Heading to the Immortal Alliance

When Wang Qi woke from the darkness, he only felt warm all over, as though he had been soaked in hot water and his very bones were about to melt away.

"Where was I...?"

His head felt muddled, and there was also some... nausea?

Wang Qi jolted awake in silence. Nausea? As a cultivator, he should have been strong and healthy. A negative symptom like nausea meant either a deviation in cultivation or poisoning—either one could strip a person of a layer of skin!

When Wang Qi opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Xiang Qi's face, extremely close to his.

"Wah!" Wang Qi jumped in fright and instinctively curled up. Only then did he realize that he was lying on a bed.

"Such a big reaction?" Seeing that Wang Qi had awakened, Xiang Qi leaned back and sat down on a chair beside the bed.

Wang Qi rubbed his head and asked, "Where is this? How did I get here?"

Xiang Qi's expression darkened. "We found you beside Senior Brother Li's... body. You had fainted there."

Only then did Wang Qi remember. After copying Unforgiving Taoist's manuscript, he had exhausted too much mental energy and passed out. He hurriedly searched himself. If anyone discovered that he had secretly copied the manuscript, that would be quite the spectacle.

Fortunately, Wang Qi quickly found the handwritten copy tucked into his waistband. Luckily, before fainting, he had remembered to wrap it in a piece of cloth—this cloth had originally been used by Li Ziye to bundle together some odds and ends in his storage pouch.

"Are you looking for this?"

A somewhat husky female voice cut into the conversation.

Wang Qi looked up and saw a middle-aged female cultivator holding the storage pouch Li Ziye had left behind, as well as the jade ring inhabited by Zhen Chanzi. Only then did Wang Qi realize that the ring on his hand was gone. Xiang Qi hurriedly rose and greeted her, "Martial Aunt Yan." At the same time, she introduced her to Wang Qi. "This is Martial Aunt Yan Heyi of Jiyin Valley, the Safety Officer in charge of this region and of this incident."

Wang Qi had already decided to conceal the matter of obtaining the manuscript, so he nodded. "Yes, Senior."

Yan Heyi nodded. Rather than returning the ring to Wang Qi, she gestured to Xiang Qi. "Go outside for a while. I have some questions for this child."

Xiang Qi understood the Safety Officers' procedures and nodded as she headed out. Yan Heyi sat in the chair Xiang Qi had just occupied, her long phoenix eyes fixed on Wang Qi. "I have just learned the beginning and end of this matter from Xiang Qi and the old gentleman in the ring. However, due to my position, I must ask you some questions as well."

Like the police taking statements—separating me, Xiang Qi, and the old man to keep us from getting our stories straight.

Wang Qi nodded. "Of course, Senior, please ask whatever you wish. But may I ask one question first?"

Yan Heyi nodded. "Ask."

Wang Qi cautiously asked, "What happened to the village where I was born?"

Even Yan Heyi's indifferent face showed a trace of sympathy. "I would advise you not to know."

Though he already knew the answer, Wang Qi could not help clenching his fists. "Then... the bodies?"

"The other Safety Officers have already buried them where they fell."

Wang Qi let out a long breath. So be it. He would add this debt to the ledger as well.

Seeing that Wang Qi still worried for others under such circumstances, Yan Heyi's impression of him improved greatly. Her expression softened as she comforted him, "This is not something you could have changed. The dead are gone; the living must strive on. Do not dwell on it too deeply."

Wang Qi lowered his head and nodded meekly. Though his appearance was sincere, he was also using it to conceal any unnaturalness that might show in his expression or voice.

Yan Heyi said, "All right. Now I will ask you some questions. I hope you will answer truthfully."

"Mhm."

"First, tell me about the battle between Myriad Dharma Sect disciple Li Ziye and the Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao disciple after you were abducted."

Wang Qi honestly recounted the entire course of events, omitting only the matter of using Hilbert space to solve the method for breaking the restriction. The mathematical level of that calculation had far exceeded what an Ancient Method Cultivator could grasp, and pinning it on Zhen Chanzi would do no good.

Yan Heyi frowned. "There are two issues here. First, why did that Nascent Soul cultivator capture you?"

Wang Qi answered, "The old man in the ring told me that the ancient method inheritance I cultivated since childhood came from Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace, which is mortal enemies with the Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao. Perhaps that man believed I carried some secret of Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace."

Yan Heyi continued, "Then there is one more question. I have already heard from Xiang Qi that you are skilled in calculations, and that after understanding the theories of modern Dharma, you broke through to the Heavens. Your talent is truly extraordinary."

"You flatter me, Senior."

Yan Heyi shook her head. "No need to be overly modest. Using a little ancient-method calculation to break through to the Heavens in half a day is already shocking enough to shake heaven and earth. But in that case, judging from your Dharma power and aura, you are entirely a Modern Dharma Cultivator. How did that man identify you as someone carrying the inheritance of Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace?"

So that was indeed a problem!

Wang Qi did his utmost to appear like a Qi Refining Cultivator who knew nothing at all, shaking his head. "I truly do not know."

Yan Heyi nodded, feeling that Wang Qi's performance had no flaws and matched the understanding expected of a Qi Refining ancient cultivator. She asked several more questions, then returned the ring to Wang Qi and prepared to leave.

The moment the ring entered his hand, Zhen Chanzi's voice reappeared in Wang Qi's mind—Yan Heyi must have used some secret art to temporarily cut off Zhen Chanzi's spiritual-sense transmissions. The old man chuckled in his mind. "Hehe, looks like we got through this hurdle."

Wang Qi had no energy to speak with him. His face pale, he collapsed back onto the bed.

Fortunately, he and the old man had discussed a countermeasure beforehand. Zhen Chanzi was old and shrewd; though he could not comprehend modern Dharma, he understood the ways of the world well enough. With his help, concealing some matters had not been difficult. Having passed this hurdle, the Immortal Alliance would no longer pay him too much attention.

Suddenly, Yan Heyi, who had already reached the door, turned back and asked, "Why is your face so pale?"

Wang Qi took a deep breath and told the truth. "I do not know why, but I feel terribly nauseous. Perhaps I suffered a deviation in cultivation or was injured."

A faint smile appeared on Yan Heyi's face. "Those riding a flying boat for the first time inevitably end up like this. Endure it, and it will pass."

"A flying boat?"

Zhen Chanzi said, "Kid, have you not noticed that you are aboard a flying artifact?"

Unbelievable. My motion sickness from cars, ships, and planes in my previous life still wasn't cured in this one...

With a pale face, Wang Qi lay draped over the flying boat's rail and sorrowfully thought that if he got airsick on flying swords in this life, then his whole life would truly be ruined.

This flying boat was currently heading toward Xin Mountain, where the Immortal Alliance's headquarters was located. Yan Heyi was the Safety Officer in charge of the nearby region, while Li Ziye and Xiang Qi were both her subordinates. An Ancient Method Cultivator had appeared in her jurisdiction, and Li Ziye had died in battle; whether by sentiment or reason, she had to make a trip to the Immortal Alliance headquarters. Xiang Qi had become a Safety Officer as part of her sect's training. Now that her training period had ended, she was also due to return to the Immortal Alliance and report. And according to Immortal Alliance regulations, Rogue Cultivators who unexpectedly obtained ancient-method inheritances had to be guided into the modern Dharma immortal path, so she brought Wang Qi along as well.

The flying boat Wang Qi was on was Yan Heyi's standard-issue Immortal Alliance flying boat, specially provided for Grandmaster-level Safety Officers and used to transport Foundation Establishment Realm and Golden Core Safety Officers over long distances. It was roughly forty feet long and ten feet wide, with no sails. Unlike an ordinary boat, it had two massive metallic wings at its stern.

In Wang Qi's eyes, this flying boat could practically count as a small yacht—especially its interior. The room Wang Qi had stayed in was entirely an unnecessary feature for a transport vessel. Judging by this style, the Immortal Alliance was the very picture of using luxury cars as official vehicles.

Wang Qi's injuries were not severe for a cultivator, and after treatment, he could get out of bed. Since his seasickness was so severe, he did not stay inside the cabin. Instead, he simply went outside to let the wind blow over him and ease his head.

Zhen Chanzi sighed. "You get so sick from merely riding a flying boat that you look like a dead dog. In the future, when you fight others on a flying sword, you will surely suffer for it."

Wang Qi buried his face against the railing and let out a long sigh to hide his tears. "How much farther is it?"

Xiang Qi's voice suddenly cut in. "About five days."

Wang Qi raised his head and saw Xiang Qi standing by the railing, staring blankly into the distance. The high-altitude wind made the young woman's red robes flutter wildly, almost making her seem like a Fairy descended into the mortal world.

Wang Qi laughed awkwardly. "Senior... Sister Xiang, you're here."

Xiang Qi nodded, then suddenly sighed. Wang Qi had not been much of a talker in either life, and at a time like this, he could not find a topic. He could only pretend to lie against the railing and admire the view.

Xiang Qi suddenly asked, "Did Senior Brother Li leave any last words?"

Wang Qi carefully considered his wording and repeated what Li Ziye had said before dying. At the end, he did not forget to add, "He said... if anyone solves Xi's Twenty-Three Calculations or the Question of the Pearl in the future, remember to burn a copy for him."

Xiang Qi curled her lips. "What was that? Even at death's door, he was still thinking about those problems? No wonder Myriad Dharma Sect disciples are always mocked for being so emotionally inept that they think 'Myriad Dharma' also wants a Dao companion."

Wang Qi thought for a moment, then asked, "Have you known each other for a long time?"

Xiang Qi's voice was faint. "Three years. We were old friends, I suppose. Three years ago, because of a training assignment from my sect, I left the valley and came to the Immortal Alliance to become a Safety Officer. Then I was assigned to this region. He, meanwhile, came here to work in order to gather the heavenly materials and earthly treasures needed to refine his Natal Treasure."

"The region we were stationed in was fairly peaceful. Our main duties were suppressing the Demon Race in the mountains and forests, and managing passing Rogue Cultivators. Daily patrols were troublesome, but fairly easy. The Safety Officers in this area were all disciples of Immortal Alliance sects, and we got along very well."

"But Senior Brother Li... he was simply too much of a good person. Whatever others said, he went along with it. We even coaxed out the identity of the girl he liked, and he did not get angry. Sometimes, we would happily imagine the future together... things like solving Xi's Twenty-Three Calculations, or challenging Misty Palace's chief disciple again."

At this point, Xiang Qi sighed. "It was precisely because he was such a hopelessly good person... If he had not been so hopelessly good, if he had not listened to me and failed to return to the Immortal Alliance branch immediately, perhaps he would not have died..."

Wang Qi interrupted her. "Even I could tell that the enemy came prepared. Even if you had taken me back to the Immortal Alliance branch, they would probably have intercepted and killed us. If we had fallen into their trap, we might have died even worse deaths."

Xiang Qi sighed softly. "But he might not have died. Just for that 'might,' I owe him far too much."

Wang Qi tentatively asked, "Senior Sister? I think you're showing signs of turning into a resentful woman."

Xiang Qi burst out laughing. She wiped the corner of her eye and said, "It is not that serious. A friend has gone. It is only natural to feel some sadness."

Wang Qi rested his head against the railing again and asked, "Do cultivators place importance on funerals?"

Xiang Qi shook her head. "Safety Officers who die in the line of duty have designated burial grounds, and they may also be buried in the Myriad Dharma Sect cemetery. By regulation, we must go to Xin Mountain headquarters, so we are probably too late to make it—and you seem to have forgotten that the Immortal Alliance's unified entrance trial is about to begin. You need to prepare."

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