Li Yan looked down the hillside. There was a dense forest at the foot of the mountain. The trees were getting bigger and thicker, and there were bushes on the ground, which had long covered up the traces of the battle.
Li Yan couldn't even find the tree he was leaning against before he fainted, but he seemed to see Master Ji lying in a pool of blood again.
There was a deep, bloody hole in his throat, his body twitched, and his eyes stared upwards at him, filled with resentment and anger...
Li Yan's thoughts were mixed, and slowly he no longer had any hatred towards Advisor Ji. If it weren't for him, he would never have embarked on the path to immortality.
Now Li Yan himself can hardly tell whether the immortal path that Advisor Ji led him to is good or bad.
Although he lost the filial piety of his parents when they were alive, he was able to see a more exciting side of the world. Although it was extremely dangerous, Li Yan felt that this was exactly what he wanted.
He had a rebellious nature since childhood and often escaped from private school, secretly following his family into the mountains to hunt wild animals.
Although he knew that if he joined the army and received food, he would face the possibility of death at any time in the war, he still followed Uncle Guo Xin into the city.
It was difficult for Li Yan to describe clearly whether Advisor Ji was good or bad. Perhaps if he could meet Advisor Ji again someday, he might be able to talk about their past relationship with him.
After standing there for a long time, when the bright moon rose high, Li Yan flew towards the center of the full moon in the night sky...
Seven years later, outside a coastal city, people were coming and going. Some were riding horses at full speed, while others were driving carriages. The wheels were rolling, leaving long trails of dust.
"Yuhai City" is a coastal city of the dynasty. It is an important commercial center of the dynasty. Merchants gather here, and the number of ships coming and going every day is as dense as clouds.
On this day, a young man in black came walking outside the west gate of "Yuhai City", looking exhausted.
The young man had ordinary looks and short hair, which made him a little different from the other people around him. However, Yuhai City had extensive sea transportation, and it was not uncommon to see people from outside the dynasty here.
There are even red-haired and blue-eyed people from the Extreme Western Luosha Night, so although the young man’s attire is a little different from that of the dynasty, it is not very special.
This person was none other than Li Yan, who had just regained his original appearance. Since leaving Daqing Mountain, he had concealed his aura and completely blended in among the mortal crowd.
This is a method that Pingtu told him, to experience all kinds of flavors in the world, to taste the bitterness, sweetness, sourness, and spiciness, and to carefully comprehend what he sees and gains as his mood changes.
In the past few years, he has served in the army as a soldier, worked as a bodyguard for merchants, and worked barefoot in the fields in the village. Every time he changed his appearance, he lived a different life...
His state of mind will change with his different identities, and he will have various insights, but he still cannot have a sudden enlightenment that will transform him completely.
After Li Yan took out a pass, he followed the crowd into "Yuhai City" amid the impatient urging of the gatekeepers.
After Li Yan entered the city, his ears were filled with all kinds of hawking sounds that came like a heat wave. There were all kinds of flags on both sides of the street, and martial arts halls, medical clinics, inns, restaurants, brothels, etc. were everywhere.
Some waiters and pimps stand on the street and enthusiastically attract all kinds of customers, half inviting and half inviting them, making it difficult for people to refuse. Only those who are short of money have to flee in panic.
Li Yan walked casually in the city. He no longer had the feeling of being superior as a cultivator. He slowly integrated himself into the city and felt the changes in people's hearts.
At noon, Li Yan entered a tavern, ordered two dishes and a pot of wine, then sat at the table and drank alone.
In half a day, he walked through most of "Yuhai City". This city is indeed an important place for merchants to come and go in the dynasty.
When he was in Qingshanai before, he had heard Chen An and others talk about the prosperity of this city. When he saw it today, it was indeed very lively.
There are not only many merchants but also many talented scholars and literati gathered here, reciting poems and composing essays, writing calligraphy after drinking, and being unrestrained.
The dynasty has ruled this world for more than 500 years, and the country is prosperous and the people are safe.
Although there were many wars with neighboring countries, resulting in countless casualties among the people living on the border, it had little impact on some important cities in the interior.
People always feel that the country is peaceful and the people are prosperous. There are very few people who rise up in rebellion and slaughter people. It can be seen that the imperial monarchs also have extremely powerful means.
Li Yan looked at the people coming and going outside the window, thinking about his next move.
A few days ago, he handed over his house in a mountain village and his few acres of land to the family of "Brother Feng" who had taken good care of him, and then left the remote mountain village where he had lived for three years.
"I still have no clue after all these years. I can only try another method next time. Sigh!"
Li Yan frowned and thought carefully, constantly thinking about what to do next.
"Yuhai City" is a good place. There are all kinds of industries here, and Li has many choices.
While Li Yan was thinking, he glanced out the window inadvertently and saw several gigolos running around across the building downstairs.
Behind them stood a loft named "Fan Chun Si". On the second floor, there were many young girls dressed in red and green. They were covering their red lips with silk handkerchiefs, fanning themselves with silk fans, and giggling as they looked at the passers-by below.
When Li Yan glanced at the man in green clothes and a small hat below, he couldn't help but have a few black lines on his forehead.
"Pooh, pooh, pooh... How can there be any mental breakthrough in this line of work? Why are you desperate and trying all kinds of treatments!"
At this moment, Li Yan's ears moved slightly, and amid the noise in the tavern, he heard the conversation between several people.
Li Yan did not turn around either. His spiritual sense had already reflected that behind him, three people who were four tables away from him were having an interested conversation.
Although the voices of several people were quite loud, it was difficult for others to notice them in such a noisy hall.
Among the three men, two were big men, all dressed in tight clothes. One had a knife on his waist, and the other had a pistol inserted diagonally on his back.
Another person was a scholar in a green robe, with a sword hanging from his waist. The three of them had bright eyes and bulged temples, and they were obviously experts in the outlaws. "Brother Jiang, the mansion of Lord Cui you mentioned is looking for a guard coach. Could it be the Lord Cui who retired from the court a few years ago?"
A short and strong man in black asked.
There were two short guns crossed and inserted diagonally behind his back. They looked like chain-hook sickle guns. People who used such weapons were particularly good at long-range strikes and lying on the ground, and were generally very difficult to deal with.
He slammed the wine bowl in his hand on the table, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, and grinned.
"That's right. After Duke Cui resigned from the court, he returned to his ancestral home, Yuhai City.
I heard that the reason he only recruited a guard coach was because he rejected the guards sent by the palace, and only brought a few trusted men back here. "
The middle-aged man in blue who looked like a scholar sitting opposite the short and strong man in black took a bite of food and put it in his mouth, then spoke softly.
He had some friendship with the two men opposite him. They were fellow disciples and they had been protecting merchants for many years and occasionally they would engage in murder and robbery.
After the few people met in the city today, these two people insisted on inviting him to drink. After three rounds of drinks, the two sides couldn't help but talk more.
After hearing this, the short and strong man in black looked at the other big man in purple, and he was the first to ask the question.
"Duke Cui's close associates are all top martial arts masters. I heard that among them are 'Flying Ape Picking Stars' Bao Feiyu and 'Ghost Head Axe' Song Duan.
Although they have not reached the realm of perfection, they are also top-notch masters. Moreover, this is in Yuhai City which is not far from the capital.
The city has always been peaceful, so why do we need guards who are at least first-class? This is completely different from ordinary guards."
"Brother Jiang, are you mistaken? It is said that Duke Cui is a master of the Transformation Realm. Is it necessary to hire someone else?"
The big man in purple who had not spoken a word also asked in confusion.
When the scholar in green heard this, an unhappy look immediately appeared on his face.
"What? Do you think I'm talking nonsense? You just arrived here. In fact, if you just ask around, you will know whether I'm lying to you or not."
The two short and strong men in black turned pale when they heard this. They knew that they had been a bit rash and their words had made the other party dissatisfied.
“Hehehe… Brother Jiang has misunderstood. It’s just that there are only a few people in this dynasty who don’t know Duke Cui. Before he joined the army, he was already a top-notch internal martial arts master in our Green Forest.
His trusted followers are all good at martial arts, so they need a guard coach. Of course, they are suspicious. It is my brother who is reckless. Come on, let's drink, let's drink..."
When the scholar in blue saw the other party apologize, his expression relaxed.
"I do know some other rumors about this matter, it's because of Duke Cui..."
He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he immediately lowered his voice. Perhaps he still felt something was wrong, so he switched to the secret method of transmitting sound.
"Guardian coach? This is quite interesting!"
Li Yan put down the wine glass in his hand, his eyes flickered a few times, he quickly stood up, paid for the wine, went downstairs and left!
If you were to ask who is the most famous person in "Yuhai City", there were many famous people here five years ago.
There are first- and second-rank officials in the court, as well as various wealthy businessmen who are as rich as a country.
But ever since Duke Cui retired from the court and returned here, all the officials and wealthy businessmen, both big and small, in "Yuhai City" have become much more restrained.
He strictly disciplined his children and grandchildren not to act arrogantly and cause trouble in the city as they did in the past. Duke Cui was known for his harsh and ruthless methods.
Although he loved his soldiers like his own sons when he was in the army, military discipline was always the top priority. Anyone who disobeyed his orders would be punished lightly or beheaded in public in severe cases.
When he was in the imperial capital, he even taught a few princes of the current dynasty a lesson personally.
Hearing that the Third Prince, who had always been the most domineering, had forcibly occupied a business in the city, the family filed a lawsuit, but not only did they fail, but the owner was also charged with the crime of falsely accusing a royal relative and was detained and imprisoned.
The lady at home originally wanted to file a new lawsuit to seek justice, but someone pointed out that Duke Cui was upright and incorruptible and was not afraid of the royal relatives, and listed some of Duke Cui's deeds.
This lady was so determined that she bypassed the Dali Temple and went straight to the mansion of Duke Cui to file a complaint.
After verifying the situation, Duke Cui took out the golden mace bestowed with jade and blocked the Third Prince outside the palace when he was about to go out. He beat the Third Prince so hard that he could not get out of bed for more than a month.
Afterwards, the emperor of the time placed the Third Prince under house arrest, and did not punish Duke Cui.
After these rumors, the officials and wealthy people in "Yu Hai City" no longer had the arrogant faces they used to have, which made "Yu Hai City" become harmonious in recent years.
In an area in the southeast of "Yuhai City", it is the place that people in the city have paid the most attention to in recent years.
This place was not originally an important location in the city. On the contrary, the mansions of officials and wealthy businessmen were all concentrated in the center of the city. Only those who could buy houses and land there were considered to be symbols of their wealth.
But since five years ago, "Tianfeng Lane" in the southeast of the city has become a place that many people pay most attention to.
Because there is a man there who can make the whole "Yuhai City" terrified just by stomping his feet - Duke Cui.