Chapter 452: Should

Li Qi had always thought he was quite good at hiding his love for good food; he estimated that very few people knew about it, and even if someone followed him closely and observed all his actions from another perspective, it would still be difficult for them to discover that he actually really enjoyed gourmet meals.

On this point, Li Qi was quite confident.

However… the seafarer in front of him was so enthusiastic, using such strange words, saying, “What do you want to buy this time?”

What was going on? Was there a “last time”?

However, Li Qi always adhered to the good habit of asking directly when he didn’t understand something, so he immediately opened his mouth and asked, “This time? Was there a ‘last time’?”

“Hehe, it’s business, so of course you have to be sweeter with your words. What would you like to buy, sir?” The crewman chuckled, casually explained, and then immediately began introducing his wares to Li Qi.

“This item is a sea carp; it’s delicious and can also alleviate fevers.”

“If you don’t like to eat this, sir, we also have other seafood here, such as this Centipede Crab. If you remove its shell and fry it, it yields a gelatinous substance called crab glue, which is even better than Phoenix Beak Glue!”

“This is a Rainbow Snail, found only a hundred miles deep in the ocean. Its meat is inedible, but its shell has green and blue spots that shimmer with seven colors. Larger ones can hold two liters. The inside of the shell is as luminous as mica; it can be made into a wine cup, which is both unique and enjoyable.”

As he spoke, he began to introduce various strange items from the sea: corals, Materials from Spirit Beasts, various woven fabrics unique to the Deep Ocean regions, and even remnants from demon dragons, all good Materials for making Spiritual Artifacts, and some even had miraculous effects when used for cultivation.

There were also some medicinal foods that, when eaten, would have strange effects, such as a peculiar fish that, when consumed, allowed one to breathe underwater and grow fins, which would disappear after three hours.

And then there was a strange Swordfish—this was not a fish with a sword growing on its mouth, but rather the entire fish was a sword, traversing the water like a Flying Sword. It was rumored to be formed from the Sword Qi scattered into the East Sea by a Daoist Immortal who crossed the sea with a few friends. If one could tame it, they could gain a Flying Sword; if not, it was still an excellent delicacy, not particularly flavorful but reportedly quite stimulating.

What Li Qi found most miraculous was a kind of August Crab. After this crab shed its shell, there was a awn inside its belly—a true rice awn. If offered to the Sea God facing east, it could bless the nearby ships with calm winds and smooth sailing.

This was truly strange, because Li Qi knew that the Sea God was already dead.

The Sea God, who was the Dragon Lord of that time, had been personally shot dead by the Human Emperor of the past, and his corpse was still lying in the sea. So, to which Sea God was the rice awn inside this crab being sacrificed?

Perhaps it was another Great Power making a move, but that had nothing to do with Li Qi.

“I don’t need these trinkets. I’m just here to buy some edible seafood. Can you recommend some delicious and rare ones? But don’t make them too expensive; I can’t afford the pricey ones.” Li Qi waved his hand, interrupting the other party’s sales pitch.

The crewman didn’t say anything more, simply raised his hand and brought over several boxes: “Then, sir, you must try these sea shrimp roe and honey crabs!”

Li Qi then readily bought many kinds of seafood, all said to be delicious and rare. He spent a considerable amount of money, roughly equivalent to an eighth-grade Spiritual Artifact.

Li Qi also discovered that pearls seemed to be commonly used as currency in the East Sea. These pearls were produced in large quantities, could be ground into powder for consumption, used medicinally for healing, or transformed into Qi to be used as an energy source. They were also convenient to carry and easy to appraise, making them quite popular in the East Sea.

More than a hundred pearls were roughly enough to buy a ninth-grade Spiritual Artifact.

Of course, these pearls were actually the lowest grade; above them were the miscellaneous pearls, small pearls, and large pearls recorded in books, which were used for large-scale transactions.

Pearls like the Luminous Pearl or Dragon Pearl among the large pearls could buy fifth-grade items, but that was too far-fetched and just for fun.

The currency truly suitable for Li Qi was akin to the miscellaneous pearls produced by mother-of-pearls, or the moon pearls spit out by hawksbill turtles. Although called miscellaneous pearls, they were actually far superior to these ordinary pearls; a single one could be worth several ninth-grade Spiritual Artifacts, and a dozen or so could buy an eighth-grade item.

As for eighth-grade Spiritual Artifacts, they were even more expensive.

But Li Qi didn’t have that many pearls, so he paid directly with tableware.

Hmm… After all, as the boss of a tableware business, Li Qi was the designated tableware supplier for the Imperial Garden Flower God Banquet. He might not have much else on him, but he certainly had several hundred tableware samples.

In a place like Tang Nation, these tableware items were quite valuable, not to mention in a remote and poor place like the East Sea.

Slap!

Li Qi suddenly slapped himself, making a very loud sound.

“Sir? What are you…?” The crewman, who was helping Li Qi load the goods, was stunned. Why was this person suddenly slapping himself?

“Nothing, just do your work.” Li Qi waved his hand, motioning for them to continue loading.

Truly… dangerous.

Unconsciously, he had actually developed the same mindset as those on the Human Dao: that high and mighty, self-important attitude.

Cultivators of the Human Dao firmly believed that the Human Dao was supreme, that they were the orthodox, and that all other places were ‘barbarians’ and remote, impoverished regions.

That is why the Human Dao could write: “Therefore, since ancient times, emperors ruling over the world have all resided in the Central Plains to control the barbarians, and the barbarians have resided outside to serve the Central Plains. Never has it been heard of barbarians residing in the Central Plains and ruling the world. It has never happened in ancient times, nor now, nor will it happen until the final tribulation!” Such words.

This mindset was normal for the Human Dao, but he had to be vigilant and not immerse himself in it, so he simply slapped himself.

After doing this, Li Qi carried the ingredients to a seemingly high-end tavern and asked them to prepare the ingredients for him, offering to pay for the labor.

It seemed that there were many such customers, so Li Qi’s request was quickly fulfilled.

First to arrive was fish sashimi, primarily made from a 600-year-old Swordfish. The chef needed to use his cultivation to sever the Sword Qi within it, then remove its skin and bones, take its fine meat, slice it thinly, and lay it on finely chopped fragrant soft leaves. Its taste was merely ordinarily delicious, but its excellence lay in being able to appreciate the Sword Qi within it, like fighting a swordsman, making one linger and forget to return.

It placed high demands on the chef; if one’s cultivation was insufficient, they would instead be injured by the Sword Qi within the Swordfish.

Next was the fish hotpot. The large bones removed from the Swordfish were cut into small cubes. Chicken broth was skimmed of foam, then the bones were simmered until eighty percent cooked to make a fish soup. Wine and autumn oil were added, followed by fish slices. After scooping them out, they were dipped in a sauce made by crushing sugarcane ginger, papaya, primal plums, sun plums, five-flavor olives, and black dogwood, then mixed with sea intestines and oyster sauce, creating an unparalleled deliciousness.

There was also a grill, with items placed on a plate for grilling. Reef stones were heated until thoroughly hot. The stones were extremely hot, containing fire Qi and a small amount of fire poison. Then, raw fish meat, as well as onions, chives, pickles, and other ingredients were placed on the stones. They cooked instantly, tasting spicy but not harmful.

Beside them were placed candied crabs, soft platforms, and shrimp claws, all with a naturally sweet taste.

There was also sea vegetable, as thin as paper, made from the skin of saltwater. Its color was like green moss, either in scattered strips, knotted threads, or like short horse tails. Soaked in boiling water, then seasoned with ginger, pepper, wine, and vinegar, it was very crispy and delicious, used to cleanse the palate.

Li Qi indulged in a feast of delicacies, eating to his heart’s content.

His old horse was also left with the stable boy; there were Spiritual Plants and refined peach pills there, and reportedly even seahorses…

Ahem, anyway, he wasn’t mistreated. He’d go check on him later and then settle the bill.

With that thought, Li Qi contentedly enjoyed the table full of seafood.

Moreover, his sixth sense told him that this meal would not be in vain.

The sixth sense of a Shaman was always very accurate.

After eating for about an hour, Li Qi finally finished off the table of delicious food.

At the same time, the Qi of the ingredients, as well as the Sword Qi from the Swordfish, filled his abdomen, rushing and tearing through his inner small-world.

This feeling was quite stimulating, as if he had swallowed a Flying Sword with an owner.

However, the chef on this ship was also quite skilled; he had broken the Swordfish’s backbone, so these Sword Qi could not condense into a single force, but could only scrape against his inner small-world like disassembled fish bones.

This also gave Li Qi an opportunity to experience handling these Sword Qi. He sank into his mind and began to deal with these Sword Qi, as if fighting a group of swordsmen—both relaxing and harmless.

Good ingredients could indeed provide such a wondrous experience!

When Li Qi opened his eyes again, several hours had passed. He had immersed himself in cultivation, and only felt that his combat experience had grown significantly. The Sword Qi attacks from the Swordfish, though not strong after the chef’s treatment, were of exceptionally high quality, like a highly skilled swordsman whose backbone was broken, making his limbs weak. There was no danger, but it allowed one to fully appreciate the marvels of swordsmanship, greatly enhancing the experience of this meal.

Moreover, it was said that the Sword Qi contained in each Swordfish was different, and there was even a Martial Artist who once ate more than seven hundred Swordfish in a row and from them comprehended a set of swordsmanship that incorporated a Daoist Mind-Cultivation Technique.

That’s why there were rumors that Swordfish were all Sword Qi scattered into the East Sea by a Daoist Immortal.

So, if one were to eat all the Swordfish, would they be able to grasp the true form of this Sword Qi itself?

It’s possible.

But if he really tried, it would certainly be impossible. Who knows how many Swordfish have been eaten by now? Could he really dig out the Sword Qi from other people’s stomachs?

However, what kind of powerful Sword Immortal could achieve such a feat with just one Sword Qi? What kind of Qi and intent did he possess when he wielded his sword? How many subtle and profound sword techniques were contained within it?

Forget it, thinking about those things was useless. After a moment of contemplation, Li Qi opened his eyes.

Upon opening his eyes, he found someone sitting in front of him.

It was Wang Dun.

“Brother Wang is truly well-informed! I just came to eat a meal, and you were able to find me,” Li Qi said with a smile.

He knew that after disappearing for several days, now that he had appeared on the sea, Wang Dun definitely couldn’t hold back. After all, judging by Wang Dun’s demeanor, he was also very interested in the Dao Principle Readers created by non-Spirit Dao individuals.

As researchers, curiosity was certainly present on both sides. Wang Dun used the Spirit Dao and Doctrinal Canon to fish for Li Qi, and Li Qi was also using the Dao Principle Reader to fish for them. Everyone was just casting their own lines.

Of course, if both sides held good intentions, then it was mutual exchange.

If both sides harbored ill intentions, then it was each casting their own hook.

“This is the advantage of being a local, isn’t it? Brother Li Qi, how have you been these past few days? Are you ready? My Doctrinal Canon has been anxiously waiting these past few days, just for you to arrive,” Wang Dun said.

“Haha, why the rush? It will come eventually. I encountered some things these past few days and went to the bottom of the sea, to where the indigenous people live,” Li Qi said with a smile.

“No wonder I couldn’t find you in the city recently. So you went to the bottom of the sea. Brother Li Qi, what made you want to go to the bottom of the sea? There’s nothing there, just darkness, rampant sewage, and extreme turbidity. Only the lowest-class Merfolk and snail people would go there. Wouldn’t your going there be beneath your status?” Wang Dun asked, puzzled.

“I was curious about how the city of East Isle operates, so I went down to see. As for the environment… I’ve been to more dangerous places. It’s just some reefs and sewage; I’m not so delicate as to mind that much,” Li Qi said with a smile, answering politely but distantly.

“So it was for the sake of learning. That is indeed understandable. If it’s for learning, then one must go even to a place of death, let alone somewhere merely dirty? However, you were reckless this time. There was no need to personally explore the cesspit. Relevant records already exist in book catalogs. If you had just told me, I could have brought them directly to you. This trip was truly a loss for you~,” Wang Dun sighed, as if he genuinely believed Li Qi had suffered some loss by going to the lower levels.

As for Li Qi, he merely smiled casually: “Brother Wang, did you come to find me this time because the Dao of Reason couldn’t wait any longer?”

“Of course, they couldn’t wait! Oh, by the way, are you in a hurry to find a ship recently? Still no leads, right? I happen to have a ship of our own people, which our Dao of Reason is preparing to take on a long voyage. It’s a fifth-grade Treasure Ship with a sixth-grade expert overseeing it, purely mechanical in construction, with excellent reliability. It can go to most places in the East Sea, and for places it can’t reach, we have maps and certainly won’t go there casually. It’s very safe and fast. I still have a few spots left; Brother Li, would you like to try?” Wang Dun said enthusiastically, and even the many screws and knobs on his body began to emit a faint red glow.

His Spiritual Artifact body was somewhat excited.

This reaction greatly surprised Li Qi.

He had originally thought Wang Dun was mutually fishing with him, but… now it seemed the other party was genuinely eager. This eagerness had a certain… how should he put it? Oh, right, the purity of a scholar.

There was a pure scholar’s curiosity, and to satisfy this curiosity, one could pay a great deal extra.

Uh…

Could it be that he had overthought things?

Li Qi thought to himself. He had previously felt he was playing the long game, but now it seemed Wang Dun didn’t think so.

It was a bit strange. Had he overthought it, or… was Wang Dun also bait on someone else’s hook, and he just hadn’t realized it yet?

But no matter what, this ship was definitely much more powerful than any ship Li Qi had found in East Isle on his own.

So, Li Qi immediately nodded: “That is natural, thank you, Brother Wang. Since that’s the case, let’s not delay, shall we go to the Doctrinal Canon? It’s a good opportunity for us to exchange and learn from each other!”