Three Mountains City lay in the southeastern part of Qinghe Prefecture. It was considered remote. Its territory was covered in layer upon layer of mountains, and three peaks in particular were famous, which was how the city got its name.
The three peaks were called Shubi Peak, Yuheng, and Feilai Peak.
Because the people of this city were poor and cut off from the outside world, they were often derisively called Mountain Barbarians. Many couldn't even afford shoes. Barefoot, they crossed mountains and ridges as easily as if walking on level ground.
Once the people from Three Mountains City arrived, this year's Three Cities Dao Discussion could officially begin. The people from Wangjiang City had entered the city a day earlier.
Geographically, Three Mountains City was slightly farther away in a straight line, though not by much. But the water route from Wangjiang City to Maple Forest City was extremely convenient. Traveling downstream by boat along the Qing River, then turning into the tributary Green Willow River, one could even set out at dawn and arrive by dusk if the wind was right.
But walking from Three Mountains City to Maple Forest City took ordinary people around three or four days... and that was with the Official Path.
It wasn't as if the students who weren't participating in the Dao Discussion could simply rest. Throughout the event, they still had to help the authorities maintain order. Newly enrolled disciples like Ling He and Zhao Rucheng had even less chance of slacking off.
Given the situation, a unit of the City Guard had also been stationed in the city. They had little to complain about.
The Three Mountains City delegation would certainly enter through the south gate, so as soon as they received notice, the students went early to wait at the entrance and welcome them.
"How much longer do we have to wait?" Zhao Rucheng yawned repeatedly. "If I'd known I wouldn't be able to get out of this after all, I would've entered the competition myself. Why'd I give my spot to Third Brother?"
Jiang Wang was at home resting under the perfectly legitimate pretext of preparing for the competition. Meanwhile, those of them who weren't competing had already spent three days as lowly patrolmen. The gap in treatment was simply outrageous.
"Sigh." Huang Azhan shook his head too. "I only gave up my spot because I felt sorry for Senior Brother Zhang, who's getting on in years. Otherwise, I should've been leading the team. Why waste my time with you little kids?"
As a student in his third year, he should have stopped boasting at Li Jianqiu. Instead, he'd leaped straight to the fifth year and claimed the position of team leader. One could only say that the art of bragging knew no bounds.
Zhao Rucheng and Ling He both turned to look at him, their eyes full of admiration.
"Is that so?"
Huang Azhan was still wondering when a hollow voice sounded behind him. "Am I really that old?"
Huang Azhan nearly jumped out of his skin. "What I meant was... Senior Brother Zhang is highly respected!"
Zhang Linchuan stood about two steps behind him, wearing a faintly amused smile. "For the sake of Maple Forest City as a whole, how could you give in out of sympathy? Why not take your spot back and lead the team yourself..."
"Oh! Ah!" Huang Azhan cried, his voice rising and falling dramatically. "Why does my stomach hurt so much?"
"Please bear with me, fellow senior and junior brothers. I'll be right back." He clutched his stomach in apparent agony, hunched over, and scurried off.
Of course, he wasn't coming back. He'd rather be punished by the Dao Academy or have his Dao Merit deducted.
Zhao Rucheng pursed his lips. He'd only been talking big for a bit of fun. Huang Azhan really was asking for trouble. It seemed that with Du Tiger gone, they weren't drinking enough.
"Senior Brother Zhang." Ling He was a proper sort. He bowed to his senior first, then asked, "What brings you here?"
Zhang Linchuan returned the bow. "The Dao Discussion is about to begin. I came to scout the opposition."
Dong A must have put a lot of pressure on him. He, who loved cleanliness and order, was even willing to squeeze into a crowd to scout the opposition.
In fact, plenty of ordinary people were crammed around the south gate. Compared with those wealthy folk from Wangjiang City, they were much more interested in the so-called Mountain Barbarians.
"They're here!"
A stir rose up ahead. The students from the Three Mountains City Daoist Academy had finally arrived.
Unlike the cultivators from Wangjiang City, who'd brought a whole retinue of servants as if they were on an outing, Three Mountains City had sent only six people. Each city had exactly six spots in the Dao Discussion.
They entered through the south gate in a formation of one, three, and two.
People immediately looked down at their feet. It was said that each Mountain Barbarian family owned only one pair of shoes, reserved for whoever had to travel far from home.
And they weren't disappointed. The girl at the front of the Three Mountains City group was indeed barefoot.
Such scrutinizing looks, tinged with prejudice, were bound to make people uncomfortable. Ling He immediately stepped forward.
"Friends from Three Mountains City! Ling He of the Maple Forest City Daoist Academy has been waiting for you. Please follow me. We'll head to the Dao Academy first so you can rest and eat. A little later, I'll show you the venue for the Dao Discussion."
Strictly speaking, Huang Azhan, the third-year student among them, should have been responsible for welcoming the visitors from Three Mountains City. But the instructor in charge had assigned Ling He instead, citing Huang Azhan's unseemly appearance. And Ling He's sincerity did make him well suited to the task.
The people from Three Mountains City hadn't even had time to take offense before they were already following Ling He.
To Zhao Rucheng's surprise, the commoners crowded near the city gate were mostly looking at the round, plump figure in the middle of the Three Mountains City delegation.
Unlike the others, who wore simple, practical outfits, he had a hooded black robe draped over him. His entire face was hidden beneath the hood, making him look all the stranger and drawing even more attention.
Zhao Rucheng could even hear people talking.
"That's their strongest fighter, right?"
"Obviously. He's standing in the middle, with everyone gathered around him. Just look at his bearing!"
"He looks terrifying."
"Maple Forest City had better be on guard!"
"What's there to fear? Zhang Linchuan of the Zhang Family isn't one to be trifled with!"
"He looks like he eats vegetables... Last time he came to our tavern, he didn't even try the bear paws. He only ate a few bites of greens. I was the one who served them!"
The conversation gradually veered off course...
As for the little girl at the very front of the Three Mountains City group, she looked far too harmless. Even though she was beautiful, petite, and adorable, the cultivators' world was a cruel one. Only the truly powerful earned people's attention.
As one of the greeters, Zhao Rucheng chatted on and off with the Three Mountains City cultivators, but they were a taciturn bunch. They also kept close formation, guarding the black-robed fellow in their midst as if they were afraid someone might investigate their secret magical artifact.
Young Master Zhao tried to squeeze in several times, pretending it was an accident, but eventually gave up.
He did notice that as the commoners' talk drifted along the roadside, the expressions of the Three Mountains City cultivators... grew rather strange.
Zhang Linchuan didn't join them. He only squeezed through the crowd for a few glances before leaving.
As Ling He enthusiastically introduced them and the barefoot girl replied in as few words as possible, the group turned right and headed toward the Dao Academy.
The barefoot girl suddenly stopped and turned her gaze toward a tavern by the street.
On the tavern's second floor, an elegant-looking young man stood by the window. One hand was behind his back, and the other held up a cup as he raised it to the barefoot girl from afar. His smile was flawless.
The barefoot girl looked straight ahead and continued on her way.
Ling He recognized him.
That was the leader of Wangjiang City's delegation for this Dao Discussion, and the top name on the Wangjiang City Daoist Academy's Dao Merit Board: Lin Zhengren!
Thanks to book friend Uriel 123 for the alliance-leader reward! (The first alliance leader for Red Heart Patrolling the Heavens! Let me spend a few days on the new-book rankings, and I'll definitely make it up with three extra chapters!) Thanks to book friend Deer Language Time, book friend Ye Song Song, and book friend Huang Azhan for the rewards!
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