Gu Yun Continent, Tianyun City.

Another year drew to a close. For cultivators, it was but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of time, yet for ordinary people, it marked the most important time of the year.

A flurry of goose-feather snowflakes descended, blanketing most of Tianyun City in a pristine white layer, save for the abodes of some cultivators and the inns. Households followed age-old customs, adorning their windows with newly cut peach branches and pasting vibrant couplets on their door frames.

As evening approached, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the sky grew dim.

In the eastern district of Tianyun City, where common folk resided, shops along a bustling street had long since lit their large red lanterns. These, along with fluttering banners and wine signs, cast a bright glow upon the entire thoroughfare.

The air was thick with the fragrant steam of various worldly foods, mingling with the rhythmic cries of hawkers, creating a lively and down-to-earth atmosphere.

A charming girl, cloaked in a red cape, her petite figure evident beneath, strolled slowly through the crowd, clutching a brightly colored, mouth-watering candied hawthorn stick.

Her face was mostly hidden within the cape's large hood, yet a touch of melancholy was discernible.

"My brothers aren't here, and I don't know when Elder Li will return..." she mumbled indistinctly, her pearly teeth gently nibbling on a sugar-coated hawthorn.

Suddenly, she looked up and noticed a tall figure in azure robes standing at the end of the street. The man was smiling and walking towards her.

The girl was taken aback at first, her almond-shaped eyes widening in disbelief. She quickly swallowed the hawthorn in her mouth and hurried to meet him.

As she drew closer, she saw a fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked girl holding onto the man's sleeve, crinkling her nose and looking around.

"Elder Li... Elder Li-daren!"

Reaching the man, the girl immediately lowered her hood and greeted the azure-robed man with a bow.

The man was none other than Han Li, who had traveled all the way from Desolate Tide Continent, and the cloaked girl was Meng Qianqian, who had remained in Tianyun City.

"No need for formalities. I entered the city through the east gate and happened to sense your aura, so I came this way," Han Li said with a gentle smile.

"Uncle, who is she? Her cultivation is so low, and her aptitude is quite ordinary," Jin Tong, who was distracted by the street food, turned her gaze to Meng Qianqian, pouted, and said.

"She's your junior sister," Han Li said, annoyed.

Meng Qianqian lowered her head in embarrassment and softly said, "Greetings, senior sister. Please take care of me."

Jin Tong beamed, "Good junior sister, here's a reward for you."

With that, she took out a bottle of pills from who-knows-where and tossed it to Meng Qianqian.

"Let's return to Viewing Moon Garden. I have something to tell you," Han Li said, noticing the curious gazes from the surrounding people. Although many didn't dare to stare directly, they were still stealing glances.

"Yes!" Meng Qianqian quickly responded.

"It smells so good, I want to eat my fill first," Jin Tong wrinkled her nose, catching a whiff of the aroma wafting from a restaurant. Han Li didn't dare leave her here alone. If this little girl really let loose, she might devour half of Tianyun City. He said, "Alright, it's been a while since I've had these things."

"Which shop is good?" Jin Tong swallowed, already impatient.

"Are there any decent restaurants nearby? It's been a long time since I've had mortal food. I'm actually quite nostalgic," Han Li said to Meng Qianqian.

"Yes, yes, Guangyue Restaurant and Huichun Zhai are both very good. I'll take you there," Meng Qianqian nodded quickly.

She had been strolling this street often these past few days, and although she couldn't name every delicacy, she knew quite a bit. She immediately led Han Li towards the nearest Guangyue Restaurant.

However, they hadn't even passed a street corner when Jin Tong, who was already starving, was drawn to a steamed stuffed bun shop by the roadside.

"Their mutton buns are also quite famous around here. You can give them a try," Meng Qianqian suggested.

Han Li nodded, and the three of them sat down.

The shop assistant, a hunchback, saw that the three had extraordinary bearing and quickly scurried over, smiling, "What would you like, honored guests? Our mutton buns are the best within a hundred li."

"First, three steamer baskets of mutton buns, with three bowls of mutton soup, cooked until tender," Meng Qianqian took out a tael of silver and ordered.

"Alright," the shop assistant replied and turned to leave.

Before long, three steamer baskets of steaming hot mutton buns were placed on the table.

Jin Tong could no longer restrain herself. She grabbed a white, fluffy mutton bun, larger than both her hands, and bit into it.

The soft bun was pierced, and slightly golden broth flowed out, filling her mouth with a meaty aroma.

A look of satisfaction spread across Jin Tong's face, and she quickly began to chew.

The shop assistant, who hadn't had a chance to turn around, stared, afraid that the little girl would burn herself and he would be blamed by the owner.

Just as he was about to say something, he saw the little girl finish the first bun, wipe the grease from her mouth, and hastily grab the second one to stuff into her mouth.

Next, he saw the little girl's speed increasing, increasing, until finally he couldn't even see her chewing anymore. He could only see mutton buns disappearing into her mouth, one after another.

The shop assistant just stood there, dumbfounded, his mouth half-open.

"Uncle, I didn't expect this thing called mutton bun to be so delicious. Give me another hundred, a thousand steamer baskets," Jin Tong exclaimed, her face full of joy.

This time, not only the hunchbacked assistant was stunned, but even the other diners looked over.

"Is it really that delicious?" Han Li chuckled.

"Mmm," Jin Tong smacked her lips and said.

"Shop assistant, how many more are you making? We'll take them all," Han Li said with a smile.

The hunchbacked assistant was stunned, not understanding for a moment.

Han Li thought that he was worried about him not having enough money, so he was about to take out some silver coins, but then he remembered that he didn't have a single silver coin on him, only various magic treasures and spiritual materials. What he had the most of were Immortal Essence Stones.

Being so rich that he couldn't even pay the bill, Han Li was probably the first person in this city to be in that situation.

Seeing this, Meng Qianqian understood and flipped her wrist, taking out a mid-grade spirit stone and placing it on the table.

Compared to the people of the Human Realm and Spirit Realm, the common people of the Northern Cold Immortal Territory have longer lifespans and stronger physiques. In their daily lives, although they still use gold and silver as currency, they are not unfamiliar with spirit stones.

Because spirit stones store spiritual energy, ordinary people who carry them can benefit even without directly absorbing the spiritual energy, achieving the effect of prolonging life, strengthening muscles and bones.

Therefore, spirit stones, as a high-level currency, also circulate in the mortal world and are even sought after by wealthy merchants and nobles.

However, the quality of the spirit stone that Meng Qianqian took out was far superior to ordinary spirit stones, making it extremely rare in this market, so it immediately attracted the attention of everyone around.

Fortunately, the owner of the steamed stuffed bun shop was also attracted by the commotion. She glanced at the mid-grade spirit stone on the table and asked why. Knowing that she had met some VIPs, she smiled and said, "Thanks to your patronage, honored guests. This spirit stone is too precious. How dare I accept it?" As she spoke, she quietly slipped the spirit stone into her arms.

The owner went over to greet some familiar customers and told them to come back tomorrow. The surrounding people listened to the owner's advice and knew that these three were not ordinary people, so they stopped thinking about it and stopped looking over here. When they came back to their senses, they realized that their buns were gone.

"Compared to the taste of magic treasures, this has a unique flavor," Jin Tong said happily.

"Senior sister... do you usually eat magic treasures?" Meng Qianqian looked at the little girl in front of her, a little dazed.

"Of course. What else is good to eat in this city?" Jin Tong looked outside the shop and asked.

"There's more than just this shop with good food on this street. Further on, there are Huangqiao sesame cakes, Furong cut cakes, rice dumplings in fermented rice wine, crispy wontons, spicy rabbit heads, crossing-the-bridge noodles, red oil wontons, beggar's chicken, scallion pancakes, soup dumplings..." Meng Qianqian rattled off a string of names.

Before she could finish, Jin Tong's eyes were already shining, and she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

"Although I don't know what they are, they sound amazing. Okay, after we finish this shop, take me to the next one right away." Her eyes were already curved into crescents. She wiped her saliva and said.

As she spoke, the hunchbacked assistant had just brought over ten more steamer baskets of buns. Jin Tong inhaled, and the ten steamer baskets of buns were already in her stomach.

Han Li looked at this scene, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He picked up the bowl and took a sip of the mutton soup.

The soup was a little cloudy and had a strong flavor, but there was no fishy taste. With one sip, he felt his stomach warm.

This was a long-lost taste.

Han Li had forgotten how many years it had been since he had eaten mortal food. This bowl of mutton soup suddenly pulled him back to the mortal world, making him think of that closed-off but simple mountain village in the Human Realm.

He looked around, looking at the surrounding lights and people, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

On the path of cultivation, he had seen too many landscapes in the sky. Occasionally, looking down at the human world, he found that the scenery was just as beautiful.