Chapter 12
Volume 1: Chapter 21: Greenhorn (1)
That afternoon, the s.h.i.+p arrived at the pier of the East Arrival City inside the borders of the Celestial Nation.
The booming pier was bustling with people and activity, with s.h.i.+pments filled with the smell of salt and fish being loaded and unloaded from the various s.h.i.+ps.
Madame Ji’s uncle had already sent a carriage to the pier to pick her up. After they became more acquainted with each other, she had specially left an empty carriage for Miao Yi to ride on.
As soon as they left the pier, one of the informers quickly carried an urgent report back to Madame Ji’s uncle.
The fleet of carriages were halfway to the East Arrival City when Miao Yi, who was sitting in the carriage, opened the windows to view the scenery. His ears suddenly twitched when he heard a wave of gallops louder than that of a normal horse’s hooves coming towards them. He was no stranger to those sounds; they were similar to the thunderous steps of those dragon steeds that cultivators rode.
And his guess wasn’t wrong. He heard the steward’s excited voice, "Madame, your uncle has personally arrived."
Miao Yi looked outside the window and could only see dust being blown about by the wind. Two dragon steeds appeared and galloped madly towards them.
Their fleet of carriages weren’t able to stop in time, but the two dragon steeds had already rushed towards them like twin bolts of lightning. Abruptly, they reared their front hooves in the air to forcibly stop their momentum. A middle-aged cultivator with twin swords strapped on his back sat steadily on top of the dragon steed. He swept his gaze across the carriages, frightening the carriage footmen.
Behind the middle-aged cultivator was another cultivator with a head full of white hair, carrying a long, big blade. He didn’t look very young, but judging from the situation, he seemed to be part of the middle-aged cultivator’s troop instead.
Miao Yi predicted that this middle-aged cultivator was none other than Madame Ji’s uncle, since it was unlikely that it was the person at the back bringing a higher authority officer to fetch his niece.
Miao Yi’s gaze fell onto the two men riding the mighty dragon steeds, feeling slightly envious.
Dragon steeds were the most basic spiritual beasts mounted by cultivators. Although they had the appearance of a horse, their bodies were twice as large compared to regular horses. They were also known as dragon horses, which were rumoured to be the descendants of the legendary dragon and heavenly horse. Allegedly, only pure-blooded dragon steeds had the chance to evolve into a real dragon.
Other than their ma.s.sive size, their skin was also thick. The vital parts of the head, body, and the four limbs were protected by naturally hard bones, just like armor and thus ordinary swords and knives weren’t strong enough to inflict damage on them. Their sustainability, ramming power, and leaping ability were mind-boggling as well.
Their tails resembled a snake; s.h.i.+ny and furless. And since the dragon steeds were omnivores, their teeth were long and sharp.
Two curled and fleshy feelers sprang from the mane, which fluttered like waves at the nape of its neck. Once the elastic feelers were linked with the cultivator’s body, both would be able to flawlessly communicate with each other without the need to speak, thus enabling the cultivator to control the dragon steed without any reins. This made the dragon steed one of the most common spiritual beasts mounted by cultivators.
The dragon steeds also possessed extraordinary strength and were able to travel through any form of terrain with ease, be it land or water. These beasts could run at their fastest speed for days without rest, and were able to cover thousands of li per day. However, non-cultivators wouldn’t be able ride them. It was a