Hearing their discussion, Qi Qing immediately had a bad feeling. Could it be? Could it really be such a coincidence that the fish they had just eaten was the Purple Sun Snowfish they were talking about?
Thinking back, the fish was indeed pure white, and it had purple patterns on its mouth. If that was true, then her rapid Core Formation was thanks to this fish.
…
Oh no, did I eat someone else’s treasure?
She turned to look at Yu Yan, who had also woken up and was watching her with great interest. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Yu Yan suddenly said, “It seems this Purple Sun Snowfish is quite effective. How does it feel to have formed your core?”
She knew all along!
Qi Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Forming her core was a happy event, but if she had known it would cause trouble, she wouldn’t have eaten it for anything. The group outside was clearly numerous and powerful. If they found out their longed-for treasure had been snatched, wouldn’t they tear her and Yu Yan limb from limb?
“Alright, don’t worry so much. You’re not some dough that anyone can just knead,” Yu Yan said with a smile, seeing Qi Qing’s worried expression. “Besides, this fish wasn’t raised by them. Natural treasures naturally go to whoever finds them first.”
“But…” Qi Qing knew that was the principle, but she had no confidence at all. There were so many of them over there. If they started making trouble, wouldn’t she and Yu Yan be at a disadvantage?
Seeing Qi Qing’s eyebrows knitted tightly, Yu Yan waved her hand, and the canopy concealment around them vanished. Qi Qing looked at the spiritual energy net that had formed above her and breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, with the advantage of them being in the open while she and Yu Yan were hidden, they wouldn’t be completely passive.
Before long, the group arrived—or rather, the group of demons. Most of them were bizarrely shaped. Only the one in the lead had a somewhat normal human form, though unfortunately, a large golden beak grew on its otherwise fine face, looking a bit out of place.
There were twenty to thirty of them, mostly at the Enlightenment Stage of cultivation. Only the bird-like demon was at the Core Formation stage, so all the other demons followed its lead. There was also a small, mole-like demon that constantly attended to the bird-demon. Its cultivation wasn’t high, but its eyes held a golden light, hinting at some special ability.
Such things did happen among demon cultivators. Just as some human cultivators were born with talent, some demon cultivators were born with special abilities, mostly inherited from their parents. These were one-in-ten-thousand occurrences, so they were often highly valued.
The large, noisy group rushed to the foot of the mountain and began to search everywhere. Limited by their intelligence, they could only think in a linear fashion. If one demon searched an area, another would search it again. For a while, cries of “Not here!” and “Not there either!” sounded continuously. The bird-demon leader roared, “Everyone, quiet! Let the mole speak!”
The mole-demon stepped out from the crowd and said with a smug smile, “This humble one may not be talented, but I have a bit of a knack for finding things. Let me take a look, and we’ll achieve twice the results with half the effort!”
Saying this, it looked around and declared, “It’s on the mountain.”
The bird-demon flew in the direction the mole indicated, landed halfway up the mountain, looked around for a moment, and said, “It’s not here.”
The mole was surprised. “Big Brother, please look again carefully. I’m sure it’s around there.”
The bird-demon retorted angrily, “What’s there to find? This pool is so shallow. Am I blind? Why don’t you come up and see for yourself?”
The mole, of course, didn’t dare say anything more. It closed its eyes and sniffed for a while, then its expression changed drastically, and it started crawling in their direction.
Qi Qing saw it getting closer and closer, unsure if their presence had been exposed. She quickly looked at Yu Yan, who shook her head, indicating she didn’t know what was happening either.
Their tracks shouldn’t have been exposed. Qi Qing saw it was very close now, yet it still seemed oblivious to them, as if it wasn’t coming for them. It sniffed around, seemingly at the grass on the ground.
Suddenly, Qi Qing thought of something.
Scales!
When she had scaled the fish earlier, she had used spiritual energy, and she had cleaned up the waste quite thoroughly. But scales were soft and springy; it was possible some had flicked into the grass.
But this was just a guess. Even with her excellent eyesight, Qi Qing couldn’t possibly find such tiny scale fragments among so many blades of grass. She could only hope that the mole-demon’s nose wasn’t that sharp.
While she was nervous to death, Yu Yan’s gaze was fixed on the side of the bird-demon.
That demon had a sword that was unbefitting of its status.
Nine times out of ten, it can’t draw that sword. The sword wasn’t obtained legitimately either; it was acquired through other means… snatched, or stolen.
Yu Yan thought this because she recognized the sword.
The sword was named White Dragon. It was the bonded sword of her master, Immortal Lord Mingjing. Later, when her master perished, White Dragon also entered his tomb and never reappeared in the world.
The Thousand Birds School she came from wasn’t actually a major school and had later disappeared in the tides of history. A thousand years ago, the powers in the Immortal Realm weren’t as vast, and the concept of large sects didn’t exist. All schools were independent and didn’t share information with each other.
So, it was likely that no one knew who the sword’s true master was.
Others might not know, but she knew clearly: the White Dragon sword was fierce by nature. It had fought against demons countless times and carried an extremely heavy baleful aura. It was impossible for it to form a pact with a demon.
This was further evidence for Yu Yan to conclude that it was stolen.
Seeing a pearl covered in dust, Yu Yan truly couldn’t bear it. She wanted to confirm whether White Dragon was willingly by this demon’s side. If not, she would take it away.
But she couldn’t do this herself. If White Dragon recognized her, it might act affectionately towards her, which would make it hard to discern its true will.
So, she turned to Qi Qing. “I need to ask you for a favor.”
Qi Qing saw the mole-demon pinch out a scale from the grass, and her heart sank. Just as she was feeling thankful for the protection of their spiritual barrier, she heard Yu Yan say, “You need to go out now and admit you stole the fish.”
What?!
Qi Qing thought she had misheard, but Yu Yan’s expression was very serious, not like she was joking. She knew Yu Yan wouldn’t deliberately put her in danger; there had to be a reason. Suddenly recalling what she had promised when she became her disciple—”never disobey, never question”—she nodded.
“Don’t worry, I’ll support you from behind.”
Yu Yan gave her a gentle push, sending her out of the concealed area.
Qi Qing rushed out, landing right in front of the mole-demon. The mole was startled and about to shout when its head suddenly tilted, and it fainted. Qi Qing knew this was Yu Yan protecting her. Her confidence immediately grew, and she walked towards the bird-demon as if no one else was around.
The bird-demon’s cultivation wasn’t low either. Seeing her so calm and composed, and not knowing her origins, its feathers bristled as it tried to intimidate her. “Who are you!”
Qi Qing ignored it. Right now, it was just the two of them on the ground, and she had Yu Yan’s support. She didn’t fear it in the slightest. “I ate the fish. Stop looking.”
“What!” the bird-demon roared. “No wonder I couldn’t find it! So it was snatched by a thief like you! Give me back my fish!”
It formed its hand into a claw and lunged at Qi Qing.
Actually, its speed was very fast.
This speed was relative. In the eyes of its underlings, its movements were too fast to follow. But to Qi Qing, although its actions were fast, they weren’t so fast that she couldn’t see them clearly.
This was the improvement brought by Core Formation cultivation.
She lightly sidestepped, drew her sword, and aimed for its waist. The demon’s belly was cut by her sword energy. It bent and turned, its claws reaching for Qi Qing from behind. Qi Qing infused her body with sword energy, and her spiritual energy formed a shield. Who knew that the demon’s claws were also extraordinary? They actually tore an opening in her spiritual shield.
Qi Qing knew this was because her sword energy wasn’t strong enough to support the shield. Her sword was an ordinary, plain sword. It was sufficient during the Foundation Establishment stage, but now that she had broken through to Core Formation, it seemed somewhat inadequate.
If she were in a sect, she would have the right to choose a better sword, but for now, she could only make do.
Feeling the surging spiritual energy within her, Qi Qing felt very grounded. So this is how exhilarating it is to fight at the Core Formation stage. If I speed things up, I might have a better chance of winning than if I drag this out.
So, she directly poured all her spiritual energy into her sword and unleashed a move called “World-Settling Sword.” It was a move she had just learned—simple and unadorned, but majestic in its power.
One move to decide victory.
The trees for tens of miles around were “shaved bald” by her attack, and the bird-demon was no exception. It had been about to reach for the sword at its waist, but her move startled it so much that it snapped the cord, and the sword fell to the ground.
Because Qi Qing didn’t want to kill, she had deliberately used this method. The top of the bird-demon’s head was shaved clean and shiny. Terrified, it quickly knelt and began to beg for mercy.
Qi Qing’s gaze fell on the sword beside it. “No need to beg. I don’t want to kill you. It’s just… why don’t you use your sword?”
This sword had fallen as a result of her move. Frankly, she wasn’t an expert in appraising swords, but she could tell it was an excellent sword. Not because of its appearance, but because she felt a strange sense of closeness to it.
As soon as she finished speaking, the sword suddenly twitched twice.
Qi Qing thought she had seen wrong, but she hadn’t. The sword had indeed moved, and it moved more and more fiercely. Within a few breaths, it flew up from the bald bird’s waist and slowly flew towards her.
Finally, it stopped beside her.
Qi Qing: ?
She looked down warily. The sword showed no intention of harming her; it wasn’t even unsheathed. It just tilted slightly, as if bowing to her. She quickly bowed in return. The person and the sword faced each other for a moment, and then the sword suddenly hopped in her direction.
Qi Qing was startled. It was the first time she had seen a sword move on its own. Could it be a demonic being too? Just as she was about to ask the bald bird what was going on, she saw that the lesser demons who had been lying all over the ground moments ago had vanished without a trace.
It seems they ran off while I wasn’t paying attention.
She had no choice but to look back at the sword. Strangely, it hadn’t left with its master. Instead, seeing her look at it, it hopped towards her again.
“Hold me.”
It suddenly spoke in human language, scaring Qi Qing badly. She immediately turned and ran towards Yu Yan, but the sword chased relentlessly after her, following her all the way to Yu Yan.
Qi Qing hid behind Yu Yan and told her about the strange event.
Yu Yan was also a little surprised. Her original intention was to have Qi Qing help her test the situation, to force the bird-demon to use the sword to defend itself. She hadn’t explicitly told Qi Qing to ask about the sword.
But Qi Qing’s actions had unexpectedly coincided with her thoughts. She had proactively asked about the sword, and the White Dragon sword, unexpectedly rescued by her, had actually spoken human words and wanted to acknowledge Qi Qing as its master.
This was simply unimaginable.
Setting aside the White Dragon sword’s fierce and unyielding temperament, its pride was also among the highest in the world. Let alone Qi Qing, whom it didn’t know, even someone like Yu Yan, who had some connection to it—if Yu Yan cut her finger and fed it with spiritual energy, if it wasn’t willing, it still wouldn’t even look.
So, there was only one explanation for this situation.
“It likes you. It wants to be used by you.”
When Yu Yan said this, there was a hint of admiration and envy for Qi Qing in her voice. She had grown up hearing the legends of the White Dragon sword. Once, she too had dreamed of wielding this sword. But at that time, her master was still alive, and a sword does not serve two masters. Even after her master was gone, such a treasured sword would only choose another master; it would not be content to have its destiny controlled.
And now, it had chosen her disciple.
This was even better than she had imagined. Her original thought was that if she could rescue it, she would set it free. But once a treasure like this was free, it would inevitably attract others to fight over it. She didn’t want to see it drawn into bloody conflicts again.
So, this outcome was the best possible outcome.
Qi Qing asked, troubled, “But how can it talk?”
If an object gains consciousness, isn’t it a demon? Is it a demon sword?
Yu Yan couldn’t help but smile. “It has a spirit, it’s not a demonic being. Don’t worry. It’s a lost treasured sword from my master’s school. Now that it’s in your hands, it’s like fallen leaves returning to their roots.”
Only then did Qi Qing feel a little relieved.
She walked over to the sword and said, “You can follow me, but don’t suddenly talk. It’s a bit scary.”
The sword was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
It was the first time Yu Yan had seen someone bargain with a spirit sword. And this was White Dragon! It was actually willing to be wielded by a Core Formation cultivator like Qi Qing, and it was so well-behaved. It was truly surprising.
Perhaps Qi Qing doesn’t yet know what kind of treasure she has obtained.
Yu Yan greatly looked forward to Qi Qing’s experience when she first wielded White Dragon. What made such a treasured sword different from others was its ability to draw out its master’s greatest potential. If the master had thirty percent strength, it could amplify it to fifty percent; fifty percent could be amplified to eighty percent. If it was eighty or ninety percent, that would be the peak of one’s lifetime achievement.
Meanwhile, Qi Qing manifested a ball of spiritual energy in her hand for White Dragon to consume. This was a necessary part of the process for a treasured sword to acknowledge its master. Only by becoming familiar with the master’s spiritual energy could they become more attuned to the master and proactively adjust to the state most suitable for the master’s use.
After a period of nourishment, the acknowledgment process was successful.
White Dragon rubbed against Qi Qing affectionately, but Qi Qing hadn’t completely accepted it yet. She just found it baffling, not knowing how she had suddenly acquired a sword, and wondered if she would ever be able to wield other swords in the future.
Seeing her somewhat disdainful look, Yu Yan didn’t reveal the full truth, only feeling even more anticipation. She said, “You’ve just reached Core Formation, and your foundation isn’t stable yet. It would be best to take some pills to consolidate your foundation and cultivate your core energy. Let’s go to a nearby market and see if we can find some suitable medicine.”
“Does this demon cultivator territory also have pills for human cultivators?”
“I don’t know, but there should be medicinal herbs. If not, we can refine them ourselves.”
“You also know alchemy?” Qi Qing asked in surprise.
“I know a little. The herbs you need are very common, so it shouldn’t be hard to buy them. Even if we can’t, refining them isn’t difficult.”
After saying this, Yu Yan took out a compass and said, “Let’s go. It’s getting late.”
Qi Qing nodded. The two of them flew forward on their swords, one after the other. Surprisingly, the newly acquired White Dragon sword was very easy to use—very stable, very fast, and it would even raise a wind-proof shield during flight, protecting her from wind and rain.
However, this way…
Qi Qing thought secretly in her heart, I won’t be able to stay close to Yu Yan then.
This thought was fleeting. Within an hour, they arrived at the largest market nearby. This market even had a name, Jade Algae Market. It was said to have a long history, having been open for several thousand years.
As soon as they stepped in, they were met with a hubbub of voices.
Qi Qing couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement. She had thought the previous market she saw was already large enough, but compared to this one, it truly paled in comparison.
Never mind the number of stalls, which stretched as far as the eye could see; just the crowd alone was so dense that people were shoulder to shoulder. Moreover, most of them were demon cultivators. It seemed that here, demon cultivators were proud of their animal forms. At a glance, it looked like they had entered a zoo. In the distance, Qi Qing even saw a giraffe, stuck in the middle of the demon crowd, standing out like a crane among chickens.
The two of them, standing amidst a large group of animals, were somewhat conspicuous.
From time to time, demons would pass by and steal glances at them. This made Qi Qing feel very uncomfortable. She didn’t know if it was because she wasn’t used to being looked at, or if she was afraid of being targeted, but she felt that these gazes didn’t hold any good intentions.
Yu Yan, however, didn’t mind. But seeing Qi Qing huddling beside her timidly, she walked over to a nearby stall and bought two masks.
Qi Qing took the mask Yu Yan gave her, imitated her, and placed it on her face. Immediately, she felt a shift in her body; some change was occurring.
She looked down and saw that she had turned into a white rabbit.
Yu Yan, beside her, had turned into a little deer. Both animals were very common and wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. It was just that Qi Qing couldn’t quite adapt to Yu Yan’s current appearance; it felt a bit unfamiliar. She inadvertently glanced sideways and happened to see a mirror at the mask stall. The reflection of herself in the mirror was also unfamiliar.
Weird.
However, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. With this disguise, they could move around more freely, and the surrounding demons paid them no attention.
“Stay close to me,” Yu Yan’s voice sounded in her ear. Qi Qing looked up and saw that Yu Yan’s eyes were still the same as before, which brought back a little familiar feeling.
Even if her appearance changed, Yu Yan was still Yu Yan.
Although the two had a clear goal, they weren’t in such a hurry that they needed to buy things immediately. It wasn’t easy to come across such a large market, so they thought they should explore it thoroughly and get everything they needed, whether essential or not.
Only this time, Qi Qing didn’t dare to buy food.
This place was mostly frequented by demon cultivators, and the food sold was also what demon cultivators liked to eat. Although these demon cultivators had cultivated into human forms, their old habits died hard, and they still retained the habits of their animal selves.
For example, there were grass milk cakes that cattle and sheep loved, mosquito pancakes that reptiles enjoyed, and even roasted gray rats—the scary kind of large rats commonly seen in the countryside—which were a very popular delicacy here. There was a long queue in front of the stall. Just looking at it made Qi Qing feel disgusted.
She turned to look at the stalls selling magic artifacts and talismans and felt they were also different from those in the Immortal Realm. Most of them had strange shapes, clearly the style favored by demon cultivators.
She had browsed through most of the market but hadn’t spent a single spirit stone.
Qi Qing was a little disappointed. She had come here with a bit of hope, wanting to find a beautiful keepsake for Yu Yan, but she hadn’t seen anything presentable.
Moreover, she really didn’t know what to buy.
Yu Yan wasn’t someone who liked gold and silver jewelry. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of bracelets that looked very expensive. Qi Qing couldn’t possibly find jewelry more valuable than that.
Yu Yan wasn’t interested in clothes or cosmetics either. Her bare face could outshine most people. The only thing that might interest her would be magic artifacts. But with things like magic artifacts, you either didn’t give them as gifts, or if you did, you gave the best. Good magic artifacts were rare and hard to come by. Powerful figures usually went the high-end custom-made route, so the chances of finding a hidden gem were slim.
The more Qi Qing thought about it, the more her head ached. She had been pondering this for a long time, and now, after browsing for half a day without finding anything suitable, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Just then, she saw an old wolf squatting in a corner of the market. She could tell it was an old wolf because its fur was dry and dull, and it hadn’t transformed into a human form. It looked honest and simple.
A few items were displayed on the stall in front of him, but they were all covered in dust. Because of the remote location, there were no customers.
Qi Qing hadn’t paid it much mind and was about to turn away when she felt the sword at her waist twitch twice, as if reminding her of something.
She knew this sword had a spirit and perhaps had noticed something. So, she tried walking towards the old wolf’s stall. When she got closer, she saw that the items it was selling were dusty; there were only three things: a pair of bells, a doll, and a tattered book.
“What are these used for?” she asked.
The old wolf probably didn’t expect anyone to actually ask. Overwhelmed by the attention, it said, “I don’t know. I picked these up a few days ago. If you want them, I’ll sell them to you as a bundle. The price is cheap and fair; just pay what you think is right.”
“Where did you pick them up?” Qi Qing didn’t know why the sword spirit wanted her to come over. To her, these were just junk.
“This… I can’t say for sure. Anyway, I found them on the road. Those people were dressed very nicely; they looked like rich demon cultivators. Young lady, please be kind. My wife is seriously ill, and I urgently need money for medicine. Please, be kind…”
Seeing it half-selling, half-begging, Qi Qing felt a bit embarrassed to just walk away. She casually took out a dozen high-grade spirit stones and asked if it was enough.
“Enough, enough!” It quickly wrapped the bundle, thrust it into Qi Qing’s hands, and rushed towards a nearby pill stall. Seeing its urgent manner, it didn’t seem to be lying.
Qi Qing also felt relieved. Although this junk wasn’t worth much, being able to help someone was a way of accumulating good karma. She hoped the old wolf’s wife would recover soon.
She stuffed the bundle into her storage pouch and didn’t think much of it.
When she squeezed out of the crowd again, she found that Yu Yan was gone.
Her heart jumped. She looked around, but there were too many people in the market, and those wearing deer-head masks were everywhere. She really didn’t know which one was the real Yu Yan. Just as she was anxiously wondering what to do, she suddenly heard the voice transmission jade at her waist activate. She answered it and heard Yu Yan’s soft voice.
“Over here.”
She turned around and saw, not far away across the crowd, someone waving at her. Who else could it be but Yu Yan?
As if afraid she would mistake her for someone else, Yu Yan had already removed her deer-head mask. Her appearance was too outstanding, and in such a crowded place, she was even more eye-catching. Many people who saw her had already stopped and were staring at her dazedly.
She stood apart from the world, an ethereal, otherworldly aura about her.
For some reason, Qi Qing felt a little like crying.
Such a beautiful person is actually my Master, and she accompanies me day and night. So many people admire her, appreciate her, but she only looks at me, her gaze only on me.
Qi Qing suddenly felt a sense of shared honor. She walked through the large, bustling crowd, and their hands clasped together. Before she could come back to her senses, she felt a weight on her head. Yu Yan had placed a flower crown on her head and then put another one on her own. Tilting her head, she asked, “Is it pretty?”
Qi Qing opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything.
When she first met Yu Yan, her beauty was still vague and general. She only knew Yu Yan was beautiful, but she wasn’t very clear on what specifically made her beautiful, and it was hard for her to have any disrespectful thoughts towards her.
But now, Yu Yan had become dazzlingly radiant.
Her beauty had both charm and innocence. The two feelings mixed together, creating a striking contrast, yet it had an intriguing depth that invited closer appreciation. There were many exceptionally beautiful demon cultivators around her, but when Yu Yan smiled, she attracted all the light in the entire market. Those other beauties immediately became dull and lost all their color.
Qi Qing heard distant flute music—lingering, tender, and plaintive, like background music for the two of them. It was sweet, yet bittersweet. She even thought it was an auditory hallucination, but it wasn’t. The flute music repeated continuously; it was probably promotional music from an instrument seller.
“It’s beautiful.”
Hearing her say that, Yu Yan smiled brightly again.
Qi Qing smiled too, though she didn’t even know what she was smiling about.
The flower crown on her head was a bit heavy. As she walked, the scent of flowers wafted over from time to time. Yu Yan’s hand, slender and soft, was held in hers. Though they didn’t speak, it felt as if they had said a lot. Qi Qing kept humming in agreement, but her gaze was fixed on Yu Yan’s face, completely unable to think.
They walked like this for a long time, unknowingly leaving the market and arriving in an open, empty field. Only then did Qi Qing remember that she hadn’t found a keepsake yet.
And the pills.
“Ah,” she exclaimed.
Yu Yan asked, “What’s wrong?”
Qi Qing was too embarrassed to say she had been so immersed that she forgot about their proper business. After holding it in for a long time, she only managed to utter the word “pills.”
Yu Yan smiled. “It’s okay, I bought them.”
Saying this, she showed Qi Qing several gourds. These gourds were actually jade bottles, the kind used to store pills. Qi Qing took them and sniffed; they indeed had the familiar scent of pills commonly used in the Immortal Realm.
The scent was authentic, and the quality was very good.
“There’s a stall here run by cultivators from the Immortal Realm. They are proper pill cultivators. I checked; there are no problems. You can use them without worry.” Saying this, Yu Yan took out another bag and handed it to Qi Qing.
This bag was quite colorful. Qi Qing opened it and saw it contained preserved fruits, much like modern candy, but without so many additives. The taste and color were very light and delicate.
“I was afraid you’d find the medicine bitter,” Yu Yan said.
Qi Qing paused, then said, a little embarrassed, “I’m not a child anymore. I’m not afraid of bitterness.”
Yu Yan smiled. “In my eyes, you are a child.”
Her words carried an inexplicable doting tone. Qi Qing fidgeted for a bit but still accepted this “setting.” Speaking of which, she actually didn’t know Yu Yan’s age.
“Let me think… I’m probably around one thousand five hundred years old.”
Yu Yan herself didn’t remember very well. Ever since her ascension, time had become a vague concept. In the Heavenly Palace, day and night didn’t matter, and there were no timekeeping devices, so it was difficult to calculate the exact time.
Ultimately, only mortals with finite lifespans cared about the passage of time and considered it precious. But for immortals like them, whose lifespans were endless, time wasn’t precious; it was just a meaningless measurement.
Endless…
Qi Qing pondered this word, suddenly realizing that the Yu Yan before her was different. If Yu Yan was compared to a mortal, then she herself was just a little kitten.
Mortals and kittens perceive time differently. To a kitten, a mortal’s lifespan is endless; its own entire life is just a fleeting moment in the mortal’s eyes.
To Yu Yan, will I just be a passerby in a fleeting moment?
This thought came to her very inexplicably. If it were the old Qi Qing, she would probably just think there was something wrong with her for thinking about such things, being overly sentimental or worrying needlessly.
But now, she was seriously contemplating it.
It was probably because Yu Yan was too wonderful, too gentle, that she couldn’t help but think about outcomes that hadn’t happened yet. She knew she wasn’t a very talented person. How could something as rare as ascension, a once-in-a-century event, possibly happen to her?
Therefore, their separation was a foregone conclusion.
Qi Qing sighed deeply. She knew she was bringing trouble upon herself. She had finally escaped, improved her cultivation, and obtained a treasured sword; she should have been happy.
But human greed is endless. Once you get one thing, you want two; once you get two, you want three. Yet her initial thought was merely to escape the Heavenly Sword Sect.
This is probably what they mean by: “If one doesn’t plan for the future, trouble is sure to find them soon.”
Yu Yan didn’t know her thoughts. Seeing her looking unwell, she assumed Qi Qing was still troubled by matters concerning the Heavenly Sword Sect. So, she thought of changing the subject to distract her.
“Where did you go just now? I couldn’t find you for a while.”
Hearing her question, Qi Qing said, “It was nothing. I just saw a stall and went to take a look.”
Saying this, she took out the bundle and showed it to Yu Yan.
At a glance, Yu Yan could tell that these items had an extraordinary origin. Not to mention anything else, just the pair of bells was at the level of a magic treasure. One had to know that among the countless artifact refiners in the world, only a few could create magic treasures. And once a magic artifact of this level appeared, it would inevitably be scrambled for by everyone.
How could such a thing casually appear in a market?
Even if it did, one’s first reaction shouldn’t be joy at finding a bargain, but rather vigilance, wondering if it was a trap.
She carefully asked about what had happened and found no suspicious points. If the old wolf hadn’t lied, then these items had an owner; they had only ended up in their hands because the owner had accidentally lost them.
Yu Yan thought for a moment and immediately placed a protective shield around the bundle. Of course, she had no intention of returning it, but just keeping it like this wasn’t appropriate either.
It wasn’t impossible that such magic treasures had ways to be located. If their owner tracked them down, it would be disastrous. The best plan for now was to find someone to appraise them. What could be sold should be sold. Even for items that couldn’t be sold, their appearance and aura had to be altered so the previous owner couldn’t find them.
Seeing Yu Yan’s serious expression, Qi Qing asked carefully, “Is this some kind of cursed item?”
“Not exactly, but… it might be a bit troublesome.” Yu Yan hesitated for a moment and then roughly explained it to her. To put it bluntly, Qi Qing’s luck wasn’t bad—in fact, it was quite good—but although these items were valuable, they could easily attract disaster if mishandled.
They now needed to find a place that was discerning and safe to appraise, sell, or alter the items. And the faster and more efficiently, the better.
Although Qi Qing didn’t understand everything, she knew this matter allowed no mistakes. “Is there a pawnshop or something similar around here?” she asked.
“There should be,” Yu Yan replied.
The two packed their belongings and flew towards the nearest city.
After flying for half a day, they reached the closest demon realm city, named Fallen Wind City. This place was located on high ground, and the sparse vegetation couldn’t retain soil and water, so it was usually very windy and dusty. Strangely, although the compass clearly showed heavy demonic energy, there weren’t many pedestrians in the city—only a few scattered ones, all wearing long robes and headscarves, their attire very strange.
Some demons, covered in fur, were wrapped up even more tightly.
Qi Qing felt hot just looking at them, but after being buffeted by the wind for a while, she realized it was necessary. The sand hitting her face was painful, and under the sun, it felt like torture. She had to buy a robe and headscarf. Unexpectedly, they were quite comfortable to wear. When she walked, a draft blew through, like wearing a portable air conditioner.
The pawnshop wasn’t hard to find. However, when they entered, no one came to greet them. They called out a few times, but no one appeared.
They didn’t know what this meant. They couldn’t very well lean over the counter and ask; the counter was extremely high and directly faced the main door. Leaning on it would be very embarrassing.
The two looked at each other in dismay. Qi Qing asked, “What do we do?”
Yu Yan was also a bit baffled. “Let’s wait,” she said.
Qi Qing didn’t quite understand what they were waiting for, but since Yu Yan had said so, she nodded in agreement. A long time passed, until the sun set, the outside temperature dropped sharply, and the moon began to rise, before the next customer arrived.
More accurately, the next group.
Many demons in long robes walked in. They didn’t seem to know each other. They just walked straight to certain floor tiles, tapped three times with their feet, and soon a hidden door would appear beneath them. Then, they would descend and disappear.
They observed for a long time but couldn’t discern any pattern.
After this group had all gone down, Yu Yan said, “We also need to find a way down.”
“I saw them all tap three times, but everyone tapped on a different floor tile. Which one should we tap?”
Yu Yan thought for a moment. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just go down first.”
Saying this, she took Qi Qing’s hand, walked to a floor tile, squatted down, and tapped three times.
After a long pause, nothing happened.
Qi Qing said in surprise, “Do we need to chant some kind of incantation?”
Yu Yan shook her head. She thought of a possibility but had no theoretical support for it. After thinking for a moment, she said, “One floor tile might only allow one person down. We should try separately.”
“Ah…?” Qi Qing hesitated. She and Yu Yan were in an unfamiliar place. Even acting together involved considerable risk. If they separated, and something happened, they wouldn’t be able to look out for each other.
“Why don’t we just not pawn things here?”
There were plenty of pawnshops, and this place was so suspicious. She really didn’t want to wade into these muddy waters.
Yu Yan had the same thought, but those items were too troublesome. Never mind keeping them overnight; just carrying them for an extra moment posed a risk. Besides, there were no other towns for thousands of miles around. The dangers in the wilderness were probably even greater. If they were surrounded, they would have no room to maneuver.
“How about this: we go down at the same time and meet up below. I think even if different floor tiles lead to different doors, they shouldn’t be too far apart. We can contact each other with the voice transmission jade then.”
Qi Qing thought it was feasible, so she walked to the nearest floor tile. They agreed, and both tapped the floor three times simultaneously.
Then they immediately plummeted downwards.
The fall was dizzying; the world spun, and she felt completely disoriented. When Qi Qing finally stopped, the scene around her startled her.
No wonder the city above was so deserted. The truly bustling part was underground. This was an underground city, brightly lit, with a climate like spring.
Countless formations connected to the ground. As she descended, she saw other people sliding down through other formations. In front of her was a city so vast its area was indescribable. In the sky at the city center, the three large characters “Fallen Wind City” were illuminated by beams of light.
Fallen Wind… so this is the “falling” it referred to.
Qi Qing looked left and right but didn’t see Yu Yan. This was within their expectations. Without delay, she took out her voice transmission jade and tried to make a call.
But there was no connection tone from the voice transmission jade.
Qi Qing tried a few more times, only to realize there was no signal in this place. This time, they were truly and completely separated.
Good 👍