Not even half a day after she sent the message, Meng Han showed up. He was greatly different from before. He wore a Golden Crown on his head, brocade boots on his feet, and was dressed in a large, dark-patterned black robe.
He was truly high-spirited and vigorous, but with his black face, he did not look particularly dashing or debonair.
“I have yet to congratulate Senior Brother Meng on this happy occasion!”
Zhao Chun came out from the Threefold Stone Forest and first went to Heartbreak Cliff. She had heard from Xu Feng that Meng Han had long since passed the Major Trial. Having achieved Foundation Establishment with a Jade-Earth Root, his foundation was much more solid than others.
He was graded ‘Lower First Grade,’ which was considered superior even among Inner Sect Disciples. Meng Han received the Message Talisman and ran out from a banquet, his attire not yet changed. Ever since he was graded First Grade, he had suddenly become very popular among the disciples.
Those who used to call him "Black Barbarian" now had to cup their hands and call him "Senior Brother." All sorts of banquet invitations and visiting cards piled up, filling half his Cultivation Cave, and had been bothering him for many days. The one who invited him today was a prominent Senior in the Inner Sect.
His cultivation base was at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, and he was also a personal disciple of an Elder, someone not to be easily offended.
“What's there to be happy about? Foundation Establishment is even more troublesome than Qi Refining. If it weren't for you, Junior Sister, I'd still have to stay there for several more hours.”
Meng Han took off his crown, holding the Golden Crown in his hand nonchalantly.
“By the way, the one hosting the banquet is named Du Fanzhi. He’s technically your close Senior Martial Brother. He only let me leave when he heard I was coming to see one of Elder Li's disciples.”
Zhao Chun had heard of this person. Among Li Su's nineteen disciples, he ranked third. He was also the youngest of the three at the Late Foundation Establishment stage.
He came from a cultivation family, and his family clan had several Foundation Establishment cultivators, so their influence was quite large. That a disciple of this rank would give Zhao Chun face, even under Li Su's name, was something she did not quite believe.
It was only when Meng Han rubbed his nose and said, “There were many Foundation Establishment disciples at the banquet, they weren't lacking one like me,” that Zhao Chun realized this banquet was not held solely for Meng Han, but was a gathering of all the elites, and Meng Han had also been invited.
“Human relationships and worldly affairs are truly the same for both immortals and mortals.”
Meng Han nodded his head vigorously, agreeing with this statement. Zhao Chun invited him into the house. The two sat down in the room and listened to Meng Han say, “You're also fast.
A few months ago, I heard you were still at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, and now you've already broken through.”
“I made a few trips to the Threefold Stone Forest and was fortunate enough to have a breakthrough.”
“That's also a good place for training.”
Meng Han had been there too, but he focused more on the path of Body Refining, so the Stone Forest did not suit him, and he stopped going later on. After the two exchanged some pleasantries, Meng Han began to speak of the Old Sect ruins.
“Senior Brother Xu and I were heading east, almost to the Eastern Region, when we discovered this place. It was probably a minor sect from several thousand years ago. It was harmed by evil cultivators, and unwilling to let the sect's entire savings be plundered by them, they activated a secret technique to seal the sect underground. A hundred years ago, it was excavated by rogue cultivators, and that's how it became known to the surrounding area…”
“Over the past hundred years, many cultivators have entered to explore, and most of the rare treasures have already been taken. My Jade-Earth Root only fell into my hands because it was extremely rare and hidden within a crack in the earth. However, the cultivators in the area also understand the principle of 'draining the pond to catch the fish.' They still let things like spirit herbs and spirit wood grow, for fated people to take. It can be considered a good karma…”
“Furthermore, this sect was named Feng Yan, and it specialized in the path of artifact forging. I've also heard that some cultivators obtained artifact forging inheritances from there, which is why I want you to go try your luck, Junior Sister! If you don't find anything, it's no matter. There are still several types of body refining spiritual medicines in the ruins' herb garden that are just right for us. It won't be a wasted trip if we can gather some.”
As he spoke, Zhao Chun nodded along. When she asked when they would set off, Meng Han shot to his feet with a "huo" sound and said, “Let's go right away! It's a perfect chance for me to escape a few banquets!”
Zhao Chun could not help but laugh. She did not have much to do on her end. All her things were in order, and there was no need to pack anything else.
The two discussed it and decided to set off immediately. The ruins were located at the border of the Southeastern Regions, an extremely long journey. If they went by Smoke Boat, it was uncertain how many talismans they would use up, and the slow speed would waste a lot of time.
In the Drifting Clouds World, long-distance travel was often done by riding a Nine-Sail Beast-Headed Ship, which traveled through the sea of clouds, covering a thousand li in a single day. This ship was extremely expensive to build, and boarding it was not cheap either. One had to pay one hundred Essence Stones to get a lower-class cabin.
Above that, there were middle-class cabins for two hundred Essence Stones, and upper-class cabins for five hundred Essence Stones. If one was truly short on money, there was also the cargo hold, which only cost thirty Essence Stones. However, as for the environment inside, it was a matter of personal opinion.
When Zhao Chun and Meng Han arrived, the lower-class cabins were already fully booked, so they had no choice but to each select a middle-class cabin. Both of them were well-off, so they naturally would not wrong themselves by staying in the cargo hold.
Besides, Meng Han had already reached Foundation Establishment, and he had to maintain his reputation when traveling outside. Spending two hundred here, plus the expenses at the Threefold Stone Forest, Zhao Chun had nearly used up eight thousand in less than three months. It was truly extravagant.
Currently, she had thirty-three Spirit Jades and over one thousand four hundred Essence Stones left on her. To other Qi Refining Stage cultivators, this could be called a huge sum, but for Zhao Chun, it did not last long at all. Greed, anger, and ignorance were truly the three defilements of man, with greed being the foremost.
The more Zhao Chun understood the good uses of money, the more she felt that her funds were tight. The trip to the Old Sect ruins would involve a six-day stay on the ship. They would disembark at Fragrant Blossom Mountain and then would have to pilot a Smoke Boat for another two days.
The journey was long. Besides cultivating, Zhao Chun would sit on the deck, watching the changes in the sea of clouds, finding it quite interesting. In her past life, she had never experienced extreme sports, always prioritizing her own safety above all else.
She had only ever seen the sea of clouds from an airplane window. Only now did she understand the feeling of "since ancient times the sea of clouds is vast, who knows where the Daoist mountains and crimson palaces are?".
Watching the layers of clouds change, she would laugh and think that the Daoist mountains and crimson palaces were right here with her. Zhao Chun slightly closed her eyes, sighing with emotion in her heart, when a bit of a commotion sounded from behind her.
“You sect disciples are so imposing, daring to slander others with baseless accusations of theft. Do you have any evidence to show?”
It was a slightly hoarse male voice, speaking with a rhythmic cadence, very firm. The voice that answered him was also a man's, but it was a bit more immature. It replied, “Before, there were only our two groups on this deck.
If it wasn't you people, who else could it be?” This statement was extreme, causing Zhao Chun to frown slightly. As expected, the other party caught the flaw in his words and sneered, “Two groups, yes, but not just the two of us.
Your side has three to five people. Why don't you suspect one of your own stole it?” The immature male voice was furious and continued to argue with him.
The voices from both sides were not quiet, attracting many curious onlookers, and the deck instantly became crowded. Zhao Chun turned her head and got a clear look at the two groups of people. Several older men were dressed as rogue cultivators, some with beards, some with their chests and bellies exposed, looking unrestrained and wild.
The other side had both men and women, all neatly dressed and wearing jade pendants, and none of them were very old, probably around fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen. The rogue cultivator spoke quite logically, with every sentence directed at the other party's sect, causing the few disciples to reveal their identities completely during the argument.
They claimed to be disciples of the Fen Feather Sect. Zhao Chun had never heard of this sect, but seeing that the leading disciple was at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining and also looked young, he could be considered a genius if he was in a minor sect.
Zhao Chun was sitting by a wooden crate on the deck, hugging her knees. She had been well hidden, allowing her to watch this good show. However, when she turned her head, half her face was exposed, and she was spotted by several of the rogue cultivators.
In a strange tone, one said, “Didn't you lot say there were only our two groups on this deck? Turns out there's a little girl here too. So why only blame us, and not others?
Is it because you look down on us rogue cultivators?” Zhao Chun sighed. Sitting on a boat, yet trouble falls from the sky.
Seeing everyone's gaze shift to her, she had no choice but to stand up from the ground, twitch the corner of her mouth, and say, “Is there a problem?”
(End of Chapter)