Chapter 54
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Duan Wannian rushed straight towards Li Fenglan, his speed extremely fast, leaving only a golden light from afar.
However, as fast as Duan Wannian was, Cheng Huang’s eyesight was equally sharp.
Before Duan Wannian could fly over to Li Fenglan, a white figure suddenly leapt up. The next moment, the little golden bird was pounced on by Cheng Huang and fell to the ground with a snap.
Despite always acting cute in front of Li Fenglan, Duan Wannian, the demon princess, was not just a fake demon princess.
She was not afraid of Cheng Huang, an ancient fierce beast.
As soon as Duan Wannian landed on the ground, she immediately gathered his strength and took off again, pecking at Cheng Huang’s head.
Li Fenglan heard the familiar sound of “dadadada” in his ear…
Although Duan Wannian was small in size, her fighting experience was much richer than Cheng Huang’s, and her movements were particularly agile. After a few moments, Cheng Huang cowered and covered its head with its paws, hiding behind Li Fenglan.
“Wuwu Fenglan, she…she bullied me!” Cheng Huang complained.
Li Fenglan: “…”
“Okay,” at this moment, Ling Buyan finally came over and gently grabbed Cheng Huang’s nape, pulling it out from behind Li Fenglan.
“You can come along, but for now, don’t disturb Fenglan.” Ling Buyan said.
“Okay okay okay!” Hearing this, Cheng Huang immediately nodded frantically.
Meanwhile, outside the window, Duan Qianli coldly looked at the scene inside and chuckled.
—Does Ling Buyan have the qualifications to make decisions for Fenglan? Who does he think he is?
…
The place that Mu Hantao mentioned was not far from Tianmian Palace.
After leaving Tianmian Palace, several people traveled on their swords for a long time and finally arrived at a town called “Daiduo” in the human realm.
Daiduo City is located on the edge of the desert, although it is in an extremely remote location, it is located on a very important trade route. If one wants to cross the desert and go to the other side of the country, then Daiduo City is the last supply station on this road.
Therefore, not only is the population here high, but the commerce is also very developed, making it a rare bustling town.
Several flying swords slowly landed, and Mu Hantao glanced at the nearby tan-colored city gate and turned to Li Fenglan, saying, “This is it.”
“Yes,” Li Fenglan nodded slightly in response, and subconsciously looked towards the city gate.
Before coming to Daiduo City, several people had already changed their clothes in advance. At this time, Li Fenglan was wearing a white and beige coarse cloth robe, which was the favorite clothing of ordinary literati in the mortal world. In order to prevent the sand and wind near Daiduo City from blowing into his hair, the clothing also had an added hood. Therefore, Li Fenglan looked even more like a local of Daiduo City.
At the same time, he also held the small Cheng Huang in his arms.
—Since learning how to shrink in the inheritance, Cheng Huang had forgotten its dignity as an ancient ferocious beast and became even smaller than before.
At this time, it looked like a milk dog, only a small white lump from afar.
As for Duan Qianli and Duan Wannian… Because they were worried that Cheng Huang and Duan Wannian would continue to peck each other, Mu Hantao found a small bamboo basket in her storage bag on the way here and put the two little golden birds inside.
At this time, Mu Hantao had only one thought of ascension in her mind. Even though she knew the identity of these two little golden birds, she didn’t want to care about any more entanglements in the human realm.
After saying those few words to Mu Hantao, Li Fenglan and the other two walked into Daiduo City.
While embracing Cheng Huang, he subconsciously patted the little guy’s head. Li Fenglan didn’t see it, but as soon as he touched it, Cheng Huang immediately perked up. It quickly turned around and “squeaked” a few times towards Duan Wannian, as if showing off.
Duan Wannian, who was angered, let out a loud “hmph” and completely retreated into her little basket to accompany her despondent older brother.
“Master, why did Lou Yuanwei abandon the capital or other cities and come here to Daiduo City, even though it is considered prosperous?” Li Fenglan asked Ling Buyan while walking towards Daiduo City.
Upon hearing his question, Ling Buyan first looked up at the black plaque of Daiduo City, then said to Li Fenglan, “Have you noticed that the spiritual energy here in Daiduo City is extremely thin?”
“Spiritual energy?”
Upon hearing these two words, not only Li Fenglan, but even Mu Hantao, who had not spoken much, turned their gaze towards Ling Buyan.
They had just flown to Daiduo City and had not stayed long, so Li Fenglan hadn’t really paid attention to this issue.
But after Ling Buyan’s reminder, he realized that the spiritual power of Daiduo City was not just thin, it was practically non-existent.
As if in response to Ling Buyan’s words, Cheng Huang in Li Fenglan’s arms also let out a “growl” at this time.
It was evident that the spiritual energy here was really scarce.
Li Fenglan nodded lightly, and by this time, they had already passed through the city gate and entered the city.
Ling Buyan continued speaking, “There are a large number of cultivators in this world, and even many scattered cultivators in the mortal realm. Some ‘city lords’ of cities are even scattered cultivators.”
“Yeah,” Li Fenglan understood this point. He thought for a moment and said, “Generally speaking, scattered cultivators wouldn’t come to a place like Daiduo City because the spiritual energy here is too thin.”
“Wait a minute…” When Ling Buyan said this, Li Fenglan seemed to understand his meaning.
He looked at the pedestrians on the street around him, then lowered his voice and said, “Daiduo City is a place that scattered cultivators wouldn’t come to, but Lou Yuanwei stays here. So he is likely pretending to be a cultivator here, so no one will expose him!”
Upon hearing this, Ling Buyan nodded with a smile. Meanwhile, Mu Hantao, who was walking alongside them, said softly, “I see…”
“I happened to hear that a scattered cultivator came to Daiduo City and became the city lord here,” she continued.
Generally speaking, if a cultivator became the lord of a mortal city, the news would spread to the cultivation world within a few months, especially to Tianmian Palace, which was responsible for maintaining peace in the Three Realms. However, this was a minor matter, and cultivators like Mu Hantao, who were at their level, would not know about it.
If Lou Yuanwei went to another place, it might not attract much attention.
But because Daiduo City had such thin spiritual energy and no scattered cultivator had ever come before, the disciple responsible for recording this matter at Tianmian Palace mentioned it a few more times. Eventually, the news spread, and Mu Hantao found out about it by chance.
“It seems like the emperor’s addiction hasn’t been satisfied yet,” Ling Buyan half-jokingly said.
As they spoke, several people had already walked to the center of Daiduo City. Although the streets here were made of yellow soil, the soil was hard, and even with so many people, vehicles, and horses passing by, there was no scene of yellow sand flying everywhere.
“Let’s stay at the inn first,” Ling Buyan said, turning to Li Fenglan.
“Okay.”
Daiduo City is an important commercial city on the edge of the desert, so not only are there many inns, but they are also clean and spacious. Because there are many merchants coming and going here and people from all over the world, the check-in procedures have become very simple, without the many rules that Li Fenglan had encountered in Xihou City where he had stayed before.
Walking up to the counter, Li Fenglan looked around curiously.
His gaze swept over the small ornaments on the table and finally landed on a small jade card…
“This thing…” he saw that the square jade card on the table was engraved with a “Wei” character. And that font was exactly the official font of the dynasty Li Fenglan had lived in thousands of years ago, which he was most familiar with.
“Hey, sir, you are speaking of this?” Li Fenglan and his group suddenly took four of the top rooms, so the innkeeper’s attitude towards them can be said to be exceptionally good.
Seeing that Li Fenglan seemed interested in this small card, the innkeeper immediately picked up the card that was originally on the table and handed it to Li Fenglan.
“I don’t know if you recognize this character. This is actually the ‘Wei’ character in ‘holding up the sky and supporting the earth’. It’s just that the font is slightly special.”
Upon hearing the innkeeper’s words, Mu Hantan, who had not been paying attention, also turned her gaze over.
Although she was much older than Li Fenglan, she was also familiar with this character.
“Mhmm.” Li Fenglan gently took the jade token that the shopkeeper had given him, and then said, “This word is no longer in use now, right?”
“That’s right, that’s right,” the shopkeeper said, knocking on the accountant next to him, and asking him, “How did they say it last time? Do you remember?”
“I remember!” The employee heard the shopkeeper’s question and immediately looked up.
He said to Li Fenglan, “We didn’t have a city lord in Daiduo city before. It wasn’t until a few years ago that a powerful wandering cultivator came to Daiduo City and became the city lord. You know what, this lord really knows how to manage things. He not only protects the peace in our area, but he also enacted many laws… This little jade token is what the city lord gave to every shop owner. Only with this token can we open a shop…”
The employee’s words were abundant, but after hearing this, Li Fenglan was no longer interested in what came after.
As an emperor, Lou Yuanwei could only barely score fifty out of one hundred. However, having received a royal education, he was capable of governing a small town.
Practices like giving jade tokens to merchants were common in the country where Li Fenglan lived in.
But upon hearing this, Li Fenglan’s focus was not on what Lou Yuanwei had done in Daiduo City, but on something else.
Instinctively, Li Fenglan turned to look at his master, and Ling Buyan, as if understanding what Li Fenglan was thinking, suddenly asked the employee, “You said the city lord protects the peace in this area?”
“Huh?”
The employee had already moved on to other topics, but upon hearing Ling Buyan’s question, he was first stunned, then quickly nodded and said, “That’s right, that’s right.”
…
How did Lou Yuanwei manage to do it without any spiritual power?
It seems that this person has a great respect for their city lord, and when Ling Buyan asked, he answered.
“You know, the world is not peaceful nowadays. A while back, I heard that even Tianmian Palace was almost attacked by fierce beasts working together,” he said.
“Mhmm,” Li Fenglan nodded.
When the man got to this point, he looked out the window and continued, “Think about it. Even Tianmian Palace has been targeted by fierce beasts so our small place is naturally not immune. But our place has thin spiritual power, so fierce beasts are not very interested. Generally speaking, most of the fierce beasts that come here are not well-known.”
After hearing this, Li Fenglan didn’t say anything, but Cheng Huang in his arms snorted proudly.
It’s different from those unknown fierce beasts.
“So over the years, although Daidu City has been attacked by fierce beasts, fortunately the scale has not been large. But our place is special… we rely on the business of the caravans. Even if the scale is not large, once this matter spreads, there will always be caravans that dare not come to Daidu City for a short time,” the man continued.
Li Fenglan finally understood his point.
For Daidu City, fierce beasts mainly affect their business.
“So what you mean is that the new city lord of Daidu City can solve those fierce beasts?” Ling Buyan asked again.
“That’s right!” The guy said firmly, “He’s very capable of dealing with ferocious beasts. Since he came to our Daiduo City, no one has died under the claws of ferocious beasts.”
With that, the procedures for the few people to check in were all completed.
Lin Buyan didn’t ask any further and nodded lightly towards the shopkeeper before walking towards the direction of the guest room.
It wasn’t until he reached a less crowded spot near the guest room door that Lin Buyan stopped. He turned to look at Li Fenglan and Mu Hantao, who had been silent all along, and said, “Let’s talk inside the room.”
“Okay.”
After entering the room, Mu Hantao finally put down the basket in her hand. And Duan Wannian, who had been suffocating inside, also jumped out of it.
Before she could continue to “gu gu gu” to Li Fenglan, she was immediately silenced by Lin Buyan’s gentle glance.
As for Duan Qianli, the demon lord, he remained in the small basket without coming out due to his dignity.
Li Fenglan looked around the room and suddenly shook his head while saying, “The style of this room is very similar to that of Xihou City back then.”
At these words, Lin Buyan also nodded.
He said, “Generally speaking, in cities like Daiduo City located on the edge of the desert, the rooms are mostly rammed earth structures. But this one is different. This inn is almost no different from those inside the continent.”
By “inside the continent,” Lin Buyan was referring to the capital city and the area where Xihou City was located.
“Huh?” Mu Hantao, who was originally Li Fenglan’s fellow villager, was at a loss when she heard this.
But at this moment, Li Fenglan picked up where Lin Buyan left off.
“Yes, this inn is made of brick and wood. Especially the style of the beams here is exactly the same as that of the capital city inside the continent. For Daiduo City, this is really a waste of wood. It seems that Lou Yuanwei really misses the feeling of being an emperor in the capital city.”
“So, that’s how it is?”
After Li Fenglan explained it, Mu Hantao finally understood what he and Ling Buyan were talking about. At the same time, she felt that the tacit understanding between the two of them was even greater than she had imagined, despite there being several people in the room, their conversation had separated them from everyone else.
“Alright, let’s not talk about the house,” Li Fenglan brought the topic back, “According to reason, Lou Yuanwei doesn’t have any spiritual power. How did he manage to kill the savage beast?”
The room fell silent.
This time, not only Li Fenglan and Ling Buyan were thinking, but even the remaining person and a few demons were also pondering.
And seeing everyone so serious, Cheng Huang, who was casually placed on the table by Li Fenglan, also put on a serious look and began to contemplate.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Fenglan and Ling Buyan suddenly looked up at each other and almost simultaneously said a name: “Mo Shenyu.”
Yes, Mo Shenyu!
The last time Li Fenglan saw him in the valley, all the savage beasts that were originally ferocious had become quiet, and even their spiritual power had been absorbed by him.
So if Mo Shenyu can absorb the mixed spiritual energy within savage beasts, why can’t there be a second person?
……
As soon as they arrived in the room, Duan Wannian jumped out of the basket. And now, there was only one demon lord left inside.
Although his golden body made the whole basket extremely bright, Duan Qianli’s mood was not so bright.
What are Fenglan and Ling Buyan talking about? Why do they seem to have so many secrets?
Duan Qianli was really angry.
The group did not stay in the inn for too long and walked out again.
They were dressed very plainly and their faces were mostly covered by hoods, making them look no different from other pedestrians on the street.
Soon, Li Fenglan and his party arrived at the core area of Daiduo City – the gate of the Lord’s Mansion. After arriving here, even the road that had just been compacted with yellow earth became paved with bluestone.
“Really luxurious,” Li Fenglan said lightly.
Before Mu Hantao on his right could understand what Li Fenglan meant, Ling Buyan not far away nodded and said, “Yes, Daiduo City does not produce bluestone. These things should have been transported from afar.”
Mu Hantao: I see!
Duan Qianli in the bamboo basket: Hmph, you’re the only one who knows.
After hearing Ling Buyan’s explanation, Mu Hantao looked at the heavily guarded Lord’s Mansion not far away and hesitated a bit before asking, “It’s heavily guarded here, so it’s probably not a good idea to go in openly.”
“It’s okay,” said Ling Buyan before turning his head to look at Li Fenglan.
And Li Fenglan immediately understood what his master wanted to do. He lightly patted the beast in his arms and said, “Cheng Huang, it’s up to you now.”
“Woo?” What does my master mean?
As expected, even Cheng Huang didn’t understand this coded communication between Li Fenglan and Ling Buyan.
But seeing Cheng Huang still confused, Ling Buyan finally said, “Just show a little bit of your aura.”
“Roar!” Although Cheng Huang still didn’t understand why he had to do this, he had developed a habit of listening to both Li Fenglan and Ling Buyan after spending some time with them.
At Ling Buyan’s words, Cheng Huang immediately did as he was told and showed a little bit of his beastly aura.
The streets of Daiduo City were still bustling, and pedestrians didn’t pay attention to the small creature in Li Fenglan’s arms, nor did they feel its aura. But Li Fenglan and his companions were different. Despite Cheng Huang only showing a small amount of his aura, they instinctively felt a sense of tension in their hearts.
Li Fenglan believed that the people in the Lord’s Mansion would also be able to sense it.
“Okay.” In just a few breaths, Li Fenglan asked Cheng Huang to stop.
As time passed by, the streets of Daiduo city remained crowded with people. And just when Mu Hantao thought that Lou Yuanwei wouldn’t come out or didn’t sense the presence of the ferocious beast earlier, the scarlet gate of the Lord’s Mansion slowly opened.
Lou Yuanwei had arrived!
The black-clad guards standing outside the mansion made way for him, and a figure dressed in bright yellow appeared before Li Fenglan.
“Even if he’s just a lord, he can’t help but wear the dragon robe…” Li Fenglan couldn’t help but sneer softly, “I wonder how he managed to resist the urge to continue being an emperor back then.”
When Li Fenglan saw Lou Yuanwei, his tone was very calm, but Ling Buyan knew that the people around him were not so calm.
He slowly walked over and gently placed his hand on Li Fenglan’s shoulder, as if to support the person next to him.
Ling Buyan said, “After the Li family was wiped out, Lou Yuanwei disappeared for a period of time. During that time, the court became unstable, and even the emperor was replaced.”
After Li Fenglan returned to Tianmian Palace, he hadn’t kept up with the history of the mortal world. If Ling Buyan hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have known about this past event.
So, it turned out that Lou Yuanwei didn’t refuse to be an emperor, but he disappeared for a while and when he came back, he couldn’t become an emperor anymore?
Even though he was now a lord, Lou Yuanwei still carried himself with the air of an emperor.
As soon as he left the city lord’s mansion, guards appeared from all sides of the square, and pedestrians who were walking on the street also left one after another.
Only Li Fenglan and his companions stood still.
Seeing this, the guards around Lou Yuanwei couldn’t help but frown and were about to come forward to clear them out. But before he could take action, Lou Yuanwei frowned and waved his hand, saying, “Wait a minute.”
The next moment, he actually walked towards Li Fenglan and his group himself.
Ling Buyan’s hand lightly placed on Li Fenglan’s shoulder could feel the trembling of his body due to anger…
After thousands of years, Li Fenglan finally saw the emperor who ordered the massacre of his entire family.
He thought that his hatred had been worn down by time and disappeared, but it suddenly sprouted like a spring bud and grew wildly.
“Who are you people?” Lou Yuanwei looked them up and down coldly and arrogantly.
Ling Buyan noticed that Li Fenglan’s emotions were not good right now.
Before the people around him could speak, he gently pressed Li Fenglan’s shoulder and then looked up at Lou Yuanwei with a smile, saying four words: “Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
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The confrontation started!
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