Jiangnan Prefecture Sightings

"Lu Ren!" Wang Yue's shout came from behind.

Lu Changfeng stopped his steps. "Lu Ren is actually my alias. My name is Lu Changfeng."

"See? I was never sincere with you. You're only finding out my real name now."

After Lu Changfeng finished speaking, he strode away. It wasn't that he had no feelings for Wang Yue.

It was just that Lu Changfeng didn't even have the thought of marrying Chun Zhu and having children, so how could he be with Wang Yue, who carried the heavy burden of her family on her shoulders?

Marriage and children meant responsibility and burden to Lu Changfeng.

He was now focused on going further on the martial path and didn't want to be entangled by these responsibilities and burdens.

If he couldn't give it, then he shouldn't start.

A man without attachments is the most terrifying.

"You bastard!" Wang Yue's tears fell silently. She wanted to chase after him but was pulled back by Wang Shou. She could only watch with red eyes as Lu Changfeng slowly departed.

"Where are we going?" Zhao Xingtian asked lazily, clasping his hands behind his head.

"To pick someone up, and then, we'll go to Jiangnan Prefecture," Lu Changfeng replied.

Jiangnan Prefecture had the strongest overall strength. Throughout the dynastic changes, the core areas of Jiangnan Prefecture were always minimally affected.

Staying there, Lu Changfeng should be able to cultivate peacefully.

As for Fengcheng, Lu Changfeng would return in the future.

If nothing else, the karma with the 'Giant Elephant Woman' in the crystal coffin beneath Fengtian Lake would eventually need to be resolved.

Lu Changfeng didn't go to bid farewell to Uncle Wen, to avoid causing him trouble.

Zhao Xingtian's eyes lit up. "Jiangnan Prefecture? Yay!"

Jiangnan Prefecture was not only economically prosperous but also had a rich martial arts atmosphere. Among its thirty-six cities, there were the eight great martial arts families of Jiangnan, the ten great sects of Jiangnan, and the four major escort agencies of Jiangnan.

There were world-renowned martial arts rankings, as well as the Jiangnan Misty Rain Tower, which every man in the world wanted to visit. This trip perfectly suited Zhao Xingtian's wishes.

Lu Changfeng first returned to the small courtyard in the Outer City.

Together with Chun Zhu, he settled the two Silkworm Seeds, packed them, and took them with him.

These two Silkworm Seeds had at least seven or eight years of lifespan left, which could supply Lu Changfeng's cultivation for a long time. They were extraordinarily valuable.

Afterward, the four of them rode their horses out of Fengcheng overnight, heading southeast.

Jiangnan Prefecture not only had a rich martial arts atmosphere but also a strong learning environment, with a high level of cultural attainment among its people.

This resulted in one consequence.

Martial artists in Jiangnan liked to give nicknames.

Martial Masters in the Muscle Tendon Realm, or martial artists with outstanding talent, each basically had a resounding title.

Such as the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan," "Old Immortal of Dongting Lake," "King of Thieves, God of Thieves," "Blade Maniac, Blade Supremacy," and countless others.

The martial arts atmosphere in Jiangnan Prefecture seemed extremely strange and chaotic to outsiders, but if one integrated into it, they could experience the merits of Jiangnan Prefecture's martial arts culture.

For example, now, Lu Changfeng and the other three, after traveling all night, were about to reach a county town within Jiangnan Prefecture's territory.

Suddenly, a bald swordsman with over a dozen subordinates jumped out and blocked their path, calling himself "Bandit King Mad Axe Wang Liu."

He was following the customary rule of robbing travelers, demanding ten taels of silver per person. If they paid a total of forty taels, he would let the four of them go.

If this were in Fengcheng, encountering bandits blocking the road would likely result in immediate bloodshed.

Even the bandits here were so righteous and followed rules, only wanting wealth and not lives. One could imagine how much the martial artists of Jiangnan Prefecture adhered to Jiangnan's martial arts rules.

However, no matter how much Bandit King Mad Axe Wang Liu followed the rules, it didn't change the fact that he was a bandit.

Lu Changfeng wouldn't play by their rules.

He was already tired from traveling all night.

Lu Changfeng, too lazy to waste words, directly drew his Autumn Water Sword. He didn't even need to activate his sword intent; he killed several of the bandits standing at the front with a few strikes.

Seeing that he had encountered a ruthless person who didn't play by the rules, Wang Liu turned and fled.

His horsemanship was good, and his mount was spirited and fast.

Alas, his brothers were all killed by Lu Changfeng in an instant.

"Let's go. We'll rest for a day in Xingcheng, then switch to water travel to the capital of Jiangnan Prefecture—Jiangzhou."

The other three had no objections.

Following the county road.

Soon, the four of them arrived at Xingcheng, the city in Jiangnan Prefecture closest to Fengcheng.

Xingcheng was named after a great general, Wu Xing, who once emerged from it.

Xingcheng's prosperity was at the bottom among the thirty-six cities of Jiangnan Prefecture.

However, compared to other prefectures, its prosperity was definitely top-tier.

It was even better than Fengcheng.

Early in the morning, the citizens bustling into the city were a lively sight.

The four of them honestly queued up to pay the city entry fee and enter.

Fortunately, it was early in the morning, and the inn's business was still slow. After entering the city, they found an inn and could directly arrange for accommodation.

After washing up.

Lu Changfeng came down to the lobby and ordered some food and wine.

"Waiter, what's the latest on the war in Jiangnan Prefecture?"

Lu Changfeng handed over a few small coins and asked. This was one of Lu Changfeng's biggest concerns at the moment.

The waiter quickly took the money, paused slightly, then remembered something and said casually, "You mean the war with the Xuanming Cult of Qingshan Prefecture!"

"Hah, that's hardly anything."

"You're from out of town, so you don't know the specifics."

"Actually, those three cities that the Xuanming Cult captured originally belonged to Qingshan Prefecture based on their geographical location."

"It's just that those three cities coveted Jiangnan's wealth and forcefully broke away from Qingshan Prefecture decades ago, merging into Jiangnan Prefecture."

Lu Changfeng had never heard of this before and looked quite surprised.

Seeing his reaction, the waiter continued, "Look now, the Xuanming Cult leader captured those three cities, but does he dare to advance further south?"

"He wouldn't dare, right? If he dares to move south again, we in the Jiangnan martial arts world will deal with the Xuanming Cult ourselves, without even needing the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord to give the order!"

"Hah, what 'world chaos'? Every time there's chaos, Jiangnan is always fine."

"We Jiangnan people have no ambition to conquer the world. When a true wise ruler appears, we'll just pledge our allegiance. Fewer conflicts, isn't that wonderful?"

The waiter's understanding and perspective represented the inner thoughts of most Jiangnan people.

This was why hardly anyone with real strength participated in the Jiangnan Martial Arts Tournament held by the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord last year.

The reason the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord wanted to reclaim lost territory was twofold.

First, the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord was not a local!

Second, the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord's surname was Hong, he was of the Song Kingdom's royal bloodline, and he was a genuine prince!

Unfortunately, the Song Kingdom's momentum had faded. Let alone him being just the emperor's brother, even if the emperor's decree arrived in person, it was uncertain if the people of Jiangnan would be willing to act.

However, although not many forces responded, the Jiangnan Prefecture Lord, Hong Zai, had governed Jiangnan Prefecture for over twenty years, and his personal virtue and charisma were still quite impressive.

The people of Jiangnan might not support him getting involved in conflicts, but after Hong Zai's battle with the Xuanming Cult leader, Li Tianxing, last year, where he was injured, people from all walks of the Jiangnan martial arts world sent him many spiritual elixirs.

There was also Lu Qingshan, the foremost swordsman in Jiangnan, who vowed to make Li Tianxing pay, stating he would sever whatever hand injured the Prefecture Lord.

The waiter spoke eloquently, like an experienced martial artist, and Lu Changfeng benefited greatly.

But Lu Changfeng probed him and found the waiter's bone structure to be mediocre, his talent nonexistent, and his blood essence bình thường. He was just an ordinary person.

How could an ordinary person know so much about the martial arts world?

It wasn't until a child came in carrying a stack of various newspapers that Lu Changfeng truly felt the richness and diversity of the Jiangnan Prefecture's martial arts world.

Unlike the scattered martial arts forces in the cities of Yunyang Prefecture, the martial arts forces in Jiangnan Prefecture had various ways of cross-integrating information. It was no wonder the martial arts in Jiangnan Prefecture were so prosperous.