Out at sea, the four from Linghua Island looked at the six boxes of Spirit Bees aboard their boat and laughed heartily, their laughter carrying across the surrounding waters.
None of them feared the Spirit Bees would fly out. The weather was cold, and the sea was not dry land. The Spirit Bees had nowhere to escape to and would only shelter inside their hives.
Zhao Yi was even more excited. He had long heard of Spirit Bee Honey and had even been fortunate enough to taste a few drops. When his master had taken him to a banquet hosted by Peach Blossom Island, Kongqing Island, one of the invited guests, had presented a bottle as a gift. Senior Liu had shared it among everyone on the spot, and Zhao Yi had gotten a few drops too. Neither sweet nor cloying, it had a refreshing fragrance, melted in the mouth, and contained gentle spiritual energy. It truly was an excellent aid to cultivation!
It was inexpensive: ten drops of honey cost one Spirit Stone. A finger-sized jade bottle could hold a hundred drops and sold for nine Spirit Stones.
Kongqing Island sold it at the annual Trade Fair, where it was so popular that it was practically snapped up the moment it appeared. Kongqing Island had always been cautious, never selling bee pupae, let alone Spirit Bees. Countless islands coveted Kongqing Island's Spirit Bees. Three Heroes Island had asked for some too, but nothing more had been heard of it.
The mere thought of Three Heroes Island sent a wave of dizziness and nausea through Zhao Yi. He had yet to fully recover from the earlier blasts. Anger surged in his heart. Three Heroes Island was like a shit-stirring stick, poking into everything!
He took several deep breaths to ease his dizziness. Liu Yu looked at Zhao Yi with concern, and Zhao Yi shook his head to indicate that he was fine.
Now they had actually obtained Spirit Bees. In the future, Linghua Island could raise Spirit Bees and produce Spirit Honey too. Its disciples would also be able to consume Spirit Honey to speed up their cultivation. Still, leaving Kongqing Island alone would remain a source of trouble. At that thought, a cold gleam flashed through Zhao Yi's eyes. Why not kill with a borrowed knife? Tell Black Wind Island? Ah, forget it. Let things settle for a few days first. I can make another trip when spring comes.
The moon shone bright among sparse stars, and the sea breeze blew gently, bringing a chill. The wind and waves were mild that night, and the sea was calm-good weather for setting out to sea. Hmph, I scuttled your boats. Let's see how you sail out now!
Seeing that no one from Kongqing Island was pursuing them, those aboard the little boat finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Yi had fought one opponent after another that night and taken several Fireball Talismans head-on. Although he had taken a Spring Return Pill, he still needed to meditate to recover from his injuries. Liu Yu was uninjured, but his strength was badly depleted too. The sea was fraught with danger; they still had to be prepared!
He told Wang Qing and Li Hai to keep watch while he and Liu Yu recovered first.
An unknown amount of time passed before Zhao Yi, sitting in meditation, suddenly heard Wang Qing shouting. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward Wang Qing. Day had already broken.
Wang Qing was making a great fuss, standing up now and then and pointing into the distance. "Look, what's that? It looks like two people!"
Hearing this, the other three hurriedly looked up. Sure enough, a wooden board floated on the sea several dozen yards away, with two figures curled up on it as it drifted with the waves.
"Wang Qing, have Guiwu go take a look and push the board over."
Wang Qing answered, then kicked Guiwu, who was aboard the boat. Guiwu leisurely poked his head out. Wang Qing pointed into the distance, then flipped Guiwu into the sea. Guiwu floundered a few times, righted himself, lifted his eyelids to reveal his beady little eyes, and roared at Wang Qing in language that was none too clean. Zhao Yi shot him a glare, and Guiwu hurriedly dived underwater and swam over. The lazy oaf!
Before long, Guiwu had pushed the board over.
When the board came alongside the little boat, the four looked closely and saw two young children on it.
Wang Qing and Li Hai hurriedly reached out and pulled them aboard. Liu Yu felt the children's hands, then checked beneath their noses. "They're still breathing!"
Zhao Yi nodded to Liu Yu. Liu Yu took a leather flask from behind him, pulled out the wooden stopper, and poured its contents into the children's mouths one after the other.
The leather flask contained diluted Origin-Nourishing Soup. After drinking, the two children's breathing gradually steadied. Liu Yu felt their hands; a little warmth was returning.
"They should be all right now."
Zhao Yi nodded.
"Huh, these two seem to be girls."
As though he had discovered something astonishing, Wang Qing reached out and brushed the hair away from the children's faces. The four looked at the two pale little faces, one older and one younger, with delicate brows and pretty features. They really were two girls.
Why would two girls have been abandoned at sea? Even mortals were precious resources out here, the most basic foundation of any power. Otherwise, why would the Tide-Subduing Sect sell people as breeding stock? That was a major source of income too!
Zhao Yi reached down and lifted the board out of the sea. He examined it. There were no obvious signs of damage, and the board was flat and smooth.
"These two children might have escaped on their own."
Zhao Yi spoke.
"Why else would they run away like this, with nothing at all, clinging to a wooden board and drifting at sea? They were obviously being sold!"
Wang Qing spoke bitterly.
Zhao Yi and Liu Yu both understood. Wang Qing had been captured by bandit cultivators as a young child and was about to be sold at Little Wave Island's Trade Fair. Their master had taken pity on him and bought him, then raised him for two years. When his aptitude was tested at six, he turned out to have a Spiritual Root. Their master had picked up a tremendous bargain-no, good people were rewarded for their kindness!
Children with Spiritual Roots fetched the highest prices aboard slave-trading merchant ships. Depending on their aptitude, prices generally started at a hundred Spirit Stones. Zhao Yi and Liu Yu had first been found to possess cultivation aptitude on islands subordinate to the Tide-Subduing Sect. Later, because their aptitude was too poor to make them worth nurturing, the Tide-Subduing Sect had sent them out, and their master had taken them in. Of course, he had also needed to pay the Tide-Subduing Sect an appropriate fee. After all, everything the two had eaten and drunk there had to be reckoned in Spirit Stones.
At this point, Zhao Yi had a guess. He exchanged a glance with Liu Yu, who nodded and took a Spirit Stone from his sleeve. Liu Yu placed it in one child's hand, then grasped her shoulder and circulated his True Qi. Through the meridians in her arm, his True Qi slowly reached the Spirit Stone. After a dozen or so breaths, the Spirit Stone began to glow.
"Eldest Senior Brother! She has cultivation aptitude!" Wang Qing exclaimed.
Zhao Yi nodded. The three watched intently as Liu Yu placed the Spirit Stone in the second child's hand. After another dozen or so breaths, the Spirit Stone glowed again.
"Eldest Senior Brother, th-this is... Both of them have cultivation aptitude!"
Wang Qing was so excited that his words became jumbled as he looked back and forth between Zhao Yi and Liu Yu.
"That's right. Both these children have cultivation aptitude!"
Liu Yu nodded emphatically, unable to hide the delighted surprise on his face.
A smile appeared even on Li Hai's composed face. "Congratulations, Eldest Senior Brother! Our Linghua Island is about to gain two more disciples!"
"These two children were found near Kongqing Island, clinging to a board and drifting at sea. They must have escaped. There's only one possibility: Kongqing Island bought these two children at this Trade Fair, intending to train them as its cultivators. Don't forget, apart from a few cultivators at Perfection of Meridian Opening, Kongqing Island hardly had any cultivators. Oh, and now another cultivator at Perfection of Meridian Opening and two Meridian Opening stage cultivators are dead. They have even fewer people left."
"Eldest Senior Brother, then should we...?"
Zhao Yi smiled. "Of course we're keeping them. People with cultivation aptitude are so hard to find!"
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