Chapter 125: Getting Used to It

"Daoist Friend Xu, why didn't you bring that Spirit Fox of yours along?"

After a snort that sent a group of prying cultivators scurrying away, Lan You quickly adopted a slightly gentler tone, sitting in front with her back to Xu Chen as she asked.

Xu Chen gave a wry smile and said, "I wanted to bring it, but unfortunately, it has grown too large now and there's nowhere to put it. I had intended to buy a Spirit Beast Bag, but I haven't been able to find one."

"So that's how it is. Our Great Song territory lacks sects skilled in beast taming or large-scale Immortal Sects that forge magic treasures, so Spirit Beast Bags and similar Magic Treasures are rarely sold here. However, Yuqing Hall does have a few. Since you'll be coming back to retrieve the Seven-Star Golden Toad anyway, I'll have an Elder give you one!" Lan You nodded gently.

Xu Chen rubbed his hands together bashfully and said, "How could I impose like that?"

Lan You looked back and said softly, "Why be so formal, Daoist Friend Xu? It is but a trivial matter. It's just that Yuqing Hall might not be what you imagine it to be."

Xu Chen asked in surprise, "How could it be different?"

Lan You sighed softly and said, "It is hard for me to say, but the Seven-Star Golden Toad will certainly not be easy to obtain. I am worried that those senior and junior brothers of mine will cause you trouble."

Xu Chen was stunned for a moment and said, "Surely not? This is something promised by two True Monarchs."

Lan You shook her head slightly and said, "The three Supreme Elders do not concern themselves with the mundane affairs of the sect. They only promised that you could go and take it, but whether you can actually obtain it depends on your own ability."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then Daoist Friend Lan, rest assured. We have been through life and death together, and you know what I possess. Therefore, I will retrieve this pair of golden toads."

Lan You remained silent for a long time before saying, "I am not worried about you, Daoist Friend Xu; I am worried about my fellow disciples. Although I wrongly blamed you for the death of Senior Brother Qin Feng last time, the rest of Yuqing Hall does not share that view. Perhaps some will stir up trouble. Besides, several of my fellow disciples also... also have rather poor tempers!"

Xu Chen stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then said, "A bad temper is an illness that must be treated. I happen to be learning alchemy recently, so perhaps I can help them out!"

Lan You, sitting in front, had her slender shoulders shaking slightly; she seemed to be holding back with great difficulty. After a long while, she said softly, "As long as you have confidence, Daoist Friend Xu, that is good. Please show some mercy when the time comes. Lan You would be eternally grateful!"

Xu Chen nodded and said, "I'll see how things go. I am a very easygoing person; I don't like fighting and killing."

Lan You turned her head, revealing a faint smile, and said, "Then I thank you in advance, Daoist Friend Xu!"

Looking at that peerlessly beautiful face, Xu Chen was momentarily lost in a trance.

He truly had not expected Lan You to look so beautiful when she smiled.

Seeing Xu Chen staring at her blankly, Lan You's cheeks turned crimson in an instant. She turned her head back to sit properly, yet she felt as uncomfortable as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She felt as though the eyes behind her could see through her body and soul, leaving her thoughts and feelings with nowhere to hide.

Thus, after enduring for a while, she could no longer hold back and sent a voice transmission: "Daoist Friend Xu, shall we switch places?"

Xu Chen was stunned for a moment and said, "What is it, Daoist Friend Lan? Are you feeling unwell? Is the wind too strong?"

Lan You had no choice but to bite the bullet and give a soft, affirmative sound.

So, without thinking much of it, the two stood up and swapped positions. After sitting back down, Xu Chen stroked the soft, smooth feathers on the Spirit Sparrow's neck and remarked:

"This is my first time traveling by flying beast. I didn't expect it to be so effortless and energy-saving. It seems the Taiyuan Sect will have to raise a few Spirit Beasts for guarding the mountain and for travel in the future. However, these things are truly difficult to raise; the cost is exorbitant."

Lan You, now sitting behind Xu Chen, felt much more at ease. Looking at his back, which was not particularly broad or thick, she recalled the nearly month-long period of living in close quarters and the intimate physical contact they had shared in the Black Wind Ridge cavern. Her cheeks turned red down to her earlobes.

Ever since she returned from that time, whenever she closed her eyes, she felt as if she were still clinging to Xu Chen's back, the scene of their intimate closeness playing over and over.

Even when meditating, it was difficult for her to enter a state of stillness; it took a long time to settle down each time.

And this state was hard to maintain for long. As soon as her mind wandered, she would recall the feeling of being pressed against Xu Chen's back—it was etched into her heart, as if she were bewitched.

Originally, True Monarch Yuyang and True Monarch Baiyun had noticed the massive increase and changes in her Soul, dantian, and Meridians, which was why they brought her back to Yuqing Hall to ask for details. But she did not want to speak, so the two True Monarchs could not keep pressing her, and in the end, they could only issue her a large amount of Spirit Pills to cultivate properly.

Given the strength of Yuqing Hall, the Spirit Pills provided were top-tier, so cultivation naturally yielded twice the result with half the effort. It was expected that she would reach the mid-stage of the Zhenyuan Realm in at most two months, but because her state of mind was poor, it took her a full four months to complete.

It was not until the Black Wind began to leak from Black Wind Ridge on a large scale this time that she barely managed to stabilize her realm. She rushed out of seclusion to request to come to Black Wind Ridge together, all just to catch another glimpse of Xu Chen.

However, after arriving at the Taiyuan Sect, she did not dare to pay a visit, so she hid in Black Wind Ridge. It was not until Xu Chen arrived at Black Wind Ridge to provide support and they met again in the Five Elements array that she gathered the courage to use the opportunity of hunting Soul Beasts to see him.

But unexpectedly, through a twist of fate, she was saved by Xu Chen once again.

Listening to Xu Chen speaking in front, Lan You slowly adjusted her breathing to calm her mood and sent a soft voice transmission: "The Taiyuan Sect does not have riding Spirit Beasts, so how do you know they are difficult to raise, Daoist Friend Xu? You raise that little fox of yours quite well!"

Xu Chen laughed and said, "The little fox is different; no matter how you raise it, it's just a pet. A flying Spirit Beast this large is a life-draining burden to raise. You wouldn't know, Daoist Friend Lan, but back then, when we captured a Third-Tier Spirit Crane at Longmen Mountain, we raised it for two months and it nearly ate the Taiyuan Sect into bankruptcy. Moreover, it was stupid and dull, so in the end, we had no choice but to kill it for meat."

Lan You lowered her head, her body trembling slightly.

The incident where the Longmen Mountain Second Elder, Qingyunzi, went to the Taiyuan Sect to cause trouble had long since become known throughout the Great Song Immortal World. Not only did Qingyunzi fail to establish his authority and end up beaten into a coma by a group of Kaiyuan Realm disciples from the Taiyuan Sect, but the Third-Tier Spirit Crane he rode was also knocked unconscious and captured.

However, that Spirit Crane's Soul had been damaged, and after waking up, it became incredibly dull and stupid. Not only could it no longer fly, but its appetite was also enormous. Longmen Mountain was too embarrassed to ask for it back, and after the Taiyuan Sect raised it for a while and could no longer afford it, a group of disciples simply decided to kill it to take its inner core and eat the meat.

Thus, a perfectly fine Third-Tier Spirit Crane not only contributed a third-grade inner core but also became a hearty meal for the entire Taiyuan Sect.

This matter only came to light during this time of exterminating Soul Beasts at Black Wind Ridge, and of course, it became the biggest laughingstock in the entire Immortal World.

Lan You had naturally heard of it, but she hadn't expected to hear Xu Chen say it himself, which immediately made her feel much better.

"Daoist Friend Xu, is the meat of a Third-Tier Spirit Crane delicious?" Lan You asked, covering her mouth.

Xu Chen smacked his lips and said, "Not bad, it's full of Spirit Qi, but it's best not to eat too much, otherwise I'm afraid you'll turn stupid!"

Lan You could no longer hold it together and gripped the feathers on the Spirit Sparrow's back tightly.

"Screech—"

In pain, the Spirit Sparrow let out a long cry, its wings flailing and its body losing stability as it tumbled downward.

Caught off guard, Lan You was jolted directly into Xu Chen's back, and then, out of habit, she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Xu Chen was also thrown into a panic by this sudden turn of events. Once the Spirit Sparrow regained its balance, he habitually reached back and gave the woman's soft bottom a light pat, saying:

"Don't be afraid, Daoist Friend Lan, it's alright now!"

"Mm!" Lan You realized what had happened in an instant, her face turning bright red as she hurriedly let go and sat back properly.

Xu Chen also realized what he had done at that moment; not daring to look back, he could only give a dry laugh and say, "Forgive me, Daoist Friend Lan, I was just a bit too used to it!"

Lan You's cheeks felt as if they were dripping blood, and she hummed softly, "I... I was too!"

And so, the two were caught in an awkward mood and did not speak for a long time.

The journey from the Taiyuan Sect to Yuqing Hall was over ten thousand miles, crossing nearly the entire Great Song territory.

The scenery along the way was picturesque, which goes without saying.

It was Xu Chen's first time traveling such a long distance by Spirit Sparrow, so he was naturally refreshed and had profound insights.

The Spirit Sparrow's flight speed was not much faster than an ordinary cultivator flying on a sword, but it had the advantage of being relaxed and carefree, consuming almost no Yuan Qi or physical strength; it was indeed the best means of travel when away from home.

This further strengthened Xu Chen's intention to acquire a flying Spirit Beast.

The Spirit Sparrow pierced through clouds and mist, while the mountain ridges, gullies, and mortal villages and cities below flashed by. Xu Chen watched with great interest the entire way, occasionally exchanging a few words with Lan You about the scenery and interesting anecdotes of the Immortal World, so the time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed. The two were flying near a small mortal city, so after discussing it for a few moments, they let the Spirit Sparrow go off to forage in the mountain ridges, while the two landed in an uninhabited area outside the small city and walked into the city to find a place to eat.

Eating, drinking, and relieving oneself—even immortals cannot avoid such customs; it is just that as one's cultivation level increases, the requirements for food become higher. At the stage of Refining Essence into Qi, one is still in the Human Immortal realm and is, in reality, still a mortal, with daily dietary habits remaining the same; it is just that the body becomes abnormally strong and better at enduring hunger.

A mortal can endure a day or two without eating or drinking, while a cultivator can endure seven or eight days.

But enduring hunger is not what is known as Grain Abstinence.

Grain Abstinence is a type of cultivation, tempering the internal organs and refining the physical body; one simply does not eat rice or flour, but one must still consume Spirit Pills and drink water.

Although Xu Chen and his companion were also quite capable of enduring hunger, they would not force themselves to starve if there was food to eat; that is not cultivation, it is being foolish.

To conceal her identity, Lan You wore a bamboo hat, while Xu Chen made no changes, wearing a set of ordinary grey-green Daoist robes and, to look the part, tucking a horsetail whisk into his waistband.

The small town was very small, covering an area of no more than a few miles, with low city walls and few pedestrians, all of whom appeared to be in a hurry; one could even see many people carrying loads or driving carts, heading out of the city in a panic.

Xu Chen frowned and said, "It seems something has happened here?"

Lan You nodded and said, "Indeed, there are not many people in the city, and they all look flustered."

"There is a tavern right ahead, let's go ask about the situation!"

Xu Chen looked up and saw a building with a wine banner hanging not far ahead, and the two of them quickly walked inside.

(End of this chapter)