I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 45 Borrowing a Crane, a Journey Through Ten Thousand Mountains and a Market

The next day.

Ying Chan and Li Xuanying left early in the morning.

After climbing to the summit and gathering and refining the purple energy, they headed to Hechifang.

Crane Pond is a rather special area within the Taoist temple, inhabited by many cranes.

It is said that in the beginning, these cranes lived on the shore of Xiaqi Lake, living together with the disciples of the Taoist temple, but later, for some unknown reason, they moved to Hechifang.

Ying Chan and Li Xuanying came to Hechifang to borrow a crane to carry them to the boat meeting.

Indeed, the place where the cloud-borne boat in Wanshanfang City is moored is quite a distance from the Taoist temple.

Although it wouldn't be difficult for the two of them to get there, just like when they rescued the old ape last time, if they focused on their journey, they could arrive in a day and a night at most.

But that time, firstly, the situation had already calmed down, and secondly, the situation was urgent, and I also had to take care of the little white ape. Now, however, there is no need to waste time and effort.

Before the two even entered Crane Pond, they could already hear the clear cries of the cranes within.

Ying Chan suddenly remembered that when he first arrived at the Taoist temple, he was carried there by a crane.

I wonder if that crane also lives in Crane Pond?

There was hardly anyone in Hechifang.

The cranes in the hamlet are all registered spiritual birds of the Taoist temple, but they are not kept in captivity by the temple.

They simply reside here and are willing to attach themselves to the Taoist temple and the sect.

Therefore, it doesn't need anyone to take care of it on a daily basis. There is only one Taoist priest on duty who occasionally registers whether the crane has any abnormal conditions, whether any disciples have borrowed the crane, and where it is going, etc.

This wasn't the first time Li Xuanying had borrowed a crane, so he easily led Ying Chan to the Taoist priest on duty and explained his purpose.

The Taoist priest on duty was not surprised. He dipped his brush in ink and recorded the names and whereabouts of the two men, then said indifferently, "Junior brother knows the rules, right?"

"If you borrow a crane, you must bring your own Jade Dew Pill as a reward."

"Besides, if the crane you requested is unwilling, you cannot force it. There are plenty of cranes in the market; you can find another one..."

"I understand."

Li Xuanying bowed and then left with Ying Chan.

The Jade Dew Pill is a kind of elixir that can cleanse impurities. It is not very precious, but it is very popular with spirits and monsters.

After learning about this pill, Ying Chan specially bought some from the pill shop, thinking it might be of some help to Cai Que'er. Now it has come in handy.

Carrying the Jade Dew Pills, the two walked deeper into Crane Pond. Before they even had a chance to search, a crane noticed them.

The reason why the disciples of the Taoist temple came to Hechifang is obvious.

Soon, a tall crane flew down in front of the two of them and lowered its head slightly.

Li Xuanying took out the Jade Dew Pill and offered it to the crane, but the crane did not accept it; instead, it pretended to listen.

Li Xuanying then cupped his hands and said, "Please trouble you, Lord Crane, to take us to the boat fair in Wanshan Fang City."

These cranes are truly intelligent; they can not only understand human speech, but they also know where the boats in Wanshanfang City are located.

Upon hearing this, the 'Crane Lord' appeared to be deep in thought, and after a moment, it pecked the Jade Dew Pill from his hand.

Li Xuanying was delighted to see this and called out to Ying Chan, "Senior Brother, let's go together."

Seeing that Crane Lord was tall and strong enough to carry two people, and that it did not object, Ying Chan followed Li Xuanying and gently jumped onto Crane Lord's back to sit down.

Only then did Crane King raise its head, let out a long cry, and then flapped its wings and soared into the sky.

Once again, it rode a crane and disappeared into the clouds.

Ying Chan was no longer the same as before. He sat calmly, without even needing to maintain his balance, because the crane's flight was so smooth, and it seemed that he even had some ability to ride the wind. He flew in the gentle breeze the whole way.

The journey is long, after all. Even though cranes fly fast, they cannot arrive in an instant.

Li Xuanying quickly closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. Ying Chan, however, did not find it boring. He simply gazed around, using the Heavenly Pearl to observe the drifting clouds, and sometimes looked down to see the verdant mountains and the shimmering lakes passing by.

In this way, more than an hour passed.

Suddenly, Crane Lord burst out of a wisp of mist, and a colossal figure and several precipitous peaks appeared before him.

Li Xuanying opened his eyes and said, "We've arrived."

"This is the Cloud Boat of Ten Thousand Mountains?..."

Ying Chan was deeply shocked.

Although he already knew that the Cloud Boat was a floating ship, he never imagined that it would be such a colossal object.

At first glance, it resembles a small town, nestled among several peaks, with magnificent palaces and pavilions, bustling with people coming and going, a truly lively scene.

"Crane Lord," Li Xuanying said, "please descend to the summit."

As Crane Lord landed, Ying Chan quickly noticed that several peaks around the cloud boat were emitting light that flew up and down, probably not by Xuan Guang cultivators, but by flying magic artifacts.

As for the cloud boat, flying should be prohibited.

Besides, some figures could be seen on the mountain peaks and cliffs, stepping up and down on the rocks, and occasionally their bodies would flash with spiritual light, obviously using magic to help them.

Although most of the students in the Taoist academy possessed cultivation, they were no different from ordinary Taoists most of the time.

Therefore, this was the first time Ying Chan had ever seen so many cultivators displaying their abilities.

Li Xuanying explained, "Some of these cultivators came here specifically for this purpose; they are not all cultivating nearby."

Ying Chan nodded slightly to show his understanding. The Wanshan Cloud Boat arrives once a season, which must be a grand event for some cultivators.

Crane Lord soon landed on a mountain peak.

Perhaps because the cloud boat always moored here, the summit was paved with bluestone, forming a small square.

Many cultivators landed or ascended here, and then traveled to the Cloud Boat via the suspended wooden path.

Ying Chan and Li Xuanying landed on Crane Lord, quickly attracting a lot of attention.

It wasn't that they were particularly conspicuous riding cranes, but rather that the Taoist robes they wore, though seemingly simple, were actually quite eye-catching.

Ying Chan even noticed that some Xuan Guang cultivators looked at them with envy.

He pretended not to notice.

Ying Chan now knows that the Xuandu School's claim to be the orthodox sect of Taoism in this world is not an exaggeration.

In the eyes of outsiders, these disciples of the Taoist academy are no different from the outer disciples of the Xuandu Sect.

The two dismounted from the crane, and soon people came to greet them.

It didn't seem like getting to know someone or making friends; rather, it seemed like someone from Yunfang who was in charge of welcoming guests, wearing a standard robe embroidered with cloud and tower patterns.

Sure enough, as he approached, he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, both of you."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to Crane Lord and he asked, "Would you like to find a place for this fellow Daoist to rest? There is a place on the boat specifically for spirit birds to rest."

Clearly, Yun Fang had been staying near the Taoist temple for a long time and was well aware of some taboos, and did not even mention the word 'mount'.

"Crane Lord".

Li Xuanying asked, "My senior brother and I plan to stay on the cloud boat for at least half a day."

"Would you like to rest on the boat, or go to the mountains on your own?"

Crane King's eyes revealed a human-like contemplation. After a moment, he shook his head at the two of them, then spread his wings and soared into the clouds.

(End of this chapter)