Chi Yuan slowly withdrew her hand, her knuckles curling into her sleeve, but the moist sensation on her palm refused to fade away.
She averted her gaze and took half a step back.
“It... it was Senior Sister who misunderstood.”
But the crimson blush on her earlobes betrayed her. “Junior Sister, you've only recently left your clan and aren't familiar with the rules of the Furong Merchant Alliance. I don't blame you.”
She explained, “Before reaching the Golden Core stage, Clam Girls cultivate at five times the speed of those with a single spiritual root, making rapid progress look easy. However, once they reach the peak of Foundation Establishment, the Heavenly Dao imposes a bottleneck, and not even one in a hundred thousand Clam Girls might break through to the Golden Core stage.”
“To protect themselves, the Clam race of Bibo Marsh signed spiritual pacts with major merchant alliances, sending Clam Girls with poor aptitude to the merchant alliances' flying vessels to specifically serve female guests in the first-class cabins.”
“These Clam Girls use their own clam pearls to nourish the female guests' meridians, while the guests feedback their spiritual energy to aid the Clam Girls' cultivation.”
“Both sides get what they need, which seems fair, but in reality, the Clam Girls are always at a disadvantage. Once a clam pearl leaves the body, it will wither within three days. If a Clam Girl doesn't receive a continuous feedback of spiritual energy, not only will her cultivation regress, but her lifespan will also be cut short.”
As she said this, her brow furrowed. “The various merchant alliances have graded the Clam Girls, with clear prices from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment.”
“This fee is already included in the first-class cabin ticket. When the female steward asked you earlier if you wanted a Clam Girl to serve you, she wasn't asking about a miscellaneous disciple to pour tea and water. She was asking if you wanted a Clam Girl to nourish your meridians with her clam pearl!”
Hearing this, Shen Qingci finally pieced together the cause and effect.
She clicked her tongue inwardly; the Furong Merchant Alliance certainly knew how to diversify their business.
But then she wondered, how did her senior sister know this system so well? Before she could finish her thought, Chi Yuan took the initiative to explain.
“I only learned these details because I accompanied Master to the Eastern Sea to visit a friend years ago and saw a Clam race settlement with my own eyes.”
“In that settlement, the Clam Girls were only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet their cultivation had plummeted to the first or second level of Qi Refining. Their clam pearls were dull and lusterless, and they had less than ten years of life left.”
Chi Yuan lowered her eyes. “The merchant alliance stewards only advertise them as travel companions to the outside world, never mentioning the damage caused when the clam pearl leaves the body. Female cultivators who have just started their travels and don't know the truth would mostly mistake them for ordinary attendants.”
Shen Qingci stood up straight and said solemnly, “Don't worry, Senior Sister, I don't want this Clam Girl anymore. My High-rank Lightning Spiritual Root already lets me cultivate faster than others, so I don't need a clam pearl to nourish my meridians. And even if, worst-case scenario, I really wanted to dual—”
She caught herself just in time. “Even if I really wanted to cultivate with someone, I wouldn't go so far as to cut short another person's life to pave my own path.”
Chi Yuan recognized the word she had swallowed back down, and her brow twitched. Fortunately, she didn't say anything more.
Instead, she silently picked up the teapot and poured a cup of spiritual tea for her junior sister. In the process, her sleeve brushed past the back of Shen Qingci's hand, carrying a hint of reassurance.
Shen Qingci took a sip of the tea she had poured. Her peripheral vision caught her senior sister's still-flushed earlobes, and a soft, warm feeling spread through her heart, turning it completely to mush.
She lowered her eyes to hide her smile, thinking to herself that her senior sister was always tough-tongued but soft-hearted; she looked cold, but in truth, she protected her people more than anyone.
With that thought, Shen Qingci's fingers twitched inside her sleeve.
【I really want to touch Senior Sister's ear!】
【It's so red, it must feel burning hot to the touch.】
Her arm had barely risen half an inch when Chi Yuan suddenly turned her head, casting a chilly gaze over.
Shen Qingci immediately hid her hands behind her back, her expression perfectly steady, as if nothing had happened just now.
Chi Yuan stared at her for a moment before turning back to look at the clouds outside the window. Shen Qingci let out a quiet sigh of relief, thinking to herself how close that was—she was almost scolded as a rogue.
Before she could finish her regret, footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor again. The female steward had returned, followed by a Clam Girl.
The Clam Girl looked to be in her early twenties, with an early stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. She had a slender figure, her waist swaying gently as she walked, and the corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, carrying a touch of natural charm.
She wore a water-blue chiffon dress, its neckline adorned with a few delicate pearls that accentuated her long, fair neck.
The Clam Girl followed the female steward over. When she raised her eyes, her first glance landed right on Shen Qingci.
She was momentarily dazed.
She had seen plenty of female guests coming and going on the flying vessels—noble young ladies, sect disciples, rogue female cultivators, all kinds of people.
But this one before her had a long sword with restrained lightning hanging at her waist, and the calm, elegant air between her brows was definitely not something that could be nurtured in an ordinary, minor household.
The Clam Girl made some calculations in her mind; this fairy was truly beautiful.
With her second glance, she swept over the quality of the jade pendant at Shen Qingci's waist and the rank of the lightning-struck wood bead on her sword tassel, and two words immediately popped into her head.
【Fat sheep!!!】
She was absolutely a fat sheep.
These young ladies from great families were always the most generous. If she served her well, there would be no shortage of reward money.
If she could please her, perhaps she could even stay a few days longer. Although nourishing meridians with a clam pearl cost a Clam Girl her cultivation, if the other party was willing to feedback more spiritual energy, she might not only break even but even make a huge profit.
The Clam Girl lowered her eyes, hiding the shrewdness in her gaze beneath her thick eyelashes. She stepped forward to curtsy, her voice soft and sweet. “This humble one is Bizhu. Greetings, Fairy Shen.”
Shen Qingci glanced at her and nodded with a calm expression.
The female steward approached with a beaming smile. “Fairy Shen, this is the Clam Girl I mentioned to you earlier. Early stage Foundation Establishment, with a perfectly round clam pearl and pure spiritual aura—she is one of the best in this batch. If she catches your fancy, shall I have her stay and serve you tonight?”
Shen Qingci toyed with the lightning-struck wood bead on her sword tassel, her tone casual. “No need. Send her back.”
The smile on the female steward's face froze.
She had clearly agreed just now, so why did she change her mind the moment she turned around? In her dozen or so years in this line of work, this was the first time she had met a guest who agreed so readily and went back on her word even more readily.
Refusing to give up, she took half a step closer and urged, “If Fairy Shen is not satisfied with this one, how about I bring another?”
“There are also several in the Qi Refining stage among this batch of Clam Girls. Although their rank isn't as high as Bizhu's, they have the advantage of being young and docile...”
“I said there's no need,” Shen Qingci interrupted her, her tone flat. “Thank you for your trouble, steward, but I do not require the service of a Clam Girl.”
The female steward opened her mouth, her mind racing to find a way to smooth things over.
Her peripheral vision caught something on her right.
Chi Yuan sat upright beside Shen Qingci, her hand gripping the scabbard of the Frostchill sword, those cold, icy eyes staring straight at her.
It was far from a simple look.
It was a murderous, suffocating pressure, like a sword blade pressed against her throat. The female steward had spent decades welcoming and sending off guests in the Furong Merchant Alliance and had seen all kinds of people, but this single glance still sent a shiver straight down her spine.
She instinctively took half a step back, her gaze darting rapidly between Shen Qingci and Chi Yuan.
Fairy Chi was sitting far too close to Fairy Shen.
It was not the distance typical of ordinary fellow disciples; there was only a gap of half a fist between their shoulders, their scabbards were placed on the same side, and even the hems of their robes were nearly touching.
The female steward's pupils contracted slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.
She understood.
She finally understood.
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