Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 365 Black-Sheathed Longsword
The old man's surname was Zhou, and his given name was Tian.

He had a bushy beard and short stature, yet he carried a four-foot-long black-sheathed sword on his back, which slung diagonally and bounced up and down his buttocks as he moved his short legs.

"There are quite a few inns in this shipyard, but as for those with hot water, well, there aren't many. You're lucky you ran into me."

The old man muttered to himself, but his steps were quick. He led Pei Xia and the others across the street and stopped in front of an inn with a signboard that read "Living People Inn".

Pei Xia looked up and blinked: "That's so straightforward."

Jiang Shu nodded: "The meaning is quite good."

Like Tianbao Mountain, the Qin people sometimes named their animals quite casually.

The inn wasn't particularly remote; it was just that the storefront was small, squeezed between two buildings, somewhat like the small guesthouse Pei Xia had lived in her previous life. The rooms were upstairs, and the entrance was downstairs.

Zhou Tian lifted the curtain, and Pei Xia followed him in. Just then, she heard a shrill female voice from the side: "Oh, the old man isn't dead yet?"

The counter was right next to the door, against the wall, where a middle-aged woman with a narrow face was leaning against it, looking at Zhou Tian with a displeased expression.

The old man wasn't even as tall as the counter, so he had to jump up and slam the Spirit Nourishing Pill in his hand onto the table: "Two rooms, boil water."

Upon seeing the pills, the female shopkeeper's raised eyebrows relaxed. She wiped them with her hand, took the items first, and then looked directly at Pei Xia and the others.

Swaying unsteadily, he walked upstairs: "Come with me."

There were two rooms; one was for the old man himself, and the other for Pei Xia and the other two.

After settling Old Man Zhou in, the innkeeper led Pei Xia to the guest room next door. She glanced at Feng Yao and said, "The soundproofing here isn't very good, so please keep your voices down tonight."

Pei Xia gestured for Jiang Shu to lead Feng Yao inside first, while she smiled at the innkeeper from the doorway and asked, "How many nights have we booked this room for?"

"Three days. That old man took your pills without explaining anything to you?"

Pei Xia was somewhat surprised: "How did the shopkeeper know that his pills were ours?"

The woman sized Pei Xia up and down, and sneered, "I've seen countless people, and I can tell at a glance that you're from another state. You're with a man and a woman but no child, so you're probably not a Han Chinese. People like you are the easiest to fool."

Pei Xia became more wary: "Have I been scammed?"

“In previous years, the old man could only sleep on the floor in a small cubicle. He has never been so well-off.”

She noticed Pei Xia squinting and knew what he was thinking: "Nourishing Spirit Pills are rare items, useful for both dietary supplements and high-quality goods. They're considered valuable here. If you have gold or silver, that's fine too, but don't bother with banknotes. We don't accept them from any country."

So, Zhou Tian wasn't exactly lying, since it was Pei Xia who brought it up. It's just that he made a bad deal.

It's all little things.

Pei Xia thought for a moment, then took out another pill from her waistband and handed it over.

The proprietress saw this and calmly reached out to take it. Before Pei Xia could ask, she reminded her, "Don't be too generous. No matter how far the ship may seem, this is still Qin territory."

It refers to the crime of possessing a treasure.

From this perspective, the old man didn't really cheat Pei Xia. As the landlady said, this is Qinzhou, and the fact that he took the initiative to remind her shows that he has some principles.

“We’ll only be staying for a short while, maybe less than three days if all goes well,” Pei Xia said. “I just wanted to ask you, sister, where would be a reliable place to buy boats and horses?”

The proprietress shook her head: "You can't buy a boat. As for horses, it depends on luck. You might be able to find one if you go to the early market."

Sure enough, in Qinzhou, anything involving people rarely goes smoothly.

Pei Xia asked about some things to note at the ship's office, and then politely saw the landlady downstairs.

The guest room wasn't small; it had a window facing the street, a large bed, a round table, and a large bathtub separated by a screen.

Because they swam across the river illegally, they had already abandoned their earthenware pots and other belongings on the riverbank. The three of them were now sticky and smelled of kitchen waste.

Feng Yao's corpse was completely unconcerned, and he stood obediently to the side.

Jiang Shu, on the other hand, had been displaying a composure beyond his years throughout the journey, but now, looking around the guest room, he seemed quite uneasy.

Pei Xia sat down at the table, picked up the teapot and poured herself a bowl of water—to be honest, this practiced action really made Pei Xia feel a bit like she was in another world.

"Sit down?" he asked Jiang Shu.

Jiang Shu shook his head: "I'll stand and sit down after I finish showering."

Pei Xia didn't insist on correcting him.

Not long after, someone came from outside and brought two buckets of hot water.

Pei Xia didn't stand on ceremony and washed herself first. Actually, she wasn't that dirty; she was just a little sticky from coming up. After all, even though she was exposed to the wind and sun in the wild, she could still take a cold shower.

After feeling refreshed, Pei Xia rubbed her dirty clothes again before putting them on and walking out.

They don't have any clean clothes to change into, so Pei Xia has to go and buy some first.

It's perfect timing to go downstairs and have the shopkeeper bring up some more hot water.

Just as I opened the door to go downstairs, I saw the old man next door, Zhou Tian, ​​also come out.

The two exchanged a glance, and Pei Xia greeted him first: "Senior Zhou."

Zhou Tian nodded: "Are you going to eat too?"

The inn didn't even have a lobby, so naturally it didn't provide meals.

Pei Xia hadn't originally intended to do this, but after hearing Zhou Tian mention it, she figured it would be a good opportunity to bring some for Jiang Shu.

“Let’s go,” Pei Xia smiled, “Senior Zhou, come along, it’s on me.”

The old man chuckled again.

After taking a shower, I felt much refreshed. As I walked along the main road of the ship's headquarters, the cannibalism I witnessed seemed to be happening in another world.

Zhou Tian and Pei Xia hadn't been walking around for long when they found a table at a nearby small restaurant.

Pei Xia was treating, and the old man naturally didn't stand on ceremony, ordering three large meat dishes and a bowl of wine.

The aroma of the wine wasn't particularly strong, but for Pei Xia, it was like a long-awaited rain after a drought. He took out his black wine gourd, which he hadn't used in a long time, and handed it to the shopkeeper: "Fill it up, fill it up!"

Rice is scarce in Qin Prefecture, so wine, a staple food, is naturally extremely expensive.

Especially Pei Xia's wine gourd, which was given to him by Chen E. No one knew what kind of treasure it was, but ever since he drank it dry once, it had never been filled up again.

The shopkeeper poured two vats of liquor into his cup, but they couldn't fill it up.

When it came time to pay, Pei Xiayuqiong's cash was far from enough, so she had to take out another Spirit Nourishing Pill.

Even Zhou Tian subtly reminded him this time: "Don't flaunt your wealth!"

Pei Xia just smiled.

He'll probably only stay a few days, and before his reputation for being a spendthrift spreads, he'll probably be gone by now.

As they walked out of the restaurant with the old man, watching him hop and skip ahead on his little feet, Pei Xia's gaze unconsciously drifted to the black-sheathed longsword on his back.

Pei Xia always felt something was off about this sword, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

There was a vague feeling that made him feel very... resistant.

"Senior," he began, "you seem to be a cultivator as well. May I ask what path you follow?"

The old man turned around: "Isn't it obvious?"

He pointed to the sword behind him: "A warrior."

Pei Xia calmly continued, "Is it the way of the sword?"

"I suppose so," the old man sighed. "Unfortunately, my talent is mediocre. At this age, I'm only at the Refining Cauldron Realm. I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to reach the Profound Realm in this lifetime. I also don't know if the spiritual power I manifest is actually sword energy..."

Pei Xia frowned slightly.

Refining Cauldron Realm?
Although the Refining Cauldron Realm is not as good as the Refining Head Realm, it still enhances one's physique, making one superior to ordinary people. Even without spiritual power, one should still have a chance to survive in Qinzhou.

But that’s not the point.

Even a sword genius like Ye Luxia, after reaching the Profound Realm and manifesting his spiritual power as sword energy, could not evoke such a subtle feeling in Pei Xia.

Even the sword in Xia Xuan's hand is the world-renowned Divine Relic Azure Sparrow Sword.

If the old man's cultivation level is really only at the Refining Cauldron realm, could it be that his sword itself is special?

Pei Xia tentatively asked, "I see that your sword is quite extraordinary, senior. I wonder if you could draw it so that I could admire its splendor?"

This time, the old man paused, slowly turned his head, and stared into Pei Xia's eyes: "You want to see my sword?"

After a brief eye contact, Zhou Tian grinned and said, "If you want to see my sword, you'll have to pay a price."

(End of this chapter)