Longevity: Starting from Refining Gu-Chapter 97 - 88 Snake Gu Butterfly Transformation!

After feeding his Gu, Chen Qing took his sword and went out. At a restaurant near the courtyard where the merchant caravan staying south had lodged, he ordered a table full of good dishes, eating while occasionally glancing over.

He observed no unusual movements.

Only the pack rats seemed completely untired, as if the goods they were transporting weren’t very heavy.

Could they be transporting Gu?

No, if it were Gu, they should be carrying them personally.

The head of the caravan, upon closer inspection, appeared just to be a middle-aged man around forty and didn’t seem like someone who frequently traveled far and wide.

Although he was extremely courteous, it came off as somewhat contrived.

Somewhat deliberate.

Was this the method of the Immortal Servant?

It was all too easily deciphered.

Chen Qing had considered traveling to the south alone, but being alone risked exposure; traveling with the caravan could avoid a lot of trouble.

He settled the bill and descended the stairs, heading straight out of the city gate.

He would first go to Jinzhou City in the south.

It was closer to Nanli, and there were relatively more caravans heading south.

Traveling alone, Chen Qing adjusted his straw hat, quickly traversing through the mountain streams.

Jinzhou was different from Wo Hu City, as Wo Hu City was a mountain city, while Jinzhou City was a water city.

Jinzhou City sat on the Jiuqu River, with numerous rivers converging into it. Chen Qing wasn’t worried about losing his way, as following the river downstream would eventually lead him to Jinzhou City.

Following the river, Chen Qing hurried through the woods.

Initially planning to set out for long journeys after the Light Gu transformed into a Butterfly and progressed to the Ninth Transformation, unforeseen events concerning the spirit Gu forced him to depart now, proving that life is full of uncertainties.

After three days of travel, he encountered a merchant ship heading south at a dock, and upon paying the fare, he secured a guest room.

It took three more days with the ship to reach Jinzhou City.

Chen Qing stood at the bow of the ship, looking up at this vast city on water, marveling at how indeed, there were endless wonders in the world of cultivation.

The city’s foundation was forged from Floating Cloud Wood poured over incorruptible Mystic Iron, suspended upon the Jiuqu River.

Jinzhou City wasn’t permanently fixed and would migrate with time as the city lord would order it moved downstream.

Therefore, Jinzhou City was essentially a long, narrow city.

Along the banks were bronze platforms, with bronze locks securing pavilions that floated on the water surface.

Rather than a city, it was more accurate to call it a colossal market pieced together from thousands of boats.

At the moment, it wasn’t the flood season yet, so the migration hadn’t begun.

Jinzhou City’s commerce was far more prosperous than Wo Hu City’s, with continuous merchant caravans stretching for miles.

Chen Qing even saw several girls dressed in black, showing their fair arms and calves, adorned with elaborate silver accessories.

Women from Da Yan often favored colors similar to azure, Northern women preferred white, while women from the West Desert liked red and yellow.

Only the women from the south favored black.

Nanli valued the color black, revered the mystical, favored silver, worshipped the Miao God and White Tiger, and favored fresh blood and meat.

Watching the Nanli girls laughing and playing as they left, Chen Qing suddenly had an idea.

He bought some old silver accessories, found a secluded spot, and instantly transformed into fog. When he emerged, he wore a straw hat, a silver tiger-buckle belt around his waist, and had a hundred-pound giant axe the size of a millstone on his back.

His hair was left unbound, flowing down his shoulders to his waist, with a White Tiger Lock tied at the end.

He had transformed into a genuine, handsome young man from Nanli.

Compared to the clothes he used to wear, he now exuded less poise and authority, yet more boldness and recklessness.

Since the caravan he found might be the work of the Taiping Sect, why not let these Nanli girls introduce him to a Nanli caravan heading south? Wouldn’t that allow him to escape from the Taiping Sect’s traps easily?

Having traveled for three days to get here, Chen Qing was quite hungry and found a shop where there were quite a few Nanli people. He walked in and shouted, "Shopkeeper, roast a lamb for me, make it a green-colored one."

"And bring me five jars of your strongest liquor."

Everyone around looked at Chen Qing simultaneously. It was only after seeing the White Tiger Lock around his waist that they understood.

Only the most outstanding warriors in the clan had the right to wear the White Tiger Lock, which explained why he could eat so much.

Yes, in Nanli, the measure of a man was whether he could eat and how much he could drink.

A good eater and drinker must be a hero.

Chen Qing drank heartily and feasted on the meat, feeling pleasantly invigorated.

With his Snake Gu, this amount of food and drink was nothing. He could consume ten more carts full.

After finishing the meat and drinking the wine, Chen Qing wiped his mouth, only to find a Nanli girl with a basket in front of him curiously watching him.

Chen Qing smiled and asked, "Little sister, what are you looking at?"

The Nanli girl blinked her bright eyes and said, "Brother, you can really eat."

She placed the basket of golden apricots in front of Chen Qing, "Brother, after finishing the wine and meat, have some fruit to clear the palate."

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Chen Qing, not one for polite formality, took one and stuffed it into his mouth. The girl also took one and began eating it, finally breaking open the seed to eat the kernel before spitting out the seed husk.

Chen Qing also broke the seed, ate the kernel inside, and then spat it out.

The girl seemed satisfied and said, "You are indeed one of our Nanli people; eating golden apricots means eating the kernel."

She then sat beside Chen Qing and asked, "Brother, how long have you been out, and when do you plan to return to Nanli?"

Chen Qing replied, "I plan to find a Nanli caravan and return with them."

The girl’s eyes sparkled, "Grandpa said a Nanli caravan will pass by in a month. Would you like to come to my house?"

In his mind, Chen Qing thought the Nanli people were exceedingly hospitable, agreeing and visiting the girl’s home to arrange being called to join the caravan when it arrived.