An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

At some point, unnoticed by most, small groups of cultivators had begun to appear across the vast docking grounds. They arrived in threes and fours and their clothing varied, but they bore distinct emblems on their robes that marked them as members of three different factions. From the look of it, this docking station was jointly operated by these three cultivation groups.

Lu Rong, of course, was from one of them—the Divine Craftsman Sect.

The other two factions stood farther away, deliberately keeping their distance as they watched the scene unfold. Their postures were relaxed and their expressions eager, as if they were anticipating a good show.

Meanwhile, Nangong Jin and Li Yixian had stepped up behind Luo Chen.

Luo Chen gave Lu Rong a cold snort. ”We chose to land here out of respect for local customs, not to stir up trouble. But the moment we touched down, without so much as a greeting, your people rushed over, insisting on washing and repairing our flying boat.”

He stepped forward, and his voice turned sharp and cutting. ”So let me ask, what’s the cost? No clear prices, no upfront notice. What if you wash my flying boat and then demand ten thousand spirit stones? Haha!”

Lu Rong’s face twitched slightly at Luo Chen’s sharp words. Then, without warning, he swung one hand.

Smack!

A crisp slap echoed through the air. Xu Xiaoliu, who had been standing nearby, reeled as a bright red handprint bloomed across his left cheek.

Lu Rong barked. ”Liuzi! Look what you’ve done! You didn’t even brief this gentleman on the way here. Uh... what should I call you?” Lu Rong paused and looked at Luo Chen.

Luo Chen snorted. ”I go by Dan Chenzi.”

Using a Dao title and not giving his real name? Lu Rong frowned slightly, then backhanded another slap.

Smack!

Now a red five-finger mark bloomed on Xu Xiaoliu’s right cheek as well. It created a strangely symmetrical look with the left side.

That scene left the Qi-Refining cultivators of Luo Tian Society, the Li family, and the Nangong family stunned. They stood frozen, blinking in disbelief.

Some even glared in outrage. What kind of disrespectful treatment is this?!

Luo Chen said impatiently. ”Enough. If there’s a problem, say it plainly. Don’t pull this crap.”

Lu Rong chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his fingers as if the slaps had hurt him more than the recipient. ”Fellow Daoist Dan Chenzi, don’t be upset, this was truly our oversight. Rest assured, we’re fair dealers here. No cheating or extortion!”

Luo Chen sneered. No price gouging?. If they had gone ahead just now, wouldn’t they be free to demand whatever they wanted afterward?

Lu Rong said cheerfully, ”For washing, we charge based on size. Boats under three zhang cost one spirit stone. Under ten zhang for five spirit stones. A large one like yours will be fifty.”

Upon hearing the price, the Qi-Refining cultivators in the back began to stir.

They whispered among themselves: ”Why not just rob us?”

”This is robbery!” another growled.

”That’s nearly enough to buy half a bottle of qi-nourishing pills!”

Murmurs like that rippled through the crowd.

Li Yixian suddenly turned and glared. It was her own Li family cultivators that were grumbling. They were spoiled by their privileged status in Dahe Market and pampered throughout the entire journey; they had grown accustomed to throwing their weight around without consequence. Even here, in the prestigious Tianlan Immortal City, they remained loud and careless, completely unbothered by the possibility of causing trouble.

In contrast, the Luo Tian Society cultivators all stood silently with their eyes fixed respectfully on Luo Chen’s back. Not a single word passed between them.

Even the Nangong family’s disciples stood solemn and still, not daring to speak out of turn.

After Li Yixian’s glare, the muttering finally ceased.

Lu Rong, pretending not to hear anything, continued cheerfully, ”Relax! It’s not just a basic Water Ball toss, not at all! A flying boat is an enchanted artifact; it can corrode or degrade if not handled properly. A careless touch can damage a vital component. You might not notice anything during normal use, but at a critical moment? It could mean disaster. Our cleaning process is thorough. We start with a Water Mirror to control the overview, then apply cleansing talismans, Water Ball, Dust Dispel, and finish with our exclusive spirit solution. Once we’re done, it’ll be spotless, no residue, no filth left behind!”

Lu Rong raised his hand, fingers spread wide.

Beside him, Xu Xiaoliu shuddered involuntarily.

Lu Rong began shaking his hand exaggeratedly. ”Fifty? That’s a bargain!”

Luo Chen almost rolled his eyes. All that flair just to name a price...

Luo Chen asked, ”What about repairs?”

The Skyhawk Flying Boat had been through hell, and it was practically on the verge of falling apart. If the cost wasn’t too steep, Luo Chen thought, getting it repaired might be worth considering.

Although Duan Feng was skilled at artifact forging, he was only good at maintaining mid- and low-grade enchanted artifacts. Top-grade ones were a bit beyond his pay grade. Moreover, flying boats were in a league of their own; the value of large-scale enchanted artifacts like Skyhawk Flying Boat rivaled that of defensive enchanted treasures of the same grade. And repairing them was an entirely different challenge, several times more complex than mending a typical enchanted artifact. Thus, so far, they have only been patching it up, and whatever they did was far from a true restoration.

Lu Rong grinned with confidence as he strolled over to the Skyhawk Flying Boat, pipe in hand. With practiced ease, he began his inspection, tapping and knocking. The rhythmic knock of his pipe echoed off the hull. Every so often, he released a wave of spirit consciousness, letting it seep into the enchanted artifact’s inner structure to assess its condition.

After a while, he turned around and walked back, grinning from ear to ear, his face blooming with satisfaction like a sunflower basking under warm sunlight.

”Let me be blunt! This flying boat of yours is from Tianfan City, two hundred years ago. It’s obsolete. Some of the materials on this thing are barely used nowadays. To repair it, we’d have to go to great lengths to find replacements. As for the formation, they’re a mess. Technically well-laid, but unfit for a flying vessel. They are clumsy and mismatched.”

That last remark made Min Longyu’s face flush with embarrassment. He’d poured considerable effort into those formations, only to have a Foundation Establishment Initiate call them clumsy and mismatched.

Lu Rong raised his hand and held up four fingers. Xu Xiaoliu, standing nearby, flinched again, as if expecting another slap.

Lu Rong said confidently. ”I’ve done a rough estimate. Four thousand, if you want a proper and full restoration, there’s no way it’ll cost less than four thousand spirit stones! Fellow Daoist Dan Chenzi, I swear I’m not exaggerating the price at all!”

Having said his piece, Lu Rong stared at Luo Chen with wide, hopeful eyes, waiting for a reaction.

Luo Chen let out a laugh, light and amused.”Hahahahaha!”

It was a laugh born of fury! For that price plus a few hundred, he could buy a brand new, large, top-grade flying boat! Lu Rong clearly thought they were some ignorant bumpkin who didn’t know the market rate.

Seeing Luo Chen laugh, Lu Rong’s grin widened as well, mistaking it for agreement. ”Fellow Daoist, so you mean—?”

”No cleaning,” Luo Chen cut in, his tone flat.

”Eh?”Lu Rong blinked, confused.

Luo Chen continued, ”And no repairs.”

”Uh...”Lu Rong’s smile disappeared. ”Fellow Daoist, you’re toying with me.”

Luo Chen’s smile vanished as well. ”The Ice Fortress cultivator at the gate told us to dock our boats; he said nothing about washing or repairing them.”

Lu Rong opened his mouth, then gave a bitter laugh through clenched teeth. Not bothering to argue further, he returned to his shaded spot and resumed puffing on his pipe.

Luo Chen glanced at him, then looked toward Xu Xiaoliu. ”What’s the rate for docking?”

Gone was the boy’s earlier cheer. Now Xu Xiaoliu spoke with extreme caution. ”For a flying boat of your size, it’s one low-grade spirit stone per day.”

Luo Chen asked, ”Any time limit?”

Xu Xiaoliu nodded. ”Yes, after a month, the daily rate doubles.”

Luo Chen asked, ”How can we be sure you won’t strip valuable components from the boat?”

Xu Xiaoliu straightened a little. ”Tianlan’s management has installed image-capturing walls around the yard. Everything’s recorded. If any valuable parts are stolen, the Enforcement Division will track the culprit and punish them severely.”

Luo Chen’s voice dropped slightly. ”And if the boat is damaged while parked?”

Xu Xiaoliu hesitated. ”That... shouldn’t happen.”

”Fine. Ten days, then.”

As Luo Chen spoke, Sima Huiniang stepped forward and placed ten low-grade spirit stones into Xu Xiaoliu’s hand.

”We’ll dock for ten days as well,” she added.

”Same here,” came the response from the Li and Nangong families, whose cultivators promptly produced their spirit stones.

Xu Xiaoliu took the spirit stones and hurried into a small pavilion on the edge of the docking yard. Moments later, he returned with three strange tokens, neither quite wood nor iron.

”These are your docking tokens. You’ll need them to settle the final fee later,” he explained, then stepped respectfully aside to wait for their departure.

Lu Rong watched silently from his seat beneath the awning, puffing smoke. He thought they’d finally be on their way. Unexpectedly, Luo Chen turned back and looked directly at Xu Xiaoliu from a distance.

”We need a guide,” he said. ”Interested in earning a bit of tip money?”

Xu Xiaoliu froze for a moment, then eagerly trotted after them.

Luo Chen gave a faint smile, casting a subtle glance toward Lu Rong before leading his people away.

After they were gone, several cultivators across from the Divine Craftsman Sect’s section burst into laughter.

”Lu Rong! You got burned!” one of them called out gleefully.

”Screw off!”

”Fellow Daoist Lu Rong, you really ought to handle business more gently. Can’t just try to gut everyone you see. If you’d been polite, you might’ve landed a good deal!” another said with a mocking grin.

”Go fuck yourself!”Lu Rong’s face darkened as he stared in the direction Luo Chen had gone.

”Damn bumpkin paupers,” he muttered through clenched teeth. ”Can’t even squeeze two coins’ worth of oil out of them.” He took a long drag on his pipe, letting the smoke swirl briefly before it flowed back into his body.

His gaze wandered, lazily at first, until it settled on the Skyhawk Flying Boat, still gently swaying in its dock.

A sinister curl appeared at the corner of his lips.