(Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)
(Huren Province- Unnamed Village)
"Xu Lu… oh! I almost forgot!" the beautiful woman giggled softly, and Xu Lu found herself mesmerised by her bell-like laughter.
"I haven't even introduced myself… my name is Jiang Xin."
The gorgeous woman smiled gently, and Xu Lu felt her heart skip another beat. She was just so… so… pretty…
The saintess didn't understand why she was feeling this way. She thought that her heart belonged to Camilla forever.
No… stop it… you swore an oath!
Xu Lu took in a deep breath and curled up her fingers into a tight fist.
Her fingernails pierced the soft fleshy underside of her palm and thin droplets of blood flowed down her hand.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Jiang Xin," Xu Lu politely replied as she tried her best to keep her emotions out of her voice.
"Lady cultivator… sorry… I mean Xu Lu… would you like to experience our humble village festival?" Jiang Xin asked cheerfully.
Xu Lu wanted to refuse but something about the mortal woman's piercing grey eyes convinced her to subconsciously nod her head.
She wanted to stay.
She needed to stay and spend more time with this woman.
It sounded ridiculous but Xu Lu found herself drawn to this complete stranger even though every rational and logic thought in her mind told her that this was a mistake.
Jiang Xu walked up to the saintess and grabbed her hand. Xu Lu was startled by her sudden move and the grin on the beautiful girl's face got even wider.
"Allow me to show you around," Jiang Xin sweetly spoke.
She led Xu Lu towards the village while consciously suppressing the dark urges of the power that flowed through her body.
It wanted to strip this female cultivator of her power.
Leave her helpless… weak… and unable to use the strength that she wrongfully stole from the heavens.
Jiang Xin's smile never broke but her grey pupils trembled slightly as she fought down the urge to activate her ability.
Xu Lu did not notice her struggles since she was too focused on the soft palm that was wrapped tightly around her hand.
What was she doing?
Okay… well… there was no harm in checking out the festival for a few hours and then continuing on her journey… right?
Xu Lu shook her head and tried to throw those distracting thoughts to the back of her mind. She looked around and discovered that they were already at the village's entrance.
The village was a humble one.
The buildings and houses were made from a mixture of wood, clay, and other materials from the surrounding forest.
The homes looked sturdy enough and there were no visible signs of disrepair or cracks which meant that they were regularly maintained.
There were children running around the outskirts of the village playing a game with a ball made from fur that had been stitched together in the shape of a circle.
In the middle of the village, she saw the firepits and the wire racks that hung just above the roaring flames.
The meat on the wires had now turned into a golden-brown colour and she could hear the sizzling of fat and spices.
"Oh Jiang Xin! You're back! Who is this guest?" a kind middle-aged woman waring a simple grass dress approached the pair.
"Hi! Chief Lin! This is my friend Xu Lu… she's a wandering traveler so I offered to show her around the village," Jiang Xin replied nonchalantly.
The leader of the village nodded her head and did not ask any more questions. Xu Lu paid attention to the interaction, and she found the conversation a bit strange.
Why was the village chief so comfortable with letting complete strangers into her village without a fuss?
Was she simply too trusting?
Or was it because she possessed a confidence that her people would be able to deal with any threats.
Hmm… it was probably the former.
These people lived in the middle of a dense jungle and probably barely interacted with the outside world.
Still… they should be more cautious.
There were plenty of dangerous cultivators out there who would not hesitate to take advantage of their kindness.
"Looks like the meat isn't ready yet so I'll show you around the village," Jiang Xin suddenly spoke as she leaned closer and rubbed her shoulders against Xu Lu's side.
Her body felt soft and warm.
It was a similar feeling to how Camilla felt except this beautiful woman had a slender physique while her vampire lover of a previous life was more… voluptuous.
"Sure… sure…" Xu Lu stuttered nervously as she felt as though electric tingles were running along where Jiang Xin touched her body.
If the beautiful woman noticed her nervousness, then she did not show it on her face as she led Xu Lu deeper into the village.
"So over here is the town square… we gather there every night to talk, dance, sing and spend time together," Jiang Xin pointed at a large open space in the corner of the village.
There were wooden chairs, a few tables and even a neat stack of plates made from what looked like red clay.
"Old Man Won runs a blacksmith shop there…. Lin Yun our village elder in charge of schooling usually teaches her lessons under that old tree…"
The village was not particularly large, so it only took Jiang Xin around twenty minutes to show Xu Lu all the notable sights.
The tour was occasionally interrupted by the residents of the village walking up to Jiang Xin and speaking to her in friendly manner.
Xu Lu noticed that they also spoke with a hint of respect in their voices. Clearly Jian Xin was a valued member of the community.
"And… finally… this is my house…" Jiang Xin's footsteps slowed down as she led Xu Lu towards a very modest building.
The building's walls had been made from clay and the roof of the home was built from a mixture of dried straw and palm leaves all tied together.
"I know that it may not be able to compare to the splendor that you are used to in your golden palace but…" Jiang Xin's voice trailed off as she appeared to be slightly upset.
"No! No! You shouldn't be ashamed! Like I said earlier… I actually don't live in a palace!" Xu Lu quickly spoke up as she tried to reassure the girl that she didn't mind the sight.
"Really? Would you like to come inside and see my home?" Jiang Xin asked softly with her face turned away so that the female cultivator would not see her expression.
"Of course!" Xu Lu replied immediately.
Jiang Xin walked forward and opened the door to her home. She stepped inside and Xu Lu followed behind her.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com