ragginovel Chapter 175 The Capital
Chapter 175 The Capital
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside.
Li Jieqing withdrew his divine sense, closed his eyes, and pretended to be still asleep.
The curtain opened, and Bai Ningxue, the person in charge of the caravan, appeared. She saw that Li Jieqing was still lying in a cart full of dried blades of grass, motionless as he had gotten into the cart.
After examining it for a while, she got into the car, took Li Jieqing's hand, and reinfused her magic into it to continue the examination.
"I can't believe it... how did it survive?"
After a while, Bai Ningxue withdrew her magic power with a frustrated expression, then picked up the small knife at the end of her hair and brandished it a few times on Li Jieqing's face.
Li Jieqing remained completely silent.
She then gave up, raised her hand to tuck the animal blanket that Li Jieqing was pressing down on to prevent the sharp blades of grass beside him from pricking him, and then got out of the carriage and closed the curtain.
Once inside the dimly lit vehicle, Li Jieqing used his divine sense to confirm that no one was around before continuing to search the original owner's storage bag.
He planned to remain unconscious for the rest of the time, so that he wouldn't be unable to answer questions about his origins.
It should be known that Fairy Shecai, Baozhang and Baowu, and the other seven immortals may have already arrived in the Eastern Land.
Since that's the case, the new identity must be maintained completely, without revealing any flaws.
Unless the convoy outside suffers some kind of catastrophe, a natural disaster or man-made calamity that directly hits this section of the train, he will be an injured man who cannot move.
"It shouldn't be that unlucky. This team looks experienced and skilled. There's no reason for me to be in trouble right after picking them up."
Inside the carriage, Li Jieqing smiled and continued to rummage through the original owner's storage bag. At the same time, he extended his divine sense to secretly eavesdrop on the conversations of the people in the caravan, deepening his understanding of the Eastern Land.
……
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The caravan was not slow; the dragon-scaled horses galloped like the wind, pulling the lead vehicle behind them day and night without stopping.
Therefore, once they left the dangerous Gobi Desert, the Bai family caravan accelerated its journey with peace of mind, traveling through counties and prefectures. Except for stopping in major cities to make some living, the caravan headed straight for the capital.
The customs and culture of the Eastern Land within the Blood Heart Cave Heaven are not much different from those of the outside East Sea. The division of counties and prefectures almost made Li Jieqing think he was in the secular world of Xiaoxin Island.
However, unlike the secular world of Xiaoxin Island, cultivators and mortals in this Eastern Land actually live together, relying on the government to suppress the local population and maintain order.
"This place is quite interesting. The Eastern Lands royal family is currently on the throne as the seventh emperor. More than a thousand years ago, when the first emperor of the Eastern Lands took office, the time was right after the destruction of the Blood Heart Sect. It is clear that the royal family here is definitely related to the Blood Heart Sect."
"Even for thousands of years, the royal family has been able to suppress the Eastern Lands, control other Foundation Establishment cultivators, and prevent the order of mortal cultivators living together from collapsing, mostly because of that secret."
The lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is 360 years, and the seven emperors of the Eastern Lands ruled for over a thousand years, which is about right.
Li Jieqing hid in the Bai family's caravan, listening to the gossip of the local people along the way. He learned that even the royal family had passed down this knowledge from generation to generation, so it was not difficult to deduce that there were indeed no Golden Core cultivators in the Eastern Land's cultivation world.
That's at least on the surface.
Without a Golden Core, it's not so easy for others to detect his disguise. A Foundation Establishment cultivator disguised as a Qi Refining cultivator can thrive in the Eastern Lands.
As for what kind of power the royal family possessed to govern this eastern land, Li Jieqing was curious, but naturally he would not be unwise enough to test the law himself.
Take it slow.
The reason he left Xiaoxin Island was to find a suitable place to cultivate.
After a series of twists and turns, we have now arrived at Blood Heart Cave, a seemingly prosperous cultivation world in the Eastern Lands. It can be said that we have come to this by chance.
Inside the train carriage.
Li Jieqing, with his head resting on an animal skin blanket, crossed his legs and a dried blade of grass dangling from his mouth, leisurely continued to rummage through the original owner's storage bag.
Having not seen a stranger for over ten years, he was quite delighted to suddenly find himself in this bustling eastern land.
Fresh blood is everywhere~~
"...The original owner could also forge several magical artifacts? Impressive, he was a craftsman."
Li Jieqing perused the original owner's handwritten notes, which detailed the crafting methods of several uncommon magical artifacts, such as the Water Dividing Flag, the Abyss Net, and two other magical artifacts that he had never seen before and were also designed for use in water.
No, these aren't exactly unpopular. Outside the Blood Heart Cave, flying swords are the mainstream magical artifacts in the East Sea cultivation world, followed by magic swords. But inside the Blood Heart Cave, magical artifact styles seem to be diverse and flourishing.
Perhaps because it is close to the demon realm, some magical artifacts that can target specific demon beasts are more popular.
From Li Jieqing's perspective, analyzing this matter was not difficult.
"Knock knock knock..."
The sound of leather boots stomping the ground drew closer.
The carriage curtain was suddenly pulled open, revealing the dashing Bai Ningxue, who peered inside.
"Still not awake?"
Inside the carriage, Li Jieqing closed his eyes, spread his hands, and lay like a corpse in the sharp grass, unmoved by thunder and wind.
"His breathing has calmed down; he should be awake by now. Could this be some kind of aftereffect?"
Bai Ningxue got into the car, took out a pharmacology book and placed it beside her. She then used her magical power to explore Li Jieqing's body.
"My magic power has been restored, but the person is still unconscious. Could it be that the residual poison has damaged his mind... Let me refine a few more pills to try."
Just as if she were using a patient as a practice subject, Bai Ningxue withdrew her magic power, took notes in the pharmacology book, and prepared to go back and try to refine the antidote pills.
Since materials were cheap in her caravan, she simply used Li Jieqing, who had been unconscious for months, as an experiment to improve her alchemy skills.
After taking notes, Bai Ningxue closed her pharmacology book and got off the bus.
As soon as she pulled back the curtain, someone came over in a low voice to report.
"Miss, we've found out that this man is called Yu Huanxiu. He's from a poor family in Ningrong Ward in the capital. His ancestor was the brother of the current head of the Yu family. He was originally considered a direct descendant, but unfortunately, three generations of his family were useless. Now, he's the only one left in that branch of the family, living off his master in the west corridor of Ningrong Ward."
The messenger who came to deliver the message was the person who had been sent to the capital to gather information.
Although Bai Ningxue took in the people temporarily, it wasn't out of self-righteous kindness. If she found out anything amiss, she would naturally make plans to avoid causing trouble for the caravan.
Upon hearing this news, Bai Ningxue led her people a little further away and asked again, "Does this person have any enemies, or is someone in the Yu family trying to cause trouble for him?"
"I haven't heard of anyone outside having any life-or-death feud with this person. As for inside..." the person explained, "I'm sorry, Miss, but a noble family like the Yu family, even if they no longer have any underhanded dealings behind the scenes, still maintains a harmonious facade. It's really impossible to find out anything."
Bai Ningxue nodded, then shook her head: "I've had him for a month, and he'll be returning to the capital soon. We'll see then."
The old woman came over and said, "We've already saved him. Just don't make a fuss. Just carry that kid to his doorstep. The head of the Yu family is a Foundation Establishment cultivator. We can't afford to offend him."
The group discussed their plans, then gradually walked away to continue their business with the caravan.
Inside the train carriage.
Li Jieqing opened his mouth and spat out the remnants of the pills he had been fed.
"The methods are too crude, the medicinal properties are mixed and chaotic, what kind of crap have you concocted? Aren't you afraid of paralyzing me directly?"
Li Jieqing hasn't taken any mid-grade pills for decades, and as for the low-grade antidote pills that Bai Ningxue stuffed into his hands as if to practice... is this even called a pill?
The once renowned top-grade alchemist, Ancestor Fengxin, had something to say.
The pills were extremely unpalatable. Li Jieqing had just scanned Bai Ningxue's notes with his divine sense and knew that this person was about to do something drastic.
This place is no place to linger!
"The original owner's name and address are already known, and she still lives alone. She is truly destined to be with me."
Li Jieqing had already heard the message clearly with his divine sense. Now he didn't need to pretend to be unconscious. He could deal with it openly and then leave the caravan.
……
After a month-long journey since leaving the Gobi Desert, the caravan finally arrived in Beijing to unload its cargo.
The great river that runs east to west through the Blood Heart Cave is called the Tongtian River.
The capital of the Eastern Immortal Cultivation World is located beside the Tongtian River, which is sealed off from the river to prevent water monsters from coming ashore.
Bai Ningxue had just refined two top-grade pills, her proudest creations, and sent someone to feed them to the person. However, in the blink of an eye, the person she sent returned to report: "Young Miss, that person has woken up and has come out on his own!"
Bai Ningxue was taken aback. She looked at the majestic, thousand-year-old city walls of the capital. So this person had woken up and arrived home?
It seems this detoxification pill is indeed very effective; it's ready to be put on the shelves and sold.
Although she was busy unloading and inspecting the goods, Bai Ningxue still made a special effort to take some time to come and see this special travel companion.
Li Jieqing had already landed. Upon seeing the person in charge, he bowed respectfully and exclaimed, "Many thanks to the leader for saving me! I, Ning Rongfang Yu Huanxiu, will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"
The language of the cultivation world in the East is similar to that of the outside world, but there are some subtle differences in pronunciation. Fortunately, Li Jieqing had been lying down for a month and had been diligently imitating and learning. At this time, he spoke the native language so well that no one could tell that he was not the real person.
"You'll be richly rewarded someday... but not now, you slippery brat."
The old woman flew down from the sky and said in a rather unfriendly tone.
"Not at all!" Li Jieqing quickly cupped his hands and said, "Senior, you may not know, but I can forge a few magical artifacts. Why don't we sell them to the caravan at a low price?"
"Does our Bai family lack a few magical artifacts from you? Is this your way of repaying us, or are you just using our caravan's name to sell your wares?"
"Well... this junior is truly short of funds. If you don't mind, I'm willing to give you all the spirit stones in my bag as a token of my gratitude!"
Facing a late-stage Qi Refining Ancestor-level cultivator, Li Jieqing was filled with trepidation.
The old woman played the bad cop and then gave Bai Ningxue a look, asking her how to accept the favor.
Bai Ningxue shook her head and turned to say, "Just remember this repayment, but do you remember how you collapsed there?"
"Well... it's really hard to say."
Li Jieqing's face shifted between light and shadow, as if he had countless unspeakable secrets.
In fact, he had no idea how the original owner died.
Bai Ningxue was about to ask more questions when the old woman interrupted her. She was truly angry now. How could the young lady ask such questions? Was she not afraid of causing trouble?
If this person were to ask for help, and then get entangled with him, it would be a very difficult situation to resolve.
"Young Master Yu, it's best not to say anything more. It's fate that we gave you a ride. Whether you remember us or not, we're busy unloading goods in the capital, so we won't keep you any longer!"
"That's right."
Li Jieqing sighed, bowed respectfully to Bai Ningxue again, and took his leave, his departing figure looking utterly desolate.
Those who witnessed this also sighed in dismay.
A member of a prominent family, caught in the infighting within his clan, he was poisoned in the wilderness. Now, having miraculously survived, he has returned to the capital. Who knows what storms he will stir up on this journey?
It's really not good for the Bai family's merchants to get involved with such troublesome people.
"Sigh... it's not good to have a big tree to lean on." A knight who was watching the commotion said.
"Indeed, the head of the Yu family is said to be over three hundred years old and nearing his end. It is truly a time of great turmoil."
Another person chimed in, his tone deep and thoughtful, as if he had seen through the turmoil in the capital.
"Get to work!" Bai Ningxue said with a laugh, pulling out her whip.
……