West Niu He Province, Zhaocai Tavern.
Chu Xingchen tossed a piece of scattered silver to the bewildered waiter outside, giving his instructions with perfect naturalness.
"Bring morning tea and refreshments. Keep the change as your tip."
One had to admit that West Niu He Province was truly blessed with talented people.
The waiter couldn't tell whether the person in the room had changed, but he certainly recognized the scattered silver Chu Xingchen had thrown.
He happily caught the silver, paying no mind to whether the previous occupant had been a man or woman, and immediately responded:
"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll bring it right up."
Chu Xingchen settled leisurely into a chair in the room, quietly waiting for Lizhi to arrive.
Yesterday, Lizhi had said she needed to go back and prepare, and Chu Xingchen had readily agreed, choosing not to accompany her to the Sky Patrol Division.
The news of his visit here naturally couldn't be kept completely hidden, but it was always better to keep things as quiet as possible.
So yesterday, Chu Xingchen had stayed at the Zhaocai Tavern, awaiting Lizhi's preparations.
After half an hour, the waiter brought up the morning tea and refreshments.
Chu Xingchen's gaze swept over them. These morning snacks weren't particularly refined in appearance; their only virtue was their generous portions.
At first glance, one might mistake these tea snacks for steamed buns.
The tea... well, it could barely be called tea.
However, Chu Xingchen didn't comment on it. This was simply how things were in West Niu He Province. Refinement was something that hadn't quite reached these lands yet.
He waved his hand, signaling the waiter to leave.
Lizhi didn't arrive until another half hour had passed.
When she came, she had a large backpack strapped to her back, sizable bundles tucked under both arms, squeezing through the door in a somewhat comical manner.
Lizhi flashed an ingratiating smile. "My lord, sorry to keep you waiting. I'm here."
"What's with all these bags and bundles?"
Chu Xingchen asked with a puzzled look.
Lizhi answered, "I collected some books, and brought along a change of clothes and daily necessities."
"You're just going to carry all these bags with you?"
"Oh no, not at all. The Sky Patrol Division paid to rent a Spirit Beast Carriage for us. We'll just ride that when the time comes."
Chu Xingchen was momentarily unsure whether to praise Lizhi for her simplicity. He retrieved a spatial ring from his robes and tossed it to her.
Lizhi instinctively caught it, then looked down at the spatial ring in her hand.
She raised her head and whispered, "My lord, this thing is quite expensive. I can't afford to pay for it if I break it."
"It's yours. No need for any Spirit Beast Carriage either. Time is pressing. I'll take you with me."
Chu Xingchen stood up. "Put your things away. We're leaving."
Lizhi's face lit up with joy. She didn't refuse. Her divine sense quickly bound the spatial ring, then she stowed all her bags and bundles inside.
After escorting this great benefactor from Central Province's Heavenly Derivation Sect around those locations, she could take this spatial ring back and show it off properly.
This thing was extremely precious in West Niu He Province. Even her squad leader, who was at mid Foundation Establishment, didn't have one.
And she, a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator, now possessed such a treasure.
It truly proved that geniuses often had excellent luck.
After all, if your luck was bad, how could you be a genius?
——————
"M-my lord... your cultivation is... rather high, isn't it?"
Lizhi struggled to take deep breaths, leaning against a tree.
Although Chu Xingchen had maintained a spiritual energy shield throughout their journey, the rapidly shifting scenery gave Lizhi a strange sense of discomfort, and the spiritual fluctuations from their swift movement made her extremely uneasy.
"It's decent. Nascent Soul cultivation."
Chu Xingchen responded casually, his gaze fixed on the great city ahead. According to ancient records, this place had been a crucial battleground. It was said the fighting had been cataclysmic, yet now... it had become a great city.
Indeed, sometimes one had to see things firsthand.
At the highest point of the city walls sat a solemn Buddha statue, its gaze directed downward.
Chu Xingchen immediately noticed something off about this Buddha. Some strange power was silently imprinting hidden marks on the people queuing below.
This power... seemed somewhat similar to wish power.
Two passages led through the city gates. One was reserved for monks, requiring no inspection whatsoever.
The other was for common folk, who had to submit to searches.
Lizhi had cultivation to rely on, so she suppressed her discomfort after just a few moments.
Nascent Soul cultivation?
Lizhi glanced at Chu Xingchen's youthful appearance. Central Province truly lived up to its reputation. Someone so young was already a Nascent Soul powerhouse.
"Don't let the yellow earth and sandstorms fool you. This is Qinghe Province. It hasn't changed its name in a thousand years. Perhaps there really was water here a millennium ago."
Lizhi pointed at the great city ahead as she spoke.
"That's Buddhist territory up ahead. Naturally, it's not directly under Central Province's Buddhist sect, but all Buddhist sects under heaven are one family, all tracing their lineage back to Central Province."
"I don't know what this city was called in the past, but nowadays it's called Myriad Buddha City."
"It's almost entirely filled with Buddhist believers inside. We don't need to queue. If you're at Nascent Soul cultivation, just find a spot to fly in."
Chu Xingchen calmly shook his head. "You go queue. I'll wait at the city gate. That Buddha statue on the wall has problems."
His cultivation was too high. That Buddha statue probably couldn't imprint any marks on him.
He didn't know the current situation with the Buddhist sect, so for now, he'd classify them as potential adversaries.
Besides, if Lizhi received the mark, it would be less suspicious when conducting certain business.
Hearing this, Lizhi looked at the solemn Buddha statue and suddenly spoke with indignation:
"Those bald donkeys really are all the same. They have to play tricks with everything. All their brains go into underhanded schemes. Nothing but disgraceful."
Chu Xingchen suddenly recalled a saying:
"Perhaps it's true that sincerity never lasts, only schemes win people's hearts."
Lizhi looked at him, wanting to say something but holding back.
She was just a guide. Many things weren't hers to say, nor hers to say.
Lizhi nodded and followed Chu Xingchen's plan, dutifully going to queue at the city gate.
Chu Xingchen simply vaulted over the wall.
The Central Province Buddhist sect and the West Niu He Province Buddhist sect weren't on the same level at all.
The Central Province Buddhist sect would never release spirit veins they'd intercepted out of any notion that other Buddhist sects were family.
So the Buddhist sect in West Niu He Province was essentially pathetically weak, and the same applied here.
Chu Xingchen leaned against the city wall. The flow of people entering was fairly substantial, yet everyone who passed him paid him no attention, as if he didn't exist.
Chu Xingchen's eyes were also surveying this city.
Wherever his gaze landed, he could see Buddha statues, some large, some small.
Large ones stood atop high towers, while smaller ones might be crude carvings by the roadside, mere fist-sized figures.
The ratio of monks to ordinary citizens on the streets was nearly one to one.
Moreover, these Buddha statues were constantly absorbing wish power.
Depending on the person, they absorbed varying amounts of wish power from their surroundings.
And those Buddha statues were containers for collecting that wish power.
Though somewhat uncomfortable with this, Chu Xingchen refrained from judging these practices for now.
Then suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd, someone who wasn't quite a friend.
Xuanqing Heavenly Sect—Xu Jin.
Xu Jin hurried through the throngs of people, who automatically parted to let him pass.
Then abruptly, Xu Jin stopped, his gaze fixing on the city gate.
"My lord, I'm here..."
Lizhi, having just finished queuing, hurried toward Chu Xingchen. Her words cut off halfway as her eyes followed Chu Xingchen's gaze.
Lizhi glanced twice, and seeing that Chu Xingchen's expression hadn't changed, she whispered:
"My lord... what are you looking at?"
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