"Quit spouting that useless nonsense. Guan Yun Chang earned his reputation through deeds, not words..." Yue Qianchou grabbed him and left the golden pearl, returning to the Spirit Stone Daoist temple. He took out the jade tablet and handed it over. "Take me to Hundred Flower Valley for a look first!"
Guan Yu accepted it. Looking around the Daoist temple and thinking of how he was about to leave, he let out a long sigh. "Wait!" With that, he walked over to the child who had been dead for some time, carried the body into the rear hall, and buried it on the spot. Yue Qianchou nodded, thinking to himself that he had at least retained a bit of humanity.
When the two reached the foot of the mountain, they found the horses they had ridden still tied beneath the tree. Yue Qianchou untied the reins, mounted one, and said, "Follow me!" Then he spurred his horse and galloped away.
You rode a horse and expected me to run? Guan Yu's red face shifted between dark and light. But his Primordial Spirit was in that Sister's hands, so he did not dare act rashly. He pushed his True Qi to the limit, leaped into the air, and followed.
Yue Qianchou did not take him anywhere else, instead returning to the capital. They did not return to the Marquis General's Mansion. The two changed out of their damaged clothes and dressed themselves anew. At Guan Yu's own request, Yue Qianchou racked his brains and finally dressed him up as that Guan Yu from the Three Kingdoms.
With a green cap, green robe, and a longsword at his waist, Guan Yu stood there with one hand resting on the hilt. What imposing bearing! Yue Qianchou's eyes gleamed as he looked at him. It was as though Guan Yun Chang himself had come back to life. But remembering that this Guan Yu had once been a Daoist and even practiced fraud and trickery made him want to laugh.
Even the tailor shop owner could not help praising him. "Sir, what a fine appearance you have."
Guan Yu was overjoyed and called for the owner to bring a bronze mirror.
Sure enough! A red-faced Guan Yu in a green robe and green cap, one hand on his longsword and his long beard hanging over his chest, appeared in the bronze mirror. Every opening and closing of his eyes carried an awe-inspiring authority without anger. He nearly failed to recognize himself.
After leaving the tailor shop, Guan Yu followed at Yue Qianchou's side, secretly pondering the peerless bearing of Guan Yun Chang that his boss had spoken of. With one hand on his sword hilt, head raised and chest out, he strode forward. Passersby all cast curious looks his way and whispered among themselves, "This man truly looks mighty and extraordinary."
Guan Yu became even more rigidly forward-facing. Yue Qianchou glanced sideways at him and nearly laughed himself sick. Who the hell is more badass than me, strolling all over the streets with Guan Yu in tow?
The two arrived at the horse market to buy a horse. After making several rounds through the market, Guan Yu still could not find one he liked. Yue Qianchou grew impatient and shouted, "Do you need to put this much effort into picking something to get around on?"
Stroking his long beard, Guan Yu said slowly, "Didn't you say Guan Yun Chang's horse was called Red Hare, a prized steed capable of traveling a thousand li a day? Naturally, I must choose a fine horse." Yue Qianchou rolled his eyes, his teeth aching. He could only blame himself for bringing this upon himself and was utterly speechless.
In the end, they truly could not find any so-called prized steed, so they chose a fairly sturdy horse instead. Guan Yu sighed endlessly. The two mounted up and rode straight out through the city gates, kicking up dust as they sped away.
Not having reached the Foundation Establishment Realm was truly troublesome. Otherwise, he could have used Sword Flight and spared himself the hardship of traveling day after day. More than ten days later, Guan Yu led Yue Qianchou into a stretch of deep, ancient forest. Looking ahead, the mountain path was rugged and winding; it was no longer possible to proceed on horseback.
Yue Qianchou jumped down from his horse and pointed toward the depths of the mist among the mountains ahead. "That's Hundred Flower Valley? It doesn't look like it! How are we supposed to see anyone through all this cloud and fog?"
Guan Yu dismounted as well and smiled. After spending the past few days with Yue Qianchou, he had realized that Yue Qianchou was not so difficult to get along with after all, which put him much more at ease. He explained, "Wouldn't it be a huge problem if everyone could see Hundred Flower Sect? Wouldn't even ordinary mortals be able to come and go as they pleased? Hundred Flower Palace set up a grand formation within Hundred Flower Valley. That cloud and fog is merely an illusion, mainly meant to keep ordinary mortals from barging in. Let's go! But what should we do with these two horses?"
"What, are you planning to send them home to their parents? Just leave them here." Yue Qianchou sneered.
Guan Yu stroked his beard and pondered briefly. He drew the longsword at his waist, cut the reins from both horses, removed their saddles, then swung his sword and lashed each horse twice across the rump. The horses neighed in pain and ran freely into the deep mountains.
"Heh! You're kindhearted, all right. But there are probably plenty of fierce beasts in these deep mountains and old forests. Who knows whether they'll even survive the day." Yue Qianchou shook his head.
Guan Yu was stunned by his words and looked twice in the direction the horses had run. In a deep voice, he said, "Their fate is in their own hands! This is not something we can manage. Let's head up the mountain." Before he had even finished speaking, the sound of neighing rang out. The two horses came running back.
Guan Yu was somewhat dumbfounded. Yue Qianchou burst out laughing. "These horses have grown accustomed to being raised by people. They simply can't survive in the wild. They'd probably smell some fierce beast's droppings and come running back in terror. Forget it, this boss will show them some kindness!" With that, he walked over to the two horses and reached out to touch them. The horses vanished in an instant. Seeing that Guan Yu was still staring blankly, he waved a hand. "What are you spacing out for? Come on! I've already sent them to my Sister."
Guan Yu shook his head. "I'm not spacing out. I'm just wondering who exactly you two siblings are, and what kind of place your Sister lives in." With a face full of disbelief, he headed up the mountain.
"You'll naturally find out when the chance comes. Tell me what this Hundred Flower Palace is all about!" Yue Qianchou followed after him.
"Hundred Flower Sect has not been established for long, less than two hundred years or so. It is actually connected to Fu Xian Island. The Hundred Flower Sect's leader, Hundred Flower Fairy, was originally the daughter of Fu Xian Island's previous island master. What surprised everyone was that she married Yan Bugui, the son of the previous master of the Myriad Demon Palace, the greatest sect of the Demonic Path. It caused quite a commotion at the time. One side was the greatest sect of the Righteous Path, the other the greatest sect of the Demonic Path. Under pressure from both the Righteous and Demonic paths, the leaders of the two sects expelled the pair from their sects and both stepped down from their positions. This husband and wife then founded a sect here and established Hundred Flower Palace. Hundred Flower Palace can be considered an oddity in the Cultivation World. You can neither call it Righteous nor call it Demonic, yet both the Righteous and Demonic paths have to give it some face. Over time, Hundred Flower Valley, where Hundred Flower Palace is located, instead became a trading ground for the Cultivation World. Neither the Righteous nor Demonic paths dare cause trouble here. Each does their own business. Isn't that strange?"
"Heh heh! That is rather interesting. I'll have a good look around." Yue Qianchou smiled. As they talked, the two wound their way toward the depths of the mountain mist.
The thick fog in the mountains was extremely strange. Though wind blew and clouds surged, it would not disperse. The two stopped before the dense fog. Guan Yu took out the jade tablet and poured True Qi into it. The tablet shot a beam of white light into the depths of the mist. The thick fog immediately churned, gradually parting to reveal a path. Guan Yu cautioned, "Don't run around. Just follow the path."
The two proceeded along the path, and the mist behind them slowly closed again. Yue Qianchou secretly found it astonishing. Even the most advanced technology from his past life would have found this difficult to achieve. Before long, a city gate, not particularly large, appeared before them. Several cultivators holding weapons stood guard outside. The cultivators glanced at the pair but said nothing.
Guan Yu pulled Yue Qianchou over and said, "Fellow Daoists, my friend is here for the first time and needs a Hundred Flower entry-and-exit token."
One cultivator sitting behind a table glanced at Yue Qianchou, opened the register on the table, picked up a brush, and asked, "Name? Sect?"
"Yue Qianchou. An unaffiliated Rogue Cultivator." Yue Qianchou answered unhurriedly. Guan Yu had already explained this to him before they came. Naturally, he was even less likely to say that he belonged to Qingguang Sect.
"One Hundred Flower entry-and-exit token. One mid-grade Spirit Stone, or one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones." The cultivator spoke blandly.
Yue Qianchou nodded and pretended to rummage in his robes before taking out a mid-grade Spirit Stone and handing it over. Guan Yu's eyelid twitched. Only then did he remember that Spirit Stones were what this fellow lacked least.
The cultivator took out a jade tablet and had Yue Qianchou infuse it with True Qi. Then he formed a hand seal and sent a beam of white light into the tablet. Once the jade tablet was handed to Yue Qianchou, the matter was settled.
"This registration is really simple." Yue Qianchou muttered as he touched the jade tablet in his hand. Guan Yu smiled. "It may look simple, but without the owner personally holding the jade tablet and infusing it with True Qi, no one can enter."
Passing through the city gate, Yue Qianchou's eyes immediately lit up. He had never imagined that such a wonderful place existed deep within these mountains. Shops and taverns stood in rows, street stalls and peddlers could be seen everywhere, and cultivators dressed in all kinds of attire came and went.
Before you continue