Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Ning Yuzhou finished examining Qiao Leshui's body and said, "Your Sea of Consciousness is still somewhat chaotic. You can start by taking the Five-Revolution Qingyang Pill to repair it. Other than that, everything else is fine."

Qiao Leshui asked nervously, "This Five-Revolution Qingyang Pill... isn't it very expensive?" If it were an ordinary spirit pill, it would be one thing, but the one he just took was an exceptional pill...

Qiao Leshui knew all too well what an exceptional pill meant. With his current financial situation, he simply couldn't afford it.

"Master Qiao, there's no need to worry; you can repay me another time," Ning Yuzhou said with a considerate demeanor. He continued, "Given your current condition, your cultivation should recover quickly."

Qiao Leshui wasn't surprised upon hearing this.

He knew his own body well. Each episode lasted three days, and after regaining consciousness, his cultivation would recover within two hours. This time, thanks to the numerous spirit pills Ning Yuzhou gave him, he regained consciousness two days earlier, although his cultivation took an extra day to recover. Still, it was better than before.

This made him trust Ning Yuzhou even more, believing that he could truly cure him.

Qiao Leshui said, "I've also consulted alchemists to examine my body, but they didn't find anything wrong."

He dared not let anyone know about his current condition, fearing that if the Qiao family discovered he was still alive, they might take action. Therefore, he always waited until his cultivation had recovered after each episode before seeking out alchemists for a check-up.

Thinking about it, Qiao Leshui felt troubled.

Each episode was life-threatening, yet afterward, he seemed perfectly fine, leaving the alchemists baffled. Even he couldn't accept it. He was genuinely worried that one day, during an episode, he might encounter a malicious cultivator and die without knowing how.

Ning Yuzhou comforted him, "Don't worry, it will get better."

Qiao Leshui looked at him with trust and said, "Young Master Ning, I believe in you. From now on, I'll rely on you!"

"Young Master Qiao, there's no need to be so formal. We met by chance, and since I can help, I will do my best."

Ning Yuzhou's words were beautifully spoken, making Qiao Leshui feel indebted to him.

Wen Qiao, Wen Tutu, and Wen Guangun watched the entire process quietly, not disturbing Ning Ge as he persuaded the honest man.

After staying among the reefs for a while longer, they prepared to leave once Qiao Leshui's cultivation had fully recovered.

Seeing Ning Yuzhou toss out a small boat made of Xuan-level spirit artifacts, Qiao Leshui asked, "Young Master Ning, Miss Wen, did you come to the Yunchuan Sea specifically for training?"

From his question, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao finally learned that they were currently in the Yunchuan Sea.

Ning Yuzhou's expression remained unchanged as he replied warmly, "Yes, we heard that this area has many types of sea beasts, some of which have delicious meat that is popular among cultivators, so we came to see for ourselves."

This reminded Qiao Leshui of the morning when he was tempted by the cold crystal ice-pattern shrimp Ning Yuzhou cooked, almost making him cry from craving it.

Suppressing his sadness, Qiao Leshui kindly warned, "The Yunchuan Sea is close to the Purple Thunder Sea, where there are imperial-level demon cultivators. It's best not to get too close to the Purple Thunder Sea, or you might be considered intruders by those sea beasts, which wouldn't be good."

If not for the Yunchuan Sea being near the Purple Thunder Sea, where most sea beasts were eighth-level, few people would venture here. Qiao Leshui chose to hide here to pass the three-day episode period.

Cultivators on the Flying Star Continent feared the high-level sea beasts in the Purple Thunder Sea and rarely approached this area. However, occasionally, powerful cultivators who weren't afraid of sea beasts would come here to kill them for a good price.

The ocean was rich in resources. Most sea beasts not only had delicious meat but their skin and bones were also excellent materials for refining artifacts.

However, most cultivators were wary of the proximity to the Purple Thunder Sea and would avoid this area when fishing.

Ning Yuzhou smiled and said, "Thank you for the warning, Young Master Qiao. We are now heading back to the Flying Star Continent."

As he spoke, everyone boarded the small boat.

Wen Qiuball had returned to the space, while Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun climbed onto Wen Qiao's shoulders. Wen Qiao then used a long pole to steer the boat.

During the journey, Ning Yuzhou and Qiao Leshui chatted on the boat.

Ning Yuzhou subtly extracted a lot of information from Qiao Leshui, gaining a general understanding of the Flying Star Continent.

Regarding their origins, Ning Yuzhou didn't say much, only mentioning that they were recently out for training without any specific destination.

Qiao Leshui didn't press further, not wanting to make his benefactors feel distrusted.

However, he had his own thoughts. Observing Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao's demeanor and depth, he believed they must be disciples of prestigious sects. Otherwise, how could they casually offer so many exceptional spirit pills to save someone? Perhaps they preferred not to reveal their identities during their training journey.

Of course, his certainty about their prestigious backgrounds was also due to their clear eyes and upright conduct, making them seem like good people—mainly Ning Yuzhou.

A capable and kind person like Ning Yuzhou was naturally more trustworthy than a bad person.

Moreover, Qiao Leshui didn't think he had anything worth coveting. Even if they were targeting his brother, who was on Feixian Island and couldn't be seen, any plot against his brother would be impossible for now. It was better to try trusting them.

With these considerations, Qiao Leshui soon calmed down.

***

The small boat sailed for three days before finally leaving the Yunchuan Sea.

Now, they could see various islands of different sizes scattered across the sea, adding a touch of vitality to the area.

Qiao Leshui had previously rented a cheap cave on one of the nearby islands, intending to stay there until his condition was cured, hiding in the Yunchuan Sea every month to pass the episode days.

However, traveling with Ning Yuzhou and the others meant he no longer needed to hide.

They didn't stop at these islands but continued toward the Flying Star Continent.

Five days later, they finally arrived at the Flying Star Continent, seeing a large dock in the distance.

"This is the dock of Yunping City," Qiao Leshui introduced. "Beyond the dock lies Yunping City."

During their conversation, Qiao Leshui learned that Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao hadn't set sail from Yunping City but from another place, passing through the Yunchuan Sea. Unfamiliar with the area, they relied on Qiao Leshui to explain things to familiarize themselves with the surroundings.

The small boat approached the dock, looking delicate and fragile amidst the larger ships.

However, its small size allowed it to navigate nimbly through the gaps between the larger ships, reaching the dock quickly.

Several of them leaped onto the dock, and Ning Yuzhou put away their small boat—though it was of low quality, it had still served its purpose.

The dock bustled with activity. There were cultivators disembarking from long-distance trading ships, hunting teams returning from sea expeditions, vendors shouting and setting up stalls, and not far away, rows of demon beast carriages driven by lower-ranking cultivators who called out to potential customers...

After three years in the Endless Sea, where every sight was of sea beasts, Wen Qiao and the others hadn't seen so many people for a long time. They couldn't help but stare, finding everything new and fascinating.

Wen Tutu and Wen Guangun also turned their heads everywhere they looked.

Qiao Leshan beckoned them into a demon beast carriage and said to the driver, "Let's find an inn in the city to settle down."

"Sure thing, guests, please take your seats."

The driver, a cultivator at the Yuanwu realm, shouted, and the demon beast carriage nimbly weaved through the crowded dock.

Wen Qiao glanced at the demon beast pulling the carriage. It wasn't the familiar Swiftwind Beast, but a creature resembling a horse with two sharp horns on its head. The beast trotted forward, skillfully dodging people and other carriages, navigating the busy dock without causing any accidents.

Impressive indeed.

After about two quarters of an hour, the demon beast carriage dropped them off at an inn in the city.

After Qiao Leshan paid the fare, the three entered the inn and booked two rooms. Once again, Qiao Leshan insisted on paying the accommodation fees.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou didn't argue over such trivial matters. As a patient, Qiao Leshan still needed Ning Yuzhou's treatment, so he naturally wanted to be accommodating and arrange everything properly.

Finally sitting in the inn's room, sipping hot tea and eating spirit fruits, both Wen Qiao and the two demon beasts felt a sense of long-awaited comfort.

Finally, solid ground under their feet!

It felt great not to be drifting at sea anymore, even better not to be constantly soaked in seawater. Tonight, they should have a good night's sleep.

Wen Qiao stretched lazily, looked at the bed in the room, and turned to Ning Yuzhou, saying, "Husband, let's rest here tonight and explore the city tomorrow."

Ning Yuzhou smiled and agreed.

***

The next morning, Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao emerged from their room, refreshed and energetic.

Qiao Leshan, staying in the neighboring room, came out upon hearing the commotion. Compared to the energy of the two, he looked rather worn out, his wet, small animal-like eyes lacking luster.

"Master Qiao, what's wrong?" Ning Yuzhou asked with concern.

Qiao Leshan replied dully, "I checked last night, and I don't have many spirit stones left. I might not be able to pay for your treatment, Ning Master, or the spirit pills I've taken..."

He felt ashamed as he spoke.

Qiao Leshan had a brother who was admitted to Feixian Island, and the Qiao family never neglected him. With the cultivation resources his brother sent back each year, Qiao Leshan had always been well-off and never worried about running short of resources. Even after being secretly schemed against by Qiao Daxun and considered a "dead man" within the Qiao family, he still had enough spirit stones saved up, allowing him to live comfortably.

But last night, when he checked his savings, intending to pay Ning Yuzhou in advance for the treatment, he realized that recent expenses had depleted his spirit stones significantly, leaving him unable to cover the cost of the spirit pills he had consumed.

Ning Yuzhou reassured him kindly, "Master Qiao, don't worry. Focus on getting better first; you can repay me gradually later."

Wen Qiao nodded silently in agreement.

Indeed, if he couldn't repay, his brother could! If Qiao Leshan came looking for his brother, her husband would certainly make him pay the debt.

Unaware of their thoughts, Qiao Leshan was deeply moved, feeling that there were still many good people in the world. Even if Ning Yuzhou helped him due to his brother's reputation, it still counted as kindness.

Qiao Leshan quickly perked up and asked about their plans.

Ning Yuzhou replied, "We plan to explore the city and buy some spirit herbs and medicines for your treatment."

Hearing this, Qiao Leshan felt even more reassured and promptly shared what he knew: "Yunping City has few spirit herbs and medicines; it mostly deals in seafood. Many cultivators come here to purchase seafood, especially high-grade sea beasts like those of the seventh and eighth ranks."

If they wanted to buy spirit herbs and medicines, they'd need to go to other cultivation cities.

Ning Yuzhou wasn't disappointed and said, "That's fine. We have quite a few sea beasts from our recent battles, which we can sell."

They then went to a shop specializing in purchasing sea beasts and unloaded a batch of corpses.

These sea beast corpses were trophies from their battles over the past few years, including gifts from the sea beasts of Star Crossing Gorge.

Sea beasts don't have the concept of not eating their own kind. As long as they haven't developed intelligence, they're just food. Some aggressive sea beasts don't care whether their prey is intelligent or not; when hunger strikes, they eat anything.

Wen Qiao was accustomed to the brutal survival rules of demon beasts but rarely targeted intelligent beings. She usually killed only unintelligent sea beasts.

Intelligence equals food—it made perfect sense.

The shopkeepers, seeing the storage bags full of sea beast corpses, recognized a big customer and greeted them enthusiastically.

Qiao Leshan watched as the sea beast corpses poured out of the storage bags, his eyes wide with surprise.

He suddenly wondered if Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao had ventured beyond Yunchuan Sea during their training, perhaps even farther, given the variety of sea beasts they brought.

Some weren't native to Yunchuan Sea.

After tallying the mountain of sea beast corpses, the shopkeepers settled the payment with a bag of spirit stones and warmly said, "If you have more sea beasts next time, bring them over. We'll take them all. Of course, if you have seventh or eighth rank sea beasts, we'll offer you a better price."

Wen Qiao responded coldly, collected the spirit stones, and left with Ning Yuzhou and Qiao Leshan.

After leaving the shop, Qiao Leshan whispered, "Miss Wen, you sold a large number of sea beasts, including many of the seventh and eighth ranks. You could get a better price selling them individually outside."

The shops in the city often underpaid due to their scale, unlike individual sales outside.

Wen Qiao replied, "Selling individually is too troublesome. It's much easier to sell them all at once."

Qiao Leshan was speechless, glancing at Ning Yuzhou, wondering if Master Ning would intervene with his fiancée. Seeing Ning Yuzhou's smiling face, he realized that not only did Ning Yuzhou not interfere, but he was also entirely supportive.

This engaged couple truly have a wonderful relationship.

Qiao Leshui silently took a step back, distancing himself from the couple to avoid being overwhelmed by their impenetrably sweet atmosphere.

Then they visited the spirit herb shop in the city, and as Qiao Leshui had mentioned, the variety of spirit herbs here was indeed limited, with very few that caught their interest.

Leaving the spirit herb shop, they went to a restaurant in the city and enjoyed a special seafood feast.

Wen Qiao said, "It's not as delicious as what my husband makes. We won't come here next time."

Qiao Leshui silently nodded, although he hadn't tasted Ning Yuzhou's cooking, the aroma he smelled that morning still made his mouth water.

Ning Yuzhou gently replied, "I'll cook for you next time." Then he turned to ask Qiao Leshui, "Where can we find a place that sells seasonings around here?"

"Seasonings?" Qiao Leshui was a bit stunned, scratching his head, "I don't know either."

As a cultivator accustomed to fighting and killing, who would specifically care about seasonings? Only spirit chefs and those running restaurants would be concerned with such things.

In the end, after some inquiries, they finally found a shop specializing in seasonings.

Watching Ning Yuzhou carefully selecting the seasonings, Qiao Leshui realized that even buying seasonings required knowledge, clearly indicating that transitioning from a cultivator to a spirit chef is no easy task.

After resting in Yunping City for a few days and replenishing many needed items, they left.