"Maobao'er, what nonsense are you spouting? It's not that I want it; it's for you to offer Uncle Ma a piece as a sign of respect. Can't you even bear to do that?"

The Big Black Cat angrily raised his paw and thwacked Maobao'er on the head.

Stars swirled before Maobao'er's eyes, their rims instantly reddening as tears welled up, glistening.

"You're bullying me again!" Maobao'er wailed.

"I'm not bullying you; I'm doing this for your own good. Uncle Ma isn't an outsider; you can't be so stingy," the Big Black Cat lectured earnestly.

"But I originally had four pieces!" Maobao'er retorted stubbornly, still not producing the tea leaf.

She originally had four pieces. The Big Black Cat had taken half on Wu Kun Mountain, and now, of the remaining two, another half was about to be taken.

Maobao'er's heart ached as if it were bleeding.

Seeing Maobao'er's stubbornness, the Big Black Cat sighed, "Yes, you had four pieces, and you gave me two. Wasn't that to thank me for helping you break off your engagement..."

After a moment of silence, Maobao'er reluctantly drew out a Small Jade Bottle and poured out a green tea leaf.

The Big Black Cat was instantly overjoyed, grabbing the green tea leaf and floating towards Uncle Ma.

"Uncle Ma, you see, Maobao'er here is quite considerate. She's also sent a piece of Immortal Tea for you," the Big Black Cat said with a smile.

"Maobao'er is indeed considerate. As her senior, I can't just accept it without giving something in return." Uncle Ma felt a bit embarrassed, a hint of awkwardness on his face. He gave a slight shake, and a black scale flew out from his body.

Uncle Ma breathed out blue lightning from his mouth onto the scale and began to refine it.

"TSK TSK..." An admiring look filled the Big Black Cat's eyes.

"Maobao'er, as I said, Uncle Ma wouldn't just take your Immortal Tea for nothing," the Big Black Cat glanced at Maobao'er behind him and declared proudly.

Maobao'er wiped her tears and nodded, her eyes still red.

Just then, Uncle Ma completed his refining, and a Black Shield appeared.

"Maobao'er, I don't have much else to give. How about I give you a shield?" Uncle Ma chuckled softly. A wave of Mana swept out, and the Black Shield floated towards Maobao'er.

A shield? Upon seeing the small Black Shield fluttering towards her, Maobao'er quickly grabbed it, her face lighting up with excitement.

She had seen the power of the Big Black Cat's Black Shield before; it not only possessed an incredibly strong defense but also had offensive Divine Skills.

With the shield in her hand, Maobao'er's tears of grievance turned into a smile of joy.

The Big Black Cat floated over, took out his own Black Shield, and compared them. "Not bad," he remarked, "our shields look exactly the same."

Maobao'er nodded. Their shields were indeed identical.

The Big Black Cat scratched his head with his paw and chuckled, "From now on, with our shields combined, we'll be invincible!"

Hearing this, Maobao'er couldn't help but giggle, her earlier feelings of grievance vanishing instantly.

Uncle Ma also nodded. Seeing Maobao'er happy, he, as a senior, also felt relieved.

After all, a mere Little Monster in the Divine Bridge Realm had offered him a piece of Immortal Tea, which made him, an Eternal Realm Elder, feel somewhat uneasy.

Now that he had given away a Black Shield, he felt much better.

Maobao'er began refining the Black Shield.

The Big Black Cat also put away his Black Shield and started cultivating.

He was still diligently cultivating the Sky Exterminating Phantom Eye. He was extremely dedicated to this Divine Skill.

Uncle Ma put away one tea leaf. As for the other, he used his Mana to affix it between his eyebrows, continuously absorbing the fragrance it emitted. The aroma did not leak out at all, completely controlled by his Mana.

Uncle Ma, having shaken off his earlier fatigue and despondency, pulled the carriage forward once more, soon disappearing into the depths of the valley.

「Inside the carriage...」

Mu Qing had witnessed the entire event. Her heart was filled with a mix of shock and joy.

She hadn't expected that the Master's leftover tea leaves were actually Immortal Tea with such incredibly potent effects.

Now, her task was to serve tea and water to the Master. From now on, wouldn't she be able to collect all the tea leaves the Master left behind?

The mere thought made Mu Qing so excited she felt like screaming.

Being the Master's maid was truly great! So wonderful!

Her former status as the Saintess of the Sacred Sect of the Mysterious Bird had seemed lofty and prestigious, but in reality, it was utterly useless.

Being a maid for the Master is truly great... Mu Qing closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth curling up in a smile, a hint of excitement on her face.

「Three thousand miles from Wu Kun Mountain.」

A huge flying ship was anchored atop a mountain.

This type of vessel, also called a ferry boat, specialized in transporting Cultivators and goods between different dynastic territories.

Many Cultivators stood on the dock, queuing to board the flying ship. Lei Qinian was among them, slowly moving forward with the crowd.

Also in the crowd was a young man in a red robe, his hands clasped behind his back. He was constantly looking around with a nonchalant, devil-may-care expression.

He looked as if he wouldn't bat an eye even if the sky fell, giving off the air of a pampered young master from some prominent family.

The red-robed young man was queuing behind Lei Qinian, seven or eight people between them. His gaze kept drifting, intentionally or otherwise, towards Lei Qinian.

The Master instructed me to look after this lad. I must keep a close watch and ensure nothing goes wrong… the red-robed young man thought to himself.

He was a great demon of the Eternal Realm. Ordinarily, he wouldn't need to be so cautious for such a minor task.

But the Bloody Overlord Demonic Dragon was inherently cunning and calculating, far from a simpleton. Thus, he did not underestimate this seemingly small task assigned by the Master.

He knew that the young man before him, merely at the Fifth Level of the Nirvana Realm, had an extraordinary background and status.

Otherwise, given the Master's noble status, he would never have assigned him, a great demon of the Eternal Realm, to personally escort the youth.

The queue moved slowly forward.

At the entrance to the flying ship, a table was set up. Several Cultivators guarded it, responsible for collecting Spirit Stones.

Finally, it was Lei Qinian's turn.

"I'm going to the Heavenly Moon Secret Region in the Heavenly Moon Dynasty. How many Spirit Stones will that be?" Lei Qinian asked.

"Thirty thousand," the middle-aged man at the table, who was responsible for records, replied, lifting his head.

"Is that you? Surnamed Li? Li Qinian?" The middle-aged man looked at Lei Qinian with surprise.

Lei Qinian was also slightly taken aback upon seeing the middle-aged man.

Decades ago, the two had come to blows over a Spirit Grass, and a feud had existed between them ever since.

Unexpectedly, they had run into each other again on this flying ship.

"You, Li! The price for the Heavenly Moon Secret Region has gone up. It's 100,000 Spirit Stones per ticket now," the middle-aged man said, his expression darkening.

"One hundred thousand?" Hearing this number, Lei Qinian's mind buzzed.

He only had a little over 30,000 Spirit Stones in his storage ring—nowhere near enough.

"Zhou Chun An, are you abusing your position to settle a personal score?" Lei Qinian took a deep breath, staring intently at the middle-aged man as he demanded.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Our Skywalker Commerce Alliance's flying ships have always been fairly priced. We never arbitrarily raise them!" the middle-aged man sneered.

"You clearly said 30,000 Spirit Stones just now! Why has it suddenly jumped to 100,000?" Lei Qinian demanded angrily.

"I misspoke earlier. The price I just quoted you is the true fare to the Heavenly Moon Secret Region..." Zhou Chun An said with a cold laugh, a triumphant glint in his eyes.

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