Chapter 194 - Lingchang City

Ye Feng was unusually quiet along the way, lost in thought over everything that had happened. Seeing the look on his face, Li Guanqi didn’t say much either.

Logic alone can’t explain many things in life. Sometimes people only learn through hard experience.

As Ye Feng pondered, he kept glancing at Li Guanqi, making him increasingly uncomfortable. When Ye Feng looked over yet again, Li Guanqi finally snapped. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it. The way you’re staring is giving me the creeps.”

Ye Feng leaned in and asked, “Boss... how did you know something was off from the very beginning?”

Li Guanqi replied helplessly, “It’s simple. When something is unusual, there’s always a reason. Middle of the night, middle of nowhere... Things don’t just ‘coincidentally’ happen like that. Especially Yu Heng. He hid his aura well, but you could see it in his eyes. In the world of cultivation, being cautious never hurts.”

Li Guanqi sighed, then patted Ye Feng’s shoulder. “I’m not saying you need to become selfish or heartless. It's just important to always plan ahead.”

Ye Feng pouted and said, “What about the time you killed those Purple Sun Pavilion disciples? Was that part of a plan too?”

To his surprise, Li Guanqi answered frankly, “No. That night, I simply thought that if I didn’t act then, I’d never have another chance to get justice.”

Ye Feng nodded. He knew exactly what Li Guanqi was getting at. If he had waited and fought in the arena the next day, neither Ge Qing nor the Purple Sun Pavilion elders would have stood by and let Li Guanqi massacre those disciples. He might have managed to kill one or two, but certainly not all of them.

Ye Feng fell silent for a while, then exclaimed in admiration, “Boss, I really don’t get how you know so much... You think of everything.”

A distant look crossed Li Guanqi’s face. “Trust me, you wouldn't want to live through the childhood I had.”

The two of them flew in silence until the sun rose. They hovered in the air and gazed eastward. They could vaguely see a large city rising high on a massive, distant mountain.

Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. “Boss, is that Lingchang City we’re seeing, the one marked on the map?”

Li Guanqi smiled and nodded as he looked at the city. “Should be. I heard Lingchang City has spring-like weather all year round and beautiful scenery. We can take a break there.”

The two of them flew toward the city. Soon, they could see Lingchang City in its entirety. By rough estimate, the city housed close to five hundred thousand people.

However, compared to large cities, it wasn’t much to look at. The two of them slowly descended, stopping roughly a hundred zhang from the city gate.

Ye Feng wiggled his eyebrows and joked, “Boss, since we’re already here, should we, y’know, cultivate amongst mortal distractions?”

Li Guanqi cleared his throat and replied seriously, “Let’s enter the city first. We’ll talk about this kind of stuff later.”

Ye Feng eagerly followed behind. Strangely, the entrance to the city was almost deserted, with only two sleepy Foundation Building Realm guards at the gate. Upon seeing them approach, the guards quickly stood up and smiled. “Welcome, honored guests. Please, come in.”

Ye Feng blinked in confusion. “We can just go in? No entrance fee or identity jade slip required?”

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The guard laughed. “You may not know, but Lingchang City warmly welcomes all visitors. We don’t charge entrance fees here.”

Li Guanqi didn’t give it much thought. He simply found it refreshing that the city was so welcoming. As they passed through, Li Guanqi caught the guard who had spoken glancing back at them, then pulling out a jade slip and whispering something into it. Li Guanqi’s lips curled slightly, but he said nothing and continued walking alongside Ye Feng.

The city was strangely quiet for daytime. Maybe it was still early. Even the shops hadn’t opened yet.

Li Guanqi had been hoping to get some buns for later, but even the stalls usually selling them weren’t around.

Ye Feng glanced around, puzzled. “Boss, what’s with this place? Did no one get any sleep? Why does everyone look so drained and lifeless?”

Li Guanqi didn’t reply. He spread out his divine consciousness and scanned the surroundings. He didn’t detect anything strange, and most people were still sleeping.

He shifted his focus to the few passersby on the street. Nothing overtly wrong, aside from their lack of energy.

After some thought, Li Guanqi said quietly, “Let’s find an inn to stay in. We’ll head out again later.”

Soon, they found a decent inn nearby. As they stepped inside, a young waiter cleaning tables quickly greeted them with a bright smile. “Welcome, honored guests! Looking for a room or just stopping for a meal?

“If you’re staying, better be fast. The city’s cherry blossom forest is about to bloom, and inns are filling up quickly!”

Li Guanqi looked around and noticed that there were barely any vacant rooms left. He focused his divine consciousness in his eyes, making his sight virtually identical to any ordinary person.

He booked one room with two beds, which was enough for both of them. After paying, the waiter eagerly told them about the city’s sights and points of interest.

The waiter then led them upstairs to the third floor. Before he left, Li Guanqi asked him to prepare two buckets of hot water so they could wash up and rest.

Inside the room, Li Guanqi casually picked up some sunflower seeds from the table, ate a few, and hid the shells under the rug at the entrance.

Lying on the bed, Ye Feng couldn’t help but mutter, “Boss... isn’t that a bit too much?”

Li Guanqi smiled. “When you’re out and about, it never hurts to be cautious.”

As he spoke, he also blew some fine dust onto the right side of the door handle. Unless someone looked closely, it was nearly invisible.

Knock knock knock.

“Honored guests, your hot water is here!”

The two enjoyed a warm bath and freshened up. By the time they stepped outside again, the city had come alive. Vendors lined the streets, and the crowds had returned. Li Guanqi even sensed a number of Foundation Building cultivators nearby.

As they strolled through the city, they also planned to visit the Hundred Treasures Pavilion

As they strolled through the streets, they discussed visiting the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to buy some Vitality-Boosting Pills. The ones they’d gotten from Yu Heng were essentially worthless.

Just then, a commotion broke out ahead. They could hear occasional shouts and curses from the crowd.