040: Azure Oak City

On the third day, Zemirah thinks that she should give Roch the other artifacts but decides against it. Zemirah felt that the gifts given to her lover should be ingenious. 

So she searched in her space ring and made a flower bouquet for Roch. The flowers used are all spiritual flowers ranging from Grade 1 and Grade 2. 

When receiving the bouquet, she remembered Roch's face. He was pleasantly surprised though confused. 

"Why flowers though?" He asked as he touched every flower in the bouquet. They are all vibrant, looking freshly picked.

"They look pretty! Besides, I arranged them myself," Zemirah answered, she thought that gifts full of her effort and thoughts were quite good.

Roch couldn't help but steal a kiss. His lips touching hers like a dragonfly softly touching the moon in the water, soft and gentle.

"Hey!" Zemirah exclaimed, laughing as she also went to steal a kiss. Her lover was so handsome, of course, she should enjoy the benefits.

Roch didn't expect her to let him be and even stole back a kiss. He chuckled and finally deepened the kiss after tasting the sweetness.

"Hmm," Zemirah hummed, Roch let her go to get some air. Zemirah's eyes were watery from such a deep kiss, always being lost whenever Roch became intimate with her.

Seeing her like this, Roch immediately captured her lips. The kiss lasted for a long time, and even after ending it, Roch couldn't stop but kiss her all over her face. Her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, everywhere.

"No more," Zemirah giggled and pushed the sticky man away. Roch was also laughing and hugged her instead.

"You're such a kissing monster," Zemirah said in disbelief as she leaned on the man's embrace. Roch enjoyed enclosing her in his arms, "I'm only like this to you, it's your fault."

"Hmm, that's good. Don't worry, I'll be responsible to my beloved kissing addict." Zemirah loved hearing his words, so she wasn't shy about flirting back.

Roch also enjoyed talking to Zemirah like this, although some of her words were unfamiliar to him. He was able to understand it after asking and guessing.

"Your kiss tastes like a mint mixed with apples today," Roch said in an afterthought.

Zemirah laughed at his words, "Well, I ate some Frozen Blue Apple. Do you like it?" 

"En," Roch nodded. "It tastes good."

Zemirah pretended to be angry, "I suspect you just kissed me to taste it." 

"How did you guess it?" Roch was also used to her like this and went along.

"You!" Zemirah didn't expect the man to be so witty and even dared to tease her back so smoothly. She didn't dare think it was her fault that she influenced him like this.

Roch was happy and softly bit her bulging cheeks.

"Not my cheek," Zemirah giggled and took out a spiritual fruit to feed the man. "You bite this."

Roch smiled and acted on her words.

They spent their days like this until towering blue oak trees appeared in their vision. The sea of blue leaves, and the tall trees almost reaching the clouds, made Zemirah watch in awe at the beauty.

However, Roch's face turned serious as he said, "This is the great formation of Azure Oak City, the Azure Cloud Leaf Formation. It was said that not even a Golden Core Realm cultivator would dare to be rampant in the city."

"So we finally arrived." Zemirah sighed, having an intuition deep in her heart that a separation was near them.

"Yeah," Roch took Zemirah's hands in his and intertwined theirs. "When we enter the city, I may not be able to accompany you all the time. My enemy's spies must be all over the city, I don't want them to see you and move their minds on you." 

Zemirah frowned at his words, having the urge to ask who were his enemies and if maybe she could help him. However, her words didn't come out of her mouth as she suddenly realized Roch's true identity and cultivation realm was beyond her current reach.

Right now, Zemirah is just a casual cultivator at the Energy Refinement Realm. She has no backing, no powerful cultivation, just some treasures on her body.

But those treasures are not enough to help Roch, it will just make some people greedy.

She sighed in regret and said, "I understand, besides, I also need to do my business while you finish yours. Don't worry about me."

Roch nodded to her and asked, "Then you wait for me, let's go back together to Teal River Town?" 

"If possible, that'll be good. But if you're not done yet, I may need to go back first." Zemirah knew she would bring people back, her main agenda this time was to find a spiritual planter for her garden, and waiting for Roch with other people would be a hassle.

Roch compromised, "Then you wait for me at the town. I'll finish my business here real quick."

"Okay." 

Taking out something from his space ring, Roch handed Zemirah a jade slip. "This is a Jade Communication Slip, it's connected to mine. You can use this to send me a message when you miss me."

Zemirah looked at the thin jade slip in interest and said with a smile, "Then you also check the Yin Yang Star Bracelet every day. I'll put my gifts to you inside the space, okay?"

"En, I'll wait for your daily gifts for me." Roch hugged Zemirah tightly until he landed the flying ship in a hidden place not far from the Azure Oak City.

"Let's leave here, you walk in front and I'll watch you from behind. Don't look back, understand?" Roch cautioned Zemirah.

Seeing him so serious, Zemirah vaguely felt that the danger of a big city was much more than the previous towns and villages she visited. Although she currently doesn't understand why, it didn't hinder her from obediently following Roch's instructions.

Anyway, she'll know the situation once she enters the city.

~~~~

Zemirah took out a rare-quality grade 1 sword artifact from her space ring, she still knows how to keep a low profile, especially in front of strangers. She knew deep down the cruelty of cultivators, most of them stem from the competition for resources. No one would spare anyone just to have the resources that will enable them to progress in cultivation.

Facing treasures that reached the unheard celestial quality, nobody would be able to stay sane. Though she still used some celestial-quality artifacts, they are inconspicuous.

When they landed, Roch took back the flying ship while telling Zemirah some common knowledge in this place.

"Azure Oak City has two main resource areas, one is Blue Light Forest, a small forest with some similarities to the forbidden area, the Sky Light Forest. The second is the Oak Beast Mountain where beast and tree monsters are rich."

"Don't go to these two places until you reach the Foundation Building Realm. The monsters inside cannot be killed by an Energy Refining Realm cultivator, more so the countless casual cultivators that hunt both monsters and humans inside."

"The cultivators here are also much more mixed although not as much as the border city. Be careful with the people around you when inside the city, everyone has complex backgrounds. You may not know whether the beggar on the street is a hidden master."

"Those are just precautions, generally, the inside of the city is considered safe. The City Lord's Mansion is not a joke, their responsibility is to stabilize and protect their jurisdiction."

Roch patted his lover's head after unconsciously nagging like an old father. He can't help it, he's not used to Zemirah leaving his side after these days of being together. He wished that he could pocket her and bring her wherever he was.

Zemirah took the large hand on her head and put it on her cheek, the man's palm was always cold but she loved it. The cold jade-like palm held her small face as she mumbled, "I'll remember all of them, don't worry about me. You can finish your business faster and accompany me as soon as possible."

"En, you wait for me."

Roch watched Zemirah walk in front of him, he didn't let her leave his sight as he hid and guarded her silently. Zemirah was also calm as she knew that she had a flower protector hidden behind her. However, she always kept her vigilance to her surroundings.

Roch's constant reminders didn't go to waste as Zemirah took them to heart. Sure enough, a rustling sound emerges not far from her. She wasn't curious to find out what was hidden so she planned to detour to avoid trouble when alarm bells rang in her mind at the same time her jade pendant sent a warning.

A huge rat-like monster came out and lunged at her. The rat is blue, thus blending in the environment easily, it is almost the same height as her when standing up on its feet. The red eyes of the rat let Zemirah know that this was a demonic beast, different from the peaceful spiritual beasts she met before.

Demonic Beasts cultivate demonic energy, which is the reason their minds are full of madness that constantly eats their rationality.

Facing these demonic beasts, Zemirah has no scruples in killing them.

A black sword light flew to the attacking beast, cutting into its dirty hide. Zemirah didn't stop attacking but constantly changed positions using her footwork technique and sneak attacked the maddened beast.

"Roar!" Even its roar is annoying, Zemirah thought in the middle of slashing with her sword.

The sword in her hand made Zemirah frown, not used to using it, but the lethality of her attack was not affected at all. 

A rain of sword lights fell on the demonic rat, ending its life. Even in its death, its eyes were still full of madness.

'Demonic Beasts is so disgusting,' Zemirah frowned in thought.

'Ding! Reminding the Host that this is not a demonic beast but a Monster beast.'

'Hmm? Aren't they the same?' 

'Ding! The Host is mistaken, demonic beasts cultivate demonic energy, not evil energy. Monster beasts are infected with evil energy, just like this monster rat you killed.'

'Then why everyone calls them demonic beasts?' This is what made Zemirah puzzled.

'Ding! The Host can find the answer herself.'

This retort made Zemirah twitch her lips in annoyance. However, Sia's sudden reminder made her ponder deeply. She didn't know that demonic beasts are different, she didn't even know the term Monster Beasts or evil energy before.

'Is there a secret behind them?' 

The questions in her mind without answers made Zemirah groan, since she didn't have the answer yet, she didn't think about it. This is the method Zemirah learned based on experience, ignore to avoid headaches.

Looking at the corpse in the ground, Zemirah didn't know what to do with the monster beast's body. She didn't know how to dismember it nor what to make of it.

"Whatever, take it to the city and see if it can be sold." She thought of the pitiful amount of spiritual stones inside her space ring and thought that a poor person like her should make money as much as she could.

She still has many people who rely on her back home.

Thinking of her disciple, then the servants, and then the incoming spiritual planter, Zemirah's urge to make money was palpable.

Waving her hand, she put the corpse inside her space ring. She didn't stay much longer in that place and proceeded to continue her walk.

The blood and fighting here must've caught the attention of some people or beasts. It's dangerous to stay.

Zemirah didn't know how right her thoughts were, because right now, two lights are flying towards her location.