The General's Genius Daughter

The speaker was Medicine Saint Ji Feng, accompanied by Ji Jing and Huangfu Xuan.

Hua Qiyue was quite surprised; she left the capital secretly and had not notified them, but they took only two months to track her down. Seeing their clothes dusty from travel, their faces sallow, she could tell how hard they were searching.

Hua Qiyue felt touched. She had not expected Ji Feng and the others to care so much about her.

“Sister Qiyue, we’ve finally found you!” Ji Jing dashed into her arms, embracing Hua Qiyue. She also started to complain bitterly. “I’m so tiiiiiiired!”

Ji Feng and Huangfu Xuan drew near her. “Qiyue, are you alright?” Ji Feng asked.

Hua Qiyue smiled and nodded. She was used to disguising the pain in her heart and seemed unruffled on the surface. No one could guess how much grief she felt inside.

“I’m fine. I didn’t expect you guys to be here,” Hua Qiyue said, quite embarrassed. She looked into Huangfu Xuan’s scorching eyes and shifted away her gaze quickly. How could she not have guessed Huangfu Xuan’s thoughts? She simply had no feelings for him. Otherwise, she would not have fallen for Yun Shimo.

A look of dejection appeared on Huangfu Xuan’s handsome face. His eyes, as bright as stars, started to lose their shine.

Unlike Huangfu Xuan, Ji Feng did not dare to hope. He felt it was good enough to see Hua Qiyue again.

“Sister Qiyue, you’re not a faithful friend. You should have told us that you’re out having fun! You made us search for you so hard!” Ji Jing grumbled. “Hey, who’s this?”

Ji Jing naturally had not seen Xuanji before. She now noticed this Taoist priest dressed all in teal and felt quite curious. Why was Hua Qiyue with a priest? Was she going to be a priestess herself?

When she thought of this, Ji Jing grabbed Hua Qiyue’s hand before the latter could speak. She spoke hurriedly. “Good heavens, Qiyue, you can’t become a Taoist priestess! Even if that cad, Yun Shimo, abandons you, my brother still likes you very much! Don’t be too disappointed. Although my brother’s not as good in Qi Art as that bastard, he has a kind heart and is very gentle… ”

Ji Feng’s face flushed crimson as he bellowed to interrupt his sister. “Jing, what the hell are you talking about?” Then, he embarrassedly pulled her away. “Qiyue, don’t listen to this girl’s nonsense!”

Ji Jing grinned smugly. “What nonsense? Every word I said is true. If you like a girl and don’t dare to confess it, let me do it for you instead!”

Hua Qiyue did not know whether to smile or to cry as Ji Feng’s face became a deeper shade of red. He refused to look at her.

Huangfu Xuan’s face color changed a little and he felt a pang of heartache. Hua Qiyue did not seem to care for him…

And Ji Feng was another man who was better than him. So, there was no chance for him at all?

Hua Qiyue scoffed at Ji Jing. “Why would I be a Taoist priestess? This is my friend, Master Xuanji, the master once residing at Fortune Temple in the capital.”

As she introduced him to the company, Xuanji quietly nodded at them. Ji Feng and Huangfu Xuan’s hearts missed a beat. They had not expected this mysterious master to look so handsome! They could also not tell the level of his Qi Art.

“Sister Qiyue, why are you with such a handsome Taoist priest? Hey, Master Xuanji, you can’t be trying to win Sister Qiyue’s affection, can you?” Ji Jing asked, shooting off her mouth.

Xuanji slightly pursed his lips, his profound eyes glimmering with a mysterious light. Huangfu Xuan and Ji Feng’s hearts both skipped a beat. This man had such a mysterious aura. They could not tell which level his Qi Art was at.

Xuanji put his palms together and said softly,

“Amitabha, priests cannot participate in the laity’s business. You worry excessively, Miss.”

Everyone looked at one another and breathed a sigh of relief.

Hua Qiyue invited the company to enter Spirit Heaven City to cultivate. At least they could take care of one another.

The crystal cores in her bundle could just allow the five of them to gain admission into Spirit Heaven City. Although this was the last of her cores, they could easily replenish the stock by killing more demonic beasts.

After hearing the introduction to Spirit Heaven City, Ji Feng and the rest were naturally delighted. After the incident of the Gnawing Devils Sect, he understood that only the best Qi Artists could reign supreme. Only by improving his Qi Art could a Qi Artist ensure his safety.

After all, if they encountered a Qi Artist at the Round Sun realm, they no longer needed to fear. Right now, their priority was to improve their Qi Art.

Xuanji and the company arrived at the city gate. The two Qi Artists collecting crystal cores glanced at Hua Qiyue curiously. They were naturally very surprised that this 18 or 19-year-old girl had so many crystal cores in her possession.

After paying the crystal cores, the company entered Spirit Heaven City. Inside, there were numerous high-level Qi Artists, most at the Great Completeness of Cultivation Dimension, or at the lower level of Moon Eclipse.

Spirit Heaven City was of course no different from most large cities. There were places to shop for clothes and purchase food, as well as adequate transport and accommodation. The itinerant hawkers peddled their foods on a bamboo pole, yelling to potential buyers.

The anima energy inside Spirit Heaven City was ten times more plentiful than outside. Hua Qiyue gazed at her surroundings. The buildings were all resplendent, full of pavilions and verandas with glazed tiles, their teal walls ornamented with complex patterns.

Although there was commercial activity everywhere, there was a primitive simplicity here that could not be found outside.

Most people who entered the city were either affluent or aristocratic. They were all splendidly attired. Quite a few cast strange looks at Hua Qiyue, who was less well dressed.

Hua Qiyue had been roaming outside for months. Her robes had suffered some wear and tear from her clashes with demonic beasts. Although they were not exactly rags, they did not feel as finely textured.

Among these people, Hua Qiyue’s ragged clothes suggested that she was poor. But this did not bother her at all.

“After coming in here, we must rent a yard to practice. Or a cave or some other cultivation place,” said Xuanji, who seemed to know the place quite well.

Hua Qiyue gave the buildings here a curious sweep of her eyes. “Where’s the best place to cultivate? The owner of this city must be some commercial genius. You have to spend so many crystal cores to get in, and you must rent these places using crystal cores too… tsk, tsk!”

Ji Jing agreed. “You’re right. It’s really expensive. The city owner must be no ordinary man!”

Ji Feng said with a smile. “The city owner must be a Qi Artist higher than the Great Completeness of Round Sun. The reason why this city has so much anima energy is because he made use of arrays to attract the surrounding anima energy here.”

Ji Jing widened her eyes. “No wonder the anima energy outside is so thin!”

“Mr. Ji is right. The city owner is a very powerful Qi Artist. Very few ordinary people can see him.”

Hua Qiyue blinked her eyes. “Do you know him, Master Xuanji?”

Xuanji did not hide this fact. “I do. But he rarely sees guests.”

Hua Qiyue shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’m too busy to pay him a visit.”

Then, Hua Qiyue walked toward the opposite shop. It was a shop where one could rent places to cultivate. There was a stone tablet before the shop, engraved with the rental prices of all the cultivation spots.

Only now did Hua Qiyue see a map of Spirit Heaven City. There are two large mountains inside the city. The anima energy there was rich and one could also hunt down many eighth and ninth-grade demonic beasts.

But comparatively, the rental prices of these mountains were expensive. Although the cultivation areas within the city were good, they were also quite noisy.

Therefore, most people with the means would choose to cultivate in the mountains. Although there were eighth and ninth-grade demonic beasts there, they would not be in any danger if no one attacked the beasts first.

Ji Jing saw the prices and started to crinkle her exquisite little nose. “Leasing a small courtyard will require 50 sixth-grade crystal cores a month. Leasing a medium-sized courtyard will require 100 sixth-grade crystal cores a month… a Spiritual Stone Cave will require 10 ninth-grade crystal cores per person… it’s so expensive, it’s daylight robbery!” she said, most displeased.

Xuanji gave a slight smile, saying quietly, “Qiyue, if you want to raise your Qi Art level rapidly, you must only go for the best—the Ten Thousand Spirit Cave. It is a valley there with a spring and a deep pool. And there are spiritual fruits and spirit medicines too. The anima energy there is ten times that of elsewhere.”

Hua Qiyue glanced at the rental price of the Ten Thousand Spirit Cave. She got a big fright. 50 ninth-grade crystal cores per person!

One such ninth-grade crystal core was worth 100,000 taels of gold outside. 50 would mean… 5,000,000 taels of gold per person? It’s incredibly expensive!

“Heavens… the price!” Ji Jing widened her eyes, almost unable to believe them.

Ji Feng wrinkled his brows, looking at the crystal cores with him. If he had not enough crystal cores, he could pay with an equivalent banknote.

“I have with me banknotes worth 500,000 taels of gold.” Ji Feng stared at his banknotes and said embarrassedly. Had he known about the price, he would have brought more banknotes along with him.

“I have banknotes worth 900,000 taels of gold.” Huangfu Xuan also rummaged his bundle, uncovering a few wrinkled banknotes.

Ji Jing shook her head. “I don’t have any. When we came out, I thought my brother’s banknotes would be sufficient. I didn’t expect… ”

A quiet voice interrupted the discussion. “No need. I have the Supreme Token with me.”

The company all stared at the token in Xuanji’s hand. It was completely black, streaked with silver patterns. Everyone felt a strong, primitive aura of simplicity emanating from the token. They were shocked.

This item must be quite as useful as a divine weapon!

Hua Qiyue stared at the introduction on the stone tablet. A Supreme Token was a prerogative offered to valued guests of the city owner. In other words, its bearer could reside in any place he liked and cultivate there without paying a single crystal core.

Hua Qiyue heaved a sigh of relief. Otherwise, goodness knows how many crystal cores they would need before the five of them could lease the Ten Thousand Spirit Cave.

Xuanji walked to the shop. A shopkeeper with a pot belly saw him and immediately came out to welcome him.

“Master Xuanji, you’re here again. Where do you wish to visit this time?”

“My friends and I would like to go to the Ten Thousand Spirit Cave,” Xuanji said. He did not need to show his Supreme Token. The shopkeeper had agreed at once.

“Of course. Let me register you first. Now, you can begin your journey there. Would you like men to take you there?”

“No need. I know the way,” Xuanji said quietly. Under the shopkeeper’s reverent gaze, he turned and led the company to the mountains beyond the city.

Ji Jing quietly tugged Hua Qiyue’s sleeve. “Sister Qiyue, your friend’s… really extraordinary.”

Hua Qiyue pursed her lips. She did not deny this.

Ji Feng and Huangfu Xuan left for the inn by the side to purchase some dry rations. They were preparing for a long, one-month stay in the valley.

Hua Qiyue followed behind Xuanji. When she saw a bottle of Spirit Replenishing Fluid in the near distance, her body suddenly shook.

Spirit Replenishing Fluid… Yun Shimo had once refined it for her. She did not expect to see this divine fluid here.

Thinking of Yun Shimo reminded her of Tianci, and Hua Qiyue’s heart sank. She stood there, stupidly staring at the bottles of Spirit Replenishing Fluid.

Ji Feng and Huangfu Xuan, just coming out of the inn, saw her the look on her face and headed to her immediately.

“Qiyue, don’t brood so much. Let’s first retreat for a month. When our Qi Arts have all improved, we won’t have anything to fear,” Ji Feng said in a whisper.

Xuanji also walked in and asked for 10 bottles of Spirit Replenishing Fluid. His generosity made the shopowner lower the price voluntarily by one-third.

Huangfu Xuan, on the other hand, had turned completely quiet.