The next day, after Xiao Yi Xian had packed her belongings, Gu He took her and left Qingshan Town directly.
At the outskirts of Qingshan Town, Xiao Yi Xian looked back at the town behind her, a trace of reluctance in her eyes.
After all, she had lived in this place for so many years. Leaving so suddenly was still difficult for her to accept.
"Come on, disciple. If you can't bear to leave, you can come back and visit when you have the chance." Seeing the reluctance on Xiao Yi Xian's face, Gu He rubbed her little head and comforted her with a smile.
"Mm." Hearing Gu He's words, Xiao Yi Xian slowly nodded, then followed him onto the Horned Horse Carriage beside them.
Given the distance from Qingshan Town to the Misty Cloud Sect, even with Gu He's current breakthrough to the Dou Emperor realm, it would still take him two days and two nights of flying.
But that was only if Gu He flew alone, without any burden.
Now that he was bringing Xiao Yi Xian with him, Gu He naturally could not carry her while flying for two days and two nights.
Therefore, Gu He planned to take a flying transport convoy to the imperial capital.
The city closest to Gu He at the moment was a large city located in the eastern province of the Jia Ma Empire. Its scale was even more imposing than Wutan City's. In terms of overall strength, this city, known as Blackrock City, ranked among the finest of all the Jia Ma Empire's large cities.
Gu He's first objective was to reach Blackrock City, because only cities of this scale were equipped by the empire with civilian flying transport convoys.
By taking the flying transport convoy, they could reach the imperial capital in roughly three days.
After boarding the Horned Horse Carriage, Gu He went straight inside. An old man drove the carriage toward Blackrock City.
Although Qingshan Town was the closest place to Blackrock City, the carriage still traveled for most of the afternoon before the enormous outline of Blackrock City gradually came into view.
Standing atop the carriage, Gu He looked at the massive city reflecting a faint crimson glow beneath the afterlight of the setting sun and let out a slight sigh of relief.
Only when the carriage drew closer did Gu He realize that the city's enormous walls were entirely built from neatly arranged blocks of black rock.
According to the old man driving the Horned Horse Carriage, these walls had once withstood the combined bombardment of two Dou Wang experts without being shaken. This showed just how formidable their defenses were.
After paying the tax at the city gate, the carriage was smoothly allowed through the somewhat dark passage within the city walls.
A moment later, their view suddenly opened up. A sea of clamorous voices crashed into their ears from all directions, making Xiao Yi Xian's head swell slightly from the unexpected noise.
"Teacher, have we reached Blackrock City?" Xiao Yi Xian asked curiously as she looked at the enormous city before her.
It was her first time leaving Qingshan Town and coming to such a large city.
"Mm." Gu He nodded with a smile, then said, "Let's get down."
"Mm." Xiao Yi Xian looked at the city's surroundings, excitement appearing in her beautiful eyes.
After asking around briefly, Gu He led the excited Xiao Yi Xian toward the flying transport station at the center of the city.
After passing through several unfamiliar streets and asking for directions along the way, Gu He finally brought Xiao Yi Xian to the flying transport station, which stood in the middle of a spacious plaza, more than ten minutes later.
More than a dozen enormous flying birds rested within the vast plaza. These birds were known as Thick-Winged Birds.
They were not magical beasts, but genuine birds. Their temperaments were extremely gentle, making them the easiest to tame. However, because their numbers were limited, only empires generally had the resources to establish such flying transport convoys.
Although these Thick-Winged Birds were not as fast as other flying magical beasts, they made up for it with exceptional endurance.
As long as they had a full meal, they could fly steadily for nearly four or five days. Their carrying capacity was also quite remarkable. An adult Thick-Winged Bird could easily carry something five or six times its own weight over long distances.
During wartime, these Thick-Winged Birds would be forcibly requisitioned by the imperial military. They would only return to civilian use after the war ended, so many among them had experienced brutal battles.
As they entered the plaza, the clamor poured into Xiao Yi Xian's ears like a flood. Caught off guard, her ears buzzed for quite some time before she slowly recovered.
"Teacher, it's so noisy here." Xiao Yi Xian frowned. She did not like the chaotic environment here.
"Bear with it. We'll be done soon." Gu He smiled and reassured her.
Gu He then looked up at the crowded plaza and saw long lines beside every Thick-Winged Bird. Near the wooden ladders leading onto them, he could even see uniformed attendants collecting boarding tickets.
Staring at the scene in surprise, Gu He shook his head with a bitter smile after a while. He stopped a passerby, asked where tickets were sold, then made his way to a ticket booth in the plaza's southeast corner.
After waiting in line for half an hour and buying their tickets, Gu He brought Xiao Yi Xian aboard the giant flying bird.
Looking at the flying bird before her, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly thought of her pet, Little Blue.
It was a first-tier Blue Eagle.
After leaving Qingshan Town, the thing Xiao Yi Xian could not bear to part with most was her pet.
Little Blue, wait for me. When I become stronger, I'll come back to Qingshan Town and take you with me, Xiao Yi Xian murmured in her heart.
Not long after Gu He and Xiao Yi Xian boarded the flying beast, Gu He felt its enormous wings slowly begin to beat.
Strands of wind-attributed energy swirled beneath it, lifting its massive body into the sky.
With a piercing cry, the flying beast shot into the heavens under the beast tamer's command and began rapidly flying toward the empire's imperial capital.
Sitting by the window in the room, Gu He watched the faint clouds flash past outside. Deep in his memories, the distant word "airplane" suddenly surfaced.
He had not expected that after arriving in this other world, he would still get to experience flying on an airplane again.
"Teacher, how long will it take for us to reach the imperial capital?" Xiao Yi Xian asked expectantly as she looked out the window.
"About three days," Gu He replied calmly.
"If you're bored, make good use of the time to cultivate," Gu He said with a smile.
Then, with a thought, Gu He took out the Crimson Snake Cauldron.
Xiao Yi Xian asked curiously, "Teacher, are you going to refine pills?"
"You're about to break through to the Dou Zhe realm. Since we have time, I'll refine a dose of Qi Gathering Powder for you," Gu He said with a smile.
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