At this time, Gu Shi Yi's injuries had healed quite a bit. She was alone, slowly walking on the deck while holding onto the ship's rail, smiling and greeting people from the Escort Team as they passed by and quietly chatting with Li Yaner,
"You think all these cultivators from Great Cultivation sects are deities beyond the mortal coil... They're thousands of years away from being Immortals who dine on wind and sleep on dew. They eat, drink, and attend to nature calls just like anyone; moreover, each of them sits in meditation all day, their fingers untouched by spring water, requiring a retinue of over ten people for one person's care. And that's just the smaller sects. For those from Great Sects, simply cleaning a cultivator's cavern dwelling takes dozens of servants. These mundane tasks are done by mortals, who must be paid in Silver for their work, not to mention that these caverns need planting of exotic flowers and herbs and breeding of Spirit Beasts, all of which cost Silver..."
Of course, that's how the reputable cultivators do it. Those from the evil path who don't mind the trouble can just capture mortals to serve as slaves, as long as they keep the Spirit Clearing Guard from knocking on their door!
Li Yaner listened with her tongue out,
"Can't they just cast a spell for chores like cleaning?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Shi Yi laughed loudly,
"Of course, they can, but it consumes Mana. The lower the level of the cultivators, the more Mana it consumes. They spend their days striving to advance their Realm; why would they want to waste Mana on such trivial tasks!"
Li Yaner pouted,
"No wonder these cultivators are so keen on establishing rules to protect mortals!"
They're afraid if too many mortals die, there won't be anyone left to serve them, aren't they?
Gu Shi Yi smiled and said,
"That's why the old coot always said he wouldn't cultivate even if he had a Spirit Root..."
She glanced around and whispered,
"The old coot said, these cultivators are like blood-sucking insects, leeching off mortals. Once they've had their fill, they slap their butts and ascend, not caring whether mortals live or die, utterly selfish to the extreme!"
"Hmm! The master is absolutely right!"
Li Yaner wholeheartedly agreed.
As the two chatted, Gu Shi Yi continued walking along the railing, gazing at the vast river that made one question life. Their boat was about fifteen zhang long and ten zhang wide, which Li Yaner thought was the largest she had ever seen, excluding those on television. Yet, even such a boat seemed like a mere leaf on the surface of the Five-Color River. The boats docked along the bank, both large and small, looked pitifully tiny compared to the expanse of the river!
Gu Shi Yi exclaimed,
"Such a wide river, who knows which Immortal split it open back in the day!"
No wonder everyone wants to cultivate; as an Immortal, indeed, you can move mountains, fill seas, flip clouds, and rain without any ambiguity!
"This river is really wide. If nobody told me it was a river, I would've thought it was the sea!"
Gu Shi Yi stood facing the river, and Li Yaner peeked out from her collar, straining her eyes without catching sight of the river's opposite bank. Having seen the Illusion Sea, Gu Shi Yi scoffed,
"You really haven't seen the world. Wait till I take you to see the Illusion Sea, then you'll know what a real sea is!"
If such a boat could be called a leaf on the Five-Color River, in the Illusion Sea it would be no more than a grain of sand, and an especially tiny one at that!
Li Yaner indeed hadn't seen much of the world; in her previous life, she'd grown up in a small town, studied and worked in the inland, and had never seen the sea. She had planned to save enough money to explore the world, but before she could see the world, she passed away!
Li Yaner, gentle by nature, didn't take offense at her friend's teasing but laughed and said,
"Alright then, we must definitely go and see it someday!"
Gu Shi Yi patted her chest and declared,
"Babe, stick with me and I promise you the finest life, taste every delight. We'll travel the world with a group of tough guys!"
But she patted her chest a bit too hard, and immediately started coughing, coughing, coughing. Li Yaner rolled her eyes,
"Babe, you better take care of yourself first. Your injuries haven't healed properly yet!"
Gu Shi Yi just laughed,
"Don't worry, I know my limits. I've been toughening my body since I was young. It's only been a few days, and I feel almost completely better!"
And that was true. Before boarding the boat, Sixth Master Huang had called another doctor for her. After examining her, the doctor said with surprise,
"This young lady has an exceptional constitution. Her injuries have almost fully healed... It seems that her broken bones have also mended by about fifty to sixty percent..."
How long had it been? Not even a month, and her broken bones were healing?
Everyone was amazed upon hearing this, and Gu Shi Yi boasted proudly,