First Arrival at Hundred Flower Valley

"Stop with the useless talk. Guan Yun Chang actually did things, he didn't just talk about them," Yue Qianchou said, pulling him out of the golden bead and back to the Spirit Stone Daoist temple. He took out the jade slip and handed it to him, saying, "Take me to Hundred Flower Valley first!"

Guan Yu took it, looked at the Daoist temple, and thought about leaving. He sighed and said, "Wait!" He then walked over to the young boy who had died long ago, carried him to the back hall, and buried him on the spot. Yue Qianchou nodded, thinking he still had some humanity.

The two arrived at the foot of the mountain and found the horses they rode still tied to a tree. Yue Qianchou untied the reins, mounted his horse, and said, "Follow me!" With that, he galloped off.

You're going to make me run on horseback? Guan Yu's red face flickered with an uncertain expression. However, his primordial spirit was held in the hands of the Sister, so he didn't dare to act rashly. He channeled his True Qi to its limit, leaped up, and followed.

Yue Qianchou led him not to any other place, but back to the capital. It wasn't to the Marquis General's Mansion. The two changed their tattered clothes and got new outfits. At Guan Yu's own request, Yue Qianchou put in great effort and finally dressed him up as the Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms.

With a green hat, a green robe, and a long sword at his waist, Guan Yu stood there with his hand on the hilt, exuding an impressive aura. Yue Qianchou's eyes shone with brilliance; it was truly as if Guan Yun Chang himself had come to life. However, thinking that this Guan Yu had once been a Daoist and had also engaged in trickery and deception, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The owner of the tailor shop couldn't help but praise, "Sir, you have a truly remarkable appearance." Guan Yu was overjoyed and called for the owner to bring a bronze mirror.

Indeed! In the mirror, a red-faced Guan Gong appeared, clad in a green robe, wearing a green hat, with his hand on his sword hilt, and a long beard cascading down his face. As his eyes opened and closed, he exuded an imposing majesty. He almost didn't recognize himself.

After leaving the tailor shop, Guan Yu walked beside Yue Qianchou, secretly pondering the peerless demeanor of the Guan Yun Chang his Boss had spoken of. He kept his hand on his sword hilt, chest out, and walked forward with steady strides. Passersby cast their gazes at him, whispering amongst themselves, "This man truly looks exceptionally valiant."

Guan Yu's gaze became even more fixed ahead. Yue Qianchou glanced back and was delighted, thinking, Who's more awesome than me, leading Guan Yu around the streets like this?

The two arrived at the horse market to buy a horse. After browsing the market for a while, Guan Yu couldn't find a horse he was satisfied with. Yue Qianchou grew impatient and exclaimed, "Does it take that much effort to pick a means of transportation?"

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and slowly said, "Didn't you say the horse Guan Yun Chang rode was called 'Red Hare,' a treasure horse that could travel a thousand li a day? Naturally, I must choose a good horse." Yue Qianchou rolled his eyes at him, his teeth aching. He blamed himself for his own actions and was utterly speechless.

In the end, they couldn't find the so-called treasure horse and had to pick a relatively strong one. Guan Yu sighed profusely. The two mounted their horses and rode straight out of the city gates, kicking up dust as they went.

It was troublesome not having reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet; otherwise, they could have flown on their swords and wouldn't have suffered the hardship of traveling for days. More than ten days later, Guan Yu led Yue Qianchou to a deep mountain forest. Looking ahead, the mountain path was rugged, and riding a horse was no longer possible.

Yue Qianchou dismounted and pointed to the depths of the clouds and mist between the high mountains, asking, "Is that Hundred Flower Valley? It doesn't look like it! How can you see anyone in all this fog?"

Guan Yu also dismounted and smiled. After spending these past few days with Yue Qianchou, he found that he wasn't a difficult person to get along with, and he felt much more at ease. He explained, "If anyone could see Hundred Flower Sect, wouldn't that be too troublesome? Wouldn't even ordinary people be able to enter and exit freely? Hundred Flower Palace has set up a grand formation within Hundred Flower Valley, and those clouds and mists are just some illusions. Their main purpose is to prevent ordinary people from barging in. Let's go! But what about these two horses?"

"What? Are you going to send them back to their parents? Just leave them here," Yue Qianchou said mockingly.

Guan Yu stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, drew the long sword from his waist, cut the reins of the two horses, removed the saddles, and then whipped the horses' hindquarters twice with his sword. The two horses cried out in pain and, unhindered, ran into the deep mountains.

"Hey! You're quite kind-hearted. I'm afraid there are quite a few fierce beasts in this deep mountain forest. I wonder if they'll even survive today," Yue Qianchou said, shaking his head.

Guan Yu was stunned by his words. He looked back in the direction the horses had run and said solemnly, "They can only fend for themselves! It's not something we can control. Let's go up the mountain." Before he could finish speaking, the neighing of horses sounded, and the two horses ran back.

Guan Yu was a bit dumbfounded. Yue Qianchou burst out laughing, "These horses are used to being tamed. They won't be able to survive in the wild. They'll probably be scared back by the smell of beast dung. Forget it, let this Boss be generous!" He then walked up to the two horses, reached out to touch them, and the two horses vanished with a flicker. Seeing that Guan Yu was still in a daze, he waved his hand, "What are you spacing out for? Let's go! I've already sent them to my Sister's place."

Guan Yu shook his head and said, "I'm not spacing out. I'm just wondering who exactly you and your sister are, and where your sister lives." With a face full of disbelief, he started walking up the mountain.

"I'll let you know when there's an opportunity. Tell me about this Hundred Flower Palace!" Yue Qianchou followed him.

"Hundred Flower Sect hasn't been established for very long, only about two hundred years. It's actually related to Fu Xian Island. The Sect Master of Hundred Flower Sect, the Hundred Flower Fairy, was originally the daughter of the previous Island Master of Fu Xian Island. Unexpectedly, she ended up marrying Yan Bugui, the son of the previous Palace Master of 'Myriad Demon Palace,' the top sect of the Demonic Path. It caused quite a stir back then. On one side was the top sect of the Righteous Path, and on the other was the top sect of the Demonic Path. The Sect Masters of both sects, under pressure from the Righteous and Demonic paths, expelled the two from their sects and also stepped down from their positions as Sect Masters. These two, a husband and wife, then established their own sect here and founded Hundred Flower Palace. Hundred Flower Palace can be considered an anomaly in the Cultivation World. You can't say it belongs to the Righteous Path, nor can you say it belongs to the Demonic Path, yet both the Righteous and Demonic paths still have to give it some face. Because of this, over time, Hundred Flower Valley, where Hundred Flower Palace is located, has become a trading hub in the Cultivation World. Neither the Righteous nor the Demonic paths dare to cause trouble here; they conduct their own business. Isn't that strange?"

"Heh heh! That's a bit interesting. I'll have to take a good look," Yue Qianchou said with a smile. The two walked and chatted as they wound their way into the depths of the mountain mist.

The thick fog in the mountains was strange. The wind blew and the clouds churned, but it didn't dissipate. The two stopped in front of the thick fog. Guan Yu took out the jade slip, injected True Qi into it, and the jade slip shot a white light into the depths of the fog. The fog immediately churned, and a path gradually opened up. Guan Yu instructed, "Don't wander off. Just follow the path."

The two walked along the path, and the fog behind them slowly closed again. Yue Qianchou was secretly amazed. He thought that even the most advanced technology from his previous life would find it difficult to achieve this. After walking for a short while, a not-so-large city gate appeared before them. Several cultivators holding weapons were guarding the entrance. The cultivators glanced at the two but said nothing.

Guan Yu pulled Yue Qianchou along and said, "Fellow Daoists, this friend of mine is visiting for the first time and needs a Hundred Flower Entry Token."

A cultivator sitting behind a table glanced at Yue Qianchou, opened the ledger on the table, and asked, "Name? Which sect?"

"Yue Qianchou, a rogue cultivator with no sect," Yue Qianchou replied calmly. Guan Yu had instructed him before they came, and of course, he wouldn't say he was from Qingguang Sect.

"One Hundred Flower Entry Token, one mid-grade Spirit Stone or one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones," the cultivator said indifferently.

Yue Qianchou nodded and pretended to reach into his robes to take out a mid-grade Spirit Stone and hand it over. Guan Yu's eyelids twitched. He remembered that this guy was the one who lacked nothing, especially Spirit Stones.

The cultivator took out a jade slip and asked Yue Qianchou to inject True Qi into it. He then formed a hand seal and shot a white light into the jade slip. After handing the jade slip to Yue Qianchou, the matter was concluded.

"This registration process is really quite simple," Yue Qianchou muttered, touching the jade slip in his hand. Guan Yu smiled and said, "It seems simple, but if it's not the person holding the jade slip and injecting True Qi, they can't get in at all."

Passing through the city gate, Yue Qianchou's eyes immediately lit up. He never imagined that there would be such a wonderful place in these deep mountains. Shops and taverns lined the streets, small stalls and vendors were everywhere, and cultivators in various attire came and went.