Li Xian and Shen Qing turned around simultaneously. They had expected to see a face as stunningly beautiful as Chu Lanqiu's, but when they met a pockmarked face, the two fell silent.
The woman who had spoken was short in stature. She was dressed in tattered clothes, and her hair was dry, yellow, and messily piled on her head.
What was most terrifying was her face, which resembled a steamed bun and was covered in pockmarks of all sizes. Her face was uneven, and her eyes were of different sizes.
"Sorry, two fellow cultivators. My wife accidentally disfigured herself during cultivation. She didn't mean to scare you."
A handsome man dressed like a scholar, holding a folding fan in his hand, walked over.
There was apology in his eyes. He affectionately hugged the woman who had spoken and bent down to kiss her on the forehead.
Shen Qing waved her hands in a hurry and explained, "No, no. We're just a bit anxious because we can't find a boat. If we've offended you two fellow cultivators, we apologize here first."
The man gently waved his folding fan twice and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter. If you two fellow cultivators are in urgent need of a boat, you can go out to sea with my wife and me. This is the spawning season of the red - silk pearl fish and dragon - horn fish, which are unique to the South Sea. Everyone is rushing out to sea for hunting, so there are fewer boats."
"Are you two fellow cultivators also rushing out to sea for hunting?"
Shen Qing nodded and said, "My husband and I are just worried about the boat. If you two fellow cultivators can allow us to go with you, it will really solve our urgent problem."
"Very good, very good. Meeting each other is a kind of fate. I'm Nian Duanyan, and this is my wife, Liu You. If you two want to share the boat with us, you just need to pay two top - grade spiritual stones in total. After all, we also need to make a living."
As Nian Duanyan said this, his eyes kept sizing up Shen Qing and Li Xian.
"So expensive?!"
Shen Qing was surprised. After all, renting a boat from a store only cost twenty middle - grade spiritual stones, but Nian Duanyan was asking for two top - grade spiritual stones.
Liu You said, "Don't think we're asking for too much, fellow cultivator. There are very few boats that can take people out to sea now. I believe you won't find a cheaper boat than ours in this situation."
"Moreover, if you're lucky enough to hunt a live red - silk pearl fish, you can trade it for at least three top - grade spiritual stones. Won't you get your money back right away?"
Shen Qing lowered her head and thought. She knew what Liu You said was true. She and Li Xian had almost visited all the boat - renting stores around, and they were all told that there were no boats available.
The earliest they could rent a boat would be half a month later.
Shen Qing sighed, poked Li Xian, and asked, "Husband, what do you think?"
Li Xian turned his head blankly and said, "Yes, I'm her husband."
?
Shen Qing: Who asked you this??
"Hahaha, it seems your husband is a bit dull, fellow cultivator," Liu You covered her mouth and laughed.
It was originally a charming gesture, but it looked extremely strange on Liu You.
After some explanation, Li Xian turned his head and said, "I'll follow whatever my wife says."
Shen Qing sighed. She reluctantly took out two top - grade spiritual stones from her storage bag and handed them to Nian Duanyan, with tears in her eyes and reluctance on her face.
Nian Duanyan quickly put the spiritual stones he had finally "taken" from Shen Qing into his storage bag, then led the two of them to his boat.
Looking at the huge boat in front of her, Shen Qing suddenly felt that the two top - grade spiritual stones were well - spent.
Nian Duanyan saw the amazement in Shen Qing's eyes and explained proudly, "I'm the son of the城主 of the main city in the South Sea. Our Nian family goes out to sea for hunting every year, so our boat is a bit bigger."
"By the way, I haven't asked for your names yet."
Shen Qing put away her amazed expression. After hesitating for a while, she still used a fake name. "My name is Shen Mu, and my husband, Li..."
"Li Qing. My name is Li Qing."
Li Xian said his name at an extremely fast speed, and then a blush appeared on his ears.
"So it's Fellow Cultivator Shen and Fellow Cultivator Li. Our boat will be out at sea for a month. Please give us your advice during this time."
"Please."
Nian Duanyan made a gesture of invitation and stepped aside to let Shen Qing and Li Xian board the boat.
After boarding the boat, Shen Qing found that there were still several people on it.
When they saw Shen Qing and Li Xian, those people just sized them up for a moment and then disdainfully shifted their gazes.
Shen Qing and Li Xian had taken a disguise pill and pasted talismans to hide their cultivation levels. So in the eyes of outsiders, they were just ordinary - looking and a bit rustic casual cultivators from some small town.
Nian Duanyan and Liu You also boarded the boat behind them. Seeing Shen Qing looking curiously at the people on the deck, Nian Duanyan opened his mouth to explain.
"After all, going out to sea is always a bit dangerous, so I invited some people to share the boat. One reason is to protect my safety, and the other is that I also need to make a living."
Nian Duanyan winked at Shen Qing and then went to greet the people on the deck.
"This big guy is named Scar. He has the highest cultivation level among us, at the early stage of Nascent Soul. The mountain - suppressing axe in his hand is a magic treasure left by a great expert. With Big Brother Scar around, I think our journey will surely be worry - free."
A big man with a large axe on his back and a scar on his face walked out. He was only wrapped in two pieces of brown cloth on his upper body, almost half - naked, and his exposed muscles were extremely strong, looking very powerful.
"These two are Big Brother Scar's two subordinates, A Zuo and A You."
Next to Scar stood two thinner young men. A Zuo smiled stupidly, but there was a hint of calculation in his eyes, while A You had a high ponytail and showed his tiger teeth when he smiled, looking like a neighbor's younger brother.
"These two are twin sisters. The elder sister is An Wu, and the younger sister is An Ge."
Two female cultivators who looked almost identical walked out. Their exquisite figures were outlined by the light gauze, and every frown and smile exuded charm.
When A Zuo saw the two sisters, his eyes widened, and he couldn't move his gaze away at all.
"The remaining two are also a couple. Coincidentally, they couldn't rent a boat either. So I kindly charged them some spiritual stones and let them come along."
A very simply - dressed couple walked out. They looked a bit older, and there was a big bulging包袱 on their backs. No one knew what was inside.
Finally, Nian Duanyan also introduced Shen Qing and Li Xian to everyone.
The middle - aged couple showed a friendly smile to Shen Qing and Li Xian. The twin sisters looked at them haughtily and then swayed their slender waists and walked to another place.
Scar and his two little brothers didn't take Shen Qing and Li Xian seriously at all. They just responded perfunctorily and then went back to sit on the other side of the deck. A Zuo flattered An Wu and An Ge.
Nian Duanyan looked down at the beach. Seeing that there were no more casual cultivators going out to sea, he retracted his disappointed gaze and prepared to set sail.
"Duanyan, don't be disappointed. There are enough people this time. Having more would be a burden instead."
Liu You stood beside Nian Duanyan and showed a satisfied smile.
Nian Duanyan looked at Liu You greedily and said, "My dear Youniang, since the bait is enough, let's set off."