Chapter 7

With the seeds of Drunken Fish Vine in hand, and Ling Wuji having obtained the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, the two of them did not go out for the next several days, instead keeping busy at home.

There was no need to mention the Drunken Fish Vine. Chun Chou planted all three seeds in Ling Wuji’s courtyard, watering them daily without fail, and casting a growth-accelerating spell on them three times a day.

Then there was the usual cultivation, along with whip practice.

The whip Chun Chou had obtained was the best offensive magical artifact he could currently get his hands on. Even if it was not of high grade, when he practiced his basic body-tempering technique, he wielded it with fierce momentum.

As for Ling Wuji, during this time he condensed ice needles, storing them inside the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Box, and practiced how to deploy the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles in a concealed yet composed manner.

In the meantime was his daily cultivation and talisman drawing.

Ling Wuji’s talent in talisman drawing had been acknowledged by the town’s talisman master. However, Ling Wuji was unwilling to take a master, and even more unwilling to move into the master’s residence and be separated from the one he admired, so the matter was dropped.

Both of them were busy. Seeing each other every day and even sleeping in the same bed at night, Ling Wuji’s heart gradually settled once more.

He thought: sure enough, Chun Chou had him in his heart—him alone.

As for the town mayor’s eldest daughter, Qiao Linglong, she came to visit once every three days. Chun Chou would personally go to open the door, but when receiving her, the two of them would do so together.

Ling Wuji could also see that Qiao Linglong harbored no other intentions toward Chun Chou. Or rather, her only intention at present was to replace her younger brother and go to the cultivation world. She had no other thoughts.

The mayor had obtained only one slot to enter the cultivation world from Chun Chou. It was not that he did not want more, nor that Chun Chou refused to give them. Rather, many people already knew that Chun Chou had slots in his hands. He could not provoke public anger by taking too many and leaving no room for others. He could only take one. Moreover, with his family’s wealth, securing one slot was manageable. If he wanted two, it would exhaust their savings. He had only one son and one daughter to his name. The mayor was still human; he had his selfishness and intended to keep one child by his side.

This slot, he gave to his nine-year-old son with dual spiritual roots.

Chun Chou expressed no opinion, but it was clear that the mayor’s household was not unified in thought. The eldest daughter did not wish to miss this opportunity.

After Qiao Linglong had come three times, the mayor himself visited, his probing intent obvious.

Chun Chou said, “Miss Linglong may be beautiful, but… the transaction was made with you, Mayor. You need not worry.”

To the mayor, this meant that perhaps Chun Chou had indeed been moved by Qiao Linglong’s beauty, but whoever made the deal with Chun Chou was the one Chun Chou would listen to.

Even if Qiao Linglong were peerlessly beautiful, it would be useless. He let out a long breath of relief.

Fortunately. Fortunately.

It was just that his daughter had been making frequent small moves recently. He likely needed to restrain her more. It was not that he did not love his daughter. But there was only one slot. His son was still young; if he went to the cultivation world now, his future cultivation would proceed more smoothly.

Though his daughter had a single spiritual root, she was already somewhat older and had reached the age for discussing marriage. Why struggle endlessly for the path of immortality? Better to remain by her parents’ side, marry, bear children, and live happily. In the future, if his son achieved something, he would surely return home. If any of his daughter’s descendants showed talent, surely his son would bring them away to nurture. In that way, he would not have failed his daughter.

Seeing his reassured expression, Chun Chou thought to himself: this matter was probably not over yet.

Time flew. Soon, the day of departure arrived.

All three of Chun Chou’s Drunken Fish Vine seeds had sprouted, and even produced many additional seeds, which he collected. The vine’s leaves were sharp, and he plucked them one by one, wondering whether one day he might practice the technique of throwing leaves to pluck flowers. Of the vines themselves, he crushed two and extracted their poison, soaking both his spiritual wooden whip and Ling Wuji’s ice needles in it. The third vine he kept intact with its leaves, storing it in his Qiankun pouch for use at an unexpected moment.

During this time, Ling Wuji had also drawn many offensive and defensive talismans, arming both himself and Chun Chou to the teeth.

He did not wish for any mistakes.

Many people in the Mortal-Immortal Realm did not know that whenever cultivators from the cultivation world came, they would first recruit disciples in Red Leaf Town. In truth, it was because Red Leaf Town housed a teleportation array left behind by a great sect of the cultivation world.

With this teleportation array, people from the cultivation world could easily come to the Mortal-Immortal Realm. But those from here who wished to go to the cultivation world needed the permission of the family guarding the array.

That family was not easy to deal with. But Chun Chou possessed a jade token that allowed them to enter the cultivation world, a gift from the great sect. Moreover, four of his younger siblings had already been taken away by that sect. Thus, the array-guarding family was more accommodating—but they only permitted Chun Chou to bring four others into the array.

Chun Chou nodded and then looked toward the mayor of Red Leaf Town.

He and Ling Wuji counted as two slots.

The only son of the neighboring town’s magistrate, Xu Xiao—nineteen years old, three spiritual roots—stood in fine robes, looking like a dandy, impatiently listening to his father’s instructions. In truth, he did not particularly want to go to the cultivation world. If given the choice between being a wastrel noble or a grassroots struggler, he would naturally choose the former. But since his father did not agree, he had no choice but to head to the cultivation world and become the latter.

Then there was the twelve-year-old girl from the hometown of Red Leaf Town’s mayor’s wife, named Liu Ting’er, whose spiritual roots were unknown—the very one who had given Chun Chou expired spirit beast pills and a spirit beast pouch.

But there was still one final slot.

The mayor of Red Leaf Town had arrived, yet his only son had not.

The other four who had slots were already present. Seeing that the appointed time with the array-guarding family was approaching, the mayor grew increasingly anxious.

Chun Chou watched from the side and exchanged a glance with Ling Wuji, who sat in his wheelchair.

The two of them thought: the longer the delay, the greater the chance that Miss Qiao’s plan would succeed.

Sure enough, with only a quarter of an hour left before the teleportation array would activate, the mayor’s wife and Qiao Linglong arrived.

His wife looked exhausted and furious. She walked to her husband and spoke to him in a low voice.

But everyone present were cultivators; all heard her words.

“Several days ago, our son offended a few dandies in town. They did not dare retaliate openly, so last night they invited him out for drinks and slipped something into his wine. It is not harmful—it only causes him to sleep for three days and awaken naturally afterward. But since it has no other ill effects, the town’s physicians have never studied such a medicine. I invited them all to examine him, yet none could wake him early.”

She said angrily, “Those dandies have all been brought here and beaten before me, but not one of them will admit to drugging him! Husband, you tell me…”

No one there was a fool.

Though his wife spoke this way, the look she cast toward her daughter standing nearby was complex.

The mayor’s gaze darkened as he looked at Qiao Linglong.

Qiao Linglong said nothing. She merely stood quietly beside Liu Ting’er. It was obvious—her younger brother lay unconscious and could not awaken. He could not go to the cultivation world while asleep. The slot could not be given to outsiders. The only one who could go was her.

He took several deep breaths and patted his wife’s shoulder.

His wife did not know what she felt, but she still took out two Qiankun pouches from her sleeve.

These had already been bound to their son. The magistrate, being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, personally erased his son’s spiritual imprint, checked that everything inside remained intact, his expression darkening further. Then he and his wife walked to Qiao Linglong and handed the items to her.

“If you have such ambition, then go. I only hope that when your cultivation achieves success in the future, if resentment still lingers in your heart, then do not return. If your knot has been untied, this home will always wait for you.”

At last, Qiao Linglong could no longer hold herself together. She knelt before her parents, tears brimming in her beautiful eyes.

“Father, Mother! I have never resented you, nor do I think my brother is at fault. I only—I am only unwilling to accept this! Rest assured, no matter what happens, I will never harbor hatred toward our family.”

What else could he and his wife do? At this point, they understood that Qiao Linglong’s earlier attempts to befriend Chun Chou had only been an act for their sake, to lower their guard. What she truly intended was to prevent her brother from coming today. In that way, she succeeded.

“All right, all right, time is up! Everyone else, step aside! The five who are leaving, stand inside the teleportation array!”

Those with family saw them off with final farewells.

Chun Chou and Ling Wuji had no one to send them off, yet they were not alone. The two stepped into the array together.

Next was Liu Ting’er, who also had no one seeing her off.

Then Xu Xiao, and finally Qiao Linglong.

All five stood upon the teleportation array.

Chun Chou saw the array guardian take out seven spirit stones from his Qiankun pouch—stones that seemed to contain more spiritual energy than low-grade spirit stones—and place them around the array.

The teleportation array activated—

There was no ceremony. Only Xu Xiao’s parents called his name, and the mayor and his wife each called out, “Linglong.”

Xu Xiao’s previously arrogant expression crumpled at once. Tears streamed down his face. Though the formation had already started and he could no longer see his family, he still murmured, “Father… Mother…”

Qiao Linglong stood there in a daze, not knowing what she herself was feeling, nor what her parents truly felt toward her. Yet no matter what, things could never return to how they once were.

Liu Ting’er kept her head lowered the entire time, no one knowing what she was thinking.

Chun Chou, meanwhile, thought of his adoptive parents. He lowered his head—and saw that Ling Wuji was looking at him.

The two clasped their hands. In that way, they could draw strength from one another.

The teleportation array continued for a full hour.

Aside from Ling Wuji, Chun Chou and the others eventually sat down cross-legged on the ground. Before coming, the array guardian had instructed them that the formation would last between one and two hours. As for where exactly it would stop, that would depend on which of the seven great sects of the Guiyuan Continent would accept them. If none took them in, they would be stranded outside a town near the foremost sect, the Guiyuan Sword Sect.

The five of them, Chun Chou included, naturally had some self-awareness. Coming from the Mortal-Immortal Realm and already past the optimal age for cultivation, how could the Seven Great Sects possibly accept them? Most likely, after two hours, they would simply be set down near the Guiyuan sword sect.

That was fine. As long as they entered the cultivation world, where spiritual energy was far more abundant and resources far richer than in the Mortal-Immortal Border Realm, they would at least have hope for immortality.

For Chun Chou, this arrangement was even better. It meant he could first go nearby to see his four younger siblings. Back then, it had been disciples of the Guiyuan sword sect who came to Red Leaf Town to recruit. His four younger siblings were all of exceptional aptitude; surely they would have entered that sect.

Chun Chou let out a long breath, thinking that perhaps this was for the best. He would see his four younger siblings, then settle down near the sect, watch the four of them grow up, make sure Fusheng and Yaoyao grew up with sound hearts and minds—so they would not become great demon lords or queens. If he could do that, it would be enough.

The teleportation array was still in motion.

Ling Wuji suddenly said, “There’s still a quarter of an hour before the two-hour mark.”

The moment his words fell, all five of them became alert.

While logic dictated they shouldn’t encounter danger so soon, they all knew that in this world, one must always prepare for the “what if.”

Chun Chou drew out his whip. Ling Wuji held a stack of talismans between his fingers, his wheelchair positioned beside Chun Chou. Qiao Linglong gripped her longsword. Xu Xiao took out his broadsword. Liu Ting’er tightened her hold on her spirit beast pouch—clearly, what she kept inside was a spirit beast capable of protecting its master.

Chun Chou: “…”

The spirit beast pouch he carried contained only a silly little donkey that did nothing but eat and play.

The five of them said nothing. They could only wait for the array to stop.

There was no announcement—only the sudden disappearance of the dizzying sensation.

The teleportation array stopped.

Then a voice rang out:

“Anyone who can come from the Mortal-Immortal Realm to the cultivation world must have some treasures on them. And if they don’t, no matter—tie them all up. In the future, when someone in their family with good aptitude rises to prominence, we can ransom them back. Not a bad plan at all!”

The five had only just steadied themselves. The array’s protective barrier had only just fallen when that voice sounded from outside.

And along with that voice came four men with vicious, ferocious expressions—launching their attacks without the slightest hesitation.

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