Chapter 402 : The Lark
Undercurrents flowed through the cultivation world, with messages constantly passing between various powers.
When Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue arrived at the first major city west of Linglong City as planned, they also received a message from the Xuanqing Sect—they had already exchanged several rounds of messages verifying information, but this one was different. It was a summons calling disciples back to the sect. Yun Qingyue recognized it immediately; this message wasn't sent exclusively to Jiang Mo, but rather a mass communication sent with an official tone.
Despite being away for so long, Jiang Mo hadn't received such a message even when she first snuck out. After reading it, she found herself unusually hesitant: "This is a sect summons. Should we perhaps return for a visit?"
From the moment she had sent out her information, Jiang Mo knew the tranquility of the cultivation world would be disrupted. With conflict looming, even powerful cultivators at the Fusion realm couldn't guarantee their safety while traveling, so returning to the sect was undoubtedly a wise choice. But her consideration wasn't entirely for this reason—as someone supported by the Xuanqing Sect, she didn't feel right ignoring a direct sect order.
When Yun Qingyue heard this, however, she seemed slightly dazed. Having left the sect for many years and deliberately severed ties with the Xuanqing Sect, she naturally hadn't received this mass communication. She had no intention of returning: "There's no rush. You can accompany me a while longer."
Jiang Mo immediately caught her implied meaning, and her hesitation vanished: "Forget it then. I won't go back."
Jiang Mo didn't elaborate further, but Yun Qingyue clearly understood her intentions, and her emotions became complex.
Jiang Mo changed the subject: "Let's go, Ah Yue. Cloud Stream City is just ahead. We can get some provisions for you there." She glanced at the Swan Goose's beautiful feathers: "But perhaps you should change your appearance. Your current form is a bit too conspicuous."
The cultivation world had no Phoenixes, but it did have their descendants, so birds resembling Phoenixes weren't rare. These birds with Phoenix bloodlines all possessed beautiful appearances, and the Swan Goose wasn't actually the most vibrant or eye-catching among them, which was why they hadn't thought to conceal her before. But their experience in Linglong City had taught them a lesson—since news of the Swan Goose's appearance had already spread, caution was advisable.
Yun Qingyue wasn't one to draw attention unnecessarily, and it was better to avoid trouble when possible. So she transformed, and though she couldn't take human form, she became a white lark instead.
The larks of the cultivation world differed from those in the mortal realm, being quite common spirit birds—small in size with fluffy, beautiful feathers and melodious calls. Their ability to help people calm their minds and spirits had won them the affection of many cultivators. Moreover, they weren't high-ranked beings, so keeping one didn't require much in resources; they could simply be kept for amusement.
When the Swan Goose transformed into a lark, her body immediately shrank to less than half its original size. After fluttering her wings and hovering in the air briefly, she eventually settled back on Jiang Mo's shoulder. It wasn't that she particularly liked this position, but spirit birds like larks almost always perched on cultivators' shoulders. Standing there wouldn't draw attention; on the contrary, flying alongside Jiang Mo would have made her stand out.
"Let's go into the city," the lark raised her wing, pointing toward the prominent city walls in the distance.
Jiang Mo turned to look at the lark on her shoulder, reminded of the small Swan Goose just after her nirvana. Her fingertips twitched with the urge to stroke the bird. Unfortunately, her Senior Sister was still her Senior Sister—the little tiger stirred with desire but still didn't dare to act.
Oh well, she would just have to find an appropriate opportunity later to casually stroke her Senior Sister's feathers...
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As the closest major city to Linglong City, the distance between Cloud Stream City and Linglong City wasn't actually short. Even for a powerful cultivator at the Fusion realm who wanted to fly back and forth, it would take ten days to half a month.
Given this distance, the styles of the two cities were completely different.
There were no peach blossoms in Cloud Stream City, not a single one, and the air lacked that pervasive, inescapable sweet fragrance. The spirit plants cultivated in the city were no different from those in other cities. This place was like an ordinary cultivation city, with cultivators staying and presiding, as well as mortals mingling among them, where birth, aging, sickness, and death proceeded normally.
Jiang Mo walked through the city with the lark on her shoulder, not standing out at all. She gradually relaxed her mind. After entering the city, her first task remained finding an auction house to sell her previous acquisitions in exchange for spirit stones.
The auction house in Cloud Stream City happened to be at the city center, and Jiang Mo found it without much effort.
The person in charge of reception was a Nascent Soul cultivator. Outside of major sects with deep foundations, Nascent Soul cultivation was considered quite high among rogue cultivators and family clans. This Nascent Soul cultivator was essentially half the face of the auction house, but he couldn't discern Jiang Mo's cultivation level. Therefore, as soon as Jiang Mo stepped into the auction house, everyone inside became mentally alert and extremely attentive.
The Nascent Soul cultivator approached proactively with a smile: "May I ask what Senior needs? As it happens, in a few days, our auction house will be holding an auction. If Senior is interested in participating, this junior has an invitation here."
In the cultivation world, everything revolved around strength. Those with high cultivation were honored guests wherever they went, and this wasn't the first time Jiang Mo had heard such words. However, she had no interest in auctions, as her Senior Sister was in urgent need of spiritual energy. Rather than spending spirit stones on precious materials, it was more cost-effective to directly consume spirit stones—after all, with her divine beast bloodline, the Swan Goose's ability to absorb spiritual energy was remarkably swift.
She routinely handed over a storage ring, saying coolly: "Exchange all of it for spirit stones."
The Nascent Soul cultivator naturally didn't dare say more. He respectfully accepted the storage ring and probed inside, his breath immediately catching. Then, while instructing someone to fetch the manager, he led Jiang Mo into an inner chamber for detailed discussion.
Before long, the manager arrived. By then, Jiang Mo was sitting leisurely in the inner chamber with spirit tea and spirit fruits already placed beside her.
Jiang Mo didn't stand on ceremony. She directly took two cups and poured tea into both. The Nascent Soul cultivator thought one cup was for him and felt momentarily flattered, but after pouring the tea, Jiang Mo completely ignored him. Instead, she raised one cup and asked the lark on her shoulder: "This tea is mediocre. Would you like some?"
The spirit tea presented by the auction house to entertain esteemed guests was actually quite high quality. Unfortunately, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had higher cultivation realms, so what seemed excellent tea to ordinary cultivators naturally appeared unremarkable to them.
The lark stretched her neck to sniff the tea fragrance, reluctantly taking a sip, but clearly showing little interest.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo naturally put down the teacup. She also ignored the spirit fruits prepared by the auction house, instead taking out a spirit fruit of her own and offering it to the lark. As soon as the fruit was produced, a clear fragrance filled the room. Those with lower cultivation merely smelled this fragrance and felt their spirits lift... The Nascent Soul cultivator's eyes widened in shock, guessing the spirit fruit was at least seventh-grade or higher, yet it was being fed to a low-level lark!
The auction house manager arrived just then. Seeing this scene, his heart tensed, and he proceeded to exchange polite greetings respectfully.
Jiang Mo had no patience for small talk. Pointing at the storage ring, she asked directly: "How much?"
Seeing her attitude, the manager was equally straightforward. In front of Jiang Mo, he began taking items out of the storage ring one by one for inventory: Meteorite Iron, Crimson Flame Gold, Wind Essence Stone, Celestial Origin Ore... Each item was not only premium material for artifact refining, but these ores had also been roasted and refined, containing minimal impurities, which invisibly increased their value considerably.
Despite the manager's extensive experience—he had seen all these materials separately before—having a storage ring filled with such items still broadened his horizons. Meanwhile, he silently calculated whether the spirit stones he had brought would be enough to purchase all this.
Jiang Mo noticed the manager's expression growing increasingly solemn, but hadn't considered that the auction house's spirit stone reserves might be insufficient. She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, both awakening the other party from his thoughts and asking again: "You've finished counting. How much?"
By now, the manager had calculated the price and answered through gritted teeth: "Twenty-three million high-grade spirit stones. What does Senior think?"
All were "junk" picked up from battlefield ruins, and as Jiang Mo mentally calculated, she found the value of these ores exceeded her expectations. But after a moment's reflection, she understood why—it was likely due to her Senior Sister's purification using Ice Flame. Thinking of this, she itched to stroke the lark's small head, but ultimately still didn't dare.
Jiang Mo wasn't one to haggle over trivial matters. Calculating that the price was reasonable, she feigned restraint with a nod: "Acceptable. Give me the spirit stones, and we'll complete the transaction."
The manager breathed a sigh of relief and immediately produced a storage ring for payment.
After accepting it, Jiang Mo opened it to find the high-grade spirit stones inside had practically formed a mountain—during the previous year, she had been collecting resources to feed the Swan Goose, but with time constraints and no good secret realms opening, although she had earned money, it had been tight. This was the first time she had seen so many spirit stones at once. Would it be enough to feed her Senior Sister for a while?
Thinking of this, Jiang Mo felt the pressure on her shoulder lighten, and she visibly relaxed. Having no intention of lingering, she had just risen when she heard the auction house manager ask: "Senior, in a few days our establishment will hold an auction. Might Senior be interested?"
Jiang Mo waved her hand, walking straight toward the exit: "No need. I'm not interested."
The auction house staff naturally didn't dare to persuade her further. They all escorted her, seeing her all the way to the door. Even after Jiang Mo had walked far away, they hadn't returned, and from a distance, they heard her say to the lark on her shoulder: "Would you like to try some? You used to enjoy eating these."
Looking more carefully, they saw that what the senior was now feeding the bird was no longer a spirit fruit, but a high-grade spirit stone she had just obtained... Everyone felt somewhat surreal. Was this how people fed birds now? Goodness, feeding them spirit stones directly! And those spirit stones—surely they weren't all prepared for that lark?!
The auction house staff were dazed, while Jiang Mo had already walked far away. But they weren't the only ones who had heard Jiang Mo's words.
As she walked, someone approached her side, glanced at the lark on her shoulder, and then said with distress: "Larks are naturally delicate creatures that need to be carefully fed with fine spirit grains and fruits. How can you feed her spirit stones?"
Jiang Mo wondered who was meddling in her affairs, but when she turned to look, she found the person also had a lark perched on his shoulder. The bird tilted its head, curiously looking at her. Seeing her gaze, it wasn't frightened but instead flapped its wings and flew over. It landed on Jiang Mo's hand, curiously examining the spirit stone she was holding, seemingly about to approach and take a bite.
However, before it could act, it suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure descending. The pressure from bloodline superiority rendered it unable to move, making the entire bird as rigid as a stone statue. Finally, unable to maintain its balance, it fell straight down from Jiang Mo's hand.