I'm quitting!

Chapter 47: Boarding the ship, and then becoming the Pirate King...?

The icicle hovered in mid-air, its sharp point barely an inch from the seam of the rosewood cabinet.

click-

The cabinet door was wide open.

There were neither any hidden agents of the Correctors nor any backup plans from the Script Management Bureau.

Two girls, dressed in the Qingyun Sect's standard Taoist robes and with slightly disheveled hair, squeezed out.

Su Qingxue brushed the dust off her sleeve, her face as white as frost, but there was a hint of unease hidden in her eyes; Shan Ling'er rubbed her sore shoulders and forced a smile at Lin Xiaofan that looked more like a grimace.

"Senior Brother Lin... What a coincidence...?" Shan Ling'er waved timidly.

With a flick of his fingertip, Lin Xiaofan caused the ice cones filling the room to instantly turn into a wisp of white mist and dissipate into nothingness.

He pressed his temples and sighed, "Gentlemen, which one of you would do me a favor and enlighten me... how did you manage to bypass my spiritual sense and board this flagship of the Su family?"

Su Qingxue smoothed her hair, her voice calm and even: "This ship was built by the Su family workshop. The ventilation pipes on the three layers of the keel, the seven nodes in the blind spots of the array, the abandoned spirit crystal transport tunnel behind the wardrobe in the top-tier guest room... I could play hide-and-seek with my eyes closed when I was a child."

Lin Xiaofan was speechless for a moment.

That's a redundant question—can your own boat stop your own people?

"So, you didn't come along just to relive old memories and play hide-and-seek again, did you?" His gaze darkened slightly, his tone probing.

Su Qingxue lowered her eyes, her fingertips clenching the hem of her clothes: "I know all about the tricks the clan plays. After years of seclusion, why would they hold some kind of 'exchange of skills and inquiry' for no reason? Nine times out of ten, it's because my second uncle has used his private funds to ask you to do something important. The only thing in the Su family worth such a huge investment from, besides the family inheritance... is my father."

She looked up and stared directly at Lin Xiaofan: "They found clues about my father, didn't they?"

With nowhere left to hide it, Lin Xiaofan nodded silently.

"I'm going." Su Qingxue's words were firm and resolute. "That's my father, my dearest relative... I won't allow you to bear this alone."

Just as Lin Xiaofan was about to speak, Shan Ling'er suddenly stepped forward and stood between the two of them.

"The Awakened Alliance, we advance and retreat together!" Shan Ling'er raised her chin, her gaze defiant. "If Senior Sister Su can go, so can I! No one will abandon me!"

What she didn't say was that ever since her words "let's weather this storm together" disappeared without a trace, a fierce determination had been brewing within her. She desperately needed to prove that she was no longer a burden, someone who could only cower in the mountains and wait for news. Even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, she would stick to Lin Xiaofan's side no matter what.

From within his arms, the old man's voice echoed softly:

[Boss, congratulations on getting a "treasure ship double yolk"!]

Lin Xiaofan sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "Fine, what's done is done. But let me make this clear from the start... this trip ends at Qingyun Sect, and you'll be at my command."

To conceal Su Qingxue and Shan Ling'er's whereabouts, Lin Xiaofan was forced to activate the "Cultivation World Spy War" mode, walking on thin ice every second.

The two women's original clothes were covered in dust and dirt from being rubbed in the dark passage. Lin Xiaofan had no legitimate reason to find clean clothes, and he couldn't possibly say, "I like women's clothes, please bring me two sets of women's dresses"—he could only ask the two women to temporarily wear his wide robe.

After putting it on, Shan Ling'er looked like a child who had secretly put on an adult's clothes. She turned around in front of the bronze mirror and laughed, "Senior brother, this robe of yours is so big it could fit two of me!"

Su Qingxue gently cinched her belt, the wide hem fluttering slightly in the wind, exuding an air of aloofness and ethereal beauty. She glanced indifferently at Shan Ling'er: "Clothes don't need to be fancy; what matters is the principle behind them."

Dan Ling'er puffed out her cheeks in protest, but fortunately Lin Xiaofan intervened in time to prevent her from becoming a "design master" and altering her robe on the spot.

When it was time for the meal, Su Lang sent someone to deliver the sacred food, and only then did Lin Xiaofan see what a "Manchu Han Imperial Feast" was.

Dozens of servants dressed in the Su family's uniform ice-blue uniforms pushed food carts in one after another, with jade plates stacked on top of each other and spiritual energy swirling around them.

"Elder Lin, the head of the family has specially instructed the kitchen to prepare the following dishes: 'Iced Snow Dragon Tendon,' taken from a sub-dragon beast on the edge of the Cold Abyss; 'Steamed Crimson Flame Carp,' served with a broth made from three-hundred-year-old Fire Spirit Mushroom; and this bowl of 'Mysterious Heart Jade Marrow Soup'..." The head servant respectfully announced the dishes, listing a total of twenty-six.

Lin Xiaofan's eyelids twitched slightly.

This isn't a meal; it's clearly swallowing spirit stones.

"Thank you for your trouble, Patriarch Su. I am at a crucial juncture in my studies and do not wish to be disturbed. Leave the things behind and all of you may leave. No one is to approach the Heavenly-level guest room without being summoned."

"Yes." The servants bowed respectfully, retreated quietly, and closed the heavy door behind them.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Lin Xiaofan flicked his fingertip, and a shard of ice struck the cabinet door.

The cabinet door opened again.

Dan Ling'er leaped out like a bird released from its cage, rushing straight to the dining table: "Wow! This can still be called 'food'?! Senior Sister Su, you're so lucky!"

Su Qingxue followed, her hair disheveled, but her steps remained composed. She glanced at the table laden with spiritual food, a hint of surprise flashing in her cool eyes: "Second Uncle has certainly spared no expense."

The three of them sat down around the table.

The moment the chopsticks were lifted, the temperature in the air mysteriously dropped by three degrees. This was not due to the influence of the Linhuang Dao Body, but rather the quiet unfolding of an invisible force field known as the "Asura Field".

"Senior Sister Su, you've worked hard in your cultivation. The belly meat of this Crimson Flame Carp is the most succulent, rich in fat and roe. You should eat more to nourish your body." Shan Ling'er smiled and placed a piece of oily, smooth fish meat, rich in high-temperature spiritual fat, steadily into Su Qingxue's bowl with the tip of her chopsticks.

(Subtext: Eat up, get fat and see how you maintain your aloof fairy-like demeanor!)

Su Qingxue remained unfazed, scooping up two large spoonfuls of chilling "Iced Snow Dragon Tendon" and "Frosty Jade Bamboo Shoots" and piling them into Shan Ling'er's bowl. Her tone was gentle: "Junior Sister is still growing and cultivating wood-type techniques, so she needs to consume more cooling foods to neutralize her internal heat. This Snow Dragon Tendon is substantial and chewy, come on, eat more."

(Subtext: Eat until you're stuffed; eating too much cold food will make you sleepy, and once you're asleep, you won't have the energy to bother him.)

"Oh dear, Senior Sister Su, you're too thin! You absolutely have to eat this honey-glazed spirit pig meat!"

"Junior sister, you've worked hard practicing. Take this whole bowl of Eight Treasure Spirit Rice."

"Senior sister..."

"Junior sister..."

The two men smiled knowingly, deferring to each other, and in no time, the jade bowls in front of them piled up into two rickety little mountains.

Lin Xiaofan, sitting opposite him, held a bowl in his left hand and chopsticks in his right, his eyes vacant, shoveling rice, picking up vegetables, chewing, and swallowing at an extremely uniform and mechanical pace.

As long as I eat fast enough, the bullets from the battlefield won't be able to catch me.

Old Xian in his arms couldn't help but transmit his voice:

Boss, aren't you going to do anything about those two allies of yours who're practically fighting to the death?

Lin Xiaofan sneered inwardly: "Manage? How can you manage? Helping anyone is wrong, speaking up is suicide. In the battlefield of women's meals, a man's best virtue... is to be a heartless, dry-rice-eating machine."

Finally, when the two women could no longer fit, this silent battle of "poisoning" came to an end.

The result was that all three of them ended up lying down because they were too full.

But the real test comes at night.

As dusk settled, the treasure ship glided through the sea of ​​clouds, as smoothly as if walking on flat ground. Although the top-class guest room was spacious, it only had one large bed made of ancient cold marrow, plus a soft couch made of purple-gold fragrant wood that could barely accommodate one person.

Lin Xiaofan glanced at the two women and coughed lightly: "Due to limited space... Senior Sister Su and Junior Sister Shan, please rest on the beds; I'll sleep on the soft couch."

"No way!" they said in unison.

Dan Ling'er grabbed the soft couch cushions, her eyes full of vigilance: "Senior Brother Lin is the pillar of our alliance; his health is the most important thing!"

Su Qingxue frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the Jade Bed of Cold Marrow: "This bed is extremely cold; a mortal body lying on it for too long will easily damage the meridians. You possess a body of coldness, and the cold marrow will greatly benefit your cultivation—you sleep on this bed."

"You two are not ordinary beings either. This one night will actually be more beneficial for your cultivation."

Seeing that Su Qingxue still wanted to argue, Lin Xiaofan immediately raised his hand: "Alright... We made an agreement beforehand, so everything on this trip is under my control."

The two women exchanged a glance and finally nodded in agreement.

Lin Xiaofan silently walked to the soft couch and lay down fully clothed. Although the couch was expensive, his legs could not be fully stretched out for his size.

I had just closed my eyes when I heard a rustling sound coming from the bed.

"Senior Sister Su, your feet are so cold, let me warm them up for you." Shan Ling'er deliberately raised her voice.

"No need... If you move again, I'll kick you off." Su Qingxue's voice was cold, but the end of her sentence hid a hint of barely perceptible shyness.

Lin Xiaofan turned over and faced the wall, silently reciting the Heart Sutra in his heart.

Boss, stop reading.

[The seed of the Primordial Yang in your dantian is practically knotted from all your chanting~ Admit it, your irresistible charm is the greatest cause and effect in the cultivation world.]

"You little devil, are you trying to bewitch my inner demons? How about I stuff you into the Three Green Cauldrons and put you in the company of Maqiu?"

【Oh no, no no, I'm genuinely worried about you. What if you get sick from holding back the "Secret Technique of the Dark Sun"?】

Lin Xiaofan bent over, clenched his fists, and exhaled a breath of stale air: "I just don't want... to look back someday and have the word 'regret' mixed in."

Old Xian wisely kept quiet.

Lin Xiaofan forced himself to focus on cultivation, and the night passed without incident.

After countless hardships, they finally made it to dawn the next day.

dong dong dong-

Outside, Su Lang gently knocked on the door.

"Patriarch Su, please wait a moment. I am at a crucial juncture in my understanding!" Lin Xiaofan said, blocking the door with his body while frantically sending signals into the room.

The two women looked around, about to dart into the wardrobe, when Lin Xiaofan summoned the Three Green Cauldrons, enlarging them to the size of a water vat: "Hide here!"

The two quickly crawled into the cauldron. Lin Xiaofan then shrank the cauldron, put it in his bosom, and sat cross-legged on the couch, his aura as calm and deep as a bottomless abyss.

Su Lang pushed open the door and entered.

"Senior, I wonder about the Cold Marrow Bed in this guest room..." Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiaofan was surrounded by a chilling aura, exuding the aura of a master who said "keep away."

"The Cold Marrow Bed is excellent; it's helping me temper my Dao body," Lin Xiaofan said without changing his expression.

"I'm glad you're satisfied, senior... We're about to land at Nanguan, please wait a little longer, senior." Su Lang bowed respectfully, his gaze sweeping over the wardrobe before he left, a hint of doubt flashing across his face.

Inside the cauldron, just as Shan Ling'er was about to find a soft spot to lean against, her fingertips touched a black cocoon covered with hand, eye, and star patterns.

"Wow! What's this? It's so cute!"

Cute?

Su Qingxue's eyes twitched slightly as she looked at Shan Ling'er, then at the black callus covered with countless tiny handprints.

This cocoon must have been one of his collectibles, presumably out of fondness for it...

Could it be that I'm the only strange person?