Mortal: Traveling Between Two Realms with Mei Ning to Pick Up Trash

The next morning, Mei Ning set off with Zhou Yu.

She took out a small sword, about the size of her palm, and tossed it into the air. The small sword transformed into a flying sword large enough to support two or three people, hovering half a foot above the ground.

"Come on up." Mei Ning stepped on first and reached out to pull Zhou Yu up.

Zhou Yu carefully stepped onto it, the sword wobbled, and he quickly grabbed Mei Ning in front of him.

Mei Ning's body stiffened slightly.

"...hands," she said.

Zhou Yu then realized that he had grabbed the girl's collar and quickly let go, but the sword wobbled as soon as he let go, so he quickly grabbed it again.

This time he was smarter; he grabbed Mei Ning's shoulder fabric, in a rather polite way.

Mei Ning didn't say anything more, and made a hand seal.

Then the flying sword took off.

This was the first time he had truly "flew" in the skies of the cultivation world.

Standing firmly on a magical artifact, facing the sea breeze, watching the island beneath my feet grow smaller and smaller.

The wind was so strong that Zhou Yu could barely open his eyes.

But he couldn't help but grin.

Worth it.

Even if the journey here is fraught with suffering, this one flight alone is worth it.

The journey of ten miles was completed in a short time by the flying boat.

Mei Ning landed on an island that was smaller than the previous one.

The island looked like a large reef, with only a few weeds and trees growing on it. There was a cave entrance on the east side of the island, with a tattered cloth curtain hanging from it.

"We've arrived." Mei Ning stowed the small boat and took the lead towards the cave entrance.

Zhou Yu followed behind her, his heart beating a little fast.

Mei Ning lifted the curtain and called out, "Brother."

The cave was simpler than he had imagined.

It was a natural cave, simply tidied up, with a stone bed, a stone table, and two stone stools. On the table were some odds and ends: a few bottles of pills, a few spirit stones, and a chipped short sword.

A young man sat up from the stone bed.

He looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and his features were somewhat similar to Mei Ning's, but his temperament was completely different.

Mei Ning was well-behaved and quiet, but he was... well, how should I put it? When Zhou Yu first looked at him, he felt that this person was full of two words: spirit.

It's not about having a high level of spiritual cultivation, but rather about having boundless energy, being restless, and always ready to go out and have fun.

Mei Feng's gaze bypassed Mei Ning and landed directly on Zhou Yu.

He looked him up and down, then smiled.

"Hey!" He stood up, took a few quick steps to Zhou Yu, and circled him once. "Is this the mortal you picked up, little sister? And he's from out of town?"

He reached out and patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder with considerable force.

"Can you speak our language? Come, come, say a few words for me!"

Zhou Yu was a little confused by his enthusiasm and subconsciously glanced at Mei Ning.

Mei Ning covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Brother, you scared him."

"Huh?" Mei Feng was taken aback. He looked down at his hands, then at Zhou Yu's expression, and scratched his head. "Was I too strong? Sorry, sorry, I'm just heavy-handed."

Zhou Yu took a deep breath and uttered two words in his broken local dialect.

"Hello."

Mei Feng's eyes lit up.

"Wow! Your pronunciation is pretty good! Did you teach me, little sister?" He glanced back at Mei Ning, then turned back again. "What's your name?"

"Zhou...Yu".

"Zhou Yu? Which Yu? The Yu of the universe? What a great name!" Mei Feng nodded repeatedly, then suddenly remembered something and turned to Mei Ning, saying, "By the way, you said in the transmission talisman that he was injured? What kind of injury?"

Mei Ning walked over and untied the strip of cloth from Zhou Yu's left arm.

The black and purple wound was revealed.

Mei Feng leaned closer to take a look, his expression shifting from curiosity to even greater curiosity.

"This wound..." He reached out and sensed the area above the wound, his brow furrowing slightly. "Is it a chilling aura? Or some kind of malevolent energy?"

He looked up at Zhou Yu, as if he had discovered something interesting.

"What happened to you? Tell me about it!"

Zhou Yu: "..."

He opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.

Mei Ning spoke up from the side: "Brother, tell me about the pills first."

"Oh right, right, right!" Mei Feng slapped his forehead, turned around and walked to the stone table. After rummaging through a pile of bottles and jars, he pulled out a small jade bottle and poured out a red pill the size of a soybean.

The pill was entirely crimson, and it faintly emitted a warm aura.

"Yang Yuan Pill," Mei Feng handed over the pill, "It's pretty good for a low-grade pill. It's specifically designed to counteract Yin and Cold Qi. I got it from a vendor before."

He paused, glanced at Mei Ning, and then at Zhou Yu.

"Fine, take it."

That's it.

There was no interrogation, no hesitation, no "What will you give in exchange?"

Zhou Yu was stunned.

He was prepared to be questioned and had even prepared several versions of his story, but Mei Feng didn't ask any of them at all.

"What are you standing there for? Take it!" Mei Feng stuffed the pill into Zhou Yu's hand. "Eat this, and your injury will heal. By the way, it might feel a little hot after you take it, that's normal, don't worry."

Zhou Yu looked down at the red pill in his palm, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

The first person he met in this world was Mei Ning, who took him in. The second person was Mei Feng, who gave him medicine without even asking him anything.

Suddenly I realized that the Chaotic Star Sea wasn't as scary as it was portrayed in the anime.

"Thank you," Zhou Yu said, his pronunciation accurate this time.

Mei Feng waved his hand: "No need to thank me. My sister asked, how could I refuse?"

After he finished speaking, he leaned closer, lowered his voice, and his eyes were full of gossip.

"But seriously, how did you get this injury? I sensed it, and this chilling aura doesn't seem to be left by an ordinary demonic beast. Did you go to some extraordinary place?"

Mei Ning sighed beside her.

Zhou Yu glanced at her, then looked at Mei Feng's face, which seemed to scream "Tell me now."

Mei Ning's brother is completely different from the one he imagined in the original work.

He's just a chatterbox who loves to join in the fun.

Without further hesitation, Zhou Yu put the Yang Yuan Pill in his mouth and swallowed it.

The moment the pill entered his stomach, a warm current rose from his lower abdomen and quickly spread to his limbs.

The wound on my left arm was the first to react.

The chilling aura that had been lingering for days seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, suddenly contracting and surging wildly through his arm.

But it only took a few breaths.

The chilling aura melted away rapidly, like snow exposed to sunlight. The black wound faded visibly, eventually turning into a plain red scar.

Zhou Yu took a look.

But the chill that had lingered for days finally disappeared, and he raised his left arm and rotated his wrist.

It doesn't hurt anymore.

It doesn't hurt at all anymore.

Mei Feng watched with great interest and even clapped twice.

"Great! That cures everything!" he said, then changed the subject, "So now can you tell me about the chilling energy?"

Zhou Yu: "..."

Mei Ning finally lost her temper and slapped Mei Feng on the back of the head.

"elder brother."

"Oh, I was just curious!" Mei Feng rubbed the back of his head, looking aggrieved. "Think about it, a mortal suddenly having a chilling aura on his body, who wouldn't be curious about that?"

Then Mei Ning whispered something in Mei Feng's ear.

Mei Feng was immediately astonished, staring wide-eyed at Zhou Yu, "You have a Heavenly Spiritual Root? A genius!"

Zhou Yu felt a little uncomfortable being stared at.

But Mei Feng quickly put on a serious expression, though not entirely.

"Seriously, if it's convenient for you, why don't you stay here for a few more days? My island may be run-down, but at least I have a bed." He pointed to the stone bed, then to himself. "And tell me about these things, I'm most interested in them."

Zhou Yu opened his mouth, as if to say something.

I originally intended to politely decline.

The reason is simple: he is too weak. He is just a mortal who has not even reached the first level of Qi Refining. Going to someone else's house to stay will only cause trouble. Mei Ning has already helped him enough, and he does not want to trouble her brother anymore.

But before he could speak, Mei Ning made the decision for him.

"Stay for three days," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Wait until your injuries are completely healed before you leave. In your current physical condition, you won't be able to practice your skills when you go back."

Mei Feng nodded repeatedly beside him: "Yes, yes, three days! I'll explain the rules of the Chaotic Star Sea to you. You're from out of town and don't know anything. Going out would just be suicide."

Zhou Yu looked at Mei Ning, then at Mei Feng.

The brother and sister were equally enigmatic and brooked no argument; one was radiant and equally brooked no argument.

Zhou Yu opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"……good."

night.

Zhou Yu sat alone at the cave entrance, leaning against the stone wall, looking at the sea outside.

He took the calligraphy brush out of his clothes and held it up in the moonlight.

The penholder was still the same color, a dark brown bamboo-like pattern, nothing special.

But this ordinary thing can cut through space and connect to another world.

Zhou Yu put away the calligraphy brush, hugged his knees with both hands, and rested his chin on his knees.

We need to think about what to do next.

He needs to become stronger.

In this dog-eat-dog world, becoming stronger is a necessity.

But we can't rush it.

Cultivation must be done step by step.

First, Qi Refining, then Foundation Establishment, and then Core Formation… Zhou Yu laughed at himself as he thought about it. He hadn’t even reached the first level of Qi Refining yet; wanting to form a Core was about as far off as a primary school student wanting to get a doctorate.

However, he possesses a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and there are still at least seventy years until the great battle between Han Li and Wen Tianren. If he can make good use of his brush, he might be able to barely reach the Golden Core stage.

Then you can choose whether to go to Tiannan or stay in Luanxinghai.

Zhou Yu raised his head and looked at the moon in the sky.

This moon is about as round as the moon in my original world, but it seems a bit bigger and brighter. Perhaps the spiritual energy of the Chaotic Star Sea is stronger, making even the moon seem more vibrant.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

Mei Ning came out of the cave, stood next to him for a while, and then sat down as well.

The two sat side by side at the entrance of the cave, neither of them speaking.

The sea breeze blows from afar, carrying a salty and cool taste.

"Thank you," Zhou Yu said, using the few words he knew best, "Sister Mei Ning."

Mei Ning did not turn to look at him; her gaze remained fixed on the distant sea.

"No need," she said softly. "Since you've come to my island, it's fate."

Zhou Yu remained silent for a moment.

"I... will become stronger," Zhou Yu said, enunciating each word carefully. "Then... it will be my turn... to protect you."

Mei Ning turned her head and glanced at him.

Under the moonlight, her expression was not very clear, but Zhou Yu felt that she seemed to smile.

"You should go to the Qi Refining area first," she said.

Then he stood up, turned around, and went back to his cave.

Zhou Yu sat there, speechless for a long time after hearing those words.

"...That hurts," he muttered softly in Mandarin.