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墨書 Inktalez
"Um? What's going on? Boss, why did you summon me?" It hadn't been long since Hong Chi and Ling Mo Xie parted ways, and Hong Chi still thought Ling Mo Xie was in Menglan Valley, so he was naturally puzzled.
Ling Mo Xie sighed helplessly and said, "We've been too careless lately. After we separated, I fell into the trap set by the Divine Martial Sect Master and that Cang Qian. I had no choice but to escape first. Now we are already in Wen Dao City."
Hearing Ling Mo Xie's explanation, Hong Chi's mouth dropped open in shock. What? They were already in Wen Dao City?
The Izumo Kingdom was quite far from Wen Dao City, almost a hundred thousand miles away. How could they have arrived at Wen Dao City in such a short time? Even a master at the Ascendant stage wouldn't be able to teleport that quickly, right?
Seeing Hong Chi's stunned expression, Ling Mo Xie patted his head and said helplessly, "There are many miraculous things in this world. Don't be so surprised. However, I can summon you now, but I can't do the same for Chen Yan. This world is so vast; who knows if we'll meet again in our lifetimes?"
Upon hearing Ling Mo Xie's lament, Hong Chi quickly regained his composure and disdainfully said, "Hmph! That guy Chen Yan will definitely come looking for us. After all, he knows we will be at the Taoist Sect, so don't worry!"
"That's true..." Ling Mo Xie murmured. He still owed Chen Yan a meal; surely he would come looking for him.
"Go ahead and have fun. I'm going to entertain a guest. Just enjoy yourself these days and get familiar with the situation here while waiting for Chen Yan," Ling Mo Xie's mood quickly improved. After all, Chen Yan wouldn't be in any life-threatening danger and would come looking for him; there was nothing to worry about. It was just the right time to relax while waiting for Chen Yan!
"Go on! I want to see what delicious food Wen Dao City has!" Hong Chi's eyes squinted with excitement, leaving Ling Mo Xie speechless.
"Take it easy; this isn't the Izumo Kingdom. There are plenty of strong experts here; don't offend anyone!" Ling Mo Xie reminded Hong Chi before waving him off to enjoy himself.
Back in the backyard, the table was still piled high with delicacies. Did you think the Old Man was waiting for Ling Mo Xie to eat? Turning around, he saw a thick stack of plates and bowls piled up on the ground.
Ling Mo Xie was clearly surprised; this Old Man could really eat!
Ling Mo Xie didn't show any expression on his face and calmly walked over to sit across from the Old Man.
The Old Man had been secretly observing Ling Mo Xie's demeanor and smiled slightly when he saw Ling Mo Xie's calmness.
"Senior, I've just arrived; could you please tell me about the situation in Wen Dao City?" Ling Mo Xie asked the Old Man without any pretense. Since the Old Man was so unreserved while eating, there was no need for him to be polite.
"Uh... well, the situation in Wen Dao City is pretty much like that. It's controlled by several Big Families. They have relatives with some influence in the Taoist Sect, so naturally, they become the rulers of Wen Dao City. Then there's also the Listening to the Wind Pavilion; even those Big Families don't dare to act recklessly against it since it has the entire Taoist Sect backing it up while they only have their own clansmen behind them."
As the Old Man continued stuffing food into his mouth while speaking indistinctly, Ling Mo Xie listened attentively. This was all important information he needed to pay attention to. No one knew yet that he had come to Wen Dao City, so there wasn't any immediate danger.
However, once others found out about him—someone with low cultivation but possessing the Daoist Order Decree—he would suddenly become a target of interest. Anyone might come after him, and those local bullies wouldn't miss such a great opportunity either; Ling Mo Xie didn't believe they would let it slip by easily.
The Old Man continued to eat and drink heartily while speaking intermittently.
Ling Mo Xie also gained a general understanding of the situation in Wen Dao City. There was no city lord in Wen Dao City; instead, there were four Big Families coexisting. The enforcement of laws and maintenance of order within the city were handled by outer disciples of the Taoist Sect, with the lowest cultivation level being at the Nascent Soul Stage.
The four Big Families were the Zhou Family, Long Family, Murong Family, and Zhang Family. These families had existed for a long time, each with a history of several thousand years, comparable to some sects in the outside world. Their strength and foundation were naturally quite solid, and because they had members who were butlers or elders in the Taoist Sect, it became easier for their family members to enter the Taoist Sect, which allowed their influence to grow even larger.
The relationships among the four Big Families were complex. If one were to trace their history, it would be evident that almost all families had intermarried at some point, so they all had some connections with one another.
However, this did not mean that their relationships were all good. Many of these marriages were long past, with those involved having turned to dust, and even their descendants had disappeared. Long-standing marriages could not maintain familial ties indefinitely.
Thus, today, these four Big Families had divided into three factions. The most powerful Long Family stood high above the rest, disdainful of forming alliances with anyone. The Zhou Family was isolated due to being ostracized by the Murong Family and Zhang Family; without the support of their strong members in the Taoist Sect, they might have already ceased to exist.
In recent centuries, the Zhang Family and Murong Family had formed many marital alliances and maintained close ties to focus on opposing the Long Family. As for the Zhou Family, only Zhou Xinyi from the Taoist Sect could help them survive; thus, they could not attract too much attention from the Zhang Family and Murong Family.
Of course, fundamentally speaking, the strength of the four Big Families was due to the existence of the Taoist Sect. Without the Taoist Sect, there would be no four Big Families or even Wen Dao City.
However, one should not underestimate the four Big Families just because they relied on the Taoist Sect; at least for Ling Mo Xie, they were still formidable beasts lying before him.
On the surface, each family had two powerful beings at the Ascension Stage, but who would reveal all their strength under the sun for others to see?
The Ascension Stage individuals were stronger than those in the Tribulation Period; they had all passed through Heavenly Tribulation and were waiting to ascend. Therefore, they generally would not act lightly; otherwise, they risked ascending prematurely—a fate they clearly did not desire.
After all, in the Cultivation World, besides a few scattered immortals, they were among the strongest. If they ascended to the immortal realm suddenly, they would find themselves at the bottom again and would have to slowly climb back up from there. Having grown accustomed to high positions, they clearly did not want such a situation to occur; thus, they were unwilling to ascend early.
They had worked hard for so many years and had yet to enjoy themselves properly!
With a better understanding of Wen Dao City and the Taoist Sect situation, Ling Mo Xie felt more assured. He thought it best not to attract attention from the four Big Families during his time in Wen Dao City and hoped they wouldn’t learn about his arrival with the Daoist Order Decree. Once things settled down, he planned to head straight to the Taoist Sect to use the Daoist Order Decree to enhance his strength.
Of course, this was merely Ling Mo Xie's wishful thinking; however, things often did not go as smoothly as one hoped.
The Old Man continued his hearty eating and drinking without any sign of stopping. It was unclear what his stomach was made of; he could eat more than an elephant! It seemed he truly was an extraordinary person!
After discussing Wen Dao City and the Taoist Sect situation, Ling Mo Xie took the initiative to change the subject and asked the Old Man: "Old Man, what is that restaurant you mentioned earlier that is even more luxurious than Listening to the Wind Pavilion? Where is it located?"
Upon hearing Ling Mo Xie's inquiry, the Old Man paused momentarily before sighing and saying: "Don't mention it anymore; there's no use talking about it since it has already vanished from this world."
Ling Mo Xie felt a bit confused but didn’t want to ask too many questions. The Old Man suddenly pretended to be casual and asked Ling Mo Xie, “Young man, where do you come from? Since you are treated as a distinguished guest by the Listening to the Wind Pavilion, you must have an extraordinary background, right?”
Ling Mo Xie smiled and replied, “What extraordinary background could I possibly have? I am just a member of an ordinary small family in this world. My family is located in the remote Izumo Kingdom, and the best among us is only at the Nascent Soul Stage, my Grandfather.”
Upon hearing Ling Mo Xie’s words, the Old Man neither mocked him nor offered any consolation. He directly skipped the topic and continued to inquire, “I wonder if you have heard of Ling Liyun?”
“Hmm?” The Old Man’s thoughts jumped too quickly for Ling Mo Xie to keep up.
Ling Liyun? Isn’t that just the name of this body’s cheap father? People in Wen Dao City know about him? It seems that what others say is true; he is indeed a legend.
Ling Mo Xie paused for a moment and then nodded, saying, “I’ve heard of him. It is said that he is a legendary figure; he should be quite remarkable, right? However, in the end, he went missing and disappeared into the river of history. By that measure, he should be considered a failure?”
“Haha...” The Old Man suddenly squinted his eyes and laughed at Ling Mo Xie’s response, leaving Ling Mo Xie feeling puzzled. Did he say something wrong?
“It seems you don’t know enough about him. Would you like me to tell you about his deeds?” After laughing for a while, the Old Man finally stopped and smiled at Ling Mo Xie.
“Sure!” Ling Mo Xie nodded. He really didn’t know much about his cheap father. After all, the previous version of himself was useless; although born in the Cultivation World, he rarely came into contact with matters of the Cultivation World. Naturally, he had heard little about those rumors. By the time he arrived here, Ling Liyun’s story had already passed over ten years ago and was seldom discussed.
“Ling Liyun...” The Old Man’s gaze became distant and profound as if recalling something, which left Ling Mo Xie feeling puzzled.
“He was an extraordinary person; no one knows how he rose to prominence. It is said that before he turned fourteen, he was just an ordinary young man from a small family with average talent.” As the Old Man spoke, he glanced at Ling Mo Xie with deep eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
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