Chapter 429: The Avatar's Journey to Chongguang City

Thousand Faces Hall...

"I want to post a bounty!"

A guest arrived, and the receptionist maintained a polite smile, but upon seeing the other party's face, he was slightly stunned—wasn't this Lu Zhigang! Du Yan Lu Zhigang, whose priority in the Thousand Faces Hall's internal records was second only to the Intermediate Martial Master level, ranked alongside them.

What was strange was that Lu Zhigang usually came to Thousand Faces Hall to accept missions, yet today, for the first time ever, he was posting a bounty.

"Target of the bounty?"

"Moyunzi. A heavy reward of 1,000 taels to find his whereabouts. No time limit."

Moyunzi? The receptionist indicated he had never heard this name; this was because his rank was too low to access core secrets.

He skillfully processed the bounty procedure and calculated the fee, "50 taels of silver."

Lu Zhigang handed over the silver, watched with his own eyes as the bounty for Moyunzi was posted, and turned to leave, satisfied.

Inside the Thousand Faces Hall, however, this transaction caused quite a stir.

"Lu Zhigang is putting a bounty on Moyunzi; do the two of them have a grudge?"

"Note, it is to find his whereabouts, not an assassination mission. Whether it's a favor or a grudge is hard to say."

"Moyunzi hasn't been seen since the destruction of Gongliang City. I heard he has also been hunting down Kunpengzi. If you ask me, we shouldn't get involved in the affairs of the Golden Immortal Dao."

"We... don't fear the Golden Immortal Dao. In this era where a hundred paths ring out together, the Golden Immortal Dao doesn't even rank."

"Forget it, forget it. It's a fair trade; we take the money and do the work. The bounty is already posted, so let it be!"

Liu Tianxian of the Liu family's second branch heard about the incident at Thousand Faces Hall and stroked his beard, nodding, "Is Lu Zhigang looking for Moyunzi?"

Before him, Yumian Gongzi knelt on the ground without a word, his body covered in crisscrossing, frighteningly red lash marks.

From the moment the beating began, he had not begged for mercy, had not argued, and had not even asked why.

Because he knew his father's temper; either he wouldn't strike, but if he truly did, no one could stop him.

"It seems that is the case. You are still testing this Poison Goose, deliberately leaving him hanging."

Liu Tianxian felt he had guessed correctly and dropped the rattan whip, "Get up!"

Yumian Gongzi stood up and stood respectfully.

"Tell me, I told you to leave the city to avoid trouble, why did you sneak back to Fucheng?"

Yumian Gongzi said, "The concubine I have my eye on is that woman from the Pang family in Caojiang Cheng. I heard the Mu family's brats also wanted to snatch her from me. I was burning with anxiety and couldn't endure it for a moment, so I came back."

"What kind of celestial beauty is she, to make you pine for her to this extent?"

Liu Tianxian was disappointed that he failed to live up to expectations, "I order you to extinguish this thought. Do you agree?"

Yumian Gongzi trembled, looked into his father's eyes, and was so stung that his hands and feet shook slightly, "This child obeys."

"Good child, I have a batch of goods to be sent to Chongguang City; you go in my stead."

Yumian Gongzi hesitated for a moment; going to Chongguang City was five hundred miles away, and he would be away from Fucheng for this period...

"Before you leave, don't forget to see your seven younger brothers and eight younger sisters. As the eldest brother, you must be sensible."

This sentence was heavier than the whip, causing Yumian Gongzi's body to jolt violently, and he hurriedly agreed.

At Daqian Martial Arts Hall, Zhou You's main body opened his eyes!

It was done!

The Lu Zhigang avatar issued the bounty, and the target was the second avatar, Moyunzi. After notarization, a connection was established.

The panel gave a prompt:

"Avatar Lu Zhigang and avatar Moyunzi have established a connection through the same mission, meeting the conditions for a secondary projection clone."

In the wilderness outside Fucheng, just as Lu Zhigang left the Thousand Faces Hall, the air in front of him swelled slightly, and a figure descended from the sky—it was none other than the white-haired and white-bearded Moyunzi.

'Lu Zhigang' and 'Moyunzi' looked at each other and smiled; in essence, Zhou You was looking in a mirror.

"Haha, interesting, very interesting!" Moyunzi lightly flicked his sleeves and left behind a sentence, "I will go first; you follow shortly."

"I obey your command."

The entrance to Chongguang City was in a hilly area, and the terrain ahead rose at a slow but visible slope.

This city did not exist abruptly; many villages and towns where residents gathered were distributed around it, like stars surrounding the sun and moon.

These residential areas often circulated a large number of ancient artifacts unearthed from underground; although they were not valuable, one could glimpse the scenery and objects of ancient times through them.

Of course, any vessels with characters or patterns were collected, and what remained were those without value.

Zhou You walked in the identity of Moyunzi, asking questions along the way, and was actually able to see pottery from over ten thousand years ago.

He guessed that once he reached Chongguang City, he might even see antiques from the same era as the Martial Saint.

"Sure enough, with this terrain in Chongguang City, one doesn't have to worry about being flooded by heavy rain."

Standing at the entrance leading to the underground city, a voice came to his ears, amusing everyone into laughter.

Zhou You looked back; the speaker was a young man leading a sturdy ox, with goods as tall as a person loaded on the ox's back.

"Young man, Chongguang City is located underground, and the area is extremely vast with no end in sight, even leading to bottomless earth fissures and deep abysses. Let alone rain, even a flood wouldn't drown it."

A certain white-haired old man enthusiastically explained to him.

Chongguang City was located in a remote area, and due to the lack of sunlight, many products had to be imported from the outside, so trade and transportation were very developed.

Travelers coming and going carried some things on them, more or less; even if they were not professional merchants, they would bring some local specialties to sell to subsidize the travel expenses needed for their journey.

The entrance leading to Chongguang City was like a subway tunnel, large and wide, spiraling and circling downwards. On both sides of the earthen walls were rooms that had been chiseled out; some were inhabited by people, and others were used to raise livestock, chickens, and dogs.

The further down he went, the lower the terrain felt, and the clamor in his ears gradually faded away; the light and sounds of the surface were completely left behind.

He did not know how many circles he had wound around, but the slope of the ground under his feet gradually leveled off, and large areas of shops, streets, and pools appeared one after another.

The environment that suddenly appeared before his eyes was no different from an ordinary city, and the roads were crowded with pedestrians.

Everywhere in his ears were shouts and conversations, and a lively atmosphere rushed toward him.

The fellow travelers who had descended into the city together gradually separated, each going to find their own destination.

Zhou You thought about inquiring about the location of the black market and, by the way, seeing if any shops were selling freshly unearthed gold and stone antiques.

"Old man, wait a moment."

The tall young man who had been leading the ox just now suddenly called out to Zhou You.

Zhou You was currently in his Moyunzi persona, with white hair and beard, looking quite advanced in age.

He did not know why the young man had called out to him, so he turned his head in confusion, "Is something the matter?"

The young man chuckled twice, "Old man, you are getting on in years, and the road ahead is dark and difficult to walk; be careful not to twist your ankle."

"Once I deliver my goods, the ox's back will be empty for you to ride; wherever you are going, I will give you a lift."

He looked like a kind-hearted person, willing to lend a helping hand even to a stranger with no relation to him.

Several passersby nearby heard this and looked over; such a person was truly a rarity!

"No need, no need, I am in good health."

Zhou You waved his hand, but the young man blocked his path, "Old man, I will be quick, just the time it takes to drink a bowl of tea; I won't keep you waiting long."

He pulled Zhou You to a roadside herbal tea stall, found out that a bowl of tea cost two large coins, and that sitting inside cost an extra coin.

The young man gritted his teeth, paid for a bowl of tea, and invited Zhou You to sit on the steps outside the stall, "You wait here, I'll be back before the tea is finished."

Zhou You was left between laughter and tears; it had been a long time since he had seen such a warm-hearted person.

(End of chapter)