Chapter 67 Immortal Capital 2, Lanze One Day (including 2000 nutrient solution plus...)
Mei Zihan and his three siblings were the personal disciples of Mei Ze, the island lord of Lanze Island. Apart from them and a few nominal disciples, the island was only inhabited by servants who tended to the flowers and plants. With few people and many flowers, it was exceptionally quiet, elegant, and very livable.
"Eldest brother is back! Eldest brother! Third brother!"
As Xu Xing and Shen Du disembarked, several disciples quickly came up to them, smiling and asking, "These two must be your senior brothers and sisters' friends, right? The house has been cleaned, please come this way."
"This little island has quite a nice view."
Seeing Yunxi and Yunlan disembark, the disciple who was leading the way was stunned. Huh? Weren't they supposed to be two friends? Why are there two more?
Mei Zihan was somewhat helpless. The snake clan had brought precious spiritual herbs and intended to cooperate. They should have gone directly to meet the sect leader, but these two found it troublesome and refused to go. They insisted on staying on Lanze Island with Xu Xingxian.
Mei Zihan instructed, "These two are fellow Daoists from the Serpent Clan, here to observe the Alchemy Competition. Prepare two more rooms." He then asked, "Where is Master?"
The Seven-Leaf Lingzhi is too precious; we must inform our master as soon as possible so that he can give it to the sect leader.
"Master and True Lord Minghua are fishing in the small pavilion."
Another disciple blurted out, "Last month, Master lost two green-striped fish to Mingzhen Island, and he still hasn't caught them."
"cough--"
Mei Zihan coughed twice. There was no need to mention that his master couldn't catch any fish. He looked at Xu Xing and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu, I'll take you to see where you'll be staying. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, please let me know."
Almost all the houses on Lanze Island are built along the lake, and each one can directly face the open lake view and enjoy the pleasant lake scenery. Mei Zihan had the two houses with the best view prepared for Xu Xing and Shen Du.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, please rest for a while. I will come to discuss the competition with you later..."
"Senior Brother, something terrible has happened! Master and True Monarch Minghua are fighting!"
A disciple rushed over.
"..."
Seeing that Mei Zihan looked slightly embarrassed, Xu Xing quickly said, "There's nothing wrong here, Fellow Daoist Mei, you should go ahead and take care of your business."
Mei Zihan breathed a sigh of relief, apologized to everyone, and then left with the disciple.
"They got into a fight over fishing? That's strange..." Yunlan's eyes darted around as she looked at Yunxi. "Boss, should we go watch the show?"
"Guests are welcome, so please don't be rude." Yunxi glanced at Xu Xing, cleared her throat, and said authoritatively, "Are we snake people ignorant of manners?"
Your Highness, listen carefully! The snake tribe is very polite, unlike the deer tribe...
Yunlan looked bewildered. Was this still the same boss who loved watching the drama unfold?
Xu Xing was also a little curious, but since Yunxi had already said so, she could only turn her gaze away in disappointment and look at the fragrant orchids all around her. "There are so many orchids planted on the island. It seems that Fellow Daoist Mei's master must be a refined person."
As soon as Xu Xing finished speaking, a huge wave suddenly surged up on the lake, completely drenching Lanze Island. Xu Xing and his companions, who had not yet entered the house, were also affected. They saw an old man in a straw hat suddenly appear in the sky, hands on his hips, cursing: "You, Minghua! No wonder you've been so lucky! So you were cheating with magic while fishing! You're not leaving here until you give me an explanation!"
His voice was booming and full of energy, and Xu Xing could hear it clearly. It seemed that they had no choice but to watch this excitement today.
Another middle-aged cultivator in a long robe was nimbly dodging Mei Ze's attacks while chuckling, "Who said I used magic? What proof do you have?"
With one being a Nascent Soul cultivator and the other a Deity Transformation cultivator, Mei Zihan had no way to intervene and could only stand below, loudly advising, "Master, we have guests today, please come down first."
After being splashed with water, Shen Du immediately used a hand seal to dry Xu Xing's clothes before tidying himself up. Xu Xing looked at him and suddenly chuckled, "Senior brother, you really look just like when we first met."
First meeting? Yunxi silently pricked up her ears, but Xu Xing didn't continue speaking. He just looked at the woman who came out of a house not far away.
"flourishing?"
Qianqian turned around, a smile appearing on her slightly pale face. "Xu Xing, Fellow Daoist Shen, you've arrived."
“We just arrived.” Xu Xing took her hand, not noticing anything amiss, but knowing that Qianqian was still reeling from the shock of Wei Shengyue’s soul being scattered, she pointed worriedly to the sky, “This…”
Qianqian's smile held a hint of helplessness. "The Water Cloud Immortal Capital is built around the lake, and disciples from various branches of the sect live on islands. Fishing is a popular pastime among the islanders, and the loser has to clean the winner's immortal ship for a month."
Speaking of this, Qianqian couldn't help but chuckle, "We've been cleaning the immortal ships for Mingzhen Island for half a year straight, which is why Master was so angry when he discovered that True Monarch Minghua was cheating."
After all, cleaning is a small matter, but losing face is a big deal.
While Qianqian was explaining to Xu Xing, the battle in the sky was still undecided, which instead caused trouble for everyone on Lanze Island.
"How about this, let's have another competition today. If Lanze Island wins, Mingzhen Island will clean Lanze Island's fairy ship for a year. What do you say?"
Mei Ze was still furious. "Only one year? No way, at least three years!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't push your luck! Two years is the most you can have!" Mingzhen covered her mouth with her fan, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "I lost for two years, so if you lose, it'll only count as one year. How about that? Not a bad deal, right?"
"good!"
The Lanze Island disciples who rushed over looked at each other in disbelief. "No, Master, you just agreed like that? If we really lose, we'll be the ones cleaning up the immortal ship!"
The next moment, Mei Ze landed from the sky and took off his straw hat. Xu Xing then saw that although he had white hair, he was very handsome and showed no signs of aging.
"I'm tired, my disciples, who will take over?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Di and He Yue immediately took a few steps back, and even Qianqian hid behind Xu Xing, leaving only Mei Zihan.
Mei Ze seemed not to see Mei Zihan at all, and began to select from among the registered disciples. However, after looking around, he couldn't find a suitable candidate among these disciples. He regretted it and wished he hadn't agreed to Minghua's offer.
Qianqian chuckled softly, "Senior Brother is the least popular among the fish in this lake, so Master wouldn't choose him."
The thought of cleaning the immortal ship annoyed her again. "Master is really something. He loses every time, but he still cares about saving face. We're definitely going to have to do hard labor for a year now."
Xu Xing hadn't fished in a while, so he asked, "How about I fish for you?"
Qianqian was surprised, "You can fish?"
"It depends on luck; I'm not guaranteed to win." Xu Xing didn't make any promises, after all, she often fished for trash. "But I'm not a disciple of Lanze Island, does that count?"
"Count it! How can we not count it?!"
In Qianqian's eyes, nothing Xu Xing could do seemed surprising. She quickly pulled Xu Xing over, "Master, Master! Someone has been chosen!"
"she is……"
"Xu Xing! He's the alchemist who'll be assisting our senior brother in this alchemy competition." Qianqian smiled at Minghua and said, "Uncle-Master, you've beaten us so many times already. You shouldn't mind if we have someone else compete against you this time, right?"
If Mei Ze suggested replacing him, Ming Hua would definitely not agree, but Qian Qian was always lively and cute, so he didn't refuse. "You little girl, alright, let me see what this young friend Xu is capable of."
The group moved to a small pavilion where there were fishing rods readily available. Xu Xing didn't bother to choose one; he picked one at random and began casting his line to fish.
Seeing her seemingly casual movements, Mei Ze quietly pulled Qianqian aside. "Good disciple, how do you know she's good at fishing? Have you ever seen her?"
"No, I don't know if she's good or not," Qianqian said confidently. "Anyway, even if Master himself catches fish, he can't beat Uncle-Master, so why not let Xu Xing give it a try!"
"..."
Mei Ze slapped his forehead. Oh no, we're going to lose again!
Losing to Mingjin Island a year ago, where will Meizawa put his old face if word gets out?!
Mei Ze paced back and forth, his regret reaching its peak when Xu Xing cast two consecutive lines into the weeds. He felt dizzy; he had been fishing here for years, how come he had never fished for weeds before?
Qianqian didn't care. Cleaning the immortal ship was fine, it wasn't the first time anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. She sat down next to Xu Xing and comforted him, "Just think of it as a fun trip. It's okay if you can't catch anything, since Master can't catch anything either."
Xu Xing was a little embarrassed. It had been a long time since she had fished, and it seemed that her chances of catching trash hadn't decreased at all.
On his third cast, Xu Xing caught a folding fan.
Minghua exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this the lake I fell into seven or eight years ago? I can't believe I've seen the light of day again."
On the fourth cast, Xu Xing caught a piece of clothing.
He fiddled with the flute a couple of times, clicking his tongue in amazement, "It's a disciple's robe from Lanze Island. It must have fallen from one of my junior brothers while they were playing in the water. I can't believe I managed to fish this up..."
The fifth rod was a love letter handwritten by a disciple, the sixth rod...
In the end, even though Minghua had already caught two fish, everyone gathered around Xu Xing, wondering what other strange things she could catch.
A disciple, who had been registered in the crowd, peeked out from behind the crowd and said, "A few days ago, when I was moving things, I accidentally kicked a pot of orchids into the lake. Maybe Fellow Daoist Xu can catch it!"
Who catches a flowerpot while fishing? Mei Ze glared at him and said irritably, "So that's why there's one missing. It's because you're clumsy!"
Seeing a pile of messy, wet junk at Xu Xing's feet, Minghua laughed until tears streamed down his face. "You're quite the character, young friend. I've never seen anyone catch so many things while fishing."
He was at least tactful and didn't directly say that the fish she caught were all trash.
Despondent, Mei Ze leaned against the railing, her eyes lifeless, unable to bear to look any longer.
Shen Du remained silent, simply moving a little further away from Xu Xing and standing beside Ming Hua. Ming Hua, unaware of Shen Du's thoughts, thought to himself that this junior swordsman's sword intent was quite impressive...
"Oh! They've taken the bait!"
Qianqian exclaimed in surprise, then quickly covered her mouth, her eyes wide open, afraid that the fish would get away. But for Xu Xing, fishing only had two possibilities: trash or fish. He never came up empty-handed.
"It's a green-striped fish?!"
Mei Ze stepped forward and looked at the fish basket. "Green-striped fish are the most cunning and extremely difficult to catch. Quick, strike while the iron is hot and catch a few more!"
"Junior Brother Ze, are you so happy about just one fish?" Minghua chuckled. "That's right, you haven't caught a single green-striped fish in the past few months, no wonder you're so excited. If I had known, I would have given you one instead, so you wouldn't be thinking about it day and night."
Before he finished speaking, Xu Xing caught another fish.
Minghua raised an eyebrow. Hmm? Could it be that this little girl actually has some skills?
Here it comes again!
Wow! What a huge silver knife fish!
Every time Xu Xing caught a fish, Yun Lan and the disciples of Lanze Island cheered together. In the end, they were all tired from shouting, but Xu Xing continued to catch fish one after another, never missing a single cast. Soon, his fish basket was full.
Minghua couldn't sit still any longer. Ever since Xu Xing caught the first fish, he hadn't caught a single one. For some reason, the fish in the lake only bit Xu Xing's hook. No matter how many kinds of bait he tried, they didn't seem interested in trying them, and his fishing rod didn't budge.
This isn't right! Minghua was puzzled. She clearly hadn't sensed any fluctuations in spiritual energy. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she couldn't possibly be playing any tricks right under her nose.
Is he some kind of reincarnation of the Dragon King, with such a talent for fishing?
Yunxi couldn't help but wonder, since His Highness is so good at fishing, could his biological father be some aquatic demon? However, few of the king's male favorites are aquatic. There was a dragon-like male favorite six or seven years ago, but he mysteriously disappeared afterward. The king didn't pay much attention to him anyway and never sent anyone to look for him.
Judging by the time, it shouldn't be that purple dragon. So who could it be? Yunxi pondered for a while, but couldn't figure it out, so she gave up. Anyway, as long as His Highness is of royal blood, it doesn't matter who his father is.
"Good girl!" Mei Ze grinned from ear to ear. He rubbed his hands together and said earnestly, "Since young friend Xu has been invited by Han'er to participate in the alchemy competition, why not stay a little longer, perhaps a year or two? Our Lan Ze..."
If this "living dragon king" really lived here for a year or two, what would happen?
Minghua threw down his fishing rod and said irritably, "What's the point of this competition? If you keep going, you'll probably catch all the fish in the lake."
Mei Ze said warily, "So you're admitting defeat? We agreed on two years. If you go back on your word, I'll take it to the sect leader!"
"It's just cleaning the immortal ship for two years. Minghua has far more disciples on Mingzhen Island than on Lanze Island," he shrugged, staring at Xu Xing with curiosity. "Is this young friend an alchemist? Actually, we on Mingzhen Island also have a few disciples who refine pills. Perhaps..."
Before Mei Ze could even speak, Mei Zihan couldn't hold back any longer. "Uncle-Master, you flatter me. Fellow Daoist Xu just arrived today and hasn't even entered the house yet. It's truly my fault for being impolite. Now that the outcome is decided, I'll take you two to rest."
Minghua curled his lip. All the big and small people on Lanze Island were just the same—stingy as everyone else. What was wrong with letting him say a few more words? They were as if they were afraid he would snatch them away.
"Why run? It's still early. Now that Lanze Island has won, Junior Brother Ze won't be stingy with dinner tonight, will he?"
Mei Ze had intended to host a banquet for Xu Xing and Shen Du, and in the end, he personally cooked a whole fish feast for everyone. However, he only used three fish from Xu Xing's fish basket, and the rest were all "gifts" from Ming Hua, which Mei Ze forced him to give.
Having regained the upper hand, Mei Ze smiled sarcastically, "We have guests, Senior Brother Ming wouldn't be so stingy, would he?"
Unexpectedly, the island lord of Lanze Island had such good cooking skills. Xu Xing ate until she was stuffed, which was rare for her, and her unusual appetite was quite appreciated by Mei Ze.
"That's right! We should eat more! Those cultivators only know how to make their disciples fast. These spirit fish are rich in spiritual energy and have delicious meat. We can eat hundreds or thousands of them without any problem. What impurities could they possibly have? These people are the ones who mislead their disciples."
Minghua, who always liked to disagree with his junior brother, agreed, "That's right. Cultivators possess great supernatural powers and should do as they please. Why should they suppress their desire for food and drink?"
Xu Xing praised it highly, taking a moment to give a thumbs up, "Delicious! The fish at Shuiyun Xiandu is unlike any other! It's especially fragrant!"
The happiest thing for a chef is the praise from diners. Not only was Mei Ze in high spirits, but Ming Hua also got excited. The two of them quickly cooked more than a dozen fish into delicious dishes and served them.
Glaring at his disciple, Mei Ze threatened, "No fasting today! Eat it all, no waste!"
The Lanze Island disciples, their faces showing reluctance, remained silent.
Master, is it possible that they aren't unwilling to eat, but simply simply can't eat anymore...?
The meal was a pleasant affair for both host and guests. On the way back, Xiang Di outmaneuvered his fellow disciples and won the chance to carry Xu Xing's basket of fish. Although he could have stored it in his storage bag, he insisted on holding it high to show everyone who passed by.
At this moment, Xiang Di only regretted that there were too few people on Lanze Island, and he had nowhere to show off. He secretly planned to find some friends on other islands to have a good talk with them later. Shuiyun Immortal City is located by the lake, and there are quite a few disciples who like fishing.
Yunlan watched with envy. He also wanted to help His Highness carry the fish basket, but this was Shuiyun Immortal Capital, and he was too embarrassed to compete with Xiang Di. Now he could only watch with envy.
In just one afternoon, the four disciples of Lanze Island became much closer to Xu Xing. He Yue and Qian Qian each took one arm around Xu Xing and said with a smile, "Thanks to Xu Xing, how long has it been since our Lanze Island has beaten Mingzhen Island?"
Mei Zihan and Shen Du walked at the front. Upon hearing this, they shook their heads slightly, fearing that even if he won the alchemy competition, neither of their junior sisters would be so overjoyed.
Clang—
As everyone was chatting and laughing, they suddenly saw a disciple in the distance who seemed to be practicing sword control. However, he lost his balance and flew erratically for a while before crashing straight into another island. Judging from the noise, it seemed that many houses had been destroyed.
Xiang Di burst out laughing, "Hahaha! It's Junior Brother Le Lin! He's so unlucky, he actually bumped into Senior Lan's island. He won't be able to get away without being skinned alive by Senior Lan."
Seeing the teasing smiles on the faces of the people from Lanze Island, Xu Xing couldn't help but ask, "Scratching off a layer of skin? Will there be severe punishment?"
"That's truly a terrifying punishment!"
He Yue laughed and said, "Senior Lan is in charge of managing the sect's library. I remember that Junior Brother Xiang was caught by him once before. That time, Senior Lan forced him to categorize hundreds of books and he wasn't allowed to use his spiritual power!"
"Senior sister!" Xiang Di stopped smiling, somewhat annoyed. How could she expose his shortcomings at this time?
"Shouldn't the compensation be several thousand mid-grade spirit stones?"
Xu Xing was lost in thought when he noticed Qianqian looking at him with a puzzled expression. Only then did he realize that he had actually asked the question that was on his mind.
"It's just a few damaged houses. Every stone and piece of wood in the Immortal Capital is meant for the disciples. Why does it have to come to such a serious matter as compensation in spirit stones?" He Yue asked in surprise. "The disciples' cultivation already consumes a lot of spirit stone resources. When they don't go out to train, they can only rely on the monthly allowance from the sect. Where would they get spirit stone fines?"
Chen Du paused slightly, and Xu Xing smiled and said softly, "So that's how it is."
"However, we all suspect that Senior Lan deliberately left the library unprotected, just waiting for some reckless disciple to crash into it and become his laborer!"
"What kind of hard labor is this?" Even if one cannot use spiritual power, sorting out hundreds of books is a piece of cake for a cultivator. Yun Lan was unimpressed. "In the Snake Clan, those who make mistakes must at least guard the burial ground for a month."
"Burial ground? What kind of place is that?" Xu Xing asked curiously.
Qianqian's expression shifted slightly, and she glanced at Yunlan discreetly. Had the Burial Ground, a place where even if you didn't die, you would still be severely injured, not been cleared out yet?
Yunxi quickly elbowed Yunlan, smiled at Xu Xing, and mumbled, "It's just a place where magical beasts appear, nothing special."
Although Xu Xing sensed that Yunxi was hiding something, it was, after all, the territory of the snake clan, so he didn't ask any further questions.
The four people from Lanze Island stopped at the door after seeing Xu Xing and Shen Du off.
Mei Zihan didn't say much about alchemy, only that apart from the alchemy furnace, all other alchemy materials would be provided by Shui Yunxian, and the alchemist could take the finished pills with him, telling Xu Xing not to be polite.
"I am only a second-level alchemist, so I'm afraid I can't help you much. However, rankings are not important. Fellow Daoist Xu, just refine pills as you please."
After Mei Zihan and the others left, Xu Xing turned to look at the fish basket that Xiang Di had placed in her room. The various kinds of lake fish in the basket were still jumping around. She suddenly felt something was wrong. "Why does it feel like there are suddenly quite a few missing?"
Thinking he had misremembered, Xu Xing put the fish into his backpack without giving it much thought.
That night, Xu Xing lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. Thinking that her senior brother usually didn't sleep at night, but instead meditated and cultivated all night, she took out a communication bead that Mei Zihan had given her again and whispered, "Senior brother... are you asleep?"
Soon, she received a reply from Shen Du, "Not yet, what's wrong?"
Xu Xing hesitated for a moment before asking, "Senior brother, what do you think of Shui Yunxian?"
"very good."
"Then... how does it compare to the Jade Cloud Sect?"
This time, Shen Du did not answer immediately. After a while, Xu Xing heard his voice, "You want to leave the Jade Cloud Sect?"
"Nothing much..." Xu Xing turned over, placed the communication bead next to his pillow, and whispered, "I just feel a bit confused. I feel a little envious and a little disappointed at the same time. I can't quite put my finger on what it is."
After a long silence, Shen Du said in a low voice, "Disciples at the Golden Core stage of the Jade Cloud Sect who voluntarily apply to leave the sect need to pay 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones, while Foundation Establishment disciples need to pay 1,000 spirit stones."
"..."
Xu Xing gripped the communication bead tightly, leaving behind his last words, "Senior brother, I'm sleepy, I'll stop now, see you tomorrow!"
Paying spirit stones is out of the question! Even if she didn't need those spirit stones, she wouldn't be willing to pay!
Xu Xing closed her eyes, pulled the blanket over her head, and tried to clear her mind of the chaotic thoughts. Actually, she didn't dislike the Jade Cloud Sect that much. Aside from her friends, the instructors at the Immortal Dao Academy, the senior alchemist at the Alchemy Academy, and Senior Fu Shuang were all very kind to her.
She was momentarily envious of the deep camaraderie and relaxed atmosphere among the disciples on Lanze Island.
Xu Xing thought to himself, "It's probably because she doesn't have a master yet..."
Before falling asleep, Xu Xing vaguely thought that on the day she explored the Ruins Secret Realm, Rong Jun thought that she and her senior brother were disciples of Senior Fu Shuang. Senior brother was a given, but she was only a five-elemental root. Would Senior Fu Shuang be willing to take her as a disciple?
Linglan has already joined Qingling Peak, and Ayao has joined Chiyang Peak; they both have their own sects and new friends. Senior Fushuang holds the title of Sword Master, and my senior brother greatly admires her. If he were to return and become a disciple of Senior Fushuang, he would probably leave Xuanjian Peak, right?
Where will she go then?
-----------------------
Author's note: That night, Minghua Zhenjun was completely baffled. Xu Xing was good at fishing, but he was no slouch either. How come he suddenly couldn't catch a single fish later on?
A certain sword cultivator waved his sleeves, concealing his merits and fame.
-
Thank you, Maple Dye, for the generous vote! [heart emoji]
Thank you to Quiet, Sleep a Little Longer, September#, wm Jin, Luo Luo, taya, Star, Seven Wants to Be a Farmer, Ink Case Book, (●—●), Maple Dye, Wa Ge Ge, Ming Sha Liu Nian, Snow Bamboo, Su Nian Qing Cheng, Little Round oo, King of the City, The Moon Doesn't Sleep, I Don't Sleep, Yu Tong, Liu'an Melon Slice, Anonymous, Silver Lord, Not Me, and 76980042 for the nutrient solution! Thank you so much everyone! [hugs]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
