Strange Tales

Today was Saturday. Ma Feifei had gone out early in the morning, carrying several dozen gold coins and eight Spirit Crystals. He had wanted to bring more, but there was no helping it—he did not have any more Spirit Crystals.

As for gold coins, he could not fit any more on him.

He could hardly carry a sack over his shoulder, could he?

Besides, this society was so dangerous. The people on the streets came in all sorts of strange varieties. For all he knew, anyone he pulled aside might be some Spirit Master or Spirit Sect expert. If someone saw him carrying a sack of money, would they not rob him?

But Ma Feifei had overthought it. To cultivators, gold coins were no longer all that important. Let alone one sack of gold, even ten sacks would not tempt them to rob him. Of course, if it were a sack of Spirit Crystals, Ma Feifei could just wait to be blasted into pulp.

Dubian Town was a small town at the northernmost edge of Great Chu, bordering Great Qin. Border towns like this generally had many outsiders, all kinds of people.

Precisely because of this, although Dubian Town was only a small town, it was extremely prosperous and even livelier than ordinary cities.

Of course, places like this offered no guarantees of safety.

Everyone relied on their own strength to protect themselves. There was also a guard unit in town, but it was not much use. At worst, a killer could flee north afterward, where Great Qin held sway and Great Chu's laws could not reach.

Especially in recent years, with constant friction between Great Chu and Great Qin, Dubian Town had become even more chaotic.

Still, chaotic as it was, the town was fairly harmonious most of the time. No one would go looking for trouble for no reason.

In a place where all manner of people gathered, even a beggar asking for alms by the roadside might be a cultivator.

All in all, Dubian Town's security did not rely on the guard unit, but on self-restraint.

Ma Feifei was new here and truly knew nothing about any of this.

He only knew that the streets were bustling, with people constantly coming and going.

As he walked down the street, he would stare at Foxmen with tails one moment, then gaze at Dwarves less than a meter tall the next, along with all kinds of bizarre Spirit Beasts.

In this world, all things possessed spirit.

And all things coexisted!

Ma Feifei could not stop marveling at this world.

Ma Feifei had come out today with two main goals. One was to stroll around Dubian Town and experience the customs of another world. The other was to understand what kind of world this truly was.

As everyone knew, the best place to gather information was a tavern. This was a paradise where adventurers gathered. Here, one could hear many interesting stories and gain a deeper understanding of the world.

As a frontier town, it not only bordered Great Qin to the north but also Nine Heavens Mountain to the west. This was one of the five great adventure lands of the Azure Dragon Continent.

Spirit Beasts, rare treasures, and exotic herbs—this place had everything.

Crossing Nine Heavens Mountain westward would bring one to Zhao State. Fifteen hundred years ago, Chu Kingdom had mobilized the strength of the entire nation to carve out a Silk Road from Chu Kingdom to Zhao State. That road lay within Nine Heavens Mountain, and it was the only route from Chu Kingdom to Zhao State.

Of course, that was another matter if one could fly.

Therefore, among the Five Great Empires, Chu Kingdom and Zhao State undoubtedly had the best relationship, because aside from this "Silk Road," the two nations shared no border at all.

The so-called "Silk Road" had now become a holy ground for merchants of the Chu and Zhao States. This indirectly made Dubian Town the first stopping point for Zhao merchants after they crossed Nine Heavens Mountain.

In this world, adventurers and merchants were the people with the broadest knowledge.

And the places these people loved most were taverns and brothels.

The latter was somewhere Ma Feifei could never go. Not in this lifetime.

The only place he could go was a tavern.

Taverns were the most numerous businesses in Dubian Town.

One could find a tavern almost every li along the road. However, if one wanted comprehensive information, it was best to visit the largest tavern.

Dubian Town's largest tavern was called Adventure Paradise. The reason it had grown so large was that directly across from it stood Dubian Town's largest trading market.

After adventurers obtained rare treasures, exotic herbs, or Spirit Beast cores from Nine Heavens Mountain, they would come here to trade for what they wanted.

After completing a trade, they naturally wanted to relax and have some fun. Thus, Adventure Paradise across the street and Dubian Town's largest Yihong Tower diagonally opposite were their best choices.

Adventure Paradise stood at the very center of Dubian Town. Ma Feifei wandered there, arriving at the tavern around two in the afternoon. Perhaps because of the recent tensions between Great Qin and Great Chu, many adventurers had remained in Dubian Town rather than venturing out, waiting for this sensitive period to pass.

After all, two hundred thousand Great Qin troops were sharpening their blades a hundred li away, while Great Chu had also stationed one hundred fifty thousand troops outside Dubian Town.

Adventurers and merchants had been affected to some extent.

Ma Feifei ordered a pot of fine Second Moon River wine and a jin of beef, then found a corner to sit in. As he drank this world's fine wine and ate beef, he listened to the adventurers in the tavern tell strange tales.

"Have you heard? King Yan passed away last month, yet it was Second Prince Yan Xun who ascended the throne. Crown Prince Yan was stripped of his position."

"I heard it was King Yan's final decree before his death. Yan State Chancellor Yuwen Hongdu and Yan Sage Sima Wuji both acknowledged it, so Crown Prince Yan could only swallow his resentment."

"What a pity for Crown Prince Yan. I heard he was a heaven-blessed prodigy and deeply beloved by the people of Yan State."

"Tsk, tsk. Yan Sage is the Second Prince's master, while Imperial Advisor Yuwen Hongdu is his father-in-law. No matter how much the people of Yan State supported Crown Prince Yan, it was useless."

That was the topic the group in front of him was discussing.

Yan State was far too distant from Chu Kingdom, lying above Qin State and sharing no border with Chu Kingdom. Ma Feifei only knew that Yan State seemed to be an extremely cold land with only two seasons each year: summer and winter.

Even more interestingly, out of three hundred sixty-five days a year, only sixty-five were summer, while three hundred were winter. Why could they count it so clearly? Because during those three hundred days, it was either snowing or snowing. There was no way to get it wrong.

"What a fascinating country. I hope I can visit it myself someday."

For Ma Feifei, after coming to this wondrous world, his greatest dream was not cultivation but to go out and see it. After all, this world was so marvelous and so vast.

"A Level Six Spirit Beast appeared in the outer regions of Nine Heavens Mountain two days ago. It killed anyone it saw. I heard many people died."

"A Level Six Spirit Beast? Those are supposed to be found only after passing the third mountain! Who knows how it suddenly ran out?"

That was the topic the group to his left was discussing.

Nine Heavens Mountain was one of the five great adventure lands of the Azure Dragon Continent. Unlike the other adventure lands, Nine Heavens Mountain was famous for its peaks. Calling them peaks was actually a stretch, because only the Ninth Heaven Mountain was a true mountain peak. The rest spread outward from it, each layer wrapping around the next. Each lower layer had a lower elevation and a much larger area. It was only because the layers were so distinct and looked like separate mountains that they were called "mountains."

"General Baili arrived in Dubian Town yesterday. I heard General Zhang Wu has already handed over military command. It seems Chu and Qin States will go to war within two days."

"Not only General Baili—even the Chu Saint has come. This time, Chu and Qin States are certainly in for a fierce battle."

"The Chu Saint is already old. If they truly fight, he may not be able to defeat the Qin Sage."

"Ah, after all, the Chu Saint is already three thousand five hundred years old."

That was the topic the group to his right was discussing.

But Ma Feifei was clearly interested in this topic. More accurately, he was interested in the phrase "three thousand five hundred years old."

"Three thousand five hundred years old!" Ma Feifei was so shocked by the number that his mouth hung open. In his previous life, Huaxia's history only spanned five thousand years, yet someone in this world could live for three thousand five hundred years! It was simply unimaginable!

"The Chu Saint? Could he be a sage?" Ma Feifei stroked his chin and pondered.

Honestly, since coming to this world, Ma Feifei had had no real concept of cultivation here. He had considered immortals and such, but this world should still be part of the mortal realm, should it not? Yet there were people in the mortal realm who could live for over three thousand years?

For some reason, Ma Feifei found himself yearning for it.

Three thousand five hundred years of time—what a magnificent life that would be.

Just as Ma Feifei sat in the tavern listening to the strange tales of the Azure Dragon Continent, something happened to Zhou Guanyu as well.

He fell ill.

More accurately, it was an illness of the heart.

After returning from the Mysterious Bookstore, Zhou Guanyu had been listless. All he could think about was that book.

It was not as though the book told some especially thrilling story. In truth, it was merely about ordinary, everyday matters. Yet for some reason, Zhou Guanyu desperately wanted to read what came next.

That book was simply too wondrous! Zhou Guanyu had lived for sixteen years. He had learned to read at three, received his education at five, and thoroughly read the works of the Hundred Schools at eight. He had read no fewer than eight thousand books, if not ten thousand, yet he had never seen anything like this.

The beautiful writing and the life described by that young girl were so captivating that he could not stop thinking about them. He simply could not tear himself away.

Thus, Zhou Guanyu wilted. He did not even eat lunch. He spent the entire afternoon sitting in the courtyard, staring blankly ahead with lifeless eyes.

"Guanyu."

"Big Sister." Zhou Guanyu raised his head and discovered that his sister was standing before him.

"Big Sister, why did you come out? Hurry and sit down." Seeing Zhou Zhuling's pale face, Zhou Guanyu no longer cared about the book. He quickly rose to help Zhou Zhuling sit down, complaining as he did so, "Big Sister, you're not well yet. How can you be walking around?"

Zhou Guanyu and Zhou Zhuling shared the same mother. She was four years older than him and at the prime of her youth. However, Zhou Zhuling suffered from a grave illness and did not have much time left.

"Cough." Zhou Zhuling had just sat down and had not even had time to speak before she could not help coughing. A sweetness filled her throat. She quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief. When she lowered it, it was already stained with blood.

"Big Sister, I'll call Teacher Huang." Zhou Guanyu panicked and rose to run, but Zhou Zhuling stopped him.

"I'm fine. There's no need to trouble Teacher Huang." Zhou Zhuling paused to recover, then took Zhou Guanyu's hand. A faint smile appeared on her pale face as she asked, "Father said you were listless today. Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhou Guanyu looked at his sister, his heart aching, though he dared not show it. At a time like this, how could he possibly still be thinking about that book?

"I'm fine, Big Sister. It's only because of a book. It's nothing serious."

"Oh?" Perhaps because he had read too much as a child, Zhou Guanyu had disliked reading most over the past two years. Yet now he had become listless over a book, which piqued Zhou Zhuling's interest. She asked, "Tell your sister about it."

Seeing this, Zhou Guanyu had no choice but to briefly tell her about the book he had seen at the Mysterious Bookstore yesterday. Zhou Zhuling became absorbed in his tale.

"There is such a wondrous book?" Zhou Zhuling could not help exclaiming after hearing it.

Zhou Guanyu nodded. "Yes. I've never heard of anything like it."

Zhou Guanyu could be considered a talented scholar. Saying he had read ten thousand volumes was no exaggeration. For words like "I've never heard of anything like it" to come from his mouth was no small matter.

"Not only that, but the Bookstore itself is even stranger. It only allows people to read, not buy. And one Spirit Crystal must be paid for every hour."

"Oh?" This was also Zhou Zhuling's first time hearing of such a thing, and she was curious. However, as intelligent as she was, she immediately thought of a problem.

"Wouldn't that Bookstore have no customers at all?"

In Dubian Town, Spirit Crystals were not particularly rare, but they were the most important things to cultivators. No one would be willing to spend Spirit Crystals to read a book unless it was a cultivation manual.

Zhou Guanyu nodded. "Of course. Otherwise, the owner would not have been sitting on a small stool counting money to pass the time. What's more infuriating is that such a large Bookstore only has two books. Even if customers came, there would be no business to do."

"Will you take your sister to see it tomorrow?" Zhou Zhuling became interested. She also loved reading, especially since her illness had worsened over the past two years and she spent most of her time in bed. When bored, she could only use books to pass the time.

The moment Zhou Guanyu heard that, he shook his head like a rattle. "No. Big Sister, your body is too weak. You should stay home and recuperate."

Over the past two years, Zhou Zhuling's condition had grown increasingly severe. Sometimes she would fall unconscious for days at a time. Forget going outside—even walking around the courtyard for too long was impossible.

"Take your sister to see it, all right?" Zhou Zhuling still wore a smile on her pale face, speaking softly.

Yet Zhou Guanyu heard another meaning in her words. Looking at Zhou Zhuling's pale face, he ultimately could not bear to refuse her.

"The Bookstore was closed today, and there's no telling whether it will be open tomorrow. How about we send a servant to check first? Once it opens, you can go with me, Big Sister."

"Mm." Zhou Zhuling nodded gently.

"Pfft."

Another mouthful of blood spilled from Zhou Zhuling's lips. This time, she did not even have time to cover her mouth. She could only turn slightly to avoid spitting blood on Zhou Guanyu.

"Big Sister! Teacher Huang! Teacher Huang!" Zhou Guanyu supported Zhou Zhuling. Seeing her fall unconscious, veins bulged across his fair face as his furious roar echoed throughout Zhou Manor.

Streams of light flashed past, and more people appeared in the courtyard.