Ever since bringing
The Wood Spirit race possessed an innate talent and an unmatched advantage when it came to nurturing spirit plants, and they were happy to spend their days among flowers and grass. So over all these years, even though the two of them had never once come into contact with the outside world—spending all their time caring for plants in the garden—they had remained perfectly content.
When Yang Kai had advanced to Open Heaven and merged his Small Universe with the Small World, the medicinal garden had naturally been absorbed along with it. For years now, the two little Wood Spirits had been living inside his Small Universe.
Being surrounded by flowers and grass made the two Wood Spirits happy, but there were times when loneliness inevitably crept in—especially since Yang Kai rarely had the time to keep them company.
That changed, however, after the Small Universe had been populated with so many new residents.
In recent years, every time Yang Kai wandered through his own Small Universe, he would bring the two little Wood Spirits along. The pair were tremendously enthusiastic about these outings—every excursion outside let them see all sorts of fascinating and delicious things.
"A lot has changed!" Yang Kai looked up at the stone archway before him, where three large characters were carved: Seven Star Market.
On his left shoulder, the slightly more level-headed Mu Zhu said, "Quite a bit. The last time we came, there was only a little village here, wasn't there? Just five or six years, and it's already turned into a market town."
Yang Kai extended his awareness, peering into the depths of his Small Universe. After a moment, he said in realization, "A Sect has moved in nearby, which is what's drawn so many people to settle here."
The Sect was called the Seven Star Pavilion, and the name of the market town had clearly been taken from it.
The shy and introverted Mu Lu sat on Yang Kai's right shoulder, sucking on her finger as she asked pitifully, "Then can we still get Grandma's glutinous rice balls?"
Mu Zhu shot her a withering glare from across the way. "Eating, eating, eating—that's all you ever think about! Do you know how much fatter you've gotten?"
Mu Lu was startled. She looked down at herself in alarm. "Fatter? Where?"
Mu Lu glanced sideways at her and snorted. "Your chest has gotten so much bigger, and you don't even notice? And you have the nerve to ask?"
Mu Lu blushed. "It was always… that big…"
Mu Zhu looked down at her own chest with a look of righteous indignation.
Yang Kai laughed aloud and reassured them. "Don't worry, Mu Zhu's just teasing you. Little Mu Lu is as slim as can be, and her figure is lovely! Mm, Grandma's still here, and it looks like she's set up a stall. Let's go in."
"Yes, yes!" Mu Lu nodded eagerly.
Walking into the market town, they were immediately met with the bustle of people. It was nothing like the teeming crowds of a major city, but for a market town of this size, it was quite lively.
Yang Kai was dressed in ordinary martial attire—exactly the sort of outfit seen everywhere in the Seven Star Market—so nobody paid him any special attention.
The two little Wood Spirits sat on his shoulders, one on each side. Mu Lu even dangled her legs back and forth, looking around happily. Yet every passerby walked past as though they couldn't see a thing.
After all, Yang Kai was the master of this Small Universe. As its sovereign, deploying a trivial measure of authority to veil their sight was child's play.
He headed straight for a particular spot in the market. Along one side of the street sat a small stall, where an elderly white-haired woman was hard at work. The stall was modest—just two tables, each surrounded by four long benches—but every seat was taken. A number of customers crouched nearby, holding large bowls, sipping tea broth while munching on golden-brown glutinous rice balls.
The last time Yang Kai had passed through this area with the two little Wood Spirits, he had stayed the night at this old woman's home. She had been living alone, with no children of her own, yet she had brought out two glutinous rice balls to serve them.
Mu Lu had loved the taste of those rice balls, and she had never stopped thinking about them over the years.
Several years had passed, the village had become a market town, and Grandma had set up a stall of her own.
After queuing for a short while, it was Yang Kai's turn.
"One bowl of tea broth for a penny, rice balls also a penny each. What'll it be, young man?" Grandma asked.
"A bowl of tea broth and ten rice balls," Yang Kai said with a smile.
Grandma looked up at him. "Young man's got quite the appetite. Are you sure you can eat ten? Glutinous rice fills you up—don't go hurting your stomach."
Yang Kai patted his belly cheerfully. "Don't worry, Grandma, I eat a lot!"
Grandma nodded, working away as she spoke. "Young man, have I seen you somewhere before? You look a bit familiar."
Yang Kai stepped forward to help, smiling. "You've forgotten? Six years ago I passed through here, and you took me in for the night. You even made me two rice balls."
Grandma's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, I remember now—it's you!"
"That's me, that's me!" Yang Kai nodded repeatedly. "Your rice balls are delicious. I've been thinking about that taste for years, so when I was passing through, I made a point of coming to find you."