Bubai turned his head, greeted by the sight of the familiar silver-haired beauty.

Oh no, a wild fairy had appeared! What should he do? Fight? Flee? Use his balls?

No- Will any of these even work?

Honestly, he didn’t really know how to react. Her appearance was just too sudden!

The most shocking fact was that his divine sense didn’t detect anyone or even a hint of movement around him until the very moment she patted him!

She had managed to sneak up on him like a ghost...

Did she also have similar anti-detection abilities like the two statues guarding the secret passage? Or did he trigger her spawning after he moved a certain number of steps on the grid?

Alas, this was reality, not a turn-based game. So, he wasn’t given much time to ponder further, let alone choose a reaction...

Shu Ling cocked her head, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Hum? What's with your shocked face?" she asked, her voice melodious like a tinkling bell. "Did fairy brother forget about the meeting with this fairy?"

Bubai shook his head, "No, no, of course not..."

His voice became steadier. "I naturally remember."

“Fufufu…” Shu Ling laughed elegantly, a sound like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.

"It's good you remember," she said, her smile enchanting. "So, have you prepared yourself to discuss our very important topic?"

Bubai nodded eagerly. "Of course, what can you tell me?"

Shu Ling blinked her starry eyes, a mischievous glint dancing within them. "Isn't fairy brother going to show this fairy some sincerity first?"

Bubai’s lips twitched subtly. Oh, he almost forgot about that part.

Without further ado he brought his hands up before her face. Clap.

When his palms unfolded once more, there was already a gold tael sitting in between.

Shu Ling's eyes widened in delight, and she giggled happily as she took the tael, rubbing it against her own cheeks with a blissful smile.

"This fairy just knew fairy brother won't disappoint!"

After adding the tael to her pot of gold, the happy fairy’s promise graced his ears, "Hum, very well. This fairy will make an exception and disclose a little secret. Just don't tell granny, or this fairy will ignore you."

"I won't.”

“Good. Fufufu…” Shu Ling begin waltzing forward, "Hum, let's walk and talk...”

Bubai tilted his head slightly, "Where are we going?"

Shu Ling rolled her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. "Didn’t fairy brother say you needed a guide? This fairy happens to know the way to Bai Hua Lou."

A pang of surprise shot through Bubai’s heart.

She heard that?! How long had she been watching him?!

However, Bubai forcefully pushed his worries aside, reminding himself to focus on the matter at hand.

A GPS had been acquired. This was a good thing. So, he put on a nonchalant smile, "Well, let's go.”

“Fufufu, follow along. Let this fairy broaden your horizons!”

Walking side by side with Shu Ling leading the way at a prim and proper pace, Bubai patiently watched the fairy tap her lips thoughtfully, "Let's see... hum, yes, let’s start here.”

Shu Ling’s eyes darted over, her finger pointing at the ground, “So, what does fairy brother think about the land we are on? Is it big?"

Big? According to Bubai’s knowledge, with a good transportation tool like a spirit ship, the long journey might seem short, but...

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For the average cultivator, it can actually take months to travel between each big sect!

Factoring in the dangers, terrain, and obstacles along the way, it will take even longer!

This newbie village continent was, indeed, rather large, if not humongous! So, Bubai nodded.

"Hum, a boring answer, but it didn’t exceed this fairy’s expectations.” Shu Ling nodded, “In this case, fairy brother, you better prepare your heart, because...”

A knowing smile crept onto her face as she dropped the bomb, “This seemingly large land is in fact just a small island among the countless islands on the vast sea."

“Fufufu…” Holding a straightened palm below her mouth, she laughed elegantly, a twinkle in her eyes. "So, is brother’s heart shaken yet?"

Er… not really. “It’s just a bigger map, isn’t it?”

Shu Ling rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a playful smile. "Oh, fairy brother has a firmer heart than this fairy expected. Then, you should be able to handle what this fairy say next."

Bubai raised a brow, "There's more?"

Shu Ling blinked her eyes playfully, her expression teasing. "If you think the sea is large, then this fairy will have you know that this vast sea we are in is just a part of a larger world!"

"The world is mainly dominated by seas, and it is split into four seas! From north to south, it is bisected by a strip of ocean called the Heavenly Line. From west to east, a large strip of landmass dominates. This large landmass spans the four seas and is the only true continent of this world."

She leaned in slightly, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "This fairy is sure fairy brother can guess what this continent is called.”

There was only one answer. "The Central Continent?"

Shu Ling nodded, her smile widening. "Correct!”

Bubai's lips twitched slightly as he heard the setup, a sense of familiarity creeping into his thoughts.

Why did it seem so much like a certain anime pirate world? Hey, there wouldn’t be pirate kings and celestial dragons in a cultivation world, right?

"Why, is fairy brother finally shocked?" Shu Ling seemed to have misunderstood his reaction, her gaze softening.

"Hum, it's reasonable. Few would feel good after knowing the vastness of the world in comparison to themselves. But, fairy brother should brace himself because once you know about the details of the Central Continent, you will be even more shocked. After all, this mythical continent is where..."

Her words trailed off, leaving him hanging…

Hearing no words for a while, Bubai looked over to see Shu Ling stopping in place and staring at him with an innocent look, her starry eyes shimmering with mischief.

"Why did you stop?"

She playfully blinked back at him, a coy smile dancing on her lips. “This fairy suddenly can’t remember any more.”

“…” Bubai stared at her, studying her starry eyes glinting with intellect…

After a moment, he brought one hand up to her eyes, allowing the tension to build between his thumb and finger-

Snap. A tael of gold fell from his palms, landing into the fairy’s already waiting hands below.

She immediately stowed it away in her satchel before she stared back at him. Her expression said it all.

So, he snapped again, causing her eyes to brighten as one hand caught the gold and the other hand reached out to grab the gold dispenser.

The fairy adoringly rubbed his magical hand for a while before staring at him, her gaze intense, yet her voice soft and enticing. "Fairy brother, would you be willing to give this fairy your hand?"

Bubai's lips twitched with amusement as he retracted his hand, "Well, does fairy remember now?"

“Ahum.” Shu Ling cleared her throat delicately, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. "Of course.”

Composing herself, the elegant fairy began to guide the way forward once more, her exposition flowing out effortlessly, yet her every word was like gold...

Soon, the sun began to cast long shadows on their backs, and her words came to a stop when the labyrinth walls opened up, leading to an open plaza, where a building rose up before them, its grandeur sign clearly visible even from a distance: “Phoenix’s Nest”.

Tall bamboo built a nest around the building, forming a wall, yet it didn't feel oppressive or foreboding.

Instead, the place seemed to radiate a sense of warmth and welcome, mainly thanks to the soothing sound of guqin flowing forth from the third floor balcony, where vibrant silk fluttered in the breeze, obscuring the mysterious musician.

Shu Ling stared at the brothel not far ahead, her lips curving into a smile and introduced, "This is the Bai Hua Lou that fairy brother is interested in. Granny doesn’t allow this fairy to go into flower or gambling houses, so this fairy can only take you here."

Bubai nodded, saying with a sincere face, "Thank you fairy for broadening Bubai’s horizons today.”

“Fufufu…” Shu Ling laughed softly, elegantly covering her mouth with her palm. "It's no big deal. Each gets what they want. Of course, if fairy brother wants more…"

She leaned in closer, pressing herself against his arm. As her sandalwood scent tickled his nose, her soft hand reached down to kidnap his hand once more.

The fairy’s fingers teased circles on his palm, coyly whispering, "If fairy brother is interested, this fairy will be willing to discuss poetry tonight with you myself."

Bubai maintained a straight face, "Fairy, please show restraint.”

Shu Ling rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Oh, boring."

She backed off slightly, her attention shifting to the balcony above. "Hum, this fairy doesn’t understand what you men find interesting about the green tea in there. Don’t believe the rumors. In fact, this fairy even know some channels-"

"Brother Bai, so you’re here!” Bubai’s attention was drawn toward the interrupting voice, just to see Qian Bage scurrying over from the other side, “I’ve been waiting for so long and thought I would have to pay a visit to the prison to find you."

Bubai nodded in greeting, "Just arrived."

“Good, it’s good you made it out in one piece. Hahaha...”

Huh? Did this guy not expect him to come back? Bubai bared his teeth, “Oh, what else did you expect?”

"Of course I expected brother to succeed!” Qian Bage’s grin widened, giving him friendly pats on his shoulder. “Come, good brother, let’s find a place to discuss…"

Qian Bage gave him a “you know what” look as he gestured backwards with a sly grin.

Time for the quest reward! This was, indeed, all that mattered!

Bubai nodded, turning back to the other side, “Fai-”

His words abruptly stopped when he saw the empty space. She was gone.