My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 503: Beauty, Will You Be My Mount?

Outside Fengshan County, the scenery was mesmerizing, with continuous mountains and rivers intertwining.

“This river is called Weishui. During the rainy season, it spans 60 zhang in width, and its source flows from Mount Ye Lake.”

The riverbanks were flanked by steep cliffs, with narrow paths winding along them. Below, the Weishui River surged onward.

Thickets of brambles and wild mugwort grew waist-high.

Looking down at the Weishui, boats occasionally came into view.

“If I were a poet, I’d probably be inspired to compose a verse upon seeing such a sight.

But alas, I’m merely a kitchen knife; all I want is to slice up some fish.”

Qi Yuan couldn’t help but muse as he took in the view.

Of course, he neither yearned for home nor wallowed in literary aspirations, so poetry didn’t come naturally to him.

“Fish buns would taste amazing!” Chen Kangbao chimed in.

His mind constantly revolved around food.

As he gazed at the Weishui, excitement flashed in his eyes. “I’ve heard that Mount Ye Lake is home to a Water Lord whose true form is a giant fish. I bet it would taste incredible.”

“Someday, I’ll catch it and hire a chef to make fish buns for you,” Qi Yuan replied nonchalantly.

At that moment, a crisp voice, tinged with a playful tone, rang out:

“You’ve got some nerve. The Water Lord of Mount Ye Lake has already reached the peak of Earth grade, ruling the waters of Mount Ye’s domain. In its lake, it’s invincible. Even a legendary Heaven-grade Weapon Master might fail to kill it.”

Two elegant figures appeared—one tall and one petite.

Both wore veils over their faces, obscuring their features.

The speaker was petite, her figure slender, with a flat chest that emphasized her youthful charm.

The taller woman wore a black dress embroidered with golden threads, her figure curvaceous and statuesque. Her slim waist and alluring posture made her presence captivating.

Even though her face was hidden, her exquisite figure made her appearance seem irrelevant.

“Hmph, my young master is a god incarnate. How dare a mere Water Lord act so presumptuously?” Chen Kangbao retorted.

The petite woman’s laughter tinkled like silver bells. “The Water Lord is currently stationed at Mount Ye Lake. If your young master is so capable, why isn’t he heading there now to kill it?”

“My young master has his plans and doesn’t need your advice.”

“Hmph, sounds like you’re all talk and no action! Too scared to follow through!” The petite woman sneered disdainfully.

“Junior sister, enough,” the taller woman said, her voice icy.

Her cold tone seemed to chill the very air, sending shivers through even Chen Kangbao.

Her voice wasn’t just cold—it was piercing, cutting straight to the bone.

On Earth, Qi Yuan had heard many captivating voices, from sultry tones to commanding ones.

But he’d never encountered a voice so cold it seemed to manifest physically.

“Senior sister…” The petite woman pouted but dared not argue, clearly intimidated.

The taller woman turned to Qi Yuan. “If you’re truly ambitious enough to slay the Water Lord, you might consider participating in the upcoming Artifact Master Conference.”

Her tone remained detached and icy, as if she were speaking from atop a snowy peak.

“We’ll see if I have time,” Qi Yuan said with a yawn.

Lately, he’d been so busy that his sleep had suffered.

The petite woman looked at Qi Yuan with disdain, convinced he was just boasting.

“We’ll take our leave,” the icy woman said, her voice as cold as a glacial spring.

She began to walk away with the petite woman.

“Wait, my lady!” Qi Yuan called out.

The petite woman blushed. “Scoundrel, how dare you address me like that?”

“You misunderstand. I wasn’t calling you—I was addressing your companion.”

“You!” The petite woman puffed her cheeks in indignation, her veiled face full of charm.

“What is it?” the icy woman asked politely, her tone distant.

“I’m in need of a mount. You seem quite suitable. Would you consider becoming mine?” Qi Yuan asked earnestly, his gaze fixed on her.

The air froze for a moment.

Chen Kangbao shivered from the sudden chill.

The icy woman’s gaze grew frostier.

“What… did you just say?” The petite woman bristled like a powder keg about to explode.

“I’m offering you a job. Full benefits, meals and lodging provided, excellent salary, with opportunities for promotion. Perform well, and you could even be promoted from mount to bedwarmer,” Qi Yuan explained, sounding entirely serious.

The icy woman’s expression didn’t change as she turned to leave.

The petite woman hurried after her, fuming.

“How rude! Leaving without even saying goodbye,” Chen Kangbao said indignantly.

“You overestimate people. Those as tactful as I am are a rare breed,” Qi Yuan remarked smugly.

Not far away, the petite woman nearly tripped, clearly enraged.

---

About fifteen minutes later, the petite woman sat on a boat, arms akimbo.

“Those two were insufferable—arrogant, talkative, and rude! Am I not pretty enough? If you hadn’t stopped me, Senior Sister, I would’ve hooked them like fish!”

“Why argue with madmen?” the icy woman replied coolly.

“Madmen?” The petite woman blinked in realization. “So they’re madmen?”

She sighed, feeling foolish for letting herself get upset over lunatics.

The icy woman frowned slightly. “The direction they were heading in… It looked like Kunling Crossing.”

“Kunling Crossing?” The petite woman frowned.

Following their master’s orders, they were heading to Kunling Crossing to investigate a Spirit Cultivation Zone.

Their master had expressed concerns about the Radiance Society’s growing activity and the potential threat to such zones.

When they arrived at Kunling Crossing and found everything normal, the petite woman relaxed.

“Could they be with the Radiance Society?” she asked, her eyes gleaming with suspicion.

“No,” the icy woman replied. “The Society’s elders have long abandoned their human forms. Those two, for all their flaws, were still human.”

The petite woman sighed in relief. “Good point. Still, that lunatic was surprisingly handsome despite his nonsense.”

“Perhaps it was a coincidence,” the icy woman said.

“Senior Sister, when we return to your family’s estate, will you stay the night? I’d love to meet your husband,” the petite woman teased with a sly grin.

“No,” the icy woman replied indifferently. “We’ll retrieve the gilded mystic stone and return to Mount Ye Lake immediately.”

Her tone remained distant, as though she were discussing a stranger.

The petite woman was momentarily taken aback but quickly giggled.

“I hope he’s handsome. Otherwise, it’d be such a waste!”

---

At Kunling Crossing, the waters were black and ominous, the vegetation eerily thick and tangled like human hair.

“The Records of Fengshan County mention that in the seventh year of the Tianyuan era, a flood submerged Kunling Crossing, drowning seventy-five households,” Chen Kangbao explained.

“At first, everyone thought it was a natural disaster.

But later, when the Spirit Cultivation Zone was exposed, people realized it was man-made—an atrocity orchestrated by the Radiance Society to nurture specters.”

“So the specters here were once the people of Kunling Crossing?” Qi Yuan asked.

“Yes. They were dockworkers—ordinary laborers struggling to make ends meet. They could barely afford to eat, let alone enjoy luxuries,” Chen Kangbao said with a sigh.

“Tragic.”

Qi Yuan looked ahead at Kunling Crossing, sensing the dormant specters within.

Compared to the Red Village, this place was far more dangerous, crawling with specters.

The swampy, toxic gases and miasma blanketed the area, making it impossible for ordinary people to venture inside. Even the indestructible body of an Earth-grade Weapon Master would struggle in this terrain.

Only Heaven-grade Weapon Masters might navigate it with ease.

"It seems I'll need to craft some gas masks and a larger drone before venturing in," Qi Yuan remarked.

Charging in directly would be troublesome and a waste of time.

"Young Master, truly impressive!" Chen Kangbao continued his flattery.

"Let’s carefully observe first. Identify all the risks so we can deal with them all at once," Qi Yuan said calmly.

The most challenging part of Kunling Crossing was entering it safely. Qi Yuan's sharp eyes scanned the area to assess potential threats and devise countermeasures.

---

Several hours later, as night fell, Qi Yuan didn’t return to the Shen household. Instead, he went to the Ghost Market.

After purchasing more materials, he set up his stall again.

"Sigh, I’m so broke!" Qi Yuan lamented. "My storage artifact is nearly full, and my silver is almost gone."

“Why doesn’t anyone appreciate my talents and buy my artifacts?”

So far, he had sold only one light blade, and even that was to a clueless noble.

Being a god in disguise required significant resources—he had plans to create drones, pseudo-angels, and even starships.

But with his current funds, these ideas were mere pipe dreams.

"Master, the world is full of ignorant fools who fail to recognize good products," Chen Kangbao said with conviction.

"You’re not ignorant; why don’t you buy something?" Qi Yuan shot back, raising an eyebrow.

“Cough, Young Master, you’re making it difficult for this humble servant. I may be wise beyond measure, but alas, I’m penniless!” Chen Kangbao replied, his expression sheepish.

"If you're so wise, why are you broke?"

"...I’m just unlucky!" Chen Kangbao replied weakly.

At that moment, a sharp, mocking voice rang out:

“Senior Sister, look! It’s those two lunatics!”

The sweet yet biting tone carried a faint fragrance, tinged with a cold chill reminiscent of snow.

The same petite and tall veiled women Qi Yuan had encountered near Weishui approached his stall.

The petite woman’s curiosity was piqued as she examined the strange artifacts on display, clicking her tongue in disdain.

“So, you’re an artifact master? But your skills… leave much to be desired. What kind of junk is this?”

Whenever Qi Yuan and Chen Kangbao left the Shen household, they altered their appearances with the Thousand Transformations Mask.

This was crucial for maintaining Qi Yuan's role as a humble son-in-law. Publicly showcasing his abilities could tarnish the image he was building for his "ordinary" persona.

The petite woman didn’t recognize him but found the peculiar artifacts intriguing.

Her gaze landed on a speaker playing recorded advertisements in a sweet voice.

“This is interesting—it can talk!” she exclaimed.

"Are you here to buy something?" Qi Yuan asked with a bright smile. "Although I’ve only been open for three days, business has been booming—an average of three thousand silver a day!"

Qi Yuan's statistical skills were exceptional. He knew how to frame numbers effectively.

“What? Three thousand silver a day?” The petite woman was stunned. “Are you trying to scam us?”

Three thousand silver could buy a xuan-grade artifact, not this heap of unremarkable trinkets with no certification.

The entire stall’s inventory likely didn’t even add up to one thousand silver.

“He’s not lying,” chimed in the neighboring vendor, a sly smile on his face.

Ever since Qi Yuan had made an easy 10,000 silver on his first day, the vendor treated him with newfound respect.

After all, anyone who could leave the Ghost Market unscathed after such a transaction was clearly not to be trifled with.

Hearing the vendor's confirmation, the petite woman believed it.

She glared at Qi Yuan. “You’re unbelievable! I can’t imagine what kind of idiots would spend so much on this junk.”

Her eyes returned to the speaker.

“How much for this?”

“Ninety-nine silver!” Qi Yuan replied honestly.

“That’s a bit pricey…” the petite woman hesitated but still paid up. “But I have money, so I’ll buy it!”

She handed over the silver and took the speaker.

She was genuinely curious about its mechanism and believed it might have potential if mass-produced.

Qi Yuan graciously accepted the payment with a smile.

Meanwhile, the taller woman remained silent, her icy gaze sweeping across the artifacts with a hint of curiosity.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached.

“Senior, I can’t believe you’re here!”

The voice belonged to none other than Young Master Tu, who arrived looking flustered and exhilarated.

Spotting a familiar face, Qi Yuan’s expression softened into a smile.

“Ah, looking to buy the other two light blades? You’re in luck—today I’m feeling generous. Only 21,998 silver for both!”

The petite woman froze, wide-eyed.

An idiot had actually arrived?