Chapter 174: Adopt
Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish_Creek
The little fox in Qin Mu's backpack couldn't resist popping her head out to say, "This Senior Brother Fan, didn't you ever think that you would run a few more trips ferrying passengers to earn more money since your ship is three to five times faster now? There is no need for you to rob."
Fan Yunxiao rolled his eyes at Hu Ling'er, "Why so troublesome? Now that my ship is fast enough, I would be able to rob fast enough. I could only rob once a day before, now I can rob three to five times a day. The money from robbing is so much more than ferrying passengers. During times of peace, there are more merchant ships, therefore, we need to rob during times of peace. Now that there's war, there are lesser merchant ships, therefore, we're ferrying passengers. Little fox demon, you don't have the brains for business."
Hu Ling'er was completely speechless.
The speed of the ship was too fast and the ship was already giving off creaking sounds. It was getting harder for the ship to bear the wind pressure caused from flying forward. Fan Yunxiao became nervous again and fortified the ship with a few bandits by using runes transformed by vital qi to mark the hull of the ship.
Qin Mu's heart was alarmed. Now he was also afraid that this ship would crumble into pieces any moment.
Luckily on the way there, the ship never broke down in mid-air.
On their way there, they encountered a few more battlefields but because the speed of Cloud Chasing Pirate Ship was too fast, before the two sides could even see what it was, the ship had already flown past, inevitably making them indescribably stunned.
Fan Yunxiao was also indescribably stunned. The pill furnace created by Qin Mu was simply too strong and according to this flying speed, the seven to eight days journey to the capital city now would just take them over a day.
However, even though the pill furnace Qin Mu created was good, it consumed much more spirit stones and herbs.
When they reached the capital city, it was already the morning of the next day. The ship slowed down its speed and the spirit stones on the ship were more or less depleted. The ship gradually descended and landed in the vehicles and mounts market in the capital city.
The official in the vehicles and mounts market went forward to check and his expression immediately changed hugely when he saw Fan Yunxiao. He was about to call for constables to arrest him when Fan Yunxiao immediately explained, "I've turned good, turned good! This is our ship's official record!"
That official took a look and it was really an official record from the imperial court. He said bewilderedly, "Crooks like you should be beheaded, how could they allow you turn good?"
Fan Yunxiao laughed dryly, "This is the grace of the imperial court, I'm moved to tears of gratitude."
Qin Mu disembarked the ship and was about to leave when Fan Yunxiao hurried over. Putting his arm over his shoulder, he chuckled, "Brother Qin, what future do you have in Imperial College? Why not follow me and we can do big business, no capital huge profit!"
Qin Mu shook his head, "Senior Brother Fan, I in Imperial College ain't like you in Dao Sect. You are corrupted at heart but Imperial College has a very good impression of me. I'm a good person with an extensive public reputation."
Hu Ling'er was full of confidence, "The term improper intention can never be placed together with young master."
Fan Yunxiao could only drop his thoughts and grumbled, "With your talent, it's wasted for you not to be a bandit. That's right, when I left Dao Sect, I stole a Computational Canon of Supreme Mystery and since you're interested in algebra, I'll give it to you."
Qin Mu rose up with spirit and immediately took over the Computational Canon of Supreme Mystery, "How can I take such a precious gift? Ling'er, take it quickly."
Hu Ling'er hid the Computational Canon of Supreme Mystery in the backpack.
Fan Yunxiao said, "Dao Sect doesn't prohibit disciples to learn Computational Canon of Supreme Mystery. This canon is used for opening up the disciples' wisdom and if they could learn the computational canons well, only then can they learn Fourteen Writings of Dao Sword. Back then I learned my computational canon not bad and learned the fifth writing of Dao Sword. Before I could start to learn the sixth writing, I was chased out to become a bandit."
Qin Mu asked curiously, "Which writing is the move, A Dot Threading The Vast Movements, Yin And Yang Come And Go Within Two Modes from?"
"Brother Qin knows this move?"
Fan Yunxiao was astonished, "This is the first writing of Dao Sword and the most simple move among the fourteen writings. Dao Sword becomes harder the further you cultivate it but the power also grows. When one succeeds in cultivating the fourteenth writing of Dao Sword, he would become invincible in this world, becoming a god. However, no one in Dao Sect has ever succeeded."
Qin Mu's heart jumped. The first writing of Dao Sword was already this powerful so how astonishing could the power of the fourteenth writing be?
When he fought with Daozi Ling Xuan, this was the move that was used by Daozi Ling Xuan. He defeated Dozi Ling Xuan. However, Daozi Ling Xuan also managed to calculate the location of his weakness and injured him.
He couldn't help becoming curious about the Fourteen Writings of Dao Sword.
After bidding farewell to Fan Yunxiao, Qin Mu walked towards Imperial College and thought to himself, "Fan Yunxiao is an interesting person. I'm just not sure when such an interesting person would be detained to the market to be beheaded. Hmm, now that Patriarch has retired, I wonder who would be the next grand chancellor? Could it be Chancellor Ba Shan?"
Chancellor Ba Shan planned to change the disadvantage of Imperial College by establishing imperial academicians. In Qin Mu's heart, he was the first choice to be the next grand chancellor.
However, the other people might not be as open-minded as him.
It was extremely important for them to establish imperial academicians. It was the crucial point if Imperial College would be able to surpass sacred grounds like Dao Sect and Great Thunderclap Monastery. Only when Chancellor Ba Shan became the grand chancellor could he continue to push for this reform.
He came to the mountain gate of Imperial College and just as he passed the mountain gate, he suddenly moved back and sized up the dragon qilin who was guarding in front of the mountain gate.
That dragon qilin was still lying below the mountain gate and looking forward motionless; however, the chains on his neck had disappeared.
Qin Mu took a few more looks and the dragon qilin continued to look forward without blinking at all. He looked like he was carved from stone but veins started popping out from the neck of this dragon qilin.
"What are you looking at?" the dragon qilin turned his head and roared at him in anger.
Qin Mu asked curiously, "The chain on your neck is gone so why aren't you leaving? What are you staying here for?"
That dragon qilin replied weakly, "I've nowhere to go. Every day there are people feeding me here so why should I go? I'm pretty comfortable here."
Hu Ling'er smiled, "Big fella, are eating and drinking all you seek after?"
The dragon qilin gave her a glance and felt quite a disdain, "How does a fox demon know the ambition of a qilin? You also won't understand if I told you."
Hu Ling'er smiled to Qin Mu, "Young master, this dragon qilin has turned dumb squatting here every day. Let's not bother ourselves with him."
Qin Mu was about to walk up the mountain when the dragon qilin drooped his head down with a dazed look, "My old master has retired and escaped with an old man, abandoning me behind. I have nowhere else to go so I could only stay here to guard the gate. I still have to be bullied by a bull every day and now even a fox is scorning me, there's no way to live on…"
Qin Mu walked back two steps and came to the front of the dragon qilin and asked, "You're Patriarch's mount? We're from the same sect. I'm the cult master of the sacred cult."
The dragon qilin looked at him with vigilance and sneered, "I don't know any patriarch or any cult master. I still haven't settled my scores with you for paralyzing me."
Qin Mu smiled, "When I've come to fight Daozi of Dao Sect, didn't you see me walking over with Patriarch? You should have known my relationship with Patriarch. There's no need for you to be wary."
The dragon qilin snorted coldly, "Then you paralyzed me."
Qin Mu mumbled, "That's the result of your asking me to beat that bull. I even got beaten up by that bull instead. You absolutely didn't tell me that the bull was so strong. It's better to squash enmity rather than keeping it alive…"
The dragon qilin then snorted coldly again, "Then you took revenge by paralyzing me."
Qin Mu probed, "How about I get that bull over and you beat him up?"
The dragon qilin didn't trust him obviously and said, "You still want to paralyze me?"
Qin Mu was helpless and could only go up the mountain. This dragon qilin was a little thick headed and only remembered that he had paralyzed him.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked back, only to see that dragon qilin finally leaving his spot while following behind him step for step. When he saw him stop, that dragon qilin also stopped.
Qin Mu walked forward and that dragon qilin also walked forward. Qin Mu stopped in before the jade cliff and looked back.
That dragon qilin also stopped with him.
Qin Mu leaped up the jade cliff while fire clouds spawned under the dragon qilin's feet, carrying his large body up the cliff.
Qin Mu turned back and smiled, "What are you following me for? I had only paralyzed you once and took some dragon's saliva, is there a need for such a deep hatred?"
"You paralyzed me so you have to provide my meals," the dragon qilin said seriously.
Qin Mu was bewildered and asked, "Didn't you say earlier that people bring you food every day? You can just stay at the mountain gate."
The dragon qilin lowered his head, "It was also old master bringing meals for me in the past and after old master left, no one cares about me anymore. I have not eaten for over a month. The new grand chancellor thinks I am a rock and the other directorates also think I am a rock. I'm also ashamed to beg for food. I can't bring myself to do it. That bull even relied on Chancellor Ba Shan as his backing to bully me, saying that I cheated his feelings…"
Qin Mu saw his grieving appearance which moved his empathetic heart, "Alright, alright, don't feel so wrong. You can follow me from now on and I'll take care of your meals. I have the money! What do you eat?"
"I only drink the water of Jade Dragon Lake and eat one bucket of Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills every day."
Qin Mu clenched his fists tightly and Hu Ling'er also felt her liver trembling. Jade Dragon Lake was the lake formed from the gathering of the qi of the nine dragons. There was a lot of water in the lake and this dragon qilin could drink to his heart's content, but a bucket of Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills was the killer.
"Young master, the little money we have is only enough to feed him for half a month."
Hu Ling'er whispered, "I think it's best not to shelter him or else that little property of ours would be emptied by him."
The dragon qilin heard it and immediately said, "I can starve myself a little and eat half a bucket every day. No? Then a liter? No lesser than one liter."
Qin Mu shook his hand and said, "I'm an apothecary myself and I can refine Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills myself to save some money. You won't lose out in your meals; however, I can't raise you for free."
The dragon qilin immediately cried out, "You paralyzed me! Furthermore, we are from the same sect, you're the cult master so you have the duty to raise me. I'm the mount of your patriarch!"
Qin Mu's head started to ache as he said, "You have to give me some of your dragon's saliva every day or else I won't be able to raise you."
"Dragon's saliva?" The dragon qilin turned wary.
Qin Mu explained, "Dragon's saliva means your saliva."
The dragon qilin had obviously thought of something wrong as he let out a sigh of relief, "That's good then. That's right, you had said earlier that you could bring the bull over to let me beat him up?"
Qin Mu warned, "Don't win an inch and want a foot, otherwise, I will only give you half a bucket of Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills every day."
The dragon qilin immediately shut up and followed behind him as if he was afraid to lose this meal master. Hu Ling'er kept looking back to size up this large creature and this fellow was even much higher than Qin Mu when he stood up. Qin Mu just barely reached the dragon's whiskers that were drooping down his chin. Adding the long qilin's tail of the dragon qilin to calculation, he was probably forty to fifty feet long.
This dragon qilin had strange decorative designs protruding out over his body which looked like natural runes, giving off an awe-inspiring presence.
"No wonder he can eat so much. He's much bigger than Bull Two, not sure how big he will be when he reveals his true form," Hu Ling'er was secretly astonished.
Qin Mu brought the dragon qilin up the mountain and came to Jade Dragon Lake to let this dragon qilin drink water first. He thought to himself, "I still don't know how much a small bottle of dragon's saliva is worth; however, it's a spirit medicine for healing injuries so it shouldn't be cheap right? I hope it can fetch enough to cover the cost of the herbs, otherwise my whole fortune is going to be eaten up…"