Chapter 229: Akina Speedway Old Driver Carrying (1/3)

"The owner is going on a long journey?!" The lounge area remained the same, where Song Qingfeng, Nalan Mingxue, Su Tianji, and even big shots like Lan Mo and Ye Yaotao sat huddled around the tea table. They cradled bowls of instant noodles in their hands, chatting idly as they ate.

No one knew who had asked, but at that moment, everyone turned surprised glances toward Fang Qi, who was walking over with a steaming bowl of noodles.

"When? Why the sudden decision to go so far away?" Xu Zixin looked at Fang Qi with a strange expression. As one of the very first players, she had spent a long time in the shop, and she had never imagined that this owner—who usually shut himself indoors all day playing games—would suddenly head out into the world.

"Qi, where are you going this time?" Wang Tai found it equally strange. Having known Fang Qi the longest, he had never heard of him taking a long journey; his previous trip to the Imperial Capital had likely been the farthest he had ever traveled.

"You're perfectly fine staying in the shop, so why run off?" Nalan Hongwu voiced his own bewilderment.

Fang Qi shrugged. "To open a branch, of course. Business at the main shop is booming, so isn't this the perfect time?"

"A branch?!" Ji Yu grew excited. "Are you going to open it in the Imperial Capital?"

"It doesn't take very long to rush here from the Imperial Capital," Fang Qi replied. "Once you all get more practiced with the Sword Controlling Technique, it will be even faster. Why would I bother opening a branch there?"

Ji Yu fell silent.

"The owner is leaving, yet he won't even visit our Cloud Ocean Faction!" Ye Xiaoye complained from the side.

"How about we see the owner off?" Xu Zixin suggested.

"No need." Fang Qi waved his hand dismissively. "I'll just fly straight out with the Sword Controlling Technique."

"Don't look down on us!" Xu Zixin said displeasedly. "I can fly on a sword too now!"

"So can I!" Song Qingfeng chimed in.

"I can as well." Nalan Mingxue remained as calm as ever.

"Me too!" Jiang Xiaoyue proclaimed triumphantly.

Immediately after, Fang Qi slapped a hand over her head. "You watch the house!"

Ignoring the sullen-faced Jiang Xiaoyue, Fang Qi looked around at everyone. "You all know how? You won't fall out of the sky, will you?"

"How could we?!" Xu Zixin rolled her eyes at him. Finishing her instant noodles just in time, she stepped out of the shop doors. "Watch closely!"

With her hand forming a sword spell and her lips murmuring an incantation, a flying sword circled up into the air, danced halfway across the sky, and landed steadily beneath her feet.

"What does that amount to?" An Cheng took a step out of the main door, guided his sword spell, and stepped directly onto his weapon, flying up to the eaves and soaring at a low altitude!

As the young city master, he naturally knew that flying too high would cause one to be struck down by the sky's restrictions.

An Huwei watched with a wave of vexation, stepping outside to shout his scolding, "I am definitely going to lock you up when we get back! Knowingly breaking the law!"

Flying was clearly forbidden within Jiuhua City.

Fang Qi's face stiffened. He had not expected that most of them had already mastered sword flight by now, and were even flaunting it at this moment.

With a wave of his hand, the shop doors swung wide open, and Fang Qi stepped onto his sword, flying straight out of the entrance. "Catch me if you can!"

"Holy crap, don't run if you have the guts!" Song Qingfeng was clearly still unpracticed; as he flew out of the door on his sword, he nearly crashed into the opposite wall!

Narrowly avoiding disaster, he turned around and gave chase!

"Miss Nalan! Let's go, let's go! We should go too!" Lan Yan burst with excitement, and the two of them flew out of the door on their swords almost simultaneously.

Within moments, one silhouette after another could be seen flying out from inside the shop, riding upon their swords. These figures moved at extreme speeds, pulling up right behind Fang Qi in a matter of moments.

Inside the shop, An Huwei's face was completely dark.

"Forget it, Brother An! Let them have their fun." Ouyang Zhen chuckled, patting An Huwei on the shoulder.

Above the streets of Jiuhua City, one could only see one sword shadow after another, trailing spiritual light as they skimmed across the sky. Both cultivators and warriors raised their heads in succession at this moment!

"What is that?!"

"Someone is flying on a sword?!"

"It looks like... the Sword Controlling Technique?!"

"Owner! Stop right there!" Song Qingfeng pinched his sword spell, and his speed suddenly surged. Only a sharp cry of alarm was heard as his whole body tilted backward, spinning through the air for most of a loop and nearly slamming into the ground before he barely managed to come to a halt.

"Fly slowly!" Lan Yan waved her hand at him from midair.

"Hahaha, so clumsy!" Ye Xiaoye controlled her flying sword, gliding steadily forward.

"Young Master Song! Do you need a hand!" Lin Shao and Xu Luo flew at a leisurely pace; evidently, with Song Qingfeng's example fresh in their minds, they dared not fly too fast.

At this time, Princess Ji Yu and the others, along with the disciples of the Shengjing and Xiyi Academies, stood outside the shop. Watching sword light after sword light fly outward, their eyes burned with intense envy. However, since they could only control the swords but could not yet fly upon them, they could only watch with jealousy.

Just then, the sword shadow beneath Fang Qi's feet split apart, instantly multiplying into dozens of flying swords identical to the one he rode!

Outside the shop, those dozens of flying swords flew back down. The big livestream screen flashed to life, and a voice suddenly boomed out: "The shop's one and only free flying sword trial activity! Those interested in experiencing it, hurry up and get on board! The old driver of Mount Akina is taking you for a spin!"

Many who had simply been watching the spectacle walked out of the shop in bewilderment.

Wang Tai also rushed out of the door, found a flying sword, and stepped onto it.

Nalan Hongwu looked at the flying sword hovering in midair with deep suspicion. "How does the shape of this sword look so much like..."

An Huwei and the others exchanged glances. "A broadsword?!"

As the saying went, the crystal sword was high-end and grand, but the broadsword was low-key luxury!

"Uh..." Wang Tai scratched his head. "How does this look so much like the broadsword Qi asked me to help socket for a quest before..."

"There are runes on it! Four of them! This Runeword seems to be... Spirit?!"

"Plus two to all skills!" Su Tianji's eyes turned red with envy as she gnashed her teeth. "No wonder this kid's Sword Controlling Technique suddenly became so formidable! Why didn't he lend this kind of thing to our Liuyun Daoist Palace to study first?! I'm going to chase him back!"

"This master shall go as well!" An Huwei flew out directly on his sword.

"This old man is going too!" Nalan Hongwu also took flight immediately!

At this moment, the livestream screen was still blaring: "The express bound for Mount Akina leaves in half a minute, passengers please board quickly!"

"Where is Mount Akina?" Many who wished to experience sword flight, such as Ji Yu and the Second Prince, stepped onto the flying swords with bewildered expressions.

"Ah—!" Under the high speed of the flying swords, the air instantly turned into a chorus of wild roars!

The guards and pedestrians before the city gates watched in dumbfounded shock as one sword shadow after another flew out of the city, before rocketing straight up into the azure sky!

A few traveling cultivators who had just stepped off a flying boat at Jiuhua Port raised their heads to gaze into the distant sky. "One can fly like that too?"

Several gate guards muttered, "So many riding swords... this is simply too spectacular..."

"Say, how are we doing on saving up our money? Once it's about enough, let's go learn it too!"

Above the clouds, Fang Qi intentionally slowed his pace, letting the others flying on their swords behind him catch up.

Fang Qi stood right at the tip of his blade. Even though the sword aura parted the astral winds, the circulating air currents around him still set his clothes and hair fluttering, blowing them back involuntarily.

Behind him, nearly a hundred flying swords drew a long, silver line across the heavens!

Although some were still not particularly adept, they had already flown so many times in the Legend of the Sword and Fairy that they were at least not afraid of heights.

However, for those who had never flown in reality... such as Ji Yu, the Second Prince, the Fifth Prince, Xiao Lengyu, and the rest...

"Next up, entering the Super Thomas Flaring Loop!" The crowd riding the swords, including Fang Qi, suddenly tilted their weapons, and their entire bodies turned upside down! They traced a massive circular arc in the sky...!

"Holy crap, ah—!"

"Ah—!"

"Ah ah ah!"

Someone asked me why I didn't just log straight into Warcraft, and I told them the simplest truth of all: a net cafe holds only a few hundred people, and the number of players online started at a mere one or two hundred, dropping to perhaps just a few dozen during the slumps; would you really play a Warcraft like that?