Chapter 30
On an ordinary morning, the three of them packed their bags and set off down the mountain. The morning dew was heavy, the mountain was shrouded in mist, and birds sang incessantly. Xie Wen stood in front of the mountain gate and looked back into the distance. The Sword Sect, shrouded in a thin mist, seemed to be still asleep.
No one saw them off, no one said goodbye. This was the rule of the Tianyan Sword Sect. Anyone who wanted to leave the mountain and enter the world could leave on their own without informing the sect members, and no one would see them off.
On an ordinary morning, someone silently embarked on their journey. Everyone has their own path to walk, though the mountains are high and the rivers are long; there's no need for farewells.
"Oh dear, it's just a trip down the mountain to experience the world, why is the atmosphere suddenly so heavy?" Xie Wen clicked his tongue twice. He'd thought that a big shot like Chu Xianyue would be attending a farewell ceremony with the entire sect. Unexpectedly, it's quite low-key. No pretense.
The mountain path stretched endlessly, reaching into the clouds. Chu Xianyue walked at the very front, his tall figure half-hidden in the clear white mist. Yun Yan followed closely behind, while Xie Wen strolled leisurely at the back, looking around. Suddenly, he asked, "Master, where should we go for fun after we go down the mountain?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Yan snorted, turned around, crossed her arms, and said disdainfully, "Senior Sister really only knows how to play."
Xie Wen was about to refute Yun Yan when she saw Chu Xianyue turn around, narrow his eyes, and stare at her intently. Xie Wen immediately chuckled and changed her mind, saying, "I mean, where should we go to exorcise evil spirits first after we go down the mountain?" The world is so big, we need a definite direction.
Chu Xianyue stood sideways on the mountain path, with wisps of smoke and endless mountains behind him. He raised his hand, palm up, and cast a prayer incantation. Suddenly, golden runes appeared above his palm, rotating and displaying the prayers for exorcism sent by the people below the mountain through "prayer incense." Countless prayers came from all over the world, from every corner of the earth. Whenever the immortal sect had the time, they would send someone down the mountain to exorcise evil spirits.
In the cultivation world, there are dynasties and immortal capitals. Dynasties pay tribute to the immortal capitals, and the immortal capitals protect the dynasties.
Among the immortal capitals, the four leading sects are Tianyan Sword Sect, ranking first, followed by Kunlun Academy, Huangqi Palace, and Wuxiang Temple. Although initially everyone claimed these four sects were equal, with no clear hierarchy, as time passed and the tide receded, their relative strengths became clear. Tianyan Sword Sect's power was undeniable, and they were also the most active in fulfilling prayers for demon-slaying at the foot of the mountain. Over time, though unspoken, a ranking of the various sects had already been established in everyone's minds.
Below the four leaders of the Immortal Sect are the twelve cities of the Immortal Capital.
Jianshui was the most prosperous and bustling of them all.
Chu Xianyue watched as the golden wishes spun in his palm, finally settling on the two characters "Jianshui".
Chu Xianyue said calmly, "Jianshui has been haunted by evil spirits lately."
After Chu Xianyue finished speaking, a quarter of an hour later, the three of them rode the wind and arrived at the territory of Jianshui City.
This was Xie Wen's first time flying across such a vast and deep expanse on her sword, while simultaneously keeping pace with Chu Xianyue and Yun Yan. Although she became dizzy and her heart was pounding towards the end, she managed to stay afloat by simply closing her eyes and letting it all pass. But regardless, she ultimately succeeded—for the first time, she had flown such a long distance on her sword in one go. When she landed, her vision blurred and her head spinning, Xie Wen couldn't help but praise herself. "Amazing, Xie Wen. As expected of me."
Chu Xianyue glanced at Xie Wen, who was barely alive, still putting on a brave face and being stubborn. He had already said that if she couldn't handle such a long journey on a sword, he could take her with him. But she refused. Chu Xianyue sighed, wondering if having a disciple like this was a good thing or a bad thing. Tsk.
Jianshui is a special place; no one is allowed to fly over it without prior notification. Otherwise, everyone must register before entering the city. Flying over Jianshui without permission will result in being shot down by the city's cultivators and forced to register again, bruised and battered. A warning once or twice won't work; you'll be imprisoned in Jianshui's jail.
When the three landed outside Jianshui City, Xie Wen asked Chu Xianyue with a grin, "Master, you're such a high-ranking official, yet you don't even have the right to fly over Jianshui? Really? Who in Jianshui City is so blind that they even have to stop my master?"
Xie Wen spoke with ill intent, provoking Chu Xianyue as he said, "Master, I really want to see if you will be shot down when you fly over there. Someone as powerful as Master certainly won't be! Even if the whole city of Jianshui came to attack, Master definitely wouldn't be shot down."
Chu Xianyue remained unmoved by Xie Wen's ill-intentioned flattery. He said calmly, "If you keep nagging, I'll throw you in the air and see if you get knocked down."
As Chu Xianyue spoke, he looked at Xie Wen with a forced smile, and Xie Wen's smile immediately faded. "Just kidding, just kidding. Let's hurry up and get into the city." Xie Wen skipped over, about to enter the city gate.
In the blink of an eye, the smile vanished completely. Looking out into the distance, all that could be seen under the bright blue sky, in front of the majestic city gate, was a long queue stretching for miles, with no end in sight.
Xie Wen: "Are all these people afraid of being shot down?"
Chu Xianyue: "..."
Seeing the long queue, Yun Yan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and he said impatiently, "I knew it. There have always been long queues like this in Jianshui."
Chu Xianyue remained calm, obediently standing at the end of the line. He said, "Jianshui City is the city with the most people coming and going in the entire Immortal Sect. It is located beside the Canglan River, which runs through the northeast and southwest of the entire continent. The Canglan River completely separates the northwest and southeast regions. Its waters are vast and boundless, and Jianshui is located in the narrowest part of the Canglan River. If you want to cross the Canglan River, you can only do so through Jianshui."
Xie Wen understood; it was equivalent to a city near a port or dock. No wonder it was so prosperous and bustling.
Xie Wen was almost dozing off while waiting in line. Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she vaguely felt someone supporting her chin to keep her from falling asleep immediately. This happened several times. Anyway, she didn't know how much time had passed before it was finally their turn to enter the city gate. The sky was half twilight blue and half blood red, and a large, round blood-red sun hung in the west, dyeing the entire city half red.
The three stepped through the city gate, their shadows stretched long by the crimson light, trailing across the ground into the distant, empty street. This street, which was bustling with people during the day, was now nearly deserted.
Even if everyone has gone home for dinner after dark, it shouldn't be this deserted. Well, there's only one or two people walking by hurriedly, looking flustered.
Xie Wen said, "What's going on? Is this always the case in Jianshui City? It's not even completely dark yet, and there's already no sign of anyone around?"
Yun Yan looked serious and said, "It wasn't like this when I came here before. It's very lively here at night. The ten-mile-long street is as bright as day."
Chu Xianyue: "Evil spirits usually come out to cause trouble as soon as the sun goes down. Therefore, people must return home before the sun goes down."
As they spoke, the three walked to the foot of a city wall, where all the important notices of Jianshui City were posted. Sure enough, they saw one of the most eye-catching yellow papers that read: "Everyone in the city, evil spirits have been causing trouble lately. Try not to go out at night. However, please do not be too anxious and wait patiently for the immortal cultivators to come and exorcise the evil spirits."
As I finished reading this passage, a splash of bright red blood, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was smeared below it, winding its way down the city wall. The sight of the blood was chilling.
At this moment, the three of them turned around again and saw that the blood-red sun that had been hanging in the sky was now half-submerged in the western mountains. The half-circle was full and blood-red, like a tomb.
A cool breeze swept by, drying the sweat on Xie Wen's neck, and a chill ran down his spine.
Xie Wen said, "It's so late, let's hurry up and find an inn."
The inns have been mostly full lately. The three of them wandered around the city for nothing and ended up walking down the street dejectedly.
By this time, the sun had completely sunk behind the western mountains. Dusk was falling, and the twilight was rolling in from all directions like a tide.
The sound of the night watchman's drum echoed through the streets, but all he said was, "Please do not wander outside after dark."
This man, dressed in black official robes, is likely a member of the Jianshui City Lord's faction. He is also a cultivator; after all, only cultivators dare to roam freely when evil spirits are rampant. Jianshui City is prosperous and thriving, but it is also a melting pot of all sorts of people—mortals and cultivators are both perfectly normal.
Cultivators with spiritual attainment who hold positions outside of the Four Great Immortals are collectively known as Mysterious Envoys.
At that moment, the three of them turned the corner and bumped into the shaman. As their eyes met, the three ignorant people who were still wandering around were naturally pulled away by the shaman and given a good lesson.
"Who are you? Wandering around outside after dark? Aren't you afraid of dying? Get back inside right now!"
Xie Wen glanced at Chu Xianyue. She didn't care about being scolded; she was fearless. But Chu Xianyue was different. He had probably never been treated so disrespectfully. The dignified Qingheng Immortal Venerable had been reduced to being lectured by an unknown lowly mortal. How pathetic.
Chu Xianyue remained expressionless, but Yun Yan couldn't stand it. She charged forward aggressively, ready to teach this ignorant fool a lesson, "Do you know who we are?"
Xuan Cha rolled his eyes: "I don't care who you are. Stop wandering around after dark! Do you think you're some great immortal cultivator? How dare you talk to me like that?"
Yun Yan gritted her teeth, unable to swallow her anger, but she didn't want to directly tell Xuan Cha and the others that they were from the famous First Sword Sect! It seemed too vulgar to say so. She had to act more mysterious and unfathomable, more resolute than a thousand men, and unleash her deadly power at the crucial moment, leaving Xuan Cha filled with regret: "Oh, I was blind before."
No one understood the complexities of Yun Yan's heart. He was immersed in his own deep inner turmoil, weaving his youthful thoughts into an impenetrable web.
While Yun Yan was still feeling conflicted and frustrated, a dark shadow suddenly streaked across the deep night sky, past the bright moon hanging high, and finally landed with a thud, standing between Xie Wen and Xuan Cha.
Xuan Cha was about to teach this arrogant brat a lesson in return, but before he could even utter a word, after taking a closer look at "this arrogant brat," Xuan Cha changed his tune, bowing and forcing a smile, "Young City Lord, what brings you here?"
The newcomer stood in the moonlight, holding a long sword, his head slightly raised. He didn't look people in the eye when he looked at them, but said coldly and arrogantly, "If I didn't come to catch the evil spirits, would the city be doomed if I relied on you freeloaders?"
The envoy bowed even lower after being rebuked, but dared not utter a word in rebuttal, for what Li Jingyuan said was true. The evil spirits hiding in Jianshui City were powerful evil spirits, not something ordinary cultivators could deal with.
Similarly, Li Jingyuan didn't have that ability either, otherwise he wouldn't have allowed the evil spirits to continue harming people in the city for so long. Unfortunately, their young city lord had a strong sense of justice from a young age, and he flew around the city every night trying to catch the evil spirits.
A moment later, another figure flew in from elsewhere, followed by a cry of "Young City Lord!" that pierced the night sky. The figure darted to Li Jingyuan's side and said, "Young City Lord, wait for me. Don't run so fast. The City Lord doesn't allow us to come out at night, so let's keep a low profile and not let the City Lord find us."
"Oh ho, now we know everything. The city lord wouldn't let you out, but you escaped on your own." A pretty, slightly cunning female voice drifted over.
Li Jingyuan, lacking any self-respect, smacked his servant on the head, calling him an "idiot!"
He then turned towards the direction from which the woman's voice came. In the cold moonlight, the woman standing at the forefront squinted her almond-shaped eyes; her light-colored pupils seemed to hold a pool of cold moonlight, yet the light she reflected was like the gleam of a blade. The woman raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and charming, and scrutinized Li Jingyuan with the same look.
Li Jingyuan also looked back at Xie Wen, and finally, whether he figured it out or not, he simply asked, "Who are you?" He then gestured with his chin towards Chu Xianyue and Yun Yan, "And who are you guys?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
