With Wu Jianwu back with the group, they were whole again, and could start moving in the direction of Mount Heavenly Ox.

It was hard to say how the Captain did it, but thanks to his endless cajoling, he finally won over Wu Jianwu again. Once Wu Jianwu was smiling again, he started spouting poetry. That said, he was so furious with Ning Yan that he didn’t speak one word to him the entire trip.

Xu Qing ignored their antics. As they traveled, he stimulated the violet crystal to heal himself as quickly as possible. The lightning tribulation had been so powerful that he ended up with a lot of deep flesh wounds. Of course, that meant that the recovery process was a big transformation for his physical body.

In this manner, half a month passed.

The restrictions on movement in the air became less severe, and eventually, they started traveling in the artificial sun. About half a month later, they finally caught sight of Mount Heavenly Ox.

Mount Heavenly Ox was located in the Unfinished Mountains. Those mountains formed an extensive forested mountain chain, inhabited by many small sects and species. The climate was very different from either the north or the east. There was lush vegetation everywhere, making the mountain range as a whole seem emerald in color. The sky overhead seemed clearer as well. There was abundant life force in this location.

“See that?” the Captain said proudly. “The tallest mountain there is Mount Heavenly Ox. All of you, listen to me. Back in the day, Mount Heavenly Ox was a holy land here. It occupied the highest position possible!

“But let’s not bring up history. All of those things are past glories. Now… now there are all sorts of sects here, and they’re organized into an alliance. And that alliance is named, ahem, well, they clearly feel sentimental about the legends associated with this place, because they’re called the Heavenly Ox Alliance.”

The Captain seemed very happy to speak those words. In fact, back in Sea-Sealing County, when he received the intelligence reports that explained all of these things, he had been elated for days. 1

Hearing all of that, Xu Qing made sure to look very impressed. Then he looked up into the sky.

“Seems brighter than everywhere else, right?” the Captain said, grinning. “That’s because the canopy of heaven here was once split open. Also, the mountains are special. They actually produce their own light. Because of that, the Unfinished Mountains are quite famous throughout the Moonrite Region. Now, let’s get moving. I’ll take you to the main city at the bottom of the mountain. Because there are so many cultivators here, the city formed naturally there, and it’s a very bustling place.”

Clasping his hands behind his back, the Captain led the way. It almost seemed like he was arriving back at his own home. Before long, a huge city appeared up ahead. Even from a distance, it was possible to hear the hustle and bustle. There were local cultivators from a number of species present, as well as lots of mortals. Standing outside the city gate, the Captain cleared his throat loudly, stuck his chin up, and intentionally studied the placard with the city’s name printed on it.

Ox-Receiving City.

The name seemed bold and also ancient, as if it had existed for countless years of time. Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan looked at the name of the city, then reflexively looked at the Captain. Beaming with joy, the Captain turned to Xu Qing. Xu Qing studied the name of the city, and his expression flickered.

The Captain roared with happy laughter. Leading them forward, he said, “You saw that, huh? This city was built for the specific purpose of welcoming me! Coming back to this place really is coming home.”

The Captain strode forward jauntily. However, when they actually went through the gate, a little incident occurred. As it turned out, entering the city required a hefty spirit stone fee. The Captain had just finished explaining that this was his home, so he obviously wasn’t very thrilled at having to pay money to get in.

Ning Yan averted his gaze. Wu Jianwu looked around blankly. Neither of them had any money. 𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Xu Qing blinked a few times. Noting how dismal the Captain looked, he quietly offered some words of comfort. “It’s fine, Eldest Brother. They don’t know who you are, or that this place actually belongs to you. And if you think about it, the spirit stones being paid are actually yours anyway, right?”

The Captain’s eyes beamed with admiration. Little Ah Qing really is so considerate!

With that, he happily paid the spirit stone fee out of pocket.

And so they entered the bustling city. There were species and sects of all sorts represented, and there were lots of shops. The place was clearly very prosperous.

As they walked through the city, the Captain looked around and sighed contentedly. At one point, he spotted a spirit spring facility, and he stopped in place, a look of reminiscence appearing on his face.

“There’s a spirit river that snakes through the Unfinished Mountains, and it forms plenty of spirit springs. Even after all the years that have passed, the springs are still there. Back in the day I used to love having a soak here, and of course, having some of the female cultivators join me. Come! Let’s go relax in the water. After you’re all feeling comfortable, I’ll take you to my home.”

And thus the Captain led them inside.

The proprietor of the spirit spring facility was a cultivator. After nodding in greeting, he accepted the payment and then led them inside. The pools were large, and there were lots of customers present. Though the pools were separated to allow for private bathing, it still felt like a bustling place, filled with the sound of chatting and laughter.

Ning Yan and Wu Jianwu each got a separate pool. Doffing their outer garments, they slipped into the water and sighed contentedly. Wu Jianwu paid extra so that he could be joined by all of his children.

The Captain had his own pool, where he spread out his arms and let loose a long sigh.

Once Xu Qing was in his own pool, Ling’er came out and took human form. Blushing a bit, she scooted close to Xu Qing and smiled so broadly her eyes became thin crescent moons. Xu Qing smiled, closed his eyes, and felt his mood improving as he relaxed. After all, the exhausting travel, plus the physical transformation he went through, had left him so worn out that soaking in the spring just felt extremely rejuvenating and comfortable.

As they acclimated to the surroundings, the laughing and chatter wasn’t just random noise. After getting used to it, it seemed like part of the experience.

There were some conversations that caught Xu Qing’s attention.

“What a pity! Next month, all of the spirit springs on the mountain are going to be closed. Supposedly the spirit river is going to be completely diverted and sent to the local branch of the Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect.”

“It is what it is. Immortal Fairy Sweetfrost is getting married, and she has to go through a one-month baptism first. Everyone in the Unfinished Mountains has to give her some face. The Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect even agreed to host her baptism, right?”

“Isn’t that just because of her fiancé, Master Darkfate? Considering he’s the top expert in the Unfinished Mountains, people basically have no choice but to cooperate.”

“Maybe. Immortal Fairy Sweetfrost really is a stunning beauty. I happened to catch a glimpse of her last year, and she’s really a looker. Completely incomparable.”

“I heard Immortal Fairy Sweetfrost isn’t actually from the Unfinished Mountains. She just showed up a while ago when she was passing through. For Master Darkfate, though, it was love at first sight.”

Those were some of the things Xu Qing heard mixed in with the regular chatting and laughter.

It was very thought-provoking to Xu Qing. This was his custom; whenever he was in a new location, he would take time to learn more about the place, including the current gossip. The latter was especially important. Considering what happened in the Heavenfire Sea, and how a lack of information had proved to be very troublesome, he had come to value that sort of thing more than ever.

Wu Jianwu and Ning Yan weren’t thinking about such things. However, the Captain was keeping his ears open. Eventually, he looked over at Xu Qing, smiled, and said, “That’s not important to us. This is our house, and they’re like little house sparrows.”

In response to the Captain’s confident words, Xu Qing nodded, then closed his eyes and sank down a bit in the water.

Two hours passed. When they left the spirit spring facility, they all felt revitalized.

Although Xu Qing was in disguise, his tall, slender frame still attracted a lot of attention when they left. So did rosy-cheeked Ling’er. Now that she was back in human form, she was exquisitely beautiful, and as she accompanied Xu Qing, quite a few people glanced at her.

Wu Jianwu was feeling great. Any sense of depression he had felt was long gone, and as he walked the streets along with Xu Qing and the others, he gracefully fanned himself with a fan.

“Floating clouds are mountains’ halos; in my heart a field of boulders glows!

“A feather from spirit to mortal will grow; its beauty is naught but apropos!”

Wu Jianwu usually stuck to a single line of poetry at a time. But this time, he spoke two lines with two sections each, for a total of four rhyming sections. After finishing with the poem, he looked very pleased. Ning Yan took a few steps away from Wu Jianwu, while the Captain seemed confused about the meaning of the poem. Xu Qing kept looking straight ahead. Other pedestrians who heard Wu Jianwu’s poetry looked over curiously; it wasn’t common to hear poetry like that on the street.

Wu Jianwu snorted coldly in his heart. Simpletons! How can they not understand the deeper meaning of my poetry?

Feeling more highbrow than ever, Wu Jianwu shook his head and strolled after Xu Qing and the others.

Unbeknownst to him, two women were looking down at the street from the second floor of a nearby building. One of them was younger, and had her head bowed as she said something to the other woman, who was good-looking and middle-aged. The latter looked surprised. However, it wasn’t because of what her subordinate was telling her.

Standing, she pushed aside the curtain and looked out to see Wu Jianwu walking away in the opposite direction. Her eyes filled with admiration and praise.

“What an extraordinary individual. He’s using mountains and boulders as a metaphor for inner will, and ‘spirit’ to describe mortality. He’s giving voice to his true inner ambitions in the same manner as Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity! Given the times we live in, romantics like this aren’t very common!”

The woman’s subordinate was visibly taken aback by her words, and stepped up to the window to take a look for herself. She was aware that her sect leader had always been enamored with Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. And for someone to become a sect leader with such public adoration was something only an extraordinary individual could accomplish.

“Sect Leader, should I do some digging and find out who the young gentleman is?”

“There’s no need,” the middle-aged woman said softly. “Our Yin-Yang Betwixt Flowers Sect values predestined affinity. Besides, romantics such as him probably wouldn’t appreciate people prying into his personal affairs.” Eyes glittering, she turned to look at her subordinate. “Did you dig up any information about Fellow Daoist Sweetfrost?”

Her subordinate ducked her head and respectfully replied, “I got some. She was originally in the first stage of Void Returning. However, after sustaining a serious injury, her cultivation base dropped below Void Returning.

“She’s probably using a fake name, as her background story is completely fabricated. She does have some of the curse in her, but not much, which seems to indicate she’s an out-of-region cultivator. What’s more, her spiritual souls and physical souls are incomplete. Given the location where she first appeared, it seems unlikely that she’s a Firemoon Darkheaven. She probably isn’t a Nightshade either. The most likely possibility is that she snuck in from Holytide territory. It’s impossible to say what she’s doing here. However, we do know that she only met Master Darkfate a year ago.”

With that, the subordinate stopped speaking, so the middle-aged woman waved her hand. The subordinate quickly took her leave. .

Once alone, the middle-aged woman looked off into the distance.

In that case, why does this Sweetfrost have the aura of a Smoldering God on her…?

1. By way of reminder, the Captain’s name Chen Erniu has the character Niu or “ox

/cow” in it. So all of the Ox related things are sort of inherently funny because of that. ☜

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