"Burp! That was delicious!" Little Xin closed her eyes and burped, pure bliss was written all over her face.
"Was my cooking really that terrible?!" Rick pretended to be angry. In fact, this was one of the most delicious foods he had ever eaten in his life.
Little Xin blushed, "It's not bad, this one is certainly the best!"
They rested for 10 minutes and went to the counter. The lady in purple came at their table when she saw them finish their meal.
"Excuse me, but do you also provide lodgings here?" He was troubled with the place to sleep.
"Young master, is this your first time in the capital?" The lady in purple suddenly asked.
"Yes. We just arrived a little while ago." He replied.
"Then that explains why you don't know anything about the Rose Garden Pavilion. In here, we provide lodgings, restaurant, bro..." She stared at Little Xin for a moment before continuing, "Ahem. And other special services."
"Then I would like to get a room with two beds."
"Then please proceed to the third floor, a person would be there at your service." The lady again instructed politely.
"Thank you. How much was our meal?" Politeness is common etiquette, so of course, Rick would be polite.
"Young Master, the total is 20 gold coins." The lady in purple replied.
"Oh!" Rick.
"So cheap?" Little Xin added. She genuinely felt like the food deserved an increase in price.
"Cheap indeed." Rick also said. He took out a bag from his chest pocket that contained 100 gold coins. "Thank you for the meal, it was very yummy." Rick placed 22 gold coins on the counter, with 2 gold coins as a tip.
"Thank you for the meal. We'll come again!" Little Xin waved her hand to the lady in dress as they left for the third floor.
As for the lady in purple, she just stood there rooted. She did not move after 3 minutes and just stood there looking dazed.
'Wha-What?! 20 gold coins are cheap?!' She really wanted to scream but managed to control herself.
She then tilted her head and counted the coins on the table.
'Did that young master count correctly? I seem to see an additional 2 gold coins. No, it must be my eyes. My eyes are playing tricks on me. That's right if I blink, the illusion would be... gone...' "sadly" it was not!
Without anyone looking, she hurriedly tucked the two gold coins in her pocket. This was one of the best days of her life! She swore to herself that if both of them came again, then she would0 treat them with the best service possible.
...
When they arrived at the third floor, a lady in blue also appeared. She led them to their room.
But there was a rule that you have to pay before you stay. And the rent was 10 gold coins per day. Without budging, Rick paid 300 gold coins. Enough for them to stay there for a month. The lady in blue finally left.
And the room was not a room at all. It was like an apartment.
'Just how big is this building?' Rick did not really take a good look at the whole building, so he was not sure how big and wide it was.
The apartment was wide and spacious, it also had two rooms. But all of the furniture did not look comfortable at all, so he stored them in his inventory and bought a sofa, two cabinets, hangers, and soft bed mattresses.
The mirrors were also made of jade, but it did not provide a clear look of the face so he changed it with a glass mirror. He also took out all of Little Xins belongings and taught her how to fix her rooms and what the new things are used for.
They did not notice anything missing.
The window was placed perfectly and they could see what was happening outside.
That's right, Rick planned on staying here for a period of time.
And most importantly, the room had dense spiritual energy. And without further ado, the two started to meditate in their own bed since the room
....
It was nearing midnight when the spiritual energy suddenly spiked in Rick's room.
Second Stage of Qi Condensation.
He could feel see that his meridians enlarged and toughened a little. The spiritual energy seemed to be stronger than before, but Rick was not sure. He will actually have to reach the third level of Qi Condensation for a significant change. Every three levels will also enlarge the dantian.
"Nice! I finally broke through!" Rick was calm but his face showed pleasure. The feeling of breaking through felt really good.
He again closed his eyes and continued meditating. He needed to consolidate his breakthrough, or else his qi could go out of control.
It was dawn when he suddenly felt the fluctuations of spiritual energy in the direction of Little Xin's room.
"What? She broke through?" He was feeling rather awkward with their cultivation gap. When he broke through, he felt really good. Now he was a stage higher than her. But then, she also broke through.
"Sigh, is this called talent?" he murmured and got up from his bed. He was feeling refreshed from the breakthrough. He did not go and disturb Little Xin. Because he knew that she would also need to consolidate her realm.
With nothing else to do, he went to take a bath.
The bath was also unique. It was a mini man-made onsen.[1]
He did not know where the hot water is coming from, but there was a mechanism behind it. The hot water is coming from bellow making it a cycle. So if you are done bathing, you can simply drain the water and a new one would come up to fill it.
He washed his whole body with soap before finally soaking.
"Kuh! This is some comfortable!" Rick closed his eyes and savored the feeling! He sat and rested both of his arms.
He only got out after he felt uncomfortable. But with the help of his qi, he was again refreshed. He put on his clothes and went to relax on the sofa.
Not long after, the door of Little Xin's room opened and she walked out. Her hair was in a mess but she looked energetic. There was also a slight smile on her tiny cute face.
"Big Brother, I broke through!" Little Xin raised her head smugly. Her smile also changed to a smirk, she was teasing him.
"Yeah! Yeah! Little Xin is talented! But to tell you what.. I also broke through!" Rick also smirked, but not proudly, just a counter.
"You broke through! I thought you are supposed to be far behind. Just wait, I will soon overtake you." Little Xin said with a pout. She really thought that she would surpass him.
None of the two noticed but her attitude was slowly evolving. You won't notice your change, but the people around you will. But clearly, Rick did not notice it too. He just felt like it was just a normal interaction.
"Now go and take a bath. Make sure not to stay too long in the hot water, or you'll get dizzy. We'll go have our breakfast after you're finished. And don't think about finishing fast you glutton." Rick also said with a smug smile. He knew her well.
"You meanie!" She stamped her foot and went to take a bath.
"Hahaha!" Rick laughed.
After half an hour, she walked out fully dressed. Her hair was smooth, silky and shiny. The fragrance she exuded was also very pleasant to the nose. It was the smell of shampoo.
She also liked wearing red or white color led clothes. So this time, she wore red clothes. She also tied her hair in a ponytail.
With the help of qi, her hair was already dried up. She was a future beauty, and there is no doubt about that.
Rick also noticed some slight chill coming off of her but he did not pay it any heed.
"Now let's go! I am already hungry!" Little Xin urged.
"Okay, okay." He was also hungry.
As they walked down the stairs, they saw an old man with a goatee coming up the stairs. His hands were behind his back and his back was a little bent. As if meeting their gaze, the old man also gazed back to them and smiled.
The old man's steps suddenly came to halt when his eyes spotted Xinxin. His gaze widened and his breathing became a little agitated. Shaking his head, he continued going up the stairs. But this time, his expression was serious.
Rick and Little Xin did not manage to see what the old man did. But even if they knew, Rick would assume that he was just a perverted old man.
When the two finally reached the second floor, the room was already bustling with people. Half of the tables were occupied and there were many young men and ladies.
The discussion was almost the same in every table. The enrollment of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
"I really hope that I'll be able to enter the academy. I am the only hope of my family." Rick heard a young man near him say.
"Yeah, me too. I've worked hard for this moment! I'm sure that I'll be able to be accepted!" another also said, but the voice did not contain much confidence.
"I heard that the strongest will be rewarded with a Purple Beast core! If I can get it, my breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm will be guaranteed!"
"Ha! Dream on! With our cultivation realm, we can only dream about it!"
Rick and Little Xin found a table and took a seat. Almost immediately, a lady in purple appeared beside their table.
"Young Master, Young Lady." She bowed a little and clasped her hands. Just like time, she again inserted a sliver of Qi in the jade stone and the two picked 4 dishes each.
"Who are those two, they ordered so many dishes! Are they nobles? I can barely afford 2 dishes here every day and here they are, enjoying life." a young man murmured. Cause if they really were nobles, then they could get in trouble.
"You're right, they two are very good looking? Especially little girl, she is really cute, I want to pinch her cheeks. Are they siblings?" A young lady also murmured.
Shi Rong's appearance was also above average, and calling him good looking was not an overstatement. Pairing with Little Xin's good looks, they really do look like siblings.
"Big Brother, are they talking about us?" asked Little Xin in a murmur.
"I.. think?" Rick looked at the crowd and felt awkward. We are just trying to eat here, why are you staring at us? Hey! Stop gossiping and eat, hey! Stop looking at us! Mind your own business!
Seeing that Rick and Little Xin were unhappy, the lady in purple shot threatening looks at the crowd. The Gossip immediately lessened.
"Please wait a moment for your food. Can I help you with anything?" The lady asked politely. She was even more attentive than yesterday.
"We are fine, thank you. Ah! Where can you buy some beast cores?" Rick suddenly asked. He was reminded of them when he heard the words earlier.
"Beast cores? The 6th floor of Rose Garden Pavilion actually sells precious pills and materials. Although there are only a few Artifacts, I guarantee that they are good." the lady in purple explained. All staffs like polite and well-mannered customers.
"Oh? Then how much is a beast core?"
"Beast cores are sold depending on their ranks. A White beast core costs about 100 or below gold coins. A Golden one costs 250 or below. And Blue beast cores costs about 500 or below.
As for Purple ones, they are not bought using gold coins. You can only purchase them using spirit stones. But the last time a Purple beast core appeared, I think it was a month ago, caused a big uproar. So the Rose Garden Pavilion had to auction it. I think the final price went from 100 spirit stones to 10,000 spirit stones." The lady in purple explained.
"Big Brother, those marbles that you collected are actually expensive?" Little Xin suddenly said shocking the lady in purple.
"Yo-young Lady. Can you repeat what you just said?" The lady in purple stuttered.
"I actually found some beast cores on our way here. I did not know the use so I just took it with me." Rick added. This gave the lady in purple another shock.
"You found some on the way?!" This time, she could not resist raising her voice. The crowd's attention was instantly attracted to them.