“How would you know I can’t? Heh heh heh. I’ve been an old ghost for decades. I’ve eaten night birds, old crows, and dead foxes, but I’ve truly never tasted what a hedgehog tastes like.”
Wanniang chuckled and reached out to grab Hongluo. The latter dodged nimbly and dove into Nan Zhi’s arms, burying her head in Nan Zhi’s stomach and refusing to come out.
“Mistress, look at her! Look at her!”
Since the Qu family case was settled and the Master and servants of the Wang family were executed, the grievance in Wanniang’s heart seemed to have dissipated significantly, and her personality had become much more lively.
Seeing the human and demon getting along so well, Nan Zhi smiled and reached out to playfully block Wanniang, but she suddenly felt a faint commotion in the surroundings.
“Ooom Ooom”
“Ooom”
Two extremely ethereal and long, deep booms suddenly echoed from the bottom of the cliff. A sudden current of air brought a salty sea breeze, and moist, cool water vapor surged up, hitting the faces of everyone present.
The clouds and mist dispersed.
The mist at the bottom of the cliff suddenly cleared, and a massive treasure ship hundreds of feet long abruptly broke through the water from the seabed. Its massive, heavy bow sliced through the mist, barely grazing the cliff wall as it passed.
The treasure ship was incredibly large.
Upon it were magnificent jade towers, rockeries, and flowing water. There were red walls, green tiles, carved beams, and painted pillars. Rows of pavilions and waterside structures were arranged with exquisite elegance. Gauze silks, satins, and gold and silver rings were draped about with incredible craftsmanship.
Vaguely, the sounds of string and woodwind music drifted from the ship. Someone sang loudly from a high point, while stunning female immortals cradled pipas and flew around the pavilions.
What drove the treasure ship forward were not oxen or horses, but two giant grey whales hundreds of feet long.
Their bodies were as large as a Kunpeng, and their shadows blotted out the sky and sun. The shadow they cast fell over everyone’s heads, making it seem as if the sky had darkened in an instant.
The human, ghost, and demon stood beneath this massive treasure ship, all lacking composure as they collectively uttered a long “Wow.”
Before them was a massive tower ship flying vessel!
The tower ship smoothly came to a stop. The two giant whales flicked their fins and let out a low, heavy call. Countless small boats were lowered from the tower ship, slowly descending.
As the misty waves dispersed, the originally lonely cliff top suddenly came to life.
Countless flying boats and dharma treasures flew out from the massive tower ship, landing lightly on Jueming Cliff. Most of these people were in a hurry and rarely stayed for long.
Judging by their attire, there were Qingjing Sect cultivators and Wuwei Sect disciples. There were also cultivators dressed in the uniform of the Demon Suppression Division, though not many.
Those waiting to board spontaneously formed a queue, moving along a massive, smooth stone wall on the cliff top. Nan Zhi acted quickly, pulling Hongluo and Wanniang to follow.
It wasn't just human cultivators waiting in line.
There were wild boars and foxes from the mountains transformed into human form, old ghosts with pale faces and tongues lolling out, and even demon cultivators wrapped in black robes who stayed silent in the queue.
Nan Zhi even saw an old ginseng spirit whose head was covered in braids. Hundreds of tiny ginseng babies were hanging off his body. Hundreds of mouths were crying together, making one's head throb from the noise.
As the old ginseng spirit walked forward, one of the ginseng babies lost its grip and fell to the ground with a thud. Seeing this, Hongluo quickly picked it up and joyfully handed it to Nan Zhi.
“Waaaaah!”
As soon as the ginseng baby landed in Nan Zhi’s hand, it began to cry loudly. Its voice was thin and weak, as if it might stop breathing at any moment.
Nan Zhi placed the sobbing ginseng baby back into the hands of the old ginseng spirit and said with a smile, “Pops, one of your ginseng grandsons fell. Be careful not to let anyone step on him.”
“Heh heh. Having too many descendants is truly a headache.”
The old ginseng spirit had kindly and benevolent features. His eyebrows almost covered his eyes, and he had to lift a layer of eyebrow to see the road clearly.
“If it falls, it falls. At most, another one will grow next year. By the way, this is the cleverest ginseng baby in my family. It’s an expert at tending medicine fields and doing chores. If you want it, you don’t have to give it back.”
Looking at the size of this ginseng spirit, it probably wasn't even a month old yet, right?
Directing such a spirit to work wasn't just hiring child labor; it would have to be called hiring infant labor.
Nan Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Waiting at the front of the queue were two Wuwei Sect disciples dressed in yellow. One held a fly whisk and the other a sword. Both wore sect tokens with Bodhi patterns on their waists, making them easy to recognize.
When the two saw the old ginseng spirit, they smiled knowingly and teased him familiarly.
“Pops Ginseng, going to the Rakshasa Sea Market to sell your grandsons again? You were just about to give one away for free. Aren't you just tricking people?”
“This little ginseng spirit has only just gained sentience. It’s a lot of effort to raise. A few days ago, a senior sister bought one to look after her medicine garden, and it ended up eating more than half of the herbs in the entire garden.”
“That senior sister is still shouting about finding you to compensate her with spirit stones!”
“Everyone in the Rakshasa Sea Market knows that I, Pops Ginseng, am the most honest person there is. What do you mean tricking people? You’re ruining my reputation out of thin air!”
Pops Ginseng’s face turned bright red, and he quickly handed over a storage bag.
“The usual. A Yellow grade room token.”
The two cultivators teased him a bit more but said nothing else. They took the storage bag and verified the spirit stones. Seeing the amount was correct, they let him on the ship.
“One thousand year old ginseng spirit, along with three thousand five hundred and sixty two ginseng babies. Yellow grade room for fifteen days. Seven hundred and fifty middle grade spirit stones received.”
When it was Nan Zhi’s turn, the two were taken aback by the peculiar combination of a human, a ghost, and a demon. Then, the older male cultivator said, “Is this your first time boarding our Wuwei Sect tower ship, fellow cultivators? You should know that the accommodations on our ship are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow.”
“An Earth grade room is three thousand middle grade spirit stones a day. A Black grade room is three hundred middle grade spirit stones a day. A Yellow grade room is fifty middle grade spirit stones a day. You will arrive at the Rakshasa Sea Market in fifteen days.”
“If any fellow cultivator is short on funds, you can also use items of equal value. Wait a moment and take the other path to board. There will be treasure appraising senior sisters to lead you up.”
“That expensive?”
Nan Zhi couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
It would take fifteen days to reach the destination, and even the cheapest Yellow grade room cost fifty middle grade spirit stones a day. That added up to seven hundred and fifty middle grade spirit stones.
The exchange rate for spirit stones was one to one hundred. A Demon Suppression Commissioner of a circuit only received a salary of fifty thousand low grade spirit stones a year, which was equivalent to five hundred middle grade spirit stones.
Who would have thought that she couldn't even afford a single ship ticket on that salary!
It was truly bitter.
If she hadn't just struck it rich, Nan Zhi would have preferred to ride the wind herself and fly to the twelve nations of the four directions in the south.
In the cultivation world, it truly was not easy to live in.
Hearing her exclamation, the two cultivators didn't show any sign of mockery. They only explained with a smile, “Our Wuwei Sect tower ship tickets are widely considered a good deal. You must know that to enter the Rakshasa Sea Market, you must first cross the Wuwang Sea and then the Xuanyuan Stream.”
“In the Wuwang Sea, not even a goose feather can float. There are also gale winds and blood seas that can grind bones to mud. Even a deity transformation powerhouse would perish body and soul if they fell in.”
“This treasure ship is made from the bones of a Kunpeng and is powered by thirty nine Golden Core Masters. Only then can it float on the Wuwang Sea. Here, look.”
As he spoke, the man pointed to a massive scar that ran through the bow of the ship.
“The Wuwang Sea gathers the evil thoughts of the world, making it very easy for Sky Demons to spawn. Last year, our Senior Brother Duanmu killed a Golden Core level Sky Demon at the bow. The sword intent still lingers.”
“Some people try to cut corners, unwilling to part with a few external possessions, thinking they can cross the Wuwang Sea with their physical bodies or dharma treasures. In the end, don't they all turn into bone mud, their souls returning to the Xuanyuan Stream?”
“Then I’ll take a Yellow grade room, just like that Pops Ginseng before me.”
Nan Zhi counted out the spirit stones and put them into a storage bag, handing it over just as the old ginseng spirit had. The Wuwei Sect disciple took it and, with a casual glance, accurately stated the specific numbers.
“Five hundred middle grade spirit stones and twenty five thousand low grade spirit stones. One human Foundation Establishment cultivator, one ghost cultivator, and one hedgehog spirit.”
Rate on N.U.
