Chapter 11: The Mysterious Stone Tablet Maiden

Although the flight hadn’t taken off yet, Qin Xi had already lost all hope for this flying experience.

He had originally thought that coming to a world of immortals and martial arts would give him the chance to truly savor the sensation of flight—whether it was riding a sword or boarding a flying boat, such an ethereal world surely wouldn’t disappoint.

But now, he was about to hang onto the flying boat for two whole days and nights, bringing his own rations.

Anyone faced with such a stark contrast would surely break down.

Only Jiang Baiqiu, sealed inside the Golden Jade Hall for ten thousand years, was still full of enthusiasm for everything, unaware of the ordeal ahead.

“Qin~ Xi~, what position are you going to use later?”

What kind of mischievous words are those!

You’re so lazy you can’t even finish saying “what position to hang on the flying boat in”?

Qin Xi sighed and waved his hand. “Go play somewhere else. We’ll gather once the flying boat starts moving.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than something unexpected seemed to occur.

“Boom, boom!”

A faint tremor came from the ground, as if something heavy was pounding down rhythmically.

At first, Qin Xi thought the flying boat was starting up, but when he looked up, it was still completely still.

The departure time hadn’t come yet.

So where was that noise coming from?

Qin Xi scanned his surroundings and found the source of the vibrations.

It was a girl.

She wore a simple dark gray cotton dress—unremarkable clothing, but her steps were modest yet graceful, the hem of her skirt swaying gently with each move.

Her face was extraordinary, with every feature perfectly placed, as delicate as a peach blossom. Despite her plain attire, her appearance radiated an air of nobility.

The girl was small in stature, even noticeably shorter than Qin Xi by a full head. Such a tiny frame could not possibly cause the ground to tremble.

Yet on her back was a black stone tablet.

The tablet was a perfect rectangular prism, larger than the girl herself, so heavy that she had to sling it diagonally to keep it off the ground.

As for the weight, judging from how the ground shook with every step she took, it was probably comparable to a semi-trailer truck.

Who on earth was this mysterious figure?

But in a world of cultivators, such things were not unheard of.

Curious, Qin Xi followed the girl’s gaze to see where she was headed.

Suddenly, she stopped in place, as if she sensed someone watching her.

Qin Xi frowned—could she have noticed him?

This wasn’t good. In his previous life, if the girl was unreasonable, he’d probably be reported and arrested for staring.

Yet the girl carrying the tablet began looking around instead, seemingly unaware of Qin Xi’s gaze.

She appeared to be staring at something too.

What was it?

Following her line of sight, Qin Xi saw an elderly woman.

The old woman walked with great difficulty, each step painstakingly slow, clearly struggling to move.

Despite her frailty, she carried a huge bundle in her hands, making her look like a brittle branch burdened by weight, ready to snap at any moment.

The girl with the tablet was watching the old woman, quietly muttering something over and over.

Qin Xi’s curiosity got the better of him, so he crept closer to catch what she was saying.

As he approached, he heard her low voice repeating:

“Grandma, let me carry your things for you... Grandma, let me carry your things for you...”

Why was she repeating this phrase?

Qin Xi quickly figured it out.

She was rehearsing.

Clearly, she wanted to help the old woman but lacked social skills, so she was practicing what to say in advance, to avoid stumbling when the time came.

And indeed, she kept taking deep breaths, one after another, preparing herself mentally.

After a few breaths, her eyes hardened with determination. She looked like a warrior stepping onto a battlefield.

She was about to face an unparalleled challenge!

Then she charged forward.

“Old thing, Grandma’s here to carry your things!”

Qin Xi covered his face, unwilling to witness the inevitable awkwardness that followed.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The ground trembled even more violently.

It seemed the unlucky girl couldn’t handle the embarrassment of a verbal slip and fled.

Carrying such a heavy load, couldn’t she run more lightly?

...

“The Imperial City to Yuebei City, half an incense stick’s time left. Those wanting to board the flying boat, hurry up!”

The flying boat guild staff called out, selling the remaining seats.

Qin Xi sat cross-legged on the ground, avoiding the crowded waiting room.

Here, he could observe the interesting happenings around him.

Like the girl with the stone tablet.

She approached the ticket seller and asked, “Excuse me, what kinds of seats are available?”

“There are many—hanging seats, standing tickets, lying down tickets, sitting seats...” the man replied.

“What are the prices?” she continued.

“Hanging tickets are one hundred copper coins for three people; standing tickets one hundred copper coins, or one silver coin per person; lying tickets three silver coins each,” he explained. “Of course, these are prices for the mortal cabin. If you’re a cultivator, you can enter the cultivator cabin, which has dedicated service. Prices depend on the services you want; cultivators usually enjoy flying boats freely, so ticket prices don’t really matter—usually given for free.”

Generally, those at Foundation Establishment stage could undertake long-distance flights, though not with complete ease in the sky—they needed to rest periodically.

For cultivators of this level, flying boats weren’t essential, so the guild offered special services to give them pleasures that solo flight couldn’t match.

And it was quite effective.

“...Then I’ll buy two sitting tickets in the mortal cabin.”

“All right... wait, lady hero, that thing you’re carrying can’t go on board—it’s too heavy. It must be placed in the cargo hold.”

“No, that won’t do. The Taihang Tablet is like family to me... it can’t be kept in the cargo hold!” The girl tightened her grip on the stone tablet.

“But if you buy a seat for it... that might cost quite a bit.”

“That’s all right; money doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, how generous! Lady hero, I’ll inform them right away!”

Just as the man turned to make the announcement, the girl suddenly stopped him.

She looked up at the flying boat. “Why is your boat hull full of holes? I’ve never seen a flying boat like this before. It’s so ugly.”

“You’ve never seen it? Then you’re inexperienced! That’s the hanging cabin for people. The newly built flying boats all look like this!”

“Eh?”

“A normal flying boat only makes fifty percent profit per trip, but with the hanging cabins, profits reach sixty percent. Plus, the modification is simple. Who wouldn’t do this profitable business?”

“But... the people hanging outside must be very uncomfortable,” the girl hesitated. “Maybe even in danger?”

“Well, that’s because they’re poor. If they had money, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable at all.”

The girl frowned.