plumnovel Chapter 1: The Free Things Are the Most Expensive
Chapter 1: The Free Things Are the Most Expensive
The room was cramped and narrow.
The air was foul and pungent.
On the cold, hard wooden bed, Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes, feeling soreness in his limbs and a groggy mind.
After calming himself down, he looked around and found that he was not in his familiar bedroom, but in a simple room with wooden walls, and the room seemed to be shaking slightly.
"this……"
Just as Chen Ye was puzzled, a jumble of chaotic memories suddenly flooded his mind, as if time had reversed, allowing him to review the entire life of others.
"Du Xu Tian, the Great Abyss of the Underworld... I've transmigrated!"
After a moment, Chen Ye gradually came to his senses, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
According to the memories in my mind, this world is called "Duxutian", which governs three mountains and four marshes and is a vast and boundless cultivation area.
He is currently in the "Great Abyss of the Sea," one of the Three Mountains and Four Swamps.
The Mingyuan Great Swamp is also known as the Mingyuan Sea. It is named for its deep and abyss-like waters. The swamp is vast and boundless, with countless islands, including more than ten thousand spiritual islands suitable for cultivators to live and practice on.
Chen Ye's birthplace, Jinwu Island, is one of these tens of thousands of spiritual islands.
The island contains one second-tier spiritual vein and several first-tier spiritual veins, which are controlled by the cultivation family "Gong Family".
Three years ago, Chen Ye was just an ordinary mortal on Jinwu Island. He was only accepted into the Gong family as a member of an outside clan because he was found to have the aptitude for cultivation. He was then taught cultivation techniques and embarked on the path to immortality.
According to the original contract, all members of the clan from other surnames, after reaching the second level of the Spirit Gathering stage, were required to sail with the Gong family's fleet to obtain cultivation resources.
However, going to sea is not safe.
The Mingyuan Great Swamp is a saltwater marshland with an eye at its bottom leading to the outer sea. It is teeming with monsters and swirling currents. Chen Ye had only been at sea for half a year when he encountered several crises.
The most dangerous incident happened three days ago when the predecessor went into the water to open a clam to retrieve a pearl, but was accidentally swept into the turbulent currents at the bottom of the sea. Fortunately, the predecessor noticed in time, struggled to break free, and thus managed to save his life.
However, he was so frightened that he was listless for several days and ultimately could not pull through.
"The sea is so dangerous!" After reviewing all the memories in his mind, Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a chill.
No wonder the original owner's greatest wish was to leave the Gong family as soon as possible and regain his freedom, even if it was just to become an ordinary rogue cultivator.
Unfortunately, according to the contract, if members of the clan outside the Gong family want to leave the Gong family, they must first repay the debts they owe the Gong family for their upbringing before they can regain their freedom.
The sea is fraught with danger, and most people met with accidents while paying off their debts, ultimately perishing at sea...
"As expected, what's free is often the most expensive. Although the Gong family encourages people to cultivate, they also demand that people pay with their lives!"
Chen Ye sighed, but he was also very clear in his heart that the only thing to do now was to improve his cultivation and strength and ensure his own safety before making any further plans. As for the Gong family, this "big ship," he was not able to leave in the short term.
"Knock knock knock!"
"Get to work! Everyone up on deck!"
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted Chen Ye's thoughts.
"They're here!"
Chen Ye responded, quickly got out of bed, pushed open the door, and walked outside.
As Chen Ye climbed the narrow, dark stairs to the deck, his view suddenly opened up, revealing the shimmering sea stretching to the horizon.
Beneath their feet was a large treasure ship, with a menacing-looking demon-hunting crossbow standing at its bow, engraved with various intricate array patterns. It was a weapon specifically designed to kill large sea beasts.
At this time, forty or fifty people had gathered on the deck, most of whom, like Chen Ye, were members of the Gong family from outside the clan.
Others were impoverished rogue cultivators from Jinwu Island who chose to sail with the Gong family's treasure ship in order to make a living.
"Brother Chen, why don't you rest for a few more days?"
A familiar voice came from behind him. Chen Ye turned around and saw a boy who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.
According to the original owner's memories, the boy's name was Luo Chen. He and Chen Ye were tested for cultivation aptitude and were absorbed into the Gong family.
The two were close in age and had both reached the second level of the Spirit Gathering stage. They were assigned to the Gong family's demon-hunting ship together, so their relationship was naturally closer.
"I've already been lying in bed for three days. If I don't get back to work, the ship's manager will probably be unhappy."
Chen Ye said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Once the demon-catching ship sets sail, it becomes its own world. Besides the captain, who is a core member of the Gong family and has the most power, there are three stewards who manage various matters on the ship and reward or punish the crew members.
It's obviously not good to not work for a long time.
As the two were talking, the steward of the Gong family, dressed in a brocade robe, came to the front of the group and took out several bottles of pills from his storage bag.
"Come and collect your winter-protecting pills. Your task today is to go into the sea to collect pearls. Each person must collect at least five low-grade spirit pearls!"
The waters of the Abyss Sea contain a chilling, bone-chilling aura of cold energy. The deeper one goes, the more concentrated the cold energy becomes, which even cultivators cannot withstand. Therefore, one must take a cold-avoiding pill before each dive into the sea to expel the cold energy that has invaded the body.
However, this kind of elixir is of extremely low quality and can only maintain its effect underwater for about an hour at most.
After receiving the pills from the steward, Chen Ye boarded the same small spirit boat as Luo Chen. Together, they rowed towards the waters far from the demon-catching ship.
This spirit boat is about two zhang long and looks more like a sampan used by ordinary fishermen, but it is much sturdier.
When the spirit boat arrived at the designated location, the six crew members swallowed cold-avoidance pills, then quickly took off their coats and jumped into the sea.
"Brother Chen, why don't you rest on the ship? I'll help you complete the task of those five spirit orbs."
Before going into the water, Luo Chen said with good intentions.
"No, I'll do it myself."
Chen Ye shook his head, refusing Luo Chen's offer. He swallowed the Cold-Repelling Pill, took a deep breath, and jumped into the sea with a splash!
Despite being prepared, the icy seawater still made Chen Ye tense up suddenly.
At this moment, the cold-avoiding pill he had taken earlier took effect, and a warm current quickly spread from Chen Ye's lower abdomen to his limbs and bones, as if a small furnace was burning inside his body, providing him with a continuous source of heat.
However, the effects of the Cold-Repelling Pill were limited, and no time could be wasted. Chen Ye quickly moved his limbs, like a swimming fish, and dived into the water.
The pressure in the seawater was extremely high, but fortunately, the cultivator's physical strength far exceeded that of ordinary people. Even after diving fifty or sixty meters in one breath, Chen Ye did not feel any abnormality in his body.
Soon, a vast coral reef came into view.
Beneath the deep sea, clusters of corals shimmer with vibrant colors, and large and small aquatic creatures dart among them, creating ripples in the water.