Shadow's Trace Reappeared

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Qin Yi felt that the way of thinking here was very similar to what Liusu had once encouraged him to do.

Could it be that everyone here is Liusu's disciple or grand-disciple...?

Perhaps not. It's just that the pursuit of transcending rules and constraints is a common characteristic of all kinds of immortal Immortal Dao, and cultivators in the Divine Continent share the same aspirations. It's just that it's particularly prominent here, as even mortals are influenced by this atmosphere. If mortals think this way, cultivators are even more unrestrained.

What's interesting is that they are also divided into good and evil. Despite their unrestrained commonality, they still have a sense of good and evil.

The so-called "following my heart"—but what exactly is my heart? Every "me" is different.

What we've only seen so far is a small part of it, and it seems quite cute, but Qin Yi can fully imagine how chaotic it could become once it's no longer bound by the "Iron Law."

"Do you have a kingdom for mortals?"

"It cannot exist," the waiter said. "It existed before, but then it disappeared."

"How did it perish?"

Why should I tell you? By the way, are you buying anything?

"..." Qin Yi took out a gold ingot.

The waiter accepted the gold and remained silent.

Qin Yi: "?"

The waiter said, "I'll accept the gold if you give it to me. I don't necessarily have to answer your questions."

Qin Yi was both amused and exasperated. "Then what will it take for you to answer?"

"I'll answer if I want to, and I won't if I don't. What are you going to do about it?"

Qin Yi was both annoyed and amused. He had previously thought that although things were a bit strange here, it was still possible to communicate. Now he realized that there was no "reason" to be had.

Qin Yi beckoned, and the gold transformed into a golden phoenix, flying out of the waiter's pocket and landing back in his hand.

"Does this count as bullying you?" Qin Yi smiled. "I'll give it to you if I want to, and I won't if I don't."

The waiter's eyes widened for a moment before he realized that Qin Yi was no ordinary cultivator.

Originally, relying on the Iron Law that "cultivators cannot bully mortals," he could accept the gold without being robbed. Seeking arbitration would be too troublesome, and most cultivators wouldn't have the time or inclination for it, usually just accepting their bad luck. But Qin Yi's ability to change at will was something he'd rarely seen here; at least, it was difficult for most Qin Xin cultivators to achieve, and those who did were usually very high-ranking "great figures," the kind he could only look up to...

His expression immediately changed, and he said with a fawning smile, "Sir, sir, let's talk this out. As long as you give me the gold, I'll answer any question you may have."

"So-called disorder is still about exploiting the rules." Qin Yi smiled. "Hopefully, this is just something ordinary mortal does. If cultivators also talk about disorder and its meaninglessness while actually taking advantage of loopholes in the rules, then it's really meaningless. It's just a place with special rules; what's the point of talking about transcendence?"

Laughter came from inside. "Fellow Daoist, why not come in for a chat?"

Qin Yi casually said, "What's the point of distinguishing between inside and outside, or talking about the hierarchy between immortals and mortals? If you want to talk, come out and chat."

Liusu glanced sideways from inside the stick and suddenly felt that Qin Yi was very suitable for this place.

Laughter echoed from inside, and a shopkeeper with a goatee stepped outside, chuckling, "Fellow Daoist, are you from the north?"

Qin Yi deliberately asked, "According to your usual practice, shouldn't you be asking if it's south? West? East?"

The shopkeeper chuckled, "We talk about disorder to break free from constraints, not to create chaos for ourselves. If you say west and he says east, no one will know where anyone is talking about. That's just creating trouble out of nothing, Non-Self what we want."

Qin Yi nodded and smiled, "So your distinction between inside and outside is just for convenience, not because you care about the difference between immortals and mortals?"

"That's right. Whether you're a human or an immortal, we all share a common goal: to make life easier, not to become more and more tiring. Not wanting rules is for this reason, and abiding by rules is also for this reason; it's all for the same purpose, nothing more."

"This is the safe zone inside the city. What about outside?" Qin Yi pointed to the outside of the city. "It sounds good, but I think the mortals here would not dare to leave the city. Otherwise, if they cursed the cultivators, they might be reduced to dust."

The shopkeeper looked at him with great curiosity. "Why should someone who insults a cultivator be retaliated against?"

Qin Yi, quite puzzled, retorted, "So you all have such high moral character, remaining calm and composed even after being scolded?"

"Just say what you want to say. Why Immortal so well-behaved? Who are you trying to disgust?"

Qin Yi: "..."

The shopkeeper seemed intrigued. "Hey, don't you guys think that's disgusting? What kind of life do you live...?"

Qin Yi's lips moved for a long time, but he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After a long pause, he finally asked, "Who is your city lord?"

"Without a city lord, the Thousand Mountains Rogue Cultivator Alliance protects this place, allowing people to live freely. If cultivators want to take on disciples or find odd jobs, they have a place to do so. Otherwise, they don't need to concern themselves with anything else. What's the point of having a city lord?"

"Is there no one managing it? What about taxes and such?"

"Tax? What's that?"

"Then... if everyone litters everywhere, the ground will be a mess in no time, who will care?"

"It's something any cultivator could solve with a flick of their wrist... If you like it, stay; if you don't, deal with it yourself. Are you begging me to stay here?"

"... Alright then."

A complete and utter anarchic and laissez-faire society, with only a monastic alliance upholding the basic rule of "not harming mortals," and everything else is left to chance.

What a bizarre place.

"Then why do you cultivators live with mortals? Is there something you want from them?"

"They don't live together. Most cultivators are still in the nearby Spirit Mountain, only coming to the city when they need something. This city was originally a Town Market spontaneously formed by the local Rogue Cultivator to exchange things. Later, it was managed by someone else, and it gradually prospered. Then, the person who was hired married and had children, and even the Rogue Cultivator themselves had offspring who couldn't cultivate. So, many mortals ended up living here."

"..." Qin Yi stared blankly, his head still throbbing. Common sense dictates that settlements with clear power disparities should lead to resource allocation imbalances, social hierarchies, and class oppression. But this conventional wisdom didn't necessarily hold true here. Their thinking was rather bizarre; they openly sold even the basics of cultivation, and everyone cultivated together—he didn't understand why...

The specific social model might be too complex to grasp in a short time, and it's highly likely that it's only the case in this city, with different models in other cities. After all, the entire "continent" is chaotic, so there probably isn't a unified model. So let's stop asking too many questions, or it'll never end.

Twenty days will pass in the blink of an eye. I'm not here for tourism or social research; a general understanding is enough.

So he asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any pills or medicinal herbs here? I'd like to see if there's anything I need."

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Then you've come at the perfect time. There happens to be a Grand Alchemist here today..."

Before the words were finished, a burly man stumbled in, carrying a blood-soaked person on his back. "Is there Alchemist present today? My friend is seriously injured, please help!"

Qin Yi followed the two into the inner room. Turning left, he found himself in an Alchemy Chamber, where an old Daoist priest sat refining elixirs. Calling him a Daoist priest wasn't quite right, because it was the first time Qin Yi had ever seen someone draw a smiley face on the Tai Chi symbol on their Daoist robe...

The burly man put down his friend from his back and said urgently, "Quickly, check if he can be saved!"

The way the Daoist priest pleaded was ridiculous. Qin Yi remained silent, waiting to see what he would say.

The Daoist priest, however, was not offended at all. After carefully examining the injured man, he pondered and said, "Did he suffer from the Yin Shattering Skill of the Profound Yin Sect?"

"So it's the Yin Shattering Skill?" the burly man exclaimed happily. "Since you recognize it, it means there's hope?"

"Yes," the Daoist priest said, pointing to the burly man himself. "Go to the Profound Yin Sect and receive a Yang Extremity Skill. Then reconcile with him, and both of you will be fine."

The burly man's expression changed drastically. "How is this possible!"

The Daoist waved his hand. "If you don't want to, then forget it. Leave him here, and I'll study him slowly. Perhaps I have another way to deal with him."

After a moment's hesitation, the burly man said, "I'll also go to the Profound Yin Sect to see if they have an antidote."

Not long after the burly man left, the injured man, after being massaged by the Daoist priest, regained consciousness and asked, "Where is Brother Zhang?"

"He could have saved you, but he didn't agree because of the danger. People like that aren't worth associating with."

The injured man gritted his teeth and said, "So that's what kind of person he is..."

Qin Yi silently probed with his divine sense, originally wanting to see if he could save the person, but upon probing with his Divine Sense, his expression suddenly changed.

What kind of Yin Shattering Skill? Why does this strand of hair stuck in my heart meridian look so much like Meng Qingying's Tarsal Bone Maggots?