Chapter 230: Setting Sail

"Grandfather, can I go with him—" Fang Zhixue was interrupted by Fang Zhentian before she could finish.

Fang Zhentian’s face was stern. “Listen here, lass. Even though I've never truly set foot in the cultivation world, I can imagine its cruelties. Even between mortals, it has always been every man for himself. We cannot imagine the brutality of the cultivation world.

“Your big brother has the ability to establish himself there, but what about you? You’ll be eaten whole before you even know it,” he said. “Never entertain such thoughts unless you’ve garnered enough strength to protect yourself. Otherwise, just stay here obediently and cultivate!"

Fang Zhixue was reluctant to accept that, and she argued, "Grandfather, why would the Fang Family harm me...? Isn’t that our ancestral land?"

Fang Chen smiled. "Grandfather is right. They expelled our ancestor back then. Who knows how they’ll react if we return now? We can’t be sure of their stance,” he said. “Just listen to grandfather and stay here and cultivate. You have Victorious Buddha and the others with you here, you won't feel lonely."

Fang Zhixue pouted and fell silent. She understood his reasoning, but she couldn't help feeling a bit resentful. She really, really wanted to venture into the world of cultivators.

Seeing that Fang Zhixue had finally accepted their words, a thought suddenly struck Fang Chen. "What about Father and Mother? They don't seem to be here?" he asked.

"They went out on a trip. They said they wanted to travel beyond Grand Xia and see what's out there," said Fang Zhentian with a faint smile.

Fang Chen's smile turned wry. "Aren’t they afraid they’ll run into danger?”

"They have a bunch of Purple Lightning Talismans with them, it’ll be fine. Besides, your father is very cautious. He knows how to get around. There shouldn’t be any major hiccups.” Fang Zhentian chuckled. “Besides, he doesn't have the aptitude for cultivation, so this journey might bring him some unexpected opportunities," he said. "You don't need to worry too much about them. You better focus more on yourself."

Fang Chen nodded silently.

The next day, Fang Chen took Liu Mu back to the capital. Zhao Yan and the others had already copied the martial arts of the Frost Water Empire. The palace was scrambling to build the Scripture Pavilion.

Fang Chen instructed the three of them to send the original manuals to the Fang Manor and stay there to cultivate. He also told Zhao Yan that if he ever reached the Heavenly Profound Stage, he could ask Fang Zhentian for the cultivation technique.

At the same time, he had Xu Ge deliver the first three layers of the Purple Qi Manual to each of the Grand Xia Hidden Guards.

With all the preparations done, Fang Chen finally set off with Liu Mu, leaving Grand Xia.

Before long, they arrived at a bustling port where people came and went frequently.

Cultivators came here frequently, but the ordinary people didn't know that. The ordinary folks living here couldn't have ever imagined that they often brushed shoulders with cultivators daily.

"Although the map mainly points to the ancestral land of the Fang Family, it has a few additional marks which I think can be quite helpful," said Fang Chen as he watched the various ships docked at the port with a smile.

The map marked hundreds of ports, and this port was one of them. Without the map, he probably wouldn't have thought that there would be a port frequented by cultivators around here.

Fang Chen could tell which ships belonged to ordinary people and which belonged to cultivators, so he led Liu Mu to one of the medium-sized ships.

Fang Chen's mind stirred slightly.

This ship has ten Soul Imprints. It's a treasure.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man approached Fang Chen. "Where do you intend to go, Fellow Daoist? We’ll be passing through 4 places, namely..."

Fang Chen didn’t recognize most of them, so he smiled and asked, "Do you have any ships here heading to the Clear Sky Monastery?"

"The Clear Sky Monastery? Oh, visiting a friend?” The middle-aged man smiled. “What a coincidence. This ship of mine will actually pass by the Clear Sky Monastery."

"This is your ship?" asked Fang Chen curiously.

The middle-aged man seemed to have guessed what Fang Chen was thinking and sighed. "Yes, it is. I’ve forked out everything I have to build this ship, just to earn a bit of spirit stones."

"Well, what’s the fare for two people heading to the Clear Sky Monastery?" asked Fang Chen.

Glancing at Liu Mu, whose whole body was covered in black robes—which barely did anything to hide the horrid stench—a hint of curiosity flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes, but he didn't ask. Prying into others' privacy was a taboo between cultivators. If one asked the wrong question to the wrong person, they might just provoke a calamity upon themselves.

"Two people...?” The middle-aged man thought about it briefly, then said, “How about five low-grade spirit stones for each of you?"

Fang Chen smiled. "Isn't that a bit expensive?"

The middle-aged man suddenly turned anxious."How can it be? This is a fair price. If you don’t believe me, Fellow Daoist, you can ask around,” he said. “Everyone knows of my, Master Ding's, good reputation. I do business with integrity, and I have my regulars who would rather do business with me than with others. How could I ever overcharge my customers?"

Fang Chen chuckled. "How long will the journey to the Clear Sky Monastery be, Master Ding?"

"Three days. The journey will only take three days," replied Master Ding hurriedly.

"Three days? That's not too bad." Fang Chen nodded slightly. He took out ten spirit stones and handed them to Master Ding.

Master Ding immediately turned cheerful. After receiving his fare, he warmly led the two aboard, arranged rooms for them, and even assigned a mortal servant to attend to their daily needs.

"We'll set sail in half a day. You can rest in your room, Fellow Daoists. The three days will pass in the blink of an eye, I assure you. When the time comes, someone will come to inform you that it’s time to disembark."

Leaving these instructions behind, Master Ding hastily left, shutting the door behind him.

And as Master Ding had promised, the ship set sail half a day later. Fang Chen specifically used his divine soul to observe him and found that Master Ding's cultivation was not high enough to operate the ship efficiently; he was only at the seventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

Fang Cheb also discovered that the ship actually used low-grade spirit stones as fuel. One spirit stone after the was consumed, transforming spiritual energy into driving force, allowing the ship to traverse the sea in a swift manner.

It is highly likely that the method of using spirit stones to propel ships is an invention of sixth-tier empires or higher. No wonder he said this ship cost him his entire fortune,

Fang Chen thought to himself.

Just based on his ability to obtain this ship, Fang Chen could discern that Master Ding’s background wasn’t simple. Without some connections, it would be impossible to employ such a costly business safely. The fare wasn’t cheap at all. There were more than forty cultivators onboard, and many of them were traveling to faraway places. The fares of those people might possibly be as high as seven or eight spirit stones.

The ship was very efficient in its consumption of spirit stones, so it should be quite easy for Master Ding to earn a hundred spirit stones in one trip. This was a highly profitable business. The only costs Fang Chen could think of might be the maintenance costs that might pop out from time to time.

Master Ding must’ve had a prominent backing; otherwise, it would be difficult for him to avoid being robbed with such a large amount of spirit stones on him every time.

***

The three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, Fang Chen made several Purple Lightning Talismans, and his spiritual power increased significantly. He reckoned he’d be able to condense his ninth immortal vein in a month or so.

There was a knock on the door. "The ship has docked, Young Master."

A few moments later, Fang Chen walked out with Liu Mu. As he looked up, a lush island full of greenery came into view. The harbor where they moored was not as bustling as the one they had set off from, but it was still much busier than the one that he had boarded the ship with Ancestor Xia You from.

Master Ding approached Fang Chen before he disembarked. "The Clear Sky Monastery is situated on this island, friend,” he said as he pointed into the distance, where the faint outline of a temple could be seen. “Ships pass by here every day, so if you want to leave at any time, it wouldn’t be difficult to find a ship."

"Thank you, Master Ding.” Fang Chen smiled and bowed to Master Ding. “Until we meet again."