Going to Chang'an

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, the three of them slowly woke up.

After breakfast, Xu Mo carefully put the jade box into his bosom, then turned and bowed to Shen Jingchuan and the other man.

"Please wait a moment, I'm going to pay my respects to my mother." He said urgently, "I'll be right back."

Shen Jingchuan nodded.

"Go ahead, there's no rush."

Xu Mo responded and turned to leave, walking quickly, almost running.

He returned shortly afterward, his face beaming with undisguised joy, and he solemnly bowed to Shen Jingchuan.

"Brother Shen, my mother asked me... to thank you properly on her behalf."

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, stopping him from continuing.

"Alright, that's enough."

Shen Jingchuan recalled what had happened that day and spoke to Xu Mo.

"I promised my senior brother today that I would go find him."

Xu Mo answered the question while dressing, his expression knowing.

"I know him, Yan Wenbin from the Yan Household. That kid is a bit bookish, always acting like he's a talented person who hasn't been recognized. But he comes from a prestigious family after all, so he's quite learned. I know him well, and we have a pretty good relationship."

"It's been a while, I'll go with you."

Shen Jingchuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed his mind.

He turned to look at Xu Mo and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Brother Xu, here's what we'll do: you go see Yan Wenbin for me." He said sincerely, "Just tell him I have something to do today and can't get away. You can either have a drink with him or catch up with him; it's up to you two."

Xu Mo was taken aback.

"Brother Shen isn't going?"

"I have some business to attend to with Brother Zhou," Shen Jingchuan said without further explanation.

Xu Mo stared at him blankly for a while, and seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, he nodded.

"Alright, I'll go in your place."

Xu Mo agreed and turned to leave.

As soon as he left, Shen Jingchuan immediately composed himself and looked at Zhou Tong.

"Brother Zhou, hurry up and get ready, put on some makeup, and come out of the city with me."

Zhou Tong's heart skipped a beat.

"You're... going to Chang'an?"

"Of course," Shen Jingchuan said firmly. "Your uncle and your family are still locked up in prison. Every day they stay is another day of suffering. Don't you want to get them out as soon as possible?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away."

He hurriedly tidied himself up, changed into inconspicuous clothes, and put on a straw hat to cover most of his face.

Shen Jingchuan smiled when he saw his nervous expression.

"Actually, you don't need to be so afraid," he said calmly. "Those two people who wanted to cause you trouble are already dead. Who would bother with your affairs now?"

Zhou Tong lowered his voice.

"I know that, it's been spread far and wide." He said, still pulling his straw hat down a little further. "The Third Prince and the Prince Jing's Heir both died in the chaos of battle. I'm just... being careful, okay?"

"Alright, whatever you want." Shen Jingchuan didn't press the matter. "Let's go."

The two left the Xu residence and headed towards the city gate.

The wanted posters for Zhou Tong on the city gate wall had long been taken down, and the guards were lazy and indifferent, not giving them a second glance, and they left the city smoothly.

Once outside the city, Zhou Tong looked around and moved closer.

"Brother Shen, shall we just walk there like this?" he hesitated. "Or should we go back to the Xu residence and fetch two horses?"

"I have a horse." Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, "Your horse is too slow."

As he spoke, he activated his Divine Sense and released two horses from his spatial dimension, namely Big Black and Little Black.

As soon as the two magnificent horses landed, they snorted, their wings slightly folded at their sides, and the single horn on their heads gleamed with an eerie light.

Shen Jingchuan climbed onto Big Black and gave instructions to Little Black.

"Little Black, this is my friend. Can you give him a ride and take him away?"

Little Black turned its head, glanced at Zhou Tong, and reluctantly neighed, pawing the ground with its four hooves.

Shen Jingchuan smiled, took out two apples from his pocket, and stuffed them into his hand.

"Alright, stop being stubborn, here you go."

Little Black took a bite of the apple, chewing it with a loud crunch, which could barely be considered an agreement.

Zhou Tong watched in stunned silence, completely frozen in place.

He knew that Shen Jingchuan was now a cultivator, but it was already frightening enough that he could conjure two horses out of thin air. These two horses even had wings and horns, and they were completely different from what he recognized. This completely overturned his understanding of the world.

Seeing his dazed look, Shen Jingchuan patted Big Black's neck.

"What's wrong, Brother Zhou? Don't you know how to ride a horse?"

Zhou Tong finally came to his senses and stammered.

"Yes... yes, yes." He stared at the two horses, his face filled with disbelief. "But these... these horses, aren't they the two Big Black and Little Black horses you had back in Chang'an?"

"How did they grow so big? They even grew wings and horns?"

He was feeling a little dizzy as he spoke.

"Alright, are you coming or not?"

"Let's go, let's go!"

Zhou Tong gritted his teeth, trembling as he approached and carefully climbed onto Little Black's back.

Little Black thought he was stupid, so it impatiently shook its body, then flapped its wings and took off.

"Oh my—" Zhou Tong was so frightened that he grabbed the horse's neck, his face turning pale. "This horse... this horse can really fly!"

Big Black also flapped its wings and took off, one after the other, the two black shadows swept across the sky and headed straight for Chang'an.

The two spirit beasts flew extremely fast, with villages, roads, and rivers rushing past beneath their feet.

Just past noon, the outline of a great city began to appear on the horizon, its walls stretching far into the distance—this was Chang'an.

Shen Jingchuan reined in Big Black and called out to Little Black.

"We've arrived. Land now."

The two horses folded their wings and landed at the edge of a secluded grove outside the city, their hooves stomping on solid ground and snorting.

Big Black and Little Black flew for two hours. Although they were second-tier spirit beasts, they were sweating and their fur was slightly damp.

Shen Jingchuan dismounted, patted Big Black's neck, and then reached out to stroke Little Black.

"Thank you for your hard work. Go back to your space and get some rest."

With a Divine Sense, he brought the two horses back inside, and the forest fell silent.

Zhou Tong also dismounted. His legs were still a little weak as soon as his feet touched the ground, and he had to hold onto a tree to steady himself.

At first, he was still shaken, his face pale. But as he flew through the air, he gradually grew bolder, and looking down at the villages, roads, and rivers rushing past below, he felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

In his entire life, he had never even dreamed of flying, let alone imagined it. This trip, covering such a far distance for such a long time—who would believe it?

Zhou Tong looked at the distant Chang'an City, his head still spinning, and rubbed his eyes.

"Brother Shen, we... we've arrived already?"