Chapter 84

Du Qian's first long journey ended like this, with a name card in his arms, naturally from Jing Chun, which had an address in Changping City. Since there was no need to return to Pingchuan City, Jing Chun naturally had plenty of time to stay in Changping City.

In addition to the name card, Du Qian also received a notebook about the basics of runes, which was as thick as a pillow. This notebook was Jing Chun's insights on making runes.

The world is full of unpredictable things. Sometimes, a glance can make someone seem very agreeable. Du Qian didn't know how precious a private notebook of a rune master was, truly worth more than gold, and even hard to see, let alone receive as a gift. Even for a master-disciple relationship, it was usually only borrowed and had to be returned to the teacher afterward.

Some people say that a glance in a crowd can lead to a pile of messy and troublesome things. Jing Chun found Du Qian very agreeable, and the more she looked, the more she liked him. Her actions were somewhat out of the ordinary, even for a personal disciple. She gave him this valuable gift, even though she had known Du Qian for less than an hour.

Du Qian stayed in Lüliu City for a day, not leaving his room, desperately absorbing spirit horns to make up for the time wasted on the boat. He had no time to explore this famous desert city.

The staff of the Spirit Snake branch looked puzzled as they sent him back to Pingchuan City on the boat. This gentleman was truly rich and capricious, spending 130,000 on travel fees just for two boat trips.

After all, the previous itinerary was well-planned, and the boat tickets were already booked. Even if Du Qian decided to give up this journey, the fees would not be refunded, and at most, he could get the deposit for the basic rune back.

Du Qian hadn't seen much of the world, but he wasn't stupid. Jing Chun looked like an aunt, lacking the aura of a rune master. No matter what others thought, he believed this.

This notebook should be a good thing, and good things should be kept well. There was no safer place than inside a winter melon. The only thing that bothered him was that the winter melon was hard to use, requiring more combat power, and the noise when opening it was too loud, making it inconvenient to access at any time.

Well, anyway, the time wasn't long, just over a day. He could spend this time reading the basics of runes. He didn't understand the later parts, nor the earlier parts, so he might as well read it a few more times.

Although he didn't have any illusions about his talent, such an opportunity was impossible to ignore. If he could really become a rune master, even the worst kind, his life would be worth it, and it would be better than just getting by in the Flying Tiger Team.

Moreover, as a rune master, the speed of earning money would be much faster. A single spirit rune could be exchanged for a lot of money.

Basic runes sold at a public price of over a hundred each, and in the black market, they could fetch several times that. There was nothing better to earn money in this world.

Du Qian's fantasy wasn't wrong. In this world, the status of rune masters might not be the highest, but their speed of earning money was definitely the fastest.

Of course, this was because Du Qian's experience was limited. At a certain level, Zhou Mountain coins were almost worthless, with limited use. Just think of the Sky Auction; they didn't accept Zhou Mountain coins, and basic spirit runes were the main currency for transactions.

"Passengers, the boat will arrive in Pingchuan City in five hours." The boat's announcement system would report the speed, position, and arrival time every two hours.

This lightning boat traveling between Lüliu City and Pingchuan City had a speed of over 400 kilometers per hour, which was quite fast. After all, the boat flew at ultra-low altitude, with high wind resistance and significant danger, so it couldn't go too fast even with sufficient power.

This was also because the route between the two cities was relatively safe, with regular boat services, making it a familiar route.

Five hours later, at this speed, the distance would be about 2,000 kilometers. This was still the wilderness, and the closer to the city, the safer it would be.

Suddenly, the boat shook violently, and the shaking became more intense. Du Qian could hear the creaking of the boat and the sound of thunder.

"Passengers, please fasten your seat belts. The boat is under attack by lightning spiders. Please remain calm, and the martial cultivators on board are handling the situation."

Lightning spiders, Du Qian thought, this was troublesome and strange.

The boat was named Lightning, naturally because of its ability to generate lightning. The lightning on the boat's exterior, converted from kinetic energy, wasn't very lethal but could scare away most spirit beasts.

Lightning spiders, however, were different. After absorbing spirit energy, their body structure would naturally convert it into lightning energy, and their favorite food was lightning.

There weren't many lightning spiders in nature, as the energy level of natural lightning was too high, and most lightning spiders would be instantly destroyed when absorbing it.

Lightning spiders would rush into lightning like moths to a flame, knowing they would die but still doing so without hesitation.

The lightning on the boat's surface would scare away other spirit beasts but attract lightning spiders strongly.

Fortunately, due to their love for lightning, few lightning spiders survived, making them rare in nature, and hard to encounter.

On familiar routes, for safety, high-level martial cultivators would regularly clear the area, not needing to deal with other spirit beasts, just the few that posed a threat to the lightning boat.

This was also why the boat tickets were always expensive. The shipping company had to pay high-level martial cultivators, and these costs were passed on to the passengers.

The route from Lüliu to Pingchuan was familiar, with high-level martial cultivators regularly clearing it. Moreover, there had never been any reports of lightning spiders on this route, so something was wrong.

Du Qian closed his eyes and could faintly hear the sounds of battle outside the boat. At this moment, the boat couldn't stop its energy output; if the lightning on the exterior disappeared, it might lose the interest of the lightning spiders but attract other spirit beasts.

Spirit beasts, though not as intelligent as humans, weren't all fools. When they discovered that this lightning-emitting object contained many humans, the not very lethal boat lightning wouldn't stop them.

"Ahh," a small sound, but Du Qian caught it sharply. It was the cry of someone injured, possibly on the brink of death.

Du Qian could hear it, and there were many more powerful martial cultivators on the boat who also heard it. The passengers' faces became even more anxious.

The boat was in danger, but the risk was still within control. The number of boat accidents each year was limited. Moreover, the boat flew at a low altitude, so even if something happened, not everyone would die. Some skilled martial cultivators could escape to the nearest city.

"Everyone, I am the captain. The boat's martial cultivators have suffered heavy losses. In twenty seconds, the emergency doors will open, and we will begin to abandon the boat. I repeat, abandon the boat."

The captain spoke quickly and urgently. The view from the cockpit was much better than from the passenger cabin. The captain could clearly see what was happening outside, while the passengers could only see a small area through the windows.

Du Qian reached under his seat and retrieved the emergency equipment, which all boats provided for passengers. It contained a compass, food, water, emergency medicine, and a map. The bag was small, with clear markings, and could glow at night if needed.

When boarding, the crew would instruct passengers on how to use the emergency bag. There wasn't much to teach; just take the bag and run.

Surviving in the wild was a dangerous skill, and most people couldn't master it. If a boat accident occurred, it would be considered a good outcome if one-third to half of the passengers could return to the city alive.

This depended on the passengers on the boat. If there were more martial cultivators, more people would survive.

Du Qian sighed, feeling that his initial choice was right. No matter what, he had to work hard to improve his combat power. In this world, nothing was reliable except one's own combat power.

With a swish, about ten seconds after the captain's order to abandon the boat, twelve emergency doors opened on the top and sides of the boat. Each door could accommodate two people at a time, which was the most dangerous moment.

The most dangerous part of a boat accident wasn't surviving in the wild but the moment of leaving the boat. A boat could have over a hundred or even thousands of passengers, all desperately trying to escape when they heard the news.

But there were only so many emergency doors. Everyone would crowd together, making them vulnerable at the moment of leaving. If attacked by spirit beasts at this time, most would die.

Even as a martial cultivator, if pushed from behind and attacked from the front, with slightly weaker combat power, they wouldn't be much better than ordinary people.

Du Qian originally wanted to join the crowd, but after a moment's thought, he realized the danger. He stepped back, looked up at the top of the boat.

Emergency doors weren't just on the sides; there were four on the top. Ordinary people found it hard to use the top doors, but martial cultivators had no such trouble.

Du Qian waited for two martial cultivators to leap to the top, then followed. He pressed his hand on the back of the seat, and his body floated up. He touched the edge of the top door and was already standing on the roof.

The wind outside was strong, and his feet felt sticky, but the view was good. He scanned the area, and his heart sank.

The boat was about thirty meters above the ground, and the entire body was wrapped tightly in spider silk. Not far away, he saw several silk cocoons, which were still struggling and writhing.

To wrap the entire boat, the lightning spider must be huge.

Although the strength of spirit beasts wasn't always proportional to their size, large spirit beasts were usually hard to deal with.

Lightning spiders were usually not very large, with ordinary ones being the size of a basin, and those over half a meter in diameter being considered large.

Several hundred meters away, a spider over five meters in diameter was coldly staring at the boat and the people trying to escape.

To be continued.