Chapter 782

·

·

·

Main Character:

Shen Yao

The Central State has no concept of a country; there are only forces of varying sizes.

This includes the Lu Family located in the Floating City. The Floating City's area is excessive, the people living inside are countless, and there are many cultivators within the Floating City. The Lu Family's illustrious reputation is a title forged by the capabilities of their ancestors.

Don't be fooled by Lian Tang City's location on the southern border; the behind-the-scenes force that founded Lian Tang City is the one Lu Yan mentioned, who is also a scion from a prestigious clan that walked out of the Floating City.

Shen Yao: ……

No wonder. The reason Lu Yan receives such good treatment in Lian Tang City is largely because the Floating City Lu Family's name carries enough weight. Everyone is a fellow townsman who sees each other often, so they will definitely give each other a bit of face.

Having learned the internal situation, Shen Yao lowered her eyes to look at the menu that was delivered.

One exquisite, appetizing dish after another hooked the gluttonous worms in Shen Yao's belly. While waiting for the food to be served, Shen Yao couldn't help but ask about the behind-the-scenes news of the auction.

Lu Yan looked at Shen Yao, who was resting her chin on her hands, looking at herself with an eager, raring-to-go expression, and couldn't help but purse her lips. "They are all things useful for cultivation."

Perhaps strange beasts or strange plants, perhaps pills or spirit jade, perhaps other strange treasures that have been appraised.

"Does Lian Tang City have other forces?" Aside from this founder.

Lu Yan nodded, picked up the teacup on the table and drained it in one gulp. "The Liu Family in the West City, the Wei Family in the South City, the Tang Family in the North City."

As for the East City, that is the Fan Family's territory, and also the back garden that the founder circled off.

A tripod standoff? In reality, they are three targets pushed out by the Fan Family.

Following the half-open window in front of her, Shen Yao looked toward the other private rooms on the sixth floor. Mhm, unsurprisingly, she saw the flags of the Tang, Liu, and Wei families.

Pretty triangular flags hung outside, each surrounded by a circle of unique emblems. Shen Yao noticed the Liu Family's was an auspicious cloud pattern, while the Tang and Wei families had a lotus shape and a leaf form respectively. Perhaps these are also related to what the families rely on.

"Most cultivators in Lian Tang City are support-oriented. The Tang and Wei families are Healer Families, the Liu Family are Alchemy Merchants," Lu Yan's voice appeared by Shen Yao's ear, saying that most of the support items she currently cultivates with come from these three families.

Shen Yao turned around and leaned in upon hearing this, asking curiously, "How are the effects?"

Lu Yan: ……

"Very good, worth every penny. There is no possibility of wasting money."

Shen Yao nodded. "Then what about the Fan Family?" The one that single-handedly founded Lian Tang City.

"They are responsible for Lian Tang City's safety. Everything else is offered up with both hands by the people of Lian Tang City."

The Jiuzhou Continent, or rather the Zhongzhou Continent, has always had strange rules. Behind every force stands an even larger force. Just like the Fan Family of Lian Tang City — standing behind them is the even more powerful Floating City Fan Family.

Offending the Fan Family of Lian Tang City doesn't matter, but the Floating City Fan Family is very strong. Furthermore, the Fan Family's people have walked out of the Floating City who knows how many times over these years and established forces in who knows how many places. These are all the Fan Family's trump cards.

It's a bit like 'hit the child, the parent comes.' It's not that the Fan Family here is formidable, but that the Zhongzhou Fan Family is formidable. As long as you cannot crush the forces belonging to the Fan Family to death, you cannot afford to offend any single one of them.

Lu Yan thought of the Lu Family of the Floating City. Their development model is similar to the Fan Family's, but because the two families' foundations differ, the Lu Family ultimately lacks the Fan Family's capability. However, if the Lu Family strikes with full force, it can still make the Fan Family itself suffer broken bones and torn tendons.

This is also another reason why Lu Yan can live comfortably in Lian Tang City.

Offending Lu Yan holds no benefit for Fan Wuqi. Better to sell a face. They are all cultivators; who knows, they might cooperate in the future.

Enemies should be resolved, not knotted. No one would like to inexplicably gain an extra enemy for no reason.

The two people sat in the private room, asking and answering, until movement came from the doorway.

It was the Shop Assistant coming to deliver the dishes. Color, aroma, and taste all complete, the food filled the entire empty tabletop in mere moments. Along with the dishes came the auction's item list.

The invitation card, gilt with Moon Lotus and Tang Tree patterns, appeared especially formal. Shen Yao opened the first page and saw that the opening sale item was actually juvenile Moon Lotus and Tang Tree saplings.

Worthy of being a Lian Tang City specialty? Compared to contract beasts one has to catch oneself, these artificially cultivated docile juvenile bodies have higher safety.

Anyone who can cultivate can contract them, and the contracting age is far lower than the age of awakening a companion creature. As long as one is twelve years old, one can attempt it.

Contracting is related to individual talent; in cultivation terms, it is Shenfu strength. The stronger the person, the more they can contract. And Shenfu growth requires cultivation — this is also a method of enhancement.

After quickly browsing through the auction items, Shen Yao closed it and handed it to Lu Yan.

Mm

Nothing interesting. The things inside were optional to Shen Yao.

Lu Yan thought Shen Yao was a newcomer unfamiliar with the auction items, and patiently explained a few more sentences about the comparatively precious and special items on it.

For example, Sandalwood Cloud Incense that can boost Shenfu, Single Thread that can increase contract success rate, Seeking Merit Bracelet that can rapidly locate strange beasts and strange plants... prices are all represented in Spirit Jade.

Shen Yao had already started eating the dishes on the table, occasionally moving her lips to answer Lu Yan a couple of sentences, but most of her attention was still placed on the food before her.

Don't be fooled by the few good things Lu Yan mentioned; to them, most are chicken ribs. As for Sandalwood Cloud Incense, Lu Yan doesn't lack it. Contracting strange beasts and plants — Shen Yao doesn't have this ability, and Lu Yan also lacks sufficient Shenfu to support it.

The purpose of their coming to this auction was just to join the bustle. If there were truly items worth buying, they would never appear on the auction list.

Just like good things are never circulated; what can circulate is unimportant to certain people.

The delicious dishes made Shen Yao eat very satisfyingly. Just as Shen Yao wanted to order a few more plates to continue, the auction outside began to raise its curtain.

A woman wearing a red dress appeared on the huge display platform in the center of Lian Tang Lou, opening with an introduction of today's auction process.

"... Juvenile Moon Lotus Tree, gifted with Lian Xin, value one hundred Spirit Jade. After opening bid, price increases no less than ten Spirit Jade."

"One hundred ten Spirit Jade"

"One hundred twenty Spirit Jade"

"..."

"One hundred eighty Spirit Jade"

Shen Yao lay on the window side looking outside. The bidding voices all came from downstairs. The entire sixth floor had no speaking voices at all.

In the end, this Moon Lotus Tree successfully closed the deal at three hundred fifty Spirit Jade.

The first order scored an opening success. The red-dressed woman's face bloomed with an even bigger smile, and she continued introducing the next Tang Tree.

Moon Lotus Tree and Tang Tree are staple items that appear new at every auction. Only after these two are completely auctioned off does the auction's main course successively take the stage.

Shen Yao took a fancy to a ring. It possessed simple defense attributes and attack capability, and was won by Lu Yan at a price of eight hundred Spirit Jade.

The purchased ring was immediately delivered to the private room on the sixth floor where they were.

The Spirit Jade had already been deducted; this was money they had deposited in advance when they entered, operating on a refund-for-excess, supplement-for-shortfall principle. The amount of three thousand Spirit Jade was enough for Shen Yao to buy several more such rings.

Taking it in hand and examining it a few times, Shen Yao happily put it on her own hand.

At the very top of the ring was a beautiful five-colored gemstone; a defensive technique and an offensive technique existed inside it. As soon as it sensed external force, it would automatically activate, just like the pearl bracelet on Shen Yao's wrist and the hairpin stuck in her hair.

Lu Yan also had similar little gadgets, such as the jade pendant hanging on his body. It might look ordinary on the surface, but its defensive and offensive capabilities were both quite outstanding.

Besides that, Lu Yan also had a bead string on his hand, including the jade stones on his sash — all were top-grade technique materials.

Shen Yao then bought two other little gadgets, both women's jewelry types, and incidentally spent Lu Yan's stored three thousand Spirit Jade clean.

Standing up, they left the sixth floor.

The two got into the carriage, just about to return to the Lu Mansion, when unexpectedly someone outside called out to Lu Yan.

Shen Yao lifted the carriage curtain and glanced over. It was a young master dressed very expensively, speaking somewhat arrogantly, but his eyes were pure.

Lu Yan spent the vast majority of the time just listening, only nodding at the very end.

"Are you going out?"

"Going to Lian Tang Mountain. The Lian Tang Secret Realm there is about to open. The Tang Family people came over wanting to go together as companions."

Shen Yao frowned. "Secret Realm?"

"Just a small secret realm that opens at unfixed times. The good things inside were swept clean long ago. Now it's open to the whole of Lian Tang City, counting as giving the youth an opportunity to train."

Lu Yan had been to Lian Tang Mountain before and knew a bit about this secret realm. Overall, the danger level wasn't high, but there wasn't much benefit either.

In the past, Lu Yan definitely wouldn't go. But now that he had Shen Yao, Lu Yan thought that training more on ordinary days had no harm.

Shen Yao felt she had stayed in Lian Tang City a bit long. This time switching to a new map — not bad, not bad.

"What do we need to prepare?" Don't be fooled by Lian Tang Mountain's elegant-sounding name; this mountain is no ordinary height, and inside there are many strange beasts and strange plants. Even many cultivators who entered the mountain never came out.

"Some commonly used clothing. The secret realm is right at the foot of Lian Tang Mountain; we won't walk into the mountain itself." So some protective measures are fine to have; unless the strange beasts and plants of Lian Tang Mountain riot, they can't hurt them.

The carriage shook as it returned home. Shen Yao happily jumped down first, not accompanying Lu Yan to the training room, but running straight back to the small courtyard to organize the storage room.

The things in the storage room were all items Shen Yao had bought and bought and bought back during this period.

The most numerous were clothes and jewelry. Hearing Lu Yan say they were going to the Lian Tang Mountain Secret Realm outside the city, Shen Yao planned to separately pack a few fairly thick clothes and put them away properly, and by the way have the servants prepare some daily food, in case there was nothing to eat inside the secret realm.

…………

Three days later

Lu Yan took Shen Yao and rode a carriage out of the city.

At the city gate, the two encountered the Tang Family people and Wei Family people waiting here.

Tang Qing — the one who had called out to Lu Yan before — was currently wearing a face full of resentment. The cause was that the Liu Family was also coming. The Tang Family and Wei Family had a marriage alliance, but with the Liu Family they were competitors. It was just that above them the Fan Family was pressing down, so they couldn't make too big a scene, only able to maintain a not-too-great amount of face with each other.

Tang Qing not only told his family, but also nagged at Lu Yan who had come over. Shen Yao sat beside Lu Yan and heard it clearly.

Not to mention, it was quite interesting. It's just that Young Master Tang still doesn't understand the essence of tea art; his words were too straightforward. In the back courtyard he would definitely suffer a big loss.

Tang Qing also knew of Shen Yao this person, but Lu Yan had not told anyone that Shen Yao was his companion creature. Everyone thought Shen Yao came from the Floating City and had some unclear, indescribable relationship with Lu Yan.

"Young Master Tang, the Liu Family has arrived."

Shen Yao interrupted Tang Qing's complaints, then raised her hand and pointed behind herself.

Sure enough, the Liu Family's flag banner appeared on the carriage, fluttering in the wind.

Tang Qing: ……

He hmphed heavily, and Tang Qing waved his hand at Lu Yan listlessly, then turned his head and burrowed into the front carriage compartment, signaling the servant driving to just go.

How could they leave just like that?

They still waited for the Liu Family to catch up and exchange greetings. Although Tang Qing was a total killjoy the whole way, everyone was already used to it. Tang Qing was just a spoiled, stupid young master; no one would bother with him.

Several carriages moved forward along the paved road. Shen Yao leaned against the carriage compartment padded with a soft pillow, reaching out to tug at Lu Yan's hanging hem.

Lu Yan turned his head, a pair of beautiful eyes looking at the ill-behaved Shen Yao.

"How long will we travel?" Shen Yao puffed her cheeks, blinking her eyes.

"One day. If smooth, we'll arrive at the foot of Lian Tang Mountain in the evening, rest one night, and enter the secret realm directly the next day." Lu Yan pondered a moment, indicating Shen Yao didn't have to go in. At that time he would leave Xiao Hei behind to guard her. The danger at the foot of Lian Tang Mountain wasn't much; one Black Feather Snake was enough to handle it.

Shen Yao shook her head. She didn't want to be left alone at the foot of Lian Tang Mountain. If something really happened, relying on Xiao Hei alone couldn't guarantee absolute safety.

A companion creature has no such thing as true death, unless the master who awakened her dies. Because of the soul binding effect between them, Lu Yan is the key to Shen Yao's lifespan.

"I haven't been to a secret realm before. This is a good chance to see what's special inside."

"Nothing special. Not much different from outside. Just that the energy inside is more abundant, and some strange beasts and plants that are hard to encounter in the outside world grow there."

Most cultivators love secret realms because the area is small but the harvest is large, making it easier to find good things compared to the outside world.

Among Lu Yan's three contracted beasts, the Gale Wolf and Flaming Lion were secret realm gains, and they are his important trump cards for attack and escape.

The two people sat in the carriage talking about secret realm matters. As they talked, Shen Yao raised a hand and yawned. Seeing this, Lu Yan didn't speak further, but took out an unused soft pillow from the side and handed it to Shen Yao.

Her head leaning on the soft pillow, Shen Yao fell asleep in a daze. When she opened her eyes again, she discovered she was leaning in Lu Yan's embrace.

Hm?

The sleepiness in her mind vanished. Shen Yao rose from Lu Yan's embrace. "What time is it?"

"The Shen hour (3-5 PM)."

In about one more hour it would be dark. They were also nearly at their destination.

Rubbing her eyes, Shen Yao shook her head, finally tilting it to move her body.

Seeing this, Lu Yan inadvertently shook his arm. The hanging hair ribbon was lifted and brushed against Shen Yao's cheek. He raised his hand to catch the hair ribbon. Shen Yao rarely showed a childlike playfulness and played with it, causing Lu Yan's lip corners to curve up.