Chapter 55: Meeting an Acquaintance
On the Tongtian River.
The autumn wind blew gently.
A painted boat traveled upstream.
Surprisingly, its speed was even faster than boats traveling downstream.
At the bow of the painted boat, a handsome young man in white robes with a sword at his waist particularly stood out.
This young man was Chen Xuan. After receiving Leng Li's letter, that same afternoon, he and Zhao Youqian boarded the Hongyan Boat to travel to the Jin Kingdom's capital, Jinyang.
Only Ao Li was left behind to guard the sect.
The letter's content was very much in Leng Li's style—just one short sentence: "Junior Brother is in danger, earnestly requesting Senior Brother to come to Jinyang quickly to save me."
In the lower left corner of the letter was an exclusive mark representing a disciple of Wushang Sword Sect.
This mark was unique to each disciple. On the surface, they all looked similar, but only sect disciples could distinguish the genuine from the fake.
Jinyang City was over a thousand li from Dongyang Prefecture.
By land, it would take more than ten days.
By water, with the Hongyan Boat's magical artifact enhancement, it only took seven days—cutting the journey time in half.
Chen Xuan and his party had left Dongyang Prefecture five days ago. In all his years in this world, this was his first time traveling far.
Just like in his previous life, he felt a little excited about traveling far for the first time.
His mind involuntarily recalled various plots from Liao Zhai dramas in his previous life—scholars going to the capital for exams and encountering female ghosts and female demons.
In his previous life, he often lamented that even with a paid membership, he couldn't see the VIP-exclusive scenes in these shows.
Did he really need to watch romance plots? What he needed to learn was how to satisfy female demons.
In this life, finally having such an opportunity, he also wanted to know if he had the potential to become a chivalrous hero or an undead knight.
After all, no man could refuse the gratitude of a female demon or female ghost.
Unfortunately, in these five days, he hadn't seen a single female demon or female ghost—not even a female monster.
Could these demons have been intimidated by my reputation?
Just as Chen Xuan was thinking, a massive port appeared before his eyes.
Behind the port was a majestic city. Compared to this city, Dongyang Prefecture was like the difference between a small county town and a provincial capital.
"Brother Chen, the city ahead is Shangyuan Prefecture. It's the capital of Zhongyuan Commandery and the second largest city after Jinyang."
Zhao Youqian had walked to the bow at some point, introducing it to Chen Xuan.
"So we're not far from Jinyang now."
Chen Xuan muttered to himself.
Before his words fell, an official boat blocked their path.
A cultivator clad in red armor spoke in a condescending tone:
"This painted boat of yours has been requisitioned."
Zhao Youqian opened his folding fan and said disdainfully:
"What bold words. I, Zhao Youqian, have roamed the nine heavens and ten lands for years, and this is the first time someone has tried to requisition my property."
"A mere Dao Foundation cultivator dares to claim roaming the nine heavens and ten lands? I doubt you've even left the Jin Kingdom. If you know what's good for you, hand over the boat. This is payment for it."
Saying this, the red-armored cultivator took out a low-grade spirit stone from his robe and tossed it onto the deck.
"Haha..."
Seeing this scene, Chen Xuan couldn't help but laugh, his hand subconsciously moving to the sword hilt.
"Brother Zhao, this is my first time seeing someone throw spirit stones in your face."
"Isn't it? Only country bumpkins in the Jin Kingdom would think one low-grade spirit stone could buy a magical artifact."
As Zhao Youqian spoke, he waved his hand, and a pile of high-grade spirit stones instantly appeared on the bow.
"Take these spirit stones and get lost. Don't let me see you again."
Seeing these high-grade spirit stones emitting rich spiritual energy, the red-armored cultivator's eyes nearly popped out. Seeing that one was a mortal and the other a Dao Foundation cultivator, greed instantly rose in his heart.
At that moment, an arrogant female voice rang out.
"Is it really that hard for you to find a boat heading to Jinyang? If you delay the Nineteenth Princess's schedule, who among you can take responsibility?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Chen Xuan slowly released his hand from the sword hilt.
Zhao Youqian waved his hand and collected the spirit stones from the bow.
The red-armored cultivator quickly turned to the newcomer and said: "Your Highness, this humble one has found a boat, but not only did they refuse to hand it over, they even insulted us."
The newcomer wore a pink dress, and every gesture exuded an air of arrogance.
"Where is the boat? This Princess will personally speak with them."
"There!"
The red-armored cultivator pointed at the Hongyan Boat.
The Princess immediately turned her gaze toward the Hongyan Boat. When she saw the two people standing at the bow, the arrogance on her face instantly vanished, replaced by shock.
"Immortal Masters, why are you two here?"
The newcomer was none other than Young Princess Ji, whom they had parted ways with at Binhai County.
Seeing her, a smile appeared on Zhao Youqian's face: "Little Princess, why do you love boarding my boat so much? Have you been conquered by my boat-handling skills?"
Hearing this, the red-armored cultivator beside them was dumbfounded. This fellow had such audacity—he was openly teasing the Little Princess!
This fellow was doomed!
The Little Princess not only didn't get angry upon hearing this, but actually showed an expression of relief. She quickly explained:
"Immortal Master Zhao, this is a misunderstanding. The Nineteenth Princess is rushing to Jinyang, so we've been requisitioning boats along the way. If we've offended you two Immortal Masters, please forgive us."
"Forgiveness is possible."
Chen Xuan said indifferently: "But earlier, that one in red armor humiliated Brother Zhao with a single low-grade spirit stone. You handle this."
Upon hearing this, the Little Princess simply said: "Self-destruct your cultivation."
Hearing this, the red-armored cultivator immediately knelt and begged for mercy.
"Immortal Master, please spare me! This humble one was blind..."
Seeing him like this, Zhao Youqian said impatiently: "Enough. Next time, keep your eyes open wider. I can't be bothered to bicker with small fry like you."
"This humble one, Lu Zineng, thanks the Immortal Master for sparing my life."
Lu Zineng immediately changed his expression from haughty to fawning.
Chen Xuan waved his hand: "Fine, move your boat aside. We're in a hurry to get to Jinyang."
"You two Immortal Masters are also going to Jinyang? Could you give us a ride?"
Seeing that they were somewhat impatient, the Princess quickly said:
"The journey to Jinyang has many checkpoints. Giving us a ride would save you quite a bit of trouble."
Chen Xuan glanced at Zhao Youqian beside him:
"Is what she says true?"
"Indeed it is. But normally, these checkpoints shouldn't cause much delay." Zhao Youqian shook his folding fan, looking thoughtful.
"Immortal Master Zhao is right. Normally it wouldn't take long, but with the King-Conferring Ceremony approaching, the checkpoints from Zhongyuan Commandery to Jinyang are especially strict.
Also, there are many boats heading to Jinyang, so all the back and forth would waste a lot of time."
Though the Princess appeared arrogant on the surface, she was from a noble background and naturally knew that at times like this, she had to demonstrate her value to make a fair exchange.
"Fine, then come aboard. We don't want to be delayed here. Dock the boat!"
Chen Xuan agreed to let the Princess and her party board. After all, having connections in the palace makes things easier—he didn't want to be delayed on the road.
"Don't worry, the Nineteenth Princess is more anxious than anyone to get to Jinyang. Within an hour, they'll be aboard."
The Princess said with a smile, secretly pleased. Traveling with the two Immortal Masters meant the journey would certainly be safe.
About half an hour later, a grand procession appeared at the dock.
The Princess personally led people to welcome that procession, while Chen Xuan and Zhao Youqian leisurely brewed tea at the bow of the boat...
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise