“Troublesome!”
The assistant muttered, and Zhao Wu didn’t catch it clearly, looking at him in confusion.
The pharmacist glared at the assistant, opened the stone box, and squinted to examine it closely. This was a somewhat lengthy process, but Zhao Wu had the patience and confidence for it. There was no doubt that the stone box contained a thousand top-quality Shrimp Whisker Grass, and to account for the shop’s “routine extortion” and to pass off the good as better, there were even an extra hundred or so in the box. Everything seemed foolproof.
The shop fell silent for a moment, but the assistant had already been in and out countless times. The last time, under the pharmacist’s direction, he went to the back room to retrieve the most crucial item for Zhao Wu’s purchase: the Three Yang Talisman Sword!
The assistant placed the box containing the sword on the counter for Zhao Wu to inspect. Although Zhao Wu was clueless about this and didn’t believe that the large Sun Light Sect would use counterfeit goods to deceive him, the matter was significant. He carefully opened the box and examined the sword and the accompanying artisan’s nameplate, scrutinizing it as if he could peer inside.
After a while, Zhao Wu closed the box, and with that, all procedures were completed. His hands trembled slightly, but he quickly stuffed the box, which was over a foot long, into the prepared backpack and turned to leave. The assistant cleared his throat and reminded, “Be careful. This sword could buy you a plot of land in New City!”
Zhao Wu staggered slightly but was prepared mentally, not daring to entertain any greedy thoughts. He hurriedly exited, not returning to the lower city but heading straight to the agreed location with his employer.
The shop assistant followed him out of the shop, and once Zhao Wu was out of sight, the assistant patted his chest and went back inside. Not far off, two men in short jackets saw this action and emerged from the shade, following Zhao Wu.
Unaware of what was happening behind him, Zhao Wu excitedly arrived at Thousand Fortune Street in New City, famous for its reputation, and found the first Assured Care Inn at the street corner. After speaking briefly with the proprietor, they quickly identified each other. Zhao Wu placed the sword box and the backpack on the counter, and the proprietor handed him ten taels of gold, which had been prepared in advance, with an envious expression.
In a daze, Zhao Wu walked onto the main street. Was that it? Ten taels of gold, enough for his expenses for the next five years? The street was bustling with people, and no one paid attention to this vacant-eyed bystander, except for the two men following him from a distance, whose faces showed deep frustration.
The two men did not waste any time; one of them soon entered the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the proprietor collected the backpack without checking its contents and called an assistant to deliver it to Room No. 5, marked with a “玄” (Xuan) character. Once the assistant left, the men watching from outside came over to inquire about the situation, subtly hinting at the prominent status of their employer.
The proprietor, straightforward, provided all the details and mentioned that Room No. 5 was reserved by a local idler, Wang Xiaoqi, who had paid for two days in advance.
Upon hearing this, the man’s face turned pale. Just then, the assistant who had delivered the backpack returned, and the man pulled him aside to ask. As expected, the assistant said no one was in the room, the door was unlocked, but there was a note asking him to leave the backpack on the table.
The man rushed inside, but soon returned to the hall, observing the flow of people with wide eyes. However, he quickly gave up, as the Assured Care Inn was a combination of dining and lodging, and at meal times, the place was busy and crowded. It was impossible to tell who the target was.
Outside, his companion also peeked in. They exchanged a glance, both looking dejected.
As the man returned to his original position with a sullen expression, at the Assured Care Inn, across the street from the Assured Care Inn, Yu Ci sat with a smile in the top-floor room. In front of him, four Three Yang Talisman Swords were neatly arranged on the table, waiting for his inspection.
The Three Yang Talisman Sword was similar in appearance to the Nine Yang Talisman Sword. Both were made of wood and covered with unknown vermilion spirit ink symbols. The difference lay only in the complexity and quality of the symbols, which resulted in a vast disparity in their power.
As he saw it, the power of the Three Yang Talisman Sword, according to common thinking, could be considered a divine weapon. The flame blade it formed had advantages over ordinary metal blades, truly worth its weight in gold. In this regard, the Sun Light Sect wasn’t exactly cheating. However, compared to the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, whether in terms of lethality or the strength of the flame blade, there was still a considerable gap.
He had once used the Nine Yang Talisman Sword to injure the poisonous snake monk’s hand and kill him. But if it had been the Three Yang Talisman Sword, the flame blade might have been crushed by the monk’s bare hands. That was the difference.
Now, the Nine Yang Talisman Sword had been vaporized in the battle against the ghost beasts, and Yu Ci needed a suitable sword, hence he had some anticipation for the “Pure Yang Talisman Sword.” Unfortunately, even if he had the complete process for making the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, it would take a considerable amount of time, which he didn’t have at the moment.
At present, Yu Ci was truly interested in, and focusing a lot of effort on, something more intriguing.
Changing to a more comfortable position, he opened the Divine Map, familiar with the process, and immersed his thoughts into it to find his target. The map clearly showed that the two men who had been spying were nervously entering their shop, receiving a scolding from their boss. Yu Ci smiled, picked up the cup on the table, and took a sip of the cold tea inside, finding it quite refreshing.
The Sun Light Sect was a large and prosperous family, and a few Three Yang Talisman Swords were nothing, but four thousand stalks of high-quality Shrimp Whisker Grass were quite impressive. If Yu Ci were to take them all out at once, it would definitely attract attention. Thus, Yu Ci put in some effort and, over three separate occasions, used three different methods to exchange for these four Three Yang Talisman Swords.
The first exchange raised only mild surprise from the Sun Light Sect’s steward; the second time, when he suddenly exchanged two swords at once, it started to seem suspicious; and by the time he exchanged the fourth sword today, it was no longer a matter of surprise but outright teasing. Especially since, although Yu Ci used different methods each time, they all had the same feature: using local idle hands for the transaction, which was highly conspicuous in the off-season for purchasing Shrimp Whisker Grass.
Even with the Sun Light Sect’s patience, this was intolerable. They sent someone to keep watch, trying to uncover Yu Ci’s background. Unfortunately, under Yu Ci’s meticulous arrangements and, more importantly, the mysterious function of the Divine Map, they could only be left dizzy and return empty-handed.
Yu Ci’s actions were initially motivated by caution. But he had to admit, he could have been simpler and more low-key, not involving so many steps, which might have been more effective and wouldn’t have indirectly provoked the Sun Light Sect as he did now.
The situation was purely a result of his own perverse enjoyment.
Ever since he developed the function of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror and used it multiple times, Yu Ci had become quite fond of it, unknowingly developing this habit.
How could he not develop this habit?
Putting away the four talisman swords, Yu Ci adjusted the Divine Map to the most comfortable position directly in front of him, then switched to the most macro perspective. In an instant, his focused thoughts seemed to sprout wings, soaring into the sky, and under the remaining dark clouds, the grand city revealed its true form, almost without any reservations.
Cliff City was built in accordance with the surrounding mountain terrain. On one side is the Dan Cliff, with the rear of the cliff being as smooth as a mirror. To the northeast lies the gentle slope that supports the city. Initially, the city and the cliff were one, seamlessly integrated. However, after hundreds or even thousands of years of development, the city has extended along the gentle slope into the entire basin and continued to expand northeast, eventually connecting with the remnants of the Boundary Mountain. It has formed a long, yet magnificently grand mountain city.
The rain that had just fallen flowed down from the mountains on either side, gathering into the city lake in the central basin. It then followed the man-made river channels southeast, forming a spectacular waterfall at the ten-mile slope outside the city, and merged into the Ba River that winds around the city.
Such a grand and intuitive impression is hard to fully grasp even for the local residents who have lived in the city for decades.
But that’s not all!
In Yu Ci’s view, within this magnificent city, small houses and large courtyards are densely packed, with hundreds of thousands of people crowded together like ants. Regardless of gender, age, wealth, or social status, whether they are experts or commoners, cultivators or immortals, they are all perfectly reflected in the Divine Image. As for the high mansions, large courtyards, and secret rooms, they are essentially irrelevant; the activities, joys, sorrows, and moods of countless people are constantly shifting, but no matter how they change, everything is laid bare to him without any privacy.
At this moment, he is like a god hovering above the city, encompassing the vast city and its hundreds of thousands of people in his grasp. This experience often leaves Yu Ci intoxicated and makes him keenly aware that he has reached a higher level.
Vision determines one’s breadth of mind, and the breadth of mind dictates one’s achievements. While others are still fixated on trivial gains, Yu Ci already possesses a vision that surpasses that of ordinary people by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times. This inevitably means that his goals far exceed ordinary imagination and transcend worldly boundaries.
He is very clear that this ascent in level is closely linked to his own cultivation. Without breaking through to the Divine Realm, none of this would be possible.
Immortality and cultivation truly are the best choices he has made in his life!
Yu Ci “stood” in mid-air, shifting his focus. If he had to choose the most interesting thing in Cliff City, it would undoubtedly be the “Upper City” built on the Dan Cliff, or more directly, the Sun Light Sect itself.
At this moment, he did not move, but the city of Cliff City did. The buildings and crowds flowed like a torrent and then suddenly froze. The scene shifted, and the Dan Cliff, where the Sun Light Sect is located, appeared like a colossal beast under the shadowy clouds, lying before his eyes.
Yu Ci’s thoughts reflected onto it, like a phantom navigating through the layers of doors and courtyards. He did not directly pinpoint a location but let his thoughts float within it. This immersive feeling was undoubtedly a pleasure. His greatest hobby now is to observe the movements of people within the Sun Light Sect through the Divine Image. There is no malice here, and of course, he does not intend to seek prior permission from the Sun Light Sect.
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