Senior Sisters, I Don’t Want To Work Hard Anymore

Chapter 62: Girl Lingxi

At the city gate, Qin Muling looked around with her sword in hand. The group of cultivators who were watching from a distance quickly retreated, no one dared to come forward and provoke her.

The nearby indigenous guards glanced over but ignored her. As long as there was no fighting inside the city, they wouldn't interfere. After all, the city gate was not considered part of the city area.

Qin Muling shouldered her beast skin bag again and walked lightly through the city gate. From this moment on, she considered herself temporarily safe.

In all indigenous cities and settlements, it was strictly forbidden for any foreign cultivators to engage in conflicts. This had been an unbreakable rule since ancient times. Anyone who caused trouble would not only attract the attention of the powerful indigenous beings, but also be despised and even expelled by the world itself, forever losing the chance to enter the secret realm again.

In ancient times, there were some old monsters from certain sects who didn't believe in this rule and insisted on causing bloodshed in the city. They even tried to enslave the indigenous people for their own use. As a result, not only were they severely injured and their cultivation destroyed, but also the disciples of their sects were affected. They experienced bad luck and various accidents, and soon they all died or were injured.

Since then, no one dared to play with fire in the Illusory Mist Secret Realm. No matter how high your cultivation level or how old your qualifications were, you had to abide by the rules here and there was no possibility of taking shortcuts.

The size of the city was not large, but there were quite a few indigenous people inside. Coupled with the cultivators who had gathered from various places, the popularity here was quite high.

After a brief recollection, Qin Muling found information related to this city in her memory. This place called "Qingxi City" had relevant records in the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's archives. The situation in the surrounding area and the distribution of certain special resources were mentioned.

The next thing was easy. Qin Muling decided to first deal with the resources at hand and then consider the next plan.

The spacious streets, buildings carved out of giant stones, unknown beast statues, occasionally seeing sturdy beasts pulling carts slowly passing by. Some humanoid beings were bargaining with vendors on the roadside, warriors dressed differently from the outside world, bold and cool-dressed girls, and a few cute creatures that looked like pet cats performing on the street, their melodious singing voices... It gave Qin Muling a refreshing feeling.

They should be the bloodline of ancient divine beasts, or the descendants of some once famous and powerful tribes? The ancient books of the sects had records about this, so Qin Muling wasn't particularly surprised. It was said that many intelligent races that had long disappeared in the outside world could be found here, so it seemed to be true.

As Qin Muling walked along, she suddenly felt the light around her darken. She looked up and saw a huge tree person walking through the middle of the street, causing nearby creatures to retreat.

The tree person was pitch black, with luxuriant branches and leaves. The light flowed and the aura filled its dozens of zhang-sized tree crown. Several fist-sized, amber-colored beautiful fruits swayed slightly among the branches, radiating bright and colorful brilliance.

"Isn't this the Dragon Pool Tianzhu Fruit? A rare holy medicine that can extend one's life for a thousand years?"

Qin Muling's face changed slightly. This tree person was really bold, daring to flaunt so many precious treasures. If it were in the outside world, it would have been swarmed and dismembered. At the very least, it would have been captured by a powerful Divine Ability user.

Unfortunately, most of the resources here couldn't be taken out, let alone living creatures. That's why no one had any intention of robbing them. After all, the benefits and risks were too disparate. With the strength of this tree person, there weren't many cultivators who dared to steal from it.

After turning several corners and walking along a small alley for a while, Qin Muling finally saw a seemingly inconspicuous shop. Without hesitation, she walked in with her beast skin bag.

"What do you want?" Behind the counter, a beautiful and plump young woman stood up, her deep eyes looking at the incoming youth with a hint of vigilance.

She looks just like a normal human, except for the intricate natural patterns on her forehead and around her ears, resembling tattoos.

"An acquaintance," Qin Muling said briefly, placing the animal skin pouch down and silently channeling his spiritual energy. His fingertips emitted a mysterious glow, drawing a profound and enigmatic rune in the air, which disappeared with a flicker.

The young woman's gaze slightly narrowed as she carefully examined him, her tone softening, "So you're a disciple of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. It seems that your people have been appearing less and less in recent years. Has something happened to the outside world?"

"It's hard to explain," Qin Muling smiled helplessly, opening the animal skin pouch and taking out several medicinal herbs, placing them on the counter. "Let's not dwell on that. These are samples. Could you help me estimate their value? I need a spatial storage bracelet with a larger capacity, as well as some decent clothes and protective gear. And while we're at it, I'd like to exchange for some crystal beads."

The young woman casually glanced at the medicinal herbs on the counter, her expression immediately changing. She picked up a stalk of crimson leaf ink heart orchid and examined it closely, then looked at the remaining herbs one by one, her voice low,

"These medicinal ingredients... are not easy to find in ordinary places. How did a cultivator like you, with average cultivation, manage to acquire so many good things?"

Qin Muling simply smiled and did not explain.

These indigenous people were only recently brought closer to Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace through various efforts and gained their trust, allowing them to seek help when necessary. Of course, the price to be paid was not small; they would never do something for others without compensation.

According to custom, thirty percent of the things Qin Muling brought had to be given to this indigenous woman without charge, and the rest could be used as trade goods to obtain what he needed.

However, if he were to directly trade with the indigenous shops in the city, the prices would be even higher. Most of the time, they wouldn't even give you the opportunity to trade. For example, those Independent Cultivators who entered the secret realm for the first time would find it difficult to sell their harvest.

The indigenous community always treated all foreign cultivators with a mindset of both utilizing and guarding against them. If one didn't maintain a good relationship with them, many things in the secret realm would be impossible to accomplish.

The young woman exhaled and showed no intention of further questioning, only saying, "Wait a moment. There are quite a few things, and I need some time to process them."

"Sure," Qin Muling nodded, not worried that she would cheat him. As long as he satisfied the other party's appetite, basic trust could still be guaranteed.

Due to certain ancient tribal taboos, these indigenous people, who called themselves "Tianren" descendants, were not allowed to freely collect or hunt for most of the spiritual herbs or exotic animal resources in this world. However, foreign cultivators were not subject to this prohibition, which provided the foundation for such trade.

Qin Muling didn't understand why these so-called taboos existed, but of course, he didn't need to understand so much. With his current low cultivation level, it was better to follow the rules honestly. Exploring the roots of these matters could be left for the future.

The young woman called out to the inner room, and the sound of light footsteps followed. Then, a beautiful young girl with flowing black hair walked out, her snow-white animal skin dress outlining her voluptuous curves. Her crescent-shaped eyebrows and eyes exuded a youthful and energetic aura.

The young girl's eyes lit up when she saw Qin Muling's appearance, and she couldn't help but stare at him from head to toe.

The young woman coughed and instructed, "I'm going out to do something, you make something for this young man to eat, wait for me to come back."

"Okay, Auntie."

The young girl cheerfully responded, watching her mother casually put the animal skin pouch into the spatial bracelet, and then walked out with a swaying waist.

"Uh? What's your name?"

After looking at the young man in front of her for a while, the young girl blushed slightly and leaned in to ask softly.

"Qin Muling."

"Oh, I'm Lingxi,"

The young girl said with a smile, "Are you also from outside? How long do you plan to stay here? There have been quite a few people coming from outside recently, and the city has become livelier than before!"

Qin Muling's heart moved slightly as he asked, "What is life like here if no outsiders come in?"

"It's just the usual! I've heard the elders in the city say that the trajectory of your world's time and space will intersect with ours once, ranging from a few decades to hundreds of years. Then the entrance to the secret realm will open, and you can come in. When the intersection period ends and the trajectories of the two worlds diverge, the entrance to the secret realm will close, and you will have to leave..." Lingxi explained.

Qin Muling's expression remained unchanged, but waves of thoughts stirred in his heart: Could it be that the Illusory Mist Secret Realm and the Extreme Void Starry Sky belong to two parallel dimensions? Based on his knowledge from his previous life, it seemed that this explanation could work. Of course, things probably weren't that simple in the eyes of the creatures in this world.

"So, do you know the origin of this world?"

"Not very clear, but the elders say that we are the descendants of the Celestial Race, and this world was originally part of the Celestial Realm, but for some reason, it separated."

Lingxi tilted her head and stuck out her tongue somewhat embarrassedly, "Oh, Auntie told me to bring you some food, I almost forgot, wait a moment."

As she spoke, she turned around and rushed into the house like the wind.

After a short while, Lingxi returned, holding a plate of bright red fruits in her hand, placing it on the table next to Qin Muling. Then she took a pottery jar and poured a cup of water for him.

"Try it, these fruits are very rare, and they are one of the few spiritual medicine resources that our clan can freely pick and enjoy," she explained.

Qin Muling picked up one of the fruits and looked at it. It had a pleasant fragrance, and there was a faint halo flowing beneath the skin, obviously not an ordinary item. He took a gentle bite, and the crystal-clear flesh contained abundant spiritual energy. It melted in his mouth, and his whole body felt cool and comfortable, unable to express the pleasant sensation.

As for whether it was poisonous or not, Qin Muling never worried. Perhaps there was no poison in this world that the Innate Primordial Spirit Seed couldn't neutralize. He had secretly conducted similar experiments before, and ever since the emergence of the Azure Lotus phantom, even poisons that could deal with Immortal Transformation and Immortal Ascension realm experts had no effect on it.

"How is it? The taste is good, right?" Ling Xi smiled and asked, her clear and bright eyes, fluttering eyelashes like crow feathers, her skin smooth and delicate, and the patterns on her forehead had a unique charm.

Qin Muling nodded, "Indeed delicious, um... Miss Ling Xi, may I ask you some questions?"

Ling Xi blushed at his words, her bright gaze fixed on him, her attitude somewhat conflicted, "Amu said that we can't get too close to you foreign cultivators, so besides normal business dealings, we can't reveal anything to you."

The appearance of this young man in front of her was indeed too good-looking. Ling Xi had never seen such an outstanding man before, whether it was the young men in her clan or the foreign cultivators, none of them could compare to him.

But the clan rules were strict, even if she had some feelings for Qin Muling, she couldn't do anything about this principled issue. Once she crossed the line, she and her family would likely face severe punishment.

"Alright, I won't make it difficult for you."

Qin Muling sighed. Trust between people is not something that can be established in just a day or two, especially between two different ethnic groups.

Ling Xi felt a little embarrassed, thought for a moment, and returned to the inner room. After a while, she came out with a small and delicate bone talisman and handed it to Qin Muling, saying, "This is a treasure given to me by the clan's high priest. When encountering dangerous situations in the wilderness, as long as it is activated, it can instantly return me to the city. I don't need it myself, so I might as well give it to you."

Qin Muling initially wanted to decline, but after a moment's thought, he accepted it, "Then thank you, Sister Ling Xi. Is there anything you need help with? As long as it's something I can do, I won't refuse."

Ling Xi chuckled, "Your cultivation level now is even higher than mine, how can you help me? At least wait until you overcome the tribulation of the heart demon in the future!"

Qin Muling looked at her in surprise, "I know that the cultivation methods of your tribe are different from ours, but... I really can't see your current strength. Can you reveal a little?"

Ling Xi nodded, pointed her slender finger at him from a distance, and softly recited a strange incantation.

In the flickering light and shadow, Qin Muling's body stiffened, and he was shocked to find that his lower body had completely petrified, and he couldn't even figure out how the other party did it.

The Azure Lotus phantom in his sea of consciousness faintly brightened, and a mysterious and mighty power was about to surge out, but Qin Muling forcefully stopped it. He didn't want to expose his trump card. This wasn't a life-or-death battle.

"Didn't expect it, right?"

Looking at the surprised expression of the beautiful young man in front of her, Ling Xi smiled slightly with a hint of pride, waved her hand, and released him from the petrification state.

End of chapter.