After a brief moment of reflection and memory, Ming Qi immediately understood what this aura represented!
Celestial Clan!
This was clearly the aura of divine punishment unique to Celestial Clan members!
Ever since his last encounter with the Private Dragon Mercenaries outside the Azure Sky Mountain Trading Zone, and after Meng Ling's explanation, Ming Qi had developed a certain ability to discern Celestial Clan auras. The aura now emanating from him was clearly that of Celestial Clan members, a divine punishment symbolizing the wrath of the gods of heaven and earth.
Ming Qi was shocked. Had the Celestial Clan truly infiltrated the Central Earth?
What was their purpose?
The first encounter with Celestial Clan members could be explained as coincidence, but the second time around, if it were still a coincidence, it clearly wouldn't make sense. After all, in Ming Qi's memory, the Celestial Clan had always been an ironclad rule: Celestial Clan members could never appear in the Central Earth!
The Celestials couldn't possibly appear on the Central Land!
But now they were, and not just one, and it wasn't a coincidence!
Ming Qi instinctively wanted to turn around and search for the Celestial, but he quickly suppressed the urge. The Celestials' fighting prowess was extraordinary, a fact he had already fully grasped from the previous battle, and this time, he could sense that the Celestial nearby was incredibly powerful.
Even though these mysterious Celestials, imbued with divine radiance, had fallen into the realm of criminals, their formidable fighting prowess and unparalleled innate bloodline remained unaltered.
Ming Qi calmly advanced, sensing the direction of the aura.
After walking a short distance, Ming Qi's expression grew solemn, as he realized the Celestial's aura wasn't receding, but rather drawing closer!
At this point, there was only one possible outcome: the Celestial had noticed Ming Qi!
Ming Qi didn't dare linger any longer and quickened his pace.
But within a moment, he was sadly aware that the aura still enveloped him, drawing closer and closer. He could even sense that the terrifying, mysterious Celestial was less than ten steps away!
What was he going to do?!
Ming Qi felt a wave of disbelief. He couldn't guess what this Celestial was up to.
Could it be that he already knew his secret had been discovered?
As soon as this possibility occurred to him, Ming Qi immediately dismissed it. Celestials, aside from their mysterious and noble bloodline and the indelible punishment of the gods, were no different from human cultivators.
Neither their noble bloodline nor the aura of divine punishment could be detected solely by strength. Only after gaining a certain understanding of Celestials and recognizing their aura could one sense their presence. Otherwise, even if a true Celestial stood before them, one would be unable to distinguish them.
"Hey, young man, I have something to tell you. Wait a few steps."
Just as Ming Qi's thoughts were swirling, a voice rang out.
Ming Qi glanced around, but there was no one nearby. It was clear the words were directed at him.
So, Ming Qi cautiously stopped and turned.
A short, thin, and gray-bearded old man chased after him, his eyes fixed squarely on Ming Qi.
Seeing Ming Qi stop and turn, the old man chuckled, quickened his pace, and finally reached Ming Qi.
As he reached Ming Qi, the old man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his beard and eyebrows knitted together, and his smile became even more amiable.
Little old man?
Ming Qi wondered where this old man had come from, and why had he not noticed him before?
Although he walked with his head down, he noticed everyone around him, but not this particular person.
"Who are you?"
Ming Qi asked doubtfully.
To be honest, he truly didn't recognize the old man, having never even met him before.
Suddenly greeted by a stranger, Ming Qi instinctively became wary.
"Hehe, I'm Mo Changli. We hit it off right away, and I'd like to chat for a few minutes. Is that possible?"
The old man smiled, his voice clear and mellow, not at all like a short, gray-bearded old man.
The old man looked so kind, without a hint of malice, which left Ming Qi somewhat bewildered. However, he was certain of one thing: the Celestial Clan member was still nearby and hadn't left.
After a moment's thought, Ming Qi nodded decisively, saying, "Of course, but wouldn't just chatting be boring? Let's find a place to chat over a drink."
Ming Qi was still in the trading area, and the mysterious Celestial Clan member was nearby. He thought he could use this opportunity to find a restaurant for a drink and see what the Celestial Clan member, who had been refusing to show himself, looked like.
"Okay!"
Hearing Ming Qi's suggestion, the old man, Mo Changli, happily agreed.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly left the South City Trading Area.
Ming Qi led the way, and after a few twists and turns, they returned to the Fenglai Restaurant in the east of the city.
Ming Qi didn't go straight back to his room. Instead, he chose a window seat on the first floor of the restaurant, ordered a few jugs of fine wine, and drank with the old man.
But what made Ming Qi vaguely uneasy was that the aura still persisted, as if it had become attached to him, following him wherever he went.
"Young man, are you staying at the Fenglai Restaurant?"
Mo Changli held the wine glass, but unlike Ming Qi, he didn't drink it straight away. Instead, he gently swirled the glass in a hand as white as a baby's.
"Yes," Ming Qi replied. He felt no need to hide this kind of question. After all, he couldn't detect a single fluctuation of Yuanli in the old man. Even if he was a cultivator, he was at best a cultivator at the Postnatal Realm, posing no threat to Ming Qi.
"Young man, this is your first time in Fengxian City, right?"
Mo Changli didn't seem to enjoy drinking; he simply held the glass but didn't drink.
Ming Qi was different. He already loved wine, and now, with a Celestial Clan member of unknown origin hanging around him like a shadow, he felt a bit uneasy.
So, Ming Qi drank the first few glasses quickly. After a few, Ming Qi actually felt a bit dazed.
At Mo Changli's question, he simply nodded.
"Young man, are you worried?"
Mo Changli could tell from Ming Qi's demeanor.
"Nothing, just a small matter."
Ming Qi said, pouring another glass of wine.
"In my opinion, there's no need to dwell on anything. It's frustrating. Just act when necessary. Come, drink this glass. Let the unhappiness, like this glass of wine, be drained!"
Mo Changli said this, raising his hand and clinking his glass against Ming Qi's, then tilting his head back and chugging the entire glass.
After swirling the glass, Mo Changli set it down.
Ming Qi also drank the entire glass and nodded.
Although Mo Changli's tone was lackluster, one had to admit that his words made a lot of sense. Don't dwell on anything; just act when the time is right.
"I wonder what you're looking for me about."
Ming Qi filled his glass with wine but didn't drink it immediately. As he asked, he pondered Mo Changli's words.
He didn't believe that this old man, Mo Changli, had simply come to him to exchange some insignificant nonsense.
"Well, I'm truly ashamed to say that."
Mo Changli sighed, his tone becoming slightly awkward. "I saw a few things in the trading area, but I'm short on cash. When I saw you just now, I felt like I had known you for a long time, so I shamelessly approached you to borrow some Yuan Jing."
Mo Changli's words were a bit euphemistic, but the meaning was clear: he wanted to buy something but didn't have any Yuan Jing, so he was thinking of borrowing some from Ming Qi.
"Yuan Jing?"
Ming Qi frowned. Although he was wealthy, he wasn't one to squander his wealth on others.
"Yes, I won't lend you much. Only a thousand low-grade Yuan Crystals for emergency use. I'll definitely repay you handsomely later."
Ming Qi was surprised to hear that a thousand low-grade Yuan Crystals didn't seem like much to him right now, but when he heard Mo Changli wanted to borrow Yuan Crystals, a hint of hesitation crossed his face.
Of course, this wasn't genuine hesitation. He didn't really care about thousands of low-grade Yuan Crystals right now. His pensive expression was simply to avoid letting the other party notice his considerable wealth.
"If it's inconvenient..."
Mo Changli saw the hesitation on Ming Qi's face, and a hint of disappointment crossed his own.
"I can lend it to you. I trust you, a man who values his promises."
With that, Ming Qi waved his right hand, and countless low-grade Yuan Crystals flew out of the black ring.
Seeing Ming Qi actually take out the Yuan Crystals, the old man's face lit up with joy. He immediately spread his wide sleeves to catch the Yuan Crystals Ming Qi flung at him, then placed them into his storage magic weapon.
In a short while, a thousand low-grade Yuan Crystals flowed into the hands of the old man, Mo Changli.
"I will always remember your kindness, young man. However, I am concerned about those small things right now, so I must leave for a while. I believe you must be attending the Junzilou Grand Auction. We will have many opportunities to meet again."
Mo Changli looked visibly impatient. After saying these words, he hurried out of the Fenglai Restaurant, presumably heading back to the trading area.
Ming Qi paid no mind to this. After all, a thousand low-grade Yuan Crystals were nothing to him, so after Mo Changli left, Ming Qi poured himself a drink.
After downing a glass of wine, he immediately noticed that the aura of the Celestial Clan's divine punishment that had been hovering around him was rapidly fading.
After sensing this change, Ming Qi was initially taken aback, but then immediately understood.
The Celestial Clan member he had always feared must be that little old man, Mo Changli!