Chapter 199: 199. Chapter 196: Trouble Arrives

199. Chapter 196: Trouble Arrives

Only four days passed before Guan Cui arrived at Xifeng City.

She stowed her airship and entered Xifeng City, stunned.

She had inquired: Xifeng City was merely a mortal city.

In the Dao-cultivation world, mortal cities were essentially places of survival of the fittest; calling them hells might be excessive, but in such cities, one could be killed at any moment.

Yet what did she see?

A remarkably peaceful city, where both mortals and Dao-cultivation cultivators seemed to abide by a single standard, with no fighting or noise.

Even the most serious disputes were swiftly resolved peacefully by the City Patrol.

Guan Cui had no divine sense; she was about to ask someone when suddenly a voice called her: "Guan Cui, over here."

"Senior Liu," seeing Liu Yinzhu, Guan Cui was overjoyed and hurried forward to pay her respects.

Liu Yinzhu smiled and said:

"I received Senior Jia's message and knew you were coming, so I waited here for you. Come, let's go to Ding's residence to talk."

Hearing Liu Yinzhu lived at Ding Huan's place, Guan Cui was delighted:

"Senior Liu, have you been living here with Brother Ding all along?"

Liu Yinzhu nodded, then sighed:

"You should know I came here seeking Brother Ding too, but my timing was terrible—I arrived too late. When I got here, Brother Ding had already left; I waited nearly half a year… sigh…"

"Brother Ding isn't here?" Guan Cui's expression darkened, her eyes growing desolate.

"Do you have something you need to ask Brother Ding?" Liu Yinzhu asked.

Logically, as a prospective Shao Sect Lady and from a major sect like Yanyue Sect, what problem could Guan Cui not solve?

If Guan Cui and Ding Huan had some secret affair, she wouldn't believe it.

She had been with Guan Cui and Ding Huan the entire second half of Dahu Canyon; if there had been any hidden connection between them, she would have noticed long ago.

On the contrary, though Guan Cui didn't look down on Ding Huan, deep down she carried an unshakable sense of superiority when facing him.

Ding Huan outwardly appeared a cook, but his inner pride she could clearly feel.

So Ding Huan would never grovel to Guan Cui, especially since she was already betrothed.

Others might find it funny to say Ding Huan looked down on Guan Cui, but she found it perfectly reasonable; if Ding Huan were truly as others assumed, she wouldn't be waiting here for him today.

Guan Cui hesitated, then said:

"I feel there's something wrong with myself, so I wish to seek advice from Brother Ding."

Liu Yinzhu was stunned by Guan Cui's words; after a long pause, she asked skeptically:

"You feel you have a problem and wish to ask Brother Ding for advice?"

Guan Cui realized Liu Yinzhu had misunderstood; she quickly explained:

"I originally thought Brother Ding was merely a cook, then he led us through Dahu Canyon and the Lost Marsh, and I assumed he was just luckier than others.

Now I'm slowly realizing it couldn't possibly be explained by mere luck…"

Liu Yinzhu understood; she felt speechless:

"I get it—you've encountered some difficulty. And since Brother Ding never seemed to face any obstacles when he came with us, you want him to help you resolve this?"

Guan Cui bowed her head in shame; it was exactly that.

Another reason: without the Shao Sect's support here, she had no one to turn to.

Her only personal maid was a Bai Yanlang.

She had not a single friend.

The only person in Yanyue Sect she had any fondness for was Senior Gu, but Senior Gu Chang had always been absent from the sect.

"Why not seek help from the Shao Sect?" Liu Yinzhu asked, puzzled.

Guan Cui shook her head; Liu Yinzhu had been waiting in Xifeng City for Ding Huan and didn't know what had happened in Yanyue Sect.

The Shao Sect, Yi Jiang, had long left the Dao-cultivation world and entered the Ascension Realm's Huangshen Sect.

Moreover, she felt the Shao Sect didn't care much for her; the cultivation technique was delivered by Master Mi, and he hadn't even bothered to meet her.

This left her feeling strangely uneasy.

Now, not only would she not seek help from the Shao Sect—even if someone connected to him arrived, she'd avoid them.

Seeing Guan Cui didn't want to speak further, Liu Yinzhu changed the subject:

"Ahead is Brother Ding's residence; there are plenty of rooms—normally only Yan Mei lives here practicing."

"Did the monkey Brother Ding brought also leave with him?" Guan Cui asked, worried.

If that monkey, Lao Liu, had left with Ding Huan, there was no telling whether Ding Huan would return.

Liu Yinzhu smiled:

"No, he hasn't. Lao Liu rarely comes back to stay; he's currently thriving. Yan Mei runs Xifeng City now, but since Yan Mei is cultivating, Lao Liu is the undisputed ruler here.

This monkey even follows Brother Ding's laws for Xifeng City, so with his help, Gu Bin has managed the city quite well."

As the two women continued chatting, a City Patrol officer rode a unicorn charging toward them:

"Captain Yan! Something terrible has happened…"

Yan Mei had just emerged from seclusion; his cultivation was still decent, but he always felt the Luo Shi Jing was a wood-element technique and didn't suit his elemental affinity well.

"What's wrong?" Yan Mei rushed out upon hearing the commotion.

He immediately saw Liu Yinzhu and Guan Cui standing at the door and hurriedly bowed:

"Greetings, Senior Liu. How did Miss Cui end up here too?"

Liu Yinzhu had lived here for months; he often asked her questions when confused.

Guan Cui also sensed something was amiss; she smiled:

"You deal with your side first; once that's settled, we can talk slowly—my matter isn't urgent."

Yan Mei looked toward the patrol guard who had brought the news.

Watching Yan Mei's air of authority, Guan Nuan secretly admired him.

She felt Yan Mei's judgment was truly exceptional—he saw at a glance that Ding Huan was worth following.

If Yan Mei hadn't followed Ding Huan, his cultivation in the Double Soul Sect wouldn't have improved much.

What she didn't know was that if Yan Mei hadn't followed Ding Huan, he would have been dead long ago.

"Vice-Commandant Yan, a strongman from the Shuoxing Lordship has arrived, accusing us of murdering the city lord—he injured Sixth Brother." The patrol guard spoke in one breath.

"Ah…" Yan Mei froze upon hearing the news.

Even with all his schemes, he couldn't think of a solution right away.

Sixth Brother was the strongest fighter on our side—his power was unmatched. If even he was injured, what's left to do?

Though the patrol guards number over two thousand, against true experts, sheer numbers mean nothing.

"I'll go take a look," Liu Yinzhu saw Yan Mei's helplessness.

Yan Mei suddenly snapped out of it:

"Thank you, Elder Liu."

Liu Yinzhu was an elder of the Purple Mist Valley—her power was that of a True Core expert.

A mere lordship, no matter how strong, couldn't surpass a True Core expert.

When the group arrived swiftly at the western wind city gate, they found Sixth Brother covered in blood, his appearance suggesting he'd been beaten to the brink of death.

Several patrol guards had been killed; onlookers kept their distance, none daring to approach.

Such incidents were too common in Western Wind City—happening periodically, followed by a change in the city's rulers.

For most people living in Western Wind City, they didn't want anyone to replace the current rulers.

Western Wind City is now peaceful and stable; everyone lives comfortably—something never seen since the city's founding.

"Little Yan, when I die, you must tell Brother Huan to wipe out this damn lordship."

Despite being gravely wounded and restrained, Sixth Brother still shouted.

Liu Yinzhu understood Sixth Brother's intent—he was threatening the opponent with Ding Huan's name.

"Who injured you?" Yan Mei asked Sixth Brother.

With Elder Liu here, he wasn't worried.

"I did. What of it?" A burly man said coldly.

Liu Yinzhu had already noticed this man—he was the strongest here, accompanied by a man and a woman.

"Are you all from the Shuoxing Lordship?" Liu Yinzhu asked.

The burly man sneered:

"Grandpa Cui Hu, Ten Beasts Gate."

Yan Mei flew into rage:

"What connection does your Ten Beasts Gate have with Western Wind City? Why come here to cause trouble?"

Liu Yinzhu stepped forward and slapped out a palm:

"A mere Foundation Establishment insect—who gave you the nerve to speak to me like this?"

Crack! Dozens of teeth flew out with a mist of blood; Cui Hu was blasted dozens of meters away like a leaf.

When he landed like a sack of sand, Cui Hu was terrified out of his wits.

Weren't all the people in Western Wind City just Qi Condensation insects? How did a True Core expert appear?

The man and woman beside him turned pale with fear—True Core expert?

Who else could have blasted a Foundation Establishment cultivator away with one slap?

"Shuoxing Lordship's Shan Peng and Qiu Xingyuan pay respects to the elder." The man and woman hurried forward and bowed deeply.

"Bold indeed—to come to Western Wind City to kill and show off your power, heh." Yan Mei chuckled, stepping before the man and woman.

He didn't want to say this—but so many onlookers were watching, along with over a thousand patrol guards.

If their captain showed fear, Western Wind City would be impossible to govern from now on.

Shan Peng's face fell:

"We didn't come of our own will—the Ten Beasts Gate heard Western Wind City had a talking beast, and forced us to bring him. We didn't lift a hand."

Liu Yinzhu understood the underlying logic—Ten Beasts Gate was at least a sect.

To come to Western Wind City and take Sixth Brother, they needed a pretext—and the Shuoxing Lordship was that pretext.

"Elder, I shall leave Western Wind City immediately. This time, I was reckless."

Cui Hu had already risen on his own, walking carefully to bow and apologize to Liu Yinzhu, his speech muffled.

Because he was from Ten Beasts Gate, Liu Yinzhu hadn't used full force—Cui Hu looked battered, but apart from losing his teeth, his injuries weren't severe.

Liu Yinzhu knew she couldn't kill them; just as she was about to speak, a voice rang out:

"Come to Western Wind City to kill and injure people—and think you can just leave? You're dreaming."

"Brother Huan…" Sixth Brother, who had been lying wounded on the ground, leapt up at once.

"Are you an idiot, getting up so fast…" Ding Huan roared, immediately whispering a message to Sixth Brother.

"Ah… my five viscera and six bowels are shattered—I'm dying!"

Sixth Brother fell back down mid-air, continuing his clumsy performance.

(That's all for today's update, friends—goodnight! Please support with monthly votes!)