Journey to the head

After asking the monk on duty, it turned out that there was indeed a Haiyuan Pavilion in this large market town.

Haiyuan Pavilion is mysterious and powerful. It does not participate in any disputes between forces and does business and makes money in an absolutely neutral manner.

With a reputation for absolute fairness and reliability, it mainly engages in the storage, transfer, and consignment of treasures, the ultra-long-distance transmission of letters, messages, and intelligence, as well as various intermediary and guarantee businesses.

Its branches are spread all over the continents and the Falling Star Islands, and Haiyuan Pavilion can be found in most large market towns. But to this day, no one knows where the headquarters of Haiyuan Pavilion is.

I only know that Haiyuan Pavilion's various businesses are very profitable. Some of the casual cultivators I met at the beginning all stored their treasures in Haiyuan Pavilion. Later, Lu Qian entrusted Haiyuan Pavilion to send a letter from Cangzhou to Hai Shuangyao of the Xianyun Islands, which was a million miles away, and spent 100 spirit crystals. In addition, the information exchange of Wanling Xiancao Club also relied on Haiyuan Pavilion's certification intermediary, and paid a lot of intermediary fees for it.

Haiyuan Pavilion’s business is almost in a monopoly position. It can reap terrifying profits in the entire Yuanchen Realm!

The background of Haiyuan Pavilion is also a complete mystery. Some people speculate that it is related to the dragon clan, because only the dragon clan can extend its tentacles to various continents by relying on the starry sea that surrounds all the land.

But Lu Qian thought that it was unlikely to do so given the relationship between the dragon race and the human race. At least Taiyi Paradise would not allow the dragon race to weave such a network in Yuheng Continent.

Even though Haiyuan Pavilion now does not provide any information about any forces or individuals in order to show its neutrality, it must be well aware of the developments in various places, which is quite scary.

However, these were not Lu Qian's concerns. He took Xiang Kong and Huo Jin, who were dazzled and unbelievable by the bustling market, and Yu Jiao, who was noisy all the way, and went straight to Haiyuan Pavilion.

"Tsk, what's the big deal? What a fuss." Yu Jiao raised his head proudly, "In terms of scale, this market can't compare to my Plum Blossom Market; in terms of innovation, it can't compare to my Frost Leaf Market; in terms of fun, it's not even worthy of being the promoter of my City That Never Sleeps!"

The merchant monks here turned around angrily after hearing his words, and saw that the little fat man was actually in the late Jindan stage. Then they looked again and saw that there was also a Yuanying Lingjun leading him! They immediately stopped and dared not look any further.

"Young Master, I want that!" Huo Jin pointed at a dazzling necklace displayed on a shelf.

"Take it!" Yu Jiao waved his hand nonchalantly.

"My dear, this one looks good too." It was another bracelet inlaid with gems.

"take!"

"You are so nice, little sir. I also want this hairpin~"

"take!"

……

Then, Yu Jiao was followed by monks who came to collect debts, and they all nodded and bowed bitterly.

"Sir, please settle the bill."

"Only ten spirit crystals are enough. It's just a drop in the bucket for a real person..."

"A small business like this can't afford to sell on credit, and we have to support a large family."

……

Yu Jiao was dumbfounded. He was so used to getting things for free in the City That Never Sleeps, Frost Leaf House, that he had completely forgotten about paying.

He reached into his sleeves and pulled out only a few golden-winged bird feathers.

Huo Jin sighed sadly: "If not, I'll pay for it myself."

"A real man would never say no!" Yu Jiao was anxious, "My lord, my lord! Where is my salary for all these years?"

Lu Qian turned around with a puzzled look on his face: "Wages? Do you have this thing?"

Yu Jiao was petrified, and only then did he realize that he had been working for nothing all this time!
He thought of his hard work over the past century and let out an earth-shattering howl.

"It turns out that I was working illegally!"

In the end, Lu Qian paid the bill for him and prevented a major embarrassing incident.

Facing Yu Jiao's tireless pursuit of wages, Lu Qian spoke earnestly.

"Yu Jiao, we are creating a great company that will revolutionize the industry... All the funds of the sect will be used for research and development, and as a core member of the co-founder level, your equity ratio will be adjusted dynamically based on your contribution. Early investment will generate exponential returns..."

Jade Dragon: (.)
"Yu Jiao, it's very expensive to support a wife. You have to work harder. When I make enough money next year, I will find you a mistress."

Yu Jiao: "(.) Thank you, my lord. You are so kind..."

He moved his rosary beads to the air and smiled: "Master Wuliang, fools are happy in their own foolishness. Being simple-minded is also a kind of happiness."

……

After entering Haiyuan Pavilion, this branch pavilion did not dare to neglect the arrival of Lu Qian, the Nascent Soul Spirit Lord. The Jindan Pavilion Master and a Nascent Soul guard came out to entertain him.

After I told him my needs, the head of the branch pavilion nodded.

"You have come to the right place, Mr. Ling. Our pavilion does provide sea ferries. Although the fees are higher, safety is guaranteed."

"I wonder how many people Lingjun needs to cross the sea to Yuheng? Five or ten?"

Lu Qian blinked: "More than 300 people."

The Pavilion Master almost spit out his tea, and the Lingjun guard beside him also looked shocked.

“Ahem, Lingjun, are you sure you are not here to tease me?” The Pavilion Master shook his head and laughed, “The sea beyond the Starry Sea is full of dangers. Those hordes of wild beasts, sea monsters, and unpredictable gales are really hard to deal with.”

"It's hard to deal with, but I think Haiyuan Pavilion must have a way, right?" Lu Qian said, "In addition to transporting people and letters, the most important thing is that Haiyuan Pavilion also needs to transport a large number of treasures entrusted by monks across the sea, right?"

"The treasure ship must be quite large. Three hundred people can fit in it even if they squeeze together?"

The Pavilion Master narrowed his eyes and looked at Lu Qian.

"This spiritual master is quite unfamiliar, and doesn't seem to be a local master. I wonder what to call him?"

Lu Qian said, "Why, Haiyuan Pavilion, which has always been open for business, is now trying to find out about its customers?"

The Pavilion Master said in a deep voice: "If the guests were only a dozen or twenty people, I would never ask any questions. But if you three hundred people make a fuss on the sea... The waterway taken by the treasure ship is different from that of individual passengers. Safety is of great importance. Please forgive me."

Lu Qian took a sip of tea and said slowly, "If you are worried about this, there is no need to worry. These three hundred of me will definitely not cause any trouble. Even if I have any intentions, I am afraid I will be held hostage by you because of these three hundred people."

"It's because they are all three or four-year-old spiritual seedlings."

The living room suddenly became cold, and an icy atmosphere was brewing.

Xiang Kong looked serious and said subconsciously: "You have misunderstood. These 300 spiritual seedlings are all from my sect. I guarantee with my character that they are not stolen."

As soon as he said this, he remembered that this was not the Baoguang Realm. Who would recognize him as a member of the Zhijiao sect? How much is his personality worth?

He couldn't help but sigh, and became more determined to spread the doctrine.

Lu Qian said calmly: "As he said, these are all my spiritual seedlings. I can't explain the reason. However, Haiyuan Pavilion has always been only doing business and not interfering in other people's business. You name the price and I will pay. Or, does Haiyuan Pavilion want to destroy its own reputation?" The Pavilion Master gave Lu Qian a deep look and said: "Indeed...Okay, as long as Lingjun can afford the price, we will do this business."

"The normal freight rate is 100 spirit crystals per person. There are too many people on your trip, which increases the risk, so we need to double the charge. Assuming 300 people, the total is 60,000 spirit crystals."

Xiang Kong and Huo Jin took a deep breath.

In the Treasure Light Realm, the Spirit Crystal is already a legendary treasure! In the previous Immortal Ascension Conference, the reward given by the Yunshan Sect was only fifty Spirit Stones per Spirit Seedling.

But now, each spiritual seedling would cost two hundred spirit crystals for a sea crossing, which is equivalent to two hundred and fifty thousand to two hundred and sixty thousand spirit stones!

To put it bluntly, the freight cost is more than five thousand times the price of the goods!
This price was really unexpected. Lu Qian shook his head: "That's not how it's calculated. I just said that if we stuffed three hundred three or four-year-old children into a treasure ship, what kind of trouble could it cause? Isn't this much less risky than transporting monks?"

"The price will only go down, how can we raise it? Besides, we are traveling with the treasure ship. If we encounter danger on the way, my subordinates and I will definitely help us. Wouldn't this also save you some money for escort?"

"Bulk shipping should be discounted, isn't that the same everywhere? Half the total price is about right."

The two sides bargained, and Lu Qian spent a long time. Unfortunately, the initiative was in the hands of Haiyuan Pavilion, and he pressed too hard, so the other party asked for help.

In the end, they could only agree on a price of twenty pieces of spiritual marrow.

Spiritual marrow is already an extremely precious currency, and one piece can be exchanged for 1,500 spiritual crystals. In other words, in the end, Lu Qian paid 30,000 spiritual crystals according to the normal price of a cultivator.

If it is distributed to each spiritual seedling, that means each person will get 100 spiritual crystals.

If there really is a spiritual seedling trade, most sects would not be willing to use one hundred spiritual crystals to exchange for a spiritual seedling whose talent and future are unknown.

This time, the collection of spiritual seedlings was a bit of a loss...

It seems that it is not cost-effective to bring spiritual seedlings from the small world considering the sky-high transportation costs when the return location cannot be determined.

Unless Yunshan Sect has no shortage of money, or solves the problem of crossing the sea, or...

Why not just set up a branch of the Yunshan Sect at the exit of the small world?
If it weren't on the Yuheng Continent, we could have directly occupied the new spiritual vein on the spot and established a branch of the Yunshan Sect!
Of course, if you choose to enter the local spiritual veins of Cangzhou in the future and do not cut off the spiritual veins, this problem will not arise.

While thinking about his future plans, Lu Qian finalized the time and place with Haiyuan Pavilion, then paid a deposit and returned to meet with his senior sisters and others.

The group entered Baiyujing again and headed towards the Xingchen Seashore - because Zhanran Prefecture was not on the seaside. Although an agreement had been signed with the Haiyuan Pavilion here, the one actually responsible for transportation was the Haiyuan Pavilion in another coastal prefecture.

In short, more than ten days later, Lu Qian and others hypnotized three hundred spiritual seedlings, and took some mortal servants to take care of the spiritual seedlings, and boarded the Haiyuan Pavilion treasure ship to the Yuheng Continent.

From Lu Qian's point of view, it would be more accurate to say that this is a submarine rather than a ship.

It turns out that the treasure ship traveled underwater, instead of flying as the monks usually chose!
This submarine has a long and narrow streamlined hull, a total of fifty meters long from head to tail. Half of the space is used to accommodate the people led by Lu Qian, and the other half is filled with various treasure chests and bags.

Lu Qian and his companions found it very novel. Even the Jade Dragon, which often lurked at the bottom of the water, lay on the huge porthole and looked at the spectacular scenery of the seabed through the crystal lens. It was more interesting than when they were swimming in it themselves.

The sun had long been unable to penetrate the deep waters, but there was no darkness at the bottom of the sea. The huge pillars of coral emitted dazzling red light, and the branches were densely covered with rainbow abalone. A group of huge manta rays flew over the porthole, breaking up the faint light of krill suspended in the sea water.

Emerald-colored smoke columns spewed out from the rifts in the underwater canyon, and sediments piled up into seven-story obsidian spires with blood-red tube worms attached to them, stretching out with the water flow like a sea of ​​flowers on the other shore.

The reef on the left suddenly trembled, and dozens of fluorescent blue fish burst out like fireworks, followed closely by three blacktip sharks, whose dark scales rubbed against each other to produce tiny electric lights during the chase.

Hundreds of thousands of golden jellyfish floated up to the right below the porthole, and their translucent umbrellas looked like a brilliant golden river under the light of the treasure ship. When the tentacles were about to touch the porthole, the entire swarm of jellyfish suddenly turned around, which was truly breathtaking.

Lu Qian and Jiang Qingfeng sat together, looking at the underwater scenery through the porthole, quietly enjoying their rare leisure time.

Turning my head to look, I saw my senior sister concentrating on looking at a large school of colorful fish. The colorful light was spreading on her fair cheeks, making her features look even more picturesque.

"Senior Sister, I'm in my Nascent Soul stage." He held Jiang Qingfeng in his arms and kissed her on the forehead. "If everything is fine in Yunshan when we go back this time, let's get married."

Jiang Qingfeng raised his head with a half-smile: "What about Nichang?"

Lu Qian coughed and said, "Well, I really need to ask her if she agrees..."

"Then you don't need to ask me if I agree or not?" Jiang Qingfeng glared at him.

"How could that be? My dear senior sister..." Lu Qian laughed dryly.

Jiang Qingfeng looked at his nervous expression and suddenly smiled gently: "Forget it. When you risked your life to save me, I agreed to you in my heart."

"Do you remember what you said at that time?"

Lu Qian quickly raised his right hand: "How could I not remember?"

"The Yunshan Sect can live without me, but I can't live without my sister. Either I succeed in forming a baby, or we die here together."

Jiang Qingfeng nuzzled into his arms and whispered, "Your words are enough. Later, just think about how to deal with that Fire Crow."

Lu Qian was overjoyed and hugged his senior sister tightly in his arms.

Jiang Qingfeng suddenly remembered the rumbling thunder that day, and the beautiful fairy dancing hard under the heavenly calamity. His heart darkened and his body stiffened.

I haven't told my junior brother about this yet...

There is no other entertainment during the underwater journey, except for enjoying the scenery and chatting with fellow travelers.

In addition to the helper Lu Qian and his group, there were also two Yuanying and six Jindan who carried out this escort mission.

Apart from Lu Qian and others, there was only one other passenger on this trip, and he was from Haiyuan Pavilion.

This man's name was Bao Ji San Ren. He also had Nascent Soul cultivation and seemed to have a certain status in Hai Yuan Pavilion. The two Nascent Soul guards of Hai Yuan Pavilion were very polite to him.

"Treasure ships never carried foreign guests before. Your transportation of three hundred spiritual seedlings is unprecedented." Bao Ji Sanren was skinny and his face was full of wrinkles when he smiled. "I've heard your excuse. It's because you're transporting spiritual seedlings that you don't have to worry about foreign guests causing trouble. It's very safe and makes sense."

"Perhaps in the future, our pavilion can take the initiative to develop a business of transporting spiritual seedlings?"

Lu Qian laughed and changed the topic to business. Bao Ji Sanren was very knowledgeable about business and trade, and the two of them got along very well. After talking for a while, they felt that they had met too late.

It was at this time that Lu Qian realized that Haiyuan Pavilion had opened up a channel to the dragon clan. The treasure ship took the underwater waterway opened up by the outer sea dragon clan, which not only avoided the strong winds at sea, but also avoided the harassment of wild beasts and sea monsters to the greatest extent.

The journey is more than 100,000 miles, and at the speed of this treasure ship underwater, it will take about six or seven days.

It should be very safe. This dragon waterway is patrolled by the outer sea dragons, and wild beasts and sea monsters are not a big deal. Two Yuanying guards are stationed at the top of the treasure ship. Even if there are monsters that slip through the net occasionally, they will be scared away by the Yuanying's aura.

I thought this journey would pass in a flash, but just as we were about to approach the Yuheng Continent, the treasure ship suddenly shook violently.

"Stop the boat immediately! Get inspected!"

Lu Qian looked out of the porthole and his heart sank.

They were two savage dragons, leading a large group of sailors, blocking the way for the treasure ship. (End of this chapter)