Chapter Seventeen: Xiangxiangbao

  Thanks for the reward support from enthusiastic reader Xu Dajiang

  "You beast! How dare you be so presumptuous!"

  Suddenly, a loud shout filled the sky, and a battle cry echoed through the air from mid-air.

  Chen Yuan was overjoyed at first, but soon discovered that even if someone were to fight against the evil alligator, no one would come to rescue him.

  Hiss!

  A bird's cry came from below, the sound whizzing past his ear, and a slender jade hand suddenly appeared out of thin air to grab Chen Yuan, tossing him onto a fluffy back.

  All this happened too quickly, in less than five seconds after the jump, a master suddenly appeared to intercept the evil python in mid-air, and a spirit bird suddenly flew out from under the cliff, rescuing Chen Yuan.

  Chen Yuanjue sat on the back of the Lingqiu, panting heavily.

  Suddenly, an exclamation came from beside his ear.

  "What kind of person are you? How can you smell so bad!"

  Chen Yuan heard the sound and looked over, seeing a girl, fifteen or sixteen years old, with skin as smooth as condensed fat and muscles as white as snow. She wore a blue skirt like water, with a red cord for a belt tied around her waist, tied with a string of silver bells, which rang out clearly with every movement, like the sound of sea breeze on one's face, very pleasant to hear. Her eyebrows were lightly painted, her eyelashes long, her eyes large, her pupils like ink, her hair was piled up like a crow's nest, without any gold or silver hair ornaments, but she wore a white shell fan, adding a touch of coastal customs. Her cheeks were red like peaches, looking delicate and shy, with a beauty that could not be compared to anything else.

  Chen Yuanhua was eighteen years old. He had seen many girls, but when this girl entered his line of sight, he was stunned for a moment.

  "Roar!" It wasn't until the sky was filled with the angry roar of the evil dragon that he suddenly came back to his senses, saw the girl covering her nose, and his face turned red as he hastily expressed his gratitude: "I am Chen Yuan, thank you so much for saving..."

  "Ptooey! Don't talk, don't come near me! Did you fall into a dung pit or something? How can you be so stinky!" Hai Youcai waved her hand at him, already nearly fainting from the foul smell of Huang Daxiancao.

  "Sorry......" Chen Yuan also came to his senses and realized the stench on himself, hastily retreating a few steps back to stand at the rear of the Ling Beast's tail.

  The beautiful girl covered her nose and refused to speak, Chen Yuan could only awkwardly examine the spiritual bird sitting down.

  This should be a third-level demon beast, tamed by the Beast Taming Method, with a body length of five meters and a wingspan of eight meters, with an eagle-like head but with horns on its forehead.

  Chen Yuan searched his knowledge of demonic beasts and soon confirmed that this was a Wind Hawk.

  The wind lifted him up and he soared upwards, in no time he was back on top of the precipice.

  At this time, a white-haired old man was fighting with the evil crocodile in mid-air on the cliff.

  The old man's body was surging with spiritual energy, and a water dragon was coiled around his body. It was a third-level formation technique called "Reversing the Ocean and Turning Over the Sea Formation".

  The old man's cultivation had already reached the early stage of forming a dan, but the evil crocodile was comparable to the middle stage of forming a dan, and its strength was stronger than that of the old man.

  But the old man had an array method to protect himself, and he manipulated the water dragon and the evil alligator to fight back and forth, gradually gaining the upper hand.

  The evil python knew it was no match, and no longer hesitated. With a swift turn of its body, it shot straight up into the sky, fleeing in a flash.

  Up to this point, Chen Yuan's crisis has been completely resolved.

  The old man fell from the sky and dispersed the formation around his body.

  The wind eagle also landed on the cliff, and the girl jumped down to the ground before the wind eagle had even stopped, hastily running away for over a dozen yards before finally taking a deep breath.

  "I'm suffocating! I'm suffocating! How can it smell so bad?!"

  Chen Yuan felt a wave of embarrassment, but still jumped down from the Wind Eagle. The Wind Eagle seemed to be unable to bear his smell either, let out a low hum, then flapped its wings and flew high into the sky, circling above the girl's head.

  At this time, the old man unknowingly walked over and was about to approach Chen Yuan within three feet when he was suddenly hit by a foul odor that made him retreat several feet.

  "What's with the Huang Daxiancao?" The old man was worldly-wise and immediately smelled out the origin of the foul odor.

  "Yes." Chen Yuan nodded.

  "What are you doing messing around with this grass?" The old man asked in confusion, blowing his mustache and staring.

  Chen Yuan had no choice but to introduce himself and inform the two of them about how Bai Xiao Zhuang had framed him. After all, they were his lifesavers. He naturally didn't mention anything about the Jade Stele or the Divine Snake.

  "What a despicable person, someone like this can actually build a villa. If such a thing happened within the borders of my Hai Lao City, I would have destroyed him." The old man said angrily, but he looked at Chen Yuan again, unlike Hai Youcai who only cared about the smell of Huang Daxian grass, he knew more about the taste of it being applied to his body.

  This young man before us has an unyielding determination!

  Chen Yuan just smiled and killed Zhu Changrong. He didn't have much hatred for Bai Xiao Village anymore. Even whether to kill Yuanguan, he didn't put it in his heart. The only thing he worried about was that old man Zhu Heng, who would definitely come to avenge his son.

  "May I ask your name, senior? Chen Yuan will never forget the kindness of saving his life."

  "Hai Yuannian, he is my disciple Hai Youchan." The old man introduced simply.

  Chen Yuan glanced at the beautiful Hai Youcai and remembered her name in his heart.

  Haiyue's eyes were sharp and venomous, his cultivation was profound, and he had rich experience. He asked Chen Yuan:

  "You're not from the old city by the sea, are you? Your body has a strange fragrance that attracts demonic beasts, and yet you dare to wander around alone? Where are you headed?"

  Chen Yuan explained clearly to avoid being misunderstood as some kind of evil cult. After stating his identity and intentions, Hai Yue suddenly pointed out: "Your current direction is now opposite to that of Ruo Mu City. The demonic tide will soon subside, why not choose a place to hide from it?"

  Chen Yuan took out the route map, and it turned out that they were indeed off course. The Wind Chaser had also suffered some damage and needed to be repaired by a master craftsman before it could be used temporarily.

  The plan to rush to Rōmotsu Castle within ten days and avoid the Yōshio's attack was completely foiled.

  "Thanks for reminding me, elder. I wonder if there's a Master Craftsman around here who can help me refine this fortress?"

  "Is your flight artifact damaged?" Hai Yueyan asked, and Chen Yuan nodded.

  He furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before responding, "There's a decent equipment refiner at Qingxiang Fortress. He can repair any magical equipment below grade three. However, repairing magical equipment takes some time, so you'll probably have to spend the Calamity at Qingxiang Fortress."

  "It can't be helped then. We'll have to go to Qingxiang Fortress to seek refuge." Chen Yuan had already made up his mind and nodded in response.

  "That's great, we also want to go to Xiangxiangbao, let's go together!" Haiyue Nian invited.

  "No! This guy stinks so much, if I'm with him, I'll be suffocated to death!" Hai Youcao dissented in discontent.

  Hai Yu's opposition ultimately proved ineffective.

  Chen Yuan didn't have the privilege of continuing to ride on Feng Xuan either, Hai Yue Lian borrowed a second-grade flying artifact for him, allowing him to temporarily fly and keep up with them.

  After flying for half an hour, they entered Xiangxiang Fortress.

  Chen Yuan was immediately rushed into the inn by Hai Jia and his disciples, until he was cleaned up, then Hai Yue Nian took out a sachet for Chen Yuan.

  "This sachet contains the specialty of Xiangxiangbao 'Xiangxiangyu Liquid', with a strong fragrance that can cover up many odors. It lasts for about a month, which is better than using Huangdaxian grass to mask the smell."

  Chen Yuan gratefully accepted it, but Hai Youying covered her mouth and giggled: "This sachet is usually only worn by girls, you're a big man wearing one too, how embarrassing!"

  Chen Yuan smiled wryly, but compared to being despised by everyone for using Huang Daxian grass, it's better to put on a daughter's fragrant powder and lipstick. Even if some unusual glances come your way, at least you can make yourself feel more comfortable.

  Accept the sachet and wear it on. In the past, the tip of his nose was wrapped in a foul smell, but now it has changed to a refreshing fragrance that intoxicates people, making Chen Yuan feel like he is about to sublimate himself.

  This is a good thing, Chen Yuan naturally can't be satisfied with just covering himself. A month later, he returned to Huang Daxiancao and asked in a hurry:

  "Excuse me, senior, where can I buy this sachet?"

  "This Xiangnang Xinxiangbao is also extremely rare, and it's usually not sold outside," said Haiyue Nian, without concealing his intention to win over the young man.

  Chen Yuan was slightly surprised in his heart, this sachet was actually so precious, the favor was a bit big, Chen Yuan didn't know why this powerful cultivator of the Condensing Dan stage wanted to take care of him, such a small character.

  "You should be a Formation Master, right?" Hai Yueyan asked faintly, seemingly seeing through Chen Yuan's thoughts.

  "Yes." Chen Yuan didn't hastily nod in response.

  Haiyue nodded: "During the tide of evil spirits, I hope you can lend a hand to help guard Xiangxiang Fortress."

  "It's only natural to go all out." Chen Yuan was quite aware of the situation, and for a friendship that had lasted since their Dan-formation period, he wouldn't refuse even if he were foolish. Moreover, with the demonic tide, he would be able to harvest more demonic souls, and this kind of deal, he naturally wouldn't miss.

  After getting Chen Yuan's consent, Haiyue nodded in satisfaction and then took Haishao away.

  They didn't come here just like Chen Yuan so simply, there must be something important to deal with, and Chen Yuan wouldn't dare to follow closely.

  The next morning, Hai Youchan came alone to find Chen Yuan.

  "Where's Hai?" Chen Yuan asked slightly surprised, seeing only Hai Yucai.

  "Master has an urgent matter to attend to in Haicheng, let's not waste any more time, I'll take you to find the Alchemy Master." Hai Youcai pouted her mouth, seemingly somewhat unhappy.

  Chen Yuan nodded and left the inn with her, soon finding a Buddhist utensils shop.

  It was said that it would be fixed in three days, and Chen Yuan had to spend the tide of evil spirits at Qinxiang Fortress.

  After spending over three hundred third-grade spirit crystals, Chen Yuan and Hai Youchan left the artifact shop together.

  "It's all settled for you, let's part ways here!" Hai Youcao said.

  "Where are you going?" Chen Yuan asked.

  "Why tell you?" Hai Youcao pouted and waved her hand as she walked towards the crowd.

  Chen Yuan had nowhere else to go and could only choose a direction opposite to that of Jinxiang Fortress's market street.

  Qinxiangbao has been built for 1,200 years, with a long history and profound foundation. Its prosperity far surpasses that of Julimubao, and there are five towns around the castle, forming a pentagonal formation, with arrays nested within arrays, and array methods combined. The subtlety is admired by Chen Yuanshu, who has nothing to do and walks around Qinxiangbao, peeking at the secrets of its defensive array.

  Near the tide of evil spirits, Qingxiang Fortress was still carefree.

  People in the fort seem to be unaffected by the danger of the evil tide, business continues as usual, and jokes are still made after meals.

  Such an atmosphere of complacency made Chen Yuan feel slightly uncomfortable.

  It is said that every year in Kusatsu Castle, there are rumors of many mansions being breached and even fortresses being destroyed.

  Those were all scenes of demonic beasts slaughtering humans in a hellish manner. A few years ago, the 'Thousand Cranes Manor' next to Bai Xiao Manor had its protective array broken by demonic beasts, and over a thousand people inside the manor died miserably, with only a few escaping.

  Afterwards, Chen Yuan and several good friends planned to go to Qianhe Village to make a fortune from the dead, but what they saw was shocking: fresh blood and corpses everywhere. The smell of blood was so strong that it made them vomit on the spot, and they turned around and ran away in a hurry.

  The situation varies from place to place. Xiangxiangbao is located in the southern inland area of Haolao City, and there is no threat from large groups of sea monsters in the ocean. In addition, with a large population and a long history, the experience of resisting the tide of monsters is rich, so the residents inside can live and work in peace and contentment without worrying about the threat of the monster tide.

  Chen Yuan didn't think too much, went up to a hundred-meter-high building, took in the whole view of Xiangxiangbao, absorbed the architectural layout of Xiangxiangbao, and did some homework for his future development.

  The day passed quickly, and the night was still filled with laughter. Chen Yuan borrowed the moonlight outside the window to absorb the essence of the moon, and spent the night in cultivation.