The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 981 - 537: Ten Thousand Fisherman Fires

The two approached and saw that the city had a wide horse path leading directly here. Duling City had carved out a flat opening on these natural three-sided giant reefs, wide enough for ten carriages to pass side by side, and paved it with stone slabs, turning the entire bay into its port. At this moment, thousands of small boats were moored outside the waterway, making room for several large three-masted and five-masted ships nearby.

The dock was brightly lit; laborers were evidently still loading and unloading goods. Carriages filled with cargo moved slowly, shuttling through the darkness.

Ning Xiaoxian drove the Defect Beast closer and immediately smelled a strange fragrance. Only then did she notice that surprisingly, there were seven or eight small snakeskin tents on the outer side of the dock, each sheltering only three or four tables, yet almost entirely occupied.

In each tent, two large pots were set up, the cooks naked to the waist with headscarves tied around their foreheads, busily stirring and frying in the chilly late autumn weather, sweating with grease. Behind them, one by one, vine and bamboo woven fishing baskets were raised and lowered. With her eyesight, she could see the moving shadows inside were all live seafood. They actually kept sea creatures in baskets, then tossed them into seawater to keep them fresh, catching them right before cooking.

Beside these food stalls were a few small wine stalls, selling cloudy wine for two cents a big bowl.

Here, dining were indeed some dressed in hemp clothing, yet there were also merchants, women, and young handsome men dressed in fine attire. Amongst toasts exchanged, she found herself recognizing familiar faces.

Huangfuming jumped off his mount, tied the reins of both Defect Beasts to the drinking stone, then found a tent to enter.

There were no seats left here. Huangfuming casually glanced around, picked a table, and tossed a large silver ingot onto it, saying to the guests at the table: "Take the silver and leave, I want this table."

Sitting at this table were three men and a woman, very young and dressed splendidly; the woman was even wearing lake silk from the Heavenly Silk Workshop. This fabric slightly changes color during daylight, mimicking the shimmering of sunlit lake water, hence called lake silk. The chair set around it was also the most comfortable in the venue, no wonder Huangfuming picked this table.

However, these four people were cultivators, he sure had a knack for picking hard nuts to crack. Ning Xiaoxian pursed her lips, planning to see how he’d drive these people away. Dian Qingyue might trust Duling City’s city defense, but forgot that this young master is a troublemaker by nature; even if trouble wouldn’t find him, he would actively seek it.

Sure enough, upon hearing, these guests flew into a rage, and one man sneered, "Where did this little brat come from? Has he got a death wish?"

Huangfuming initially showed no expression, but upon hearing this, his face tightened, and Ning Xiaoxian, standing behind him, immediately sensed his aura changed dramatically, emanating thick evil qi. "It’s even thicker than when collecting Bliss Flowers at Ghost Crying Cliff, what happened in the past six months?" she wondered, her heart racing.

Unfortunately for those before Huangfuming, their spiritual sense was far less perceptive than hers; they still intended to speak when Huangfuming suddenly laughed and said, "I originally just wanted to make you leave." He opened his palm, revealing a small paper snake resting in it.

This paper snake looked like it was made from talisman paper, but folded unartfully, resulting in a poorly defined snake shape. The man who spoke first couldn’t help but laugh, "Are you playing tricks for the Immortal?"

As he laughed heartily, Huangfuming suddenly blew a breath at the paper snake in his palm. Ning Xiaoxian abruptly felt the air twist, then, astonished, saw the paper snake in Huangfuming’s hand suddenly come alive!

It truly did come to life, transforming into a pale yellow, only a foot long tiny serpent, with a pair of small wings on its body. The little snake landed on the table, its head raised high, body coiling in a spiral, flicking its tongue with eyes as dark as ink.

The guests opposite were all startled; unexpectedly, the female guest nearly screamed upon seeing the serpent abruptly appear. Men often instinctively wish to show off before the opposite sex, and these three were no exception. One of them comforted her placidly, saying, "Fear not, it’s just a child’s trivial trick showing off." He reached for a weapon to chop the little snake on the table in two.

However, before he could finish his sentence and his weapon hadn’t been drawn yet, the little snake bent down, its tail flicking on the table, darting out like lightning, its slender form slicing through the air leaving a faint afterimage. Ning Xiaoxian then suddenly realized, noting this little fellow’s sudden burst speed nearly matched that of the Devouring Demon Vine Meat Ball.

The direction this little snake chose was also extremely treacherous. The man was in mid-sentence, with the last word still unsaid, the snake was already on the move, slithering straight into his mouth!

Mid-sentence, already halted, the man’s small eyes bulged bigger than brass bells.

How terrifying! The spectators all felt their scalps prickling.

What will happen when such a strange snake bursts into one’s mouth, even knee-jerk guessing won’t be difficult. The shocked man’s companions cried out, and another cultivator shouted sternly, "What did you do to him!" reaching out to grab Huangfuming.

Huangfuming neither dodged nor flinched, seemingly about to be caught. Naturally, Ning Xiaoxian wouldn’t sit idly by; as she moved her fingertips preparing to act, the fellow who swallowed the yellow snake suddenly let out a miserable scream, and a blast of blood mist erupted from the center of his chest. The little snake came darting out again, incredibly fast, biting onto the wrist of the man in front of Huangfuming. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)