Li Yan's gaze followed the slope of the mountain downwards to a dense forest below. The trees there had grown even larger and thicker, and the ground was overgrown with shrubs, having long since buried the traces of that battle.
Li Yan couldn't even find the tree he had leaned against before losing consciousness, but in his mind's eye, he could still see Strategist Ji lying in a pool of blood.
There was a deep, gory wound on his throat, his flesh turned outwards. His body twitched, his eyes staring lifelessly up at him, filled with unwillingness and rage…
Li Yan's thoughts were a tangled mess. Gradually, he no longer felt any hatred for Strategist Ji. If it weren't for him, he would never have set foot on the path of immortality.
Whether the immortal path Strategist Ji had led him onto was good or bad, Li Yan himself found it hard to say now.
He had lost the chance to show filial piety to his parents while they were alive, yet it had allowed him to witness a more splendid and colorful side of the world. Although it was fraught with peril, Li Yan felt it suited his disposition perfectly.
From a young age, a rebellious streak had been in his bones. He often skipped out of the private school, secretly following the adults into the mountains to hunt wild beasts behind his family's back.
Knowing full well that enlisting in the army for rations meant facing the constant threat of death in battle, he had still followed Uncle Guoxin into the city.
The good and bad of Strategist Ji in the past, Li Yan could no longer articulate. Perhaps if they could meet again one day, they might be able to speak of past destinies and call each other "Fellow Daoist."
After standing there for a long time, when the bright moon had risen high, Li Yan's figure flew towards the center of the round moon in the night sky…
Seven years later, outside a coastal city, people came and went. They were either riding horses at a gallop or driving horse-drawn carriages, the wheels rolling and kicking up long trails of dust.
Yuhai City was a coastal city of the Imperial Dynasty and an important trade distribution center. Merchants gathered here, and the ships coming and going each day were as dense as clouds.
On this day, a young man in black clothes, covered in the dust of travel, walked towards the west gate of Yuhai City.
The youth had an ordinary appearance and short hair, which was somewhat different from the others around him. However, Yuhai City's sea routes were extensive, and it was not uncommon to see people who were not from the Imperial Dynasty.
There were even red-haired, green-eyed Rakshasa night people from the far west. Thus, although the youth's attire was somewhat different from that of the Imperial Dynasty, it was not particularly special.
This person was none other than Li Yan, who had just reverted to his original appearance. Since leaving the Great Green Mountains, he had concealed his aura and completely immersed himself in the mortal crowds.
This was a method Ping Tu had told him about: to experience the hundred flavors of the world, to taste the bitter, spicy, sour, and sweet, and in the midst of the heart's fluctuations, to carefully comprehend all that he saw and gained.
In these few years, he had enlisted as a soldier, worked as an escort for merchants, and even worked barefoot in the fields of a village. Each time, he would change his appearance and live a different life…
His State of Mind would gain all sorts of insights with each different identity, but he was still unable to achieve that sudden, transformative enlightenment.
After presenting a travel permit, Li Yan entered Yuhai City with the throng of people, urged on by the impatient shouts of the gate-guarding soldiers.
Upon entering the city, Li Yan's ears were overwhelmed by the calls of vendors that rushed at him like a heatwave. Banners of all kinds lined both sides of the street. Martial arts schools, medical halls, inns, restaurants, brothels, and more were everywhere.
Waiters and pimps stood on the street, enthusiastically pulling at all sorts of customers. Half-pulling and half-inviting, they made it hard to refuse. Only those with empty pockets were forced to flee in dismay.
Li Yan walked freely through the city. He had now lost the superior air of a cultivator and was slowly integrating himself into the marketplace, experiencing and feeling the changes in the human heart.
At noon, Li Yan entered a tavern, ordered two dishes and a pot of wine, and sat alone at a table, drinking by himself.
In half a day, he had walked through most of Yuhai City. This city was indeed a major hub for merchants and travelers of the Imperial Dynasty.
Back when he was at Green Mountain Pass, he had heard Chen An and the others speak of this city's manifold splendors. Seeing it today, it was indeed bustling with activity.
Not only were there many merchants, but many scholars and talented men also gathered here. They recited poetry, composed couplets, and after drinking, would brandish their brushes and splash ink, their unrestrained forms a common sight.
The Imperial Dynasty had ruled this land for over five hundred years, and it could be considered a prosperous and peaceful nation.
Although there had been repeated wars with neighboring countries and countless casualties among the border populations, the important cities in the interior were largely unaffected.
It always gave the impression of a peaceful and prosperous nation, with very few instances of rabble-rousers rising in rebellion. It was clear that the monarch of the Imperial Dynasty possessed formidable methods.
Li Yan watched the people coming and going outside the window, contemplating his next move.
A few days ago, he had handed over his house in a certain mountain village and his few meager fields to the family of "Big Brother Feng," who had taken good care of him. Then, he had departed from the remote mountain village where he had stayed for three years.
'Still no leads after all these years. I suppose I'll just have to try a different approach. Sigh!'
Li Yan furrowed his brow, constantly thinking about what to do next.
Yuhai City was a decent place. All trades and professions were present here, so he had plenty of options.
As Li Yan pondered, he casually glanced out the window and saw several pimps running back and forth on the street below.
Behind them stood a pavilion named "Fanchunsi." (TN: Literally "Floating Spring Thoughts," a poetic name for a brothel.) On the second floor, many young women in red and green were holding silk handkerchiefs to their red lips, fanning themselves with round fans and giggling as they watched the pedestrians below.
Glancing at the pimps below in their green clothes and small caps, several black lines appeared on Li Yan's forehead.
'Pah, pah, pah… What kind of State of Mind breakthrough could I possibly have in this line of work? Why do I feel like a desperate patient trying any cure?'
Just then, Li Yan's ears twitched. Amidst the din of the tavern, he overheard the conversation of a few people.
Without turning his head, Li Yan's Divine Sense had already projected the scene behind him. Three men, four tables away from him, were chatting with great interest.
Although their voices were not low, in such a noisy hall, they were unlikely to be noticed by others.
Among the three, two were burly men dressed in warrior's attire. One had a saber at his waist, the other a short spear slung diagonally across his back.
The third was a scholar-like man in a green robe with a sword hanging from his waist. All three had a sharp glint in their eyes, and their temples were bulging, indicating they were experts from the martial world.
"Brother Jiang, you mentioned that Duke Cui's Manor is looking for a courtyard instructor. Could it be the 'Duke of National Defense,' Duke Cui, who retired from the court a few years ago?" a short, sturdy man in black, built like an ox, asked.
He had two short spears crossed diagonally on his back. From their shape, they looked like Chain Hook-Sickle Spears. Those who used such weapons were particularly skilled in long-range attacks and ground-based techniques and were generally difficult opponents.
He slammed his wine bowl on the table, wiped the remaining wine from the corner of his mouth, and grinned.
"Precisely. After Duke Cui resigned from his post at court, he returned to his ancestral home in Yuhai City. I heard the reason he's recruiting a courtyard instructor is that he refused the protection of the Imperial Guard masters sent from the palace and only brought a few trusted aides back with him."
The middle-aged man in the green scholar's robe, opposite the stout man, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and spoke softly.
He had some friendship with these two. They were fellow disciples from the same sect who worked as escorts for merchants and occasionally engaged in robbery and murder.
Having run into each other in the city today, these two had insisted on treating him to wine. After a few rounds, the conversation naturally became more open.
Hearing this, the stout man in black exchanged a look with the other man, who was dressed in purple, and then spoke again.
"Those trusted aides of Duke Cui are all peerless masters in the martial world. I heard among them are 'Star-Plucking Flying Ape' Bao Feiyu and 'Ghost-Head Axe' Song Duan. Although they haven't reached the Transformation Realm, they are still first-rate masters. Moreover, this is Yuhai City, not far from the capital. The city has always been very peaceful. Why would he need a guard with at least first-rate cultivation? This is completely different from an ordinary courtyard guard."
"Brother Jiang, could you be mistaken? I heard that Duke Cui himself is a Transformation Realm Master. Does he still need to hire others?" the purple-robed man, who had been silent until now, asked with doubt.
Hearing this, a look of displeasure immediately appeared on the green-robed scholar's face.
"What? Do you two brothers think I'm spouting nonsense? It's only because you've just arrived here. In fact, you'd know if your elder brother is lying to you with just a little inquiry."
The two stout men's faces stiffened. They knew they had been a bit rash and that their words had displeased the other man.
"Hehehe… Brother Jiang, you misunderstand. It's just that who in this Imperial Dynasty doesn't know of Duke Cui? Before he joined the army, he was a first-rate Internal School Master in our martial world. His trusted aides are also all highly skilled in martial arts. To be in need of a courtyard instructor like this, it's natural to be suspicious when one doesn't know the situation. It was our mistake to be so rash. Come, come, let's drink, my brothers, let's drink…"
Seeing them apologize, the green-robed scholar's expression softened.
"I do know some other rumors about this matter. It's because Duke Cui…"
He glanced around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he immediately lowered his voice. Still feeling it was not appropriate, he switched to the Secret Voice Transmission technique.
'A courtyard instructor? Now that's a bit interesting!'
Li Yan put down his wine cup, his eyes flickering for a moment. He quickly stood up, paid his bill, and went downstairs and left.
If one were to ask who was the most famous person in Yuhai City, five years ago, there would have been many famous people.
There were first and second-rank officials from the court, as well as various immensely wealthy merchants.
But ever since Duke Cui retired from the court and returned, the various officials and wealthy merchants in Yuhai City had become much more restrained.
They strictly managed their sons and grandsons, telling them not to be as arrogant and troublesome in the city as before. This Duke Cui had always been known for his strict methods and cold, ruthless nature.
When he was in the army, although he loved his soldiers like his own sons, military discipline was always his top priority. Anyone who violated orders would be punished lightly or, for serious offenses, beheaded on the training grounds as a public example.
Back in the capital of the Imperial Dynasty, he had even personally taught a lesson to several of the current dynasty's princes.
It was said that the most arrogant Third Prince had forcibly seized a merchant's business in the city. When the family went to file a complaint, not only did they fail, but the master of the house was arrested and imprisoned on charges of falsely accusing a member of the imperial family.
The wife of the house was about to submit another petition for justice, but someone advised her that Duke Cui was upright and incorruptible, unafraid of the imperial relatives, and listed some of Duke Cui's deeds.
With a surge of determination, this lady bypassed the Grand Court of Judicature and took her complaint directly to Duke Cui's manor.
After verifying the situation, Duke Cui took out his Jade-Gifted Golden Mace and blocked the Third Prince outside the imperial palace as he was about to leave, beating him so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for a full month.
Afterward, the reigning emperor placed the Third Prince under house arrest but did not punish Duke Cui.
With these rumors, the officials and wealthy merchants in Yuhai City lost their arrogant demeanor. This, in turn, had made Yuhai City quite harmonious for the past few years.
In a certain area in the southeast of Yuhai City, a place had become the focus of people's attention for the past few years.
This place was originally not a prime location in the city. The mansions of officials and wealthy merchants were conversely clustered in the city center; only those who could afford a residence there were symbols of prominent status.
But starting five years ago, Tianfeng Alley in the southeast of the city became a place of frequent attention for many.
Because there lived Duke Cui, a man who could make the entire Yuhai City tremble with fear with just a stomp of his foot.