Chapter 19: Haotian’s Peculiar Holiday Homes

“Ah, this cloud steed is just dreadfully slow!” a puppet-like creature grumbled. “It’s not even in the same league as Haotian’s Heaven and Earth Shuttle!”

Cloud steeds are the primary spirit beasts used for travel in this world. They resemble horses from Earth but are significantly faster, even comparable to modern cars.

Moreover, cloud steeds can float for periods, making travel over mountains and rivers incredibly convenient.

Mounted on a cloud steed, the young man wore a perpetually dark expression. Beside him, a young woman rode her own cloud steed, cradling a young girl in her arms.

This marked the ‘nth’ time he had endured Xiaoke’s incessant complaining since their journey began.

‘Hmph!’ He shot a glance at Xiaoke, currently luxuriating in the young girl’s embrace, being soothed by the young woman.

The young man swore to himself that he would seize the first opportunity to introduce the creature to the ‘Ultimate Invincible Sky-High Face-Plant Punch.’

This young man was none other than Yue Feng. They had already left the vicinity of Cloudwind City and were now hurrying towards the Imperial City to board a Flying Cloud Ship. Flying Cloud Ships were akin to Earth’s airplanes, designed for long-distance passenger travel.

It was worth noting that the prototype for these ships was Haotian Daoist Venerable’s Heaven and Earth Shuttle, albeit a lower-spec version.

Currently, the operation of Flying Cloud Ships served as the Heavenly Palace Academy’s primary source of income.

“Awuu?” Wang Yu slowly stirred awake. She looked up at the young woman and asked, “Cai’er, where are we now?”

Yue Cai smiled warmly. “We’re still half a day away from the Imperial City, Sister Yu’er. How has your cultivation been progressing?”

“Not too well,” Wang Yu admitted candidly to the young woman. “I’ve only just begun to grasp the knack. It shouldn’t be long before I can use the Golden Lotus of Divine Sense to purify essence qi.”

Through further cultivation, she had realized that the golden lotus from that night was a manifestation of her own divine sense. During her transformation, an immense divine sense had already resided within this body, and the ‘Myriad Spirits’ technique further refined it.

Beneath the golden lotus lay a chaotic sea, formed from the external essence energy Wang Yu had absorbed. Unlike other cultivators, Wang Yu’s body was constantly permeated by, and simultaneously expelling, essence energy.

To retain this energy within her body and wield it for her own use, she needed to purify it with the Golden Lotus of Divine Sense. “But it’s so difficult,” she sighed.

“That shouldn’t be right,” Xiaoke remarked with a sigh. “I remember Haotian saying he simplified the cultivation method so anyone could succeed.”

“It doesn’t matter, Master,” Xiaoke added reassuringly. “Even if you were a cloud steed, I’d still believe in you.”

For context: Cloud steeds possess an intelligence comparable to that of pigs.

*! Thwack!*

“Ow!”

The impudent pet was sent flying skyward once more. Yue Feng witnessed the scene, a knowing smile gracing his lips, and covertly sent a surge of essence qi to make Xiaoke’s aerial journey even more thrilling.

Wang Yu stretched her arms, a weary sigh escaping her lips. ‘Honestly, I feel like I’ll die of exasperation before I ever get my hands on some emergency heart medication.’

Xiaoke was now inextricably linked to her.

After years spent within a book, Xiaoke had long since spiritualized, becoming Wang Yu’s first contracted spirit.

It was precisely because of this bond that she could begin refining essence energy with her divine sense to strengthen her body. However, Xiaoke possessed no combat ability, meaning Wang Yu urgently needed to contract other spirits.

“Hey, where exactly are we going?” Wang Yu finally asked.

In truth, ever since they set out, she hadn’t known their destination or purpose, simply following along.

‘After all, it’s so troublesome! I don’t have to think about anything; I just need to lie in Yue Cai’s arms and cultivate. Directions? Leave that to Yue Feng.’ She mused, ‘I feel like I’ve reached the pinnacle of ‘salted fish’ existence: just eating and waiting to die.’

Yue Feng glanced at the jade slip in his hand. “The Far East, Furnace City,” he stated. “There, I will find the fortuitous opportunity I seek.”

“Furnace City?” Wang Yu murmured thoughtfully. ‘The name suggests it’s incredibly hot, which should make it an excellent place to obtain that spirit.’

“The Far East? I know that place!” a certain spirit beast piped up, having appeared beside Wang Yu at some point.

“You’ve been there?” Wang Yu asked, intrigued.

“Oh, yes, yes! Haotian once went there on vacation,” Xiaoke replied, a nostalgic expression on its face.

“Vacation in Furnace City?” Yue Feng looked utterly bewildered. “That place experiences perpetual high temperatures! Aside from the city’s protective barrier against the heat, not even cultivators can endure outside for long.”

“Is that so? When I went with Haotian, it was quite cool by his side,” Xiaoke said, puzzled. “Haotian even built a villa next to an active volcano, claiming he wanted to use clean energy for a sauna.”

A villa built next to a volcano, for a sauna? Wang Yu could hardly believe it; the image was just too vivid.

“There’s actually not much to see or do there,” Xiaoke continued. “Outside, it’s nothing but volcanic rock, and sometimes, after an eruption, the villa is completely surrounded by lava. Yet Haotian always seemed so delighted.”

“He went almost every year, especially during volcanic eruptions.”

Xiaoke suddenly seemed to recall something.

“Oh, I remember now! Haotian once told me that one of life’s greatest pleasures is to bundle up in a blanket in the hottest place, with the air conditioning blasting, eating ice cream, watching others sweat profusely, and then, while they’re terrified of a volcanic eruption, you’re just chilling by the crater. He said it was an absolute joy.”

!!!

“That man is a demon, isn’t he?!” Yue Feng and Wang Yu exchanged incredulous glances, sweat-dropping.

“He also told me that happiness is built upon the suffering of others, claiming it was an ancient saying from his hometown,” Xiaoke recounted, its face alight with admiration. “I still haven’t learned how to do that myself.”

‘No, you’ve already learned it; you just don’t realize it yet,’ Wang Yu thought, feeling utterly drained. “He’s spouting nonsense! Ancient people never said such a thing!”

“Oh, Haotian also has a place in the heart of a storm in the Myriad Mile Glacier!” Xiaoke chirped. “Master, let’s go there and have hotpot together sometime!”

Finishing its suggestion, Xiaoke even licked its lips.

Yue Feng and Shi Yang remained silent, both feeling a grand, revered image utterly crumble before their eyes.

Wang Yu simply looked speechless. “Alright, fine, if the opportunity arises.”

Having a senior who wandered the world, causing mischief, left her feeling emotionally exhausted. ‘But, hehehe, Haotian has returned now, and Xiaoke is mine!’ she thought, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

‘Doesn’t that mean his villas and everything else are mine too? I’m a homeowner, after all!’ ‘For the sake of these few properties, I’ll forgive his eccentric behavior for now.’

^V^

Suddenly, the idea of eating ice cream by a furnace or hotpot in the eye of a storm seemed rather delightful. ‘These are practically custom-made vacation spots for me!’

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