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

The next day, before dawn, the three of them set off.

Mei Feng looked exceptionally energetic today, with his hair neatly tied up and his clothes clean.

Mei Ning remained calm and composed, showing no change in her emotions. She checked her storage bag to make sure she had all the pills, spirit stones, and magical artifacts, then looked at Zhou Yu.

"Stay behind me," she said. "There are too many people and too many eyes in Tianxing City, don't wander off."

Zhou Yu nodded and then touched the storage bag at his waist.

The three flying swords took off one after another. Mei Feng led the way, Mei Ning was in the middle, and Zhou Yu followed at the very back, riding on a low-level flying sword he had borrowed from Mei Feng.

"Tianxing City is a bit far; it'll take most of the day to fly to the ferry!" Mei Feng shouted from ahead. "We'll pass several inhabited islands along the way, so don't stop, just fly straight there!"

Zhou Yu responded and caught up with the two people in front of him.

……

After flying for about four hours, more and more islands appeared on the sea.

It's no longer a bare reef, but a real inhabited island with trees, buildings, and even people walking around.

"We're almost there." Mei Feng's voice came from ahead, filled with obvious excitement. "See that black dot? That's the ferry crossing. We'll be going there to catch a boat to Tianxing City later."

Zhou Yu squinted and looked ahead.

Where the sea meets the sky, a blurry black dot gradually grows larger, transforming into a sizable island. The buildings on the island are of varying heights, making it appear from a distance like a small town floating on the sea.

As they got closer, Zhou Yu could see things more and more clearly.

Various kinds of boats are moored at the island's dock, including ordinary fishing boats and spirit boats engraved with runes.

Mei Feng put away his flying sword and landed first on the open ground outside the dock. Mei Ning and Zhou Yu followed closely behind, and the three of them walked towards the dock.

"It will take us at least a month to get to Tianxing City," Mei Feng explained to Zhou Yu as they walked. "So there's no way we can fly there."

Zhou Yu nodded.

The three paid the fee and boarded the boat.

The ship wasn't large, but it wasn't small either, with two levels. The upper level had guest rooms, and the lower level had sleeping quarters and storage compartments. The entire ship was shrouded in a pale blue spiritual light, which was a protective array engraved on the hull, capable of withstanding the wind and waves at sea and attacks from some low-level demonic beasts.

As Zhou Yu stepped onto the deck, the ship swayed slightly, and he instinctively reached out to hold onto the railing.

"First time riding a spirit boat?" Mei Feng walked ahead, glanced back at him, and asked with a grin.

Zhou Yu nodded.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe." Mei Feng patted the gunwale, his tone carrying the calmness of a seasoned passenger. "These spirit ships are specially designed for the Tianxing City route, making several trips a month, and they've never had an accident. Even if something did happen," he paused, "we have a Golden Core cultivator in charge, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Zhou Yu followed Mei Feng's gaze and saw an old man in gray standing at the bow of the ship, his hands behind his back, facing the sea, motionless.

Golden Core cultivator.

Zhou Yu withdrew his gaze and followed Mei Feng and Mei Ning up to the second floor. Their room was at the end of the corridor, a small cabin with three narrow beds side by side against the wall and a fixed square table in the middle, on which sat a pot of tea and several rough porcelain teacups.

"The conditions are basic, but we'll make do for one night." Mei Ning placed the storage bag on the bedside table and checked the window latches.

Zhou Yu sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out to press the bed. It was much softer than the stone bed in Meifeng Cave. At least it wouldn't hurt his bones.

"Once we reach Tianxing City," Mei Feng said, flopping onto the bed with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed. "When we get there, I'll take you to the market first, and then we'll visit a few well-established shops in the afternoon. I know a good guy who sells pills; he won't rip you off."

Mei Ning glanced at him: "Last time you said the Qi-Nourishing Pill he sold you was fake."

"That was an accident!" Mei Feng sat up abruptly, his face slightly flushed. "The boss said his apprentice made a mistake, and he replaced it for me later, even giving me two extra bottles as compensation! You have to be generous, don't you understand?"

Mei Ning didn't reply, and instead lowered her head to organize her things.

As Zhou Yu listened from the side, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile. The way the brother and sister got along reminded him of some things that happened before he transmigrated. The specific scenes were already blurry, but the warm feeling was still there.

The ship has set sail.

As the spirit boat left the dock, it suddenly jolted. Zhou Yu quickly grabbed the edge of the bed and looked out the window to see the crowd on the shore slowly retreating, and the dock getting smaller and smaller.

The protective array blocked most of the wind and waves, but the ship's hull still gently rose and fell with the waves.

……

A month later, before dawn, the spirit boat docked.

As soon as Zhou Yu opened his eyes, his aura had already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he stepped out of the cabin.

The dock in Tianxing City is more than ten times larger than the ferry terminal.

When Zhou Yu stepped onto the dock, he was stunned by the sight before him.

A towering mountain peak sits in the center, surrounded by rings of buildings that almost fill the entire island.

"Is this Tianxing City? No wonder it's the largest city in the Chaotic Star Sea," Zhou Yu thought to himself.

Seeing that everyone around them was flying away, the three of them also took out their magical artifacts and flew towards Tianxing City.

After flying for a while, Zhou Yu arrived at a city gate and heard the people in front of him say something.

"Are you staying temporarily or permanently? If so...?"

Mei Feng then turned to Zhou Yu and explained, "To live in Tianxing City, you need a residence ring. There are two kinds: blue and red. Blue ones are only for temporary stays and cost three spirit stones each. We only need three blue rings, which will allow us to stay for seven days."

Zhou Yu nodded.

Soon it was the turn of the three.

"The three of you, are you staying temporarily or permanently?" The gatekeeper's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

"Let's stop here for now." Mei Feng stepped forward and replied with a smile, "Three blue rings."

"Three low-grade spirit stones for each ring, three rings for nine stones each. Wear the ring on your hand. It is valid for seven days. Those who do not renew it after the expiration date will be treated as overstaying their visas. The punishment ranges from expulsion to imprisonment." He spoke very quickly, as if he had recited the lines countless times.

After handing over the spirit stone, Zhou Yu put the ring on the ring finger of his right hand.

"Go in." The old man waved his hand and lowered his head to look at the next person's jade slip.

The three of them passed through the city gate.

The moment Zhou Yu stepped into Tianxing City, his steps unconsciously slowed down, and finally he almost stopped.

He knew from the original story that Tianxing City was very large, but "knowing" and "seeing with one's own eyes" are two completely different things.

The streets in the city were wide enough for six carriages to walk side by side, and the road surface was paved with smooth bluestone slabs, each one polished to a mirror-like finish, reflecting people's images.

The buildings on both sides of the street are of varying heights, some only one story high, and some three or four stories high, with upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters, each one as exquisite as a work of art.

"Let's go, stop spacing out." Mei Feng patted him on the shoulder. "There'll be plenty of time to look around later. Let's head to the market while it's still early."

Zhou Yu snapped out of his daze and quickly caught up.

There were more and more diverse pedestrians inside the city than at the docks.

Monks and mortals lived together, the rich and the poor coexisted, creating a lively, chaotic, and vibrant atmosphere.

Mei Feng led the way, making several turns until they entered a relatively spacious main street. The shops on both sides of this street were noticeably more upscale than the ones they had just visited, with signs bearing names like "Baicaotang," "Wanqizhai," and "Lingfuge."

"We're here!" Mei Feng stopped in front of a shop, looked up at the sign, and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face. "Bai Cao Tang, that's the one I was talking about. The owner's surname is Qian, and he's a bit greedy, just like his name, but the stuff is genuine."

The three of them pushed open the door and went inside.

The shop was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside. Three walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets, and countless small drawers were labeled with the names of various elixirs.

Behind the counter stood a man in his thirties, with a round face and small eyes.

"Hey! Brother Mei!" Boss Qian spotted Mei Feng immediately, his smile widening. He came out from behind the counter and warmly shook Mei Feng's hand. "Long time no see! I'm so sorry about that batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills last time. I've already resigned that apprentice. Don't worry, it will never happen again!"

Mei Feng's expression was somewhat subtle as he held his hand: "Boss Qian, that happened last year..."

"Last year was also my fault at Baicaotang!" Boss Qian patted his chest. "Brother Mei, don't worry, if you bring your friend today, I'll definitely give you the best price!"

He turned to look at Mei Ning and Zhou Yu, his gaze lingering on each of them for a second. When he saw Zhou Yu, his small eyes lit up slightly.

"This young man looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time in Tianxing City?"

Zhou Yu nodded.

Mei Feng chuckled twice, then steered the conversation back to business: "Boss Qian, we're here today to buy some pills. Mainly for aiding cultivation, like Qi Cultivation Pills and Spirit Gathering Pills. Do you have any?"

"Yes! Of course!" Boss Qian turned around and walked back behind the counter. He bent down and took out several jade bottles from below, lining them up in a row. "Nourishing Essence Pill, top grade, twelve pills per bottle, twenty spirit stones; Gathering Spirit Pill, mid grade, ten pills per bottle, fifteen spirit stones. They are all freshly made, and their efficacy is guaranteed."

Mei Feng picked up a bottle of Peiyuan Pills, uncorked it, smelled it, and nodded.

"Can you make the price cheaper?"

"Brother Mei, of course I can!" Boss Qian counted on his fingers, "How about this, one bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pill is eighteen, one bottle of Spirit-Gathering Pill is twelve, give me two bottles of each? That'll be sixty spirit stones in total."

Mei Feng turned and glanced at Mei Ning, who nodded slightly.

"Okay." Mei Feng took out spirit stones from his storage bag, counted out sixty and placed them on the counter.

Shopkeeper Qian accepted the spirit stones with a smile, and then took out a small jade bottle from under the counter and handed it over.

"This is a gift for you, a low-grade Qingxin Pill, not worth much, but taking one while cultivating can calm your mind and prevent you from going astray."

Mei Feng took it, opened it, checked it, confirmed that there was no problem, and put it into the storage bag.

"Thanks, Mr. Qian."

"You're too kind! Come again next time!"

The three of them left Baicaotang, and Mei Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

"The pills are all taken care of." He patted the storage bag. "Where to next? A magic tool shop? A talisman shop? Or should we grab something to eat first? I'm hungry."

Mei Ning thought for a moment: "Let's find a place to stay first, and then we can go sightseeing."

"Okay." Mei Feng nodded. "I know an inn nearby that's reasonably priced and has clean rooms. Come with me."

On the way to the inn, Zhou Yu noticed a row of people standing on a pavilion not far away.

"Hey," Mei Feng patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder, "Don't look around carelessly. That's the Miaoyin Sect. They say they have Golden Core elders. That masked woman is their sect leader, who is said to be the most beautiful woman in the Chaotic Star Sea. I really want to see her."

Mei Feng looked dazed as he spoke.

Mei Ning gave Mei Feng a disdainful look.

Zhou Yu glanced at the pavilion again. Zi Ling? Finally, he had met an important figure.

He turned his gaze away and walked towards the inn.