The boat ticket was for a special economy cabin.
Following the numbers on their tickets, the two lined up and boarded a flying boat that resembled a massive cruise ship.
Such a huge flying boat had many levels.
The topmost level was the first floor, and the bottom floor, which was also the entrance level, was the seventh floor.
They reached the third-floor deck.
The deck was spacious like a grand hall, but it was very cramped; to sell tickets and accommodate more passengers, the entire deck was filled with fixed wooden chairs, leaving only small gaps for people to walk.
The two-meter-high ceiling made the cabin feel somewhat oppressive.
Most flying boats were like this, and even on this one, they were in economy class.
Their seats were roughly in the belly of the boat, by the window.
Two wooden chairs formed a row.
It looked decent, at least better than the rows of non-window seats inside the deck.
Ding Nan glanced at the ticket held by the lady sitting next to him in the non-window seat.
Her ticket price was slightly cheaper than Xi Yuyan’s.
“Do you want to sit inside or outside?” Ding Nan asked.
“I want the window seat.”
Without waiting for Ding Nan to agree, Xi Yuyan slipped into the gap between the seats, smoothed her skirt along her curves, and sat down.
Ding Nan didn’t mind.
He tugged at his sleeve and sat down as well.
Through the small round window, the sky looked fixed and clear.
Soon the flow of people stopped.
The flying boat started, and the cabin vibrated slightly.
Watching the sky outside begin to change, Ding Nan suddenly remembered his student days, riding the train alone to a big city for university, and then during summer break, fighting with a bunch of old men for part-time delivery jobs to earn tuition.
On the flying boat, you could only sit and do nothing.
Ding Nan also wanted to find a book to kill time.
“Do you want to read?”
Ding Nan nodded.
Then Xi Yuyan pulled out many books for Ding Nan to choose from.
Ding Nan picked a Records of Anomalies.
Xi Yuyan chose a well-known novel about gods and demons.
The flying boat cruised smoothly through the air.
A gentle breeze blew into the cabin, rustling Xi Yuyan’s soft shoulder-length hair.
The cabin was noisy and crowded, but the sound of Xi Yuyan turning pages was clearly audible.
After an unknown amount of time, Ding Nan’s full stomach began to growl.
A vendor started selling food and drinks in the cabin.
Xi Yuyan took out the rations and drinks she had prepared earlier from her Spatial Ring.
After a quick lunch, there was nothing else to do, so they both picked up their books again.
Ding Nan listlessly read the Records of Anomalies in his hand.
Xi Yuyan occasionally stole glances at him.
Soon midday arrived, and snoring began in the cabin.
Ding Nan, having sat for a long time, started yawning and considered taking a nap.
Suddenly, something bumped against Ding Nan’s shoulder.
Soft, silky hair fell onto his neck.
The slight coolness caught his attention.
Then, a faint jasmine-like fragrance drifted from the hair, and he felt the unique texture of a cheek against his shoulder.
All drowsiness instantly vanished.
“Xi Yuyan?”
Ding Nan froze, looking down at the black head on his shoulder.
The young woman had her eyes closed, her face slightly puffed from being pressed, her small chest rising and falling slowly, making a soft rustling breathing sound.
“Xi Yuyan?”
Ding Nan called again.
But she still didn’t answer, as if she had fallen asleep out of exhaustion.
Ding Nan frowned slightly in thought.
Golden Core stage was the final stage of physical cultivation for cultivators; the next stage, Nascent Soul, required cultivating the primordial spirit.
The Golden Core stage body was excellent; one could go several days without sleep and still be clear-minded and agile.
He couldn’t clearly remember how he had gotten into bed last night, but since he woke up in bed this morning, Xi Yuyan probably hadn’t slept last night.
A Golden Core stage cultivator not sleeping for one night shouldn’t be this tired.
Yet she had fallen asleep, leaning against Ding Nan.
The breath from her breathing and the warmth from her hair constantly reminded Ding Nan that a girl was asleep against him.
Ding Nan leaned back against the wooden chair, the sensation on his neck stirring his young man’s heart, making him slightly flustered.
On second thought, she had only rented one guest room and had taken care of his dazed self.
There was a long distance between Wancheng and Jingquan City.
If she had also taken a flying boat without resting before, then she would indeed be tired.
“Should I wake her up?”
Ding Nan thought to himself.
After thinking it over, men and women should keep their distance.
It was better to wake her up; if others misunderstood, it would only cause Xi Yuyan trouble.
“Xi Yuyan?”
Ding Nan reached out and gently shook her narrow shoulder.
“Mm!”
Xi Yuyan trembled, pursed her lips, slowly opened her eyes, seeming drowsy as she sat up, looking at Ding Nan blankly.
“Where are we?”
“We just arrived at Qixiang Town,” Ding Nan said.
“Oh.”
Xi Yuyan answered casually.
She adjusted her sitting posture.
Ding Nan propped his face with one hand, holding the Records of Anomalies in the other, and continued reading.
Xi Yuyan secretly glanced at Ding Nan.
His expression was as calm as a piece of wood.
Suddenly, a wave of sorrow surged in her heart.
‘Does he really have no feelings for me at all? A Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivator can go without sleep forever if they ignore their physical body; how could I actually fall asleep? I was just trying to lean against Ding Nan to see his reaction. And the result left me very unsatisfied!’
In a place Ding Nan couldn’t see, she quietly puffed out her cheeks.
Using the same trick twice would have half the effect, so Xi Yuyan didn’t pretend to sleep and lean against Ding Nan again.
She tidied her hair, gathered her mind, and focused all her attention on the novel about gods and demons in her hands.
The two were at peace. But Ding Nan, unlike Xi Yuyan, hadn’t slept well last night due to dreams.
At the Qi Refining stage, he needed sleep to regulate the blood and qi in his body.
Bored, Ding Nan watched the Records of Anomalies and unconsciously fell asleep.
Ding Nan leaned sideways without thinking, with a soft thud.
Xi Yuyan’s fair little face instantly flushed red.
Now Ding Nan was leaning on her and sleeping soundly.
This put Xi Yuyan in a difficult position.
“Ding Nan?” she called.
Ding Nan didn’t respond.
He was truly fast asleep.
She fidgeted, playing with her fingers, cursing Ding Nan in her heart, then stealing glances at his sleeping face.
He was like a statue when asleep.
Unlike Ding Nan, with her red face, she didn’t wake him up again.
Instead, she turned her head away, propped her chin with one hand, looked out at the blue sky, and absentmindedly felt Ding Nan’s presence.
But by the time she gradually got used to it, she felt like an idiot.
Melancholy welled up from her chest, and that gloom made her restless.
‘This is truly a twisted fate,’ Xi Yuyan couldn’t help thinking to herself.