Chapter 162 - 157: The Grand Enterprise of the Capital City

"Xinyue, I imagine they won't let you stay," Ding Huan whispered, fully aware that no matter how quietly he spoke, the other party could hear him. But he hadn't intended to use a voice transmission. He had understood why he could hear Zhi Qi's first voice transmission, but the second time Zhi Qi used the skill, it was raised by several levels, to say the least. Zhi Qi's first voice transmission was for that old man and the young woman to hear. It was to tell them that he, Zhi Qi, had used a strategy. As long as Ding Huan thought Zhi Qi's voice transmission ability was ordinary, he might pass some secrets to Xinyue via voice transmission. These voice transmissions would end up in the ears of the old man and the young woman. And Zhi Qi's real intention was to tell Ding Huan not to use voice transmission here, because others could hear it. If Ding Huan couldn't understand Zhi Qi's hint, then it would mean that even with Xinyue by his side, Zhi Qi wouldn't feel reassured. However, Qi Xinyue replied to Ding Huan in Hua Xia language, in a low voice: "Xiao Tu, I can tell from the old man's gaze. If I insist on staying, they will certainly kill you and Lou Buzhi. Zhi Qi voice transmitted to me a while ago that if I really don't want to leave with them, there is indeed a way." "What way?" asked Ding Huan. Ding Huan scolded himself inwardly for responding to Qi Xinyue in Hua Xia language. Even if they openly spoke in Hua Xia language, who would understand? "Zhi Qi said he could take me to the Taoist Realm's Heavenly Artifact Sect, where he has a way to get me to join the Sect. You just have to go to the Heavenly Artifact Sect and meet up with me," said Qi Xinyue. Ding Huan felt very grateful for Zhi Qi's method, but they couldn't do this; if they did, Zhi Qi would surely die without a doubt. After a brief consideration, Ding Huan made up his mind: "Xinyue, by doing this, Zhi Qi would definitely die. You head to the God clan first, then find a way to the Taoist Realm to meet up with me... Let's choose to meet either at the Heavenly Artifact Sect or its vicinity." "Okay," Qi Xinyue nodded firmly. After speaking, she added: "Don't worry, if I can't come out in time to reach the Heavenly Artifact Sect, I will also strive to cultivate, seeking to control my own destiny sooner. I will not be bound by their things." "Xinyue, you've also been unable to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment, which might possibly require the cultivation technique of the God clan. So going to the God clan may not necessarily be a bad thing. Even if you cannot reach the Heavenly Artifact Sect in time to meet up with me, as long as we're both in this Star Land, I refuse to believe we won't see each other again. When the day comes that my cultivation is sufficient, and if you still can't come out, I'll openly go to the God clan to marry you and then tell them: what can they do to me?" Qi Xinyue gripped Ding Huan's hand tightly and spoke word by word: "Xiao Tu, I like the way you talk. If I can't come out, I'll wait for you in the God clan to openly marry me." "Okay," Ding Huan uttered a single word that undeniably revealed his thoughts. Qi Xinyue placed her hand on the Star House over Ding Huan's chest: "My heart is as tenacious as reed grass; take good care of yourself." After saying this, Qi Xinyue turned and walked toward Zhi Qi. Although Ding Huan did not use his Divine Will, he could feel the waves of killing intent from the old man and the young woman when Qi Xinyue held his hand. Ding Huan stared at the entrance of the Rest Inn, his gaze unwavering from beginning to end. Qi Xinyue's emotions seemed as plain as they could get, like the everyday rice, oil, salt, and vinegar of ordinary life, hidden in the calm passage of time, always there but never dramatic. She was the kind of girl whose heart burnt fiercer, the more tranquil the companionship. Beneath that usual plainness, there was a determination inscrutable to others. To say 'my heart is as tenacious as reed grass' today was the utmost expression from the depths of her heart. He understood Qi Xinyue. He got it when she yearned for Foundation Establishment after they promised to marry once she achieved it. He also grasped the meaning behind Qi Xinyue's farewell words. It came from a poem; the original text was 'You should be as immovable as a boulder, and I will be like the reed grass; the reed grass is tenacious as silk, and the boulder never shifts.' It was clear that for the sake of being with him, Qi Xinyue had started studying the Hua Xia language long ago. As for Qi Xinyue pressing her hand on the Star House, it was her way of telling him that she had woven the cord that hung the Star House, and she wouldn't leave. This bothered him, but as he had said before, perhaps Xinyue needed to go to the God clan for her Foundation Establishment. He himself couldn't achieve Foundation Establishment right now, so how could Xinyue by his side? "Brother Huan, they've gone," Lou Buzhi couldn't help calling out to Ding Huan. Ding Huan strove to calm his emotions and withdrew his mind. "My friend, we're from the City Patrol Guard, here to understand the specifics of what happened," two City Patrol Guards approached Ding Huan and inquired only now. Ding Huan pointed in the direction where Zhi Qi and the others had disappeared: "You saw it too, I don't even know those three people. They killed someone and took away my friend." The City Patrol Guards nodded; they had indeed seen the situation very clearly. Moreover, they already had some knowledge about the origins of those three individuals, so there wasn't much to understand. "Let's head back first," Ding Huan said to Lou Buzhi, leaving the tea room to go upstairs. The tea room was somewhat disarrayed, someone would tidy it up. ... Back in the room, Ding Huan began to use his Prediction Technique on the people from the God clan who had come. Just as he expected, he couldn't figure out anything; everything was blurry. It probably wasn't a problem with the Big Calculation Skill; it was more likely due to his inadequate cultivation. And it might relate to the Heaven and Earth Rules, which he still couldn't understand. "Brother Huan," Lou Buzhi's voice came from outside. Ding Huan opened the door. As soon as Lou Buzhi entered, he asked: "Brother Huan, are we still going to stay here?" He was somewhat uneasy. The three people who had caused them trouble today had left, but once the three who had been injured healed, would they come back to bother them again? "We'll stay here; they won't come back," Ding Huan understood Lou Buzhi's concerns. He was very clear that the real backing of those three injured individuals was like the male shopkeeper. After the God clan had killed the shopkeeper, the remaining three would surely not come back unless they grew tired of living. Moreover, he didn't dare leave this place, for he did not believe that Zhi Qi's reminder was false. "I'm sorry, Brother Huan, if I hadn't gone out to find something to do, none of this would have happened." Lou Buzhi felt very guilty. Ding Huan shook his head: "It has nothing to do with you. Do you know why they were able to accurately come to the Traveler's Rest Inn? It's because they sensed Xinyue's God clan identity." Whether Lou Buzhi went out or not, as long as Qi Xinyue was from the God clan, they would find her. What exactly was the God clan, and why were people here so fearful of them, Ding Huan didn't know yet. Knowing or not knowing didn't matter, just like he had told Qi Xinyue before, one day he would go and boldly marry Qi Xinyue from the God clan to see what they could do to him. "Do I still need to go out and make money?" Lou Buzhi, without a livelihood, always felt a little uneasy. Ding Huan waved his hand: "No need, from now on concentrate on your cultivation and prepare for the Sect's big recruitment in a month. By the way, what are you cultivating?" Lou Buzhi took out a cultivation technique from his chest and handed it to Ding Huan: "Brother Huan, it's this." Alchemy Dao? Ding Huan opened the book with curiosity; it actually was a cultivation technique that entered the Dao through alchemy. It wasn't that Lou Buzhi was entering the Dao through alchemy, but rather the person who wrote this technique had done so and therefore had written this cultivation technique. People following it could find a new path through their cultivation. "Not knowing, this cultivation technique is quite extraordinary, where did you get it from?" Ding Huan just flipped through it and knew this was not a common street item. Lou Buzhi touched his head shyly: "It was from that Medicine Tripod." Ding Huan realized that Lou Buzhi had gotten the Medicine Tripod and this cultivation technique. He couldn't keep the Medicine Tripod, so he had to send it away. It was likely that the guys who got the Medicine Tripod also didn't expect Lou Buzhi to have kept a cultivation technique. In fact, wasn't it the same for Ding Qi, who had left behind something even better? Heaven and Earth Treasure, that was the real treasure. Ding Huan specially looked at the Foundation Establishment part of Alchemy Dao; it was worlds apart from what he had imagined, a Dao Body forged on the foundation of the Alchemy Dao. For him, it was almost without reference value, and he casually handed Alchemy Dao back to Lou Buzhi: "Not knowing, your cultivation technique is impressive but difficult to practice as it requires the accompaniment of Medicine Pills." His cultivation at each stage required the support of Medicine Pills. Without Pills, Lou Buzhi himself couldn't refine any, so there was no way to advance. Lou Buzhi nodded: "I know, that's why when the Daoist Sects recruit disciples, if I get the chance, I plan to join an Alchemy Dao Sect." Ding Huan very much agreed with Lou Buzhi's idea. ... Ding Huan had thought that after the incident in the first floor teahouse of the Rest Inn, people would come to inquire about him. What he didn't expect was that things would quiet down after that. No one came to seek him out, so naturally, he wouldn't stir up trouble. Thinking that there was still nearly a month's time, he simply immersed himself in researching the Big Calculation Skill in his room. His Prediction Technique was too vast and complex. Whether it was due to his insufficient cultivation preventing him from calculating some events, Ding Huan felt his understanding of the Technique was still far from deep. This made him even more dedicated to the Big Calculation Skill. The iron pot in his backpack, after absorbing two rounds of Blossom God Crystal Stones, began to absorb slowly and eventually stopped absorbing altogether. Ding Huan began to use the iron pot to prepare some food, and as he anticipated, following the absorption of Blossom God Crystal Stone's Qi, the pot made everything delicious. More than that, it seemed to have a feedback of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. What surprised Ding Huan was that this feedback of infusing the food with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the iron pot was slowly increasing with time. Wouldn't this mean that as long as he had enough time, one day cooking with the iron pot would surpass the benefits of direct cultivation absorption? Days passed by, and that day Ding Huan calculated as usual. When he vaguely saw himself falling from a high floor of the Rest Inn, he felt something was wrong in his heart. He definitely wouldn't fall for no reason; he must've been blasted down by someone. In that case, he might as well leave in advance. Since he was going to Daye City to participate in the Sect Disciples' selection anyway, he might as well go now. He called for Lou Buzhi and Lao Liu and quickly checked out and departed. Qi Xinyue had left, and Lao Liu was still careless, not even asking a single question. This made Ding Huan almost not want to bring this guy along. Ding Huan and Lou Buzhi chose not to take a carriage, choosing instead to walk. After resting in the wilderness for one night, the next evening, Ding Huan and Lou Buzhi arrived in Daye City. Before they came to Daye City, Jihe City also seemed bustling. After arriving in Daye City, both Ding Huan and Lou Buzhi marveled that Daye City was the true definition of bustling. Even entering the city was not easy; the city gate was simply packed with people. "Brother Huan, I'm a little worried I won't be chosen by a Sect." Seeing so many people flocking to Daye City, Lou Buzhi felt uneasy again. These guys were probably all here to participate in the Sect Disciples' selection in a few days. Ding Huan himself was even less certain; the only thing he could say was: "Let's take it one step at a time. Who can be clear about things that haven't started yet?" He had calculated many times for himself but could not predict whether he would join a Sect. It seemed he had no qualification to predict anything about the Daoist Sects. Fortunately, Daye City was spacious inside, and once they entered, they were not as crowded as at the city gate. "Shall we find a place to stay?" Although that's what he said, in fact, Lou Buzhi, seeing the flow of people in Daye City, knew that finding an inn wouldn't be easy. "Forget it, let's just sleep on the street corner. Look at how many people there are; even if we find a place, we won't have true business coins to pay." Ding Huan was very aware that they wouldn't find accommodations.