Cough. Upstairs, Qin Xiang abruptly turned around, and Yun Liu immediately wiped the smile off his face, feeling guilty.
“Not even if I died would I climb in through the window. Aren’t we husband and wife… ahem, I’ve already taught Shi Yu a lesson, so tonight there’s no need to…”
“Ah?”
Qin Xiang said with a light laugh: “You’ll sleep by yourself tonight. I’ll take care of Ah Lian.”
She was dragged inside for a harsh interrogation. The innocent Little Pink Hair shook her head desperately, unable to refuse in time, with Mu Ji as the witness.
Qin Xiang was inexplicably excited. A Qingxia heart burned with anticipation, eager to recreate the scene of the crime and relive the awful experience of her husband being violated by his rebellious daughter.
Yun Liu stood frozen in the wind, muttering to himself.
“Damn it, I’ve become part of the play again?”
The next day, a ripple of water-attributed spiritual energy quietly erupted, washing over the jade tower beneath the sea.
The Sea Market opened wide, the Qiongxiao Palace saw the light of day once more. Human cultivators who had been meditating in stillness were jolted awake and stepped outside to witness the Mirage City manifesting.
A prism-shaped artifact floated above the Night Pearl, inhaling and exhaling an azure glow, stirring up a violent storm as it slowly drained the seawater from Qiongxiao Palace, calming the hidden currents and turbulent flows.
The underwater storm connected to the great whirlpool, linking the Five Islands of the Inner Sea, carving out a trade route for the Shanhai Pavilion.
Yun Liu leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance. He dispelled his spiritual energy barrier, stretched, and breathed in the damp air.
Looking up, a blazing sun hung overhead, deeply embedded in the eye of the whirlpool, appearing as small as a speck of dust.
“Master, look!”
To the north, through the gray watery mist, one could glimpse an ancient gate heavy with water rust, leading to a hidden paradise. Ji Shi Yu burst out of the seashell house, hopped onto Yun Liu’s back in a single step, and pointed toward the deep coral clusters. The torrent receded, revealing a lost city, faintly…
“Round.”
Slap!
Yun Liu smacked Ji Shi Yu’s rear hard, scolding: “Get off, get off. Time to work. What kind of posture is that?”
The little yellow-haired girl grimaced while perched on the young man, pulling out a treasure box and holding it atop her head, still reluctant to part with it.
Yun Liu hadn’t come empty-handed either. In the box were three secret-formula spiritual medicines: a second-grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Pill, a third-grade Heavenly Dao Ginseng Condensation Pill, and a fourth-grade Heavenly Dao Water-Milk Pill.
Producing three kinds of Heavenly Dao elixirs at once was an absolutely extravagant display. The East Pole Pavilion Master’s stall would surely be packed to bursting.
The whirlpool currents brought more visitors from the shore. Before long, over a hundred small boats docked one after another. Merchants under the Shanhai Pavilion banner entered the Sea Market via Shipwreck Bay, bringing rare treasures and spirit materials from all corners of the Nine Provinces to barter here.
Yun Liu’s group strolled downstairs, mingled with the crowd, and followed the guidance of the sea imps deeper into the coral clusters.
Little Ah Lian carried the heavy sword case on her back, tugging at the Senior Brother’s sleeve, yawning endlessly.
Qin Xiang, however, was full of energy. Smiling, she took Ji Shi Yu’s hand and followed behind, showering her with affectionate concern, as if hinting the rebellious girl should step up her game.
“No need to hide anything. We’re all family. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Shi Yu, if you’re hungry next time, just tell me directly. Your senior sister will back you up.”
Though next time, she absolutely had to be present to witness with her own eyes Xiao Yun’s captivated, foolish expression. Just thinking about it was exciting…
The little yellow-haired girl was utterly confused. The scorned wife and the mistress had strangely united on the same front, ganging up on the ghost axe. If you have something good (old husband), you should share it.
“Eh? How could I be so bold?”
“Master’s wife is not just unbothered—she’s way too generous, unlike that stingy one. And she even looks delighted?”
“Little brat, you’re not right in the head either.”
Hearing the silly girl muttering to herself, Ao Tian rolled his eyes: “She’s got a screw loose. What normal person keeps helping others steal their own cultivation partner? I’ve always felt that this seemingly normal woman is actually the sneakiest one in the house—”
“I won’t allow you to talk about Senior Sister Qin that way. I’m definitely getting Mister!”
“That’s not generosity. That’s a serious illness.”
At the Sky Jump Market, strangely shaped sea demons set up stalls everywhere. The Coral Market had already gathered quite a few merfolk and sea demons, resembling an open-air…
Though the stalls looked crude and weren’t as formal as the Shanhai Pavilion’s auction house, the goods on the shelves were extremely rare, hard to come by anywhere else.
And what the sea demons demanded in exchange was equally bizarre—like the yak demon horns from Cangmang Province, or the star domain dust from the Southern Cross…
All the materials in the Sea Market were rare resources. If you hadn’t collected them in advance, you could only run around, slowly trading up from small to big until you got the treasure you wanted.
If one held a Sea Tower Token, the requirements were halved, making the task difficulty much easier.
“Senior Brother, Ah Lian wants this one!”
Ah Lian pointed at a large snail shell covered in spikes, eyes shining.
The sea demon living inside poked out a massive crab claw, letting out an angry hiss, scaring the little girl into hiding behind Yun Liu.
“Mommy!”
“That’s its home, not for sale. What it’s selling is Mingshen, a third-grade Soul-Forging Pill material.”
Yun Liu shook his head with a wry smile and patted Ah Lian’s little head.
“Then what about this one?”
Its surface was shiny. Yun Liu pondered for a moment, then shook his head again: “This is a side mission item for body cultivators. Lin Shu might be interested.”
The little pink-haired jellyfish drifted to the side and picked up a tattered scale armor from the ground.
“Don’t touch if you’re not buying!”
The stall owner was a hot-tempered sea imp, and the young girl hurriedly dropped it in fright.
As crowds gathered from all over the Nine Provinces, the Sea Market was filled with a dazzling array of goods and unfamiliar “toys.” Ah Lian wanted everything she saw. Before long, she let go of Yun Liu’s hand and ran off.
Yun Liu shot a look, and Ji Shi Yu gave a salute, set down the medicine box, and sprinted off.
“Got it! Leave the little aunt master to me!”
Finally getting a moment of peace, the couple found an empty spot and laid out a rolled sheepskin to sit on.
Yun Liu took the medicine box and slowly opened it. A tempting fragrance spread through the coral clusters, drawing the attention of the entire venue.
Good wine needs no bush. The white-robed youth on the reef was simply dressed with delicate features, but he was the famous Extreme Dao Visitor of the Boundless Sea. The East Pole Pavilion Master’s name was a living signboard.
A tall, thin young man pushed through the crowd, cupping his fists with a smile. It was Wu Lei of the Sea-Severing Alliance.
“Brother Yun, I’ll take this Water-Milk Pill. Name your price.”
“Easy. The fourth-grade Heavenly Dao Water-Milk Pill trades for two whiskers of an adult Flood Dragon.”
Yun Liu lazily extended his hand, and Wu Lei drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
Adult Flood Dragons were great demons at the Four Borders level and above who had taken human form. Only Nascent Soul peak or Soul Transformation experts could hope to subdue them. Moreover, the Huanchao Clan was the most vengeful. No one dared provoke them. Even Fortress Master Wu probably couldn’t produce such a thing.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, secretly marveling. Heavenly Dao elixirs truly traded for world-class treasures.
“If you don’t have them, please step back.”
A young female disciple of the Heavenly Sound Workshop stared with burning eyes, still at the peak of Qi Refinement, fixated on the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Pill.
Yun Liu rested his chin on his hand, calmly waiting for the right buyer.
“Mr. Yun, it’s me! We met on the ship. How much is the second-grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Pill?”
The young woman had rosy lips and white teeth, quite beautiful. But in front of a shrewd merchant, neither cozying up nor acting cute would work.
We did meet, and quite candidly at that. I even stole your undergarments and tossed them in a ditch~
Yun Liu smiled: “The second-grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment Pill trades for heaven-rank Rootless Water.”