At the gate to his town, there was a beautiful carriage crafted out of exquisite redwood that gave off an aura of opulence and power that Bai Xiang had never felt in his life.
Compared to the elegant and noble aura of Aqua Vitae, this carriage seemed brash and crude; the aura it released was intentionally overpowering, making it clear that it was a form of active intimidation.
A middle-aged man in the Core Strengthening Realm was driving the carriage and was currently arguing with the city guard; from what he could tell, the man seemed livid regarding the treatment of the carriage he was driving.
"You dare make us wait in the VIP line and charge us an entrance fee? This is an official carriage of the Flower Maiden Sect, inside an inner disciple and an outer court elder visiting their hometown. Are you showing us such disrespect?"
The guard captain, who was on duty at the moment, looked at the man disdainfully.
"Our Crystalized Peak Town will be promoted to a city in the next few years, and you want to flaunt status on me without any official documentation? National law says that unless you are here on a sect-sanctioned mission, you are not exempt from payment, let alone letting you in without a line!"
Seeing the commotion, he was happy. His father was not the lead guard on duty, and from what he knew, it seemed like this guard was about to get face-slapped or saved by a protagonist.
Moving to the side where the foot traffic entrance line for townspeople was, we walked around, leaving plenty of space between him and the troublesome people.
While he was moving, the carriage door opened, and a young woman who seemed to be in her late teens opened the door; she was dressed in red and purple robes that contrasted starkly against her extremely pale complexion.
"Give him some gold. The guards will all be arrogant unless you buy them off, at which point they will act like little dogs."
Hearing this young girl at the Core Strengthening realm speak arrogantly stunned Bai Xiang.
She was openly bribing a guard and so rudely insulting him and the people working with him.
In his last life, he had seen many rude people, but it was very uncommon for someone to provoke law enforcement officials in public so openly.
"I am sorry, Miss, but I cannot accept a bribe; the more you refuse to go through security, the more I think that you have something to hide."
By now, he had turned to see what would happen; this was turning out to be going in a direction he had not anticipated.
"75 gold for you and 10 for each of your men."
Hearing her voice, all the guards shuddered uncontrollably. That was a ridiculous sum of wealth, especially for a town gate bribe.
Seeing this, the captain looked over somewhat awkwardly.
"It seems this little dog has pissed on the wrong rock; as madam said, the Flower Maiden Sect is renowned throughout the world and cannot possibly need to be scrutinized by our lowly selves."
As Bai Xiang was giving the guard a thumbs up for his bootlicking skills, the girl turned towards him. Her arrogant gaze made him uncomfortable; he was not used to people looking at him in such a way.
"Core Strengthening at a young age, just like me, you will be our new carriage driver."
Gathering himself, he tried to appear respectful.
"I am sorry, ma'am, but I am heading to the capital to become an Astral Englightment disciple; I cannot drive a carriage either."
Hearing his rejection, the girl seemed not to care anymore; however, when he thought he was out of the water, an older woman walked out of the carriage and over to him at shocking speeds.
This woman appeared in her 20s wearing a purple and silver robe, highlighting her pale skin and black hair.
"The Astral Englightment Sect is almost all men; how will you find a beautiful partner there? Come with us; if you have the potential, we can make you one of the few male disciples of the Flower Maiden Sect. You would have to cultivate and be able to experience endless spring."
Hearing this, the young girl, the guards, and Bai Xiang were all dumbfounded by the proposal.
'They don't want to use me as some kind of cauldron, do they?'
He instantly felt on guard; this invitation seemed highly suspicious.
Unfortunately, this woman was strong enough that he could not tell what her realm was, meaning he had no choice.
"May I say goodbye to my family?"
Seeing his scared expression, the woman smiled.
"Of course, little Lan is here to visit her family as well; we will be here for two nights; that is all you have. Don't be afraid; we have no reason to harm you."
Hearing this, he was relieved. He could go ask Ms. Amanda then and get her opinion. If worse came to worse, maybe he could hide in Aqua Vitae. He was sure these people from the Flower Maiden Sect would not cause trouble there.
"Don't try anything, funny little fellow; we will find you before we leave, so be prepared."