“Why did the Wen Clan ambush you all?” Xu Zimo looked at the burly man beside him and asked curiously.
This man was named Gong Lei, the one who had given Xu Zimo the meat soup last night.
His personality was also rather straightforward.
The road to Immortal City passed through deep mountains and forests, and the journey was mostly dull.
The many guards whispered quietly among themselves.
Xu Zimo and Gong Lei had become somewhat familiar.
Because the two of them walked at the back of the convoy, they didn’t attract much attention.
Gong Lei looked around, then lowered his voice and said, “It’s just business competition. Our Fan Clan is the number one clan in Victory City, while the Wen Clan is second. No matter what, they’re always under our shadow. Now that our Patriarch has passed away, the family has lost its backbone and fallen into internal chaos. And since the young lady has become a candidate for the next Matriarch, undercurrents are stirring.”
“And then?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Before, our Fan Clan was strong, but only influential in small cities. While he was alive, the Patriarch set his focus on Immortal City. This city is ranked among the top three in the entire Overlord Region. The goal was to expand our influence and strengthen the clan further.”
Gong Lei spilled everything he knew without reservation.
“Unfortunately, before the family’s store in Immortal City could be secured, the Patriarch died. Coincidentally, trouble broke out at the store. You should know, this store cost our Fan Clan countless connections and resources to acquire. If it collapses, the clan will suffer greatly. So the clan elders made a wager: the young lady must resolve this crisis herself. If she succeeds, she’ll be the next Patriarch. If she fails, not only will she lose the position, but she’ll also be forced to marry into the Wen Clan.”
“So that’s how it is,” Xu Zimo nodded slightly.
“Your young lady is not bad, then. A woman no less capable than men.”
“Isn’t that the truth? When the Patriarch was alive, he protected her well, she never suffered a grievance. Now, with the coldness of the world, my heart aches for our young lady,” Gong Lei sighed.
Xu Zimo just shook his head with a smile.
……
By afternoon, the sky once again began to drizzle.
The raindrops were slightly cold.
Falling on the earth, the world grew hazy, as though shrouded in mist.
Xu Zimo had originally thought there would be more obstacles along the road.
But instead, everything was peaceful. Hardly any trouble at all.
This didn’t quite fit the “script” he had in mind.
Midway, Ji Ruobing woke up.
Her injuries had mostly healed.
“No matter what, I should thank you,” Ji Ruobing said sincerely, looking at Xu Zimo.
“No need. Just don’t drag me into the struggle for Holy Son positions within your Immortal Extinction Sacred Ground,” Xu Zimo waved his hand. “If there’s no benefit for me, I can’t muster any interest.”
Hearing this, Ji Ruobing was silent for a while.
Then she lifted her head and smiled, “Do you talk to everyone like this?”
“Like what?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Always sharp-tongued,” Ji Ruobing replied.
“I only speak the truth,” Xu Zimo shook his head with a faint smile.
After Ji Ruobing woke up, she didn’t return to the young lady’s carriage.
She rode alongside Xu Zimo instead.
“Although the Immortal Extinction Sacred Ground gives the Holy Son and Saintess great freedom, there are still rules,” Ji Ruobing said pointedly along the way. “One of them is that we aren’t allowed to secretly hire assassins. This time, that guy broke the rule.”
“But you don’t have proof,” Xu Zimo replied.
“Who said I don’t have proof?” Ji Ruobing laughed softly. “I’m still alive. Even if it doesn’t affect his Holy Son position, it’s enough to make him suffer.”
Perhaps out of boredom, Ji Ruobing told Xu Zimo many things about the Immortal Extinction Sacred Ground.
Of course, nothing truly important.
After seven days of travel through the canyon, Xu Zimo finally saw the silhouette of a vast city on the distant horizon.
The shrubs and trees on both sides gradually thinned.
Carrying damp air like gears turning, the canyon seemed to sink into slumber.
The immensity of the city before them was breathtaking.
Anyone who saw it would be compelled to marvel. The city walls were white. Truly worthy of the name Immortal City.
Whether it was the towering walls, the massive gates, or even the ground beneath their feet, everything gleamed with immortal radiance.
Immortal energy swirled, rising into the sky.
The city was filled mostly with castles.
Quite different from traditional architecture, castles and fortresses intertwined, topped with rounded roofs.
They were built with luminous stones, starlit rock, and lightstone.
By day, it wasn’t obvious. But at night, the entire city would glow with pure light.
It was dazzling and magnificent.
Atop the walls stood statues of six-winged angels.
At the hundred-meter-tall gates, two silver dragons were carved.
Standing beneath the walls, one could not help but feel small.
At the gates, crowds bustled.
People of all races could be seen everywhere.
Two burly men clad in silver armor stood at the south gate, watching the crowds intently.
When the massive convoy arrived at the gate, it slowed to a stop.
The curtain lifted. With the maid in green by her side, another young woman stepped out of the carriage.
Her face was veiled with white gauze.
Her brows curved like distant mountains, her eyes sparkling like stars, clear as the Milky Way, pure and otherworldly.
Her black hair was styled neatly atop her head, with three differently shaped hairpins adorning it.
Crystal-like pendants dangled from her delicate earlobes.
She wore a flowing white gown.
The hem bloomed like lotus petals, her slim waist tightly bound, her aura like plum blossoms, cold and proud.
Yet when she smiled, her eyes curved like crescents, melting winter snow and bringing spring breezes.
“So this is Immortal City,” the white-clad woman said with emotion.
She gazed intently at the legendary city before her.
Those beside her, however, stared at her in a daze.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Ji Ruobing said to Xu Zimo at his side. “Want me to match you two?”
“Match us?” Xu Zimo asked, puzzled.
“A gentle lady, a gentleman’s desire,” Ji Ruobing replied. “Don’t you want to win such a beauty?”
“No need,” Xu Zimo waved his hand. “A good brother of mine once told me, if you like something, just force the bow.”
“You…” Ji Ruobing shook her head slightly. “I’ve yet to see you show any interest in women.”