Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 311: Two Rooms
Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 311: Two Rooms
After reading the jade slip, Xu Ziqing felt a sense of lingering fear.
These two demons were already at the half-step Nascent Soul stage and would likely have succeeded in achieving Nascent Soul before long. If they had stirred up trouble again after that, they wouldn’t have been so easily dealt with. But due to their many evil deeds, it was only fitting that they didn’t achieve their goals and met their end at a critical moment, losing both their wealth and their lives.
Aside from the jade slip and cultivation techniques, the storage bracelets contained many demonic artifacts, most of which were valuable. There were only a few spirit artifacts, probably because they had previously traded their loot for demonic ones. There were no spiritual herbs or pills, likely because the two of them weren’t skilled in alchemy. However, there were quite a few bottles of pills, all suitable for Golden Core stage cultivators and above.
Without hesitation, Xu Ziqing took 70% of the contents and handed them over to his Shixiong.
But the most abundant thing in the bracelets, unsurprisingly, was spirit stones. There were several hundred thousand lower-grade spirit stones, over ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and even three or four high-grade spirit stones.
This was indeed surprising.
It should be known that spirit stones are produced from spirit veins: third-rank spirit veins yield lower-grade stones, second-rank veins yield mid-grade stones, and first-rank veins yield high-grade stones.
The higher the grade, the harder it is to obtain better spirit stones.
For example, even in a large second-rank spirit vein, the place most abundant in spiritual energy may not produce a single high-grade spirit stone.
Take the massive sect of Wuling Immortal Gate for instance—it has countless resources and immense wealth.
But even so, Golden Core stage experts can only access third-rank spirit veins, and Nascent Soul ancestors can access second-rank ones. As for first-rank spirit veins, there are fewer than five in the entire sect.
This shows just how precious high-grade spirit stones are.
Now, the two of them had found so many spirit stones in the storage bracelets, naturally leaving them both surprised.
Yun Lie’s storage bracelet contained a similar amount.
Altogether, they had a total of a million lower-grade spirit stones, twenty thousand mid-grade stones, and seven high-grade stones.
The third-rank spirit vein on Xiao Lu Peak wasn’t small, but even if all the spirit stones were extracted, there wouldn’t be more than a million. Now, having obtained the wealth of two half-step Nascent Souls, weren’t they suddenly extraordinarily rich?
Sighing inwardly, Xu Ziqing prepared to hand all the spirit stones in the bracelet to his Shixiong.
Yun Lie said, “We still need to exchange for some items. The funds can come from you.”
Hearing this, Xu Ziqing no longer refused, but he still handed the high-grade spirit stones over, smiling, “With my current cultivation level, having high-grade spirit stones would be wasteful. It’s better for you to keep them, Shixiong.”
Yun Lie accepted them.
This exchange between the two was seen by the two boys who had been left to the side.
One of them chuckled, “This is quite amusing.”
The other sneered, “They clearly like each other, yet they keep pushing things back and forth—how utterly unsatisfying.”
The first one added, “Cultivators are such prudes. Unlike us—if we fancy someone, we just push them onto the bed. After some good fun, everything works out!”
The other laughed again, “Let’s follow them. I have my eye on that one in green—his Shixiong may be oblivious, but the two of us could certainly enjoy him.”
After exchanging these thoughts through sound transmission, they fell silent as Xu Ziqing approached, feigning shock and fear.
Xu Ziqing felt pity for the two boys, and his expression softened. “The demons have been eliminated. My Shixiong and I will be leaving soon. Would you like to come with us?”
The two boys exchanged glances. They had thought they would have to beg for help, but this person had offered it himself, surprising them. They quickly recovered and responded with joy, “This… thank you for your help, Senior!”
Xu Ziqing smiled. Seeing that the brothers were in good spirits, he turned and summoned numerous vines.
The green vines worked quickly, and in no time, they had dug a large pit. They then retrieved the corpses of the captives—both cultivators and mortals—buried beneath the rubble, and laid them to rest in the pit. These victims undoubtedly harbored deep resentment toward the demonic cultivators and would not have wanted to share a grave with them after death…
When he had finished, Xu Ziqing let out a sigh of relief.
Yun Lie stood silently to the side without stopping him. Only when Xu Ziqing rose did he say, “Let’s go.”
Xu Ziqing smiled and replied, “Yes, Shixiong.”
Then he summoned Chonghua. Yun Lie swiftly mounted it first, while Xu Ziqing, feeling sympathy for the twin brothers who were still weak after being drained, helped them up. Thus, the four of them sat steadily on the eagle’s back.
Yun Lie pointed in a direction, and Chonghua let out a low cry before flying swiftly toward their destination.
After flying for more than half a day, they arrived at a city.
This city, located in the Eastern Region, was quite famous and called “Dongyang City.” It spanned a large area and was bustling with activity.
Both mortals and cultivators mingled freely, and no one found this unusual.
Upon entering the city, Chonghua transformed back into a small eagle and perched on Xu Ziqing’s right shoulder.
Although Xu Ziqing had left the sect many times, he rarely had the chance to truly explore and enjoy himself. Now, with some rare free time, he couldn’t help but glance around in curiosity.
Yun Lie, however, walked straight toward a long street.
The buildings on either side of the street were grand, with inns, restaurants, and shops—though only cultivators worked the shops, with no mortals employed.
After walking a bit, Yun Lie stopped in front of a tall building.
Xu Ziqing paused in his steps. “Shixiong?”
Yun Lie said, “Let’s go eat.”
Xu Ziqing was taken aback. His Shixiong had not needed to eat for years due to his mastery of the fasting technique, and the Bigu pills Xu Ziqing had taken still had plenty of effects. Why were they going to a restaurant? Still, he would never question his Shixiong, so he followed him inside.
A cultivator at about the seventh or eighth level of the Qi Refining stage greeted them. He wore a short robe and smiled brightly, looking no different from the “servers” commonly seen in the mortal realm. He immediately asked, “Are the seniors here to stay or to dine?”
Xu Ziqing looked to Yun Lie, unsure of his Shixiong’s intentions.
Yun Lie answered, “To dine.”
The server then led them to the second floor, seating them by a window.
From here, they could see the scenery below, and it was much quieter than the bustling first floor.
Shortly after, the server brought them fragrant tea. Spiritual energy faintly emanated from the tea, and its taste was exceptionally rich.
It was indeed excellent tea.
Xu Ziqing took a sip and quietly praised the tea in his heart.
After serving them, the server warmly asked, “What would the seniors like to order?”
As usual, Xu Ziqing looked at Yun Lie. In truth, this was his first time visiting a restaurant for cultivators, so he had no idea how to proceed. Fortunately, with his Shixiong present, he entrusted everything to him.
Sensing this, Yun Lie named three to five dishes.
The server, beaming with delight, refilled their tea before hurrying off.
Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
It seemed that his Shixiong had ordered quite an expensive selection, which was likely the reason the server was so pleased. What surprised him more was that his Shixiong… appeared to be very familiar with this place?
Noticing the curiosity in Xu Ziqing’s eyes, Yun Lie explained slowly, “I passed through here during my training. If I needed supplies, I’d come to this city.”
Back when he ventured down the mountain with his sword to slay demons and monsters, he faced countless dangers. Each journey consumed a significant amount of resources, and if he ran low, he naturally had to replenish them. Moreover, the demonic artifacts he collected but could not use had to be traded for other items.
This city was a convenient place for such matters, and after frequent visits, Yun Lie had become familiar with it.
Listening to Yun Lie recount his past experiences, Xu Ziqing felt a sense of peace, and a small smile formed on his face.
His Shixiong had endured many trials alone in the past, and although Xu Ziqing couldn’t accompany him back then, he was able to do so now.
The twin brothers sitting on the other side saw the harmonious interaction between the two—one speaking and the other listening—and became somewhat entranced.
They soon leaned closer to each other and began conversing through sound transmission.
One of them said, “What a pair of wooden blocks.”
The other shook his head, “That Shixiong is completely clueless when it comes to romance.”
The twins, having encountered countless people, were well-versed in matters of affection and love.
From their perspective, it was clear that these two had feelings for each other, yet there seemed to be some misunderstanding between them.
For example, that Shixiong acted as if he were heartless, but his concern for his Shidi was evident. It was important to know that this Immortal Pavilion was the best restaurant in Dongyang City, known for its fine dishes and exquisite wines, all priced at a premium. Ordinary people could not afford to dine here.
If the goal was simply to fill their stomachs, why bother coming to the Immortal Pavilion? By bringing his Shidi here, it was clearly an attempt to show care, yet it had turned into something so plain and ordinary—merely having a meal together. It was truly disheartening.
As for the Shidi, he was equally oblivious. His affection for his Shixiong ran deep, and though he tried hard to suppress it, it was impossible to hide from the twins. However, now he seemed resigned to fate. No matter what his Shixiong did, he treated it merely as an expression of brotherly affection, refusing to overthink or read more into it.
As a result, the Shixiong acted naturally, and the Shidi followed suit, yet their thoughts were entirely misaligned… It was truly laughable.
Amused, the twins exchanged more thoughts through transmission:
“Let’s keep following them and see what comedy unfolds.”
“Once we settle in tonight, perhaps we should tease that Shidi a little and see how he reacts?”
Just as they were speaking, the server returned with their dishes.
Soon, five carefully prepared dishes were laid out on the table. The ingredients came from rare and unique demonic beasts, paired with precious supplementary ingredients, spiritual herbs, and spiritual fruits. The dishes were crafted with great skill and care.
The moment the food was served, a fragrant aroma filled the air. Inhaling even a bit of it caused spiritual energy to enter the lungs, energizing the dantian. A single bite would flood the mouth with delicious flavors, and as the food entered the stomach, it instantly transformed into heat that circulated through the body without leaving any impurities behind.
After tasting the food, Xu Ziqing realized that it was indeed extremely expensive.
Yun Lie said, “The dishes here are beneficial for cultivation. You should eat more.”
Xu Ziqing felt warmth in his heart and didn’t refuse.
Neither of them spoke much while eating. Occasionally, they would raise their teacups and sip, savoring the moment as though it were a drink.
For a while, the atmosphere was serene and peaceful.
After the meal, Xu Ziqing suddenly realized that he had completely ignored the two boys they had rescued earlier, and his face flushed slightly. Before he could say anything, the server returned to collect the payment.
That meal had cost several dozen low-grade spirit stones—not a small sum. Yun Lie placed the spirit stones on the table, and with a swift motion, the server gathered them.
At this moment, Yun Lie said, “We’d like to stay.”
The server, even more delighted, asked, “How many rooms would you like? We have three types of rooms: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. However, we don’t offer shared accommodations.” Though he said this, he wasn’t worried, having seen how freely they spent earlier. It was clear these people were not short on money.
Sure enough, Yun Lie said, “Two Heaven rooms.”
Translator: Lynn
Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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