Chapter 158: Going to the Bai Residence
One week before their twenty-first birthday, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue arrived in Fengying city.
The city looked as they remembered, with wide roads, crowded streets, and shops all over the place.
For a moment, they were tempted to believe they were the same thirteen-year-old boys who arrived in Fengying city for the first time.
However, time had left small traces, and they looked at the city with new eyes.
"It looks a little smaller than I remember." Jiang Yue stated.
Yu Nianzhen looked at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched before he answered," you have grown taller."
Jiang Yue rolled his eyes, but he secretly agreed with the other’s reasoning.
When they first came to Fengying city, they were young and new to the world.
At that time, everything about the new world was marvellous and looked bigger than it actually was.
However, their marvel was tempered by time.
When they looked at the city now, they saw the same sights but also saw that it was only a third-tier city. It wasn’t as prosperous as the prominent cities in the territory and had more mortals than cultivators.
"I want to eat in the same restaurant." Jiang Yue said.
"Okay."
After that, the two went to the first restaurant they visited when they were thirteen.
As before, the ground floor was for mortal food, and only mortals sat there.
The first floor had low-class one demonic beast meat, the second floor had mid-class one, the third had high-class one, and the fourth had peak-class one.
On their first visit, they could only afford to sit on the first floor because they lacked gold coins and realm.
This time, they went directly to the fourth floor.
They ordered ten types of demonic beast meat dishes, three vegetable plates, two large bowls of spiritual rice, soup, and a pot of wine.
When they paid, they didn’t use gold coins as before and instead used one spirit stone to settle accounts.
"Time has passed." Jiang Yue sighed after they left the restaurant.
"Yes. Do you want to look around or go to an inn first?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
"Let’s look around first."
Yu Nianzhen had no objection, and they began to walk around.
On their first visit to Fengying city, most of their time was spent cultivating. However, they still remembered the streets and places they had visited before.
With the idea of reminiscing, the two visited the old streets they had once walked.
"The treasure compass didn’t react to anything in the weapon shop." Jiang Yue said and sounded a little disappointed.
Yu Nianzhen rubbed his head and smiled in amusement.
"Treasures aren’t that easy to appear." He said.
"You are right."
Although he said that, Jiang Yue didn’t give up looking for treasures.
Maybe he was still under the influence of the thousand herbs garden and expected to find treasures around every corner.
Unfortunately, luck was not on his side, and they didn’t find any treasures after walking around for the entire afternoon.
"Don’t be disappointed. If you really want to find one, we will come back tomorrow." Yu Nianzhen soothed.
When he heard that, Jiang Yue smiled, but he didn’t say anything.
He was a little crazy about treasures, but wouldn’t be overly disappointed if he couldn’t find any.
After all, the most valuable treasures could only be met with fate rather than effort.
"There is no need." He finally said and slipped his right hand into the other’s left.
When he felt the hand, Yu Nianzhen was startled, but he didn’t shake it off.
Instead, his sword-callused palm closed around the hand, and their ears pinkened.
"Shall we go to the Bai residence tomorrow?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
"Let’s go."
An hour before noon the next day, the two left their inn room and went to the Bai residence.
This was not their first visit to the Bai home, but the gatekeeper had changed since they last visited.
"Who are the two looking for?" The gatekeeper asked.
He was a burly man in his thirties and looked unwilling to keep the gate of the Bai residence.
However, this had nothing to do with the two.
All they had to do was retrieve their bullock cart and repay the gratitude they owed to the Bai family for looking after their belongings.
"We are looking for Bai patriarch." Jiang Yue answered.
"Do you think our patriarch can be seen just because you want to see him? Who are you? Get out of here." The gatekeeper admonished them and looked ready to resume his nap.
Thinking that they owed the Bai family, Jiang Yue didn’t want to care about the rude gatekeeper.
He took a deep breath, and when he felt calm enough, he looked at the gatekeeper again.
"This sir, you can tell Bai patriarch that Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen are looking for him."
The man heard the words and looked more annoyed.
’Who are these two bastards?’ He wondered and subconsciously looked behind him into the Bai residence.
After seeing no one behind him, he sighed in relief and turned to the two boys.
"Our patriarch is not receiving any guests today. Come back tomorrow." The man said and waved his hand to dismiss them.
If the person had told them this when they first asked, the two would have believed it.
However, his rudeness made them unable to believe that the patriarch was unavailable.
They thought the person said that because he wanted to laze around and didn’t want to do his work.
"Bai patriarch should want to meet us if he knows we are here." Jiang Yue insisted.
The man glared and walked toward them threateningly.
"I said the patriarch is not available. Leave right now."
’What is with this person?’ Jiang Yue wondered.
Yu Nianzhen also felt that something was not right, and his eyes narrowed.
"Let’s wait for someone to enter or leave the residence." Yu Nianzhen said.
Although the gatekeeper was only a third-level meridian awakening realm cultivator and they could defeat him with one hit, the Bai residence was not their home.
The two still had to be courteous to the Bai family and couldn’t force their way in.
"Okay."
After that, the two walked to the side and stood a few metres from the gate.
"What are you doing? Go away." The gatekeeper roared when he saw them lingering around.
"Go on with your business, you don’t have to care about us." Jiang Yue said.
At the same time, he vowed to speak to the Bai patriarch about this unreliable gatekeeper.
This kind of person would cause a mess sooner or later, and Jiang Yue didn’t want to see that happen.
After all, the Bai family had helped raise their bullock for more than five years, and Bai Zheng was his senior sister from the same peak.
Although they hadn’t interacted much over the years, their relationship was cordial. They didn’t meet up intentionally, but when they did, they would share a meal or a cup of tea.
For this relationship, Jiang Yue didn’t want the Bai family to be dragged down by a gatekeeper.
"Don’t force me to be rude. If..." Before the gatekeeper could finish, his words were interrupted by a crash.
From what the two remembered, the main courtyard of the Bai family was more than one hundred metres from the gate.
However, the crash was loud enough to be heard from such a long distance...
At this, Jiang Yue and Yu Nianzhen looked at each other.
They then looked at the gatekeeper, only to see him look behind but didn’t mean to check the cause.
"Won’t you check what is going on?" Jiang Yue asked with his eyes dangerously narrowed.
"What has that got to do with you? Quickly get out of here."
Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue had heard enough.
The swordsman grabbed his sword and hit the man without removing the scabbard.
Since he wasn’t expecting the sudden attack, the gatekeeper was flung backwards, and he landed a few metres away.
"You..." Jiang Yue was flabbergasted.
"He has only fainted." Yu Nianzhen clarified.
"I thought the famous manslayer of the thousand herbs garden had reawakened." Jiang Yue teased.
Yu Nianzhen heard Jiang Yue’s nonsense and decided not to lower himself to the other’s level.
"Let’s go and check it out." He instead said.
"Alright."
After that, the two sped toward the main courtyard of the Bai residence.
However, as they neared the place, they realised that something was very wrong.
When they last came to this residence, many servants and family members were walking around the various courtyards.
However, they didn’t encounter anyone even after arriving in the vicinity of the main courtyard.
"There are many people in the main courtyard." Yu Nianzhen stated.
"Could they be having a family meeting?"
"I don’t think so."
If it was a family meeting, what was that crash they heard earlier?
Also, Yu Nianzhen could detect a hint of iron in the morning breeze.
