Chapter 56: The Hidden Problem

Qin Wu frowned, quickly pondering what was special about Black Stone City.

“Could it be the Mortals?”

The area of Black Stone City was comparable to Chui Huo Island, the headquarters of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, indicating it was extremely vast.

But within Black Stone City, aside from the Inner City, Cultivators were rarely seen.

Moreover, for such a long time, the Cultivators or Mortals he had encountered were all enthusiastic about catching Fire Qilin Fish, but Black Stone City was not like that.

“What you said isn’t entirely wrong,” Yun Chuyu replied, “The Mortals of Black Stone City…”

She rubbed her fingers together: “They haven’t been contaminated by the Fire Qilin Fish, and they are separate from the Hundred Immortals Alliance. Those Cultivators from the Hundred Immortals Alliance, or rather, the Cultivators whose Spiritual Roots grew because of the Fire Qilin Fish…”

Yun Chuyu’s eyes darkened, and she spoke somewhat vaguely: “They are not like us; sooner or later, they will be… devoured…”

The last few words were swallowed indistinctly. Her thumb nail kept scratching the pad of her index finger, making her look somewhat unsettled, but she quickly returned to normal.

“In short, the Fire Qilin Fish is not a good thing, but for us, it is also useless. Furthermore, if you have nothing else to do, it’s best not to leave Black Stone City.”

Qin Wu paused. He immediately understood that the Burning Fire Sea must have some problem, likely a huge implication, which was why Senior Sister Yun was so secretive and dared not speak directly.

“Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. I have no choice but to go out this time. After one month, Junior Brother will safely stay in Black Stone City until the guard duty is over.”

“Mm,” Yun Chuyu nodded.

The reason she reminded him was to repay Qin Wu’s favor this time. Moreover, he was a guard, and there might be a time in the future when she would need his help.

Before leaving, Qin Wu remembered the Spiritual Qi contamination Liu Yuzhi mentioned. He hesitated for a moment and asked, “Senior Sister, do you know if Spiritual Qi contamination is harmful to Cultivators?”

“Contamination?” Yun Chuyu was puzzled, “Isn’t that common knowledge?”

“After the Black Mist descended, the Spiritual Qi became contaminated, but it only damages the lifespan of Mortals. It has since been confirmed that it has no effect on Cultivators.”

Qin Wu’s heart sank.

How could Spiritual Qi contamination have no effect on Cultivators?

Otherwise, Liu Yuzhi, as the descendant of a powerful figure, would not have developed hatred for him over an Immortal Cave on Tianshui Peak.

It seemed the problem here was probably even bigger than the trouble in the Burning Fire Sea.

“Junior Brother was just curious. Since the Spiritual Qi is harmless to Cultivators, Junior Brother is relieved,” Qin Wu said calmly, stood up, and cupped his hands toward Yun Chuyu.

“Senior Sister, please rest assured and heal here. Junior Brother has other matters and will take his leave now.”

He came down from the high tower, changed into the local attire of Black Stone City, and walked toward the Outer City.

The Inner City only occupied one-tenth of Black Stone City and was mostly inhabited by Cultivators or powerful Mortals, while the Outer City was entirely populated by Mortals.

Consort Lian had cast an illusion spell on him to avoid startling others.

Because of the protective Formation of Black Stone City, the residents here were healthy, unlike those on other islands, and did not suffer from the affliction of fire toxin.

Qin Wu walked among the Mortals, observing them discreetly.

Only now did he realize that there wasn’t a single shop selling Fire Qilin Fish in the Outer City, nor did they go out to sea.

They lived by farming, just like land-dwelling residents.

Thanks to various Talismans and Formations promoting growth, Black Stone City did not lack grain.

Qin Wu wandered for a long time and finally found a shop selling fish, but it was regular freshwater fish, not Fire Qilin Fish.

The owner inside was an old man with graying temples. Qin Wu walked in and asked, “Shopkeeper, do you buy Fire Qilin Fish?”

For the previous task of dispelling the fire toxin, the village chief of the first island had given him a Fire Qilin Fish. Since he couldn’t use it himself, he had forgotten about it over time.

“Fire Qilin Fish?” The old man looked up. Seeing that Qin Wu was young, his tone was gentle, “Are you a villager from another island?”

“Yes,” Qin Wu replied, acting like an inexperienced youth, smiling shyly as he asked, “I caught this fish with great difficulty and wanted to sell it for a good price in Black Stone City to buy some things for my younger siblings. But I’ve looked for a long time and haven’t seen anyone buying Fire Qilin Fish. I wonder if you, Grandpa, would buy it?”

The old man sighed deeply, his eyes filled with pity, “Child, you might have been tricked. We in Black Stone City never eat Fire Qilin Fish. If you want to sell fish, you should go to the Hundred Immortals Alliance.”

Qin Wu urged, “Why don’t you eat it? Everyone says eating it can grow a Spiritual Root. Don’t you want your descendants to become Cultivators?”

“How could eating a Fire Qilin Fish grow a Spiritual Root?” The old man seemed to recall something, and a trace of fear appeared in his eyes, “In short, for Mortals, that is not a good thing!”

“I once saw someone eat a Fire Qilin Fish, and their whole body burst into flames, and fish scales grew on them. Child, if you want to sell this fish, go sell it to the Cultivator lords. No one in Black Stone City buys it.”

Leaving the fish shop, Qin Wu flew above the sea of fire, watching the swimming fish in the fiery expanse.

What the old man just said made his hair stand on end.

Was this purely fire spirit, or was it transformed from a Mortal?

Qin Wu didn’t want to think about it anymore. Looking at the boundless sea of fire, he silently returned to the city.

It would be best to wait until he found Meng Shujian, safely complete the year of guarding, and then immediately leave, following Senior Sister Yun’s advice.

The past two days, he returned to the Seventh Outpost to visit his mother, who was still hospitalized, and had a gathering with Jing Yang.

The teammate of Reporter Han he was hiding had left after recovering, saying he didn’t want to implicate Qin Wu and needed to go save Han Xu.

Qin Wu sighed.

He had a relatively good impression of Reporter Han, but his current ability was insufficient to save him.

Returning to the rented house, Qin Wu studied a few useful spells. Two days later, he returned to Black Stone City.

“My Lord.”

Unexpectedly, Elder Shen was waiting for him there. Seeing that fawning face, Qin Wu silently averted his gaze.

How depressing. How could he look a Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the eye later?

“My Lord, here is the compensation you requested.” Elder Shen quickly presented the storage ring.

Qin Wu only took what he could use and threw the storage ring back into Elder Shen’s arms.

“Give the rest to Zhou Xinglan and his sister.”

The two of them traveled back to Chui Huo Island through the teleportation portal. Elder Shen led him to the pier, where Captain Wu had been waiting for a long time.

Qin Wu’s gaze immediately fell upon the fishing boat behind him.

It was nearly thirty meters long, completely black, floating quietly in the sea of fire, resembling a ferocious giant beast.

Sensing Qin Wu’s gaze, Captain Wu turned his head and said proudly, “My family has been fishing for generations. After several generations of accumulation, my father’s generation finally bought this boat. It’s called the Wood Fire. How is it? Doesn’t it look good?”

Qin Wu agreed, “It is indeed not bad.”

Hearing Qin Wu’s approval, Captain Wu looked at him with satisfaction.

“We are about to set off. Once you board, I will introduce you to my crew.”

Captain Wu patted Qin Wu’s shoulder, making sure to restrain his strength, “Don’t worry, they are all good people. I believe you all will get along very well.”

“Let’s go.”

The two walked toward the black boat. Just as they were about to board, they suddenly heard someone call from behind, “Boss Wu, wait a moment!”