Chapter 142: Chapter 130: Determination to Become Stronger_1
Lu Yan and Zhao Sirong scoured the village, only to find no living soul present.
Not even a sign of livestock eating and breathing could be spotted.
A truly horrifying sight - they left no living beings behind.
"In this sort of world, normal people have a hard time surviving."
Lu Yan lamented in silence.
Commoners live in constant fear, from dawn to dusk.
Even those who strive to live may be inexplicably killed by these mysterious existences.
In the Kaoshan Village, a Martial Spirit tried to kill Li Cangxin, and now again these monsters...
The entire village was obliterated in just one day.
Of course, this might also have something to do with the turbulent times we are going through.
In the peak period of the Da Chu Dynasty, the country was prosperous with a plethora of powerhouses. Armies of Martial Artists suppressed the world, exterminating all monsters, Martial Spirits, and demons, who either succumbed or hid themselves, not daring to stir any storms.
But in the chaotic times of today, the Feudal Lords are fighting amongst themselves, and all sorts of monsters and ghouls are coming to the forefront.
In this present world, who can flatten the world and restore the glory of Da Chu?
The reason seeing more, knowing more, and experiencing more is making Lu Yan even more determined to become stronger.
His power now is impressive but if he encounters a Master Level monster, or something even scarier than that, then he, like the villagers here, may be slaughtered without any chance of retaliation.
The world is vast.
Da Chu has seventy-two states, Xuan Zhou being one of them.
And, Xuan Zhou has twenty-eight counties, Lingdong has six, which is only a corner of Xuan Zhou.
He was still insignificant.
Various thoughts flashed across Lu Yan’s mind.
"Brother Lu, should we go and meet up with Zhao Hao? I’m afraid he might have run into an ambush as well."
Zhao Sirong proposed.
Lu Yan nodded his head.
The two left Mangwu Village and followed the path Zhao Hao took to chase the monster. They didn’t get far when they saw Zhao Hao rushing towards them.
"Zhao Hao, are you alright?"
Upon seeing Zhao Hao, Zhao Sirong let out a sigh of relief.
"I’m fine. I’ve killed that monster. What about you two, did you manage to kill that monster?"
Zhao Hao asked.
"We chased it all the way into Mangwu Village, only to run into an ambush..."
Zhao Sirong quickly went through their experiences.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hao’s face turned solemn, "I didn’t expect there to actually be an ambush. Luckily, Brother Lu was there to help. Brother Lu, I apologize for misunderstanding you before."
As he spoke, Zhao Hao cupped his fists towards Lu Yan.
"You don’t have to do this, Brother Zhao. You were just eager to kill that monster, there’s no reason for you to blame yourself."
Lu Yan said with a smile.
For some reason, when he looked at Zhao Hao, he always felt a little odd.
Especially when they just met, he felt an unfamiliar yet haunting feeling when Zhao Hao looked at him.
However, when he carefully looked at Zhao Hao and observed him secretly, he didn’t find anything unusual.
"Maybe, I’m just overthinking."
Lu Yan thought to himself.
"Brother Lu, are you heading to Lingwang City?"
Zhao Sirong asked.
"Yes, now that the monsters are wreaking havoc, all the mighty Feudal Lords are joining forces in Lingwang City to fight against them, and I want to contribute as well."
Lu Yan spoke righteously.
"Brother Lu, I admire your sense of righteousness. We’ve been patrolling around these parts in the last few days to prevent any monsters from sneaking in. In a few days, we’ll rotate and return to Lingwang City. Why don’t you travel with us?"
Zhao Sirong suggested.
"Well, that would be great."
Lu Yan nodded.
Having the chance to form an alliance with the Zhao Clan, Lu Yan wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Moreover, from the looks of Zhao Sirong and Zhao Hao, they were both very young, no more than thirty years, and yet their Cultivation Levels were so high. Their status in the Zhao Clan must be significant.
Forming an alliance with them is nothing but helpful in acquiring the Heart Tempering Decision.
The three returned to the tavern where they met their three subordinates.
The two poisoned men and the woman had moderately suppressed their poison with their Qi-blood after a tough detoxification.
Zhao Sirong ordered one of her followers to return to Lingwang City with the three in order to seek medical help.
The rest of them continued their patrol outside the city.
Three days sped by in an instant.
Over these three days, they didn’t encounter any more monsters.
Eventually, another team came to replace Zhao Sirong’s group, and Lu Yan accompanied Zhao Sirong, Zhao Hao, and the others to Lingwang City.
Soon, a grand old city appeared before their eyes.
This was the most magnificent city Lu Yan had ever seen.
It was beyond compare to Baicao City and Nanyi City.
The city walls were over 15 meters tall, grayish-green, sturdy, and had weathered the sands of time.
From a distance, they could already see groups of armed soldiers patrolling the city walls.
According to legend, Lingwang City was the royal city of a king of the Da Chu Dynasty a thousand years ago. His title was Lingwang, hence the city was named after him.
The city was facing south and backed by the north.
Both its east and west sides were bordered by a series of tall mountains, steep and rugged, with cliffs thousands of feet high that are impassable to commoners.
"At present, the monsters are north of Lingwang City. They normally hide in the mountains and could attack at any moment. The experts from the powerful feudal lords have gathered here in Lingwang City, thus creating a stalemate with the monsters."
Zhao Sirong explained.
Lu Yan expressed his confusion, saying, "Judging by the terrain, although the mountains on both sides of Lingwang City are treacherous, they can’t stop the demonic beasts, can they?"
The large mountains on both sides of Lingwang City are indeed steep, difficult for ordinary people to climb, but they certainly can’t stop Limit Breaking Warriors.
As for demonic beasts, most of them are the transformations of ferocious birds and beasts, their bodies are strong, often much stronger than that of a martial artist, with the advantage of being naturally superior, who could stop them?
Why would the armies of demonic beasts not go around the two sides of Lingwang City and attack somewhere else?
"Many people also find this bizarre. Those demonic beasts seem to target Lingwang City, as if they must breach it."
"The demonic beast army is under the command of the demonic beasts’ king. Some people guess, does the Demonic Beast King wish to kill someone in Lingwang City, or is there something in Lingwang City that attracts the Demonic Beast King?"
Zhao Sirong explained.
As they were talking and walking, they arrived at the city gate in no time.
The city gate was naturally guarded by heavy troops, and all were experts. Lu Yan glanced around and found several men with sharp eyes and strong aura, obviously, they were all Martial Marquis level experts.
Although Zhao Sirong and Zhao Hao were part of the Zhao Clan, they also had to go through strict checks before entering the city.
The same naturally applies to Lu Yan.
After a rigorous inspection, they were allowed to enter the city.
The streets were paved with bluestone and were over six meters wide.
On both sides of the street, the noisy bazaar was ceaseless, with all kinds of stores, full of people, lively and vigorous, a completely different world from outside the city.
Aside from ordinary people, there were also many martial artists.
Martial artists greatly differed from ordinary people because at the limit breaking stage, they develop their physique potential, coupled with consuming Martial Food, they usually have an exceptional physique.
Each time they broke through the Sealed Door, their bodies would get taller and more rugged.
However, after reaching Martial Marquis rank, it would not be so.
At the Martial Marquis stage, the potential within the bones is developed, mainly refining the bones and transforming the body. This stage focuses more on interior transformation emphasizing quality rather than volume.
Therefore, even after Lu Yan broke through to the Martial Marquis rank and smashed through several thresholds, his physique did not undergo significant changes.
Upon reaching Grandmaster rank, it’s even more so, going towards refining the internal organs.
"Brother Lu, we have to report back, my home is in the East City at the Ming Xiang Mansion. If you need anything, feel free to come to find me."
Said Zhao Sirong.
"Okay, I will be bothering Miss Sirong then."
Lu Yan nodded.
He actually wanted to ask Zhao Sirong about the ’Heart Tempering Decision’, but seeing Zhao Hao and the other three people present, he didn’t want to ask openly.
This matter, the fewer people know about it, the better.
There’s no hurry, he can always ask Zhao Sirong about it later.
"By the way, Brother Lu, in order to inspire martial artists to hunt demonic beasts, the Zhao Clan has issued corresponding rewards. Killing a demonic beast will add to one’s battle merit, which can be exchanged for resources at our Zhao Clan. The two beasts you killed earlier, I will also report it."
"Also, to thank the martial artists from the major clans for their assistance, my Zhao Clan will take out a large quantity of Martial Food. All martial artists who come to assist can purchase it at a 20% discount, which is much cheaper than outside. Brother Lu, if you need it, don’t miss it."
Zhao Sirong added before leaving.
"Thank you for informing me, Miss Sirong."
Lu Yan bowed.
These two points were indeed good, it would significantly increase the enthusiasm of the foreign martial artists who came to help.
After saying goodbye, Zhao Sirong and Zhao Hao along with a few others left.
Lu Yan began wandering around in the city by himself. He would likely stay in Lingwang City for more than a few days, so his main objective was to find a place to stay.
Staying in an inn was out of the question.
He needed to cultivate, and the area within an inn was too small, there was no private space, making cultivation impossible.
Renting a detached house would be the best option.
However, after going around a big circle and making some inquiries, he discovered that all the detached houses had been rented out.
Lu Yan wanted a spacious and quiet house with enough privacy for cultivation, and other martial artists had the same needs.
And during this time, most of the feudal lords from the six counties of Lingdong had sent support.
This caused a sudden increase in the number of martial artists in Lingwang City, and the spacious detached houses had long been rented out.
Some martial artists had even rented rooms from ordinary households.
Ordinary households had spared a few rooms, and the privacy was better than that of an inn.
Lu Yan had no choice but to look for rooms to rent from the city’s residents.
After some searching, he finally found a suitable one.
The owner of the house was a tofu seller, a family of just three people - a couple in their thirties and a seven-or-eight-year-old daughter who was sweet-looking and lovely, nicknamed Tofu.
This family’s ancestor had been tofu makers, supposedly passed down for five generations, so they were doing quite well. Their house was rather spacious and relatively private.
A few rooms were made vacant for Lu Yan, enough for him to practice martial arts daily.
"Master, if you need anything in the future, please feel free to let me know."
The home’s owner, named Zhou Xiang, was honest and sincere, with a dark complexion.
Behind Zhou Xiang, his daughter Tofu curiously and timidly looked at Lu Yan, when Lu Yan looked at her, she quickly hid behind Zhou Xiang.
"I do have a question for you. Do you know where I could buy Martial Food?"
Lu Yan asked.
"About two miles down the road to the north, there’s a restaurant opened by the Zhao Clan, where you can buy Martial Food."
Zhou Xiang answered honestly.
Lu Yan nodded. The Dried Martial Food he had brought along had been finished long ago, he needed to buy a batch of Martial Food.
Buying at a 20% discount was quite cost-effective.
After all, he had made quite a lot of money on the way.
After asking Zhou Xiang a few more questions, Lu Yan left the house and headed north.
Zhao Clan’s Martial Food House.
A very common name, similar to the restaurants opened by many other clans.
Zhao Sirong was right, foreign martial artists really could purchase Martial Food at a discount, a second-grade Martial Food only cost forty two per kilogram.
Even though the Zhao Clan provided a large amount of Martial Food for sale, the demand was still greater than the supply. A Martial Marquis could only purchase up to ten kilograms of second-grade Martial Food per day.
