Standing outside Zhen Lian City, Du Chen and the others could see flying swords and magical treasures streaking across the sky from all directions like shooting stars, landing not far from the city gates. Occasionally, cultivators would leap onto various types of flying magical tools and shoot into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye like flashes of multicolored rainbow light.
As Du Chen walked, he clicked his tongue and said, "This feels pretty much like an airport. Heh heh, the first thing I'll do when I join a sect is learn to ride a flying sword... wow!"
Suddenly, a gust of wind whipped past his body from behind. Du Chen, not paying attention, stumbled and almost fell flat on his face. Luckily, after all the monster fighting and dodging over the past few days, his legs were much more agile than when he was at home. He quickly regained his balance and charged a few steps forward to steady himself.
"D*mn, what the hell was that?" Du Chen grumbled as he finally managed to stop, looking up to see a handsome young man in blue standing not far ahead. The young man was making hand gestures, and in an instant, a flying sword the size of a person shrank to the size of a palm and disappeared into his hand.
"Ahem, looks like a flying accident. The landing path wasn't cleared properly; it's really dangerous," said Sang Tian, teasing Du Chen. The other three also chuckled lightly.
"That guy did it on purpose!" Du Chen pointed at the young man, jumping up and down. When he looked back at the young man, his anger flared up, and he started shouting, "Look at him, he totally did it on purpose! D*mn it… d*mn it…"
After the young man had stored his flying sword, he glanced at Du Chen and the others, who were all tired and dusty from their journey. Seeing Du Chen almost fall, he couldn't help but show a mocking smirk. When Du Chen pointed at him, the young man raised his chin in defiance and rolled his eyes dramatically, turning his beautiful phoenix eyes into what looked like dead fish eyes.
Du Chen couldn't take it anymore. He started rolling up his sleeves, looking like he wanted to pick a fight, but stayed rooted to the spot. The young man, seeing this, sneered and ignored him, turning arrogantly to walk away.
"When I learn how to control a flying sword, I'll teach you a lesson, you arrogant little brat!" Du Chen muttered angrily as he watched the blue-clad young man's retreating figure.
"Oh? After being here for a few days, the boss's literary skills have really improved. You can even say a four-character idiom now," Sang Tian remarked sarcastically, as usual.
Cang Hai pushed his glasses up and said, "All cultivators who come here can control flying swords or other magical flying tools. He probably thinks we're all ordinary people. However, you don't need to wait until you learn sword control to deal with him. You can totally teach him a lesson right now. Just take a good look at your interface; this guy's only level 6—he's practically a free delivery for you."
Du Chen checked and saw that it was true. His anger immediately dissipated. But thinking about that look from the young man, he still felt irritated. He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to catch up and teach the young man a lesson or just ignore him. By the time he made up his mind, the young man in blue had already entered the city gates.
Reluctantly, Du Chen decided to let it go for now. Muttering under his breath, "You better watch out next time. If I run into you again, I'll make sure you're covered in peach blossoms," he followed the others and entered the city.
There was no one guarding the city gate, and no one flew over from the city walls. Everyone entered the city in an orderly manner. At first, they didn't know why, but as they passed through the gates, they felt a warm current flowing from above their heads, which circled around each of them before returning.
Everyone curiously looked up but didn't notice anything particularly special, which left them all a bit confused.
Standing by the wall inside the city gate was a middle-aged man dressed in a brown robe, with a kind and honest appearance and a short beard. Seeing their curious expressions, he approached with a smile and said, "You must be newcomers to Zhen Lian City. No wonder you're so surprised. You see, the city gates themselves are a magical artifact! They were crafted by a Nascent Soul master specifically to identify demonic cultivators trying to infiltrate the righteous path. If any demonic cultivators pass through, the gates will automatically bind and harm them, while also protecting us from any harm. It's truly one of Zhen Lian City's great treasures."
Upon hearing this, everyone understood. It was like an anti-theft door at a supermarket, but much more advanced—it could even catch thieves.
Du Chen, intrigued, asked, "So, this magical artifact can't make any mistakes, right?"
The middle-aged man was taken aback, quickly looking around before leaning in and whispering, "You shouldn't speak carelessly. The Nascent Soul master's work, how could we small people dare to question it? Zhen Lian City has been established for many years without incident, so I don't think there will be any mistakes."
Cang Hai, without a change in expression, kicked Du Chen in the shin and stepped forward, cupping his hands in a polite gesture. "Thank you for the information. We certainly hold the Nascent Soul masters in great respect. My companion here just speaks without thinking, please don't mind him. May I ask, is there something we can assist you with, since you stopped us?"
"No, no," the middle-aged man responded, returning the gesture. "You must have come to Zhen Lian City to join the Nan Xi Sect, right? I've seen many new faces lately, but not many like yours, without an immortal mentor guiding you."
Cang Hai and the others exchanged glances but didn't say much.
The middle-aged man continued, "My name is Zhang San. I've lived in Zhen Lian City for several decades. Although I have no immortal roots and couldn't cultivate, I'm very familiar with the city's layout. If you need a place to stay, find someone, or ask for directions, I can help with that."
It turned out he was a local guide. Cang Hai relaxed his guard, then asked about the fees.
"You, future immortal cultivators, are fortunate to have met me. It's an honor to help you. If you are able to repay me, I would consider it a great blessing," Zhang San said, his words smooth and charming.
Cang Hai, trusting him, believed Zhang San was just offering help in hopes of future reciprocity. After all, he had spent most of his time in school and hadn't seen much of the world.
Du Chen, however, raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "You're too polite. Let's just settle it now so we don't have to argue about it later."
Zhang San pushed back a bit but eventually said, "If you think I've been thorough in my help, then just give me a little tip." He held up one hand.
Du Chen glanced at it and shook his head. He raised two fingers. Zhang San looked slightly dissatisfied but said, "That's a bit too little. How about this?" He bent one finger.
Du Chen raised one more finger, firmly stating, "That's all." Zhang San, though a bit displeased, nodded in agreement.
After the deal was struck, Du Chen turned around, smugly saying to the stunned group in the party chat, "I knew it. You guys have never seen the world before, right? This is the kind of thing I can handle for you."
Tong Xin Fen asked, "How much was it? What kind of currency? How did you guys manage to settle it with just eye contact?"
Du Chen rubbed his chin, looking indifferent. "How would I know? He named a price, I just haggled. When it's time to pay, we'll figure it out."
Everyone face palmed.
Zhang San, the local guide, was quite diligent and immediately started to introduce his services to the group. "The Nan Xi Sect recruitment will last for two more days. You might want to find a place to stay first, so you can rest and drop off your belongings," he suggested. Seeing that the group had about ten people but not much luggage, he did have some doubts but didn't voice them.
Everyone was a bit tired, and found this suggestion quite thoughtful, so they all nodded in agreement.
Zhang San continued, "Will you be paying with spirit stones or silver/gold credit?"
Since they hadn't seen spirit stones yet, they naturally opted for silver and gold. Zhang San nodded and said, "There are inns run by commoners here, though they're a bit far. If you don't mind, we can walk there together, and I can also give you some more introductions along the way."
So, the group of over ten people began walking down the wide, straight road directly in front of the city gates. The road was paved with smooth green stone, and the buildings on both sides were shops with various signs. The streets were bustling with people, most of whom wore the glittering robes of cultivators, while only a few, like Zhang San, wore simple brown robes.
Du Chen looked around and, with little enthusiasm, commented, "This looks no different from that county town we passed through. I thought cultivators in the city would be flying all around."
Zhang San explained, "There are rules in the city. Cultivators below the Golden Core stage are not allowed to fly on swords. And cultivators at the Golden Core stage wouldn't bother coming to such a small city, so naturally, no one is flying."
"I see," Cang Hai asked, "What kind of businesses are these shops running?"
Zhang San answered, "Shops with the 'medicine' sign sell pills, and those with the 'weapon' sign deal in magic tools. The ones with miscellaneous signs sell all sorts of things, including materials from demon beasts. But most people in Zhen Lian City are in the Qi Condensation stage, so the goods here are mostly for cultivators at that stage."
"Oh, really? We have some demon beast materials to sell!" Du Chen, feeling a bit poor, thought that if he sold some of his things, he'd have money. It looked like the RPG logic was still applicable here.
Zhang San was a bit surprised. These people seemed to be ordinary folk, yet they could hunt demon beasts?
Cang Hai shot Du Chen a glare and said, "It's getting late today, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Zhang San, now somewhat suspicious of their identities, became a bit more careful in his speech, and continued to offer his services more earnestly.
After walking halfway through the city, the group was tired and finally arrived at a small inn. When they saw the name on the sign, all five of them had a strange expression. The sign read: "Yue Lai Inn."
The landlady of Yue Lai Inn was dressed in black. She introduced herself as Widow Xu, and it was obvious from her appearance that she was a widow. Though she was somewhat older, she was still quite beautiful, with a seductive charm that shone through as she smiled at everyone. While the others were taken aback, Du Chen couldn't help but stare.
When she saw the child in Xiao Yue's arms, Xu's face softened with maternal tenderness. She praised the child profusely and even tried to touch his face, only to be avoided by the solemn-faced Emperor Wei. Seeing that Xu's flirtatious behavior was not going unnoticed, Cang Hai and the others couldn't help but feel nervous for her.
After speaking with Xu for a moment, Zhang San smiled and led the group into a small courtyard behind the inn. The main house was large, and the three men stayed there with Emperor Wei. The left wing room was given to the two women, and Li Tonglin, who was helping care for Li Tonghan, took the right wing room with his son. Li Zhong, with Little Stone, and the maid with Big Girl were assigned rooms on the left and right ear rooms. There was another room across from them, which was given to the two servants who were carrying Li Tonghan.
The group went to their rooms to rest, and a couple of maids brought water to them. After a quick wash-up, they gathered in the hall for dinner. It seemed that there were no other guests at the inn, and Xu personally set a large and sumptuous table of wine and dishes, attentively pouring wine and serving food, showing great hospitality.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Zhang San arrived early and sat in the hall, waiting. The Li family knew that Du Chen and the others were planning to head out to the street, hoping they could gather some information, but they didn't want to go themselves. Most of them preferred to stay in their rooms. Only Du Chen and his four companions followed Zhang San out.
Zhang San first led the group to Zhenqi Pavilion, a shop located on the main street. This store seemed quite different from the others. It had four or five floors, standing out in the row of buildings. Its exterior walls were decorated with intricate red beams and carvings, elegant and refined. The sign above the main entrance looked exceptional, with bold strokes of calligraphy that clearly came from a master's hand.
Zhang San introduced it, "Zhenqi Pavilion is the largest store in Zhen Lian City, and the prices are quite fair. If you have many materials to sell, this is the best place to do so."
With that, he gestured for the group to enter.
The doors were wide open, and Du Chen stepped in boldly, followed by the others. Suddenly, they heard the sound of pleasant music. Turning, they saw a long flute by the door playing itself. Du Chen laughed out loud. "Haha, this other world even has a welcoming doorbell!"
Inside, two maids in palace-style attire quickly approached them, greeting them with three bows and asking what they were looking for. Upon learning that they were there to sell demon beast materials, they led them upstairs to the third floor.
As they walked, Du Chen looked around curiously. There were no display counters in the shop, which puzzled Cang Hai. Du Chen explained, "In the novels, if someone offends the protagonist, they usually end up running into them again while shopping. I'm looking for that brat from yesterday."
The other four sighed in unison. Just as Sang Tian was about to tease him, Du Chen suddenly shouted:
"Ha, found him! You little brat, stop right there!"