After leaving the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, Qin Xiao headed back to the restaurant where he had previously ordered food to collect his meal.
No matter how many layers of Body Refinement one reached, a person still needed to eat. What heaven and earth Spiritual Qi? It did not taste like anything at all.
After busying himself for a while longer, Qin Xiao finally left the city in satisfaction.
"Xiao'er, earlier at the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, I couldn't speak up in front of them. Trading your priority purchase rights for a Saint Origin Spirit Fruit just for a piece of information truly wasn't worth it."
Ye Qiuyue finally spoke up after they flew out of Tianyuan City's borders on a flying sword.
"Master, that is a minor matter. If I really manage to obtain them, there won't just be one, so selling him one is perfectly fine. Actually, speaking of which, this disciple has a gift for you."
Qin Xiao did not care about priority purchasing rights at all, because he simply did not lack such things. Buying first or buying later made no difference to him.
"What gift? With my cultivation, I have no need for any gifts."
Ye Qiuyue had already refused to pick out items freely back at the merchant association, so it was even less likely that she would accept Qin Xiao's gift now.
"Master, you have great need of this item. This disciple obtained it by chance and sincerely wishes to offer it to you."
Saying this, Qin Xiao took out a Saint Origin Spirit Fruit and held it up before Ye Qiuyue's eyes.
"What? How do you possess such a thing?"
Ye Qiuyue originally had no intention of accepting anything, but seeing Qin Xiao's insistence, she planned to take it just so she wouldn't hurt the child's feelings. However, the moment she saw it was a Saint Origin Spirit Fruit, she nearly lost control of her flying sword.
"Hurry and put it away! This item absolutely cannot be exposed."
Ye Qiuyue did not take it; instead, she urged Qin Xiao to quickly store it away.
"Master, this is for you. If anyone is going to put it away, it should be you. I obtained this by accident, and I cannot use it right now anyway. Since you need it, I am giving it to you."
Qin Xiao did not retract his hand, continuing to offer it forward.
Ye Qiuyue carefully surveyed their surroundings. After confirming that theirs was the only flying sword in the sky, she hurriedly accepted the Saint Origin Spirit Fruit.
"Xiao'er, remember, you must never carelessly reveal this item in the future. An Innocent Man Gets in Trouble for Possessing Treasure. If someone were to discover this, your life would definitely be in danger."
Although Ye Qiuyue was deeply grateful, she still admonished him out of worry.
"Master, I understand. I definitely won't take out any good things in the future."
Knowing that Ye Qiuyue was just looking out for him, Qin Xiao quickly replied.
"Xiao'er, you are very thoughtful. Once I break through, within all of Qingzhou, even if some old monster at the Body Integration stage tries to bully you, I will be able to seek justice on your behalf."
Seeing Qin Xiao act so sensibly, Ye Qiuyue felt a deep warmth in her heart. She silently resolved that no matter who it was, if anyone dared to harm Qin Xiao, she would strike them down.
"I knew Master was the best. That is exactly why I gave this to you."
This was exactly Qin Xiao's goal. A backer at the Soul Formation stage seemed a bit lacking these days. He needed his master to advance to the Body Integration stage; only then would she have true deterrent power.
After that, Ye Qiuyue did not say anything more. She simply committed Qin Xiao's filial piety to memory. She also needed to consider entering secluded cultivation once again, as there were far too many matters weighing on her mind.
"Master, since you had such a precious treasure, why didn't you hand it over to the sect?"
Lin Shimeng's heart clearly still prioritized the Tianyuan Sect. Thus, upon seeing Qin Xiao give the item to Ye Qiuyue, she felt somewhat displeased.
"Why should I give it to the sect? What has the sect ever given me? For the past three years, I haven't even received my basic stipend."
Qin Xiao said in exasperation. If it were spirit stones or similar resources, he wouldn't be stingy about giving some to the sect, but something of this caliber-on what grounds should he surrender it to the sect?
"But you've been living on Seven Stars Peak all this time. Now you've also gained my father's support, and you even received a reward from the sect competition! How can you say the sect has given you nothing?"
Lin Shimeng continued to argue, unconvinced.
"Silly disciple, I was able to live on Seven Stars Peak because my master exchanged his life for that right. Your father supports me because he sees my value. As for the reward from the sect competition, Yun Man and I fought for it; it wasn't something the sect just handed out for free."
Looking at the rather naive Lin Shimeng, Qin Xiao could only explain in exasperation.
Stuttering for a long while, Lin Shimeng did not know how to refute him. It seemed that everything Qin Xiao said was completely correct.
"Stop arguing and focus on your cultivation."
Qin Xiao simply couldn't be bothered to argue further. He sat down cross-legged to rest his mind with closed eyes, as they still had a long journey ahead.
Yun Man sensibly stayed to the side, not questioning anything. She believed that whatever Qin Xiao did had its reasons. Since when did a disciple have the right to dictate their master's actions?
After another night of flying, they finally arrived at Tianyi City on the morning of the second day.
"Are the cities around here all named after the nearby powers? The city under our Tianyuan Sect is called Tianyuan City, and this place is called Tianyi City?"
Qin Xiao asked, looking up at the name on the city gates in puzzlement.
"That is correct. Nearly all cities on this continent are named after the local ruling powers. If a faction is destroyed, the city's name will change. Each city even has two backup names, which belong to the second and third strongest factions in the surrounding area."
Seeing that Qin Xiao didn't know, Ye Qiuyue explained the local customs.
"That makes things simple. Just seeing the city's name tells you which faction holds power nearby. That's great, this way blind fools won't randomly offend the wrong people. So, what was this city called before it became Tianyi City?"
Qin Xiao nodded, asking out of curiosity. He knew that the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion was a rising power, so who had been the number one faction here previously?
"It was previously called Ye City."
After saying this, Ye Qiuyue led Qin Xiao and the others into the city without having to pay any entrance toll.
Although Tianyi City was a bit smaller than Tianyuan City, that was only a relative comparison. In truth, it was still a rather massive city.
Following Ye Qiuyue's lead, they soon arrived before a sprawling building complex. Atop its roof sat an enormous plaque bearing three large characters: Heavenly Clothes Pavilion.
"Hm? The Heavenly Clothes Pavilion is located inside the city?"
Looking at the massive architectural complex before him, Qin Xiao was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had seen a faction place its headquarters directly inside a city.
"That is correct. The headquarters of my Heavenly Clothes Pavilion is right here. This is my Elder Token, take it. Whether you want to go inside to rest or stroll around the city, the choice is yours. I urgently need to enter secluded cultivation right now. With my token, you can move completely unhindered anywhere in this area."
Ye Qiuyue had originally intended to make proper arrangements for them, but her urge to break through was simply too powerful. Furthermore, she had already given her Elder Token to Qin Xiao, so there shouldn't be any issues.
"Thank you, Master. You should go cultivate first. Since it's my first time here, I'd like to wander around for a bit."
Although Qin Xiao was curious about the inner layout of the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion, he didn't know anyone inside. It would be better to stroll through the city and see if there were any local delicacies unavailable back in Tianyuan City. After all, the two cities were quite far apart; perhaps their culinary customs were entirely different.
"Alright then. If you wish to return, just show the token and someone will arrange accommodations for you. I will go into secluded cultivation now."
As soon as Ye Qiuyue finished speaking, she vanished from her spot, presumably rushing off to her seclusion.
"Disciples, let's go. Let the shopping begin! Buy whatever catches your eye, and don't try to save money on my behalf."
With Ye Qiuyue around, Qin Xiao had felt a bit restrained. Now that she had left, he completely let loose, entirely exposing his image as the foolish prodigal son of a wealthy family.
"Let's go."
Seeing Lin Shimeng still standing there in a daze, Yun Man called out to her.
Following that, Yun Man eagerly joined the shopping spree. Whenever she spotted any novelty trinkets, she bought them, regardless of whether they were actually useful or not.
Lin Shimeng was somewhat reserved at first, but upon seeing Yun Man buy so many things, she refused to be outdone. She didn't want to lose out. If she spent less than Yun Man, wouldn't she be at a huge disadvantage?
Qin Xiao did not buy any random knickknacks. Instead, he swept through all the delicious food stalls. He didn't spare a single glance for any other miscellaneous goods.
After a solid hour of frenzied shopping, Qin Xiao figured that was enough. Although food wouldn't spoil inside a storage bag or his system space, there was no need to hoard too much at once.
"Disciples, this restaurant provides spiritual food. Let's go give it a try."
Having wandered around for a good portion of the day, Qin Xiao felt a bit hungry. He happened to spot a restaurant with a sign advertising spiritual food. Spiritual food consisted of ingredients infused with spiritual Qi. It was something Qin Xiao had yet to taste.
"Spiritual food? We can definitely give that a try."
Yun Man also hadn't eaten proper food in a long time. Although reaching inedia meant she wouldn't starve, her mouth still craved flavors. Every time she saw Qin Xiao eating mortal food, she would look away to avoid stirring up her appetite. But with spiritual food available, she could finally satisfy her cravings.
"Brat, don't block the way. If you can't afford it, get lost. Don't ruin Young Master Ye's appetite."
Just as Qin Xiao's group of three was still standing at the entrance studying the restaurant's sign, an arrogant voice shouted out from behind them.
"Young Master Ye? Someone from the Ye Family?"
Puzzled, Qin Xiao turned around to look.
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