Chapter 12: Darkness (Profound Meaning)
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The young girl suddenly reached for the ring on her other hand. “...In that case, are there any seats or standing tickets left inside the mortal cabin?”
“Yes, sir, there are.”
“How many?”
The person from the Skyship Merchants’ Guild replied, “About eight hundred seats are still empty. This ship is large, so there are plenty of vacant spots. It’s mainly because of the Great Thousand Sect’s entrance examination that there are more people than usual. Normally, there’d be a thousand or so empty seats.”
“How many tickets are currently listed outside?”
“Six or seven hundred? Not many tickets are being sold outside today... After all, who among the poor would dare to participate in the entrance exam of one of the top ten heavenly cultivation sects?”
“Then why, if there are still seats inside the cabin, aren’t those with tickets hung outside allowed to come in?” the girl asked.
“Sir, you haven’t thought this through. If we allowed outside ticket holders in whenever there were empty seats inside, word would spread. Then everyone would buy only the outside tickets, waiting for us to fail to sell the inside tickets before sneaking in... We’d be losing our shirts!”
The man’s words caused the girl to fall silent for a moment before she sighed.
“...Very well, then.”
“*Slap!*”
The girl carrying a stone stele pulled out a small pouch from her storage ring and slammed it down hard in front of the merchant.
The sound of stones clinking inside the pouch rang out.
“Although I haven’t seen much worldly wealth and don’t know how mortal currency converts to spirit stones, I reckon a hundred low-grade spirit stones should be enough for those outside with tickets to enter the ship’s cabin, right?”
“A hundred low-grade spirit stones?!”
The merchant’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
Although the skyship moves by absorbing spiritual energy from the surrounding space, it requires spirit stones during takeoff as the focal point of the spiritual array to initiate the flow of spiritual power.
One round trip for a giant skyship only consumes a single low-grade spirit stone, which is their primary operating cost.
As for a hundred low-grade spirit stones...
“Th-that’s fine!”
The merchant hurriedly agreed, fearing the girl might regret it and take back the stones.
“That’s more than enough, absolutely sufficient!”
“Then it’s settled.” The girl carrying the stone stele turned around. “By the way, please reserve a spot for my Taihang Stele. My back is tired from carrying it.”
“All right, all right! And, young lady, may I have your name for registration?”
“Just call me A Ling. Like the ‘Ling’ in water chestnut.” The girl walked away slowly.
...
Truly a strange person.
Qin Xi observed the girl, feeling there was something peculiar about her everywhere.
But he was still very grateful to have gotten a free seat inside the cabin, no longer needing to hang outside.
At that moment, Jiang Baiqiu came running over quickly, beaming.
“Qin Xi, do you know? We’re being upgraded!”
Bu Weiwei joined them.
Qin Xi told them what he had just witnessed: “Yes, a young heroine helped us poor folks improve our situation. She looks like someone who has embarked on the path of immortality.”
Bu Weiwei looked doubtful: “Is there really someone so kind in this world? Isn’t it said that on the path of cultivation, you can’t trust anyone but yourself, and everyone else is a potential threat?”
“...Is cultivation really this dark?” Qin Xi turned his head, feeling the background was starting to resemble the underworld cultivation stories from his past life.
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Bu Weiwei shook her head: “Anyway, my father told me that once you set foot on the path of immortality, you have to choose between killing for treasures or being killed... Cultivators use every means possible to advance their cultivation.”
Maybe she was an exception?
Qin Xi looked at the figure carrying the stone stele and felt he understood this world a little better.
...
Boarding the skyship, the three of them lined up against the wall.
“Still got standing tickets,” Jiang Baiqiu’s face drooped, clearly unhappy.
“Miss, you can add some money to upgrade to a premium reclining seat,” said the skyship merchant’s attendant.
“Oh? Are those comfortable?”
“Yes, you can even lie down.”
“Um, I’m going to sleep now. Can you help me close the luggage rack? Thanks.”
Those with reclining tickets lay on the luggage racks above the seats and slammed the lids shut with a snap.
Ah, so that’s the premium spot.
“Never mind, no money, we’ll make do,” Qin Xi said, shooing the merchant away.
Meanwhile, he noticed Bu Weiwei fiddling with something.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah!”
Bu Weiwei’s hand trembled, dropping a copper coin onto the floor.
“...Are you divining again?”
“Ah... yes, I’m divining whether this trip will go smoothly...” Bu Weiwei smiled somewhat strangely at her own fingers.
Qin Xi looked at her smile, feeling something was off. “And the result?”
“Great fortune!”
“...”
Bu Weiwei forced a few awkward laughs: “That’s a good thing.”
“Quite the opposite,” Qin Xi said calmly with a hint of sorrow. “I feel like we’re about to go through a bloodbath.”
At that moment, Jiang Baiqiu returned carrying several cups of what looked like tea.
“Qin Xi! This spiritual liquid is free here!”
“Free...?”
“Yes, you can refill as much as you want!” With that, Jiang Baiqiu gulped down a cup.
“Drink less, the restroom seems to have a queue.”
“No problem! My constitution is not ordinary!” Jiang Baiqiu drank another cup. “Besides, the spiritual root must be refined with spiritual liquid. I’m saving you that step. Automatic refining, don’t you thank me?”
Qin Xi ignored her and took the cup, sipping lightly.
Why does it taste so much like iced black tea?
He took a few casual sips and was about to put the cup down when Jiang Baiqiu suddenly snatched it from his hand.
“Don’t put this cup back. If you do, the merchant won’t give us any more cups.” Jiang Baiqiu wagged her finger: “They rely on this trick. They say the spiritual liquid refills infinitely, but actually you’re allowed only one cup!”
Then she eagerly ran off to get more spiritual liquid.
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“This spiritual liquid is all mixed up — leftovers from spiritual herbs, soaked together with leaves from who knows how many spirit trees. A hundred wen buys you a whole barrel... They won’t give us good spiritual liquid to drink,” Bu Weiwei explained from the side.
But Jiang Baiqiu didn’t care and was determined to make the money back!
A hundred wen a barrel — drink ten barrels and you make a killing, right?
...
In fact, Jiang Baiqiu’s constitution really was extraordinary.
At least after drinking dozens of barrels of iced black tea — no, spiritual liquid — and holding her urine for two days straight, Qin Xi reckoned he couldn’t do the same.
But now, half-dead and with unfocused eyes, her suffering was evident.
“Why is there always someone at the restroom...”
“I told you, someone’s there... It’s okay, we’re almost at Yuebei City.”
“I can’t hold it anymore...” Jiang Baiqiu clutched Qin Xi’s sleeve. “Save me...”
“How? This place forbids relieving yourself anywhere but the restroom,” Qin Xi pointed to the sign.
“It’s not about relieving myself anywhere. Let me go back... into your body... If I transform back into my spirit root form, I won’t suffer like this.” Jiang Baiqiu pressed her head against Qin Xi’s dantian. “Let me back in!!!”
Seeing her in such pain, Qin Xi decided to help.
He looked around; doing this openly would be risky if discovered.
He needed a place with no one around...
Got it!
Looking at the nearby luggage racks, some people with reclining tickets hadn’t closed the lids when they left, leaving a few racks open.
Though they didn’t have reclining tickets, borrowing one briefly should be fine.
After checking the surroundings and seeing no one paying attention, Qin Xi climbed onto the luggage rack.
“Come in, we can barely squeeze two people.”
“Mm!”
Jiang Baiqiu no longer cared about propriety and dove straight beside Qin Xi.
Qin Xi closed the luggage rack lid.
“So cramped... Qin Xi.”
“Never mind, just get in!”
“Hey, what’s this?”
“...Don’t touch that!”
Qin Xi said this as Jiang Baiqiu was groping around, trying to find his dantian.
Of course, she wasn’t very successful and after feeling around the wrong spots several times, she finally found the right place.
If the spirit root entered the wrong spot, who knew what might happen.
“Found it!”
“Then get in... Whoa!”
With a flash of light, Jiang Baiqiu entered Qin Xi’s body.