Chapter 2016: Trading Center

"In our clan, there should be no one left now, right?"

"That's hard to say; there are still quite a few descendants of the nobility left," Chen Yu said. "It just depends on whether you have the will to look for them. If you have this dying wish, it's actually quite easy to find them."

"What you say seems to be the case." The City Lord nodded slightly, then he sighed and said, "Back then, our family was a loyalist to the Qing Palace."

"After the Qing fell, how could they have survived? Our branch also left Huaxia in order to pass down our bloodline. Now, wanting to find our clansmen—how is that easy?"

"You don't need to dwell too much on the past. Life is just like this, full of ups and downs. Once you get used to it one day, you'll be fine," Chen Yu said with a faint smile.

"Mr. Chen, are you a Dharma Cultivator?" The City Lord raised his head to look at Chen Yu.

He felt that what Chen Yu practiced was not Martial Dao, because Martial Dao was simply not this strong. He had heard that there was a type of person in Huaxia who cultivated the Heavenly Great Dao and borrowed the Spirit veins from all directions to strengthen themselves.

Their power was indestructible, so he felt that Chen Yu was definitely not an ordinary Martial Dao practitioner. Judging by Chen Yu's strength, he had to be at least a Cultivator.

Now it seemed that this was correct; it just depended on whether Chen Yu would admit it or not.

"Heh, you're right. I am indeed a Dharma Cultivator. I cultivate the Heavenly Great Dao, which has nothing to do with Martial Dao," Chen Yu said. "Our ultimate path is to become an Immortal, which is not something you can understand."

"So it really is like that. No wonder I could see a trace of something like divine light on you," the City Lord said with some envy. "So you are the legendary Dharma Cultivator. I had only heard of this type of Cultivator."

"Oh, what kind of existence is the Dharma Cultivator you've heard of?" Chen Yu asked.

"Flying through the sky and escaping the earth, capable of anything, and finally achieving the Immortal Dao," the City Lord said. "Not to mention their strength, and all of these, I can see in you."

"What you see is merely the tip of the iceberg of a Dharma Cultivator," Chen Yu said with a faint smile. "A true Dharma Cultivator's strength is even more powerful than you imagine."

"Then... can I follow you to cultivate?" the City Lord asked weakly.

"No, your Spirit Root has already set. Trying to cultivate now would be twice the effort for half the result," Chen Yu shook his head slowly and said. "Besides, you are already a Level 5 Powerhouse. Forcing yourself to cultivate will make the True Qi in your body mottled and impure."

"By then, not only will you fail to cultivate, but you will also weaken your own power. In cultivation, the greatest taboo is to be broad but not refined. You should just cultivate your own path for now."

"Alright, what a pity. If I had come into contact with cultivation earlier, perhaps it would be better than it is now," the City Lord said with some regret.

"That's not necessarily true." Chen Yu glanced at him and said, "On the path of cultivation, there is no good or bad, only what is suitable for you and what is not."

"Since you can now cultivate to be a Level 5 Powerhouse and can almost walk sideways in the Western World, that shows this path is suitable for you."

"Is that so? There's such a saying?" The City Lord was slightly stunned.

"Yes, and in the world of Dharma Cultivators, cultivation is extremely difficult. If you choose a path that doesn't suit you, you will end up falling short of success."

"The mindset of a Cultivator is really different from ours." The City Lord was dazed for a long time, then smiled and said, "But what Mr. Chen said makes a lot of sense. On the path of cultivation, the most important thing is to find a path that suits you. If it doesn't suit you, what does it matter even if you meet a powerful expert?"

"It's good that you can realize this." Chen Yu nodded, and he looked at the City Lord Mansion. "Have your generations lived here?"

"Yes, ever since my great-grandfather, we have lived here. After our family moved to the West, after many twists and turns, we finally found such a suitable place," the City Lord said with a smile.

"That was also quite difficult," Chen Yu said.

"Actually, when it comes down to it, it's because our ancestors' obsession was too heavy," the City Lord said leisurely. "If it were me, I would have followed the will of Heaven. I probably wouldn't have left my homeland for so many years, to the point where I can't even return to the ancestral shrine."

"A young man indeed has the spirit of a young man," Chen Yu nodded. "But it's not too late for you to wake up now."

"The affairs of the older generation were never meant for us to bear," the City Lord said with a smile. "The spirit of the 'Foolish Old Man moving the mountains' is commendable, but reality is just like this; no one has the power to change it."

"Thinking this way is what it means to be clear-headed in the human world," Chen Yu said with a faint smile.

It was still early before dawn. After finishing their meal, Chen Yu and Xueli walked around the City Lord Mansion.

"Are the ancient royal mansions in your Huaxia all like this?" Xueli looked at everything around her, feeling very curious.

"I suppose so. Ancient buildings are all like this, but the buildings here seem to have incorporated modern architectural methods, making them look more exquisite," Chen Yu said. "And since this is the West, the buildings carry a Western style; they aren't entirely Huaxia-style."

"Then compared to the real Huaxia style, what is this place missing?" Xueli asked.

"It's missing a lot of charm," Chen Yu shook his head and said. "It has the form, but not the spirit. It lacks a bit of that divine charm, so it doesn't look too good."

"Oh, then what should the real Huaxia style look like?" Xueli asked curiously.

"I can't quite say. Perhaps it's just the difference in divine charm." Chen Yu looked for a long time, then shook his head.

"Alright, if there's a chance, I really must go to Huaxia to see what the real Huaxia style is like," Xueli said with a smile.

"The customs and traditions of every place are different, and everyone has their own aesthetic," Chen Yu smiled. "These things are not immutable; one must combine them with their own actual situation."

Xueli nodded thoughtfully, then she pondered for a moment and said, "What do you think of the City Lord?"

"It's hard to tell. He seems to have worldly wisdom, but in fact, he seems like a novice who hasn't seen much of the world," Chen Yu shook his head and said. "To be honest, I can't quite see his actual situation."

"I think so too. He seems to have some resistance to the things left behind by his ancestors."

"Yes, very resistant. It seems he feels these responsibilities were not meant for him to bear," Xueli nodded slightly. "Do you think he can help us?"

"He should be able to," Chen Yu said with some uncertainty. "It depends on whether he can take us into the Trading Center tonight."

"Hmm, time passes very quickly; we'll know soon," Xueli said with a smile.

Soon, it was night. This trading market only opens at dawn, hiding all the sins of this place in the darkness.