frightfiction Chapter 533 Get on the ship first, pay the fare later
Chapter 533 Get on the ship first, pay the fare later
Xu Ning could only manage a bitter smile now.
In order to spend some quality time with Ningguang, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, I deliberately left the Dust Concealment Gourd on the dining table in the front hall, so that I wouldn't have to hide it in the drawer under the bed later.
Now, all other elemental powers are unusable, except for the alcohol element stored in his body.
However, this opponent in the darkness seemed to be extremely familiar with his own alcohol element, and its resistance was incredibly high, as if it were bathing in its own alcohol every day.
Fortunately, the opponent had used a clever technique to fall, allowing him to land gently on the Yunmeng Bed. Not only did he not injure himself, but the bed was also not damaged in any way, which at least confirmed that he was not an enemy.
However, in Liyue, there is someone who can sneak into the Jade Pavilion silently, whose skills and strength can overpower him, who is unwilling to harm him, and who even wants to tear off his lower garments now...
"BeiDou?"
The slightly rough little hands paused, and then a giggle suddenly rang out in the darkness.
"This is so boring, Xu Ning. How did you guess it? I was thinking that the more you resisted, the more excited I would get..."
Hearing Beidou's somewhat disappointed complaints, Xu Ning impatiently reached out and pulled her into his arms, hooking his arm around hers and slapping her hard twice as punishment.
"Now I understand what Ningguang meant by 'surprise.' So it was you waiting for me here. When did you get back?"
Beidou removed the golden hairpin from her head and tossed it aside, letting her long, glossy black hair fall loose.
"I delivered Dahuang to Sumeru and haven't left since. Ningguang said it was to prevent things from changing in Liyue after you left... Do you really have to ask these questions now? I've been squatting in this dark room waiting for you, and you've been eating and drinking for ages, while I'm almost full from drinking here... um..."
Hearing that Yu Ren was anxious, Xu Ning didn't dare to hesitate any longer. He flipped Bei Dou, who had been freed from his restraints, over and hugged him from behind.
"It's not over yet... Hmph, I'm getting into it... I will never give in... The outcome is still uncertain!"
Beidou's defiant voice carried directly to the outer room through the door that wasn't closed properly.
"Tch, those two bastards..."
Sitting in her study, Ningguang, her face flushed, secretly rejoiced that she had given her servants and guards a holiday early on; otherwise, she might have been laughed at.
However, with them arguing like this, I couldn't bear to look at any of the files anymore.
He closed the letter delivered by the northern spies. "Hmph, you've traveled such a long way and you're still so energetic. I might as well give you all the work."
Ningguang lost all interest in doing anything. She stood in front of the table for a while, lost in thought, and finally made up her mind to bite her lower lip and walk to her room.
In the hidden cave, Qingyi squatted in front of the blue stone of the "Yaoguang" wine spring, stretched out a small white hand to wipe away the two characters "Yaoguang" carved on the blue stone, and washed the stone powder off her hands in the wine spring that had turned green.
"I have to change my name again. What should I choose this time? Thousand Winds, Thousand Rocks, Thousand Birds, should I still use the Thousand character first? Should I call myself Thousand Flowers or Thousand Leaves? You're a sapling, you won't bloom, right? So, Thousand Leaves will do."
The man in green carved the characters "Qianye" on the blue stone with his finger, then scooped up a mouthful of wine from the pool and tasted it.
"The herbal element is strong enough, and the flavor is good, but it just doesn't feel quite right without the Heart of God..."
As Qingyi was talking to herself, she saw Master Ji drag over a small stool, sit down, and then take out a small wine cup from his bag. He scooped a cup from the wine pool and sat there slowly sipping it.
"What's wrong? Can't sleep because of the noise outside? Do you want me to put it on silent mode for you?" Qingyi chuckled mischievously, teasing the little raccoon.
Master Ji glanced at the woman in blue, puzzled. “We’ve seen all the things humans like to do; they’re nothing special. I was annoyed by that bird.”
The woman in green was choked by Master Ji's remark, and only then did she remember that this little guy was also a master in certain subjects, but he was just a bit slow because he was an animal.
As for the bird it mentioned, it was the little bluebird that had always been by Shen He's side.
It's practically the epitome of restlessness, flying around Shenhe as if it wanted to tear the surrounding flowerbeds to shreds.
"Master, please don't grab at these flowers. Qingyi really likes them."
Shen He rested his chin on one hand, looking rather wistful. He glanced at the restless little bluebird and asked it helplessly, "What are Xu Ning and the others doing? He seems particularly happy. Is it that 'millennium' chess game we talked about last time?"
The little bluebird, flapping its wings, paused, coughed lightly, and replied, "I think... I guess so."
Shen He nodded. "It looks like a lot of fun. Master, do you know how to play? Teach me when you have time. I want to try it with them too."
As the little bluebird agreed, it flew away in a flustered manner, shooting towards the blue-clad woman like a sharp arrow, and hooking its claws onto the front of her dress.
"Liuxia, you're best at this kind of thing, you have to be responsible for teaching her well..."
With a cold laugh, Qingyi ripped the little bluebird off her clothes and tossed it aside. "Heh, not going to pretend to be a mechanical bird anymore? Besides, we all read the little book together back then, so why am I the only one who's good at it!"
"Besides, do you really dare to let me teach your precious disciple? Guess what position I'll have her use on Xu Ning's Cloud Dream Bed?"
The little bluebird, bewildered and helpless, finally flew into a rage and swung its wing, slicing half of the flower bushes in half with a sharp wind blade. The saplings by the Thousand Leaf Wine Spring were so startled that even their newly sprouted branches clung together in a bundle.
Qingyi was furious when she saw this, because she had worked so hard to grow these flowers!
With one kick, the meek and silent Master Ji was knocked over, and the woman in green picked up the small stool under its rear and chased after the bluebird, smashing it with it.
"My back!"
A cowardly god, drunk and nearly blending into the grass by the pool of wine, let out a miserable scream.
While things were getting increasingly chaotic at Dust-Hidden Cave, the battle in Ningguang's room had only just subsided.
Ningguang, weak and exhausted, had fallen asleep.
Beidou, however, was in high spirits and continued fighting relentlessly. He even had the energy to pull out a small wine flask from his disheveled clothes and swayed as he took two big gulps.
With his hands behind his head, admiring the breathtaking view, Xu Ning twitched his nose slightly. "Chidori? Give me a couple of sips too."
Beidou held up the small oval wine pot to Xu Ning's lips. Xu Ning took it and shook it. "Good heavens, it's actually a Cave Heaven level magic treasure. Did you ask Granny Ping to make it?"
Beidou snorted and said, "She only helped me out when dealing with the Vortex Demon God, so she gave me face and made one for me. But a person can't even get in. It's just a super big wine pot. Oh well, at least it's much more convenient for drinking, and it can be used in case of water shortage. I'm still quite satisfied."
Xu Ning took a few sips of wine and laughed, "You've been eating at Ningguang's place all this time, what about your crew?"
"Them? Those with families have naturally gone home, and those without families have their own places to go. I heard from Baiwen the other day that Hailong is trying to find a way to get on the Pearl Pavilion. As for Wanye, he always looks like a carefree old man. I'm afraid he's just guarding the ship again."
"Where is Xiaoyue?"
"I brought the money with me. There are lots of kids at the dock, playing around all day."
Xu Ning nodded, then suddenly asked, "What kind of place is the Pearl-Inlaid Boat?"
Beidou leaned down and whispered into Xu Ning's earlobe, "You know where it is as soon as you hear it, right? Tempted? Your reputation is already bad enough. Everyone's still saying that your favorite thing is white hair and little loli attributes. Did you mess with any people related to that when you went to Sumeru this time?"
Xu Ning smiled wryly, "What kind of person do you take me for? Just the two of you..."
At this point, Xu Ning suddenly remembered, white hair? Little loli?
There is indeed one that matches perfectly, although that one is Lord Little Lucky Grass King?
Upon seeing Xu Ning's reaction, Beidou's fingers gradually tightened.
Xu Ning hurriedly explained the misunderstanding, stating that he had absolutely no feelings for Naxida.
On the contrary, people tend to keep their distance from this god of wisdom due to his reserved nature, his underhanded methods, and the many secrets he harbors.
Just as she quietly grew up for nearly five hundred years under the neglect of the Church, wandering in the dreams of every child, she could have influenced several generations to believe in her, thereby changing the entire Sumeru and her own situation, but she did not take any action at all.
The Church used her as the driving force and core of the Void, offering up all its wisdom and research results. Even until the God-Making Project began, she was still able to observe coldly from the sidelines, and even while imprisoned, she peered into the Doctor's heart and soul.
She carefully observed everyone, their behavioral patterns and weaknesses, including herself and the stragglers.
Xu Ning even felt that even if she didn't lift a finger from beginning to end, she could still easily subdue the stragglers. Even if she faced the Doctor alone, she wouldn't be harmed at all, and could even turn the tables and stop the Doctor from destroying Sumeru.
How can a deity who can be called wise be summarized by a single word like benevolence or weakness?
After listening to Xu Ning's explanation, Bei Dou smiled and whispered in Xu Ning's ear, "If you can hold out until morning, I'll tell you the location of the Pearl Pavilion."
The next morning, Xu Ning stood refreshed on the cliff south of Liyue Harbor, looking at the large ship on the sea directly east of the dock, a ship comparable to the Death Star.
Although the ship was about the same size as the Death Star, it was decorated with flowers and exuded an air of extravagance.
After all, this was not a warship, but a pleasure boat used for pleasure-seeking.
Xu Ning didn't dare to provoke Ning Guang's secretaries, fearing they would report her to the authorities, so he simply inquired about her at the dock.
It is said that this pleasure boat uses an internal membership referral system, and not just anyone can board it.
There are small boats on the shore to ferry passengers, but you must show the boatman your exclusive invitation to the Pearl Pavilion before you can board.
Xu Ning waited for a while, but didn't see any members coming to board the boat. Helpless, he had no choice but to detour around to the south cliff.
"Membership system? Let me show you how to get on board first and pay later!"