Fuyu Dragon Boat.
Lin Zhao boarded the ship with a donkey, but the ship's attendant, seeing Liu Liying's beauty and the VIP room key in her hand, dared not refuse. He respectfully took the donkey to the cabin to feed it hay. Lin Zhao then took Liu Liying to the second floor and settled them into the most luxurious room with the best view. He wanted to arrange maids, but Liu Liying refused, saying she was enough to take care of her young master. This broke Chi Zhongyu's heart once again. Immediately, Chi Zhongyu stayed in another VIP room.
In the early morning, the Dragon Boat slowly left the shore and headed east along the Lingze River. The steward of the Fuyu Dragon Boat personally brought people to deliver breakfast: two bowls of spirit rice porridge and some delicacies and pastries. Just this meal alone would have cost a considerable amount of Flying Fish Coins. Chi Zhongyu spared no expense for Lin Zhao and Liu Liying.
On the balcony on one side of the room, Lin Zhao began to eat breakfast. He slurped a mouthful of spirit rice porridge. It tasted excellent and had a tangible effect: this mouthful of spirit rice porridge would increase Lin Zhao's stamina recovery speed by 50% for 85 minutes. With this bowl of spirit rice porridge, the stamina recovery speed bonus would last for about a day.
The Hundred Flowers World, though small in scale, had many good things! Such as the mural beauties and spirit rice porridge, which were all quite excellent. Especially the spirit rice porridge. As Lin Zhao drank the porridge, he was already secretly planning to obtain some spirit rice seeds before returning to the Human Realm. If he could cultivate them in a large paddy field on the peak villa or even in the back mountains, wouldn't that be wonderful?!
"Liu Liying."
Lin Zhao looked up at the Folding Fan Goddess who was serving him and said, "Don't just stand there, sit down and eat. The other bowl of porridge is yours."
"Young master."
Liu Liying said softly, "I'll just watch you eat."
"Listen, sit down and eat."
"Yes..."
Liu Liying pursed her red lips, her beautiful eyes sparkling. She sat down in front of Lin Zhao, arranging her skirt, her posture extremely gentle. She picked up a bowl of spirit rice porridge and took small sips, her eyes looking at Lin Zhao with a tender gaze. But Lin Zhao paid no attention to her, just holding his bowl and slurping the porridge while looking at the river scenery in the distance. The view from the Fuyu Dragon Boat on the Lingze River was truly magnificent.
...
After eating, Liu Liying personally cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks before handing them to the maidservant waiting outside the room. She rolled up the mat and stood with Lin Zhao by the railing on the second floor, watching the rippling river. Soon after, Chi Zhongyu, dressed in a blue robe, walked over from the adjacent VIP room and said with a smile, "In the main hall downstairs, there will be a performance by the Color Play Master shortly. If young hero and Liying are interested, you can go and watch. As for me, I will take my leave."
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Where are you going?"
"I need to go to Jiangzhou Prefecture first to handle some urgent matters."
Chi Zhongyu looked at Liu Liying but did not dare to speak.
"Understood."
Lin Zhao smiled. "Then go and come back soon?"
"Yes."
Chi Zhongyu said, "Perhaps by the time I'm done, you'll already be in Jiangzhou Prefecture. We can meet there. If you haven't reached Jiangzhou Prefecture yet, it's fine, I'll find a way to locate you."
Liu Liying frowned and said, "My young master and I are traveling in Jiangnan. Young master Chi can do as he pleases."
"Oh..."
Chi Zhongyu unintentionally bumped into a wall and, rubbing his nose, said sheepishly, "In any case, I'll be going ahead."
Lin Zhao cupped his fists. "Have a safe journey."
"Yes, I'm off."
Chi Zhongyu tapped his sword sheath, and the flying sword let out a clanging sound as it flew out. He stepped onto the sword sheath and sped eastward. Behind him, two more Golden Core stage cultivators and three Void Refining stage Lingnan Sword Sect cultivators followed.
...
Lin Zhao practiced his punches by the window for a while. Seeing Liu Liying gazing downstairs, he couldn't help but smile and say, "Want to go see the legendary Color Play Master's performance?"
"Yes..."
Liu Liying's pretty face blushed slightly. "I've never seen it before. Have you, young master?"
"Neither have I. Then let's go with the room key."
"Alright!"
Liu Liying took the key, and she and Lin Zhao left the room. When they arrived at the main hall on the first floor, they saw that it was almost full. The Color Play Master on the vermilion stage had already begun performing. Relying on her VIP room key, Liu Liying was led by the ship's steward to a table closest to the stage, where she sat down with Lin Zhao. Naturally, platters of fruits and pastries were served.
On the stage, a Color Play Master in costume was performing magic tricks. He would change his face paint, breathe fire, or suspend a rope between heaven and earth. Although the Color Play Master was only at the level of a third-realm cultivator, his performance was truly spectacular, drawing waves of applause from the audience.
Lin Zhao multitasked, watching the Color Play Master's performance with a silly grin on his face, while also observing the ship passengers gathered in the hall. Some were merchants dressed in fine silk, with potbellies, clearly wealthy individuals. These people were accompanied by escorts, but most of these escorts were only at the first or second realm of cultivation, and some were even just untrained warriors with brute strength. These people could defend against ordinary bandits, but they were useless against cultivators. On the other hand, those traveling on the Fuyu Dragon Boat were mostly cultivators, gathered in clusters, with little conversation among them.
However, Liu Liying was still too eye-catching. The legendary Folding Fan Goddess, in a red dress, with a beauty that could make a fish sink and a goose fall, possessed an aura of heaven and earth's spiritual energy. She looked extraordinary in every way. Even Lin Zhao, sitting beside Liu Liying, felt like he had thorns on his back, with many eyes staring at him from behind, some even harboring murderous intent.
As expected, traveling with the Folding Fan Goddess, if one couldn't protect her, their life would be in danger sooner or later.
Fortunately, Lin Zhao didn't care. He was, after all, a dignified "Nascent Soul Great Sword Immortal." If he couldn't even protect Liu Liying, then there was no point in even mentioning the matter of rising against the chaotic tide in the Hundred Flowers World.
Suddenly, a young sword cultivator in a gray short-sleeved robe approached, carrying a wine pot. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with greed as he looked at Liu Liying's beautiful face. This kind of gaze was not only disliked by Liu Liying but also by Lin Zhao. The man poured himself a cup of wine and raised it respectfully, smiling. "This immortal fairy must be the Folding Fan Goddess Liu Liying, right? I am Xun Yi, a Golden Core Sword Immortal. I wish to use the boatman's fine wine to express my admiration and offer this cup of wine to Fairy Liying. Would Fairy Liying be willing to grant me this honor?"
"I am not willing."
Liu Liying sat quietly.
"Hmm?"
Xun Yi acted as if he hadn't understood her words. He fiddled with his ear and smiled, "What did Fairy Liying just say? I didn't hear clearly. Could you please say it again?"
"She said she is not willing."
Lin Zhao said with a leisurely smile, "Is this Sword Immortal's ear too sensitive? He heard so clearly yet couldn't hear? There must be too much earwax in your ears. Remember to clean them often."
"You!"
Xun Yi's face turned ashen, and his eyes blazed with anger.
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes and lay back lazily in his chair. "You want to fight? Come on, let's meet on the river. We'll decide the victor and vanquish the foe!"
"Xun Yi."
An old man stood up and frowned. "Don't cause trouble."
"Yes, Elder."
Xun Yi turned and left.
Lin Zhao glanced at the elder, who was also a Golden Core Sword Immortal. This Xun Yi must be a prodigy among the younger generation, otherwise, he wouldn't be so arrogant. The elder still had some authority and could suppress him for now.
"Let's go."
Lin Zhao stood up and said, "Back to the room."
"Yes, young master."
Liu Liying followed Lin Zhao upstairs and returned to the VIP room.
Lin Zhao did not leave the room again for the rest of the day. Going out with the Folding Fan Goddess, Liu Liying, was too prone to causing trouble. Although he didn't fear trouble, it was still quite bothersome.
Thus, Lin Zhao practiced his punches on the balcony outside his room until nightfall.
...
Late at night.
Lin Zhao lay down and slept for a while, while Liu Liying knelt on the floor beside him, gazing quietly at the river. Her expression was complex. She looked at the river, then turned to look at Lin Zhao sleeping, suddenly feeling a sense of melancholy. Lin Zhao was not like Chi Zhongyu; he was not just a sword cultivator, but was cautious in everything he did, adhering to his principles, and was more like a scholar. Such a person had the most stable state of mind.
Just then, a figure slowly walked across the river outside. It was a Golden Core sword cultivator in a short robe. He spoke to Liu Liying in a telepathic voice, mocking her. "The dignified Folding Fan Goddess has ultimately chosen a fifth-realm useless sword cultivator as her master. Liu Liying, you're living backward. Today, you even dared to disrespect this lord. Come, come, if you have the guts, come to the river and let me see what skills this Folding Fan Goddess of yours possesses."
Liu Liying turned and looked at Lin Zhao.
"What, you don't dare? Or are you reluctant to leave your young master?" Xun Yi on the river sneered. "Don't worry, after I have you, I will naturally split your beloved young master in half with a single sword strike."
"..."
Liu Liying's delicate eyebrows furrowed. She lightly closed her folding fan, and her body gracefully floated onto the river. Her folding fan swayed, carrying the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The moment the sword cultivator's sword struck, Liu Liying's folding fan also swung out. A golden ripple spread across the river's surface, colliding with the dense sword Qi from the opponent.
In an instant, the people inside the Fuyu Dragon Boat were awakened. When they looked, they saw the Folding Fan Goddess in the river, wielding waves of golden water, fighting fiercely with the Golden Core Sword Immortal Xun Yi. Both were at the Golden Core stage, and their attacks were both ruthless. Such a battle was not something ordinary people could witness.
Even the potbellied merchants did not want to miss such a spectacle, each embracing their concubines and watching the rising tide and the sky filled with sword light in the distance.
...
"Hmph..."
Lin Zhao calmly got out of bed and did not go to help. Instead, he spread out the paper on his desk, then took out a stack of golden talismans and began to draw Iron Cavalry Killing Formation talismans under the starlight. This type of talisman was something he had only recently comprehended. The core of the talisman was extremely complex and obscure, and Lin Zhao could not guarantee a 100% success rate. He needed more practice.
"Ching!"
In the surging golden river water, Liu Liying's arm trembled slightly. Her wrist had been struck by the opponent's sword, and golden blood flowed. But she gritted her teeth and continued to mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to draw the river water to counterattack her opponent. However, after all, Liu Liying was a celestial spirit, akin to a deity. Under the same realm, she would inevitably be at a disadvantage against a sword cultivator, so defeat was only a matter of time.
She turned to look in the direction of the Fuyu Dragon Boat, only to see a figure hunched over his desk drawing talismans. He seemed completely unconcerned about her life or death. For a moment, Liu Liying's delicate eyebrows furrowed. How could there be such a heartless person in the world?