The spirit ship's protective shield automatically activated, and the hull began to shake violently.
"This is bad," Su Luo said with a hint of embarrassment.
Who knew a spirit ship would suddenly emerge from the clouds and fly so fast?
According to established rules, when large flying spirit artifacts travel, if they don't announce themselves beforehand, two unfamiliar spirit ships would not get this close, as it could be considered a sneak attack.
Everyone's hearts tightened, unsure of which power the suddenly appearing spirit ship belonged to.
Following so closely, could they be enemies?
After a brief jolt, the opposing spirit ship gradually stabilized, undamaged.
It was a double-decker spirit ship. Although it was half the size of Qingxu Tian's, intricate inscriptions were carved onto its hull, indicating good defensive capabilities. Soon, several servant-like figures appeared on board, along with a man in blue robes and fine clothing, and a young woman in yellow.
"My apologies, everyone, please don't misunderstand!"
The man in blue robes waved towards Su Luo and her group, shouting loudly, "Esteemed guests, we are from the Fang family of Daliang Kingdom. We mean no harm, please do not attack..."
Su Luo looked at Li Tianjue, who had returned to the spirit ship, and asked with some confusion, "The Fang family of Daliang Kingdom?"
Li Tianjue recounted like a seasoned expert, "Daliang Kingdom is not too far from the Red Moon Empire. Its national strength can be considered second-tier. Based on the time, we should have just left Daliang Kingdom's borders. The Fang family is one of the three great aristocratic families of Daliang Kingdom, primarily engaged in the business of spirit herbs and elixirs."
Since they weren't enemies, things became easier.
Su Luo nodded. As the other spirit ship drew nearer, she proactively spoke, "Apologies, we are from Qingxu Tian. My name is Su Luo. I fired that arrow just now, but it wasn't aimed at you. It was a misunderstanding."
"You are from Qingxu Tian?"
The man in blue robes was very surprised and waved at them again, "Miss Su, you are the second-place winner of the Heavenly Pride Competition, aren't you? You are so amazing... By the way, can you hear me if I say this? It's too far, my apologies..."
The other party was clearly very excited.
Standing on the spirit ship, even at close range, they were more than twenty zhang apart. Speaking at the top of their lungs was really inconvenient. Su Luo quickly exchanged opinions with everyone and went with Chu Tianshu to the other spirit ship for a discussion.
The two remained wary of any potential sneak attacks. Only when they landed on the Fang family's spirit ship, and the other party was courteous and looked at them with admiration, did Su Luo and Chu Tianshu temporarily relax.
After some pleasantries and mutual explanations, the man in blue robes introduced himself as Fang Taiyu, and the young woman was his younger sister, Fang Mingzhu.
"It's alright, it's alright, it's truly fortunate to meet Miss Su and your companions."
Fang Taiyu said with admiration, "My sister and I are heading to the Northern Underworld Empire for business. We wanted to do business with your Qingxu Tian... My second uncle has also personally come for this matter. I didn't expect to encounter you so soon after setting off."
Fang Mingzhu also exclaimed with delight, "Sister Su, I like you so much! You're so amazing, reaching the top 100 in your first competition, and coming in second. You're even more beautiful up close!"
Her excited demeanor suggested she was close to asking Su Luo for an autograph.
Encountering a fangirl, Su Luo felt a little shy.
"Miss Fang, you're too kind. By the way, you mentioned going to Qingxu Tian for business, what's it about?"
Fang Taiyu invited Su Luo and Chu Tianshu into the cabin to talk. After they sat down, he explained, "It's like this: my Fang family has been in the business of spirit herbs and elixirs for generations, for several hundred years. But in recent years, we've been approaching a bottleneck, and business has become increasingly difficult. We happened to hear that Qingxu Tian has launched a new elixir with excellent effects called the Rejuvenation Pill, so we wanted to pay a visit."
The Third Elder had refined a new elixir?
Even Su Luo didn't know about it.
They had been away for almost four months. Even with occasional contact, they hadn't inquired in such detail.
"Did the Third Elder refine the Rejuvenation Pill? Hehe, we're not sure about that," Chu Tianshu also felt a bit awkward. It was strange that their sect had a new elixir and he didn't know.
Fang Taiyu chuckled, "It's normal for you not to know when you're traveling. This Rejuvenation Pill has just been launched, and not many people know about it yet. We only found out incidentally because we have a branch in Yuxu City."
He added that the Rejuvenation Pill's efficacy was excellent. Taking one could quickly heal wounds and had good effects on internal injuries, far superior to regular healing pills.
The Fang family actually wanted to purchase the elixir formula for the Rejuvenation Pill. They had prepared a substantial sum of money for this trip and intended to negotiate well with Qingxu Tian. If it didn't work out, they would consider cooperation. Fang Taiyu naturally wouldn't reveal this directly; business had to be negotiated gradually.
"Right, didn't you say your second uncle is also here, Young Master Fang? Perhaps..."
Su Luo wanted to apologize, as she had almost destroyed their spirit ship earlier.
Fang Taiyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's like this, my second uncle is not feeling well and is currently taking medicine. It's inconvenient for him to receive guests at the moment. Please excuse us."
"I see, then we won't disturb you."
Returning to their own spirit ship, Su Luo and Chu Tianshu recounted what had happened.
The First Elder and the Second Elder were somewhat surprised.
"The Third Elder actually refined a new elixir? The Fang family traveled a great distance to come here, which suggests that the Rejuvenation Pill's effects are indeed good. We'll have to inquire thoroughly when we get back; perhaps our Qingxu Tian's elixir business can improve again."
The Second Elder nodded, "We can't ask now, but we'll know when we return."
This was great news, and all the disciples were very happy.
The stronger Qingxu Tian became, the more secure and proud they felt.
In the following days, the Fang family's spirit ship followed them at a moderate distance, but Su Luo and the others did not board it again. Whether cooperation would be successful was still uncertain, and they didn't know the Fang family well, so it was better to observe them more.
Finally, the spirit ship smoothly entered the territory of the Northern Underworld Empire and stopped at the foot of Qingxu Mountain.
Having been away for nearly four months, they returned with an immense longing for every blade of grass and tree in Qingxu Tian, and long-lost smiles appeared on their faces.
From a distance, they saw the Fifth Elder, along with Tang Xiaoguo and Jun Mubai, coming to the mountain gate to greet them.
Behind them were the dashing Bai Qi and a group of other disciples.
Su Luo disembarked and ran towards them like a shooting star. She first paid her respects to the Fifth Elder, then hugged Tang Xiaoguo, sniffing her affectionately, "Xiaoguo, I missed you so much! Without you here, there was no one to go sightseeing and eating with!"
"Sister Su, I missed you too. When you left, there was no one to cook for me..."
Both of them burst into laughter. This was the friendship of foodies.
Su Luo patted Jun Mubai's head, took out the small gift she had prepared for him, and then looked at Bai Qi, "Fifth Senior Brother, after not seeing you for a while, you look even more spirited!"
She gave Bai Qi a hug as well. Bai Qi seemed a little shy but didn't dodge, only smiling shyly and happily, "Junior Sister, it's good that you're back. Everyone has missed you all."
Li Tianjue and the First Elder entered the mountain gate at a leisurely pace. The Fifth Elder already knew Qingxu Tian's rankings and was eager to inquire about the details of their trip. Upon seeing Shangxie Shaoqing and Wen Daier accompanying them, he restrained his eagerness and smilingly welcomed them.
Regarding summarizing the experience and lessons learned from the Heavenly Pride Competition, Su Luo certainly had no desire to participate in such troublesome matters. She left it to her Senior Brother and the others to handle.
The outer disciples dispersed one by one. Su Luo also bid them farewell, and together with Tang Xiaoguo, they took Shangxie Shaoqing and Wen Daier back to Feihong Residence.