Chapter 81: The City of Eastern Fence Pass

The small caravan traveled out of Panlong Territory and had just reached a mountain stream at the foot of the hills when Qingjin felt as though something was watching him. He looked around but found nothing unusual. Later, as they passed another small river, he felt the same sensation—something or someone was observing them.

By noon, they reached a clean, secluded lake and set up camp to prepare a meal. No sooner had they set down the cooking pots than a dozen or so blue tails—long, two-foot cyan-striped fish—came leaping up from the lakeside and lay themselves out, mouths agape, right in front of them.

Ning Qi exclaimed, “My goodness, Xiaohu’er, what kind of luck do you have? Fish jumped onto the shore for you by Panlong Lake, and now they’re doing it here too!”

“What luck? It’s just the shoal that Qinghu raised—they’ve followed us,” Qingjin replied helplessly, recognizing some familiar shapes bobbing at the lake’s edge.

“They followed you? Out of Panlong Lake?” Ning Qi stared at him in amazement.

“It’s exactly as you think,” Qingjin replied.

“Xiaohu’er, what kind of fish did you raise that they could leave Panlong Lake and keep following you?”

“They’re just fish,” Xiaohu’er answered, proud but also a little wary.

“You really are something else,” Ning Qi praised.

“That’s right.”

“But do you think your fish are really going to follow us all the way to Wuding City? Are there enough underground waterways for them to swim through on the journey?” Ning Qi asked.

“They probably can. If not, we’ll figure it out,” Xiaohu’er replied cautiously.

“So why did you start raising fish in the first place?” Ning Qi asked, a trace of curiosity in his voice.

“To eat them, of course.”

Ning Qi nearly choked, looking genuinely shocked.

“I thought you wanted to become a beast tamer or something,” he said.

“What’s a beast tamer?” Qinghu asked curiously.

Ning Qi laughed. “Ah, I forgot—there are so few fierce beasts in the human territories, beast tamers are even rarer. But in Wuding City, humans are not the majority. There are many beast tamers of other races. A beast tamer is someone who commands fierce beasts in battle.”

He found the guarded look on little Qinghu’s face quite endearing.

“I’m not a beast tamer. I raise fish to eat them, that’s all,” Qinghu replied bluntly.

“Exactly. If you don’t eat the fish you raise, what’s the point?” Qingjin agreed wholeheartedly with his little sister.

“If we’re going to Wuding City, we should at least take a trip to the Xuantian Pagoda. Otherwise, if everyone else has been inside and we haven’t, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? At the very least, we should have a tour inside,” Ning Qi coaxed, following the threads of the siblings’ thoughts.

Immediately, Qingjin and Qinghu both put on serious faces. Ning Qi’s argument made sense.

“To enter the Xuantian Pagoda, you must be a young talent—under thirty years of age and below the Golden Core stage. Given your cultivation levels, Qinghu, you’re at the fourth level of Qi Refining, which is nowhere near enough. Qingjin, you’re at the sixth level, still not qualified to enter,” Ning Qi explained.

Both Qingjin and Qinghu’s expressions changed at his words.

“So, we’ll have to find another way. The Xuantian Pagoda allows entry either by testing combat strength or by demonstrating mastery of a particular art. I’ve heard you like brewing spirit wine, Qingjin—how many types can you make? And of what grade?” Ning Qi asked.

“I can brew five kinds, all of ninth grade,” Qingjin replied confidently. “They’re all the lowest rank, but they taste great. My mother says I’m better than many master brewers.”

“Well, I have some other recipes here—seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. Memorize them, so when the examiner tests your eligibility, you’ll be prepared. Once we reach Wuding City, we’ll buy you some ingredients to practice. The more recipes you’re familiar with, the easier it’ll be to pass the entrance test,” Ning Qi advised.

“There’s a test to enter the tower?” Qingjin asked in surprise.

“Yes, a qualification test,” Ning Qi confirmed. “Qinghu, you should disguise yourself as a beast tamer. Here’s a book on forming contracts and deep bonds with spirit beasts. Just read it. For your test, as long as you can command your fish to perform simple actions, you’ll pass.”

Ning Qi handed Qingjin a thin volume titled “Old Sanmei’s Brewing Recipes” and gave Qinghu a slim “Beast Tamer’s Contract Primer.”

Qingjin flipped through the book. The recipes seemed simple, but brewing good wine required attention to detail and practice. The ingredients also sounded expensive, which stung his thrifty heart.

Qinghu looked through the primer. For her, such rudimentary contracts were hardly worth learning.

“Does the Xuantian Pagoda really have so many restrictions?” Qingjin asked.

“Indeed,” Ning Qi replied. “With your current cultivation, you’re borderline. You’d best try to reach the peak of Qi Refining, or learn one or two powerful secret techniques.”

“Alright. Then, Qingjin, Qinghu, let’s all work hard together. Since we’re heading to Wuding City, we must visit the Xuantian Pagoda and see it for ourselves,” Qingjin declared.

“Why do we have to go to the pagoda? Weren’t we just planning on eating good food in Wuding City?” Qinghu objected.

“It’s a rare opportunity. Let’s make the most of it—be good,” Qingjin coaxed.

Qinghu nodded reluctantly.

After lunch, the small caravan set off once more. They hadn’t gone far before several pink-haired young antelopes charged toward them. Soon, the little antelopes became trophies for the caravan, providing a grand mutton feast for dinner. The leftover meat was stored away by Xiaobai in a storage pouch.

From Panlong Territory to Dongli Mountain, they remained in human lands. The beasts attacking their caravan were generally small; they encountered a few ninth-grade wild wolves, but after probing them and realizing how formidable Ning Qi and Qingjin were, the wolves withdrew.

Upon reaching the Dongli Pass at the defensive line of Dongli Mountain, they found a decent inn to rest. Over dinner, Ning Qi said to Qingjin, “I just received word—the opening of the Xuantian Pagoda is drawing many young people to Wuding City. With such crowds, it’s attracting plenty of bandits and cutthroats. If they were only human, it wouldn’t be so dangerous. The real threat comes from those who aren’t.”

“This journey has grown perilous. We should adjust our route. I think we should take the waterway—travel by boat from Ganshui along the Golden River all the way to Wuding City.”

Qingjin gave a wry smile. “But we have no boat. You know, beyond Dongli Mountain, it’s true wilderness—where would we hire a boat? None of us knows how to pilot one either. Traveling the Ganshui into the Golden River, the things in the water aren’t easy to deal with—it won’t be a simple journey.”

“There are indeed many creatures in the water, but with Qinghu’s fish shoal, at least we’ll have some warning. On land, we might stumble into an old demon’s or a wild god’s trap without even realizing it,” Ning Qi said seriously.