The Haze

After a brief introduction between Yuan Qing and Liu Chun, the four of them walked together toward the boarding location outside Banxiang City.

It was another period of a boring yet relaxing return journey.

Only this time, Lin Xiao noticed that the flying ship seemed to stop at one less city.

On their way here, he was absolutely certain he hadn't missed a single city; he had recorded every location they arrived at.

The city skipped on this return trip was named Hengtong City.

Lin Xiao asked Liao Pantu about this matter, and his reply was that it was nothing strange for the cultivation world to be missing a city or two.

Then Liao Pantu added:

"Did you not see how many people boarded at Jinshan City all at once before? I estimate that most of those people were not going to the Talisman Master Conference. It is possible that Hengtong City somehow offended Jinshan City previously."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao was stunned.

"So what you mean is that Hengtong City was likely... wiped out by Jinshan City?"

Wasn't this a bit too exaggerated?

Wiping out a city in just a matter of dozens of days?

Liao Pantu replied:

"It might not necessarily be wiped out, but it is highly likely that Jinshan City united most of the cities and sect factions in the Southern Spirit Domain to ostracize Hengtong City, coupled with various pressures from Jinshan City. In this way, even if Hengtong City can defend itself in the Southern Spirit Domain, it is equivalent to being besieged. Its demise is only a matter of time unless they can break free from this isolated and ostracized state."

After hearing this, Lin Xiao felt his horizons had been broadened once again.

Wasn't this just a city-level version of bullying?

As expected of the cultivation world, they really knew how to play rough.

Not knowing what came to mind, Liao Pantu sighed again and said:

"Therefore, Little Sect Master, this cultivation world is truly not a good place."

The more comfortable Liao Pantu's current life was in the Lingxian Sect, the more depressed he felt returning to the cultivation world.

The four people and one soul thus safely returned to Yuanling City without incident.

When they entered Yuanling City again, they felt that the atmosphere in the city had become somewhat subtle.

It seemed as if a faint haze loomed over everyone's heads.

At the end of one direction in Yuanling City, a plume of black smoke was genuinely spiraling in the sky. Yuan Qing said that was the direction of the Wu family's main residence.

Nowadays, everyone in Yuanling City felt insecure.

Especially those who usually had frequent dealings with the Wu family; they didn't even dare to step out of their doors.

To think that someone could break through Yuanling City's city domain barrier and massacre the entire Wu family without anyone noticing. Who knew if they would be the next target?

Although they were not quite clear on why the Wu family was annihilated.

Although the Wu family's overall reputation in Yuanling City was not good.

But this still could not comfort the people in the city and make them feel that this threat of death would not descend upon them.

Such an atmosphere in Yuanling City made Lin Xiao and his group feel extremely uncomfortable staying there.

If they didn't have to accompany Liu Chun to wait here for Elder Zhang's reply, Lin Xiao really wanted to return to Xiushui Village right now.

Therefore, during the first few days back in Yuanling City, the four of them went nowhere. They just huddled in the inn all day, immersing themselves in meditation and cultivation, or otherwise soaking their feet, chatting, eating, and drinking.

Besides this, they now had an additional entertainment activity: reading books.

Fortunately, they had bought many books before. Even though their reading speed was very fast now, easily taking in ten lines at a glance, those books were entirely enough for them to read for a long time.

Even so, they couldn't just wait around doing nothing.

Especially Lin Xiao.

He always felt that it would be a huge waste not to gather more information during his time in the cultivation world.

So after staying in the inn for a few days, he couldn't hold back and went out.

However, this time Lin Xiao didn't bring Jiang Youfu and the others; he only brought Yuan Qing out.

After all, Liu Chun was somewhat connected to the Wu family, and regarding the Wu family being wiped out this time, regardless of right or wrong, the root cause lay with Liu Chun. Lin Xiao was afraid that if Liu Chun showed his face and was recognized, there might be trouble, so he brought Yuan Qing instead.

The two arrived on the street and found that perhaps because several sects had recently sent more people to investigate, and the City Lord had strengthened the patrols on the streets, the people's moods had improved a bit and they weren't as panicked as they were a few days ago.

Lin Xiao didn't have a specific goal. Thinking about what he had discussed with Qin Jianghe before, as well as his current plans, he wandered the streets inquiring about and recording various commodity prices and types of goods.

Although he had been doing this when he first came to Yuanling City, there were truly too many things here, and he couldn't possibly record them all at once.

Now he just happened to have the time.

Before coming out, Lin Xiao had also disguised Yuan Qing, so there was no worry about Yuan Qing being recognized by acquaintances.

However, this was also because Yuan Qing had not yet grown up when he left Yuanling City. Now, even if people who knew him before saw him, unless it was a close acquaintance like Yuan Zhiyun, it was unlikely they would recognize him.

But putting on a disguise was still necessary.

The two strolled along the street, looking around everywhere.

Lin Xiao chatted with him as they walked.

"Daoist Friend Yuan, do you know about the mortal realm?"

Yuan Qing did not understand why Lin Xiao was paying attention to the prices and types of goods on the street, but he wasn't curious either; he was just keeping him company anyway.

Hearing Lin Xiao ask this, Yuan Qing thought for a moment before answering:

"I seem to have heard of it before, but I am not quite sure where it is."

Lin Xiao then asked again in a seemingly casual manner:

"Then what are your views on mortals?"

Yuan Qing really hadn't thought carefully about this question before. Now hearing him ask, he thought seriously for a moment before answering:

"I haven't had much contact with mortals, but I imagine they are similar to cultivators. It's just that they cannot cultivate, so they appear much weaker when facing cultivators. But human nature is the same; there are good and bad, kind and evil. It shouldn't have much to do with whether one is a cultivator or a mortal."

Lin Xiao nodded to show his understanding.

Then he asked tentatively:

"If you were asked to live among mortals, would you be willing?"

Yuan Qing did not suspect anything, only thinking that he was casually chatting, and nodded:

"If it were a normal environment, compared to sects and families, I would rather live with mortals..."

As he spoke, he remembered a mortal he had met when he was little.

There were also many mortals in Yuanling City.

It was just that in the cultivator-dominated Yuanling City, those mortals seemed to be invisible, completely lacking any presence.

What he remembered was that when he was young, during the time his parents passed away, when he was so hungry that his vision went dark and he could only scavenge for leftovers everywhere, a mortal had given him a large white steamed bun.

That was the only time during that period, before he was taken in by his older sister's family, that he felt any kindness from this world.

Thinking of this, he lowered his head and sighed softly:

"Mortals, perhaps they are much better..."

It was unknown whether Lin Xiao heard him or not.

After this topic, they didn't speak again for quite a while.

They wandered around the city for a whole day. Because this time he had a specific purpose, Lin Xiao spent the entire day seriously observing and recording the prices and categories.

Therefore, the content he recorded today was much more than every previous time.