Chapter 12: White Rock City
Since the situation was no longer critical, Xie Bailu didn’t use the Divine Movement Art again, fearing she would completely drain Xiao Xing.
She followed Xiao Xing’s vague directions, heading in one direction.
Xiao Xing had been in the hands of countless people and had thus traveled all over the continent. It knew many places, but only the general direction. It couldn’t remember the exact distance.
Along the way, Xie Bailu chatted and laughed with Xiao Xing, listening to it talk about the common knowledge of the cultivation world. But a hidden worry lingered in her heart, one she couldn’t tell Xiao Xing.
Their alliance had been formed because they had a common enemy. Now that they had temporarily escaped Ling Song, she didn’t know if Xiao Xing would take this opportunity to find a powerful cultivator as its master, so it wouldn’t have to fear Ling Song.
So what if it firmly believed she was a child of fortune? Wasn’t she still being chased by Ling Song until she was screaming? If she were Xiao Xing, she would also want to find a truly reliable master.
But Xiao Xing couldn’t change masters unless she died, and she didn’t want to die. Besides, she was reluctant to part with such a useful search engine.
She didn’t know what Xiao Xing was thinking now, and she couldn’t ask. For the time being, she could only prevent Xiao Xing from coming into contact with high-level cultivators.
That was simple enough. She couldn’t come into contact with them anyway.
Xie Bailu traveled quickly, avoiding others as much as possible to prevent meaningless conflicts. After several days, she finally arrived at a town.
It was called White Rock City. The town was quite large, with a towering city gate that made the city walls seem small in comparison. A defensive array was set up on the city walls.
In this world, cultivators and mortals lived together. The common currencies were spirit stones and gold, silver, and copper coins. However, spirit stones held their value better, and some items exclusive to cultivators could only be bought with spirit stones. Other daily necessities were universal, but usually paid for with gold, silver, and copper coins. What fool would use spirit stones to buy bedding and washbasins!
Xie Bailu looked at her pitifully small amount of silver and much larger amount of spirit stones and felt she might become that fool.
For some reason, the evil cultivator master and disciple had no gold or silver in their storage bags. The original owner’s silver was so little, and her future expenses would have to rely on spirit stones.
Xie Bailu was currently wearing the original owner’s clothes, which were inconspicuous among the cultivators, just as she wanted.
But before entering the city gate, she noticed that the atmosphere of the town was not as lively as she had imagined, but rather somewhat grim. After entering the city, there were people on the streets, but they were all in a hurry, not daring to linger.
She didn’t even see any street vendors.
Xie Bailu immediately hesitated. What was going on? Was something big about to happen in this town? Was an evil cultivator planning a massacre? A demonic beast siege? Or was there some terrible murder case in the city?
Thinking of this, she didn’t dare to stay on the street. Fortunately, she soon saw an inn that was open for business and quickly turned in.
The innkeeper said in a low voice, “Guest, staying for the night?”
Influenced by him, Xie Bailu’s voice also became unconsciously soft. “Yes, I’d like an Earth-grade room.”
She didn’t want to be too high-profile, nor did she want to stay in a poor room. Seeing that the Earth-grade room on the plaque behind the innkeeper only cost three qian of silver, she chose that.
One spirit stone was roughly equivalent to ten taels of silver. However, it was easy to exchange one spirit stone for ten taels of silver, but few people were willing to exchange ten taels of silver for one spirit stone.
She took out a spirit stone and handed it over. The innkeeper didn’t find it strange. He gave her seven taels back, and the remaining three taels were a deposit. After registering, he gave her the room number and key.
Xie Bailu went to her room. It wasn’t large, but it was clean. After looking around, she went out and called a waiter upstairs, asking him to prepare a bathtub and hot water, as well as a table of good food.
Because Xie Bailu was generous with her silver, the waiter was overjoyed and very attentive.
As he was carrying the bathtub for her, Xie Bailu asked curiously, “Young brother, what’s wrong with the city? I was startled when I entered just now. It’s too quiet.”
Hearing this, the waiter subconsciously looked around, as if afraid of something, before lowering his voice. “It used to be very lively here. It’s just these past two days, that person came to the city, and everyone is afraid of provoking him. They don’t even dare to speak loudly.”
Xie Bailu had a vague sense of familiarity, but she didn’t want to believe it. She asked, “Who is that person? So terrifying.”
The waiter said, “Who else could it be but that madman! The one from the Ling family!”
Xie Bailu shot to her feet, startling the waiter.
The waiter, in turn, comforted her. “Guest, don’t be afraid. That person won’t come to our inn for no reason. Just stay in more often, and it will be fine after he leaves.”
Xie Bailu felt she was the unluckiest person alive. She had left first and had chosen a random direction. It had been several days. How could she still run into Ling Song?
If the waiter wasn’t here, she really wanted to call out Xiao Xing and ask it how it had led the way!
Seeing that Xie Bailu’s expression was still not good, the waiter comforted her again. “If we’re talking about fear, those people from the Ling family are more afraid. We’re fine. We don’t even see him.”
From the waiter’s explanation, Xie Bailu learned that White Rock City was under the jurisdiction of the Ling family, and all matters in the city were handled by a branch of the Ling family.
This world had five major families, which had divided and managed almost the entire continent. The families sent people to manage the towns under their jurisdiction. Of course, there were also some areas managed by smaller sects or families.
The families needed new cultivators to serve them, and cultivators came from mortals. Therefore, in general, the families were relatively lenient in their management of towns and would not push mortals to their deaths.
The waiter also vividly described the day Ling Song entered the city. At that time, he was soliciting customers at the entrance of the inn when he saw a red figure flash past in the sky. Flying was forbidden in the city! He had thought the person would be caught by the Ling family in the next moment, but that afternoon, he heard the news that the madman from the Ling family had arrived! As soon as he arrived, he had beaten the two Golden Core cultivators from the Ling family branch, who had always lorded over White Rock City, until they vomited blood!
From then on, the entire White Rock City became quiet.
Xie Bailu nodded. “We should indeed be careful. After all, it’s that madman…”
She gave the waiter another piece of silver and said with a shy expression, “Young brother, I’m from a remote place. I’ve only heard of his reputation but don’t know much more. Can you tell me more about him? I’m just a low-level rogue cultivator. If I know my enemy, I’ll be better prepared if I ever run into him.”
Seeing how generous Xie Bailu was, the waiter beamed. Besides, what he knew was common knowledge, so he didn’t hide anything and spilled the beans.
Ling Song was said to be from the Ling family, but he was actually from his mother’s side. His mother, Ling Yiyao, was the daughter of the former Ling family head and was now an elder of the Ling family. The current Ling family head, Ling Yizhu, was Ling Yiyao’s brother and Ling Song’s uncle. As for who Ling Song’s father was, no one knew.
The waiter paused here, his voice even lower. “Anyway, it’s definitely not Elder Ling’s deceased Daoist companion. After giving birth to that person, Elder Ling married into the Zong family and also gave birth to a son, but that son’s surname is Zong and he is a proper Zong family member. It was only after Elder Ling’s Daoist companion passed away that she returned to the Ling family to become an elder.”
Because the waiter was just a mortal, far removed from those cultivators, and this was a closed environment, and Xie Bailu had given him silver, he didn’t hold back.
The Zong family was also one of the five major families. It was normal for the major families to form alliances. In fact, after so many years of interaction, the major families now had many bloodlines from other families.
Xie Bailu asked curiously, “Then when he’s out there acting crazy, does no one from the Ling family control him?”
The waiter smiled. “This humble one doesn’t know about that. I heard he left home to train a long time ago, and he’s extremely talented. Maybe the Ling family just spoils him! He reached Foundation Establishment at nine and Golden Core at eighteen. He’s only just turned twenty-nine this year, and he’s already at the mid-stage Golden Core! Teng Anlan of the Teng family, who is equally famous, only reached the Golden Core realm at twenty-eight. Which family wouldn’t protect such a disciple? Otherwise, the Ling family branch wouldn’t be so angry yet dare not speak out.”
Xie Bailu was a little surprised. She had thought Ling Song was over a hundred years old. She hadn’t expected him to be not even thirty. He was quite young, no wonder he acted so recklessly.
Seeing that the waiter didn’t know anything more, Xie Bailu thanked him. The waiter happily pocketed the silver and went off to prepare the food.
As soon as he left, Xiao Xing spoke before Xie Bailu could. “The last time I was here was a thousand years ago! I didn’t know this place was under the Ling family’s control!”
Xie Bailu had calmed down and knew this wasn’t Xiao Xing’s fault. She even comforted it in turn. “It’s really not your fault.”
Xiao Xing said in a panic, “What should we do? Why don’t we just run away tonight!”
Who would have thought they would have run right into the enemy’s lair! How could they stay here!
Xie Bailu said calmly, “Running away at night would be even more suspicious! It’s fine. We’ll just stay in this inn and not go out. I don’t believe he can find us like this.”
Xiao Xing thought that made sense and obediently quieted down.
Xie Bailu thought about what the waiter had told her about Ling Song and the Ling family and felt something was off.
She remembered the Teng family members she had seen in the Eye Demon’s domain. According to the rogue cultivators, Teng Anxiu’s sister, Teng Anlan, received a lot of the family’s resources and even brought precious magical treasures when she went out with her brother. She thought, the Teng family must protect Teng Anlan at all costs. She could challenge people, but she couldn’t have any mishaps.
Moreover, Teng Anlan was famous for not killing in battle. So everyone she challenged, knowing her bottom line, would naturally not fight to the death, which was another layer of insurance for Teng Anlan.
But what about Ling Song in comparison?
It had only been a few days, and she had seen him fight three times. The time with Teng Anlan didn’t count since she hadn’t seen it, but the other two times, he had fought opponents of a higher realm, self-harmed each time, and had even fallen into a coma the last time, almost being finished off by her… His reputation was out there. Anyone he caused trouble for, if they didn’t want to die, would definitely fight with all their might. And because Ling Song already had a bad reputation, being accidentally killed by him probably wouldn’t arouse any sympathy.
Was it that the Ling family couldn’t control Ling Song, or… was the so-called spoiling very shallow?
What if the Ling family didn’t care about Ling Song as much as the world thought?
Xie Bailu suddenly said, “Xiao Xing, I suspect that if we really had a way to kill Ling Song, the Ling family wouldn’t cause us any trouble.”
Xiao Xing was confused. “…?”
Xie Bailu didn’t explain further. It was just a useless little conclusion she had come to. She had missed such a good opportunity to kill Ling Song and end her troubles. She was afraid she wouldn’t be so lucky in the future.
The waiter soon brought a table of delicacies. Xie Bailu, who hadn’t had a big meal in a long time, threw everything to the back of her mind and began to feast.
At this moment, only good food could comfort her!
A while after the meal, the waiter brought hot water and filled the bathtub for Xie Bailu. After he left, she locked the door and soaked in the bath, enjoying the hard-won leisure time.
She hadn’t taken many baths before transmigrating. It was too wasteful, and her rental apartment didn’t have a bathtub. But now that she wasn’t poor anymore, she couldn’t mistreat herself.
After all, in this high-risk cultivation world, who knew if she would still be alive tomorrow?
Xie Bailu was one to take advice and cherished her life, so she really did stay in the inn for three days.
During this time, the people of White Rock City saw that nothing had happened and grew bolder. The streets became lively again.
Xie Bailu then asked the waiter to buy her various snacks from the street for her to try.
These were the most relaxing and enjoyable days she had had since transmigrating. It was only on this day, when the waiter told her that Ling Song had left White Rock City, that she decided to go out.
Xie Bailu was full of curiosity about White Rock City. Even though the waiter would tell her some interesting things about the city, it was no substitute for seeing it herself.
After leaving the inn, Xie Bailu first went to the Treasure Pavilion, the main shop in the city for cultivators, backed by the Ling family.
The Treasure Pavilion was different from other residences. It was literally sparkling. The shop next to it was also luxuriously decorated, but it looked drab in comparison.
The entrance of the Treasure Pavilion was large, and the inside was filled with the aura of spiritual energy. The moment Xie Bailu walked in, she felt her attention being captured by all sorts of things.
The inside was very large and divided into different areas, including pills, spiritual plants and minerals, magical treasures, clothing, etc. Each area was separated by a counter, and some cultivators were shopping.
Xie Bailu walked to the counter selling pills. A handsome male cultivator, probably at the Qi Refinement stage, came over and asked politely, “Guest, what can I help you with?”
Xie Bailu said, “I need healing medicine suitable for Foundation Establishment.”
The male cultivator turned and took a bottle of pills from the shelf. “This is a low-grade spirit pill, enough for the Foundation Establishment stage.”
After all, this was the Ling family’s business. Xie Bailu swallowed the words “Can I take a look?” and asked directly, “How many spirit stones?”
“Thirty,” the male cultivator said. “Would you like to get a Treasure Pavilion VIP card? You can get a 5% discount on all purchases at the Treasure Pavilion, valid at all branches.”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…” Join the membership for a 5% discount… feels like I’m back in the modern world.
She smiled. “No, thank you.”
Then she took out thirty spirit stones and placed them on the counter.
The male cultivator didn’t say anything. After counting, he handed the pills to Xie Bailu.
Xie Bailu took the expensive low-grade spirit pills, opened the bottle, and sniffed. A refreshing fragrance filled her senses. It was much better than the low-quality pills the original owner had used. She immediately felt the spirit stones were well spent.
She paused, then turned back. “Please give me another bottle.” What if it wasn’t convenient for her to come to the city again in the future? It was better to buy more. She had the spirit stones anyway.
Xie Bailu bought two bottles of low-grade spirit pills and then went to the magical treasure area. The magical treasure area was divided into defensive, offensive, and special categories. She thought of the swordsmanship she had been practicing recently and felt she was doing well. Besides, using a sword was cooler, so she only looked at swords.
There were many cultivators who used swords, so the area for swords was also larger. Some were standard-issue and looked similar, while others were made by refiners with their own preferences, so they had different powers and effects, and were a bit more expensive.
But Xie Bailu wasn’t looking for anything special. She just needed something she could use.
So, after learning that a standard-issue longsword for the Foundation Establishment stage was cheaper than the pills, only twenty spirit stones, she bought two, and also a dagger suitable for cultivators.
Xie Bailu then went to the clothing area. A set of clothes with some defensive capabilities cost at least a hundred spirit stones. She felt it was not worth it. Could a set of clothes block her enemies?
Besides swords, there were far fewer other magical treasures. Because they were rare, they were expensive. A set of defensive array disks she had her eye on cost one thousand three hundred spirit stones.
She had really thought she was a rich woman, but looking at the prices, she was still a poor ghost.
She figured evil cultivators made their own magical treasures with human lives, so they didn’t cost much. She had thought that Nascent Soul evil cultivator had a lot of spirit stones, but he was probably a poor ghost in the eyes of others…
Looking at the less than a thousand spirit stones left in her storage bag, Xie Bailu gave up on buying magical treasures.
At least she had a divine artifact. Although it couldn’t attack or defend, it was extremely fast. Before she reached a certain level of cultivation, her best choice when in trouble was to run.
Before leaving, she remembered to ask about Bigu pills at the pill area. One question and she ran. A bottle of Bigu pills had ten pills, one for three days, and cost twenty-five spirit stones. Twenty-five spirit stones, only enough for a month!
No wonder the Sun sisters she had met in the Eye Demon’s domain didn’t have Bigu pills. Twenty-five spirit stones was equivalent to two hundred and fifty taels of silver. If she used that to buy sesame seed cakes, she could fill her storage bag and eat for a hundred years. Rogue cultivators were not qualified to eat Bigu pills!
After staying in the Treasure Pavilion for a while, Xie Bailu felt instantly rich when she went to the shops frequented by mortals. She bought ten sets of narrow-sleeved clothes convenient for movement, in various colors, and also a few beautiful hairpins, and simply tied her hair up in a bun.
But she didn’t throw away the white cloth strip she had casually used to tie her hair, which was made from her white undergarment. She even wrapped it conspicuously around her bun, as a premature mourning for Ling Song.
Thinking that she could only rely on such small actions to amuse herself, Xie Bailu’s desire to become stronger grew even more intense. She hoped that one day, her white hair ribbon would live up to its name.
After that, Xie Bailu bought many long-lasting pastries and naan bread, as well as various leather waterskins. All the items used by mortals cost less than five spirit stones.
Seeing the cost of living, Xie Bailu felt that if she could live in the city like an ordinary person, the spirit stones in her storage bag would be enough for her to live comfortably for a long time.
Being a cultivator was so expensive.
After finishing her shopping, Xie Bailu wandered around. She walked and looked, until she reached the notice board near the city gate.
There was a newly posted notice, and some people were looking at it.
Xie Bailu also went over curiously and saw that it was a wanted poster. She was startled by the words “wanted poster,” almost thinking Ling Song had put a bounty on her.
After calming down and looking closely, she realized it was for the capture of a demon cultivator.
In this world, some plants and animals were ordinary, while some had cultivation and were called demonic beasts and demonic plants. If they gained intelligence and took human form, they could be called demon cultivators.
The wanted poster said that a pair of demon cultivators had injured a human cultivator. One of them, a female demon cultivator, had been caught. The other, a male demon cultivator, was a wild cilantro that had taken human form. If encountered, he could be arrested on the spot and sent to the city’s disciplinary hall. Even providing valid information would be heavily rewarded.
There was also a strange tip on the wanted poster, saying that the male demon cultivator would have a big reaction if he heard someone say something like “love is nothing more than this,” and could be caught based on this.
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…Love is nothing more than this?” What kind of strange bait was this?
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard someone next to her whisper angrily, “Nonsense! Love is clearly the most beautiful thing in this world!”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…???”
She turned her head stiffly and looked at the side. A young man who looked to be fifteen or sixteen was glaring at her angrily.
Xie Bailu blinked, but couldn’t help but say, “…This wanted demon cultivator, it’s not you, is it?”