A round-faced little girl sat beside her. With a startled "Oh!" she hurriedly pulled at the curtain. She seemed not to have expected such strong sea winds; no sooner had she pulled it shut than it blew open again, leaving her scrambling until her little round face flushed red.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman, an adorable little maid... never mind Qi Yan staring instinctively-the entire street seemed to quiet considerably, and the bustling little restaurant fell almost silent as everyone looked outside.
Only after the convoy had gone into the distance did long exhalations rise one after another.
Such was the destructive power of beauty.
Qi Yan fared much better than the others. After all, Jiang Jinyue and Luo Chaoge were both peerless beauties, and repeated exposure had built up some resistance... even so, he had to admit that this woman's refined, well-bred bearing really struck a chord.
The restaurant chatter immediately shifted from the Resounding Sword Sect and Extreme Dao Sect to this woman. "So beautiful. Who is she?"
Someone who recognized her said, "Yun Ranyi, the young lady of the Yun Clan in Five Willows City."
Qi Yan nodded. So it was her. The Yun Clan was a renowned Lineage on Tianliang Continent, too. Their patriarch, Yun Ranyi's father, was reportedly a Spirit Transformation cultivator. Yun Ranyi's beauty had long been famed throughout Tianliang as well. They said she had been born with blocked meridians and could not cultivate, which lent a further poignancy to her image as a frail beauty.
Someone said, "So that's her... no wonder she's so beautiful. She certainly lives up to her reputation. Didn't they say she couldn't cultivate at all, that she was just a mortal? Why has she left home and come here?"
"The battle between the Resounding Sword Sect and the Extreme Dao Sect took place just outside Five Willows City... I reckon they don't feel safe anymore. The Yun Clan may be powerful, but they can't compare to those two."
These words silenced many of them for a moment. Quite a few shared the same worries.
Previously, the Extreme Dao Sect had never acted with great fanfare, so people had no direct sense of its strength. This battle with the Resounding Sword Sect had shaken Tianliang: a single secret stronghold had killed several Nascent Soul cultivators and even Spirit Transformation cultivators. If one stronghold was so powerful, how powerful was the sect as a whole? How powerful was the sect leader behind them?
A clash between two such formidable powers could very well drag the entire continent into war. Having just witnessed a great battle on their doorstep, it seemed only natural that the Yun Clan wanted to relocate.
Someone sighed. "That's understandable... but Coastal City isn't necessarily safe either. What good does it do...?"
"Are you stupid? It's obvious they're heading out to sea!"
"Out to sea... I wonder if they still need guards. I don't want to keep scraping by here either..."
Quite a few people voiced their agreement, and Qi Yan's interest stirred as he listened.
If they were heading out to sea, he wondered what transport they were using. If they were taking a flying Law Treasure, there was basically no chance of anyone else hitching a ride. But if they were taking a ship, the people in their convoy probably would not be enough. Perhaps they might recruit sailors locally.
Whichever continent they planned to visit, it would be enough if he could tag along and leave Tianliang first...
With that thought, Qi Yan immediately paid his bill and left, following the convoy at a distance.
Sure enough, the convoy headed toward the shore, to the heavily guarded ship he had seen earlier. The Yun Clan's young lady and her maid soon stepped out of the carriage and boarded.
A man who looked like a steward stood onshore, speaking to a ship captain. "The experienced hands for the long voyage are ready, I trust?"
The captain replied, "They're already aboard and at their posts. We can depart at any time."
Qi Yan felt a real pain in the balls.
Naturally, they had made preparations for their relocation long ago. They would not be hiring people here at the last minute. What now?
He might as well be straightforward... Qi Yan suddenly raised his voice. "Steward Yun, might I hitch a ride?"
The steward looked startled. "Who are you?"
"Just another traveler hoping to leave this war-torn land. But the other ships here can't sail far out to sea. I happened to see your Lineage setting out. Could you do me a favor and take me along? I can pay for passage."
Steward Yun shook his head. "We're hardly short of your little passage fare. Why invite needless trouble?"
Qi Yan said, "Since you're recruiting sailors here, you clearly need hands. I'm at least at Early Qi Refining, and I know a little about sailing. I might be able to help. Besides, with my meager cultivation, I couldn't harm your Lineage even if I wanted to... what difference is there between hiring someone else and hiring me? I'll even pay."
Steward Yun smiled. "Everything you say is true. Unfortunately, one less complication is better than one more. Please leave, young brother."
Actually, Qi Yan knew that if Master Yun were here, he might well let him come along. But a steward naturally would not want to invite needless trouble and take on more responsibility. That was only human nature.
He was just about to persist for another few words when a clear voice suddenly came from the bow. "What's your name?"
Qi Yan looked up. It was the round-faced little maid, leaning against the railing at the bow and watching him with interest.
Qi Yan cupped his hands. "My surname is Yue. Yue Jinjiang."
Jiang Jinyue, up in the air: "¿"
Actually, Qi Yan himself did not know why... he had wanted to borrow some acquaintance's name at random, yet the first thing that surfaced in his mind was Jiang Jinyue's smiling face.
How strange...
By rights, the person closest to him now was Little Crybaby, but unfortunately, chatting online lacked a sense of reality, and he did not know her name anyway. If he were thinking of faces, he ought to feel most favorably toward Luo Chaoge right now. Why had he thought of Jiang Jinyue first? In theory, he had no relationship with Jiang Jinyue whatsoever.
The round-faced little maid smiled. "You're at the Second Layer of Qi Refining? You know how to sail?"
"To be honest, I do know a little."
In his previous life, he had traveled aboard ships while working in foreign trade. Though he had not been responsible for sailing, he knew a little. Of course, the circumstances of his two lives were completely different, and he did not know how much would be useful... speaking of which, he had even fought white gangs on those overseas trips. Building himself up from nothing had not been easy; that was how he had developed his present temperament.
The little maid smiled. "Aren't you afraid we'll rob you blind and throw you into the sea to feed the sharks?"
As she spoke, she made a clawing gesture, looking utterly adorable.
Qi Yan smiled. "You jest, miss. How could a Spirit Transformation-level Lineage care about the few things I have on me?"
The little maid tilted her head to listen, as though someone inside the cabin had said something. Soon, she smiled again. "The young lady said it isn't easy for anyone away from home. Helping others might lead to helping each other. Let him aboard."
The steward seemed unsurprised by his young lady's kindness. Without even attempting to dissuade her, he gestured. "Since the young lady has spoken, please come aboard, young master."
Qi Yan thanked him and stepped aboard.
Jiang Jinyue was so furious that she threw away the melon in her hand.
Where did this little bitch come from? Who needed you to play the good person? Wouldn't it be better to watch this bastard swim across the sea?
Still, Master Yun ought to be stronger than even Jiang Jinyue herself. Moreover, the ship was covered in extremely fearsome formations; she did not even dare probe the cabins with her Divine Sense. Such a powerful man could clearly fly across the sea with his daughter, so why choose a ship... Jiang Jinyue rubbed her chin, sinking into thought.
Meanwhile, Qi Yan entered the cabin after boarding, intending to thank Yun Ranyi, only to find that not only Yun Ranyi but even the round-faced little maid had vanished. Only a few Lineage guards stood at the entrance to the inner cabins, eyeing Qi Yan like tigers watching prey.
Qi Yan raised his hands to show he meant no harm. The steward followed leisurely from behind and pointed to a small room. "You count as a guest, young master. Stay here for now."
Qi Yan thanked him, then asked, "Which continent does your Lineage intend to relocate to?"
The steward replied courteously, "Heavenly Prefecture Continent. After all, it is the foremost continent in the Heavenly South, the most expansive and the most peaceful."
Delighted, Qi Yan asked another question. "There isn't much contact between continents. I've only heard scattered rumors about Heavenly Prefecture Continent. Are you familiar with it, Steward?"
The steward shook his head. "Not very. Like you, young master, I've mostly heard rumors. Who knows how much is true? The master may know more."
Qi Yan could hardly go and question Master Yun. He was satisfied enough just to get passage. Thanking the steward again, he slipped into the small room, lay facedown on the hard plank bed, and let out a long breath.
It really had not been easy.
He hoped the voyage would go smoothly.
As Qi Yan began his journey to seek his dreams on Heavenly Prefecture Continent, Little Crybaby raced back to her sect with a giant python several times her size slung over her shoulder.
Traces of a Golden Core presence emanated from her.
After absorbing the cultivation transferred through the Essence-Draining Incantation over the past six months, and happening to temper herself in a major battle, the youngest Golden Core cultivator in all history was born.
"Grandpa Wu, I'm back~"
Bang! She dropped the giant python in the External Affairs Hall, leaving all the disciples accepting and handing in missions staring dumbfounded.
Even Grandpa Wu stared dumbfounded, his white beard trembling. "Little Seven, you, y-you, you've reached Golden Core?"
"Yes. I was lucky enough to break through."
The old man shakily took out a dozen or so Spirit Stones. "Your mission reward."
Mu Xunzhen smiled, her eyes curving. "Thank you, Grandpa Wu."
Mu Xunzhen left happily, leaving a hall full of petrified fellow disciples. Some still had not closed their mouths a long while later.
Grandpa Wu murmured to himself, "No wonder this girl gets ostracized by the brothers on the main peak... this is simply too astonishing... no, this is unprecedented throughout the ages."
After a pause, he added worriedly, "I hope the sect master doesn't do anything foolish. In these turbulent times... one careless move, and the sect's destruction would be no empty alarm... sigh."