I had thought I was taking a dream seriously, but in truth, it was no dream at all.
“They haven’t gotten far. Let me track their direction.”
As soon as Weisheng Zhen finished speaking, a guqin appeared horizontally in front of him.
After a few strange notes, Weisheng Zhen put away the instrument and drew his sword. “About thirty li to the southeast. They left not long ago, we can still catch up!”
The two no longer held back, transforming into two streaks of light as they shot off toward the southeast.
“Boom!”
Weisheng Zhen’s sword came crashing down from above, brutally slamming into the dark figure on the ground, while Li Changshuang’s blade carved open a section of space, sealing the shadow firmly within that confined area.
In a panic, the dark figure pulled out some object to block the attack, absorbing the full force of Weisheng Zhen’s sword strike though the latter was already somewhat drained from the earlier battle. But before it could even crack a relieved smile, it felt something climbing up its calf.
Within a few breaths, the shadow was bound tightly from head to toe.
Li Changshuang watched the struggling dark figure, while Weisheng Zhen curiously used his sword to poke at the object that had fallen to the ground it was a jade talisman, inscribed with characters he couldn’t read. Judging by the stroke style, it resembled something from the Kunlun lineage, which had not emerged from seclusion for centuries.
Weisheng Zhen picked up the jade talisman and tossed it to Li Changshuang. “Take a look.”
He then threw the dark figure into his demon-subduing pouch.
“A rare Xuan-grade treasure-hunting beast, No wonder it snatched the talisman the moment we left. After all, it’s fast.”
“Treasure-hunting beasts rarely manage to ascend to Xuan grade. Most linger at the fifth or sixth level of Huang grade, and the better ones only reach the seventh to ninth level of Huang grade. This one actually reached the sixth level of Xuan grade.”
“That means it was raised by human hands.” Li Changshuang picked up the thread. “This jade talisman looks a bit like, never mind, I’m probably overthinking it. I’ll have Master take a look later.”
“Like what?”
Seeing that Li Changshuang wasn’t saying, Weisheng Zhen didn’t press further. He took out his immortal communicator and checked the positioning: “The nearest town is only a little over two hundred li away, and it happens to be in the direction the treasure-hunting beast was heading. Anyway, the junior disciples have Senior Sister watching over them, so no worries. Let’s go we’ll grab some good food and fun, and head to Star Sea Terrace in a month.”
Halfway there, Weisheng Zhen suddenly sensed something off: “Why aren’t you asking what I’m going to Star Sea Terrace for? Have you already found out I was forced to sign up?”
Li Changshuang shot him a sidelong glance. “Registration for the Rising Talents Tournament requires a summons that reaches heaven and earth. My sword has entered the Dao of Heaven and Earth, so I naturally sensed it.”
“And it’s probably not just me. The entire cultivation world is about to know.”
“Your master has been showing off in all the sect group chats. As the young sect master, I’m in those chats too.”
Weisheng Zhen’s steps faltered slightly.
Late that night, on Douxing Peak, a violent vibration suddenly erupted from an immortal communicator.
The peak master Weisheng Zhen’s master opened the device, and a barrage of 99+ voice messages from Weisheng Zhen immediately popped up.
Close, mute, sleep… ah no, cultivate.
**
“Immortal, my apologies, but there’s only one Heaven-grade room left. Earth-grade rooms are still available, though the conditions are a bit… my apologies, my apologies. It just so happens that the city lord’s youngest son is getting married these days, so there are many guests. The reason this humble inn still has a few rooms free is that the previous occupants of those rooms were all murdered. It’s only been a few hours, and with it being so late at night, no one has checked in yet so that’s why there’s availability.”
“Don’t worry, immortals, the rooms have certainly been cleaned thoroughly. It’s just that I don’t know if the two of you.”
This city was called Liuci City, over a thousand li away from Guangci City. It barely had the scale of a city, but its population was several hundred times smaller than that of Guangci City.
Even the city lord’s cultivation was only at the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
But here, that was more than enough.
After all, even the innkeeper who needed to keep up appearances was merely a cultivator at the early Body Refining stage, while most of the other residents were ordinary mortals.
A very typical mortal city.
“Then one Heavenly-class room, and one.” Before Weisheng Zhen could finish his sentence, Li Changshuang interrupted him: “One Heavenly-class room is enough.”
He then paid and pulled Weisheng Zhen upstairs.
Weisheng Zhen gave him a puzzled look, and only after Li Changshuang closed the door and set up a barrier in the room did he speak: “We’re being watched.”
He paused, then added: “It probably isn’t because of our abilities, since we’re both wearing robes that conceal our aura.”
His gaze fell on Weisheng Zhen’s demon-subduing pouch.
“It has something to do with the treasure-hunting beast.”
Weisheng Zhen focused his senses but detected nothing, finding it somewhat troublesome: “How could an old fellow at the Void Refining stage show up in a godforsaken place like this?”
The fact that he could barely sense the presence meant this person’s cultivation was likely higher than his own.
Only after the words left his mouth did he remember that Li Changshuang, standing across from him, was also one of those so-called “old fellows at the Void Refining stage.”
So he awkwardly pursed his lips and added, “Can you sense where that fellow is?”
Li Changshuang focused for a moment: “Not really. The aura is very faint. His strength doesn’t seem very formidable early Void Refining stage and he probably has a powerful concealment artifact on him.”
Weisheng Zhen relaxed: “Early Void Refining, the moment he makes a move, he’ll trigger the laws of heaven and earth. With you here, if he reveals even the slightest trace, we can get there at any time.”
“I’m exhausted. Let’s sleep first.”
The Heavenly-class room was spacious enough, and the bed was large too, wide enough for three people to lie side by side. Weisheng Zhen tossed bedding from his mustard-space storage onto the bed, arranged it, quickly cast a cleansing spell, stripped off his outer robe, and threw himself onto the bed. He patted the bedding beside him with a roguish look, like a scoundrel teasing a beauty: “Changshuang, come on over. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other let’s have a good heart-to-heart talk, brothers.”
“…” Li Changshuang was speechless for a moment, then turned and sat down on the nearby couch, crossing his legs in preparation for cultivation.
“You can’t be serious?” Weisheng Zhen was utterly astonished by this cultivation fanatic: “Ten years without seeing each other, and you have nothing you want to say to me? What happened on the road? Did you run into any powerful demons while subduing them? Did you encounter anything unusual? At the very least, you could chat with me for a bit.”
Li Changshuang’s eyes were closed, already appearing to be in a meditative state.
“Such a beautiful night, what a waste to spend it cultivating!” Weisheng Zhen, completely unaware that he now resembled nothing more than a child begging for candy, half-propped himself up to look at Li Changshuang’s profile: “Skipping one day of cultivation won’t kill you. It’s been ten years since we two brothers last shared a bed!”
The corner of Li Changshuang’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Since when have the two of us ever shared a bed?”
“Did we never? So I mistook a dream from the secret realm for reality?” Weisheng Zhen muttered quietly to himself with some regret, his voice so low that Li Changshuang couldn’t hear it.
Seeing that Li Changshuang truly was ignoring him, Weisheng Zhen could only feign regret as he pulled the blanket tighter, and drowsiness immediately washed over him.
The candle had been extinguished.
In the dead of night, Li Changshuang, who should have had his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
He turned his head slightly, looking at the person who had already fallen asleep.
“Not a dream.”
These four words were extremely soft, as if afraid of disturbing the one who had entered slumber. After that, the room remained silent without a single sound.
**
When he woke up, it was already past noon. Weisheng Zhen rarely slept this long or woke up feeling this refreshed. The spiritual power he had consumed in yesterday’s battle had also been unknowingly replenished while he slept.
The room was empty except for Weisheng Zhen himself. The Fengyu tea on the table was being kept warm with spiritual power, and it was unclear how long ago the other person had left.
He took out his jade disc. The six-person group chat was still completely silent, the sect group was on permanent do-not-disturb, and in the pinned four-person group, Li Changshuang had left him a message: [I’ve found traces of him. I’ll go take a look first.]
[The City Lord’s Mansion.]
With a location, finding him was much easier. Weisheng Zhen downed the tea in one gulp, sat down to regulate his breathing for a moment until his condition returned to its peak, and then headed toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
The entire City Lord’s Mansion was shrouded in an invisible barrier. Weisheng Zhen circled around outside before discovering a gap just large enough for one person to pass through.
Li Changshuang must have entered through here as well.
Without hesitation, Weisheng Zhen slipped into the mansion.
With the barrier no longer blocking his senses, Weisheng Zhen could clearly feel that person’s aura.
Gloomy, brutal, bloodthirsty this was by no means the aura a proper cultivator should possess.
Weisheng Zhen’s footsteps paused slightly.
He had been discovered.
His cultivation level had never reached the Void Refinement stage to begin with, and having already stepped into this person’s “Domain,” being detected was inevitable.
Every cultivator who reached the Void Refinement stage or above would forge their own “Domain,” equivalent to a personal space of power unique to them.
Within this “Domain,” those at the same major realm or below would have their abilities forcibly suppressed, the higher one’s cultivation, the weaker the suppression.
Of course, someone a full major realm above him could also reverse the situation and draw him into their own “Domain.”
And at this moment, under the suppression of the “Domain,” Weisheng Zhen’s cultivation had been temporarily pressed down to the early Nascent Soul stage.
Fortunately, before entering, he had left his zither outside the barrier. If that person intended to harm him, his zither could respond with him from inside and out, quickly breaking through this person’s “Domain.”
“Though you, fellow Daoist, have come uninvited, this old man has always been hospitable. Please, step into the main hall, I have already prepared tea and am waiting.”
A deep, resonant voice came from the main hall. A servant who appeared from nowhere materialized before Weisheng Zhen and led him all the way to the main hall.
The City Lord’s Mansion was not large, and it was only a few steps to the main hall. The servant who had completed his task transformed into a flimsy paper figure that dropped to the ground. The moment it touched the floor, a burst of fire abruptly burned the paper to ashes.
Seated at the head was a tall, burly middle-aged man with a rugged, handsome face and a purple beard. His skin was somewhat dark, and he carried an imposing air of authority without even trying.
Seeing Weisheng Zhen arrive, the other seemed somewhat taken aback, then clasped his fists: “I’ve long heard of Fellow Daoist Weisheng’s reputation, and now that I see you in person, you are indeed as clear and handsome as others have described. I am Liu Xiao, second son of the local city lord you may call me Fellow Daoist Liu. Please, have a seat.”
Weisheng Zhen awkwardly touched his face.
Which “others” had said that? They were praising him to the point of embarrassment.
He hadn’t expected Fellow Daoist Liu to recognize him, that was somewhat surprising but what surprised him even more was Li Changshuang sitting off to the side.
Weisheng Zhen had thought he was hiding somewhere safe, but he’d been found too?
Taking a seat beside Li Changshuang and raising his teacup in a perfunctory toast toward Liu Xiao, Weisheng Zhen asked in a low voice, “You got found out too?”
Everyone here was a cultivator with sharp ears and keen eyes. Li Changshuang shook his head and was about to say something when Liu Xiao laughed heartily: “Fellow Daoist Weisheng misunderstands, I invited Fellow Daoist Li here myself. Years ago, I owed him a debt of gratitude in a secret realm, and since we happened to cross paths this time, I thought we’d catch up.”
So they were old acquaintances.
Weisheng Zhen gave an awkward smile, but inwardly thought: So I’m the only one skulking around like some sneaky criminal.