Chapter 203: 203. Chapter 200: Lord of Zixiagu Sect

203. Chapter 200: Lord of Zixiagu Sect

It took only four days for Guan Cuan to arrive at Xifeng City.

She put away her airship and entered Xifeng City, stunned.

She had heard that 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 an exaggeration, 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 patrols.

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

"Senior Liu," Guan Cuan's face lit up at the sight of Liu Yinzhu, and she hurried forward to pay her respects.

Liu Yinzhu smiled and said:

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

Hearing that Liu Yinzhu lived at Ding Huan's place, Guan Cuan was overjoyed:

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

Liu Yinzhu nodded, then sighed:

"You know I came here to find 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 Cuan's expression darkened, her eyes growing desolate.

"Do you have some matter you need to consult Brother Ding about?" Liu Yinzhu asked.

Logically, as a prospective Shao Sect Lady and from a major sect like Yanyue Sect, what problem could Guan Cuan possibly have that couldn't be solved?

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

She had been with Guan Cuan and Ding Huan the entire way through the second half of Dahu Gorge; if there had been any hidden feelings between them, she would have noticed long ago.

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

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

So Ding Huan would never grovel to Guan Cuan, especially since she was already taken.

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

Guan Cuan hesitated, then said:

"I feel I have some problem of my own, so I wish to consult Brother Ding."

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

"You feel you have a problem and wish to consult Brother Ding?"

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

"I originally thought Brother Ding was merely a cook; later, when he led us through Dahu Gorge and the Lost Marsh, I still thought 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 see—you've encountered some difficulty. And since Brother Ding never seemed to face any obstacle when he came with us, you want him to help you resolve it?"

Guan Cuan 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 Cuan 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 had been delivered by Master Mi, and he hadn't even bothered to wait a moment to meet her.

This left her feeling strangely uneasy.

Now, not only did she not dare seek help from the Shao Sect—even if someone connected to him arrived, she wouldn't approach them.

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

"Ahead is Brother Ding's residence; there are plenty of rooms. Usually, Yan Mei lives here alone."

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

If that monkey, Lao Liu, had left with Ding Huan, there was no telling whether Ding Huan would ever 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 the laws Brother Ding established for Xifeng City, so with his help, Gu Bin has managed the city quite well."

As the two women continued chatting, a city patrol rider galloped up on a unicorn:

"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 spiritual roots well.

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

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

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

Liu Yinzhu had lived here for months; whenever Yan Mei had questions, he often asked her.

Guan Cuan 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 come to report.

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

She felt Yan Mei's judgment was truly exceptional—he had seen 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 powerful figure from the Shuoxing Lordship has arrived, accusing us of killing the city lord—he injured Sixth Brother."

"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, they mean nothing against true experts.

"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 Cloud Valley—a true Golden Core expert.

A mere lordship, no matter how powerful, couldn't surpass a Golden Core expert.

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

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

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

For most who lived in Western Wind City, they didn't wish for anyone to replace the current rulers.

Western Wind City was now peaceful and stable, everyone lived comfortably—something never seen since the city's founding.

"Little Yan, when I'm dead, you must tell Brother Huan to obliterate this damn lordship."

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

Liu Yinzhu understood Sixth Brother's intent—he was using Ding Huan's name to threaten the other side.

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

With Elder Liu present, he wasn't worried.

"I did," said a burly man coldly.

Liu Yinzhu had already noticed this man—he was the strongest here, flanked 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 audacity 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, his soul nearly fleeing his body.

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

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

Only a Golden Core expert could slap a Foundation Establishment cultivator flying like that.

"Shan Peng and Qiu Xingyuan of the Shuoxing Lordship pay homage to the elder."

"Bold indeed—come to my Western Wind City to kill and show off your power, hmm?" Yan Mei chuckled as he stepped before the man and woman.

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

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

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—the Ten Beasts Gate was, after all, a sect.

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

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

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

Because he was from the 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, and was about to speak, when a voice rang out:

"Come to my Western Wind City to kill and injure, then think you can leave? You're dreaming."

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

"You idiot, get up so fast…" Ding Huan roared, immediately whispering a mental 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.