The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 25 Changtian, what do you think?

Chapter 25: Chapter 25 Changtian, what do you think?

Just as she was about to change her tone, the woman in red, Shi Jishan, spoke up. Although her voice was as pleasant as a yellow oriole’s, her words were not very nice: "How bold of you, on what grounds do you ask my senior brother to ferry these mortals across the river?"

Mortals are people too; without mortals, where would you all get your food, clothing, and daily necessities? She suppressed the urge to retort and looked towards Quan Shifang. He was the one making decisions here, she didn’t need to bother with what the little lackey said.

Quan Shifang smiled lightly and said: "No problem." Then he took out a jade-carved leaf from his Storage Ring. This ornament was only as long as her little finger, exquisitely crafted to the point where the veins of each leaf seemed vividly visible, and brilliant colors coursed over its surface – the jade itself was of extraordinary quality.

Since he had taken out this object, it was obviously a Magic Artifact. She waited eagerly, only for Changtian to scoff coldly: "These cultivating humans just love to make flashy but useless Magic Artifacts!"

Seeing that she showed interest, Quan Shifang felt a hint of pleasure and casually tossed the leaf onto the open space in front of him, saying: "This is a Magic Artifact bestowed by my master, capable of carrying a hundred people."

After the leaf flew out of his palm, it suddenly enlarged in the air, and when it was about a foot above the ground, it hovered out of thin air, becoming a gigantic leaf boat. Shi Jishan immediately became anxious and said: "Senior brother, this was bestowed by the Sect Leader; how can you let mortals defile it with their feet?"

Damn, that’s really looking down on people. You fly in the sky, so your feet never touch the ground, right? Ning Xiaoxian bit her teeth and didn’t make a sound. When under someone’s roof, it’s best to bow your head first.

Quan Shifang shook his head, leaped aboard the leaf boat first, and announced to the astonished crowd around him: "Folks in need of crossing the river, please come aboard, I’ll give you a lift."

People were both shocked and delighted, cheering as they began to climb onto the boat. This Magic Artifact was truly amazing; the more people boarded, the larger it became. It wasn’t until the last person climbed aboard that it stopped growing.

"Please, sit tight." Then, the leaf boat slowly rose and swept across the river without hesitation, flying straight to the opposite side. The river water churned beneath their feet, yet sitting on this Magic Artifact was not only fast but also safe. Closing their eyes felt as stable as sitting in a chair in their own living room, and the passengers on the leaf boat all cried out in amazement. Ning Xiaoxian thought to herself that the benefits of cultivation were indeed great; humans on Earth still have to endure turbulence when flying through strong air currents on airplanes, but this leaf boat seemed to maintain its steadiness even when high in the air.

Shi Jishan’s face turned iron blue, and she remained silent. A fellow female disciple who was on good terms with her asked: "Senior Sister Shi, what’s wrong?"

Shi Jishan: "Xiao Xi is missing."

The female disciple laughed and said: "Xiao Xi is very spiritual and can fly back from far away; don’t worry, senior sister."

Shi Jishan shook her head: "It’s been missing since the day of the Chi Xiao Sect’s banquet, and it hasn’t come back."

Quan Shifang, sitting in front, heard this and a thought struck him. He suddenly looked at Ning Xiaoxian, who also seemed surprised. But when she met his gaze, she quickly turned her face away, appearing somewhat guilty.

On the day of the Chi Xiao Sect’s banquet, in the Banyan Forest, besides eating sweet potato soup, they also shared a roast bird. That bird couldn’t possibly be...

This was a bit awkward.

Speaking of which, ahem, it was actually quite well roasted, that aroma seems to linger at the tip of the nose.

Once Ning Xiaoxian heard what Shi Jishan said, she knew trouble was brewing. Yet although Quan Shifang kept frowning, he didn’t seem to want to expose her.

That’s right, he was complicit in eating Xiao Xi.

This is called being in cahoots with each other.

Realizing this, she was no longer afraid and even winked at Quan Shifang.

Unspoken understanding, huh handsome?

Shi Jishan noticed the wink and snorted heavily. On the other hand, Quan Shifang seemed to understand Ning Xiaoxian’s intention and for some reason felt like laughing.

My bad, my bad, I definitely stole Junior Sister Shi’s pet, but it seems like I don’t feel any guilt?

In the blink of an eye, Leaf Boat had reached the opposite shore and landed firmly on the ground. Quan Shifang released a Daoist spell and retrieved it. This is the area under the influence of the Chi Xiao Sect, and people around were aware of the existence of cultivators. Now that the passengers had come to their senses, they immediately wanted to kneel and worship. Several middle-aged women even tried to touch the hem of Quan Shifang’s robe to get a whiff of the immortal aura, so they could go back and boast to their families and neighbors.

The innocent young man Quan Shifang immediately broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly left with the crowd.

This is already within the territory of Siping County. As the sky darkened, Ning Xiaoxian found an inn along the way to lodge at. Her acquaintance with Quan Shifang was too shallow to consider visiting his grandfather’s home as a guest. The junior brothers and sisters from the Chaoyun Sect, of course, followed Quan Shifang with righteous indignation. Before leaving, Shi Jishan even tilted her head towards her as if to show off.

Absolutely ridiculous! She curled her lips, found a room, then called the waiter to bring bathwater. The roads here are really meant for horses and not for walking, after trudging all day and getting dirty from head to toe!

After giving the waiter several cents of broken silver as a tip, the waiter very attentively and mysteriously told her: "Don’t go out at night no matter what; Siping County has been unsettling recently at night, there might be demons harming people’s lives."

Demons? Ning Xiaoxian’s eyes widened with interest, that’s a word that troubled her immensely. If she could catch demons, she would be able to properly nourish the soil and robustly grow Heavenly Talent and Earthly Treasure – assuming she could get her hands on seeds. But the greatest obstacle she might face on her Westward Journey might also be demons. What could she use to catch them?

However, people always find a way, so she had to inquire clearly.

After a series of whispered exchanges with the waiter, who mentioned he wouldn’t tell anyone else, she got the gist of it. It turns out that in the last ten days, there have been two homicide cases. A Scholar and a woman went missing at the east and south ends of the county, respectively, and were found dead in the bottom of a well two days later.

She asked, "Then how do you know it wasn’t done by a human?"

"Both of them had four holes in their throats, and the county’s forensic doctor confirmed that all their blood had been drained! Could a human do this?!"

Four holes? Drained of blood? Sounds like something out of a Western vampire TV show.

"That doesn’t make sense, this is within Chi Xiao Sect’s area, how could there be demons causing trouble?" Usually, little demons only cause chaos at the borders of different sects’ territories or in no man’s lands.

"Alas, probably the Immortal Masters think there’s too little Immortal Silver paid by Siping County this year and can’t be bothered with this place." Every county and state under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Sects must pay a tribute in Silver Coin, known as "Immortal Silver," because cultivators themselves do not engage in production. Whether it’s food, clothing, or daily necessities, which of these doesn’t cost money? In her opinion, this is nothing but blatant extortion. Seems like Siping County paid too little protection money, and Chi Xiao Sect isn’t willing to bother much.

The waiter smiled wryly: "The Immortal Masters are busy normally, they won’t manage our affairs unless there’s a significant number of dead or injured, or a major plague hits." But what he said was the truth – most cultivators can’t wait to use every second for cultivation without being distracted by mortals who have nothing to do with them. Good Samaritans like Quan Shifang are, after all, rare.

Since it’s unsafe at night, she had no plans to go out. One wants to be a detective, but personal safety is also important; she comfortably bathed in her room.

Just after her bath, there came a delicate scratching sound from the window.

"No way, I haven’t even gone to catch demons, and a demon has come knocking on my door?" It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous. In her life, she’d only seen two demons; one was locked in the God Demon Prison and was a handsome man in human form, the other, although frightening in appearance, was domesticated and ended up being tricked into becoming her fertilizer.

But she had never encountered a wild, jumping-about demon!

Changtian disdainfully said, "It’s just a messenger item. You go open the window, there’s no harm."

As she did, a tiny paper crane flew in, circling around her twice, and spoke in human language: "These two days, the county isn’t safe. Miss Ning, don’t go out at night, I’ll go investigate and find out the truth." It was obviously Quan Shifang’s voice.

Quan is really a good man of the new century. While enjoying good food at his grandpa’s home, he didn’t forget to warn her about the dangers here.

After pondering for a moment, she asked: "Changtian, what do you think?" Ah, it feels so good to be able to ask this line!