Chapter 29: The Debt-Ridden Girl

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Debt-Ridden Girl

Ye Xuan glanced briefly at Qingyu. The white snake coiled around his neck responded with a slight nod. His attention returned to the golden pagoda where Senior Wang resided.

"This junior has decided to return to his own place," Ye Xuan replied.

"Very well. I cannot force you to stay, Junior Ye," Wang Shuyuan explained. "If there is anything you don’t understand, you may come here whenever you wish by activating the teleportation token I gave you."

"This junior understands."

After paying his respects and bidding farewell to Senior Wang, Ye Xuan turned around and walked back toward the teleportation formation.

Within seconds, Ye Xuan and Qingyu were transported from the pagoda back to the cultivation cave in the rocky mountain.

He deactivated the teleportation token and stored it in his bag of holding.

Although he hadn’t fully recovered his strength through cultivation, he felt that he couldn’t stay there any longer.

Ye Xuan took out a map of the Xiao Empire and unfolded it. He pointed to his current location and marked it with his qi.

"This place is too close to both Shunxi City and the Ocean Sword Sect."

"We should fly to this city, Yunlong City," Ye Xuan replied. "If Yunlong City doesn’t work out, Haonan City and Jiuxu City are other options."

[What about returning to the sect?]

While Ye Xuan was planning his next move, he was surprised when Qingyu suggested that he return to the sect.

It had indeed been more than a month since he left, and he hadn’t returned even once.

The people in the sect might have already assumed he was dead, since they hadn’t received any news from him all this time.

After thinking about it for a long while, Ye Xuan decided not to return just yet.

There were still two months before the sect elders’ evaluation, and he needed to make the most of his current opportunity.

"I’m not returning to the sect, at least not for now," Ye Xuan replied. "There are many things I can gain by becoming a wandering cultivator."

"If I return, I’m worried the sect will restrict my ability to travel outside. I’ll also have fewer opportunities to study techniques and formations."

[If you want to grow stronger without restrictions, making use of your current freedom is indeed the best choice.]

[With your current cultivation base, you should at least be able to afford Yellow-Grade techniques. You’ve also gained a better understanding of your elemental affinities.]

[Whatever decision you make, I’ll continue to support you.]

"Thank you, Qingyu."

In the end, Ye Xuan decided to leave the area and head toward the first major city he had pointed out on the map of the Xiao Empire: Yunlong City.

Yunlong City was one of the five major cities in the Xiao Empire, making it a bustling place filled with both mortals and cultivators.

Ye Xuan’s goal was to obtain new Yellow-Grade combat techniques and see whether he could find any Water Elemental Essence to help Senior Wang.

The city was quite far from the Sky Cloud Sect, but it was close to the Snow Goose Sect and the Huangjin Mountain Sect.

Although neither sect held as much influence as the Sky Cloud Sect, both still maintained a presence in the city.

Ye Xuan stepped onto his sword and flew away from the rocky mountain cave at high speed.

Since the journey to Yunlong City was quite long, he planned to use the opportunity to rest in several cities along the way before finally reaching his destination.

***

Three days later.

His fears had not come true. The people from the Ocean Sword Sect had stopped pursuing him. Ye Xuan didn’t know why they had given up, but their absence put him at ease.

Now, his destination was Yunlong City. He had rested in two small cities along the way, and although they were merely temporary stops, he had still taken the opportunity to search for Yellow-Grade techniques and Water Elemental Essence.

The results varied. In the first city, Ye Xuan had managed to obtain 100 Mortal-Grade Water Elemental Essence beads, although he hadn’t found any suitable techniques.

It wasn’t that the city had no combat techniques for sale, but the ones available possessed elemental affinities different from his own.

Ye Xuan was beginning to understand the importance of his elemental affinities in both offense and defense.

He wasn’t going to waste his money buying combat techniques that weren’t aligned with either his fire or lightning elements.

In the second city, Ye Xuan obtained another batch of Water Elemental Essence, although there were only 50 beads.

However, he also managed to acquire a fire-element combat technique called the Ten Fire Sword Dance.

Although he had only obtained one combat technique so far, Ye Xuan wasn’t about to become complacent.

Yunlong City was already within sight, and he was confident that he would find other fire-element techniques there.

He landed in front of the city gates, which were guarded by imperial soldiers. However, none of them inspected the people entering the city.

Ye Xuan walked inside without any trouble, taking in the sight of the magnificent and sprawling Yunlong City, where large, multi-story buildings filled every district.

The city was bustling with activity. Trade flourished in a lively yet orderly atmosphere, and cultivators moved through the streets without casting suspicious glances at one another.

Yunlong City was truly a peaceful place, an ideal destination for trading and shopping without unnecessary trouble.

Ye Xuan stopped in front of a cultivation supply shop that also appeared to sell technique scrolls. He stepped inside and approached the shopkeeper.

"Do you have any Yellow-Grade fire-element techniques?"

The man glanced at him briefly, his eyes filled with disdain as though he were judging Ye Xuan based on appearances alone.

"Even if I told you I did, could you afford to buy one?"

"A single Yellow-Grade technique scroll costs ten low-grade spirit stones. Just look at yourself. I seriously doubt you can afford it."

Before long, several other cultivators arrived and asked the shopkeeper for the same thing: Yellow-Grade fire-element technique scrolls.

What surprised Ye Xuan was the man’s attitude. The shopkeeper immediately became attentive and responded warmly to a male cultivator who arrived wearing luxurious robes, accompanied by two women.

"Of course, we have them. I’ll bring a technique scroll for you right away," the shopkeeper replied.

"You...?" the cultivator asked Ye Xuan. "Are you here to buy a technique scroll too...?"

Ye Xuan glanced briefly at him. His luxurious clothes, cultivation accessories, and fine sword spoke volumes about his status in Ye Xuan’s eyes.

The shopkeeper was treating him well because of his appearance, but Ye Xuan had no reason to interfere.

The man’s extravagant appearance suggested that he came from no ordinary background.

Ye Xuan turned toward him and clasped his hands together.

"I’m just taking a look at it, Daoist."

"Since there’s nothing that interests me, I’ll take my leave."

The man didn’t react much. He simply watched Ye Xuan as the young man left the shop.

Ye Xuan let out a quiet sigh and continued walking along the city’s streets.

There are cultivators from all kinds of backgrounds.

[To me, they’re nothing but ignorant, low-level cultivators.]

That’s right. Low-level cultivators who have protective elders they can summon whenever they please.

As Ye Xuan wandered aimlessly, a woman suddenly bumped into him from the side.

Qingyu immediately reacted aggressively, letting out a low roar and hissing. The woman fell to the ground, her clothes looking worn and tattered.

"P-Please help me, Daoist!"

Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes at her before looking ahead. Two burly men were approaching him.

"Please don’t interfere in our business, Daoist."

"She and her grandmother owe our boss a considerable amount of money. We’re only here to collect their debt," one of them explained.

The young man let out a quiet sigh before glancing at the woman. Judging by her youthful face, she was more accurately described as a young girl than a grown woman.

"I can’t help you. You have to settle your own problems," Ye Xuan replied.

"B-But I don’t have any money... Could you pay off my debt for me? I’ll do anything for you. Even if you want to take my chastity, I’ll agree!" the girl explained, speaking without thinking through her words.

Only someone driven to desperation would be willing to go that far.

[Just leave her alone! She’s getting too close to you!]

Ye Xuan looked at the two men and asked how much the girl and her grandmother owed. They informed him that their total debt amounted to 120 low-grade spirit stones.

For an ordinary mortal, 120 spirit stones was an enormous sum. Ye Xuan didn’t know what had happened, and only the girl herself could explain the circumstances.

"What did she do with those 120 spirit stones?" Ye Xuan asked.

"Who knows? Maybe she bought some useless technique scrolls. I don’t know, and I don’t care!"

She owns a cultivation supply shop.

I have a way to help her.

Ye Xuan glanced briefly at the girl, "I’ll help you by buying cultivation supplies from your shop. What do you think?"

The girl broke into a wide smile when she heard his proposal, "Of course! That’s much better."

"Good," Ye Xuan replied. "Lead the way."