After a few days of steady progress, Yang Chengzhi's cultivation had advanced from the seventh level of Spirit Master to the ninth as he delved deeper into The Legend of the Condor Heroes. He had skipped right over the hurdle of the eighth level.
Early one morning, Yang Chengzhi rushed excitedly to the Bookstore to share the good news with Ma Feifei.
He had never imagined that after two years without any improvement, his cultivation would break through three levels in just half a month. And the sole reason was that he had read a book called The Legend of the Condor Heroes!
"So when are you planning to return to the academy for this year's Dragon Ranking tournament?" Ma Feifei wasn't surprised by Yang Chengzhi's improvement. On the contrary, he would have been surprised if his cultivation hadn't advanced. What concerned him more was whether Yang Chengzhi would return in time for this year's tournament. There wasn't much time left to complete the quest the system had given him, and Ma Feifei had to act quickly.
Holding The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Yang Chengzhi carefully ran his fingers over its blue cover. "The Dragon Ranking tournament is in twelve days. I want to finish this book before I go back."
"Will you have enough time?" Ma Feifei asked.
Zhenguan Academy was in the imperial capital, while Dubian Town was on the border. The two places were eighteen thousand li apart. At Yang Chengzhi's level of cultivation, the journey back to the capital would take at least seven or eight days.
"I've already read almost two-thirds of The Legend of the Condor Heroes. I should finish it in another six or seven days. Then I'll go to Yuanfang City and take a Great Peng back to the academy. I'll make it in time." Yang Chengzhi had already planned everything out. He couldn't fly, but this world had flying spirit beasts that were tamed by beast tamers and used as transportation.
Ma Feifei smacked his lips. He'd heard of Great Pengs. They were said to be incredibly fast, able to fly ten thousand li in a day. If Yang Chengzhi hired one to get back, he'd reach the capital in just two days. The problem was that aerial transport wasn't for everyone. A journey of ten thousand li cost a hundred Spirit Crystals per person.
Still, Yang Chengzhi had just earned a thousand Spirit Crystals a few days ago, so he had plenty to spare. Two hundred wouldn't be a problem.
"Then good luck." Ma Feifei patted Yang Chengzhi on the shoulder, then turned to find Yun Qingyang. He'd realized there was a serious problem.
"Save some of the Spirit Crystals from the next few days' earnings for me. We'll hire a Great Peng to go to the capital and watch the Dragon Ranking tournament." Ma Feifei worked out the dates. The tournament fell on a weekend. If they hired a Great Peng, they'd lose at most two or three days of business at the Bookstore, which wouldn't make much difference. But if they had no Spirit Crystals and had to travel on foot, they'd lose far more time.
They had to go see the Dragon Ranking tournament. Otherwise, it would be hard to complete the two quests he had on hand.
The Side Quest was manageable. Even if he didn't go, he could get the news afterward and imagine what had happened well enough to write something passable. But the Main Quest was more awkward. The reading requirement was easy enough; however, based on his research over the past few days and the quest progress of 8/10000, Ma Feifei had concluded that "fame" meant exposure for the Mysterious Bookstore.
That was important. If Yang Chengzhi could redeem himself at the Dragon Ranking tournament, Ma Feifei could get him to promote the Bookstore there. Wouldn't that fill the ten thousand fame points in no time?
So, to avoid anything going wrong, Ma Feifei was determined to make this trip to the capital.
That left just one problem: how they'd get there.
Among the Bookstore's current customers, besides Yang Chengzhi and Zhou Zhuling, Zhou Guanyu had also returned after taking part in the Qin-Chu war. He came to the Bookstore every day with his older sister, and the three of them had become a steady source of income.
But Yun Qingyang had taken all the earnings from the past few days, saying it was for her recovery.
Since he needed enough travel money before they set out, Ma Feifei could only ask Yun Qingyang to make do without the Spirit Crystals for now.
Yun Qingyang didn't seem very pleased. She said nothing and stood there with her sword in her arms, but Ma Feifei could sense that she was in a bit of a temper.
Ma Feifei felt awkward too. When he didn't need Spirit Crystals, he had plenty; when he did, he didn't have a single one. You never knew how precious money was until you needed it.
Feeling a little guilty, Ma Feifei explained the reason to Yun Qingyang. After all, he'd personally promised her that she could take whatever Spirit Crystals she wanted from the Bookstore. To go back on his word just a few days later really wasn't fair.
After hearing him out, Yun Qingyang turned her head and looked at Ma Feifei. "If we can get to the capital within two days, will you stop taking my Spirit Crystals?"
Ma Feifei paused, then nodded instinctively. "Of course. I only need the Spirit Crystals to hire a Great Peng and get to the capital for the Dragon Ranking tournament."
Yun Qingyang nodded. She pulled the Spirit Crystals out of the drawer, waved her hand, and made them vanish. "I'll take you there."
Looking at Yun Qingyang, Ma Feifei suddenly remembered something. Right! She was a dragon, and dragons could fly! She was all they needed. Why go to Yuanfang City to hire a Great Peng? That would be a complete waste of Spirit Crystals.
He'd been fretting over how to solve this problem, and now it was settled so easily. Ma Feifei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"By the way." Ma Feifei's eyes shifted. He glanced at Yang Chengzhi, who was reading, then leaned closer to Yun Qingyang and lowered his voice. "Would you mind taking a few more people?"
Yun Qingyang furrowed her brows, and a trace of killing intent suddenly surged from her. Ma Feifei didn't notice and continued, "I have a way to earn Spirit Crystals. If you don't mind taking a few more people, we can split what we earn fifty-fifty. How about it?"
It made no difference whether she took one person or a whole group, and they could earn Spirit Crystals too. Why not?
At the mention of Spirit Crystals, Yun Qingyang's killing intent faded and her frown eased. She seemed to have guessed what Ma Feifei was thinking. "I get eighty percent. You get twenty."
"I get forty, and you get sixty." Ma Feifei tried to negotiate.
"I get eighty percent. You get twenty." Yun Qingyang made it clear that there was no room for discussion.
"Deal!" Ma Feifei slapped the table and agreed.
It didn't matter how much he got. Today's events had made him realize that he needed to keep some Spirit Crystals on hand for emergencies. If he ever found himself in the same awkward situation again, needing Spirit Crystals and not having a single one, it would be miserable.
After settling things with Yun Qingyang, Ma Feifei went to find Yang Chengzhi. In the end, Yang Chengzhi agreed to pay Ma Feifei a hundred and fifty Spirit Crystals, and Ma Feifei would get him to the capital within two days.
The two of them smiled at each other during the transaction, both quite satisfied.
Yun Qingyang stood behind the counter. Though her eyes were fixed on the street outside, her ears twitched now and then. When Ma Feifei walked past with a bag of Spirit Crystals, she murmured, "A hundred and fifty."
Next, Ma Feifei went to find Zhou Zhuling and her younger brother.
"Big Sis, haven't you finished this page yet?" The siblings were sharing a copy of My Fair Princess. Zhou Guanyu had finished the page a full quarter of an hour ago, but Zhou Zhuling still hadn't finished reading it, and he couldn't help urging her on.
My Fair Princess Part One wasn't very long, only a little over two hundred thousand words. The siblings had been reading it for several days and were now nearing the end. But the book had a kind of magic to it: the farther they got, the more captivating it became. If Zhou Zhuling weren't his own older sister, Zhou Guanyu might have snatched the book from her.
But Zhou Zhuling acted as though she hadn't heard him and paid him no mind. Her beautiful eyes stayed fixed on the book as she read at an unhurried pace, leaving Zhou Guanyu utterly helpless.
Before you continue