Chapter 524: No Major Events Happened Along the Way

Seeing Tao Yaoye still lost in her thoughts, another burly man spoke up hastily, "The chamber of commerce also offers financial products, yielding an annual interest of eight to twelve percent, with guaranteed profits and no risks of loss!"

Tao Yaoye now understood deeply the truth behind Senior Brother Lu's words: never flaunt wealth, lest it court trouble.

And now, trouble had arrived.

One after another, they introduced various investments and financial schemes, foundations to be established, low risks with high returns... she could not make head or tail of any of it.

"No, I have no need for it," Tao Yaoye refused steadfastly.

What did a mere twelve percent interest amount to? If she poured these ten million spirit stones into the Dream Bubble and expanded its scale, the returns she would reap would far exceed twelve percent.

"Is that so? That truly is a pity." Seeing Tao Yaoye's resolute demeanor, the burly men could only shake their heads in regret and give up.

Such a fat duck, how could she not take the bait?

Fortunately, this was but a brief interlude, and nothing of consequence occurred along the journey.

Save for the time local constables halted the flying boat, claiming a suspected murderer was hidden aboard, and demanding to verify the identity of every passenger, whereupon the murderer violently lashed out, only to be subdued by those same burly salesmen from the chamber of commerce.

The murderer cried out frantically, shouting that he had poisoned the captain and held the sole antidote, warning that if they did not release him, the captain would surely perish, and everyone would go down with the vessel.

Alas, before anyone could step forward to claim they knew how to steer a flying boat, the captain emerged, calmly stating he was a poison cultivator and thus impervious to such venom, before returning to helm the craft.

Then there was a Golden Core cultivator who attempted to sneak a free ride—he had been flying on his own power, consuming pills as he flew, until exhaustion overtook him, and as the flying boat happened to pass by, he stealthily slipped onto its tail to hitch a ride.

Unfortunately, his concealment techniques were lacking; he failed to evade the ticket-checking formation and was caught, forced to pay the fare.

There was also a pregnant woman who went into labor, falling unconscious from the excruciating pain, though fortunately a small alchemist among the passengers stepped forward, saving the lives of both mother and child.

"Wife, wake up, we are almost at the station!" Her husband gripped her hand, crying out desperately, but the agonizing pain had already driven her into unconsciousness.

Those gathered around were filled with anxiety, yet utterly at a loss; with the mother unconscious, it seemed a tragedy of two lives lost in one body was imminent.

"I am an alchemist, let me try," a female voice rang out, one that Lu Yang faintly recalled.

Turning his gaze, he saw a female cultivator whose cuffs were embroidered with a single ring of golden alchemical patterns—the attire only qualified alchemists were permitted to wear—and a token belonging to the Daoist Sect hung from her waist.

Lu Yang remembered now; she was a senior sister from the Alchemical Cauldron Peak named Moli, who had stood somewhere in the middle of the line when they all took turns beating him.

This meant that among the senior brothers and sisters who had thrashed Lu Yang, Senior Sister Moli's strength lay at the median level, which was the Nascent Soul stage.

Lu Yang did not rashly step forward to greet her, curious to see how Senior Sister Moli intended to aid the pregnant woman.

Sweeping her divine sense across, Senior Sister Moli grasped the woman's condition, her brow furrowing slightly.

The woman was in too deep a stupor to be awakened without harsh measures, yet such measures might harm the child.

Under the circumstances, there remained but one recourse.

Senior Sister Moli closed her eyes, and from her spiritual terrace flew a three-inch-tall miniature figure, which slipped into the pregnant woman's head to temporarily assume control of her body.

A sharp cry broke the air.

Before long, a newborn infant entered the world crying.

"It is done."

Senior Sister Moli's Nascent Soul returned to her body, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing his child born and both mother and infant safe, the husband gripped Senior Sister Moli's hand in sheer exhilaration: "Thank you for helping my wife give birth to a child! Thank you so much!"

Senior Sister Moli fell silent.

If one knew not how to express gratitude, it was better left unsaid.

It took no small amount of persuasion on Senior Sister Moli's part to successfully dissuade the man from presenting her with a commemorative banner.

"Senior Sister Moli," Lu Yang greeted, stepping forward only after the matter was resolved.

"Junior Brother Lu? And Junior Sister Tao, and this one, if I recall correctly, is Junior Sister Lanting from the Laurel Fairy Palace? How do the three of you happen to be together?"

Senior Sister Moli held a reasonably good impression of Lu Yang; after all, the two had shared close physical contact, and blood had been drawn.

"It just so happened that Junior Sister Tao and I were on a mission, and we ran into Junior Sister Lanting who was on the same assignment. A mere coincidence."

"I see."

"What about you, Senior Sister Moli? Are you also on a mission?"

With a hint of vanity, Senior Sister Moli shook her cuffs: "I went to take the alchemist qualification exam. Look, the robes I just received."

"Weren't you an alchemist a long time ago, Senior Sister?" Senior Sister Moli was already at the Nascent Soul stage, so how could she only now be receiving her qualification?

"Ah, that was only recognized within our sect, not outside. Practicing medicine out there constitutes illegal practice and makes one liable to arrest. Whenever I went out on missions, I had to treat people in secret."

"A few days ago, I thought to myself, rather than going through such trouble every time, I might as well sit for the alchemist qualification exam."

"Congratulations to Senior Sister on becoming an alchemist certified by the Alchemical Alliance," Lu Yang offered his congratulations with cupped hands, and Tao Yaoye and Lanting followed suit with proper decorum.

Senior Sister Moli waved her hand, finding the memory of the examination tedious: "There is nothing to congratulate. Taking an exam involves a mountain of trouble. I picked the wrong date and walked into the wrong examination hall. It was only after finishing that I realized it was the selection exam for the Alchemical Alliance's branch presidents. No wonder there were so many high-level practitioners, almost matching my own standard."

"I took first place, but when they re-verified my identity afterward, they discovered I wasn't even a certified alchemist, meaning I lacked the qualifications to take that exam."

"Left with no alternative, I had to run over to the apprentice alchemists' hall to take their exam. I was refining pills at the front while a whole crowd of grandmaster alchemists stood behind me, studying my techniques. It was vexing in the extreme."

Lu Yang thought to himself that the senior sister ought to consider the immense psychological pressure endured by the apprentice alchemists who sat the exam alongside her.

"The result, as you can see, is that I successfully became an alchemist."

"The Alchemical Alliance even asked if I would serve as a branch president, but thinking of how troublesome it would be, I declined. In the end, they insisted on bestowing upon me the title of Honorary Branch President."

From her identity jade token, Senior Sister Moli produced a golden cauldron badge, the back of which bore the name "Moli."

Lu Yang fell silent.

It had to be said, she was truly a senior sister of the Alchemical Cauldron Peak; her way of handling things was invariably distinct from ordinary folk.

Fortunately, after assisting with the childbirth, no further incidents arose, and the flying boat arrived smoothly at the Daoist Sect.

"Farewell, Junior Sister Lan!"

"Farewell!"

Lu Yang and Lanting waved their goodbyes.

The route of this flying boat encompassed stops at both the Daoist Sect and the Laurel Fairy Palace.

Upon arriving at the Daoist Sect and just entering the core region, they spotted a junior brother named Meng Jingzhou passing by.

"Is your secluded cultivation over?" Lu Yang called out casually, halting Meng Jingzhou.

"Secluded cultivation?" Meng Jingzhou was entirely bewildered.

Tao Yaoye spoke with a gentle smile: "Has Senior Brother Meng forgotten? A few days ago when I was about to set out on a mission, I wanted to invite you and Senior Brother Lu, but you were in secluded cultivation at the time, so Senior Brother Lu and I had to go together."

Meeting Tao Yaoye's calm yet distinctly threatening gaze, a sudden realization dawned upon Meng Jingzhou.

"Oh, right! I was indeed in secluded cultivation those few days. I have only just emerged, and my mind is still a bit dazed."

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.

(End of chapter)