't like to talk to others. As far as we can see now, there are almost no things that he really cares about."
Zhao Shuning was completely entranced. She stared at the storyteller without moving.