“Elder Su, I think your definition of ‘not very far’ is a bit off,” Ling Chuxi admitted finally, seeing the sky darkening. Would they have to sleep outside tonight?
“Ah, it is just up ahead. The Sacred Realm of Sects is quite vast. What might not be far on the mainland will be farther here!” Su Yizhi smiled and pointed at something in front of them. “See, we are just about to arrive.”
The crowd looked over in the direction he was pointing, and saw the dusky silhouette of a town up ahead. Relief filled them. They had finally made it!
Right before they entered the town, Su Yizhi paused briefly. “That’s right, I forgot to tell you—silver and gold is usable in this realm, but the most valuable currency is crystals because they’re extremely beneficial for cultivation. Crystals are also differentiated by grade. The least precious is the white jade crystal, and above that are the red jade, green jade, blue jade, purple jade, and the most valuable is the Ink Jade Crystal. Ink Jade Crystals are extremely rare and practically priceless.”
Only after Ling Chuxi heard this did she realize how beneficial crystals were for cultivation. No wonder the Cang Yuan Sword had awakened momentarily after absorbing the Ink Jade Crystal, it was the highest grade of crystals! Ling Chuxi could just forget about trying to awaken Cang Yuan again with crystals now, since she couldn’t compare the lower quality crystals to the prized Ink Jade Crystal.
The town was not very big and there were not many people on the street either. They entered the only inn in the town, where the attendant was nodding off. Seeing such a large group of people, the attendant felt a burst of energy and immediately rushed to welcome them with a smile. After spending the night at the inn, Su Yizhi went out to buy the carriages the next morning, then prepared to head to the Golden Pill Sect’s former site.
At the same time, a dejected Duan Feiyu had returned to the Celestial Sect. He unhappily dismissed the servants who bowed to him with a wave of his hand, then went to search for Duan Qingchen to report to him.
Duan Feiyu went to the study, but found nobody there. He decided to ask a servant, who told him that Duan Qingchen was in the Southern Courtyard. Duan Feiyu immediately understood why he was there. The Southern Courtyard was the place where his youngest aunty, Duan Xiaomo’s mother, used to stay. Nobody was allowed to enter the place, with the exception of certain designated cleaners, so everything had been maintained in its original state. It was clear that the old man could not forget his youngest daughter, but he had too much pride to admit it. It made sense that he had arranged for Xiaomo to stay there.
Duan Feiyu quickly walked over to Southern Courtyard, and this time, there was nobody at the door to stop him from entering. Presumably, it was Duan Qingchen’s standing order.
In the Southern Courtyard, beautiful flora and special grasses welcomed him. There was a small bridge with flowing water and a towering pavilion. It was absolutely beautiful. Everything was exquisitely arranged, and it could be surmised that Duan Qingchen had pampered his youngest daughter to the extreme back then.
As he entered the courtyard, Duan Feiyu saw Duan Qingchen come out of the quarters, looking exhausted and worried.
“Grandfather, I am back.” Duan Feiyu stepped forward and bowed reverently.
“Oh, you have returned. Did everything go well?” Duan Qingchen’s voice was a little hoarse, and worry was clear in his tired eyes.
“Everything went well. Grandfather. Is Xiaomo inside? Is he okay?” Duan Feiyu peered into the quarters as he asked.
Duan Qingchen let out a long sigh and said slowly, “His situation is becoming worse. He still hasn’t spoken, and the amount he is eating reduces with each day.”
“Why is this happening?” Duan Feiyu was shocked and frowned in concern. “What should we do?”