A moment later, Yun Xian returned home with a promissory note and one hundred taels of silver, amidst the complicated gazes of the crowd.
"IOU?" Qiao Lingshan took a closer look. The amount written on it wasn't just a mere one hundred taels. It was accurate to the nearest cent, totaling three thousand five hundred high-grade spirit stones and one hundred and fifty-three taels and nine cents. At the bottom, Yun Xian's round fingerprint was stamped in red mud. She was immediately horrified and said, "How can we even pay this back?"
Xue Lingxiu was still standing not too far away, gently waving her folding fan.
After leaving the secret realm, his fussy nature became even worse. He finally had a place to show off his fuss. Not only did he burn incense on the corners of his clothes, he even replaced his folding fan with a new one, which was inlaid with silver and carved with jade. It was truly elegant and wealthy.
Yun Xian just thought, it's autumn now, and you're still using a folding fan? If you can't freeze to death, you can keep going even in winter.
"It's okay, it's okay." Yun Xian put the silver into his storage ring, took out twenty taels and placed them neatly on the counter, and said calmly, "Boss, please bring us four rooms."
There will always be a way out when you reach the mountain. If you can't pay the money, just run away. Anyway, Xue Lingxiu can't beat her, so how can he force her to pay back?
Qiao Lingshan saw her expression and suddenly understood what she was thinking. She coughed and said, "If you don't intend to pay it back, why did you write that IOU?"
"I'm just trying to appease Brother Xue." Yun Xian said insightfully, "I don't think Brother Xue thinks I'll pay him back, but if he keeps paying out money like this, it'll make him lose face."
Qiao Lingshan: "..." I don't understand. I really don't understand. Is it really a face-saving thing to not pay back an IOU?
Everyone whispered back and forth. The proprietress, wrapped in black cloth, slowly reached out and took the twenty taels into her palm. Then she said hoarsely, "There are no four upper rooms in this remote place. There are only three, all on the second floor. Divide them among yourselves."
Only three rooms?
Yun Xian paused for a moment.
It was getting dark, and it was unrealistic to continue on our journey. Who knew what we might encounter along the way? It seemed that this shabby inn was the only one in this ten-mile radius. But if there were only three, there would be five people here, including Xue Lingxiu. How would they divide the rooms?
Qiao Lingshan's temper has improved a lot now, and she no longer says anything about not wanting to live with Yun Xian. Xue Lingxiu is the one paying, so she must have her own room. Yun Xian pondered for a moment and said, "Big Brother, you may have to stay with Feng Ye for one night."
Su Chi said nothing, just nodded. He had always seemed to care little for these material possessions. Even if Yun Xian asked him to stay in the wilderness for a night, he probably wouldn't say anything.
Feng Ye was even happier. It was so reassuring to have the elder brother beside him.
This inn is quite old. The wooden stairs creak when you step on them. The whole second floor exudes a decayed smell. The guest room in the corner is locked and it seems that no one is staying there.
Feng Ye held the guqin in his arms and wondered, "Could it be that the proprietress's own house?"
"She lives downstairs." Yun Xian glanced at the corner and said, "Why do I feel a chill on my back? There must be a ghost."
"Yeah. There should be." Qiao Lingshan followed up, "This inn appeared so abruptly, it's natural that there are ghosts."
Su Chi: "There are a few spirits, it's okay."
Feng Ye hypnotized himself crazily: "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid..."
Xue Lingxiu: “…” The people of the Eastern Realm are truly unique.
Seeing how dilapidated the second floor was, he didn't even want to go up. But he and Yun Xian had something to talk about, so he could only cover his nose slightly and slowly follow into the room. The guest room was just as shabby, the bedding hadn't been changed in who knows how long, and it exuded a musty smell. Fortunately, there was enough space, so everyone moved the wooden table away and sat down cross-legged.
Xue Lingxiu sat on the only soft stool in the room and asked, "How much do you know about Tang Lingguo?"
Strictly speaking, everyone is currently only in the outer part of the small country and has not entered the city gate.
Xue Lingxiu had come this time on a mission assigned to him by Li Pei. The Southern Realm didn't need his help much at the moment, so it would be better for him to continue traveling, gaining experience, and preparing for the future. Besides, the Tang Ling Kingdom wasn't particularly dangerous. After all, as long as they didn't actively provoke this demon cultivator in the Spirit Severing Stage, everyone else would be just an ordinary person without any cultivation.
"It would be best if someone I know is here." Feng Ye said happily, "It's really a coincidence that I can actually run into Master Xue in the East Realm."
There is always a medical practitioner who is more reliable, at least your life won’t be in danger so easily.
Xue Lingxiu frowned, as if she extremely disliked this place, and said, "I said, it was my third sister who asked me to come. It wasn't me who wanted to come."
Feng Ye choked. Mainly, he didn't seem to ask this.
Although the Miaoshou Sect in the Southern Realm did not obtain as many golden bells as the Buddhist Sect, they still had five. If they could complete this heavenly-level mission, it would naturally be great.
Speaking of Tangling Country, the news from the southern border was similar to that from Xuanbao Pavilion. This place lacked spiritual energy, restricting cultivators. However, demons, monsters, and ghosts could survive without spiritual energy, cultivating their own methods. Therefore, according to common sense, this place should have been occupied by demons long ago, leaving no chance for ordinary people to rule.
"The demons don't rely on spiritual energy?" Yun Xian asked, "But wasn't Jimo Shu able to absorb spiritual energy from the Great Desolate Spring before?"
Qiao Lingshan was also puzzled.
"different."
Su Chi had traveled to many places and knew more things, so he answered some of the people's questions.
Cultivators follow the will of heaven and earth, absorbing spiritual energy to enhance their cultivation. However, demons are different from humans. Heaven and earth do not show mercy to them, but rather directly "rob" them. Their cultivation grows faster, but correspondingly, there are also more impurities.
Simply put, cultivators only absorb spiritual energy and have no other channels, but their foundation is solid and will not leave any hidden dangers in the future; demons are more like "eating unclean things without getting sick", stuffing all kinds of demonic energy and ghost energy into their dantian. There are restrictions here, but the restrictions are definitely not as many as those of cultivators.
At the foot of Jiange Mountain, there were also ordinary villages with little cultivation. Qiao Lingshan said solemnly, "In that case, wouldn't the demons be like wolves among a flock of sheep?"
"So this is what the Spiritual Severing Stage demon cultivator who protects the small nation will do." Xue Lingxiu tapped the map with his folding fan and said, "If there are demons causing trouble, he will go and deal with it. In return, the princess is the exchange price he wants."
Yun Xian said: "And now the palace is on fire, burning for three days and three nights, and the princess can't find anyone."
"Yes." Xue Lingxiu said, "Originally, the wedding date was scheduled for another month, but the demon cultivators are furious and may even withdraw their protection."
Yun Xian touched his chin: "Hmm..."
It's a headache.
If she couldn't be found, she couldn't have been burned to ashes. Either she had been abducted, or she had escaped on her own. She didn't know the princess, but looking at the portrait of Princess Tang Wuke, whose every expression and gesture was dignified, combined with her character in the storybook, she felt that the first possibility was more likely.
Of course, it's not impossible for him to escape on his own. This demon cultivator has been dominant until now, and was only recently exposed. He married countless princesses. Each generation was overwhelmed with worry and died within two or three years. This means he must be at least eighty years old.
Yun Xian was very particular about choosing a Taoist partner. Eighteen years old was fine, eight hundred years old was fine, but not eighty. That would make him look too old, and so, no.
Everyone sat in a circle like this for a while, and Yun Xianfang slowly expressed his insightful opinion: "Why don't we go to bed first?"
Everyone: “…”
"We'll find out tomorrow when we get to the city," she said. "Besides, maybe someone else will come later. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could exchange ideas then?"
Xue Lingxiu said in a gloomy tone, "Who else do you want to come?"
"Don't worry, everyone go back to your rooms." Yun Xian pretended not to hear, stood up, and began to chase people away. "If anything strange happens at night, remember to look up to the sky and shout 'Big Brother', and you'll be fine."
Her words really sounded like nonsense, but Su Chi, standing behind her, didn't say a word and even looked as if he agreed.
This was Xue Lingxiu's second time meeting Su Chi. He used to rarely look people in the eye, let alone observe their appearance, but Su Chi's presence was too strong to ignore.
Xue Lingxiu looked at his face and was almost dazzled: "..."
In the blink of an eye, Xue Lingxiu snorted coldly, shook her folding fan and left angrily. Yun Xian was suddenly puzzled: "Did I say anything bad just now?" Why was he suddenly angry again?
"No." Qiao Lingshan saw it clearly and said, "Mr. Xue is just angry again, just like he can't stand Fellow Daoist Qi."
Before Su Chi left, he stretched out his finger and drew a sword formation on the door of the guest room. The sword light was sharp and brilliant for a moment, making him look even more like the moon reflected in the snow on the top of the mountain, which elevated the style of this small, shabby house to a higher level.
Yun Xian was stunned: "... Senior Brother, good night."
Su Chi nodded and left.
The breeze is still blowing across the hills, and you can't even see it nodding unless you look closely.
Yun Xian sighed and thought. Brother Xue, if you are so narrow-minded every day, how can you get over your anger? Plain porridge and side dishes and a full banquet can both be said to have their own flavors, and they can both relieve greasiness and taste freshness. But don't compare them with the exquisite delicacies sprinkled with gold foil. Comparisons will only make you angry. But it is true that she has been looking at the eldest brother's face every day recently. Now when she looks at Xue Lingxiu's face, she can only think of "quite white". Apart from that, she can't tell whether he is handsome or not.
Qiao Lingshan closed the door and the window, spread a mat on the ground, and urged, "Wash up and go to bed quickly. We have to travel tomorrow."
"..." Yun Xian had almost lain down when he sat up in shock and slipped into the room over there: "I'm going to go get some cleansing talismans from Brother Xue."
A full moon appears at midnight.
When everyone in the East Realm had already checked into their rooms, the meeting hall of the Sword Sect in the North Realm was still brightly lit. Liu Xin sat on the main seat with a gloomy face, listening to the people below report the news.
"After all, there are so many people in the cities, and we can't mobilize many troops at the moment, so she got away." The man below said quickly, "Now the group has entered the Eastern Boundary. They should be heading to Tangling Country."
Liu Chang sat at her right hand. In just ten days, he looked so old that he looked unrecognizable, with bloodshot eyes.
After waking, Liu Shi refused to face the truth, smashing and beating things around, refusing to sleep all day, believing it was all a dream. He had once been an invincible figure within the Sword Sect, bullying others for who knows how long. His status kept many from speaking out, and now, with everyone pushing him down, he dared not even leave the house. Liu Chang could only be thankful that, despite outside speculation, his collusion with the Demon Cult to attack fellow disciples had been kept secret, undisclosed. Otherwise, given the current situation, Liu Shi would have been punished according to the sect's rules.
No matter how useless or how much of a puppet Liu Feiran is, he is at least the head of the sect. The only son of the sect leader was crippled in public, and this matter must not be let go. Otherwise, the reputation of the Sword Sect has been trampled into the ground, and how can it be redeemed later?
"How could she get away with a fifth-level Nascent Soul?" Liu Xin asked, "What's going on?"
"This..." The man was not quite sure, and only said, "It seems that there is a mysterious master accompanying them, who has restrained the leader."
Liu Xin: "Mysterious master..."
Her face darkened, and she pondered. At this moment, Liu Chang looked up and repeated, "You said she went to Tang Lingguo?"
"How is Tang Lingguo?" Liu Xin seemed to be familiar with the name, but she was busy with all kinds of affairs and could not take care of the affairs of the Sword Sect, so how could she know about an unknown small country in the East Realm.
"She was so clever that she ended up making a mistake. She thought that she could live in peace and quiet there. She probably didn't even know how she died."
Without the enemies in the cultivation world, how could she, a mere junior, withstand those formidable demons and monsters? Besides, if it was for a mission, what experience could she have compared to other disciples? Liu Chang sneered, seeming to feel much more relaxed. He slowly looked at Liu Xin, "Besides, isn't Liu Xu back yet?"
Liu Xin seemed to understand something, and his stiff expression relaxed a lot.
Let her handle it. With Liu Xu's strength, it's not easy to deal with Yun Xian.
"Go down." Liu Xin said coldly: "Next time, send someone who is in the Out-of-Body Stage."
“…”
At this moment, Yun Xian was lying on the floor and turned over again.
The leader was still doing sit-ups beside the pillow, looking very angry.
Qiao Lingshan closed her eyes and said sullenly, "If you don't want to sleep, then don't sleep. Get up and practice."
"I can't sleep." Yun Xian looked at the bright moonlight outside the window. The light shone at her feet. She felt a sense of tension, like a group outing at private school. "Come to think of it, we can be considered to be traveling around the world."
"Why open the window? Aren't you cold?" Qiao Lingshan opened her eyes in annoyance. "You are now the leader of the Four Realms and the most iconic figure of the new generation. You can't be so out of touch like before."
Yun Xian thought, Lingshan, why do you suddenly speak like my dad?
What a leader of the four realms! If she returned to Jiange now, she would naturally be treated with great fanfare and a triumphant return home. But now she is in this remote place, and few people read the tabloids.
Ordinary people without any cultivation have their own set of survival rules. No matter how the cultivators fight in the sky, they are more concerned about whether their food has been stolen by rats.
Besides, they were no different from having no cultivation at all. The spiritual energy stored in their dantian was temporarily unregenerateable, so they dared not use it carelessly. If they didn't need it in an emergency, it would be fatal.
Qiao Lingshan couldn't sleep either, but she pretended to be mature on the surface: "Let's just take care of that demon cultivator on this trip."
Yun Xian nearly spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard this. What did he mean by "get rid of"? Could it be that Qiao Lingshan had also contracted her aunt's "distinct state of mind" problem?
But I think so.
Naturally, Yun Xian couldn't do the thing of finding the princess, tying her up, and sending her to the Demon Lord. She went deep into the place, also wanting to find out the reason why the spiritual veins disappeared.
I can't sleep, so I just chatted about something. Yun Xian was thankful, "Fortunately, Brother Xue and Senior Brother were not assigned to the same room. Otherwise, Brother Xue might be so angry that he couldn't sleep at night and secretly got up to scratch Senior Brother's face."
Qiao Lingshan: "...please let Master Xue go!"
She was both angry and amused. She swung her left hand under the quilt, which should have touched the ground, but suddenly hit something.
It was soft yet hard, and flexible to the touch, like the human body, but with an icy smell of decay. At this moment, a foul odor slowly filled her nose, like the skin of an animal that had been left for more than ten days, making her want to vomit.
And on the neck, something was blowing slightly.
Ever since Yun Xian started speaking, Qiao Lingshan had been tilting her head to look at the back of his round head, never paying attention to the left side. Now she froze for a moment, and her eyes slowly moved away.
Dim moonlight streamed down, revealing a figure sprawled beside her. The word "figure" was apt, for the figure lay limp, floating on the ground like a mollusk, its neck twisted vertically. A face identical to Yun Xian's smiled at her, its lips parted, and murky black blood slowly flowed from its seven orifices.
Qiao Lingshan: “…………”
Yun Xian: “…………”
Qiao Lingshan: "Hey, did you see that?"
Yun Xian: "I saw it. But, am I really this thin now?"
Qiao Lingshan's fighting spirit, honed on the battlefield, was indestructible, but that didn't mean she could remain calm when faced with something this frightening. She immediately summoned her spiritual energy and was about to strike with her sword, but Yun Xian quickly grabbed her by the waist, "No! If you use it, it's gone!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Qiao Lingshan didn't want to look any further, but the thing must have known how scary it looked, forcing itself right in front of her eyelids, its soft flesh squirming like a bug ready to attack. And with Yun Xian's bleeding face pressed against its head, it felt both terrifying and disgusting. She closed her eyes and cried, "Yun Xian! What should I do with this thing?!"
Yun Xian: "Calm down!!"
Qiao Lingshan shouted, "I'm calm! I'm really calm!!"
"I knew this inn was probably a shady place."
This was the first time Yun Xian had encountered such a spirit that actively frightened people. Of course, cultivators called it a "spirit" because they could deal with it. But to ordinary people without cultivation, it was just a "ghost." A small ghost that frightened people was probably incapable of killing them, otherwise they would have just attacked directly. Why bother? She suppressed her nausea and reached out, grabbing the thing by its seven-inch point... Wait, is this thing seven inches long?
The two Yun Xian faced each other.
It seemed that the spirit had never been caught like this before. A dazed expression appeared on its face, and blood gushed out again. A few maggots came out. I don't know how many years it had been dead.
Qiao Lingshan said woodenly: "I feel like vomiting."
"Don't spit it out yet, hold it back." Regardless of whether it was seven inches or not, Yun Xian took it down anyway. The feeling was extremely delicate. She tried hard to ignore the soft flesh that was surging and wriggling. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind, and she said solemnly, "Lingshan, I thought of something, but I don't know if I should say it or not."
Qiao Lingshan: "You want to say it, can I still stop you?"
"A spiritual body, a body made of spiritual energy." Yun Xian hissed, "Even if you're unlucky and half of it is ghostly energy from the underworld, at least the other half is still spiritual energy, right?"
Spirits are born from heaven and earth, and are fundamentally different from demons. Naturally, there is spiritual energy in their bodies.
Qiao Lingshan blinked: "...What do you mean?"
The two looked at each other for a moment, then lowered their eyes to look at the "Yun Xian" in Yun Xian's hand.
Yun Xian also blinked, and in an instant, his face turned pale. He no longer cared about scaring anyone, and spoke in a human voice that was exactly the same as Yun Xian's: "No! Don't eat me! Help! Help! Big Brother!!!"
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