Chapter Twenty: Journey to Donglin Prefecture

Dao Sansheng had lost all interest in watching the wedding; he remained in his room, waiting until the ceremony was over. Xue’er returned, her manner mysterious and secretive. Unable to contain his curiosity, Dao Sansheng finally asked about it, only to be met with teasing: “Dao Sansheng, I never thought you’d fancy someone older. You must also like those who don’t bathe, hahaha…” Dao Sansheng tried to explain himself, but there was no way to clear things up.

The next day, Dao Sansheng prepared to bid farewell to his companions and set off for Donglin Prefecture. Early in the morning, he packed his belongings and went to say goodbye to the group that had traveled with him. “Thank you all for your warm hospitality. I have some matters to attend to in Donglin Prefecture, and I’ll part ways with you here,” he said.

“That’s perfect, we’re headed the same way. I’m also going to Donglin Prefecture, and the girl is as well,” Xue’er replied.

After clarifying Dao Sansheng’s purpose for going to Donglin Prefecture, Xue’er realized they were all alike—each had received a letter of recommendation and was seeking an opportunity with one of the immortal sects. Dao Huichun had originally prepared a recommendation letter for Dao Sansheng, but now it was given to Fatty.

Dao Huichun said his farewells to the children, and Dao Sansheng and the others set out together toward Donglin Prefecture.

“There’s a courier station inside the city; we can take a flying beast or a spirit beast carriage from there. It’ll be faster than traveling on our own,” Xue’er suggested.

Everyone agreed, and they headed south toward the outskirts of the city. The southern part was more remote, with fewer shops and almost no people along the way, though the roads were wide and open.

From a distance, they saw a grand palace, with a tall flag at its gate, bearing a large character for “courier” fluttering in the wind. The palace was imposing, the entrance magnificent, and the sign above read “Chichi City Courier Station” in slender golden letters, dazzling under the sunlight. This was indeed the courier station.

Dao Sansheng and his companions entered. The main hall had several windows, divided on either side. Inside, they found the station bustling with people. Not knowing the procedure, Xue’er led them to the window with the shortest queue.

As they waited, the line grew longer behind them. In moments like these, the initial joy comes not from the queue shortening ahead, but from seeing more people join behind.

The line moved slowly; at last, it was their turn. Dao Sansheng stepped up to the window, where a beautiful young woman sat, turning to him with a pleasant smile.

“May I ask which destination you wish to purchase tickets for, sir?” she asked politely.

“Do you have tickets to Donglin Prefecture? Please help me buy them,” Dao Sansheng replied.

“Yes, we do. How many tickets will you need?” The young woman showed him the tickets in her hand, indicating that there were only a few left.

Dao Sansheng glanced back, counting his companions, then turned to confirm, “Four in total—will that be possible?”

“Four tickets are available. That will be four hundred high-grade spirit stones, please,” she answered with a smile, holding both hands out to receive payment.

Dao Sansheng checked the spirit stones he had in his book pouch; they were all of low grade, with only one medium-grade stone among them. It was rather embarrassing. He asked Fatty, who also had little money. Xue’er noticed and began to sort through her own spirit stones to see how much she had.

From the crowd behind, someone called out, “Hey, you lot up front—if you don’t have money, you can go to the other window and buy spirit beast carriage tickets. It’ll take longer, and the ride won’t be as comfortable.”

After this remark, the crowd burst into laughter, and everyone in the hall turned to look. The speaker was none other than Young Master Wu, whom Dao Sansheng had encountered at the inn—who had suspected Dao Sansheng of stealing his belongings and wanted to search him.

Dao Sansheng retorted, “So it’s you—the fool who can’t even keep track of his own things. The landlord’s silly son, after all.”

As soon as he said this, Young Master Wu was livid.

Xue’er handed over a pouch, still warm from her touch. “These spirit stones should cover the fare, Sansheng. Take them,” she said, passing it to him directly.

“Oh, so you have no money and rely on a woman, pretty boy. If you can’t afford it, don’t ride. What’s the point of living off women? You did it last time, and now you’re doing it again,” sneered Young Master Wu.

Dao Sansheng pushed the pouch back to Xue’er, then wrapped an arm around her waist, called to his companions, and turned to leave.

“I’ve got such a beautiful girl—why would I bicker with a mutt like you? A mutt is only good for guarding the door, since it’s nothing but a lapdog,” Dao Sansheng said.

Young Master Wu was about to retort, when the staff at the window announced, “Sir, if you wish to buy a ticket, please do so quickly. If not, kindly step aside and stop blocking others from their business.”

Young Master Wu nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Just as he finished, a peculiar melody echoed from behind, sending the hall into fits of laughter.

“A little lapdog sits at the door, its dark eyes craving a bone.
A little lapdog eats its bone, wags its tail and nods at me…”

Turning around, they saw Dao Sansheng singing, his tune catchy and memorable, though the laughter quickly died down.

Young Master Wu collected his tickets and dared not cause trouble, since this was property of the immortal sects. Several sects had stationed law enforcers here, constantly guarding the premises. He could only swallow his anger.

Xue’er giggled, unable to contain herself. “You rascal, where did you learn that? I like it, though.”

Dao Sansheng responded mischievously, “What is it you like about me? I can change, you know!”

Soon, when Dao Sansheng and his group reached the window again, the young lady handling business burst into laughter at the sight of him, gazing as if his face were adorned with flowers.

Dao Sansheng purchased four tickets, spending four hundred low-grade spirit stones—much cheaper than those for flying spirit beasts.

Checking the time, there was still half an hour before departure. Dao Sansheng distributed the tickets, and they squeezed through the crowd toward the ticket inspection gate, joining the waiting line.

After their tickets were checked, they entered the platform—a vast stretch of land. To the left stood large birds, separated from the right by a fence. Dao Sansheng and his companions were on the right, where massive carriages were lined up, each drawn by a huge mammoth beast.

Mammoth beasts were gentle by nature and immensely strong, classified as tier-three spirit beasts. Normally docile, they did not attack humans, so despite their high rank, they were easily tamed. All these mammoth beasts had already formed spirit beast contracts with humans.

The mammoth beasts stood in a row, each carriage beside them, with a person holding a flag marked with various place names from Donglin Prefecture.

Looking further in, a particularly large mammoth beast was hitched to a grand carriage, and the attendant at its door held a flag bearing three bold characters: Donglin Prefecture.

This, it seemed, was the spirit beast carriage they had been seeking. The group hurried toward it.