Chapter 600: Haoran Town
Chapter 600: Haoran Town
Chapter 600: Haoran Town
Ye Guan was convinced that the little girl before him would be able to go far as an employee of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion.
Lin Daimei saw Ye Guan's silence and blinked. "I'm not going to force you. You can choose not to take the offer."
Ye Guan smiled at that and took out a box. He handed the box over to Lin Daimei, and she saw that the box contained hundreds of hawthorn candies.
The eyes of the children behind Lin Daimei lit up. Some of them even started drooling, and they looked like they couldn't wait to feast on the candies.
Guo Dan's eyes lit up as well, but he seemed to have thought of something as he looked at Lin Daimei. He wanted to say something, but he dared not speak up.
Lin Daimei took out seven hawthorn candies and handed the scroll in her hands to Ye Guan.
Ye Guan pointed at the box of candies and said, "It's all yours."
However, Lin Daimei shook her head. "This map is only worth seven candies."
Ye Guan was a little puzzled.
Lin Daimei passed the candies around to the other children. They were immediately delighted and licked two candies at once rather than just one.
Ye Guan put away the box of hawthorn candies. The other children felt a little regretful at the sight. There were still dozens of candies in the box!
Ye Guan opened the two scrolls that Lin Daimei had given to him. A few moments later, he obtained a better understanding of this place.
He was in the so-called Haoran World. The outsiders referred to this place as First God Paradise, but the natives here called it "Haoran World."
The Haoran World was divided into two continents—the Southern Wen Continent and the Northern Wu Continent. The Wen Continent gave special attention to arts and culture, while the Wu Continent gave special attention to martial prowess.
Of course, the scholars from the Wen Continent weren't only good at studying, but they were cultivating Haoran Qi as well. However, Ye Guan wasn't sure how strong those scholars were, as their prowess was not mentioned in Lin Daimei's scroll.
There were some unknown Paradises and Blessed Lands throughout Haoran World, and Lin Daimei's scroll did not really contain any useful information about them.
Ye Guan put the scroll away and looked at Lin Daimei with a smile, saying, "I want to know more about this world. Who should I visit?"
"Our teacher!" Guo Dan replied.
Ye Guan looked at him and asked, "Your teacher?"
"Yes, our master knows everything. If you want to know more, you should go to her."
"Can you bring me to her?"
"No. She's out, and she hasn't come back yet."
"I see."
"Do you need a place to stay?" Lin Daimei asked. Then, she added, "One night is seven hawthorn candies."
Ye Guan smiled. "Sure."
Lin Daimei's lips curled up. "Come on, I'll take you there.'
"All right," Ye Guan answered.
Ye Guan followed Lin Daimei into the town, which was known as Haoran Town. The town was small, and the houses here were made out of stacked stones that had been weathered by the passage of time, making them look dilapidated.
Lin Daimei seemed to be famous around town. Every single child that passed by them greeted her respectfully, saying, "Big Sister." Even the adults smiled and greeted Lin Daimei.
Ye Guan glanced sideways at Lin Daimei. Lin Daimei seemed to be not older than ten years old, and she was wearing a patched floral dress that appeared clean despite its faded appearance.
Ye Guan's eyes became filled with astonishment, realizing that she had a special physique. She had the legendary Great Dao Spirit Physique. Of course, it wasn't just her; every single child here had a remarkable talent for cultivation.
They'd have a bright future ahead of them if they were to cultivate.
And Ye Guan found it puzzling that the people here were mortals rather than cultivators.
Just then, Lin Daimei led Ye Guan into a small courtyard. The courtyard wasn't anything special, and it housed only three stone houses.
Lin Daimei pointed at the stone house in the middle of the three and said, "That's where my grandmother lives. I live on the left, and the one on the right is yours. We agreed that the cost of staying one night would be seven hawthorn candies. You still have to pay me seven candies even if you end up staying for less than a day."
Ye Guan nodded. "All right."
Lin Daimei asked, "Do you need food?"
"I have to pay for meals with more hawthorn candies, right?"
"Yes."
"Why don't you ask for something else? Like gold or spiritual stones."
"What are those?"
Ye Guan was bewildered. Lin Daimei seemed to have no idea what they were.
Lin Daimei asked, "Are they things that can be found in the outside world?"
"Yes," Ye Guan said with a nod.
Lin Daimei shook her head slightly. "Things from the outside world are useless here. Of course, you can pay with other snacks, too."
Ye Guan fell silent and recalled that the people in this town were mere mortals.
"I'm going to cook meals at the same time every day. If you want to eat, then you can buy it for some snacks. They don't necessarily have to be hawthorn candies; I'll accept any other snacks as well," Lin Daimei said.
Ye Guan smiled. "All right."
Lin Daimei turned around to leave. Then, she came to a halt and looked back at Ye Guan. Her mouth fluttered open to speak, but she did not say anything.
Ye Guan saw that and wanted to say something, but Lin Daimei turned around and left before he could say anything.
Ye Guan shook his head with a smile. He entered his room which contained only a bed with a straw mat on top of it. Ye Guan walked up to the bed and sprawled out on it. He then closed his eyes and asked, "Senior Mu Yuan?"
Mu Yuan replied, "Yes?"
"If you come out of the pagoda, will your cultivation be suppressed too?" he asked.
Swoosh!
Mu Yuan appeared before him and was instantly suppressed by an invisible force.
Mu Yuan's face darkened, realizing that his cultivation base had been suppressed.
Ye Guan asked, "What do you think? Is this the First God's doing?"
"I don't know." Mu Yuan shook his head and explained, "It's a power that exists between the heavens and earth, but I can't sense it at all. I think it's far beyond my realm of understanding..."
"I guess this must be the First God's doing..." Ye Guan muttered.
Mu Yuan nodded quietly.
Ye Guan walked up to the window and looked at the kitchen outside. He could see Lin Daimei whipping up a meal, and she looked very skilled at it.
Just then, Ye Guan asked, "Senior, how come everyone here is so talented?"
"I don't know, but I guess it's related to the First God. After all, he once stayed here for a very long time," Mu Yuan answered.
Ye Guan nodded slightly, deep in thought.
Mu Yuan suddenly asked, "Are you thinking of taking her away from here?"
"I did think of that. That little brat is not just talented, but she has a great personality as well. It would be a pity if she stayed here for the rest of her life. She has a special physique. She'll achieve twice the results with half the effort upon cultivating, but..."
"I know," Mu Yuan said, nodding. "It's going to be difficult to take her away from here, and I think that the seal on this place was to make sure that outsiders would not be able to disturb the natives here."
"That's right."
Ye Guan was about to speak when Lin Daimei walked over to his stone house. Upon seeing this, Mu Yuan quickly re-entered the little pagoda.
Lin Daimei stood by the window and said with a smile, "Time to eat."
"All right, let's go," Ye Guan said, following Lin Daimei into the kitchen. The meal was simple and consisted only of rice, steamed buns, and some wild vegetables. Ye Guan picked up a steamed bun and took a bite of it. It had an acceptable taste.
Lin Daimei glanced at Ye Guan as she ate.
Ye Guan asked, "Where's your grandmother?"
Lin Daimei calmly replied, "She's not feeling well, so I took her back to her room."
Ye Guan stared quietly at the stone house in the middle of the courtyard.
Lin Daimei wanted to say something, but she did not say anything in the end
"Do you have anything you want to say to me?" Ye Guan asked.
Lin Daimei shook her head.
"Are you thinking of asking me something but don't have anything to offer in return?" Ye Guan asked.
Lin Daimei looked at him before nodding slightly.
"Go ahead."
"I don't have anything to offer you."
"Why do you think that you necessarily have to offer something in return in exchange for a favor?"
"Well, I asked you to give me when you asked me questions earlier."
"True. How about this, then? You can ask me all the questions you want tomorrow. In return, I'll eat your meals for free. Deal?"
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Deal."
"All right."
Lin Daimei wolfed her food down and finished her meal in no time.
Ye Guan smiled wryly and shook his head.
It was already nighttime by the time they finished their meal.
Ye Guan was about to return to his stone house to rest when he furrowed his browns upon noticing something. He turned and saw a lady on the ground. The lady was wearing a white skirt, and blood dripped down her lips.
The lady was stunning with the perfect facial features; her skin was as white as snow as well.
Ye Guan was familiar with her. She was the same lady as the one who had been fighting that old man earlier in the day. He had caught a glimpse of her as she fell from the sky at the time.
Ye Guan didn't expect to see that she was severely injured by that encounter. He pondered briefly before walking over to her to take a look at her condition. The lady was unconscious due to her injuries.
Ye Guan lifted her gently and carried her to his stone house.
He put her on the bed and examined her. He frowned upon sensing how weak her aura had become. Her internal organs had been ruptured, and there was a sinister energy in her body that was gnawing away at her vitality.
Ye Guan knew that he had no time to waste, so he opened his palm, and a strand of Ancestral Origin appeared over his palm. He flicked his finger, and the strand of Ancestral Origin melted into the lady's figure.
The lady trembled rapidly, and she opened her eyes in no time. The lady's face changed immediately upon seeing Ye Guan. A dagger appeared in her right hand, and her eyes became filled with murderous intent.
Ye Guan quickly stepped backward to show that he meant no harm.
The lady abruptly froze upon sensing something. Then, she exclaimed, "Ancestral Origin!"
The lady cast a startled gaze at Ye Guan and asked, "You used a strand of Ancestral Origin on me?"
Ye Guan nodded.
The lady asked, "How did you get it?"
"By chance," Ye Guan answered.
The lady stared at Ye Guan for a long time before putting away her dagger. "Thank you."
Ye Guan merely smiled.
The lady sat cross-legged and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened her eyes wide, astonished by the fact that her injuries had healed completely. The sinister energy inside had also vanished without a trace.
And it was all because of the strand of Ancestral Origin that Ye Guan had given her!
The lady stared deeply at Ye Guan and asked, "How do I address you?"
Ye Guan replied, "My name is Ye Guan."
"My name is Qin Xue. Thank you for saving my life, Young Lord Ye," Qin Xue said.
Ye Guan nodded slightly and was about to speak when Qin Xue got down the bed.
Qin Xue stared at Ye Guan and said, "Young Lord Ye, I have urgent matters to handle, so I will have to leave now. However, I will definitely repay this favor in the future."
Qin Xue then turned around and left.
Ye Guan looked out of the window and watched as Qin Xue left the courtyard before quickly disappearing into the end of the street. Ye Gun withdrew his gaze and returned to the bed. He sprawled out on the bed and closed his eyes.
Deep in the night, Ye Guan abruptly sat up.
Before he could react, his door was kicked open, revealing thirteen people standing outside. Qin Xue stood at the helm of them, and she stared at Ye Guan, saying, "He has strands of Ancestral Origin!"