Ye Zichen said that all of a sudden. Wu Di still had quite a bit of stuff left at his residence, so they didn’t succeed in leaving at the drop of a hat. Instead, they delayed their departure for a full three days.
In truth, Wu Di wasn’t the one dragging things out. Rather, it was Ye Zichen…..
He spent those three days buying up practically every last bottle of immortal brew in Black Ox Town. He even went to taverns and s.n.a.t.c.hed up everything stored in their wine cellars through a mixture of cajoling, trickery, and even threats.
All of Black Ox Town’s drunkards cried for the next two weeks, when the next batch of immortal brew finally arrived. However, during this sort of shortage, high demand drove prices up considerably. Black Ox Town’s bars and liquor stores saw that this was clearly an excellent business opportunity.
In the end, the drunks could do nothing but complain. Liquor merchants, on the other hand, felt intense grat.i.tude for Ye Zichen.
At the end of the day, though, regardless of whether people praised or vilified him, Ye Zichen had already left Black Ox Town. He was on the roar, walking towards Raging Flame City.
On an ancient, cobblestone path, lined on both sides by ancient forests and jagged rocks, two lone figures looked extremely forlorn.
One was a black-robed man. He carried a gourd and poured a non-stop stream of alcohol into his open mouth. Another man walked beside him, carrying a map. He examined intently, completely focused.
“My dear apprentice, exactly how much further is it to Raging Flame City?”
The gourd-carrying man belched, then sat on one of the stones lining the path. The youth frowned at him helplessly. “I’m afraid we’ve still got to walk for a few more days.”
“A few more days?” The man scurried to his feet so fast, it was as if someone had set him on fire. He angrily pointed at the cobblestone path. “We’ve already been walking for days. Now you’re telling me we’ve still got a couple days left? Are you sure you didn’t just misread the map? Let me take a look!”
He swiped the map straight out of the youth’s hands. The youth shrugged helplessly and said, “and whose fault is this? I told you Raging Flame City was further than you thought it was and suggested you take a transfer formation, but you solemnly vowed to ‘appreciate the limitless natural beauty of the G.o.d Realm.’”
When the man heard that, he sat down dejectedly.
These were, in truth, none other than Ye Zichen and Wu Di. Before they left town, Wu Di told him to take a spatial transfer formation. However, Ye Zichen felt that although this was his first time in the G.o.d Realm he’d yet to really take a look around. He wanted to seize this opportunity to walk and admire the scenery along the way. If he got hungry, he might very well be able to hunt something tasty along the way.
In truth, all of this was because he’d wanted to taste…..
Wild game!
But nevermind game animals. Even after all this time, he’d yet to see even a single ant!
So far, he’d spend the entire trip drinking. He hadn’t taken even a single mouthful of meat. It had been way too long since he’d tasted anything flavorful.
Moreover, the scenery en route wasn’t as beautiful as he’d expected. It was just unusually shaped rocks and endless, nigh-identical ancient trees. After seeing this all day, his sense of beauty had long since grown numb.
He was truly filled with regret!
“How about we turn back?” Ye Zichen asked tentatively.
Wu Di didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Forget it, Master. Walking back would take a few days as well. If we have that much time to spare, we might as well head straight to our destination. Come on, you! Stop complaining and keep moving forward!”
“My heavens….”
Ye Zichen’s spirits seemed to crumble. He collapsed to the ground and wailed as if he’d lost all will to live.
Wu Di stood to the side and watched. Despite himself, he felt the urge to laugh. After spending all this time with his master, he’d long since adjusted to Ye Zichen’s personality.
He reached out, took Ye Zichen’s arm, and lifted him back up. However, at that moment….
Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+
Several black-robed figures hurtled past them, so fast you could barely even see their shadows.
One of them slammed into Ye Zichen, sending him flying and somersaulting through the air.
“You’re seeking death!” The black-robed man roared in fury, but before he could make a move, his allies stopped him.
“Consider yourself lucky!”
He glowered hatefully at Ye Zichen, then, fast as a bolt of lightning, he and his allies disappeared completely from the ancient path.
“Hey! What a temper.”
Ye Zichen rose to his feet. He was covered head to toe in dirt. Did that jerk really b.u.mp into him, then threaten him?
Ye Zichen furrowed his brows. Just as he was about to chase after them, he discovered a spatial ring beneath his feet
“Where did this come from?”
He picked it up and fiddled with it. It was warm and beset with a brilliant red ruby. From time to time, the precious stone emitted light. It seemed likely that the ring’s worth originated from the ruby.
“What on earth is that?
Just as he was about to examine its contents with his immortal awareness…..
Rumble.
The earth shook.
Before long, a group of saddled horses entered their line of sight. Each had azure fur and blue flames burning atop their heads.
“Spectral ghost horses!” Wu Di cried out in shock.
Ye Zichen glanced at the horses and arched his brows. “What, are these horses special?”
“Master, you really don"t know about spectral ghost horses?”
Wu Di’s words clearly showed his astonishment. This master of his was supremely powerful, yes, but sometimes Wu Di couldn’t help but wonder if Ye Zichen was really from the G.o.d Realm or not. He was always asking baseless questions.
“These spectral ghost horses are considered a high-grade mount. You can only breed them near the River Styx and a full-grown spectral ghost horse runs even faster than an immortal king. If you put one up for auction, you’d get at least a hundred million spirit coins for it. But it’s not just about the money. More importantly, they’re a status symbol. Everyone capable of riding such a mount in the seventy-two districts possesses a considerably high status.”
“Alright, then.” Ye Zichen shrugged, unconcerned. Compared to these hundred-million-spirit-coin horses, he was more interested in their riders.
A woman sat astride one of the horses. She was clad entirely in red. Her clothes were loose, but they were nowhere near enough to disguise her killer figure. Her long black hair was carelessly tied back into a ponytail. Her features were perfectly formed. As soon as you laid eyes upon her, it was difficult to look away.
However, despite her beauty, the woman was currently frowning deeply. Her gaze was somewhat frantic. Even so, this didn’t diminish her beauty in the slightest.
“What an exquisite beauty.”
Everyone had a taste for beauty.
The woman who’d just popped into his line of sight really was a rare beauty. He sighed in sincere admiration, yet that’s all it was. Appreciating her good looks didn’t mean he’d fallen for her.
After taking a quick look, Ye Zichen looked away. At the moment, he was more interested in the ring’s contents than in beauties.
At that moment, a cry resounded through his ears. “Stop!”
The next moment, Ye Zichen realized he’d been surrounded. When he looked up, the beauty he’d just finished admiring stood right in front of him. The closer she got, the more Ye Zichen understood just how beautiful she really was.
Especially her valiant spirit. It gave her delicate beauty an unrelenting edge.
The woman astride a spectral ghost horse turned to the men next to her and said, “you, keep chasing the others.”
They immediately nodded and raced off. Then, shockingly, the woman leaped from the saddle and glowered sharply at Ye Zichen.
Sensing her gaze, Ye Zichen couldn’t help but sigh helplessly and pat Wu Di on the shoulder. “Being too handsome is a sin too.”
“Apprentice, do you see how charming your master is?”
Wu Di had broken out in a cold sweat. This woman was obviously looking for trouble. “Master, quit joking around.”
“There’s no point talking to you about this.” Ye Zichen acted as if he hadn’t heard Wu Di’s warning. “You’re still young. You couldn’t possibly understand my feelings.”
There was a resigned look in his eyes as he flipped his hand, revealing a pen.
“Do you want my contact information, or are you more interested in my zodiac sign? If you want an autograph, how about I sign here……”
As he spoke, they saw Ye Zichen, pen in hand, reach for the woman’s chest.
The woman instantly grew livid with rage. She gnashed her teeth and yelled, “seize them!”