Chapter 42 Storm Island I'm not the kind of person who gets lustful at first sight...
"Little guy, remember this: you now owe your sister 201,000 mid-grade spirit stones!" Liu Xianyue chuckled and steered the spirit boat downwards.
"Wait? Why is there another 100,000?" Bai shouted indignantly.
"Naturally, it's to teach you a lesson, to let you know that on this Storm Island full of villains, blindly trying to be a good person will lead to great losses."
Bai also peered down from the bow of the boat. As the spirit boat descended, the struggling figures on the sea surface became clearly visible. "What if there are good people down there?"
Liu Xianyue lowered her eyes and smiled lightly, her full head of black hair fluttering in the sea breeze, her beauty beyond compare. She stretched out her slender, jade-like fingers and waved them lightly in front of Bai Ye's eyes, "If there is one person, the debt between us will be reduced by ten thousand!"
“It’s a deal!” Bai answered readily.
"Hey kid, it seems like you've lost out. There are only twelve people below. Even if they're all good people, you've only reduced your debt by 120,000. But that's a low probability... It's more likely you'll lose money..." Xiao Wang couldn't help but remind him.
"I know!" Bai interrupted softly in his heart, "But Xiao Wang, what does it matter! No matter how much money I owe Liu Xianyue, I will pay it back slowly. But if it can save an innocent life, then it's a win!"
She gazed at the approaching sea, her eyes resolute. "In our world, no one would stand by and watch someone drown. Perhaps one day I will become that person, but certainly not now."
"But Yezai, when you first met Zhong Jiuli, didn't she also fall into the water? Why didn't you save her?" Xiao Wang asked, posing a probing question.
Bai Ye: ......
"Because I was too weak at that time. As our ancestors said, 'When you are poor, you should cultivate your own virtue; when you are rich, you should help others.' I couldn't guarantee that saving her wouldn't bring disaster to the people around me."
"Xiao Wang, I've suddenly realized something. Why do people start doing good deeds after they become rich? Because sometimes, a simple act of kindness from you can be someone else's lifeline."
[Waaaaah, you're such a good baby, Mommy!] Little Wang praised blindly.
"Get lost, don't take advantage of me." Bai laughed and scolded, the sea breeze blowing her bangs, revealing her bright and strikingly beautiful eyes.
"Ye Zai, who are you talking to?" Jiao Jiao curiously poked her head out, but before she could get an answer, she was pushed back down.
"Don't come out, or you'll fall into the sea and we won't be able to get you out." Bai also pressed his clothes, his eyes fixed on the churning sea.
The spirit boat had already landed on the sea, and the barrier formed by the wind-shelter beads instantly calmed the surging waves around it. The boat was as stable as if it were still floating in the air.
The cultivators who had been struggling in the waves suddenly had a glint in their eyes, and almost the instant the spirit boat touched the water, they shouted for help in unison.
In the eyes of these people, this was just another fat sheep delivered to their door. These young men from powerful families, who were used to being good people, had slaughtered countless such fat sheep.
Amidst the cries for help, only the two sisters silently walked against the flow of the crowd.
The older sister's lips had turned white from being soaked in the water, yet she still tightly wrapped one arm around her unconscious younger sister, while mechanically paddling the water with her other hand.
Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was pale. She warily scanned her surroundings, and when she saw the cultivators scrambling to get closer to the spirit boat, a look of disgust appeared in her eyes.
"Hey!" Bai shouted from the ship's railing, his silver hair flying in the sea breeze. "Come over here, I'll take you to the island."
The clear, melodious voice carried far through the storm, reaching the ears of the sister paddling across the water. She turned her head with difficulty and saw the young face emerging from the spirit boat.
It was a beautiful face, with exquisite features, and amber eyes that shone brightly in the dim light, like a ray of sunshine suddenly appearing in a storm. She had never seen such bright eyes before, seemingly untouched by the dust of the world.
Suddenly, she felt a pang of reluctance to let this handsome young man die in this filthy sea. She found her own thoughts amusing, considering that she herself was in a precarious situation.
"Don't let those people onto the ship, they'll kill you." She knew she shouldn't have said it, but she said it anyway.
The voice was hoarse, but Bai heard it. The cultivators who were approaching the spirit boat also heard it.
Bai had noticed something amiss as soon as these people approached. Who would cry for help while simultaneously holding a weapon, ready to pounce at any moment? Their intentions were practically written all over their faces.
Not to mention the villainous weapons these people carry; they practically scream "cannon fodder" on their faces.
Bai originally had no intention of attacking these people; he only wanted to pick up the two sisters and leave.
But these desperate criminals sprang into action the moment the woman spoke up to warn them.
Liu Xianyue glanced at the cultivators who were attacking her and said with a charming smile, "Little guy, you now owe your sister 181,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"
"Yes, Sister Liu is wise and powerful." Bai also drew his sword, ready to face the enemy.
Among the group, the scarred man at the head glanced at the three people on the boat, grinned maliciously, and said, "That woman in the red dress is mine! The rest of you brothers can take your share!"
"Thank you, Boss!" the group of thugs responded excitedly.
As soon as the scarred man uttered his foul language, Bai Ye and Liu Xianyue's faces darkened simultaneously.
"Heh~" Liu Xianyue chuckled softly, but her expression was extremely cold and sharp. With a flick of her wrist, ten streaks of crimson light shot out and wrapped around the cultivators like bundles of rice dumplings.
In an instant, the air over the entire sea area distorted and deformed. The cultivators entangled by the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire let out inhuman screams, their skin cracking inch by inch, and thick, ink-like karmic smoke gushing out from their seven orifices, like demons crawling out of hell.
"Senior, spare us! We were wrong!" the scarred man pleaded in a trembling voice, his eyes filled with terror.
"Spare us, senior! We were blind to your greatness. Please treat us like dogs on the street and let us go!" The other cultivators also begged for mercy.
"It's too late to beg for mercy now!" Bai shouted softly, gripping the big black dog as he rushed out of the spirit boat.
Although her body was tossed about by the raging hurricane the moment she stepped out of the protection of the wind-avoiding pearl, her sword momentum was not affected at all. The sword light swept across the sky, and the ten still burning bodies were cut in two.
The sound of splashing into the water rang out one after another, and scarlet waves burst open on the sea surface, only to be swallowed up by the waves in an instant.
After Bai Ye killed the ten people with his sword, he did not return to the spirit boat. Instead, he lowered his body and flew towards the two sisters.
She struggled to fly the short distance of a few hundred meters, getting caught in violent vortexes several times, her body swaying like a leaf in the wind. By the time she caught the two sisters, the spiritual energy in her dantian was nearly exhausted.
In the end, Zhong Jiuli unleashed a bolt of spiritual energy, dragging the three who were nearly swept away by the hurricane back onto the spirit boat.
"Huff..." Bai collapsed onto the deck, his chest heaving violently. "This hurricane is too outrageous. This is the eye of the storm, and it almost tore me, a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, to pieces."
Zhong Jiuli's fingertips gathered a faint spiritual light, which traveled along her meridians to check if she was injured. "Let alone Foundation Establishment, even if you are a Golden Core cultivator, you must bow your head before the might of heaven and earth. Otherwise, why would those cultivators risk their lives to cross over?"
"Yes, now I know, the power of the heavens is truly terrifying." Bai sat up, panting, and took out a dragon scale fruit to eat.
"Jiaojiao was almost swept away by the hurricane," Long Jiao said, peeking out with lingering fear.
Liu Xianyue interjected, "Don't worry, I won't let you get swept away by the hurricane. If you do, who will pay me back?"
"Well, thank you so much for your concern, Liu Xianyue," Bai muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes.
During a break in their conversation, the man Bai had pulled onto the boat finally caught his breath.
She stood up, supporting herself on her knees, and bowed to the three of them. "Ahem, ahem, this junior, Chu Erniang, along with my younger sister, Chu Sanniang, come to thank you for saving our lives."
Bai quickly waved his hand in return, "No need to thank me, it was nothing. My name is Da Bai."
As she spoke, a mischievous smile crept across her lips. Pointing to the two people beside her, she said, "They are my good friends. The one in white is Zhong Daya, and the one in red is Liu Erhong."
Chu Erniang was taken aback upon hearing this. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the two women with extraordinary bearing. The woman in red was stunningly beautiful, while the woman in white was as aloof as the moon. They seemed completely at odds with such rustic names.
Her lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Since the senior didn't want to reveal her real name, she wisely refrained from asking further and simply bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Senior Zhong, Senior Liu."
"No need for formalities," Zhong Jiuli replied calmly.
"Tsk tsk~" Liu Xianyue chuckled and teased, "So that's why you risked your life to save someone, little guy. It turns out it was because the girl was pretty?"
Upon hearing this, Bai raised his eyes and looked closely at the two sisters. He had to admit, these two sisters were exceptionally beautiful.
Chu Erniang had a healthy wheat-colored complexion and a tall, well-proportioned figure. Her soaked clothes clung to her body, revealing her beautifully defined muscles. Even though she looked tired, her eyes remained alert to her surroundings, like a cheetah lying in ambush on the grassland, ready to pounce and tear its prey's throat at any moment.
Lying on the deck, Chu San Niang was almost unreal in her beauty. Although she looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, she already possessed a breathtakingly beautiful appearance.
On her pale, porcelain-like face, her two arched eyebrows were slightly furrowed. Even in her unconscious state, her delicate features still exuded a captivating charm, as if a celestial maiden had inadvertently fallen to the mortal world.
Liu Xianyue was only teasing, but she saw Chu Erniang's expression change drastically. She flashed forward and stood in front of her sister like a mother leopard protecting her cubs.
"So, you've come for my sister too?" Her voice was hoarse, and a hint of desperate determination was already in her eyes.
"Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand!" Bai Ye waved his hand and explained, "Liu Erhong just likes to talk nonsense, don't mind her. What happened to your sister? Is she hurt?"
Chu Erniang's gaze swept over Bai Ye's clear amber eyes, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She knew that these three people were probably not bad people, but she dared not gamble with her sister's safety.
She shook her head and said, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. It'll be fine in a few days."
Bai also glanced at Zhong Jiuli, and seeing her nod, he took out a bottle of healing pills from his storage ring and handed it to Chu Erniang, "Feed these healing pills to your sister first. Don't worry, we're not bad people."
"Thank you for the medicine, senior!" Chu Erniang knelt down and kowtowed heavily. "Just now, I was impolite."
"Hey, don't do this." Bai hurriedly helped the person up. "Never mind, you sit down and meditate to regulate your breathing. I'll feed your sister her medicine."
"Then thank you very much," Chu Erniang said hoarsely, her body already at its limit.
She had been holding on by sheer willpower while in the waves, but now that breath was gone, exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave. She sat down cross-legged, and the moment she closed her eyes, she almost lost consciousness.
Bai also squatted down and lifted Chu San Niang's neck. Her skin was as cold as jade, and she didn't know how long she had been soaking in the water, as her body had no warmth at all.
The moment the pill entered her mouth, it transformed into pure medicinal power that circulated throughout her body. Chu San Niang's skin, which had been as pale as if she had been dead for three days, instantly regained some color, and her body regained some of the warmth of a living person.
"Cough~" Chu San Niang's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
In that instant, it was as if the moon had broken through the clouds, and the face that was originally so pure and otherworldly became vivid because of those eyes.
Her eyes had a natural blush at the corners, and her pupils seemed to hold a shimmering starlight. It was just a dazed glance upon waking, yet it made Bai's breath catch in her throat. She hurriedly turned her face away, unable to bear looking again.
Those eyes... were captivating, no less so than Zhong Jiuli's. But Zhong Jiuli's imposing aura was enough to make people afraid to look at her. This girl, on the other hand, made people want to possess her at first sight.
"Sister~" Chu San Niang called out weakly, her voice hoarse with a hint of illness.
“Yes, yes, your sister is meditating over there.” Bai Ye stiffened his neck and pushed Chu San Niang next to her sister as if he were mopping the floor. “You lie down here, your sister is right next to you.”
After moving everyone, Bai stood up without looking to either side and walked to Zhong Jiuli's side, explaining in a serious tone, "I'm not the kind of person who gets lustful at first sight."
Zhong Jiuli looked at her with a half-smile and nodded, saying, "Yes, she's a little tiger who gets lustful at first sight."
“Yes, Yezai is a little tiger who gets lustful at first sight!” Jiaojiao poked her head out from Bai Ye’s collar and exposed her, “She didn’t even dare to look at that girl just now.”
"You stinky turtle, don't talk nonsense!" Bai also fiercely pressed Jiao Jiao's head down, trying to force her back into her turtle shell. "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll stew you into turtle soup."
"Help!" Jiao Jiao kicked wildly, screaming at the top of her lungs, "The little tiger is going to kill the turtle to silence her~~~"
Zhong Jiuli snatched Jiaojiao from her hands and placed her on her own shoulder, saying, "Don't bully her."
"I didn't bully her, she's framing me," Bai said softly in defense.
"Yes, don't bully me." Jiaojiao spun around on Zhong Jiuli's shoulder triumphantly, then flew back to Bai Ye's shoulder, pointing excitedly with her little paws, "Yezai, look, we're here! This Storm Island looks like a big pancake!"
Bai also looked in the direction of the sound and saw the spirit boat break through the last hurricane, gradually revealing the full view of Storm Island.
It truly resembles a giant mille-feuille pastry. In the center of the island, a majestic walled village rises from the ground, with layers of eaves spiraling upwards like the scales of a giant dragon. The highest eaves are hidden in the low-hanging clouds, making it impossible to see the end of the village at a glance.
The entire island was desolate and quiet, with only this magnificent building standing alone, appearing particularly mysterious and unpredictable under the gray sky.
Liu Xianyue strolled to the side of the boat, raised her hand and pointed to the enormous object, "You two little guys really don't know what's what. This is no ordinary house. This building itself is an extremely exquisite large magic artifact."
Bai also felt that Liu Xianyue was about to deceive people again, so she turned her gaze to Zhong Jiuli, hoping to get an answer from her.
Zhong Jiuli met her gaze and nodded slightly. "Liu Xianyue is right. It is said that once this magic artifact is activated, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be unable to escape the fate of being annihilated, body and soul."
"The reason why this place is recognized as a lawless land in Kyushu is only one of the reasons, namely the hurricane barrier. The second reason is this magical artifact. Once you step onto this island, you cannot easily arrest anyone here without the island lord's permission, no matter what sect or faction you are."
"Wow, this owner must be very strong!" Bai exclaimed.
Liu Xianyue chuckled, her voice tinged with a hint of mischief, "More than just strong, I've heard she's also a stunning beauty~ Little one, how about we give you to the island lord as a pet, and we'll get them some nice places to stay?"
"No way!" Bai shook his head and refused.
Jiaojiao was so anxious that she bounced around on her shoulder, shaking her little head like a rattle drum, "I can't give Yezai away, she's mine!"
"Haha, she's not just yours, she's also my sister's." Liu Xianyue laughed heartily, tossing over a set of neatly folded clothes. "Here, little one, take your new clothes and change. We'll be there soon."
Bai also carried the clothes into the cabin and found that Liu Xianyue had given him a set of grayish coarse linen clothes that felt a bit prickly to the touch, but he endured it for the sake of robbing!
When she came out after changing her clothes, she saw that Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue had also changed their outfits and made adjustments to their appearances, but their stunning beauty was still undeniable.
Zhong Jiuli stood at the bow of the boat, dressed in a sky-blue robe, with an indigo sash around her waist fluttering in the wind. Liu Xianyue leaned against her side as if boneless, her robe of the same material taking on a more alluring air due to her languid posture.
"Why am I the only one dressed so ugly?" Bai Ye pinched his dusty gray clothes, his voice sounding a little aggrieved.
Upon hearing this, Liu Xianyue turned around and slapped Bai Ye's forehead with the round fan embroidered with peony branches. "Silly child, you are the most beloved little slave of the sisters. How can a little slave dress more decently than its master?"
"Liu Xianyue, don't bully her." Zhong Jiuli chuckled, took a few steps forward, reached out and touched the crooked hemp rope around Bai Ye's waist, untied it and re-tied it, then smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes and praised, "Young hero Bai looks extremely handsome in his coarse hemp clothes."
Bai scratched his head shyly, "Actually, whether it looks good or not isn't that important."
Zhong Jiuli changed the subject, reminding him, "It's just that young hero Xiaobai's silver hair is a bit eye-catching."
"Right, I forgot just now." Bai suddenly realized, closed his eyes and circulated his cultivation technique. A surge of spiritual energy rippled through his body, and his full head of silver hair gradually turned into raven-black. When he opened his eyes again, even his amber eyes had turned into a normal dark brown, and his facial features had also changed.
Zhong Jiuli nodded slightly, "That's settled then."
"Now that everything is ready, let's go down." Liu Xianyue waved her hand, put away the spirit boat, and the group landed directly on the outer edge of the island.
Bai had just regained her footing when Liu Xianyue tossed the two sisters over to her. Helpless, she had no choice but to catch them, carrying one in each hand on her shoulder.
According to Liu Xianyue, the little slaves were meant to do manual labor.
Fortunately, Chu San Niang only woke up for a short while before falling back asleep. If she had been awake, Bai felt he might not have dared to carry her in front of Zhong Jiu Li.
Stepping on the rough rocks, Bai Ye walked forward with uneven steps. After about an hour, the group finally arrived at the walled village, which was as large as a giant city.
Bai looked up at the passageway, which was even taller than the city gate, and joined the queue at the very back.
At the front of the procession, several cultivators with large swords at their waists and dressed in gray-white outfits were checking people one by one and collecting protection fees from those entering the city.
"Sister Liu, is this the person arranged by the island lord?" Bai also whispered to Liu Xianyue.
“No, these are gangs that have taken up residence here.” Liu Xianyue gestured for Bai Ye to look at the waist badges worn by those people. “See them? Sand pattern emblem. They’re from the White Sand Gang.”
Bai nodded thoughtfully, "I knew it. That island lord sounds like a formidable figure; she wouldn't tolerate such petty protection money extortion..."
"Little guy, don't underestimate this mere ten spirit stones for the toll. There are thirty-six passages here, and at least ten thousand cultivators pass through each entrance every day. Do you think this is a small amount of money?"
As Liu Xianyue spoke, she suddenly stomped her foot in frustration, "If I had known this would happen, I should have opened a branch pavilion on this island back then."
Her heartbroken expression was somewhat amusing, and Bai couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Sister Liu, you're being a bit too presumptuous. Do you think the island owner would let you open a shop for free? This kind of place obviously needs to attract businesses to open shops, right?"
When Bai said this, he was thinking about the bidding process for school cafeterias in the past. There was only one university cafeteria with tens of thousands of people, and the shops that wanted to move in had to compete fiercely for the bids.
This Storm Island is a gathering place for outlaws from all over the Eastern Continent. All the cultivators who have fled here can only spend money on the island, and the prices are not determined by the sellers.
"Stop chatting, it'll be our turn soon," Zhong Jiuli reminded them.
The White Sand Gang disciples guarding the gate were originally rudely reprimanding the rogue cultivators in front of them, but when they looked up and saw them, they were obviously taken aback, especially when their eyes swept over Zhong Jiuli and Liu Xianyue's extraordinary attire. Their attitude immediately became more respectful: "Seniors, each person needs to pay ten mid-grade spirit stones to enter the city."
Liu Xianyue casually tossed a brocade pouch, which the disciple caught, glanced at, and then stepped aside to make way, saying, "Please come in, everyone."
The group followed the flow of people through the deep arched doorway, and their view suddenly opened up.
Bai also looked up, her eyes widening slightly. The place was completely different from the dim and smoky atmosphere she had imagined.
Tens of thousands of wooden gears slowly rotated on the transparent crystal canopy above the dome, and countless wooden mechanical beasts nimbly moved among them. The spirit stones inlaid on their wings left a trail of dark blue light as they flew, like shooting stars streaking across the night sky.
On the street, rows of wooden buildings were decorated with all sorts of spirit stone lanterns. Several vendors on floating wooden platforms swept over the heads of the crowd, their cries echoing throughout the space.
Further away were slowly rotating gear-like suspension bridges, moving back and forth between the buildings like living things, connecting the entire massive enclosed compound into a flowing, three-dimensional labyrinth. Bai also saw cultivators jumping directly onto the moving suspension bridges, ascending to higher ground as if taking an elevator.
Bai unconsciously rubbed his eyes, calling out to Xiao Wang in his mind, "Could I have time-traveled again? This time it's Harry Potter?"
This fantastical scene reminded her of the magic movies she had seen in her past life, with puppets busily moving through the air and stairs that moved on their own. For a moment, she had the illusion of being in a magic academy.
【We haven't time-traveled, kid. We're still on the Kunxu Continent.】 Xiao Wang's voice was clear and crisp.
Bai Ye knew, of course, that she hadn't transmigrated. She was just a little shocked. The cultivation world was really interesting! Only a place like this, which didn't follow science, could create such massive and intricate mechanisms.
"Is this your first time visiting Storm Island, ladies?" a crisp voice suddenly rang out.
Bai turned his head and saw a little girl dressed in coarse linen clothes approaching him. The girl's azure eyes were as pure as the deep sea, and her long, seaweed-like blue hair was draped over her shoulders. There were crystal scales on her neck, giving her an eerie beauty.
"For just one mid-grade spirit stone, I can take you all over the thirty-two districts." The little girl held up her finger and gestured carefully.
Before she could finish speaking, several burly men rudely pushed their way through. The leader shoved the girl to the ground and bowed obsequiously to Zhong Jiuli and the other woman, saying, "Is this your first time visiting Storm Island? You mustn't be fooled by these sea monsters; they're masters at bewitching people."
“That’s right, that’s right.” Another burly cultivator squeezed in, “We’re familiar with every corner of the island. For just ten spirit stones a day, we guarantee you’ll be comfortable and happy.”
Bai frowned as he looked at the blue-haired girl who had fallen to the ground. The girl was being bullied but didn't make a sound. She just silently brushed the dust off her skirt and gave Bai a faint smile.
That smile was as pure as a child's, a stark contrast to the surrounding noise.
The girl looked around, then quietly moved to Bai Ye's side and stuffed a piece of smoked dried fish into her clothes.
She leaned close to Bai Ye's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Eat when you're hungry... then."
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