After finishing the jade slip, Xu Ziqing felt a lingering fear.
Those two demonic cultivators had already reached half-step Nascent Soul. Given a little more time, they might well have formed their Nascent Souls. If they had then resumed their activities, they would have been far more difficult to deal with.
Perhaps their many crimes had finally caught up with them. At the crucial moment, their cultivation had been interrupted, and they had lost both their fortunes and their lives.
Apart from the jade slip and cultivation manual, the storage bracelet held numerous demonic artifacts, most of considerable value. There were very few spiritual artifacts; presumably, the treasures the brothers had robbed from others had been exchanged for demonic ones. There were no spiritual herbs or medicines, probably because the two were not adept at alchemy. There were, however, many bottles of pills suitable for Golden Core cultivators and above.
Xu Ziqing did not hesitate. He took seventy percent of these pills and handed them to his senior brother.
But by far the largest portion of the bracelet’s contents consisted of spirit stones.
There were several hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, over ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and even three or four high-grade spirit stones.
That was astonishing.
Spirit stones came from spiritual veins. Third-rank veins produced low-grade stones, second-rank veins mid-grade stones, and first-rank veins high-grade stones.
As grades differed, obtaining the better stones became immensely more difficult.
Even within a very large second-rank vein, the area of greatest spiritual abundance might not produce a single high-grade stone.
Wuling Immortal Sect was a vast and exceedingly wealthy sect, with seemingly limitless resources.
Yet even there, Golden Core cultivators might possess third-rank spiritual veins and Nascent Soul ancestors second-rank veins. The entire sect had fewer than five first-rank veins.
This made the value of high-grade spirit stones all the more apparent.
Finding so many stones in a single storage bracelet naturally astonished the martial brothers.
Yun Lie’s bracelet held roughly the same quantity.
Together, they had acquired one million low-grade spirit stones, twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, and seven high-grade ones.
The third-rank spiritual vein on Little Slaughter Peak was not a small one. Yet even if every spirit stone within it were excavated, the total would amount to no more than about a million. With the combined fortunes of two half-step Nascent Soul cultivators, had they not become enormously wealthy overnight?
Xu Ziqing sighed inwardly and prepared to give his spirit stones to his senior brother.
Yun Lie said, “We still need to purchase certain things. You can cover their cost from your share.”
Xu Ziqing did not insist, though he still handed over the high-grade stones. Smiling, he said, “With my present cultivation, keeping high-grade stones would only waste their potential. Senior Brother should put them to better use.”
Yun Lie accepted them.
The two boys, neglected off to one side, watched the entire exchange.
One smiled. “How interesting.”
The other gave a contemptuous snort. “They’re plainly in love with each other, yet they keep passing things back and forth. How tiresome.”
The first added, “Immortal-path cultivators are always so hesitant. When someone catches our fancy, we use force to get our way. We don’t wait for their consent.”
The other smiled. “Let’s travel with them. The one in green appeals to me, and his senior brother knows nothing of romance. Perhaps we can seduce him ourselves.”
After their brief exchange by voice transmission, they saw Xu Ziqing approaching. They fell silent and looked up at him with frightened expressions.
Xu Ziqing felt great pity for the boys, and his gaze was gentle. “The evildoers are gone, and my senior brother and I must leave. Would you like to come with us?”
The boys exchanged a look. They had expected to plead for his protection; instead, he had offered it himself. Both were surprised.
But they reacted quickly, putting on expressions of delighted relief. “Th-this… Thank you so much for saving us, Senior!”
Xu Ziqing smiled. Seeing that their spirits appeared reasonably steady, he turned and generated a great mass of vines.
The green vines worked swiftly. Before long, they had dug a large pit, recovered the bodies of the captive cultivators and mortals buried beneath the rubble, and laid them to rest there.
Those victims must have hated their tormentors. Surely they would not have wanted to share a burial place with them.
Only after the work was done did Xu Ziqing feel somewhat relieved.
Yun Lie stood silently nearby without interfering. Once Xu Ziqing rose, he said, “Let’s go.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “Yes, Senior Brother.”
He summoned Chonghua. Yun Lie leaped onto the eagle first. Concerned that the twins were weak after their ordeal, Xu Ziqing helped them aboard. All four settled safely on the bird’s broad back.
Yun Lie indicated a direction. Chonghua gave a low cry and flew off at great speed.
A little more than half a day later, they reached a city.
It was a famous and prosperous city of the Eastern Region, called Dongyang City, sprawling over a broad area and bustling with life.
Mortals and cultivators alike came and went, and nobody thought their coexistence unusual.
After entering, Chonghua became a small eagle once more and perched on Xu Ziqing’s right shoulder.
Although Xu Ziqing had left the sect many times, he rarely had leisure to explore for pleasure. Since they had a little time now, he looked curiously about him.
Yun Lie led the way toward a long avenue.
Magnificent buildings lined both sides, including inns, restaurants, and shops. Only cultivators worked in the establishments on this street; there were no mortal employees.
After walking for a while, Yun Lie stopped before a tall building.
Xu Ziqing paused. “Senior Brother?”
“Let’s have a meal,” Yun Lie said.
Xu Ziqing was startled. His senior brother had practiced inedia for years, and Xu Ziqing still had the effects of his own fasting pills. Why would they visit a restaurant? Yet he had no wish to contradict Yun Lie, so he followed him inside.
A cultivator around the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining hurried up to greet them. He wore short, practical clothing and beamed just like a waiter in the mortal world.
“Honored seniors, will you be staying or dining?”
Xu Ziqing glanced at Yun Lie, still unsure of his intentions.
“Dining,” Yun Lie replied.
The waiter escorted the party to the second floor and seated them beside a window.
They could look out over the street from here, while the room was considerably quieter than the first floor.
The waiter brought fragrant tea. Its spiritual energy was faint but unmistakable, and it had a rich, mellow taste.
Excellent tea indeed.
Xu Ziqing took a sip and privately approved.
Having served the tea, the waiter asked warmly, “What dishes would the honored seniors like?”
Xu Ziqing looked at Yun Lie again. In truth, he had never visited a restaurant for cultivators and did not know what to order. Since his senior brother was here, he was happy to leave everything to him.
Understanding this, Yun Lie named several dishes.
The waiter beamed, refilled their tea, and hurried away.
Xu Ziqing found it amusing.
His senior brother must have chosen expensive dishes. Otherwise the waiter would hardly have looked so pleased.
What surprised him more was that his senior brother seemed quite familiar with this establishment.
Seeing his curiosity, Yun Lie explained slowly. “During my earlier travels, I passed through this city. Whenever I needed supplies, I replenished them here.”
Years earlier, he had descended the mountain with his sword to eliminate demons and protect others, enduring countless hardships and perils. Every journey consumed resources, and whenever his supplies ran low, he needed to replace them. He also obtained demonic artifacts he had no use for and exchanged them for more useful things.
This city had been a convenient place to do so. Having visited often, he naturally knew it well.
Listening to Yun Lie recount his earlier experiences, Xu Ziqing felt deeply at peace. A faint smile rose to his face.
He could not have accompanied his senior brother through those earlier years; Yun Lie had faced those journeys alone. But now, Xu Ziqing could remain by his side.
The twins sat opposite them. One spoke while the other listened, and the ease between them held the boys’ attention.
Moving closer together, the twins began another private conversation.
“What a pair of blockheads.”
“The senior brother is hopeless at courtship.”
The twins had encountered innumerable people and considered themselves extremely knowledgeable about affection and desire.
In their eyes, these two martial brothers were attracted to one another, yet some misunderstanding remained between them.
The senior brother, for instance, appeared cold and unfeeling, yet clearly treasured his junior brother. This Immortals’ Tower was the finest restaurant in Dongyang City. Its food and drink were exquisite and extravagantly expensive. Ordinary people could hardly afford to dine here.
If the purpose were merely to satisfy hunger, why choose Immortals’ Tower? Plainly Yun Lie intended to treat his junior brother to something special. Yet he behaved as though they had come for an ordinary meal, which was almost frustrating to watch.
The junior brother was no more perceptive. His deep affection was obvious to the twins despite his efforts to conceal it. But he seemed resigned to the idea that every considerate act on Yun Lie’s part expressed nothing more than brotherly concern. He refused to entertain any other possibility.
Thus one behaved naturally, and so did the other, while each misunderstood the other’s intentions. It was almost laughable.
Amused, the twins continued speaking privately.
“Let’s keep following them and see what sort of comedy unfolds.”
“Once they’ve settled in tonight, let’s try tempting the junior brother and see what he does.”
Just then, the waiter arrived with their food.
Five beautifully prepared dishes soon covered the table. Their ingredients came from rare demonic beasts and were complemented by precious spiritual herbs, fruits, and other delicacies, all prepared with great care by expert chefs.
The moment the dishes arrived, an irresistible aroma filled the room. Even inhaling it brought spiritual energy into the lungs and stirred the dantian. A few bites melted upon the tongue, tasting wonderfully sweet and fresh. Once swallowed, the food became pure warmth circulating through the body, leaving no impurities.
Xu Ziqing immediately understood how costly this meal must be.
“The food here benefits cultivation,” Yun Lie said. “Eat more if you like.”
Warmth rose in Xu Ziqing’s heart, and he did not refuse.
Neither talked much while eating. Occasionally they lifted their teacups as though drinking wine.
For a while the atmosphere was wonderfully peaceful.
Only after the meal did Xu Ziqing realize he had neglected the two rescued boys. Embarrassment warmed his cheeks.
Before he could say anything, the waiter returned to collect payment.
The meal cost several dozen low-grade spirit stones, which was hardly cheap. Yun Lie laid the stones on the table, and the waiter swept them away with one hand.
Then Yun Lie said, “Lodgings.”
The waiter was delighted. “How many rooms would you like? We have Heaven-, Earth-, and Human-class rooms, though no communal sleeping quarters.”
He was confident the guests could afford whatever they chose, considering how readily the man had paid for their meal.
As expected, Yun Lie replied, “Two Heaven-class rooms.”