"Cai Zhiyin?" Zhou Ming's thoughts raced: 'I don't remember any super Family named Cai in the Eastern Sea, but looking at this person, he's so young and already a Rank Four Gu Master. He definitely wasn't raised by an ordinary Family. Is he from a large Family?'
'Perhaps… I can make use of him.'
Thinking this, Zhou Ming put on a cool and aloof expression, nodding to Cai Zhiyin and saying, "This humble one… Qin Wumeng, greets Young Master Cai."
"Qin Wumeng, Qin Wumeng, ah, what a truly wonderful name!" Cai Zhiyin praised loudly, then asked, "May I ask where Miss Qin is headed?"
Zhou Ming replied, "I'm on my way to Furei Sea Area. I'm just passing through here and taking a short rest."
"Oh?" Cai Zhiyin's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Haha, what a coincidence! My Cai Family's merchant ship is also headed to Furei Sea Area. If Miss Qin doesn't mind, why not come aboard my ship and let me give you a ride?"
Zhou Ming's face showed a timely hint of difficulty, while still maintaining a cool and aloof demeanor, radiating the struggle of wanting a ride but not wanting to socialize. She said indifferently, "This humble one is used to traveling alone. I won't trouble Young Master Cai."
"Hahahaha, my ship is so big, how much space can Miss Qin take up alone? How can that be called troubling?"
"It's not me, Cai Zhiyin, boasting, but among the merchant ships in this area, almost none are faster than my Cai Family's. My Cai Family's Wave Chasing Gu, Wave Following Gu, and Long Wind Gu are unparalleled. Miss Qin can find this out with just a little inquiry."
Cai Zhiyin's lips moved rapidly, his words filled with pride.
Seeing a few hints of interest appear on Zhou Ming's face, he quickly struck while the iron was hot, adding more fuel to the fire.
"If Miss Qin still feels uneasy, then when we encounter pirates on the way, Miss Qin can help the merchant ship defend against them. How about that to cover the fare?"
With these words, Zhou Ming finally had no reason to refuse, but she still maintained her demeanor, nodding and softly saying, "Since that is the case, then I thank Young Master Cai for his kind invitation."
Cai Zhiyin was overjoyed: "No need to thank me, no need to thank me! Miss Qin, please come aboard quickly!"
Zhou Ming looked down at the bluefin whale beneath her feet, remaining silent.
Cai Zhiyin immediately understood, laughing, "Miss Qin's mount will naturally be taken care of by my subordinates. I guarantee they'll make sure it's well-groomed and shiny. Miss Qin doesn't need to worry about such small matters. Come, Miss Qin, let me help you onto the ship."
As Cai Zhiyin spoke, he extended both hands, making to pull Zhou Ming's arm.
"No need for Young Master Cai to trouble himself." Zhou Ming dodged Cai Zhiyin's hands, lightly tapping her foot. A vine grew out of thin air, rapidly growing and branching, intertwining together, extending towards the Cai Family's large ship.
Soon, a vine bridge formed. Zhou Ming stepped onto the bridge, gracefully walking towards the Cai Family's large ship, her demeanor dignified and elegant.
Cai Zhiyin's eyes were fixed on Zhou Ming's back, saliva almost dripping from his mouth. Seeing that Zhou Ming had already boarded the Cai Family's large ship, he quickly wiped the corner of his mouth and joyfully flapped his wings behind him, flying onto his own large ship.
"Come, come, everyone look at me! I have an announcement to make!"
Landing on the deck beside Zhou Ming, Cai Zhiyin retracted his wings, clapped his hands, and shouted.
When all the sailors and Gu Masters on the ship looked over, Cai Zhiyin gestured towards Zhou Ming and said, "This is Miss Qin Wumeng, a good friend of this Young Master. You all must respect her, love her, just as you respect and love this Young Master. Do you understand?"
How could anyone dare to say they didn't understand? Naturally, they all shouted in unison that they understood, and cast curious glances at Zhou Ming.
"Young Master Cai, I am merely taking a ride. There's no need for such a grand display."
Only after everyone had responded did Zhou Ming, as if suddenly realizing, quickly say, "This humble one and Young Master Cai have only just met, a mere chance encounter. Young Master Cai's enthusiasm truly makes this humble one feel overwhelmed and unworthy."
"Yes, yes, yes, it was I who was presumptuous." Cai Zhiyin chuckled, "However, I, Cai, am the owner of this ship. An order has been given, and it wouldn't be good to change it immediately. Miss Qin, please bear with it for now. I, Cai, will correct them later when I find an opportunity."
What he was thinking was: Hmph, correct them later when I find an opportunity? Once I've captured you, aren't we still one? It's even more fitting for you to enjoy my treatment, so why change anything?
"Then I will trouble Young Master Cai. Are there any empty rooms on this ship? This humble one has been traveling all day and is a bit tired," Zhou Ming said softly.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Cai Zhiyin quickly said, "Captain, quickly arrange an empty room for Miss Qin, one with a good environment. Don't try to fool her with those crew members' rooms!"
After instructing the captain, Cai Zhiyin, with a face full of smiles, turned to Zhou Ming and said, "It will probably take another hour or so to unload and load the cargo. Does Miss Qin have anything else to take care of on this island? I can accompany Miss Qin for a walk on the island."
"No need. I haven't even set foot on this island, so what unfinished business could I possibly have?" Zhou Ming's tone was faint.
"Alright then, Miss Qin, please rest well later. When it's time for dinner, I'll come and call Miss Qin to join me," Cai Zhiyin said earnestly.
"In that case, thank you, Young Master Cai."
At this moment, the captain had just finished arranging the room. After giving Zhou Ming the key, Zhou Ming immediately hurried to her room.
First, she meticulously inspected the room with various Investigation Gu, and only after finding no abnormalities did Zhou Ming breathe a sigh of relief.
'Pretending to be a woman is really tiring!' She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, 'Especially pretending to be a cold and calculating 'green tea' type. Compared to those I saw in my previous life, I'm practically just parroting them.'
'However, it's a waste not to take a free ride. This female identity is so useful. If I were to return to my male form, no one would actively invite me onto their ship.'
'Let's just follow this merchant caravan to Furei Sea Area for now. Regardless, having the strength of an organization is much safer than traveling such a long distance alone.'
After contemplating her next steps for a while, Zhou Ming flipped her hand, and two Gu appeared in her palm.
One of these Gu was shaped like a ladybug, completely transparent, like it was carved from exquisite water jade, very beautiful.
The other was milky white, shaped like a longhorn beetle, with two large forelegs and two long antennae, its appearance somewhat ferocious.
These two Gu were the two types of fruits from the bronze dream tree, which transformed and were born after Zhou Ming brought them to the Gu World.
The transparent one was the Soul Soothing Gu, its function being to soothe the Soul, with excellent results.
The other white one was called Lucid Dream Gu. Its function was that after use, one could maintain a clear consciousness even when entering a dream, unaffected by the dream's illusions, and clearly realize that one was dreaming.
Both Gu were Rank Three Gu, and both were consumable Gu, considered the first batch of consumables Zhou Ming obtained from the bronze dream tree. Although the dream tree fruits Zhou Ming currently possessed were all given by the Ghost Doctor.
In fact, there were also bronze dream tree petals, whose function was to stabilize dreams, allowing them to be preserved for a long time.
However, considering that Zhou Ming didn't need this ability right now, she didn't bring them to the Gu World to turn into Gu. They were only preserved in flower form, which was much easier than preserving them as Gu.
Zhou Ming lightly pinched, and the transparent Soul Soothing Gu immediately burst open, acting upon Zhou Ming and gradually calming the agitation in her Soul.
Afterward, Zhou Ming took out and used a Rank Four Wood Soul Gu to refine her Soul.
In the previous mission world, Zhou Ming's Soul foundation first plummeted to the level of two hundred human Souls due to dreams, and then surged to eight hundred human Souls after devouring the Souls of an entire city in Edo, Japan.
However, the surging Soul foundation had not been refined and was very loose. Therefore, in these past few days, Zhou Ming had been continuously using the Wood Soul Gu to refine her Soul. When she felt agitation in her Soul, she would use the Soul Soothing Gu to calm it. After these few days, her Soul Cultivation showed significant progress.
Both the Soul Soothing Gu and the Wood Soul Gu were new Gu. Zhou Ming brought them directly from the Main God Space to the Eastern Sea of the Gu World, so they were not suppressed and could fully exert their power.
However, all of Zhou Ming's previous Gu, due to being suppressed, could only exert the power of a lower rank.
Zhou Ming was not in a hurry to dispose of them all. She simply sealed them away temporarily, and then exchanged for a set of Rank Three Gu from the Main God Space to use.
This set of Rank Three Gu was also not suppressed by the Laws of the Eastern Sea and could fully exert its power, complementing Zhou Ming's current apparent Peak Rank Three strength.
After completing today's Soul Refining Cultivation, Zhou Ming put away the Wood Soul Gu, pondering in her heart.
She now had corresponding Cultivation methods for strengthening the Soul, refining the Soul, and soothing the Soul. The only thing limiting the improvement of her Soul foundation was that her Physical Body could no longer bear a more powerful Soul.
The Soul Path was a grand Dao that was currently flourishing, so there was no shortage of Gu that could strengthen the physique and enhance the Physical Body's capacity to bear the Soul, such as the Impermanent Bone Gu, the Ghost Bone Gu, and the Nether Tendon Gu.
However, Zhou Ming had not prepared these Gu before. This time, returning to the Gu World, she only encountered small islands along the way, and there were no organized Markets or shops, so she had not been able to buy suitable Gu.
Just then, a knock sounded, followed by Cai Zhiyin's voice from outside the door.
"Miss Qin, have you rested well? It's time for dinner. Today, we have the Cold Bone Fish Soup, unique to this sea area. It's a rare delicacy, and it would be a pity to miss it."
Zhou Ming's heart stirred. She cleared her throat and responded calmly, her voice cool and clear: "Thank you for the invitation, Young Master Cai. This humble one will tidy up a bit and then come out."
Perhaps, in addition to hitching a ride, she could also get something from this guy!
Thinking this, Zhou Ming deliberately delayed for a while, doing nothing in reality, before finally stepping out.
Cai Zhiyin had been standing outside the door the entire time. When Zhou Ming's elegant and ethereal figure appeared before him, his eyes couldn't stop shining, and he quickly went to greet her.
"Ah, as the saying goes, a woman adorns herself for her admirer. Miss Qin's dressing up is truly like an immortal descending to the mortal world, breathtakingly beautiful!"