103 Chapter 103
Perhaps the publicity on Lingwang was more effective than expected, or perhaps it was because being able to fly with a sword like a sword cultivator was so desirable. In short, within a few days of the release of the advertising video, tourists from all over the world flocked to the city, bringing bustle and noise to this small town that had been quiet for tens of thousands of years.
Different from the sword-fighting fans who came last time to watch the game and then turned around and left after the game, the tourists who came this time slowed down their pace significantly. They strolled around this quaint town leisurely, and paid for something from time to time. The shop owners in Quefeng City had their faces frozen with smiles, and they used all kinds of tricks to please these wealthy bosses.
"Hey? Boss, what is this? It looks so beautiful!" The little sister from Qingyun Sect was traveling far away for the first time and everything she saw was new to her. At this moment, she was standing in front of a shop and couldn't move.
"Oh, young lady, you have excellent taste! This is our specialty, the Black Crystal Fruit, from the Far North. In the summer, we pick the roundest and plumpest fruits, place them in the ten-thousand-year-old ice on the mountaintop to absorb the extreme cold. After leaving them there for forty-nine days, we remove the fruits and allow them to melt naturally at room temperature. Finally, they become the crystal clear fruit you see before your eyes!"
The vendor spoke eloquently and soon attracted a group of equally curious listeners. The tourists looked at the fruits on the counter, which were said to have condensed the power of ice. They were all cut into slices as thin as cicada wings, arranged in the shape of flowers and placed on a white porcelain plate that glowed with white light. In the sunlight, they really looked as shiny as black ice.
"This looks really good!"
"Isn't it? It's so nutritious just by looking at it!"
"Boss, how much is this?" A tourist was obviously tempted.
"It's not easy for you to come here from far away. It's fate that we meet. Let's be friends for one, two, eight, and one plate. You can go into the store and wait for the food to be served!" The boss showed a warm and honest smile.
Everyone then realized that this was actually a restaurant, but in order to attract customers, they placed their signature dishes on a stall at the door.
So those curious tourists came in one after another, and the little sister turned around and looked at her father eagerly.
"Ahem! Um... Master, we've come all the way here, why don't we go in and try something new?" The eldest brother also chimed in.
The leader of Qingyun Sect was not reluctant to part with the over one hundred spirit stones. He was simply worried about his daughter's health: "Mingzhu has had a cold cough since she was a child. She can't take anything cold like this..."
"Cough? Then you've finally come to the right place!" Just as everyone was in a dilemma, the shop owner spoke again:
"You don't know yet, do you? This Black Crystal Fruit is made from the heat-releasing Yuanling Jiao Pear, and it's a very nourishing medicinal. In our shop, we cut the fruit into pieces, add jujube, white fungus, lotus seeds, and rock sugar, and simmer it over low heat to make a medicinal dish. It has the effects of clearing phlegm, relieving coughs, removing blood stasis, and relieving asthma!"
The boss spoke clearly and logically, and with his confident expression, he looked like an old Chinese medicine doctor: "Our climate is cold, and this is how we treat children with coughs. If you don't believe me, ask around. This is definitely the most effective folk remedy for coughs!"
"Is this method really effective?" The sect leader was convinced by the shop owner. He led his wife, daughter, and a group of apprentices into the shop and said, "Then give me one!"
"Okay! But one bowl of soup isn't enough for the six of you. What else would you like to have? Our specialty..."
Seeing the crowds of tourists rushing into the store, Ning Shu couldn't help but drag Xuan Mo inside. She had been busy with various things since she came to Qingfeng Sword Sect. Now that she finally had some free time, she wanted to take the opportunity to have fun.
"Xuan Mo, come on! Let's go try that soup too. It sounds like rock sugar and snow pear soup!"
What is this? This is the taste of home! I must try it, right?
Then she was stopped by Hyun Mo before she took a few steps. Hyun Mo shook his head at her and said, "He sells it too expensive. Come with me."
Xuan Mo led her in a direction opposite to the tourists. The further they went, the fewer tourists there were, until they reached an area mostly frequented by locals. Xuan Mo stopped in front of a fruit stall and pointed at a pile of round, dark fruits. "This is it," he said. "Five spirit stones per pound. Take it home and let it sit for a few days. Once the ice melts, you can eat it."
Ning Shu: ...
It seems that the love of cheating outsiders is really a bad trait of human beings that cannot be changed even after traveling through time.
"The rock sugar snow pear..."
"Rock Sugar and Snow Pear? It's a nice name. But the soup the boss is talking about is actually a stew of spiritual fruits. It can be made with any stove. You can wait until we get back to Master and I'll make it for you. Or you can buy it a few steps further. It costs six spiritual stones a bowl, or ten spiritual stones for two bowls."
As he spoke, Xuan Mo raised his finger to show Ning Shu. Sure enough, there was a stall selling sweet water. A large pot of steaming hot sugar water was constantly being stirred in the pot. From time to time, one or two women or children ran over with bowls, took a bowl, squatted on the side of the road, blew on it and drank it.
Ning Shu: ...
What a pitfall... Ning Shu couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he watched, "So... can this stew really cure a cough?"
Fortunately, this time, Xuan Mo finally nodded and gave a positive answer: "In fact, it's not just a cold cough. This soup can cure any cough caused by any reason, sore throat, shortness of breath, and even high fever convulsions."
So that's how it is. This might be the canned yellow peaches of the cultivation world. Ning Shu understood.
Over there, the Qingyun Sect's group tasted all the specialty dishes in the restaurant. Junior Sister Xia Mingzhu's cough was indeed much better after eating the medicinal soup made with the black crystal fruit. So the Sect Master of Qingyun Sect was in a good mood. After the meal, they happily came to the Lingquan Inn which had been booked on Mituan long ago.
Steam was rising from the natural spiritual spring pool. On the first night, several people couldn't wait to experience the spiritual spring's therapeutic services. The warm and spiritual spring water washed away their fatigue from the journey. Early the next morning, they couldn't wait to run to the sword-riding field.
There were already many cultivators on the top of the mountain, trying to fly while wobbling on their spirit swords. After spending money to rent a few specially made heavy swords as props for novices, the Qingfeng Sword Sect sent a sword cultivator to teach them how to fly as agreed.
"Hello, fellow Daoist. This is the first time for both of us to try this. Please bear with us if there are any points we don't understand." The sect leader greeted the other party very politely. After all, this was a swordsman from the Qingfeng Sword Sect, and he was still a little reserved when they met for the first time.
On TV, they were fighting fiercely. If we don't learn this, he might draw his sword and chop us...
Unexpectedly, the sword cultivator's attitude was surprisingly good, and he seemed quite patient. "It's normal for a novice to be a little rusty. I'll first demonstrate the key points of the movements, and then you can try them out. Don't worry, it's not difficult. You'll get it right after a few practice."
The swordsman who volunteered to be their "coach" said: "Isn't this day easier than hunting monsters? I earn more money, so what's there to complain about?"
So, under the guidance of the sword cultivator, they mobilized their own spiritual energy and stepped onto the specially made heavy sword. The sword cultivator was indeed very serious in teaching. Surprisingly, the weak and sickly little sister learned the fastest. Although she fell several times at the beginning because of her unstable standing, fortunately, the cultivators were very tough. She didn't even get a scratch on her skin after falling on the snow. She patted her clothes and got up full of energy again.
"Wow! Dad! Mom! Look at me! I can fly back and forth now!" She screamed and cheered while flying her sword along the planned novice route, shuttling back and forth between the two mountains. Her agile figure was particularly conspicuous among the monks who were flying crookedly.
"Mingzhu! Mingzhu, fly slowly, be careful not to choke on the wind!" The sect leader was worried that his daughter would get hurt accidentally, and he kept reminding her from below. He wanted to follow but his footing was unstable, and he stumbled and almost fell off the flying sword again.
"Hey! Young swordsman, look at me!" The sect leader asked the swordsmanship instructor who was instructing three disciples on their standing posture with frustration and anxiety. "I'm clearly at the Nascent Soul stage, so why can't I learn sword control as well as my daughter who's at the Foundation Establishment stage?"
Whether it's spiritual energy reserves, spell operations, or even physical flexibility, I'm far better than Mingzhu. How come she can fly freely while I can't even stand steadily?
So the sword cultivator walked over to the sect master and observed him carefully for a while. He then looked up at the little junior sister's smooth figure moving around the valley and answered the sect master with a serious face, "Because you're afraid of falling."
"Ah?" The sect leader didn't react to what he meant.
"Look at your posture on the sword; every move is an effort to be safe. But flying with a sword is inherently an unsafe adventure. So even with such a high level of cultivation and realm, you will eventually stagnate for fear of falling."
After saying this, the sword cultivator turned around and went to teach the eldest brother and the others, as if he was just answering a very simple question. Instead, the sect leader was stunned for a long time after listening to his words, and finally lowered his head to examine his posture and fell into deep thought.
He stretched his hands slightly out in an effort to maintain balance, and did not dare to lift his feet for a moment to prevent falling. His whole body was extremely stiff, as if he was ready to jump off the flying sword at any time.
This has been his subconscious behavior for many years, perhaps since he became the sect leader, or perhaps even longer ago. He began to be more cautious with every step he took and more conservative with every decision he made. He refused to make any changes because he simply did not want to take any risks.
However, cultivating immortals is a path that goes against the will of heaven. His stubbornness not only delays himself, but may also delay the people around him.
"Ah! Woo-hoo!" The daughter's laughter mixed with screams came from above his head. The sect leader looked up at her happy smiling face and suddenly realized that his daughter seemed not to have been so happy for a long time.
So he took a deep breath and let go of his hands that were maintaining his balance, and followed the sword cultivator's instructions to perform a sword gesture. Not long after, he fell off the flying sword because he couldn't control the speed well. The snow was cold and soft, and he didn't feel as painful or embarrassed as he had imagined.
People are afraid of falling but are actually only afraid of the moment when they are about to fall. Once they fall, they will feel that there is nothing to be afraid of anymore.
The sect master's higher level of cultivation and spell control really allowed him to master the trick of flying with a sword more quickly. Before long, he could also fly smoothly through the valley on his flying sword. He flew to the top of the mountain following his daughter's laughter. The biting wind whistled past his ears. Looking down at the rolling hills at his feet, the sect master felt his mind suddenly enlightened.
"Dad! Dad, have you also learned to fly with a sword? You fly much better than me!" His daughter Mingzhu slowed down and flew to his side.
"Mingzhu, in a few days, shall we go to the north to see the strange peaks there?" The sect leader and his daughter stopped on the top of the highest mountain, looking at a more rugged and dangerous mountain forest in the distance. They heard from the sword training coach that there were more dangerous terrains and complicated winds there. It was a "deep mountain area" that only experienced sword flying people could enter.
"Okay! We'll go together then. That place will definitely not be a problem for us!" Mingzhu's eyes sparkled, like the crystal clear ice crystals on the pine branches.
【Author’s words】
Hahahaha, I saw frozen pears online for hundreds of dollars a plate before, but they are so expensive that I can’t afford them [laughing and crying]
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