To be honest,
Gu Qingfeng had lived for over ten thousand years.
However, those ten thousand years had been spent in slumber.
Even during the five hundred years he cultivated, most of his days were filled with fighting and killing.
This was true whether in the vast Mortal Realm or the boundless Great Desolate.
For places like the Fengyue Small World, this was truly his first time visiting, and he found it quite novel. He asked, "Didn't they say there's an auction event here? Where is it? I don't see it."
"It won't start for several more days. I'm not even anxious, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Then where are we going now?"
"First, we'll find a place to settle, then we can go look around."
He had originally thought that the so-called place to settle would at least be a palace perched on clouds, or a pavilion on a floating mountain. At the very least, it should be some kind of manor. But what Gu Qingfeng never expected was that the so-called place to settle was actually a mountain range resembling a long dragon. The mountain range had many pavilions, and almost every pavilion was packed with people.
"Isn't the auction event still many days away? Are we really going to find a pavilion to settle in?"
"What else?"
"Isn't this a bit too shabby? Does the vast Fengyue Small World really not have any proper places to stay?"
"Of course it does, but we can't afford them. They're very expensive. The cheapest garden in Fengyue Small World costs several hundred Immortal Stones per day. The expensive ones cost thousands. Look, do you see that majestic palace over there? I heard staying there for a day costs over ten thousand."
Gu Qingfeng clicked his tongue in astonishment, sighing, "That's just too ruthless."
"Tell me about it. Many Immortals in the Great Desolate risk their lives searching for resources outside. If they're lucky, they can barely make ends meet. If they're unlucky, they might go eight or ten years without a single harvest."
Qiānniǎo also sighed, "Thankfully, Líng'ér Jiě has been taking us around all these years. On average, each person earns about twenty or thirty thousand Immortal Stones a year. Don't look down on twenty or thirty thousand Immortal Stones; that's already quite good, much better than many Immortals in the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain."
"Surviving in the Great Desolate isn't easy. There are just too many places where cultivation requires Immortal Stones. Thirty or fifty thousand Immortal Stones is barely enough to support oneself. You don't even dare think about tempering an Immortal weapon or flying sword. So, save where you can."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head, speechless, not knowing what to say.
Especially when he looked at the densely packed people on the mountain range, gathered in groups of three or five in each pavilion, he felt quite helpless. He sighed, "These are all Immortals. In the ancient era, they would have been noble, revered existences. How have they fallen to living worse than dogs now? What's the point of cultivating then? Might as well find a Mortal Realm and live a life of leisure."
"You can't say that. Although life in the Great Desolate isn't easy, at least there's still something to pursue. As long as your cultivation grows stronger day by day, life will slowly improve. If you return to the Mortal Realm, you might live a life of leisure, but your cultivation won't just fail to improve; it might even deteriorate."
The one who said this wasn't Qiānniǎo, but Qiānlíng. She glanced at Gu Qingfeng and said calmly, "Moreover, times are different now. In the ancient era, Immortals might have been revered in the Mortal Realm. But in the present era, Immortals in the Mortal Realm are no different from ordinary cultivators. What kind of leisure is there to enjoy?"
Gu Qingfeng had slept for ten thousand years and had only been awake for a little over twenty years. This was his first time venturing out. To this day, he wasn't too clear about the actual situation in the Mortal Realm. Hearing Qiānlíng's words, he couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that, no matter the era, living is never an easy thing."
"As long as you have perseverance and don't give up on yourself, no matter how bitter or tiring, if you persist, you will eventually have your day."
"Eventually have your day?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and smiled, "That phrase has harmed who knows how many people."
"Hey, Little Drunkard, what nonsense are you talking about? Harming people? I find you've always been quite pessimistic. Don't be so pessimistic, okay? Don't just look at how hard everyone is struggling to survive now. Maybe one day, with good luck, they might find a priceless treasure. Then they can live the high life, do whatever they want."
"Relying on luck to get by? Might as well rely on fate then."
Perhaps touched by many thoughts, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but sigh again.
"I was just making an analogy! I didn't say to rely on luck to get by. How come you never listen to the meaning behind the words?"
Qiānlíng led everyone to continue searching for an empty pavilion. But after looking around, they found the entire mountain range was almost packed with people. All the pavilions were occupied; people were everywhere.
"Líng'ér Jiě, it seems this event hosted by Fengyue Small World has really attracted a lot of people. And we came too late; there are no empty spots left. What should we do?"
Qiānniǎo suggested, "How about we go find a garden to stay in? It's only a few days anyway; it won't cost that many Immortal Stones."
Qiānlíng shook her head, "If even this place has no vacancies, then the gardens in Fengyue Small World are probably also packed."
"Then what should we do?"
Qiānlíng didn't speak, as if thinking of a solution.
Gu Qingfeng asked, "Such a big World, why must we settle in this specific place? It's just about finding somewhere to rest. Anywhere will do; just pick a random spot."
"Big Brother! In the future, if you don't understand something, don't just speak randomly, okay? People will laugh at you."
Qiānniǎo shot Gu Qingfeng a look, "This is Fengyue Small World. Many places store precious resources. You think you can go wherever you want? With our ordinary access token, we can only settle in places like these."
Convinced.
Gu Qingfeng was utterly convinced.
Beside them, Qiānniǎo seemed to remember something. She came to Qiānlíng's side and said, "Líng'ér Jiě, don't you have Bai Susu's token? How about we..." Before Qiānniǎo could finish, Qiānlíng glared her into silence, "Qiānniǎo, I told you never to mention this matter again. Why won't you listen?"
"Alright, alright, I was wrong, okay? I'll never mention the token again."
Qiānniǎo knew Líng'ér Jiě definitely wouldn't trouble Bai Susu just for a place to stay. She muttered, "You... really would rather suffer than lose face..."
"Qiānniǎo, you little girl, who are you saying would rather suffer than lose face..."
"No one! I didn't say anything! Líng'ér Jiě, you must have misheard."
Rather suffer than lose face?
In Qiānniǎo's view, perhaps it was so.
In Gu Qingfeng's view, what Qiānlíng couldn't let go of wasn't face, but the dignity in her heart.
Such people often live very tiring lives.
However, on the other hand, if a person, for the sake of survival, puts down their dignity, then wanting to reclaim that lost dignity later becomes much, much more difficult.
For survival, putting down dignity is not shameful.
But for dignity, upholding one's principles is even more admirable.
At that moment, a shout came from the distance.
"Líng'ér Jiě! Qiānniǎo little sister!"
Hmm?
Qiānlíng and Qiānniǎo looked over and saw three people flying towards them.
Two men and one woman.
Two were elegant, extraordinary-looking Immortal gentlemen, and one was a beautiful, lovely Immortal maiden.