Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty) Ancient Strengthening Technique Chapter 748-749

 

AST 748 – Tianyuan Inn, Tantai Xianzi, World Cleansing Demonic Lotus

 

 

Three months later!

 

 

After three months of going through a harsh journey, the Southern Viewing Continent was within sight and this was still after the Fire Bird went through a significant increase in speed. If not, the journey would have been much longer.

 

 

The closer they got to the Southern Sky, the warmer the weather got. The forest also got thicker. Along the way, they didn't run into any trouble. After all, there were other people also taking the flight path they took.

 

 

During the past three months, Qing Shui rushed through his journey in daytime and rested at night. He would also cultivate from time to time. They spent most of the time in the sky. During his free time, he would either spend it by chatting with the others or reading 'Poison Scriptures'.

 

 

Before Qing Shui arrived at the Southern Viewing Continent, Qing Shui could already sense a kind of living energy. The aura was a lot more powerful here than on other continents. It has always been said that Southern Viewing Continent had concentrated Nature Energy. It was a place that produced expensive medicinal herbs and precious beasts. Even the quality of human's skin would improve when they were here. Hence, most of the beautiful girls would be found here.

 

 

And also, the people here lived longer lives. It was comparable to the Village of Longevity. Hence, Southern Viewing Continent was almost at the same level as Central Continent in terms of having both good and bad people mixed together.

 

 

"Old Master, we're finally here." Qing Shui pointed towards the Southern Viewing Ministry Continent which was already within sight and smiled at Cang Wuya.

 

 

"Yeah, even though three months weren't really that long, it was still one of the longest journey I have ever been through. I have never thought of being able to set foot in Southern Viewing Continent again."

 

 

"Hehe, actually it’s still possible to visit every single one of the continent across the World of the Nine Continents but it'd be a bit difficult if you're talking about walking through every part of them. If I get a chance in the future, I'd definitely take you to walk past the entire World of the Nine Continents." Qing Shui chuckled.

 

 

"Alright, I'm already really happy to hear you say that. I’m old, I don’t really care about anything anymore. I only hope that you can walk with all of them happily and have more babies together. Every time I look at the two children, I feel as if I just saw Canghai and my son." Cang Wuya said peacefully.

 

 

"Old Master, what's happened has happened, Senior Canghai is your child, Mingyue is your granddaughter. We're all a family." Qing Shui meant what he said.

 

 

"I know, I’m glad that I’m so lucky. The wisest thing that Canghai did was pa.s.sing Mingyue to you." Cang Wuya chuckled.

 

 

Cang Wuya was Old Ancestor's disciple, the same goes with Bai Gui. Fei Wuji was Old Ancestor's grandson and at the same time also Cang Wuya's disciple. In this kind of Master-disciple relations.h.i.+p, the master was his father.

 

 

Other than being actual relatives, the people at the back of the Fire Bird shared the closest relations.h.i.+p with each other. Let alone Qing Shui being someone who took comrades.h.i.+p seriously, he didn't have many close relatives or friends, he really treasured the people around him. Hence, he would do his best to protect the people around him. Or else he would not have come to Southern Viewing Continent.

 

 

The Old Ancestor had done him a huge favor before. Hence, no matter how one sees it, he would still have to do something regarding this matter but within his capability. For now, he wasn't allowed to die yet because there were too many people who needed to rely on him.

 

 

Tianyuan City!

 

 

This was a city that was located at the edge of Southern Viewing Continent. Its city wall was built significantly higher and there were unusually more people patrolling the city. Additionally, flying beasts could also be seen constantly patrolling the sky. From time to time, resounding beast cries and bird chirping noises would be heard.

 

 

Considering that it was located at the edge of the continent, half of the people would stop here to replenish themselves either before leaving or upon entering the continent. Both the hotels and restaurants would be packed with people.

 

 

The economic system here was particularly diverse. Added on that this place was really disordered, murderers could escape the continent easily. Hence, both the people and the aristocratic clans here were quite powerful. Also, there were those who took the risk to work here. After all, the more disorderly a place was, the easier it was to earn money there.

 

 

"Let's take a break in Tian Yuan City for a while and investigate the situation here before setting off." QIng Shui said gently.

 

 

Cang Wuya and the others nodded. Normally, Qing Shui would still be the one to make decisions unless he was being hesitant, Cang Wuya and the others would provide him with suggestions.

 

 

Qing Shui put away the Fire Bird and the group immediately descended on the Tianyuan Balcony of Tianyuan City. Across the World of the Nine Continents, only formidable warriors were allowed to travel back and forth through the nine continents as they wished. Ordinary caravans would have to pay road fare at the city gate. Of course, it would be a different scenario if there was a powerful warrior among them.

 

 

"Uncle, send us to the biggest restaurant nearby." Qing Shui stopped a beast cart and asked the middle-aged driver.

 

 

"No problem!" The middle-aged man yelled and made the beast cart move extremely fast.

 

 

Tian Yuan Inn!

 

 

Qing Shui and Cang Wuya got off the cart and stood in front of the luxurious and grand restaurant. Qing Shui looked at the words "Tianyuan Inn" on the building and had a feeling that the owner of the restaurant was somewhat related with the strongest force in Tianyuan City. If not for that, he wouldn't have dared to use the words "Tianyuan ".

 

 

Other than looking splendorous and majestic, the inn also had a sort of graceful ambiance to it. This place was just like a pavilion, every single one of its floors had all four sides opened wide. This might have had something to do with the weather of the southern part of the continent.

 

 

There were a lot of people walking back and forth in front of Tianyuan Inn. Warriors, merchants, all kinds of people. There were a lot of girls and guys as well, some in groups of three to five whereas some would just walk alone.

 

 

"Misters, please come in." In the moment Qing Shui was walking past the wide doorway, a man around forty years of age came out of the restaurant.

 

 

Qing Shui smiled. He nodded and followed the man into the restaurant.

 

 

The man had a well proportioned build and an average height. However, his body looked really tight, his muscles weren't that large but they looked really solid and had decent explosive strength.

 

 

He was a person who cultivated his body. One of the higher grade waiters who served customers was already at the state of cultivating his muscles. There were more people who cultivated their body than people who cultivated their qi across the World of the Nine Continents, the reason being that it was more difficult to cultivate qi.

 

 

"Misters, please come up." The man once again said politely when he reached the stairs.

 

 

"Thank you!"

 

 

Qing Shui responded politely. After that, he observed the internal situation of Tianyuan Inn. The first floor was already fully packed with people, most of which were merchants. However, one could tell that they were rich people with just one glance.

 

 

The tables and chairs in the room were all made of expensive dark green woods. The entire hall was dark green colored, making people feel unusually comfortable. Beautiful waitresses could also be seen walking back and forth in the hall.

 

 

Qing Shui smiled. He was unable to break the custom. This world was made of both males and females. One attracts the other and divides up their work with one another. As time pa.s.sed, it had become an unwritten rule.

 

 

There were a total of nine floors in Tianyuan Inn. Nine was the maximum number in the World of the Nine Continents, hence, very few buildings would have more than nine floors. However, they would make each floor taller. Thus, even for the very tall building, they were still only nine floors.

 

 

They walked up to the second floor, but the middle-aged waiter didn't stop walking and proceeded straight up to the third floor. The second floor was also already full with people. The areas of each of the floors in was around ten thousand meters. It had both length and width of about a hundred meters.

 

 

One would be able to smell the aroma here even from a hundred Lis away. Upon walking into the restaurant itself, the fragrance only became even thicker. It was average in terms of both its environment and its location.

 

 

It could basically already be confirmed that all the warriors were on the third floor. There were finally empty seats, even though there were only a few of them. The man continued to bring Qing Shui and his group all the way up to the fourth floor.

 

 

The fourth floor was totally different compared to the other three floors. It was one third smaller in size. The area decreased as one progressed higher up. The top floor was only about a few hundred metres.

 

 

Most importantly, there were very few people here. There were about 90%people fewer than the lower floor.

 

 

"Please take a seat." The man told Qing Shui and the others to sit down.

 

 

There weren't many people here. Furthermore, they were at the side of the room because from their position, they could see the outside scenery. It was quite a satisfying experience to be able to look at the lower ground from a higher position.

 

 

Qing Shui saw a few more seats at the far east side of the floor. He gave a few hints and settled down there. After that, he smiled at the waiter and said: "Please serve me the best food and wine that you offer here."

 

 

"Alright, give me a moment please."

 

 

After the man left, Qing Shui calmly observed the warriors who were having their meals nearby. There were some with the ability of a Xiantian while there were some who were at Martial King Grade. Moreover, he also felt that there were two warriors at Peak Martial King.

 

 

"I heard that a treasure was discovered in the Southern Sea and it was obtained by Fairy Tantai. This time, Tantai Clan is going to be even stronger." A middle-aged man not so far away said with a face full of admiration.

 

 

"Fairy Tantai? A valuable treasure?" The man on the opposite side seemed a bit confused.

 

 

"Lang Yi, don't tell me you haven't heard of Fairy Tantai?" The man from before looked at the slightly younger man opposite him in surprise.

 

 

"I do know about her, the most gifted girl in Tantai Clan so far. She managed to achieve Peak Martial King strength in her coming of age ceremony with her unique body and officially became a Martial Saint at eighteen. She even managed to achieve Peak Martial Saint at twenty five years of age. Now that eight years have pa.s.sed, no one knows exactly just how strong she has become. The one I'm uncertain of is the valuable treasure." The man with the name Lang Yi said hurriedly.

 

 

"It's said that a World Cleansing Demonic Lotus has appeared in Southern Sea and legend has it that it was absorbed by Fairy Tantai. Not only that, she even managed to comprehend the World Cleansing Flame and Demonic Lotus Platform." The middle-aged man said eagerly.

 

 

"What are they?" Lang Yi continued questioning in confusion.

 

 

"Legend has it that it's a kind of flame in the world that is capable of burning everything and could deal devastating damage to wicked things. She is already a person who is resistant to all types of poisons. I'm uncertain about the strength of the World Cleansing Flame. But it's said to be really powerful. As for the Demonic Lotus Platform, it's just the same as a flying beast. Zero consumption and it's speed is said to be one of the top in the world. Legend has it that her strength will be multiplied a number of times when she is on it. It could also help reduce her exhaustion by a few fold." The man said eagerly.

 

 

Upon hearing that, Qing Shui's heart thumped. If what the person said was real, then that was a true precious treasure. The one fold increase provided by his own Thunder G.o.d was already really satisfying&h.e.l.lip; But this was by several fold&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;.

 

 

Also, Qing Shui wanted to know who this Fairy Tantai was. Was Tantai Clan a supreme aristocratic clan? It seemed like the two really admired that person.The woman that they talked about previously also sounded incomparably gifted.

 

 

At this moment, two women approached him with food and alcohol. The man from before also walked towards him and after politely serving him the food, he took his leave.

 

 

Qing Shui opened up the alcohol, The alcohol here was brewed by Pear Blossom and the name of the alcohol was called the Pear Blossom Fragrance. It was the most famous alcohol here,

 

 

As soon as Qing Shui opened it, a thick pear blossom fragrance rushed into his nose. It was something that had been brewed for at least fifty years. To Qing Shui, fifty years might sound like nothing, but to others, it was a really long time.

 

 

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AST 749 – Pear Blossom Wine, Weird Girl

 

 

There was a kind of mysterious dew within the World of the Nine Continents that could cause fruits to grow on medicinal herbs. It was a very mysterious and extremely precious item, with only a few plants being able to fruit using its effect. However, a thing like wine could only be slowly kept. Therefore, almost all of the families in the World of Nine Continents would keep their wine in a cellar or underground room. Every single generation would use some of their ancestors' wine, but save the rest for future generations. Slowly, this had formed into a virtuous cycle.

 

 

The waiters poured the wine in a big bowl sufficient for a few people: "Come, taste this pear flower wine of ours. Check out the taste of our trademark wine."

 

 

With a smile Qing Shui lifted up the bowl and waited for the others before slowly placing it on his mouth. The wine gave Qing Shui a fragrant taste that lingered in his mouth after drinking.

 

 

Qing Shui chose this restaurant in hopes of hearing fresh news about the Southern Viewing Ministry Continent and other matters. After all, this was his first time here and he didn't know anyone.

 

 

He did not know which county the Donggong Family was situated at, or if they were even in the prefecture city of the Southern Viewing Ministry Continent. A strong power didn't necessarily have to be in the prefecture city.

 

 

However the cities around this prefecture would mostly likely not have super powerful existences. Even if there were existences who were quite strong, each would most likely be some affiliated family or branches of some main family.

 

 

After finis.h.i.+ng eating, Qing Shui decided to stay for a day, as there were quite a few dragons mixed with the fishes in this place. After booking their rooms, he arranged for Cang Wuya and the others to stay in their lodgings while he took a walk outside.

 

 

Cang Wuya repeatedly urged Qing Shui to be careful, as he knew that Qing Shui was going out to gather information. However, they were not especially worried, as it would not be a problem for Qing Shui to preserve his life with his current strength.

 

 

Although it was night by now, all the big cities in the prefecture were sleepless. Actually, there were a lot of sleepless cities in the World of the Nine Continents. After all, light stones were cheap and lasted a long time. Places that used them would expand more quickly than those that did not.

 

 

The moonlight was like flowing water across the vast sky dotted by twinkling stars. Under the light of the light stones, Qing Shui slowly walked around this unfamiliar city. Although it could not be said to be quiet or solitary, there was a feeling of loneliness.

 

 

After walking for the time it takes for a joss stick to burn, Qing Shui looked up and saw a big public square. It was still early in the day and there were many people of all ages in the public square. There were quite a large number of children.

 

 

The constant laughter and cries of happiness and amus.e.m.e.nt from the children made Qing Shui think about Qing Zun and Qing Yin. Even more so, he thought about the pregnancies of Mingyue Gelou and s.h.i.+ Qingzhuang. They should be in their second trimesters by now.

 

 

It would be hard to rush back before the children were born, as the journey alone would take at least three months. Qing Shui hoped to either raze the Donggong Family to the ground or retreat if he was unable to defeat them within the next four months.

 

 

Regardless, it was not that easy to get his hands on information about the Donggong Family within a hundred days in order to be able rush back home. The Southern Viewing Continent was a spiritually rich ground, and relative to the Greencloud Continent, its strength was incomparably formidable.

 

 

Gradually walking toward the side of the public square, he noticed the many various kinds of snacks being sold all the way down long streets. Alluring and enticing fragrances endlessly wafted in the air. This atmosphere was the most captivating and attractive thing of this place.

 

 

Suddenly, a figure ran out in front of him, Qing Shui did not take it too seriously and continued heading towards the streets that sold snacks. Just as the figure moved past him, Qing Shui could feel the other party's hand extending out towards his waist, towards a coin pouch that contained a few broken up silver pieces.

 

 

Thief!

 

 

Qing Shui instinctively grabbed the wrist of the opposite party and with a casual twist, held on with an iron grip. When he grabbed the wrist, Qing Shui could sensed it was a girl.

 

 

"Aiya, you're hurting me." a cry of pain followed by a melodious sound rang out, sounding a little powerless.

 

 

"You shouldn't get pinched for stealing?" asked Qing Shui with a smile. Feeling bored, he felt that it was not bad to chat with this little thief.

 

 

While talking Qing Shui looked closely at the little thief, who was about 14 to 15 years old. Although her clothing was filthy and her face smeared with grime, her bright and gleaming eyes were especially nice to look at. Her small and straight nose was covered in dirt, and at this moment, she was looking miserably at Qing Shui.

 

 

Qing Shui released her and said, "Go and don't steal again. This is not good."

 

 

Instead of leaving, the girl started to stare at Qing Shui as if she wished to say something.

 

 

Seeing her reaction, Qing Shui extended his hand towards his waist and handed over his pouch to her.

 

 

Qing Shui did not mind about this little amount of money as he had a lot more within the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. However he did not wish to give more to a thief. He normally despised thieves, but his heart had turned soft when he had seen the gaze of this girl in front of him.

 

 

"Uncle, you're a good person, therefore I don't want your money". Clenching her teeth, the girl did not take Qing Shui's money.

 

 

Seeing her actions, Qing Shui was shocked. Previously, she had failed in stealing his money, but now she did not want to accept the money he was planning to give to her. Unable to resist, he asked, "At the beginning you wanted some money right? Why don't you take the money now?"

 

 

"Because uncle is a good person. I don't steal the money of good people." replied the girl.

 

 

"How do you differentiate a good person from a bad person?" Qing Shui's interest was piqued.

 

 

"I don't know. I identify bad people with a single look. For example, an evil tyrant who bullies ordinary people would be a bad person." replied the girl after thinking for a while.

 

 

"What if you can't tell after looking?"

 

 

"I'd steal from those who dress very well&h.e.l.lip;"

 

 

"Oh so you only steal from the rich huh? I don't care about this little as I have money. On the account that you still have your conscience, I'll give you this. You should find a more decent thing to do. The next person that catches you might not be like me." said Qing Shui and he gently offered his money pouch.

 

 

"I don't want it. I'll feel bad like that. If elder sis knew about this she would definitely be hurt," replied the girl while shaking her head.

 

 

Gugu!

 

 

At this moment the girl's stomach suddenly made a gu gu sound. Hearing that sound, the girl lowered her head in embarra.s.sment. As she lowered her head, Qing Shui noticed that her eyes had already turned red.

 

 

"Come, I'll bring you to eat something. You can be considered the first friend I have made since coming here. I like treating friends to a meal." said Qing Shui with a smile as he took back the money pouch.

 

 

Qing Shui took her straight to the Reverse Yuan hotel. Upon arriving, he requested the maid to prepare a few sets of fresh clothing. After ordering her to go and take a bath, Qing Shui sent for a few nice dishes and waited for her at the hall.

 

 

With a beet red face, the girl left with the maid!

 

 

Qing Shui thought about some of the details of the girl. She had a elder sister, and wors.h.i.+pped her greatly. She should have been forced into stealing, given her hunger.

 

 

In addition, she actually very good natured, as she only wanted to steal from the bad and not the good. She would only steal from a rich person if she was unable to identify any bad people. At least a rich person would not be bothered if he lost such a little bit of money&h.e.l.lip;

 

 

"Uncle!"

 

 

Qing Shui's mind unexpectedly wandered off before a weak and slightly familiar sound rang out, causing him to wake up. Upon raising his head, he was immediately stunned.

 

 

After was.h.i.+ng the filth off her body, the little la.s.s had an indescribably delicate look with her snow white skin and big eyes. Wearing a snow white dress, Qing Shui discovered at this instant that she unexpectedly had the temperament of a high cla.s.s girl.

 

 

"Come, sit down and eat. You must be starving." Without saying anything else, Qing Shui beckoned her to sit down and eat with a smile.

 

 

There were a lot of people who gave weird looks as they stared at Qing Shui. However, he did not care about any of the gazes from the surroundings. Instead, he was thinking that the la.s.s in front of him was absolutely a girl from some rich and large family, as no ordinary family would be able to nurture such an appearance and disposition.

 

 

The girl did not say anything. She did not eat at a fast pace, and instead ate very naturally and comfortably with a slight elegance. This gave Qing Shui additional confirmation of his theory, as he had made quite a few people from powerful families in the past.

 

 

The girl ate quite a bit of food and one could tell that she was starving. Although she had cultivated, her cultivation was pitifully weak. This had overridden Qing Shui's thought that she had run away from her family.

 

 

"What plans do you have?"asked Qing Shui with a smile after finis.h.i.+ng his meal.

 

 

The girl's eyes turned dim before she shook her head, as if she had instantly become distracted. Slowly, her eyes turned red and tears started to fall down.

 

 

"Don't cry, what happened? Don't you have a elder sister? Why don't you go find your elder sister?" asked Qing Shui.

 

 

The girl looked vigilantly at Qing Shui before a complicated look appeared in her eyes: "I can't find my elder sis."

 

 

Qing Shui had seen too many great plays and schemes, and he knew in one look that there was something fishy about this. She seemed to be in great thought when he mentioned her sister.

 

 

"You should be able to see that uncle isn't a person from around here and that he came to the Southern Viewing Continent to accomplish some things. If you're trying to find your elder sister I can send you there." said Qing Shui serenely with a smile.

 

 

Upon hearing Qing Shui's words, the girl was clearly shocked, and an unusual struggle broke out in her eyes. After a while, her small face turned red, and for moment she actually was unable to speaks.

 

 

Two years, I've always wished to go back there! Now the chance has come!

 

 

Her vigilance was too strong. Without saying anything, Qing Shui continued to faintly smile at her.

 

 

"Uncle, could you send me to Wolf's Teeth County City?" After hesitating for a long time, the girl finally asked slowly.

 

 

"I can, but uncle doesn't know the road nor the direction. Do you know the approximate location? If not we could gather some information," replied Qing Shui truthfully.

 

 

Gawking, the girl looked at Qing Shui, as if she was trying to see whether he was talking truthfully.

 

 

"I know the approximate location, but I don't know exactly." said the girl as she smiled towards Qing Shui. At this moment, her face was flushed with emotion.

 

 

Qing Shui booked a room for her to rest before returning to his own room and entering the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

 

 

Qing Shui felt that the girl wasn't entirely speaking the truth and was guarding against him. He felt like laughing, but Qing Shui was also sorry for her. He did not know what exactly had happened for the girl to end up in such a dire situation, to the point that she had been reduced to stealing on the streets.

 

 

Qing Shui planned on sending the girl back to her elder sister, and perhaps he might be able to get the information he needed at Wolf's Teeth County City. Regardless, Qing Shui felt that it was not truly the place the girl wanted to go to.

 

 

Since he did not have any goal for the time being, he decide to bring her to play for a while. At some point, she would definitely tell him the truth, and hopefully he would be able to gather some information about the Southern Viewing Continent.

 

 

Previously he heard of the Tantai Fairy and the Tantai Aristocratic Family at the restaurant, and it seemed that both were especially strong existences!

 

 

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