122. Entering the City

At this moment, Tong He was like a playful child. Despite his centuries of psychological age, he was behaving in a way that made one unable to help but smile. Watching the old man’s gluttonous expression, Qi Fei felt both exasperated and amused. He muttered, "Hmph, it’s just a plate of poached meat slices. If you want to eat it, I’ll have you eat it every day, every meal, until you’re sick of it. It doesn’t cost much anyway."

As soon as these words left his mouth, they earned him a sidelong glance from Tong He. "I call this savoring life, you brat. What would you know? I haven’t eaten cooked food in hundreds of years; how could you possibly understand the nuances of the flavor?"

Hearing this, a sudden pang of bitterness welled up in Qi Fei’s heart. It was true—when this old man was merely a soul, drifting between heaven and earth, how lonely and helpless he must have been. And then, he finally found a host in Qi Fei, only to have that be the beginning of a nightmare...

However, Tong He’s earlier comment had left Qi Fei feeling mentally scorched. He had initially thought the old man possessed a certain air of dignity, but after that standard "savoring life" remark, Qi Fei had to change the subject. "Fine, fine, you go ahead and savor it. I’d better see what these stalkers following me are actually up to. If they dare to set their sights on the Golden Silver Wolf King, I’ll have this little guy bite them all—even those who have only just reached the Xiantian realm."

"What a lack of ambition. Why bother with such small fry? Do you have no sense of what it means to be a powerhouse?" Tong He rolled his eyes at him. "Remember, you are now a Xiantian practitioner yourself. You can completely ignore those who haven't reached that level... though, if you really find it boring to just sit here and eat, you could use them to find something to do."

Qi Fei paused, stunned. "Use them? What could we possibly do?"

Tong He smiled faintly. After taking another bite of his food, he said slowly, "Ask them who the strongest person in this city is. If it’s someone who has reached the Xiantian realm, you can stretch your limbs a bit as a warm-up for our upcoming journey of challenges."

"The strongest in this city... that would likely be someone from the Ma family. Hmm, that sounds worth the effort." Qi Fei mused, rubbing his chin, a sense of anticipation rising within him. Previously, when facing Xiantian experts, he had achieved nothing without Tong He controlling his body, not even with his sword-drawing technique. Now that he had reached the Xiantian realm himself, he was eager to see what effect his various skills would have.

Thinking of this, he felt an uncontrollable urge. He was no longer like he was at Danxia Mountain, painstakingly searching for experts. Having reached the Xiantian realm and learned so much from the hidden grotto, he felt confident enough to face most Xiantian practitioners head-on without fear. With that thought, Qi Fei immediately grabbed the windowsill and vaulted out. Utilizing the aerial movement abilities inherent to Xiantian experts, he landed effortlessly in front of a young, burly man he had been tracking for some time.

Seeing the man’s astonishment—his mouth hanging open in the middle of a hawking cry—Qi Fei gave a cold huff. He reached out, grabbed the man’s arm, and channeled a burst of heaven-and-earth energy to subdue his body. Then, leaning in, he whispered, "Follow me, and don't make a sound. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee I won't crush your jaw." With such a strong threat coupled with his vastly superior combat ability, the burly man had no choice but to remain silent.

Guided by Qi Fei’s slight tug, the man wisely followed. Soon, Qi Fei brought him to a private room and released his hold. "Don't even think about running," Qi Fei whispered again. "As a low-level Xiantian martial artist, you know what happens if you don't behave. And don't think about your companions coming to save you; they’d only be coming here to collect your corpse."

When Qi Fei first spotted this man, he had seemed cunning, and Qi Fei’s initial impression was poor. He hadn't bothered to find anyone else, simply grabbing this one. Even while warning him, Qi Fei noticed the man’s eyes darting around, clearly plotting something. To his surprise, once they were in the room, the man became remarkably cooperative.

Before Qi Fei even revealed his intentions, the man stood respectfully and said, "I understand perfectly, Young Master. If you have any questions, please ask. I guarantee I will tell you everything I know."

This response caught Qi Fei off guard. Though he suspected the man had ulterior motives, the vast gap in their strength meant Qi Fei had nothing to fear. After a moment of thought, he waved his hand and asked, "In that case, tell me: why were you tracking me, and who sent you?"

The man hurriedly replied, "Young Master, you are absolutely right! Even if I had the guts of a bear, I wouldn't dare track you!"

Hearing this, the man’s face cleared. Since he realized Qi Fei was looking for the mastermind rather than just looking to punish him, he stood up straighter. "I am merely a small pawn, forced to act against my will. A person like me has neither the courage to stab a master like you in the back nor the arrogance to show off in front of you. In the end, I am just a low-level martial artist struggling to survive. Please, take pity on me—just treat me like a fart and let me go."

"Enough, skip the useless talk." Seeing the man about to ramble on, Qi Fei waved his hand impatiently. "Answer the question! I don't have time to waste!" Qi Fei knew the man was trying to act insignificant to save his own skin. In truth, Qi Fei hadn't intended to punish him; he just needed information.

Clearly sensing Qi Fei’s attitude, the man stopped rambling. "Young Master, the one who sent me is Old Master Wang from the south side of the city. He leads one of the two largest private factions in Yunshan City, second only to the Ma family. If you have any plans, please be cautious. It is said he has four Xiantian bodyguards who are not only skilled in their own right but also proficient in a joint-attack formation capable of handling seven or eight Xiantian experts at once."

"Oh? Four Xiantian bodyguards proficient in a joint-attack formation..." This wasn't the final answer Qi Fei wanted, but it piqued his interest. According to Tong He, ordinary Xiantian practitioners were no longer a challenge; he needed those with unique talents or extraordinary skills. These four fit the bill.

He glanced at Tong He, who was still enjoying his food and wine, unperturbed. Not understanding the old man's silence, Qi Fei waved at the burly man. "I know now. Go do what you must. Remember, don't let me see you lurking around again, or you know the consequences."

"I understand, perfectly," the man said, relieved. He added solemnly, "Young Master, rest assured, I, Sun Mo, know better than to gamble with my life. I guarantee my shadow will never be seen monitoring you again."

After the man left, Qi Fei turned to Tong He. "Old man, why so silent? Surely you heard what he said. Four Xiantian experts proficient in joint attacks—wouldn't that be worth a try? One against four is a greater challenge."

"What a waste of my time," Tong He muttered, continuing to eat. After a long while, under Qi Fei’s expectant gaze, he finally swallowed his food and said softly, "Brat, tell me: are these so-called 'four bodyguards' the strongest in Yunshan City?"

Qi Fei paused, then scratched his head thoughtfully. "Well, I haven't asked specifically, but I doubt it. Given that the Ma family’s ancestral temple is located here, they wouldn't tolerate anyone else being the top dog. The strongest in the region must be from the Ma family."

Tong He grinned. "Whenever you go somewhere, challenge only the recognized top genius or the strongest in their tier. Why waste time on the mediocre?"

"Understood." Qi Fei agreed immediately.

Since there were so many talented people in the world, he couldn't possibly challenge everyone. If he followed Tong He's logic, the information about the bodyguards was useless. He had to go out and grab another scout to find out more.

Soon, the second scout revealed that the strongest in Yunshan City was indeed a Xiantian expert sent by the Ma family following the Danxia Mountain incident. His name was Ma Lianliang, the younger brother of the family head, Ma Lianyun. Though he was sixty-five and lacked Ma Lianyun’s legendary strength, he had been a Xiantian expert for twenty years.

He had reached the Xiantian realm at twenty-five through his own hard work and had spent most of his life in seclusion. Since taking control of the Danxia Mountain and Yunshan City regions, he had not only boosted the Ma family’s reputation but also captured many of their enemies.

Most importantly, this man had once used a pair of Cloud-Piercing Spears to single-handedly hold off nine Xiantian martial artists from various factions for an entire day and night without showing any sign of defeat.

It was clear that he was not called the strongest by mere reputation. Even the four bodyguards mentioned earlier had been among those nine who fought him.

Qi Fei realized Tong He was right; challenging the bodyguards would have been a waste of time. He turned to ask the scout more about Ma Lianliang. He learned that today was Ma Lianliang’s sixty-fifth birthday, and a grand banquet would be held at his residence tonight. If Qi Fei wanted to find the strongest man in Yunshan City, he would certainly be there.

"Old man, shall we go meet him today?" Qi Fei asked. Tong He, who had overheard everything, merely gave a noncommittal grunt.

Seeing Qi Fei’s hopeful expression, Tong He sighed. "Look at you. You’re a Xiantian expert now, can’t you act like one? No matter how big the matter is, it can wait until we finish our meal!"

He shook his head, sighing, "Still just a child. Even if you’ve experienced a lot, you discard your composure the moment you’re around those you trust. You still have a long way to go before you can see the mountains as mountains."

"Is that really necessary?" Qi Fei muttered to himself. "You’re someone I trust, after all... and if I acted like a stiff expert in front of you every day, you’d probably be the first to complain that I’ve lost my youthful spirit." He knew Tong He didn't care about such things; the old man believed in living spontaneously.

With a smirk, Qi Fei stopped talking and began to devour the rest of the meal, no longer bothering to act like a stoic master.

A cool evening breeze blew through Yunshan City, and the night was filled with the festive atmosphere of a celebration.