Soon, the one-month deadline arrived.
An exquisite red flying boat landed on Pingchang Island. After picking up Ning Fa, it took off again and flew rapidly eastward.
This flying boat was about twenty zhang long and had two levels of cabins.
At the bow, there was a sculpture resembling a strange fish, with the fish's mouth emitting a faint red auspicious light.
This formed a red auspicious light shield that enveloped the entire flying boat, isolating it from the fierce winds outside.
On both sides of the flying boat, there were also a pair of wings like fish fins.
As they gently swayed, they stirred up fierce winds, allowing the flying boat to speed forward at an extremely fast pace.
On the second level of the cabin, Ning Fa stood by the porthole, curiously observing the surrounding scenery.
The grade of this flying boat was definitely not low; it should be comparable to the Spirit Boat Wei Shiqin had that day.
Ning Fa was able to use this Spirit Boat for travel, naturally thanks to Ning Shaohong.
This Spirit Boat was not privately owned by her, but rather a family asset.
Due to her duties at the Spirit Embroidery Hall, she often needed to travel to and from Tianshui Market.
Therefore, the family had assigned her this High-grade Magic Artifact level Spirit Boat.
Furthermore, besides this flying boat, the family would also arrange for a team of guards to escort Ning Shaohong whenever she traveled.
This was the treatment afforded to a family elder.
And due to Ning Shaohong's special status, the guard standards were even higher.
A total of five members from the Blazing Wind Hall were traveling together, including three cultivators at the Qi Condensation late-stage.
The leading cultivator was also at the peak of the Qi Condensation ninth layer.
The rest were all cultivators at the Qi Condensation mid-stage.
Moreover, Ning Fa's old friend, Ning Zonglie, was also part of this escort.
Although these cultivators were not the elite members of the family's Blood Wind Hall, they were all skilled in combat.
With this force, as long as they were not facing Foundation Establishment cultivators in Thousand Wave Lake, there were basically no Calamity Cultivators who would dare to provoke them.
At this moment, these guards were all on the first level of the cabin.
On the second level, there were only him, Ning Shaohong, and Ning Xiuying.
At this moment, Ning Shaohong was kneeling by the tea table, elegantly preparing tea.
A mellow fragrance spread out, invigorating the senses.
Seeing Ning Fa's curious expression, Ning Shaohong chuckled lightly:
"With the speed of this Red Silk Boat, it will only take about five hours to reach Tianshui Island where Tianshui Market is located. We'll stay at the market tonight and return tomorrow after attending the auction."
Ning Fa nodded, then sniffed the air and asked curiously, "Aunt Hong, what kind of tea is this? It smells so fragrant, and it has a special sweet taste."
Ning Shaohong smiled softly, "This is Red Su Tea. We can only get a little Red Su Fruit to brew this tea during this specific season each year. Little Fa, come and try some."
Ning Fa readily complied and sat down opposite Ning Shaohong. He picked up a cup of Red Su Tea that Ning Shaohong handed him and drank it in one gulp.
Ning Fa felt a mellow fragrance explode on his tongue, followed by a warm current flowing into his body.
His spirits lifted; this spiritual tea actually had the effect of enhancing one's magic power.
He couldn't help but praise, "Good tea! Aunt Hong, give me another cup."
Ning Shaohong looked at him with a gentle smile and poured him another cup without hesitation.
Ning Xiuying, who was sitting not far away, although her expression was calm.
Her heart felt a slight tremor.
She felt that she might still have underestimated Ning Fa's standing in Ning Shaohong's heart.
"Sister Xiuying, won't you try some?"
After drinking another cup, Ning Fa seemed to recall something and said to Ning Xiuying.
Ning Xiuying glanced at Ning Shaohong, then walked over and sat at the other side of the tea table, picking up a cup of tea and slowly drinking it.
After drinking the tea, Ning Shaohong's eyes flashed.
She chuckled, "Little Fa, there's something I need to tell you."
"A few days ago, the Sixth Elder approached me and wanted to arrange a marriage for you. He wanted me to ask for your opinion first."
Ning Xiuying's eyes widened slightly, and she turned to look at Ning Fa.
Ning Fa's brow furrowed for a moment before returning to normal.
He immediately thought of Ning Wanyun, whom he had met in the Scripture Depository not long ago.
At that time, he had felt that this woman was very interested in him, but he didn't want to get entangled with her and hadn't spoken much.
He hadn't expected this woman to be so proactive.
She had directly approached her grandfather, the Sixth Elder of the family, to act as a matchmaker.
If Ning Fa, who was only at the Qi Condensation third layer before, was still the family's Pill Master.
The Sixth Elder would definitely not have agreed to this marriage.
But things were different now; strictly speaking, Ning Wanyun was the one marrying up.
However, Yongchang Island was, after all, the direct lineage of the clan, and the collateral branches had strong power.
So, if the two were to become Dao Companions, it would be a strong alliance.
Thus, the Sixth Elder was happy to see it happen.
He probably feared being rejected if he approached Ning Fa directly, which would be embarrassing, so he decided to approach Ning Shaohong to test the waters.
After all, in the eyes of the major collateral branches of the clan, Ning Fa and Ning Shaohong had a close relationship, and he was practically considered part of the Second Elder's faction.
Ning Fa inwardly thought it was troublesome.
Why were these women so infatuated with his body?
He calmly asked, "Aunt Hong, is the other party Ning Wanyun from the Yongchang Island lineage?"
Ning Shaohong's expression was indifferent, making it impossible to read her emotions. She smiled faintly and said, "That's right. It seems you already know each other. Do you have feelings for each other? Then this matter is simple. Your Pingchang Island lineage and the Yongchang Island lineage are very distantly related by blood; you are outside the fifth degree of kinship, so you two can become Dao Companions."
Ning Xiuying also stared at Ning Fa with wide eyes.
Although she knew Ning Fa wasn't exactly a virtuous gentleman.
Seeing that Ning Fa might have already secretly pledged himself to someone else made her feel uneasy.
After all, she had once sounded Ning Fa out about becoming Dao Companions, and he had refused.
Ning Fa hurriedly shook his head, "Aunt Hong, you know I have an Incomplete Lightning Spiritual Root. It's already a stroke of luck that I broke through to the Qi Condensation mid-stage. It won't be easy to break through to the Qi Condensation late-stage in the future. I need to work extremely hard, and I also need to improve my alchemy skills, so I don't want to consider personal matters right now."
Hearing Ning Fa's outright refusal.
Ning Xiuying, who had been feeling tense, immediately relaxed and felt much better.
Ning Shaohong's expression remained unchanged, and she continued to smile faintly, "Are you sure? Yongchang Island is the direct lineage of the clan, and that girl Wanyun is also beautiful and graceful. Moreover, her grandfather is the Sixth Elder of the clan, and her brother Ning Nanqing is also an elite figure among the younger generation of the clan. If you become Dao Companions with her, you will gain a powerful ally."
Here, Ning Shaohong didn't finish her sentence.
If Ning Fa and Ning Wanyun became Dao Companions, there would be another layer of significance.
That is, the Sixth Elder's faction, which had always been neutral, might lean towards the Second Elder's faction.
After all, Ning Fa was now seen as a rising star in the Second Elder's faction.
If Ning Fa and Ning Wanyun became Dao Companions, this political significance would also be considerable.
Therefore, the Second Elder had also specifically approached her, asking her to facilitate this matter as much as possible.
Ning Fa, however, didn't think too much about it and refused again, "Aunt Hong, my mind is made up. I don't want to consider personal matters right now; I just want to break through to the Qi Condensation late-stage realm as soon as possible."
Ning Xiuying secretly glanced at him, a smile in her eyes.
After all, although Ning Wanyun wasn't as famous as Liu Qinghui, she also had many suitors within the clan due to her excellent conditions.
Seeing Ning Fa reject Ning Wanyun, who had such favorable conditions, made her feel much more balanced.
She even secretly thought that she should reward Ning Fa.
For example, agree to some of the outrageous requests that this little scamp had made?
As Ning Xiuying was thinking this, Ning Shaohong glanced at her indifferently, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.