An hour has passed by the time Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter had finished touring the interior of the ship and emerged. Outside, the excitement surrounding the arrival of the powerful figures aboard the flying ship had largely faded.
Now, apart from a few people still lingering by the railing of the ship, gazing at the motionless giant whale on the sea surface below, most had returned to their normal activities, going about their business.
Thus, when Chi Gui led Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter to the market, only a few people who either possessed exceptionally keen eyesight or recognized Chi Gui and Lin Jian could infer that they were being personally escorted. Most were largely unaware that Ji Yuan and Ying Ruoli were the individuals from the giant whale.
Unlike the relatively spacious interior of the ship, as Ji Yuan and the Dragon Daughter followed behind Chi Gui and Lin Jian, they saw what appeared to be a long street on the deck, lined on both sides with building of varying heights, some single-story, some two or three stories.
Most of these buildings seemed to be shops of some kind, with signs hanging out front. Many were even operated by ordinary people, selling food or daily necessities.
Of course, there were also those selling “extraordinary items.” Some were still in the form of shops, while others had simply found a spot for themselves in the building and laid out their wares as if it were a stall.
As Ji Yuan walked along, he took a leisurely look around, finding it all quite novel. This was the first time in his life he had seen so many cultivators gathered together in such a small area. Although their cultivation levels varied, most proper immortal cultivators, and there were certainly quite a few of them.
Although the atmosphere during the Water and Land Assembly of Emperor Yuan De of Dazhen was chaotic, and many cultivators from Yuhuai Mountain had arrived, they were in fact dispersed throughout the capital and not particularly numerous. Furthermore, that group of demons was quickly wiped out, so the experience hadn’t left a deep impression. It was nowhere near as lively as this “gathering of cultivators.”
“Haha, Mister Ji, this realm-crossing ferry—aside from helping people traverse realms, sometimes also serves as a mobile market for cultivators. When it docks, there’s no shortage of visitors, be they immortal cultivators with shallower foundations or those seeking convenience, be they demon cultivators, ghost cultivators, and even divine beings.”
Ji Yuan nodded in deep agreement as he listened to Chi Gui’s words.
Lin Jian also chimed in from the side.
“Cultivators are also sentient beings; they too possess the seven emotions and six desires. Compared to mortals, their desires are less intense, but they still have things they want and realms they aspire to. Mortals believe immortal cultivators are without desires, but it’s just that they have little interest in worldly matters! If a gold nugget were to fall to the ground, a mortal would pick it up, while we would regard it as a mere weed. But if a mountain spirit stone were to drop to the ground, a mortal would think it but a pebble, while we would regard it as a treasure.”
Ji Yuan chuckled, and half-jokingly spoke.
“If I saw a gold nugget, I’d pick it up too. “
The Dragon Daughter beside him almost burst out laughing. From what she had heard from her father and based on her own understanding, she knew very well that Uncle Ji acted as he pleased, free and unrestrained, and also enjoyed exploring the mortal world. If he said he would pick it up, he really would do so.
Chi Gui and Lin Jian took his words as a joke and continued leading the way.
In the center of the street ahead stood a colossal mast. This towering wooden pillar was one of the most common places where cultivators came to exchange goods.
“Let’s go, I’ll go inside and take a look! “
On a whim, Ji Yuan strode over, looked around, found a building with a sign that read “Transformation Pavilion,” and entered.
It was quiet inside. Even the occasional conversation wasn’t loud; immortal cultivators setting up stalls wouldn’t hawk loudly.
There weren’t many people inside, nor were there too many stalls. Behind each small table sat several cultivators dressed in a variety of styles. Ji Yuan and his three companions naturally attracted attention, but but no one called out to solicit customers.
On the small tables in front of them lay items that could be considered “goods,” including spiritual talismans and rare artifacts. Ji Yuan was quite surprised to see two “bonsai.”
Curious, he stepped closer and examined them intently. The two pots contained the same type of plant, resembling a thick vine that spiraled upwards, about a foot tall, with small leaves bearing long, sharp thorns. Both the leaves and thorns were purple.
Seeing Ji Yuan stop to look, the cultivator sitting cross-legged and eyes closed behind the small table opened his eyes and offered a brief introduction.
“This is a Purple Thorn Vine. The pot is an ordinary clay pot, and the soil is black soil soaked in spiritual spring water. It can ensure the Purple Thorn Vine does not die. If carefully cared for, it might flower and bear fruit in the future, which can stabilize the soul and replenish vital energy. “
“Oh, how long would it take to flower and bear fruit?”
Ji Yuan casually asked. The cultivator smiled.
“This depends on personal fate. The Purple Thorn Vine is quite rare; if it doesn’t reach maturity, it’s hard for it to nurture a spirit. If it does, it constantly tries to escape, making it difficult to control. I’ve cared for these two Purple Thorn Vines for thirty years, and they still haven’t flowered or borne fruit, I might as well trade them for something else. “
Ji Yuan replied, “You’re quite honest! “
He then shook his head, no longer looking at the two Purple Thorn Vines, and walked elsewhere. The cultivator didn’t try to stop him, closing his eyes again to meditate.
The higher a cultivator’s level, the firmer their resolve. When it came to buying things, their wants and dislikes were clear as black and white. They would naturally keep what they wanted, and it was useless to convince them otherwise if they didn’t want something. Therefore, aside from special circumstances, it was rare to see shopkeepers making flowery promises about their wares while the customer hesitated.
After casually browsing through the building, Ji Yuan found that the items for sale didn’t contain anything he particularly wanted. Or rather, he was generally interested in almost everything, but only out of curiosity.
Since that was the case, and since he had no suitable “currency,” he naturally wouldn’t buy anything. He was content to just look around.
After browsing a few more so-called immortal shops, Ji Yuan’s interest had waned.
“Uncle Ji, is there anything you want to buy? If you don’t have suitable items for trade, I have some. I have hundreds of catties of Water Spirit Essence,
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and some Deep Sea Spirit Gathering Pearls too. “
“Hiss. . . “
Even Chi Gui and Lin Jian, though they were Returning to Origin-level cultivators, couldn’t help but subtly gasp. Listening to the Dragon Daughter’s casual attitude, it seemed these things were nothing to her.
Even Ji Yuan was secretly astonished. From this stroll, he had gained some understanding of the Five Element spirit stones and other such items. Take the Purple Thorn Vine he had just seen, for instance; it cost one catty of Water Spirit Essence, which looked like nothing more than an ice bead the size of a broad bean. The Dragon Daughter’s offer was practically a blatant display of wealth.
“Never mind, never mind. Though these things are rare and interesting, there’s nothing that truly catches my eye. Acquiring them would be useless. “
Ji Yuan was telling the truth. He had actually quite wanted to look for a Substitute Life Talisman, like the one he’d encountered before, but there weren’t any. As for the other items, from medicinal herbs to spiritual talismans and various so-called spiritual artifacts, they were all expendable to him.
As for magical artifacts, Ji Yuan felt that at present, an immortal sword, a wolf-hair brush, and a fishing rod were sufficient. As for items assisting cultivation, Five Element spiritual objects could be useful, but back then he hadn’t known they could be traded and collected this way. Now that he had achieved the Five Qi Converging to the Origin and the perfect fusion of the Five Elements, they weren’t really that useful anymore, unless used lavishly to aid in casting Five-Element techniques.
So, the problem was this: his immortal sword didn’t need such items; the wolf-hair brush was mostly used for casting Edicts, so these goods were also useless; lightning control used the power of the lightning talisman, so it didn’t need wood spiritual essence.
He could control water, but his skill, while meticulous, lacked the ability to manipulate towering waves. Using water spiritual essence would be too extravagant. He regrettably didn’t know any earth elemental techniques. And for fire control, his control of any other fire techniques was about as inept as his water control. Even if fire spiritual essence could enhance his True Fire of Samadhi, its consumption would be enormous.
Moreover, Ji Yuan was not proficient in alchemy, nor did he understand medicine; using those those spiritual herbs would just be squandering heavenly resources.
After much thought, Ji Yuan really couldn’t think of anything he urgently needed right now, at least not on this realm-crossing ferry from the Nine Peaks Mountain.
At that thought, Ji Yuan sensed the aroma of food wafting from some shops up ahead. He pointed and strode towards them.
“Come, let’s find a good restaurant, order a table full of dishes, and have a good meal. I’ve barely eaten anything worth mentioning these past few years. “
Chi Gui and Lin Jian exchanged glances, feeling they should still follow.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Daughter, accompanying them, covered her mouth with her sleeve and smiled faintly, speaking to Ji Yuan,
“I suddenly thought of something Uncle Ji might want! “
“Oh? I don’t even know myself, and you think you do?”
Ji Yuan glanced at her as he walked, also somewhat curious.
“Of course I know. Uncle Ji, you’re short a jar of immortal wine! “
Ji Yuan froze for a moment, then clapped his hands in regret,
“You’re right! I, too, suddenly remembered. Your father still owes me a whole jar of Ambergris. I didn’t ask for it last time I visited, and he shamelessly feigned sleep in the Dragon Pool. He should be charged interest! “
Tens of thousands of miles away, at the Dragon Pool, a massive dragon suddenly felt an unbearable itch in his nose.
“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo-ong! “
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
Outside the Dragon Pool, numerous aquatic creatures heard the violent dragon roar, and even the Yakshas guarding the Dragon Pool were suddenly swept away by torrents bursting from the depths of the Dragon Pool.
Countless aquatic creatures were tossed about in disarray, one or two pavilions in the aquatic palace collapsed, and countless artifacts were overturned. The water currents surged and churned across dozens of miles of the entire Tongtian River basin, river waves rose and fell erratically, and faint dragon roars continued to reverberate.
T/n: note to self: stay far away from the Tongtian River during flu season
Previously translated as spirit object. Might continue to flip between the two depending on context.
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