Chapter 943: Not Right

"Lian Ping'er, what are you looking at? Are you interested in Xuanxin Mansion's flying boat? It's a treasure, but it won't be easy to get your hands on."

Lian Ping'er smiled and looked at the woman who spoke.

"It's not wise to provoke a major sect like Xuanxin Mansion right now. Besides, I'm not interested in that flying boat. You, on the other hand, the Sun-Moon Flying Boat of Xuanxin Mansion can gather the essence of the sun's radiance and the glow of the stars and moon. It should be quite useful for you, shouldn't it?"

"Perhaps, but at most, it would be icing on the cake, nothing of great significance."

As they spoke, the others seemed disinclined to linger.

"Alright, the Dragon Clan has arrived as scheduled this year, so it's not appropriate for us to stay here much longer. Let's each go our own way. I'm off!"

"In that case, we'll take our leave too!"

After these brief interruptions, the people on the peak departed, each enveloped in a faint escaping light.

Not long after, Xuanxin Mansion's flying boat glided over the peak. Aze intently watched the isolated island mountain in the sea but found no one on it. He wondered if his earlier perception had been mistaken.

The Thousand Islands Reef area is actually a vast archipelago. Although located deep in the outer sea, this immense expanse of water contains tens of thousands of islands. The smallest are just large rocks in the sea, while the largest can be the size of a typical county, where people live and thrive. There are also numerous small cultivation sects and cultivating families.

Such places are not as mystical and ethereal as cultivation holy lands, nor are they as solemn. There are quite a few cultivators, especially many rogue cultivators or small groups, like a master and a few disciples, who are almost like rogue cultivators. Naturally, those with high cultivation levels are not as common.

In these areas, new trends in the cultivation world often spread and take root more quickly, leading to unexpected and brilliant developments.

For instance, the "immortal port" culture, which slowly emerged under the control of major immortal mansions and sects due to communication needs and a desire to display prestige, tends to flourish more in places like the Thousand Islands Reef. While their sophistication might not match that of the major sects' immortal ports, they can give rise to even more prosperous scenes.

Xuanxin Mansion's flying boat arrived at Ling'ao Island, a larger island in that sea region. Unlike some immortal ports, the flying boat moored directly at a port by the coast this time, without needing to hover in mid-air.

There were no purely mortal inhabitants in the usual sense on this island. While true cultivators were still not the majority, almost everyone had some connection to them, or at least could communicate with them. Their interactions were similar to those between mortals and cultivators in immortal ports, but the scope was much wider.

The flying boat descended into the sea in advance, then slowly sailed to the port of Ling'ao Island and stopped. Many people from near and far were already watching. Xuanxin Mansion's flying boat had distinct features, and most knew it wasn't an ordinary sea vessel but a realm-crossing ferry. Naturally, they paid closer attention, aware that the cultivators aboard were highly skilled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the flying boat will be docked here for three days. After three days, it will return to Xuanxin Mansion territory. Fellow cultivators who do not intend to travel to Xuanxin Mansion or Xingluo Continent may disembark here. Those who do wish to travel there, please do not miss the departure time, which is one moment before sunset three days from now."

After a steward from Xuanxin Mansion transmitted this message throughout the flying boat, he disembarked first. Many others, including Aze, then disembarked in succession.

Aze had no companions. As he walked into the bustling port, everything seemed new to him. Unlike the relatively quiet atmosphere of Ruan Shan Du previously, the liveliness here surpassed even that of a major city market.

"Immortal master, would you like to come and see these deep-sea pearls? Not only can they be made into precious jewelry, but they can also be refined into treasures. I happen to have a few excellent ones in stock. Would the immortal master care to take a look?"

Someone from a roadside stall called out to Aze. It took Aze a moment to realize he was being addressed. Curious, he walked over to the stall. The person beckoning him pointed to an open brocade box displayed outside.

"Immortal master, please take a look!"

Inside were perfectly round pearls, uniform in size, each about as large as a thumbnail. They sparkled beautifully and were very appealing. Aze himself found them charming and thought that if a woman saw them, she wouldn't be able to look away.

'Maybe I should buy these as a gift for Sister Jin, and make her a pearl necklace!'

As Aze was thinking this, the shop owner started calling out to other passersby.

"Hey, hey, two young immortal masters, come take a look at these exquisite deep-sea pearls! These are deep-sea pearls cultivated by merfolk. Each one is perfectly round, large, and full, making them ideal for jewelry or for refining into treasures!"

"Really?" "What are merfolk?"

Two slightly crisp voices sounded behind Aze. He turned to see two cultivators, about his height but with rather youthful faces. What was odd was that both had grey hair – not a mix of black and white, but each strand was inherently grey.

"Fellow cultivator, we'd like to see too!" "Yes, if it's convenient, please put the box down so we can all look."

Only then did Aze realize he was holding the box. He quickly put it down.

"Oh, right, of course! Please, take a look."

The shop owner secretly rejoiced. These pearls were the most valuable items in his store, and now both sets of immortal masters seemed very interested. Such competition would make it easy to raise the price.

"Shopkeeper, how much are these pearls?"

Aze was the first to ask. He had, of course, prepared before coming out, bringing some gold and silver, as well as what he understood to be the currency of immortals—the essences of the five elements—though not in large quantities.

The two grey-haired cultivators beside them were clearly listening intently. The shopkeeper pondered for a moment before quoting a price.

"Immortal master, these merfolk deep-sea pearls are the treasures of my humble shop. They cost me most of my savings to acquire, so naturally, I hope to make a profit. If paying with gold, one pearl costs ten taels of gold. If with the essences of the five elements, one catty of any concentrated five-element essence can be exchanged for one hundred pearls of your choice."

Any immortal cultivator would understand that concentrated five-element essence was far more valuable. Although Aze was not deeply experienced in cultivation, he knew this much. How could gold be compared to concentrated five-element essence? Yet...

"Ten taels of gold? That expensive!"

Before Aze could speak, one of the grey-haired cultivators exclaimed in surprise.

"Yeah, we don't have that much money, and no concentrated five-element essence either. What should we do?"

The other grey-haired cultivator also chimed in.

"Oh, these pearls are quite lovely! It looks like there are about three hundred of them. Three thousand taels of gold for the whole lot? Then I'll take them all."

A woman's voice came from behind them. Aze and the two grey-haired cultivators turned around to see a beautiful, long-haired female cultivator standing outside the shop.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes! Of course, of course, immortal master! This humble shop only accepts gold for small transactions..."

"You'll get what's due to you."

The woman smiled, flicked her sleeve, and a wooden box flew out onto the ground. The shop owner quickly opened it to find neat stacks of gold bars, casting a golden glow on his face.

"Deal, deal!"

"Oh, shopkeeper, aren't you going to weigh it?"

"No need, no need! I trust the immortal master, I trust the immortal master!"

The shopkeeper was beaming with joy. He had acquired these pearls gradually from the merfolk over time, mostly spending on miscellaneous items: sometimes fine grains for food, sometimes rare wines from afar, and sometimes silk fabrics, exchanging for one or two pearls at a time.

While accumulating this many pearls had certainly cost him a considerable sum, it was nowhere near three thousand taels of gold. It was truly a case of "no business for half a year, but one deal for a lifetime!"

"Ahahaha, esteemed immortal masters, all the pearls have been purchased by this lady immortal master. My humble shop only had this quantity. If you truly wish for them, I will set some aside for you when I acquire more in the future!"

The shopkeeper spoke a few polite words. Aze and the two cultivators were not pleased but found it hard to say anything, as the transaction had been conducted fairly.

"Hehehe, three young fellow cultivators, if you truly desire these pearls, this immortal fairy can share some with you. Hmm, would you like some?"

"How will you sell them?"

Aze frowned and asked a perfunctory question, but to his surprise, the woman directly scooped up a handful of pearls and offered them to him.

"I find you agreeable, so I'm giving these to you."

With that, the woman released her hand. Seeing the pearls about to fall, Aze quickly reached out and caught them.

"What about you two?"

The woman said this, and the two grey-haired cultivators exchanged a glance. One of them quickly waved his hand.

"No, no, thank you. The fairy bought them with her own money. We were just looking out of curiosity, so we don't need any."

"Hmm."

The woman nodded, then looked at Aze again, leaning her face close to him and teasing.

"I can tell you want to give these to someone special, can't I? If you don't know how to refine them into jewelry, you can ask me. My name is Lian Ping'er, and I'm staying at the inn on the south coast."

After speaking, the woman turned gracefully and walked away, dragging the wooden box filled with pearls. Aze, holding the pearls, blushed slightly, unsure if it was because the woman had been so close or because his thoughts had been seen through. He then came to his senses and quickly left the shop.

"Fellow cultivator, fellow cultivator."

Aze walked briskly, observing the lively scenes along the way, still toying with a pearl in his hand. He then heard familiar voices behind him. Turning back, he saw the two grey-haired cultivators slowly catching up.

Did they want pearls too?

Aze stopped and narrowed his eyes at them. Seeing him halt, the two men jogged over.

"Fellow cultivator, it's best not to accept those pearls lightly. Even if you do, it's best not to seek out that woman."

"Yes, fellow cultivator. We feel a strong connection with you and believe you come from a legitimate immortal sect. That's why we specifically came to warn you: that woman, she's not right!"

Aze was slightly taken aback.

"Not right? And you two are?"

The two exchanged another glance, then almost simultaneously cupped their hands and bowed to Aze.

"We are disciples of Yunshan Temple. I am Da Hui." "I am Xiao Hui. You can call us the Grey Daoists!"

"That's right, just call us the Grey Daoists!"

If Ji Yuan were here, he would realize that these two Grey Daoists were actually two small grey ferrets from Yunshan Temple. What was astonishing was that at this moment, they not only possessed human forms but showed not a trace of demonic energy; their immortal spiritual energy was perfectly natural.

Yunshan Temple? Aze had never heard of it, but he wasn't surprised, as his knowledge of the cultivation world was quite limited.

"What's wrong with that female cultivator?"

"Can't say." "Yes, we can't put our finger on it, but it just feels off. Actually, you also seem a bit off, fellow cultivator, but we feel a connection with you."

"Xiao Hui!"

Da Hui glared at his companion, then offered an apologetic smile to Aze.

"Please don't mind him, fellow cultivator. He speaks carelessly, just joking around. If you want good jewelry, you can come with us to Jade Embrace Pavilion; right next to it is Spirit Treasure Hall, where you can find all sorts of fine items."