Chapter 931 - The Immortal Celestial Capital (04)

Chapter 931: 931 - The Immortal Celestial Capital (04)

The spaceship was quite cramped, so Qianyao ended up returning to the world of the mind to make room for Rouxi.

After all, this was Lingxi’s first time traveling on a spaceship. It was only natural for her to have both her mother and father by her side for it.

The main cabin had a total of three seats: one for the pilot and two for the passengers.

They were packed close together, bolted to the metal floor, and the air inside was cold, carrying a faint metallic smell.

There wasn’t much space, but fortunately, the Celestial Emperors accompanying Qingyi didn’t need to sit down, and neither did he. The seats were there more for comfort than out of necessity.

The four guards simply stood at the back of the cabin, motionless and silent, as if they were part of the ship itself.

"How long will the trip take?" Qingyi asked, running his hand through Lingxi’s hair, the fine, soft strands slipping between his fingers.

The little girl sat on his lap, one tiny hand clutching her father’s robes while the other held tightly to one of her mother’s fingers.

She wouldn’t let go of either of them for anything.

"About five hours. The Immortal Celestial Capital isn’t too far away, and, well, this little beauty is really very fast," the pilot replied without taking her eyes off the control panel, her fingers darting across buttons and glowing screens, a touch of pride in her voice.

With everything ready, she ignited all four engines at once.

A loud, sharp crack echoed throughout the ship.

Lingxi, who until then had been perfectly relaxed, shuddered and jumped a little in her father’s lap, her tiny fingers clutching his robes more tightly.

Rouxi gave the small hand in hers a gentle squeeze.

The whine of the engines gradually grew louder, settling into a deep hum that rose up through the metal floor and made the seats tremble slightly.

In front of them there was no glass, only a thick, pitch-black layer that seemed to swallow the light from the cabin.

As the engines gained power, this layer gradually lightened, like dark paint running down a pane of glass, until it transformed into a wide, clear windshield, daylight spilling into the cabin.

Well, technically it wasn’t a windshield, but the term was so common that it had ended up being used for it anyway.

The transformation, naturally, filled Lingxi’s small face with wonder, especially since the surface wasn’t stable.

It was as if the windshield were constantly shifting, dark waves gliding from one side to the other, each at its own pace, in a mesmerizing sway.

Her eyes grew wide, her little mouth opening into a silent "o."

"Mamma! Dadda!" Lingxi suddenly turned around, letting go of her mother’s hand.

She patted Qingyi’s chest with her open palm, in that clumsy baby way, just to get his attention.

"Ook!" She pointed a chubby little finger toward the windshield.

"Daddy can see, sweetheart. And it’s ’look,’ not ’ook,’" he corrected his daughter, who stared back at him with an expression that was impossible to read.

"Ook!" she repeated.

"Look," Qingyi corrected her once more, pronouncing it very slowly.

Lingxi narrowed her eyes.

She seemed to reflect deeply on something for a moment, and then declared, pointing her tiny finger straight at her father’s face with all the conviction in the world: "Ook!"

Next to Qingyi, Rouxi giggled, covering her full lips with her delicate hand as his face darkened.

The reaction made Lingxi burst out laughing too, her whole body shaking in her father’s lap.

"You little rascal, are you being stubborn just to annoy Daddy?" he asked, hugging her tightly and drawing an adorable squeal from her, her chubby legs kicking at the air.

Eventually, he loosened his hold and gave Lingxi a little space, and her eyes immediately fixed on the woman sitting in front of the control panel.

The pilot adjusted a few more parameters on the control system and then initiated the takeoff process.

The ship rose into the air with a jolt that shook the seats, and Lingxi let out a frightened gasp.

She cowered against her father’s chest, peeking out at everything with wide eyes.

Fortunately, she was a very brave little thing.

With her father and mother by her side, she wasn’t afraid of anything, and a gentle pat on the back from Rouxi was all it took for her fear to subside.

Her eyes returned to the windshield.

The blue sky grew closer and closer, darkening with every passing second, until, in the blink of an eye, everything transformed into a sea of darkness filled with beautiful stars.

She watched it all in fascination, her eyes shining, tiny points of starlight reflected in them.

Her draconic eyes, far superior to those of ordinary humans, took in a much more beautiful universe, full of colors and sparkles that normal eyes could never perceive—even though her cultivation hadn’t even awakened yet.

It didn’t take long for the pilot to set the ship on a stable course and begin a peaceful cruise.

The whirring of the engines subsided to a low, constant hum, and the cockpit fell quiet.

Lingxi was very excited at the start of the journey, pointing at everything and babbling nonstop, but soon sleep overtook her.

She returned to her mother’s arms, nestled her face against Rouxi’s chest, and drifted off, her breathing slowing into soft little puffs.

The rest of the trip passed quickly.

It took no more than a few hours before they received the first audio transmission from a space controller at the Immortal Celestial Capital.

The voice came over the cabin speakers, firm and monotone, ordering the ship to take its place in the line of vessels waiting to undergo basic identity and cargo screening before receiving clearance to land.

The pilot did not hesitate to respond.

"Golden Imperator 1, eight souls on board, requesting immediate special landing permission on Deck Alpha 3."

On the other end of the line, the controller flinched upon hearing those words.

Golden Imperator was the special code for the ships in Long Tianjin’s personal fleet.

"Golden Imperator 1, stand by," he said, running a quick scan. It revealed the auras of four Celestial Emperors inside the ship, all clearly Golden Guards.

After that, there was no further delay.

"Golden Imperator 1, permission to land on Deck Alpha 3 granted. Proceed with caution."

The pilot smiled slightly and pulled the ship out of line, gliding past the waiting vessels toward the deck.

She had flown other ships before, but ever since joining Tianjin’s personal fleet, everything had become much more pleasant, even if she made fewer flights.

Lineups were practically nonexistent, and everyone bowed their heads and made way for her.