Buying a Saber

"Ping An, once you reach the capital of Black Wind County, Little Jing will be relying on you to look after her."

Meng Kuo looked at his daughter with reluctance. Once she left, there was no telling when she would return.

"Hmph, I'm stronger than him now. I should be the one looking after him."

Meng Jing tugged tighter at the sable fur around her neck, blocking the cold seeping into her clothes.

Jiang Ping An climbed onto Little White's back. Against the silver-clad winter landscape, Little White looked all the more sacred.

Meng Jing jumped up after him and burrowed into Jiang Ping An's arms for warmth.

For some reason, although this man wore no padded clothes, his body was warm as spring. Before snow could even touch him, it melted away, as though he were a furnace.

Before leaving, Jiang Ping An took four pills from his Storage Bag and tossed them to Li Yuntian and Meng Kuo.

The two instinctively caught them. When they saw the pills in their hands, both of their eyes widened.

Li Yuntian held two Foundation Establishment Pills.

Meng Kuo held two Realm Breaking Pills.

They were utterly shocked. How did Jiang Ping An have so many expensive pills?

Even with their high standing in Continuous Mountain County, these two pills were exceptionally precious to them.

They were far too valuable. They could not accept them.

By the time they came to their senses, Little White had already become a tiny dot, racing through the snow.

"Father! Goodbye!"

Meng Jing's tearful farewell echoed amid the goose-feather snowfall.

Li Yuntian and Meng Kuo's eyes reddened.

Though they had ten thousand reluctances in their hearts, every meeting would eventually end in parting.

Life was a journey. Even as parents, they could only accompany their children for part of the road.

The snow grew heavier, and the two youths traveled farther and farther away.

No one noticed the figure hiding in a corner, staring at the departing Jiang Ping An with hatred...

Little White raced over the snowy ground, its speed utterly unaffected by the heavy snow.

Meng Jing secretly wiped away her tears. "Jiang Ping An, for the rest of this journey, behave yourself. Don't cause trouble for me."

Jiang Ping An lowered his head and gave the girl in his arms a strange look.

Meng Jing grabbed the youth's face. "What kind of look is that? Do you think I'm the one who'll cause trouble? Wrong! Completely wrong! If anyone causes trouble, it'll definitely be you!"

Seeing the youth's confusion, Meng Jing asked, "If you see someone being bullied, would you act?"

"I would judge the situation. If I couldn't win, I wouldn't act," Jiang Ping An said.

He was not a fool. Without the strength, he would not rashly make a move.

"Wrong! You must never act, no matter when it is!"

Meng Jing slapped the youth on the head and lectured him, "How do you know the person you want to teach a lesson doesn't have some great clan or powerful faction behind them? If you hit them, wouldn't they seek revenge?"

"Don't think those people will reason with you. If they do reason with you, it's either because you're strong or because the people behind you are strong."

"The two of us have no one to rely on. If we provoke someone, they could slap us to death, and there wouldn't even be anyone to avenge us."

"That's why I'm telling you not to cause trouble along the way."

Hearing Meng Jing's words, Jiang Ping An fell silent. He truly had not considered this.

The conflict with the soldiers of Flat Water County had begun because he killed a captain, and afterward, trouble came in an endless stream.

It was commonplace for the strong to casually slaughter everyone in an entire city. If a strong person slapped him to death, no one would care at all.

"I understand."

Though Jiang Ping An felt helpless, he could not change anything. He was merely an ordinary low-level Cultivator.

Meng Jing nodded in satisfaction. "It's good that you understand. In short, even if you want to be a good person, you have to hold it in."

Jiang Ping An took out two Blood Spirit Pills and handed them to the girl. "Increase your strength as quickly as possible."

Meng Jing froze slightly. "These were given to you by Princess Sister, right? You haven't even finished using them, so why give them to me? You're a Body Cultivator too. Keep them for yourself."

Meng Jing did not take them. Though she needed them badly, she could not delay the other party's cultivation.

"My strength is below yours. If you improve quickly, it will benefit both of us. You can pay me back later."

Jiang Ping An forcibly stuffed the Blood Spirit Pills into her hands.

"Hehe, you finally admit I'm stronger, huh? Fine, I'll consider these two pills a loan from you."

Meng Jing happily accepted them. She had used up her Blood Spirit Pills, and with nothing to do on the road, having resources for cultivation was naturally a good thing. She could pay him back later.

Meng Jing swallowed the Blood Spirit Pills and began cultivating.

She did not notice that Jiang Ping An's expression was incomparably grave, as though he were worried about something.

Little White was extremely fast. A journey that would take other horses seven or eight days was more than halfway completed in a single day.

Perhaps because they had traveled far away, it had not snowed here yet. The weather was merely cold, with fierce winds blowing.

After riding all day, Meng Jing was a little tired. "Let's rest in Bright Sea County tonight. This Zigui is much more prosperous than Continuous Mountain County, and we can buy some tasty food here too."

More importantly, she wanted to enter the city and buy something delicious.

"Alright."

Jiang Ping An did not refuse. Both humans and demon beasts needed rest. Only by maintaining their energy could they react quickly when danger arose.

Jiang Ping An dismounted and fed Little White five Qi Gathering Pills.

"Woodhead, how are you so rich?" Meng Jing suddenly asked.

Feeding a demon beast five Qi Gathering Pills a day was something even her father, a general, could not bear to do.

She had thought Jiang Ping An was deceiving the demon beast when he said he would give it five Qi Gathering Pills a day after taming it.

She had not expected that he could actually afford it!

"Fortuitous encounter." Jiang Ping An could not reveal the matter of the Treasure Accumulation Basin.

"Wow! You're actually a wealthy man! You have to buy me ten Sugar Cakes! No, twenty!"

Meng Jing did not ask what sort of fortuitous encounter it had been. Instead, she was delighted that the man had money and prepared to extort a hefty sum from him.

She ran happily into the city, ready to buy something tasty.

Jiang Ping An led Little White behind her. As they entered the city, his eyes casually glanced behind him, and his expression turned grave.

This city truly was much more prosperous than Continuous Mountain County. Many Cultivators and Martial Warriors could be seen within.

Many people also had exotic beast mounts. Aside from looking a little more handsome, Jiang Ping An's mount was not especially eye-catching. Some people were even riding enormous toads.

"Wow, this saber is so beautiful."

Meng Jing had been buying sweets when a saber in a shop suddenly caught her attention.

The back of the saber bore azure floral patterns, its lines smooth and flowing. It was two fingers wide, with a light, thin blade suited to those who wielded light sabers. A faint rune-light shimmered across its body, and it had been forged with exceptional care.

"Miss, you have a discerning eye. This is the treasure that anchors our shop. Ten basic runes have been engraved upon it, allowing it to unleash tremendous power. It is sufficient even for a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator to use."

The shopkeeper proudly showed off his treasured saber.

"How much?" Stars shone in Meng Jing's eyes. She desperately wanted it; the saber was simply too beautiful.

"Only ten thousand spirit stones," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

"Ten thousand! That expensive?" Meng Jing's voice rose.

"It's very cheap. The materials for this saber are expensive. If not for the poorly engraved runes lowering its quality by several grades, it could have sold for even more."

Indeed, a weapon used by a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator would cost far more than this.

However, the price of a treasure depended greatly on its runes. The runes on this saber had not been engraved well, which was why it was much cheaper.

Meng Jing bit her red lips and reluctantly withdrew her gaze. She simply did not have that many spirit stones.

Counting her previous tournament winnings together with what her father had given her, she only had a little over three thousand spirit stones, nowhere near enough to buy this beautiful saber.

"Little Sister, big brother can buy it for you."

A voice with a strange lilt suddenly rang out.

Meng Jing turned around in confusion and saw an extremely plump man, round as a ball, grinning at her.

His eyes brimmed with disgusting greed.

"Big brother can give you this saber, as long as you become my concubine."

The others nearby suddenly scattered when they saw the man, as though they had encountered a plague god. Clearly, they knew him, and he did not seem to be a good person.