‘Wow!’ Xiao Hong marvelled inwardly, her gaze following a particularly buxom lady like a compass pointing North. ‘It is quite like the difference between the Eastern more conservative countries and the Western liberal countries back on Earth…’
Walking down one of the many seaside streets of the City, she witnessed some particularly… interesting sights!
‘What in Dao Ancestor’s saggy…! These people are really bold! And progressive!’ Xiao Hong almost had to employ her Qi to keep her eyes in their sockets when a particularly ‘spicy’ scene was burned into her retinas! Her jaw dropped so much, it made one wonder if it had healed properly after the beating she received in the Demon Beast Haven Realm!
Seated on a bench, a female Immortal Cultivator, her long, flowing red hair cascading down her shoulders, was engaged in a passionate embrace with two young, very handsome men. She openly snogged the two - one after another and then together. Her hands expertly navigated their bodies, brazenly slipping in and out of their clothes.
“Jealous, sugar?” The woman seemed to sense her stare and smiled provocatively towards her, arms slipping around the two young men, her sultry purr snapping Xiao Hong out of her reverie.
Xiao Hong’s brain nearly short-circuited. She barely managed to sputter out, “N-No.”
“Tsk, tsk,” she clicked her tongue and gave Xiao Hong a casual once over, muttering to herself, unaware that the other party could hear everything, “this must be one of those conservatives, huh?”
“Well, her loss.” she shrugged before turning to the finer things in life.
Xiao Hong dumbfoundedly stared at the… throuple who seemed to be especially enthusiastic in their display of affection now that they had gained a spectator. It was only after she had completely passed them by that she managed to tear her eyes away from the ‘spicy’ spectacle. She'd always thought her cultivation had granted her incredible flexibility, but apparently, her head wasn't quite up for a 180-degree turn.
She had known that reverse harems were a thing in this world, but it had never been quite as… in your face as this. Back in the Purple Spirit Sect, she had never encountered such situations - because people tended to keep this kinda stuff behind doors. It was only because of the shockingly liberal culture that Xiao Hong could fully ‘appreciate’ it!
‘It’s like being smacked in the face by a fucking Nirvana-Stage being!’ she exclaimed inwardly, her mind still unable to fully process the scene that now seemed branded into her memory.
‘Harems and reverse harems are a totally accepted thing - with weaker people willingly giving themselves over to stronger cultivators - even if the said cultivator already had a partner.
‘Yet, somehow this world does not support same-sex relationships…?’ she was utterly bemused by the customs of this World. In the end, she came to the conclusion: ‘The existence of Cultivation changes the world in the oddest of ways, huh?
‘Thankfully, it seems that despite the liberal culture of Golden Sea Port City, most people choose to carry out their intimate activities enclosed by at least a few walls…’ Xiao Hong sighed in relief - she was very thankful for that! She wasn't sure her delicate psyche could handle another dose of public affection quite so... intense.
“By the way, what are you looking for?” The curious inquiry of a certain Mage came from her side.
“Oh? Uh,” Xiao Hong snapped out of her thoughts, “I was looking for a guide, actually. I have to stock up on some Alchemical materials. I’m completely out of Healing Pills and Qi Gathering Pills…”
“Qi Gathering Pills? What are those? How do they work? How do you make them?” Xiao Hong’s reply was met with a barrage of questions! She glanced at her companion, who was staring at her with the intensity of a scholar discovering a long-lost artefact. This woman, she decided, was an unusually curious one.
Every time they came across something new, Xiao Hong could see her gaze darting around like she was playing a particularly intense game of pinball, taking in as much information as possible.
“Well, Qi Gathering Pills are basically stimulants. Taking one will stimulate the cellular activity of the Cultivator to a great extent - temporarily increasing the production of Life Force. This, used in tandem with a Cultivation Method that refines raw Spiritual Energy, results in large amounts of Qi being produced in a short period of time. Hence, called Qi Gathering or Qi Refining Pills.” Still, Xiao Hong decided to humour her and explained concisely. “Of course, this is a very broad description of the whole process and there are many nuances.”
The curious glow in Rialda’s eyes only increased. “Oh? Doesn’t that mean overuse of this kind of pill is harmful?”
“Right, it is harmful,” Xiao Hong nodded in agreement. “But to an Immortal Cultivator whose Zhenqi acts like a natural healing agent, it is not a big deal unless they down dozens of Pills at a time.”
Then, she added, “Of course, the quality of the pills also matters. If the pills are of a sufficiently high quality, it is possible to ingest these pills in large quantities.”
“Quality? How is the quality of a pill determined?” Another question was thrown back at her, without the slightest pause.
“Again, broadly speaking,” Xiao Hong replied, “the quality of a pill is determined by the amount of ‘impurity’, stability and a few other factors. The lower the impurity and the greater the stability, the higher the quality of the pill.
“Incidentally, there is actually a relationship between stability and impurity. The greater the impurity, the better the stability. It is directly proportional.”
“Hmm? Doesn’t that mean it is theoretically impossible for a completely pure pill to ever exist? Also, am I right in assuming that ‘impurity’ here means something that is rejected by the human body? Like the food we eat being digested and the waste expelled?”
“Well, it is not exactly impossible. However, we should discuss this later. To explain all of this to someone who doesn’t really know anything about Alchemy will take a long time.” Xiao Hong decisively chose to end the topic of conversation, a little frustrated by the cornucopia of questions that seemed to be her companion’s mouth.
Surprisingly, Rialda did not seem offended at all and even nodded in agreement, “Indeed. Forgive me for overstepping my bounds. It was mighty arrogant of me to try and comprehend knowledge that I don’t even have a foundation in.”
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Xiao Hong felt a little surprised and then realised she had been a little rude. So, she cleared her throat and said, “Ahem, if you like, I can teach you some basics…”
“Really?!” The little mage immediately perked up! She held Xiao Hong’s hand with hers and asked, eyes practically glowing with enthusiasm. “I have so many things I want to know!
“Like how does this Qi Gathering pill actually stimulate cellular vitality and increase the production of Life Force?
“And why is ‘impurity’ even considered an ‘impurity’? And how does ‘impurity’ impede this process? Is it possible to make this ‘impurity’ not an ‘impurity’?
“Conversely, can the non ‘impurity’ parts be converted into an ‘impurity’? How would the pill be affected then?”
“Does Qi also have a natural digestive mechanism that removes ‘impurities’ like the human body?”
“Why does…”
Xiao Hong sighed. It seemed she had opened Pandora's box… and let out the question monster.
***
“Thank you so much, beautiful big sisters!” A boy who looked no older than 10, bowed and flashed Xiao Hong and Rialda a toothy grin, clasping the Spirit Stone in his hand tightly. A single Spirit Stone was more than enough for him to survive the month and even live lavishly! He thumped his chest with the other hand, “Ming will try his best to give big sister the best tour of the Golden Sea Port City!”
Xiao Hong let out a chuckle, “There is no need for a tour, little Ming. I just need you to take me to a store that sells Spiritual Herbs and other Alchemical ingredients.”
“Eh? But big sister paid me so much…” Little Ming pouted slightly, his shoulders sagging. Xiao Hong was sure that if this little fella were a dog, his ears would be drooping!
“It’s alright, little Ming, just think of it as advanced payment for the next time I hire your services!” she encouraged him, suppressing the urge to rub his head. She sternly reminded herself that she was not some shotacon!
“Besides, I don’t have any smaller denominations. You don’t expect me to go out of my way to get some change to pay you, right?”
“Of course not, big sister!” little Ming shook his head like a rattle drum. He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up.
“Then, as a Ming special offer,” he whipped out a pencil and paper, and scribbled something on it energetically before extending it to her, “next time big sister hires me, you can show me this coupon! Any and all services - completely free of charge!”
Looking at the bright, expectant eyes of the little boy, she could only take the piece of paper with a small smile. Inwardly, she couldn’t help but comment, ‘The laws in this place must be exceptionally well enforced! Otherwise, this fellow might have been targeted by those powerful shotacon onee-sans…’
With an almost blindingly bright grin, the little fellow beckoned Xiao Hong and Rialda, “Big sisters, please follow me. I know exactly where you can find the best quality Alchemical ingredients for the lowest price!”
Xiao Hong followed with a smile, an absentminded Rialda tagging along behind her. It seemed her brain was still navigating the endless stream of questions.
Little Ming expertly navigated the streets and weaved through crowds with surprising dexterity to bring them to a small, but well-lit and maintained store.
“Big sisters, this store is managed by Old Man Wang,” he gestured to the store. “He’s a little grumpy, but his products are the absolute best!”
Xiao Hong nodded and stepped into the shop.
After around ten minutes she came out with a big smile on her face, ‘Unexpectedly, the price of similar ingredients are quite a bit lower than in the Sect. Though it makes sense, I suppose. The Brilliant Heavenly Light Sea is supposed to be quite rich in resources - especially ones unique to the ocean.’ She quietly thanked the Alchemists who came up with the alternate recipes for these pills.
“Little Ming, take me to the best inn.” She gestured to the little fellow. She needed a place to quickly refine the essential pills she had lost along with her Storage Bag. Then, she added, “There is no need to worry about the cost, it just has to be comfortable. And, more importantly, the living space should be as large as possible.”
The little fellow gave her his signature toothy grin, “I know just the place!”
In less than half an hour, he had brought them to an exquisitely designed building.
“Not bad!” Xiao Hong nodded appreciatively at the rather large establishment - one too big to call a mere ‘inn’. This was practically a 5-star hotel - even by cultivator standards. She casually tossed the little fellow another Spirit Stone.
“Just think of this as advance pay for the next to next time I hire your services.” She said before he could even open his mouth.
After receiving another hand-written coupon, the two of them entered the establishment called ‘White Jade Inn’. Xiao Hong was somewhat disappointed by the fact that the signboard was entirely normal. Why was there no heart-stopping aura pressing down on her? How can there be no Sword Intent piercing her eyes from just glancing at the signboard? Where was her great epiphany from staring at it?
‘Tsk,’ Xiao Hong disappointedly clicked her tongue. She had expected something a bit more... dramatic. After all, this was a world where even the simplest of objects could harbour hidden power. But this signboard? It was just a signboard. What a waste!
Then, she threw these nonsensical thoughts to the back of her head and proceeded to book two rooms. It wasn’t like she was going to stay here for long - she would make herself scarce the moment her Pills were completed. Then, she would leave for the eastern island of Azure Sea Dragon Island from a deserted place. It didn’t matter that she would take a longer route because it was the safest, most reliable way!
Without wasting any time, Xiao Hong booked a room and entered, leaving behind a still-dazed little Mage.
Meanwhile, Rialda was still lost in her thoughts.
‘This ‘Qi’ thing,’ Rialda thought, her mind wandering back to Xiao Hong’s explanation of these Qi Gathering Pills. She took a seat on one of the tables and propped her chin on her fist and stared outside the window.
‘It isn’t as versatile as my Magic, yet it inherently has more properties than it. Setting aside the Supernatural abilities it has, it even serves as some sort of internal healing system. This is quite different from Mana, which is basically a sitting duck unless directed by Intent…
‘How interesting!’
‘I must find out more about this thing called Zhenqi!’ her eyes lit up while her heart practically thumped its way out of her chest in excitement. Quiet whispers echoed in her mind. What is Qi? How does it work? How does it interact with the flesh? What allows Qi to be so similar to Mana in its functions, yet also have more properties than it? If Qi can help heal the user’s body, can it heal others?
An endless stream of questions seemed to flow from the depths of her mind like a raging river that flowed ceaselessly, strongly urging her to figure out what exactly ‘Qi’ was, how it worked and what made it tick. Rialda felt her lips curve upwards into a grin.
In some distant corner of her mind the idea appeared, ‘If I can imitate its characteristics, there is a chance it may help me recover my memories!’
But that thought drowned almost instantly. She needed to figure out what Qi was. Memories-schemories, they could wait!
‘Though, I need an easy way to observe Qi,’ she thought after having calmed down. Her extremely brief contact with Qi when Xiao Hong had tried to probe her was far from enough. ‘Plus, she is quite strong and it would be harder to decipher the properties of her Qi.
‘If only there was a way to get a weaker Immortal to cooperate with my experiments-’
“Hey, hey, the Arena matches are startin’, Demonic Wolf against Masked Egghead! This’ll totes be the best match evah!” Just when she was worrying, the squeal of a young woman reached her.
“Demonic Wolf?! It’s that hottie’s match! Gotta watch!” another girl exclaimed, excitement practically bubbling out of her voice. “I hear you can hire him as a bodyguard!”
“... Aren’t you a peak Sky Spirit Cultivator? Is it not a waste of money to hire an Earthen Origin Stage Cultivator as a bodyguard?” A man asked, his voice filled with confusion.
“Oh silly~,” the former female voice giggled, “It was never about ‘protecting’ the body but…”
On the other side, Rialda’s eyes lit up. This was basically someone sending her a pillow and making her a bed when she expressed the desire to sleep!
‘Perfect!’