After crossing the swift Celestial Snake River and winding along the twisting mountain roads, they traversed the vast, sprawling Fangye Mountain Range stretching a hundred thousand miles. Looking north, they saw the Jade Mirror Plain.
This place marks the northernmost end of the Little South Continent. Because it is quite far from the Profound One Spirit Marsh, where the Immortal Spirit Qi is most abundant, no major sects or factions can be found here. Instead, there are many mundane states due to the extensive farmland.
Without the diation of major sects, conflicts between mundane states are frequent.
Throughout the journey, they encountered nurous wars of varying scale.
The destruction of families, displacent of people, and such tragedies occurred daily. They passed through a small country nad "Changlong," which was ravaged by internal strife and taken over by foreign enemies, leaving corpses scattered and bones spread for miles.
This was an eye-opener for the Little Princess. Though not entirely pampered, as the Closed-door Disciple of the Sect Leader of the Eternal Immortal Sect, she lived in a peaceful and happy environnt. Canglang Country is a relatively strong nation in the Little South Continent, and she had never witnessed such things before.
Her mood remained somber for a long ti during the journey.
She still had the kindness of a child; she would help whenever she encountered soone in need. However, there were just too many in need. Traveling a thousand miles, they would encounter thousands upon thousands of unfortunate people. While she couldn't help them all, her spirit remained undeterred, filled with unwavering determination.
Perhaps every young person leaving ho for the first ti feels this way.
But Fan Wubing was different. Most of the ti, he rely watched from the sidelines. He couldn't intervene in the disputes among common people; he rely glanced when Cultivators clashed. Yet, if he encountered Cultivators wronging commoners wantonly, he would intervene if he had the strength.
This wasn't so much a principle as it was personal preference.
Fu Manman had once asked him, "Why can't you stand seeing Cultivators bullying common people?"
His answer was, "Because I used to be a commoner too."
Throughout the journey, Fu Manman was gaining knowledge. She was in the process of continuous learning and growth, shaping her own beliefs and character every mont. Over the past several months, although her innate kindness was still there, she gradually learned how to wield her kindness.
As an observer, Fan Wubing was even more aware of her transformation and growth than she was herself. He had seen her make mistakes. Once, she witnessed a fight between two people. Each had their own grievances, but she misjudged the situation and helped the oppressor, resulting in the oppressed suffering humiliation and almost committing suicide.
Although she realized her mistake later and corrected it promptly, the humiliation others had suffered wouldn't simply vanish.
She felt remorseful for a long ti, often looking as if the sky was about to fall.
Fan Wubing didn't console her, nor did she seek consolation.
Only ti could heal such matters.
Such is the nature of growing up—moving forward while constantly reconciling with one's past self.
Another autumn arrived,
and the two reached a major city at the northernmost tip of the Little South Continent—
Wangbei City.
The na was quite straightforward. As the only large port city in the north, its primary purpose was to provide transportation to the Changsheng Continent. Situated by the vast, endless ocean, its hundreds of ports were constantly busy, with ships of all sizes coming and going at all tis.
In the sky, immortal boats continuously sliced through the clouds, most of them being rchant vessels operating as businesses.
Passing through a market street, Fan Wubing selected a won's bamboo hat with a veil and placed it on Fu Manman's head.
Fu Manman held the hat's brim, looking up slightly from beneath the veil, "What is this?"
Fan Wubing said, "Though there aren't many people who are attracted by appearances, there are still quite a few. When traveling, it's best to keep a low profile."
"Oh." The Little Princess blinked, thinking Fan Wubing was complinting her looks.
A bit of happiness filled her.
Over the past few months, she had grown a lot, with noticeable changes in her physique. Her chest beca more prominent, and her hips more rounded. The contours were quite clear when she wore travel clothes. Much of the childlike features on her face had faded, her cheekbones beca fuller, her eyebrows more slender and elongated, and her blinking and closing carried a hint of allure. Only her delicate, straight nose and her tiny, segnted lips remained unchanged.
Her clothing style had changed as well. Previously, she favored light colors, but now she preferred black, saying that black was slimming.
She had gained a bit of weight compared to when she was fourteen. But she wasn't chubby at all, at least according to Fan Wubing's aesthetics. She used to be very slim, and if she looked good, people called her slender; otherwise, they said she was skinny.
To her, "chubby" was a sensitive word. ntioning it would change her deanor completely, making her agitated. If said too often, she would sulk for days without speaking a word.
"But does this hat really help?" Fu Manman asked, smoothing the veil.
Fan Wubing said, "It's just for show."
"Hmm?"
"One's attire is a way of expressing one's attitude in social interactions. Wearing a hat isn't to hide your face but to signal to others not to disturb you."
"Then why don't you wear one?"
"It's a bit ugly."
Fu Manman widened her eyes, "!" expressing her emotions through her gaze.
"No worries, being good-looking is enough."
"Oh, alright then." Fu Manman no longer objected.
...
Changyun Passenger Transport.
The largest passenger transport force in Wangbei City, owning nearly half of the city's ports, fleets, and immortal boats. Affiliated with the Great Li Dynasty of the Changsheng Continent. Having the dynasty as a backing, their operations have always been stable, with the highest level of escort teams, the lowest accident rates, and the best travel experience, but correspondingly... the highest fees.
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