Li Xian plucked three strands of hair, planted one outside the carriage and two inside. The strands rooted upon landing, transferring perception and serving as eyes and ears, mastering inside and outside situations.

Li Xian thought: "This way, it should be foolproof. The lady can’t move, and if I don’t employ some tactics, leaving her here aimlessly wouldn’t be appropriate." Closing his eyes to sense, the conditions inside and outside the carriage were all in his mind.

The strands had good hearing but limited sight. Yet, after the "Five Viscera Avoiding Dross and Gathering Yang Scripture" baptism, the sight gradually improved, able to discern forms and movements. Li Xian asked, "Madam, are you hungry?"

Wen Caishang closed her eyes and ignored him, thinking that being infuriated by him made her dizzy, how could she eat anything else? Yet, in resisting the Five Mountains Sword Alliance, practicing sword techniques in the lake for several days did exhaust her Qi Power, Inner Qi, and energy. Now the carriage was warm, though deeply trapped, there was no immediate danger to life, instead gradually feeling comfortable. Even if danger arose, Li Xian would surely block it first. The urge to eat then rose in her heart.

Li Xian laughed: "I suppose you’re hungry. I’m also starving; Madam, wait for a bit while I go to town to buy some food." He ran out of the carriage, leaving Wen Caishang murmuring "mm mm," watching the door close quietly.

By then, dusk had passed, and the sky was dim. Birds and beasts in the woods were all asleep, a faint white moon reflecting on the lake mirror. Wen Caishang was extremely frustrated, utterly bored, and sighed deeply. Resisting was futile, so she had to make the best of the situation, studying the "Silkworm Robe Mismatched Jade Technique."

After a moment, she opened her eyes in lament. At this time, progress in the Silkworm Robe Mismatched Jade Technique was quite swift.

Li Xian found his white horse and rode back to the city. Flying Dragon City was lively as ever, with no curfew. In the distance, tall buildings flickered with red lights, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, people coming and going. Along the streets, shops were densely packed, bustling with activity, aromas wafting through the air, with street vendors calling out incessantly.

Li Xian thought: "The lady is accustomed to gourmet delicacies; occasionally having some street snacks should do no harm. Speaking of which... I’ve been in Flying Dragon City for a long time, with things happening one after another. I haven’t had a proper stroll inside and outside the streets, within and without the alleys. Now that all matters are settled, I should have a good walk before leaving, lest it be a wasted trip."

He dismounted and led the horse leisurely. First, he found an inn nearby, purchased some hay, fed the white horse, and boarded it at the inn.

Strolling down the streets and alleys, he saw roadside performances, acrobats, iron flower displays... Flying Dragon City was located in a relatively remote area at the edge of the Great Wu map. Heading further northwest was endless white snow and snow-capped mountains, extremely cold and difficult to cross, a natural barrier.

He Wentian, occupying such terrain, hoped with assistance from the Five Mountains Sword Alliance and the Nine-Orifice Dragon Heart Corpse Soldiers, to become a king. But his eagerness and greed led to a downfall, all his schemes coming to naught.

Li Xian noticed that Flying Dragon City had a tradition of eating "hot pot." Fetching a hot pot, he added charcoal underneath, poured clear water inside, and as the water boiled, gradually added ingredients. Eating hot food was quite joyful. When snow fluttered outside, gathering friends indoors to drink and eat meat while the charcoal fire warmed the body, how delightful it was.

"In the past life, there were similar foods, just with different names. Although there’s some snow today, it’s not much; still, it’s quite suitable."

Li Xian had bought ingredients. He purchased horse meat, wild boar meat, raccoon meat... each having its flavor. He then strolled leisurely along the street, observing the roadside food. If something caught his interest, he waved his hand grandly and bought two servings.

By the quiet, tranquil snow lake, Wen Caishang lay self-reclined on the couch. Although occasionally struggling, she remained unable to free herself. Ever since Li Xian ventured into Flying Dragon City, he sensed danger shadowing him, now with all mysteries completely resolved. Feeling cheerful and relaxed, he leisurely toured the city and admired the sights.

He saw a vendor on the street selling candied hawthorns. The bright red candy coating wrapped around the round fruit made Li Xian’s appetite surge, so he bought a skewer of candied hawthorns; the candy was crisp and sweet, and the fruit fragrant and fresh. The taste was rather pleasant, so he bought two more skewers, wrapped them in oiled paper.

Li Xian continued shopping along the way. When passing "Bi Xiangshui Pavilion," he furrowed his brow. Sneaking inside, he saw the maid Xiaotuan, hands on hips, directing dozens of attendants to tidy up the pavilion courtyard.

Xiaotuan wielded a tree branch, her face appearing fierce but her youth betraying her, stopping short of looking intimidating. Her speaking style deliberately mimicked Wen Caishang, but her attempt at pretending maturity was somewhat forced.

She shouted: "Hurry up, if anyone slacks off, I’ll hit their palms with this branch! Don’t assume I’m small, haha, whoever gets hit will feel the kind of pain that leaves them speechless."

This was after secretly observing Wen Caishang deploying the Heartache Sword, stabbing towards Li Xian’s palm like hitting it. She imitated her completely, using it to establish authority. But the branch didn’t fall on the attendants, instead amassing a ’benevolent name,’ leading to unanimous responses, a shout making everyone scramble to take on her tasks.

Li Xian thought: "This Xiaotuan seems quite clever, much better in temper than the likes of Qiuyue. At least what I see now is this way. With the lady tied and captured by me, this stalemate can’t go on forever; eventually, she’ll need to assist. But there’s no rush yet, as the lady’s cultivation is very high. If I unite our dual swords, borrowing her cultivation to evolve the sword technique, combined with the Yin Yang Immortal Lovers Sword encompassing Yin Yang principles, while evolving, the Yin Yang will spiral, with the sword momentum being sustained for a long time. Even though the lady is quite capable, within these ten days, she’ll hardly make any move. It allows me time to plan everything clearly."

Passing through Bi Xiangshui Pavilion’s secret door, just about to leave the city, he suddenly heard passersby saying: "Hurry up, if you’re late, you’ll miss it." "Indeed, it’s rare for the Flying Dragon Festival, hosted personally by the City Lord, a kind and benevolent person. If not for him, we wouldn’t have such good days." "In past festivals, Jieyou Tower would organize it, but this year, it suddenly collapsed, so it had to be moved to another place." "What a pity. City Lord He treats his people like his own children, how could such a tragedy happen, a good pavilion collapsing just like that."