Chapter Nineteen: Blue and Green

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Shi Qi opened the Universe Pouch. Inside, there were some clothes, daily necessities, and a black token. Shi Qi took out the token and channeled his true energy into it. Instantly, Master Bai Lu’s voice sounded in his mind: “There is a cave dwelling five hundred miles southeast of East Sea City. You can enter with this token. If you have the time, go take a look. There may be opportunities within. And remember to tidy up a bit while you’re there.”

“There may be opportunities… and tidy up a bit,” Shi Qi muttered. “So, basically, I’m being sent to clean.”

He opened the map he had previously obtained from Bai Qiu and began to examine it. From Cloud Prefecture City to East Sea City, with East Sea City located in the Eastern Continent, he would have to cross through Yong Prefecture and Qing Prefecture, covering tens of thousands of miles.

Shi Qi thought, This is truly a long journey ahead...

As the eastern sky began to lighten, day broke. Shi Qi performed the Wind Riding Technique and flew eastward.

Two days later...

Shi Qi stopped in a small town in eastern Cloud Prefecture—not because he was tired, but because, as a foodie, he had caught a whiff of an especially tantalizing aroma.

“Peppercorn Chicken, just out of the oven!”

“Boss, give me one!” Shi Qi called.

“Coming right up, Daoist!”

Shi Qi tossed over a few taels of silver and received a roasted chicken wrapped in oiled paper.

“Ah, the simplest ingredients often call for the simplest cooking methods,” Shi Qi mused, leaving the town and soaring into the sky, singing as he continued on his journey.

Suddenly, he heard a “beep beep beep” in his mind—not an external sound, but one that seemed to come from within himself.

Shi Qi opened the Universe Pouch and found that the jade ruyi Sun Fanbai had just given him was glowing. The “beep beep beep” was being transmitted directly into his mind by the ruyi.

He picked up the ruyi and infused it with true energy. Instantly, a line of text appeared on its surface.

Bai Qiu: Shi Qi, Shi Qi, Shi Qi, calling Shi Qi! Old Sun, can’t this thing do private messages?

Sun Fanbai: Hmm... It doesn’t seem to have that function.

Shi Qi focused his thoughts, and whatever he wanted to say turned into words floating on the ruyi’s surface. He tapped the ruyi, and the message was sent.

Shi Qi: What is it, Xiao Bai?

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Bai Qiu: Where are you now?

Shi Qi: On my way to East Sea City. Right now, I’m in… some small town in eastern Cloud Prefecture, not sure of the name.

Bai Qiu: Eastern Cloud Prefecture? Perfect. Nearby is Mount Jiuhua. I just got word from our fellow Bai Xiaosheng that a rare treasure is rumored to have appeared there recently. Many sects have divined this, and sent their disciples to compete for it and gain experience. If you’re free, go check it out—could be fun.

“Mount Jiuhua,” Shi Qi repeated, then opened his map. It was about three hundred miles south of his current location.

Shi Qi: Not far at all. Got it, I’ll go have some fun.

Bai Qiu: Good. Old Sun, this gadget of yours is really handy.

Sun Fanbai had already disabled the notification on the jade ruyi while Bai Qiu and Shi Qi were chatting away.

Meanwhile, Yuan Wu, sweating profusely, muttered to himself, “How do you turn this thing off...?”

Shi Qi put away the ruyi, changed direction, and headed for Mount Jiuhua. Three hundred miles wasn’t far; two hours by Wind Riding Technique would suffice.

As Shi Qi hurried along, he suddenly heard crackling sounds ahead.

A fight? he wondered. He quickly sped up—after all, no true hero would pass up a good spectacle.

A short distance later, Shi Qi saw the combatants.

On one side were four young women, all about seventeen or eighteen years old. They were dressed in matching blue long skirts, their glossy black hair styled into cross-shaped buns, and pale veils covering their faces to conceal their features.

On the other side were three young men, around twenty years of age, wearing red robes with hair loose about their shoulders.

Three of the young women and the three young men were engaged in battle. The fourth blue-robed girl remained at the back, not participating.

Shi Qi now saw two choices:

First, dash in, play the hero, teach the three a lesson, and display his extraordinary talent.

Second, pretend he hadn’t seen anything, whistle as he left, and avoid getting caught up in the crossfire.

He chose a third option: he landed on a nearby mountain peak, found a suitable stone platform, sat down, and watched the six-person melee while munching on his peppercorn chicken.

The three young men wielded fire techniques, while the three young women used wind spells. At equal cultivation levels, fire magic restrained wind.

One young man parted his lips; a stream of flame burst forth, forming a massive fireball that shot toward one of the girls.

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The girl stood firm, sword in hand, forming a seal with her fingers. With a wave of her sword, she unleashed a blade of wind at the fireball, aiming to slice it in two.

But her cultivation was limited; the wind blade, instead of cutting through the fireball, was absorbed by it. Fire met wind, and the fireball grew fiercer, surging toward her.

She hurriedly retreated, channeled her true energy, and flung her sword to block the fireball. The fireball halted, then dissipated after a few breaths, but the sword’s glow had dimmed.

“Looks like they’re no match for the other side,” a crisp voice sounded beside Shi Qi’s ear.

“Mm, that’s right, this... Eh?”

Shi Qi turned and saw a green-robed girl sitting beside him, eyes on the battle, holding a drumstick she was just about to eat.

“You...”

“Oh, me?” The girl took a bite of the drumstick, licked the oil from her lips, and said, “My name is Su Xiaomu. Just call me Xiaomu.”

“No, why are you eating my drumstick?” Shi Qi stared at her in disbelief.

“Because it’s tasty!” The girl finished the drumstick in a few quick bites, tossed the bone behind her, and said, “Give me another one—hmm... You ate the other drumstick, so just give me a chicken wing!”

With that, the green-robed girl reached for Shi Qi’s peppercorn chicken.

Shi Qi reflexively pulled back. “Wait a minute!”

But in the blink of an eye, he realized she already had a chicken wing in hand, and his chicken was missing one. Clearly, she’d snatched it.

So fast! Shi Qi thought. No wonder he hadn’t noticed her take the first drumstick, much less when she’d appeared beside him—she was utterly silent.

A chill ran through Shi Qi. If this girl had come to kill him, he might not even have known how he died.

The girl gnawed on the chicken wing and glanced at Shi Qi. “Big brother, why are you staring at me? Watch the fight!”

Shi Qi was bewildered by the green-robed girl’s astonishing dexterity and her guileless demeanor, which seemed at odds with her abilities. He sized her up properly for the first time.

Calling herself Su Xiaomu, she looked about fourteen or fifteen, her hair tied in a hanging bun, her skin fairer than snow, her features delicate, and her large eyes bright and lively. She was spirited through and through.

At the moment, she sat on the stone platform, gnawing her chicken wing, swinging her little feet, and watching the battle in the sky.