Chapter 503: Beautiful Lady, Will You Be My Mount?

Chapter 503: Beautiful Lady, Will You Be My Mount?

Beyond the borders of Fengshan County, the endless tapestry of mountains and rivers interweaved, presenting a captivating view.

"This river is named the Weishui. During the rainy season, its waters span sixty zhang wide, originating from Lake Yeshan."

Along both banks stood sheer cliffs and precipices, where a narrow, winding path snaked along, while beneath it tumbled the rushing waters of the Weishui.

Thorns grew everywhere, and the wild wormwood stood half as tall as a man.

Looking down at the Weishui, one could see boats passing by from time to time.

"If I were a poet, I would probably be unable to resist reciting a poem upon seeing such a scene.

Unfortunately, I am a kitchen knife, and I only want to kill fish."

Qiyuan could not help but be moved by the scenery, uttering his own lament.

Of course, he was not homesick, nor did he suffer from unrecognized talent, so he could not write poetry.

"Fish-meat buns must taste absolutely wonderful!" Chen Kangbao said.

He was constantly thinking about his next meal.

As he spoke, he looked toward the Weishui, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes: "I heard that above the Weishui, in Lake Yeshan, there lives a Water Lord whose true form is a massive fish. It might taste exceptionally good."

"Whenever the time comes, we will catch it, find a female chef, and have her make fish-meat buns for you," Qiyuan said casually.

Right at that moment, a crisp and clear voice floated over, carrying a hint of naive stubbornness: "Your Excellency certainly dares to speak. That Water Lord of Lake Yeshan has already reached the pinnacle of the Earth Rank, ruling over the waters of Yeshan Prefecture. Within Lake Yeshan, he is invincible. Even if a legendary Heaven Rank Weapon-Wielder were to come, they might not be able to slay him."

As the voice faded, two graceful figures, one tall and one short, appeared.

Both of their faces were veiled in light silk, making it impossible to see their features clearly.

But the one who spoke was petite, yet quite well-endowed, possessing a grand stature at a young age.

The tall one beside her wore a dark ink-colored long dress, embroidered with patterns of golden silk that offered an extraordinary texture. Her figure was voluptuous and well-proportioned, her waist slender, like a delicate flower too fragile to be plucked.

Though her face could not be seen, with such a magnificent figure, her actual appearance no longer mattered.

"Hmph, my young master is a deity descended to earth. A mere Water Lord dares to act arrogant?" Chen Kangbao could not help but shoot back.

The petite woman’s laughter rang out like silver bells, exceedingly crisp: "The Water Lord is currently entrenched in Lake Yeshan. If your young master is so capable, why not go to Lake Yeshan right now and kill that Water Lord?"

"What my young master chooses to do is for my young master to decide."

"Hmph, I fear your boasting has shattered the heavens, and you are simply afraid!" the petite woman said disdainfully.

"Junior Sister, quiet," the tall woman spoke, her voice exceptionally cold.

At this moment, even Chen Kangbao felt a bit chilly, as if frost were falling in the depths of August.

This kind of icy coldness pierced through to the skin and bit into the bone.

If it were said that Zhishuang's coldness merely froze the skin, then this woman's coldness froze both skin and bone.

Merely her voice could make one feel this way.

This also caused Qiyuan to marvel inwardly; this truly was an extraordinary world.

Back on Earth, he had heard seductive voices, high-pitched feigned voices, youthful voices, and mature elder-sister voices, but a voice of such physical, substantial coldness was something he had never encountered.

"Senior Sister..." The petite woman felt a bit wronged, but she did not dare talk back to her senior sister, evidently fearing her greatly.

At this moment, the tall woman looked at Qiyuan: "If you two have the ambition to slay the Water Lord, you might as well participate in the upcoming Artifact Refining Convention."

She extended the invitation, her voice still so cold that it made one ignore the sun in the sky.

"Sure, I'll go when I have time," Qiyuan said with a yawn.

He had been too busy lately, and his sleep quality was not very good.

The petite woman looked at Qiyuan with a disdainful gaze, feeling that he was merely talking big.

"Farewell." The frosty woman’s voice was like an icy spring in the snow mountains.

She turned to leave with the petite woman.

"Beautiful lady, please wait!" At that moment, Qiyuan spoke.

The petite woman’s face flushed: "You rogue, how are you addressing me?"

"You misunderstand, I wasn't calling you. I was calling the one next to you."

"You!" The petite woman puffed up with anger, her hidden face under the veil looking exceptionally adorable.

"What does Your Excellency wish to say?" The frosty woman’s voice was polite, yet carried a faint detachment.

"I am lacking a mount. I see that you... are quite excellent. Do you want to come and be my mount?" Qiyuan extended the invitation, looking at the frosty woman very seriously.

The air fell silent in an instant.

Chen Kangbao could not help but shiver from the cold.

Within the frosty woman’s eyes, the icy intent grew even deeper.

"What... did you just say!" The petite woman was like a landmine, nearly exploding on the spot.

A mount; this man actually said such words, insulting her senior sister.

"Why don't you consider it? Five insurances and one housing fund, room and board included, excellent benefits, and great room for promotion. If you perform well, you can be promoted from a mount to a bed-warming maid," Qiyuan offered excellent terms.

This kind of compensation, if placed on Earth, would probably attract university students to scramble and sign up.

The frosty woman’s gaze remained indifferent. She said no more, turning around to depart.

Seeing this, the petite woman hurriedly followed after her.

"Oh, these two are far too impolite, leaving without even saying goodbye," Chen Kangbao complained on Qiyuan's behalf.

"You, you think too highly of the world. People with high emotional intelligence like me are a scarce resource in this world."

Not far away, the petite woman nearly tripped upon hearing this, practically bursting with rage.

About a quarter of an hour later, the petite woman sat on a boat, her hands on her hips: "Those two are truly too much. Not only are they arrogant and conceited, but they also have loose tongues. Am I not a beautiful lady? Senior Sister, if you hadn't stopped me, this lady would have definitely hung them on fishhooks to catch fish!"

"Why debate with madmen," the frosty woman’s voice was cold.

"Madmen?" The petite woman froze for a moment, and then recalled, "They were actually two madmen?"

Thinking of this, she was utterly speechless.

Getting angry at madmen was highly irrational.

A hint of suspicion crept into the frosty woman’s voice: "Looking at the direction they were heading, it seems to be Kunling Ferry."

"Kunling Ferry?" The petite woman frowned.

She and her senior sister had disembarked from the boat to head toward Kunling Ferry in accordance with their master's instructions.

According to their master, the evil sect, the Blood of Thorns, had been highly active recently, and she worried that something was amiss in the various spirit-nourishing lands.

Near Fengshan County at Kunling Ferry, there happened to be a spirit-nourishing land.

Thus, their master had requested that when they passed by, they should head to Kunling Ferry to take a look.

The frosty woman and the petite woman proceeded to Kunling Ferry, and after an investigation, everything appeared normal.

"They couldn't be people from the Blood of Thorns, could they?" the petite woman said, killing intent flickering in her eyes.

“No, those old monsters of Thornblood have mostly cast aside their human flesh—neither man nor ghost. That madman just now… though his words were rude, his face was rather handsome.” The petite woman shook her head.

“Perhaps… a coincidence,” the frosty woman said flatly.

“Senior Sister, when you return home this time, will you stay overnight at the mansion?” The petite woman thought of something, her face lighting up with excitement. “I want to meet Senior Sister’s husband… hehe.”

“No. The situation at Ye Mountain Lake is grave. Once I see Father and take the Gilded Mystic Stone, we’ll head straight back to Ye Mountain Lake.

As for him, he should be at the mansion now—we can see him.” The frosty woman spoke, her voice indifferent.

Speaking of her husband, she might as well have been discussing a stranger.

After all, she had never met him either.

Of course, with her icy nature, she felt no nervousness.

“I hope he… looks decent, or else he’s getting off too easy!” the petite woman said, stealing a glance at her senior sister.

Her senior sister said nothing, quiet and graceful.

…

Kunling Ferry. Marshes stretched wide, a branch of the Wei River.

The water plants grew lush, their color not emerald but pitch-black, especially eerie.

They seemed to grow endlessly, like human hair.

“According to the *Fengshan Prefecture Records*, in the seventh year of Tianyuan, a great flood submerged Kunling Ferry, drowning seventy-five households entirely.

At first, everyone thought Kunling Ferry was flooded by a deluge—a natural disaster.

But who knew? Later, when the spirit-nurturing grounds were exposed, people realized it was no natural calamity but a man-made one.

Thornblood, to create spirit-nurturing grounds and raise eerie spirits, released the waters to flood Kunling Ferry.”

Chen Kangbao recounted calmly, without sorrow or joy.

“So the eerie spirits here were all once the people of Kunling Ferry?” Qi Yuan asked.

“Yes. This was originally a ferry crossing; the folks who lived here mostly sold their strength on the docks for a living,” Chen Kangbao continued. “A day’s hard labor barely fed a family, maybe not even enough for a few extra meat buns. Ah, pitiful.”

“It does seem hard to enter.” Qi Yuan gazed at Kunling Ferry, sensing many eerie spirits lurking within.

Far more than at Red Cloud Stronghold.

Ahead, Kunling Ferry was thick with all kinds of miasma and poison gas, impassable for ordinary people.

The mud concealed all sorts of dangers.

Even an Earth-grade Weapon Master with an indestructible body might easily get trapped.

Only a Heaven-grade Weapon Master, perhaps, could enter with ease.

The miasma and poison inside were also terribly troublesome.

“Looks like I’ll need to craft some gas masks and a large drone before going in,” Qi Yuan remarked.

For him to barge in now would be too troublesome and a waste of time.

“The young master is mighty!” Chen Kangbao continued his flattery.

“Let’s take a closer look—see what other dangers there are, and we’ll deal with them all at once,” Qi Yuan said calmly.

The greatest challenge at Kunling Ferry was entry.

He had to use his eyes well to see what obstacles he’d face inside, then find solutions.

Finally, he’d return to the Shen Mansion, buy materials, and craft countermeasures.

A few hours later, night had deepened. Qi Yuan did not go back to the Shen Mansion but headed to the Ghost Market instead.

After purchasing the materials he had prepared, he set up his stall again.

“Ah, short on money, short on money!” Qi Yuan lamented. “If only there were a moonlight in this world—one with wealth and experience to offer… how wonderful that would be.”

Qi Yuan couldn’t help sighing.

Eerie spirits were all broke, only providing experience bars.

He was desperately short of silver.

After buying a pile of materials, his silver had run dry.

To earn some meager wages, he had no choice but to keep hawking his wares.

Unfortunately, business was terrible—he hadn’t seen a fool like Young Master Tu in a long time.

“Old man, are the artifacts I craft really… no good?” Qi Yuan couldn’t help asking in doubt.

On TV, the male lead’s egg-fried rice sold for thousands a bowl, and because it was so delicious, demand outstripped supply every day.

The male lead would scowl at customers as if he were a god.

But here, he had even changed the sound from his speaker to a sweet voice, yet no one came to buy his stuff.

“Young master, the world is ignorant and doesn’t recognize true goods,” Chen Kangbao said matter-of-factly.

“If you’re not ignorant, then buy something?” Qi Yuan stared at Chen Kangbao.

“Ahem, young master, you’re putting this old servant in a spot. Though I’m not ignorant and am astonishingly wise, I have no money!” Chen Kangbao said awkwardly.

“If you’re not ignorant, why no money?”

“…They’re just lucky!” Chen Kangbao seemed to say, *Hear me out*.

Just then, a surprised voice rang out: “Senior Sister, look—that pair of madmen!”

As the voice fell, a faint fragrance, mingled with icy chill, spread like a snow lotus.

The two women—one tall, one small—whom they had met on the banks of the Wei River appeared.

The petite woman stared curiously at the items on Qi Yuan’s stall, clicking her tongue. “So you’re an artificer… but your skill’s not great. What junk have you made?”

Whenever he left the Shen Mansion, Qi Yuan used the Thousand Changes to swap appearances with Chen Kangbao.

After all, he was playing the role of a live-in son-in-law. If he showed off outside and the Shen family saw him, wouldn’t he become the Dragon King son-in-law?

He was playing a live-in son-in-law, not the Dragon King type—mixing them up would be bad.

So in the Ghost Market, the petite woman recognized Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao.

She looked over the bizarre trinkets on the stall with a critical eye, but when her gaze fell on the speaker, a gleam of delight flashed in her eyes. “This, though—it can make sounds. That’s interesting.”

“Would you two like to buy some artifacts?” Qi Yuan, now a hero brought low by a single coin, put on a smile. “My stall’s only been open three days, but business is great—I sell an average of three thousand taels a day!”

Qi Yuan was good at using statistics.

“What? Three thousand taels a day?” the petite woman exclaimed. “You’re not lying to us, are you?”

Three thousand taels could buy a Profound-grade artifact, and not just any ordinary one.

On this stall, there was a pile of artifacts, most without any grade and none with certification.

All these things together probably weren’t worth a thousand taels—and he’d sold nine thousand?

“Heh, this brother isn’t lying to you,” the neighboring stall owner said with a smile.

Ever since he saw Qi Yuan set up shop again at the Ghost Market, he had become even more polite and friendly toward him.

After all, on the first day, Qi Yuan had earned ten thousand taels, which would surely attract the attention of some ill-intentioned people.

Yet he was still calmly manning his stall, which meant... he had dealt with all those with malicious intent.

Hearing the neighboring stall owner's words, the petite woman believed him and said, "You sure can fool people! I wonder which idiots spent so much money on this junk."

With her discerning eye, she could tell at a glance that all these items together were probably worth only about a thousand taels.

"How much is this? This lady will buy it!"

The petite woman pointed at the speaker, her tone bold and heroic.

"Ninety-nine taels!" Qi Yuan answered truthfully.

"A bit pricey..." The petite woman sniffled, but she still paid, "But this lady has money, so I'll take it."

As she spoke, she took out money and bought the speaker.

In truth, she was quite curious about the principle behind this speaker.

Moreover, she felt that this speaker was quite interesting; if mass-produced, it might have great use, hiding a business opportunity within.

"Good!" Qi Yuan always treated his customers with respect.

The icy woman beside him stood quietly like jade, her delicate brows sweeping over the artifacts on the stall, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps came.

"Senior, I didn't expect you to be here!"

The newcomer was none other than Third Young Master Tu.

He came to the ghost market almost every day, but he couldn't always run into Qi Yuan.

Seeing a big customer, Qi Yuan's smile became even more genial: "What, do you want to buy the other two light swords as well?

I'm in a good mood today, so there's a discount. For just 21,998 taels of silver, you can take both light swords."

Qi Yuan was very enthusiastic.

Beside him, the petite woman's eyes widened.

An idiot had arrived?

Ten thousand taels of silver... to buy a Yellow-grade artifact?

(End of this chapter)