Fang Han didn't delay any longer. He went straight into the bedroom, took two sets of clothes and several bottles of Danyao from the cabinet, and wrapped them tightly in a blue cloth.
With his Silver-Gray Longsword hanging at his waist, he took one last look at the bedroom he had lived in for so long, wondering when he would be able to return. He turned and left the room.
In the courtyard, Qui Lan still stood under the eaves.
Seeing him come out, she opened her mouth as if to ask something, but in the end she only bowed deeply in greeting.
"Senior brother... take care on your journey."
Fang Han paused slightly, then strode across the courtyard and out of the villa.
In the darkness of night, Gu Changqing stood quietly on the bluestone steps outside the mountain gate.
He stood with his hands behind his back, the night breeze ruffling the hem of his robes, his face appearing even more gaunt in the sparse moonlight.
"They've arrived."
Fang Han approach, he didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly.
"Walk."
Two figures, one after the other, silently slipped into the dense forest beside the official road, avoiding all eyes and ears, and sped off towards the border of Qingyang Prefecture.
The Break the Wind the wind was extremely faint in the night, and was quickly swallowed up by the chirping of insects and the sound of the wind in the forest.
Behind them, the majestic gate of the Azure Profound Sect gradually disappeared into the thick darkness of the night, leaving only a few blurry lights, like stars fallen from the distant sky.
Sect Master's Hall, Chen Tianyuan sat alone on the sandalwood chair at the head of the table.
The candles in the hall were more than half burned, and a thin layer of candle wax had accumulated on the lampstands, giving off a dark luster in the firelight.
"Please send a master-level assassin..."
He muttered to himself, his voice soft, yet carrying a chilling coldness.
"For a commission like this, the required payment will be substantial. Dark Abyss always tracks the flow of money when it takes money to do its job."
He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the deep night outside the palace.
His gentle expression had completely vanished, replaced by a chilling aura, as deep as an abyss.
"I will find out exactly which organization provided this money."
The candlelight flickered beside him, casting a long shadow on the wall behind him.
More than ten days later.
The morning light enveloped the rolling hills of Cloud Province.
The vegetation on both sides of the official road was a vibrant green in the morning light, with thick, rich leaves, quite different from the somewhat withered vegetation in Qingyang Prefecture.
Two figures walked slowly along the official road, one after the other.
The man in front was slender with a gaunt face, wearing a dark blue robe and a wooden hairpin in his hair. His aura was restrained and profound. He was none other than Gu Changqing, the Supreme Elder Gu Changqing Azure Profound Sect.
Half a step behind was a middle-aged man with an extremely ordinary face, dressed in a gray cloth robe, with a very ordinary silver-gray longsword hanging at his waist.
Her eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips are all unremarkable; she's the kind of person you'd easily lose in a crowd.
It was Fang Han, wearing Human Skin Mask.
"We have arrived at Cloud Province."
Gu Changqing stopped and said.
"If we continue for another half a day, we will reach a large city with a population of one million. I cannot leave Azure Profound Sect for too long, so I will leave you here."
Fang Han stopped and thanked him, saying:
"You've had Supreme Elder."
"It's alright."
Gu Changqing waved his hand, turned around, and his deep eyes lingered on Fang Han's face for a moment before he spoke.
"No matter how far the Dark Abyss's reach is, it can't extend to the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures. As long as you don't reveal your identity, you'll be fine."
"However, this is, after all, the Central Thirty Counties, where powerful forces abound. You must be careful here alone."
"This disciple will be careful."
Gu Changqing didn't say anything more. He took one last look at Fang Han, then turned and went back.
The dark blue figure gradually disappeared into the morning light, its steps seemingly unhurried, but with each step, its form had already drifted several feet away.
In a short while, the figure turned into a blurry dot and disappeared into the mist at the end of the official road.
Fang Han still, watching the Supreme Elder's figure disappear completely before turning his gaze away.
He raised his hand and touched the mask on his face.
Although, from his current perspective, the Human Skin Mask he had exchanged for with contribution points was somewhat crude, it was enough to fool most Upper Third Grade.
Only those with keen observation skills or those who have cultivated Upper Third Grade to pupils, especially those of the highest rank, could possibly detect the anomaly.
No matter how extensive Dark Abyss's intelligence network was, he never expected him to appear in the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures, let alone that he had changed his appearance.
"Let's find a place to settle down first."
Fang Han muttered to himself as he strode forward.
Cloud Province is one of the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures, and in terms of the abundance of the primordial Heaven and Earth Origin Energy, it is far superior to Qingyang Prefecture.
Fang Han had already noticed this on the very first day he stepped into the territory of Cloud Province.
The vegetation on both sides of the official road was even more lush than in Qingyang Prefecture, with thick, verdant leaves.
Occasionally, passing by a few medicinal herb fields, the growth of those herbs was equally astonishing; just by looking at them from afar, one could sense that they were of superior quality compared to the same herbs seen in Qingyang Prefecture.
A faint sense of vitality seemed to permeate the air, and each breath gave one a slight invigoration.
Fang Han walked along the official road, his gaze sweeping over the cities he saw along the way.
He had already passed through more than ten small towns, none of which had large populations and were not suitable places for him to stay.
He needs a densely populated metropolis.
Only in that way could he disappear completely into the crowd, like a drop of water falling into the sea, unnoticed by anyone with ulterior motives.
The great city that the Supreme Elder spoke of is indeed the most suitable.
Half a day later, the outline of a large city appeared on the horizon.
The city wall is towering, built of bluish-gray stone blocks, and is estimated to be at least twenty or thirty feet high. It stretches for dozens of miles and is quite imposing.
Banners fluttered atop the city walls, and the figures of armored soldiers patrolling could be vaguely seen.
Above the city gate, the three large characters " Misty City " can be clearly seen from afar.
At the city gate, carriages and horses came and went in an endless stream, and pedestrians thronged the area. The noise could be heard from a great distance.
Fang Han decided to settle down in this city. He quickened his pace and entered the city gate with the flow of people entering the city.
The city streets were wide, the bluestone pavement worn smooth as a mirror by pedestrians and carriages, and shops lined both sides of the road.
The sounds of hawking, laughter, and bargaining mingled together, creating a lively symphony of everyday life.
The pedestrians on the street were well-dressed and walked with ease, exuding an air of wealth and tranquility that was more pronounced than in ordinary cities of Qingyang Prefecture.
Fang Han glanced at the shops on both sides of the street, and soon settled on a shop with a cloth banner with the word "Fang" hanging on it.
Such shops are quite common in major cities, specializing in introducing rental properties and taking a small commission in return.
He stepped into the shop.
The shop wasn't big, but it had several employees. Behind the counter sat a thin old man, about fifty years old, fiddling with an abacus.
Hearing footsteps, the old man raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over Fang Han's extremely ordinary face, before he put on a professional smile:
"Sir, are you looking for lodging?"
"Good."
Fang Han stopped in front of the counter.
"I'd like to rent a detached house, something quiet, with a yard so I can move around comfortably. Price is negotiable."
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the old man's eyes.
He had spent most of his life in this line of work, and his greatest skill was judging a customer's financial status from just a few words.
Although the middle-aged man in front of me had an ordinary face and was dressed simply, his tone of voice and the way he took out his money revealed a composure that was not common among ordinary people.
"There are a few suitable places."
The old man opened a book, ran his finger across it, and muttered to himself.
"There's a two-courtyard house in the south of the city, with a fairly large yard, forty taels of silver a month. There's also one in the west of the city, a bit smaller, for thirty taels of silver a month. But both of those are on the street, so they might be a bit noisy."
"Is there anywhere quieter?"
"There's one more place."
The old man turned to the last page of the book and pointed to the record on it.
"In the north of the city, there's a three-courtyard house. It's in a somewhat remote location, but it's quiet. The courtyard isn't small, and there are several old locust trees. The previous owner was a retired martial artist who laid out a training ground Azure Gangstone in the courtyard. The monthly rent was 100 taels."
Fang Han's gaze flickered slightly upon hearing the words " Azure Gangstone Training Ground".
He pondered for a moment, then nodded:
"Let's go take a look."
Without wasting words, the old man led Fang Han towards the north of the city after leaving the shop.
After walking through several streets and alleys for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two stopped in front of a wooden door with peeling red lacquer.
The old man took a key from his waist, unlocked the door, and pushed open the courtyard gate.
Fang Han stepped inside, glanced around, and immediately made his judgment.
The courtyard was a bit narrower than the old man had described, but it was perfectly adequate for him to live alone.
The first courtyard contains a small reception hall and two side rooms; the second courtyard contains the main house and study; and the third courtyard is the most spacious, paved with neat rows of Azure Gangstone, which is clearly the "training ground" the old man mentioned.
In the corner of the courtyard, several old locust trees have lush foliage and canopies that filter out large patches of sunlight, scattering them onto the ground as fine dappled light.
The courtyard wall is about ten feet high, enough to block the view from the outside world.
He walked to the center of the training path, his boots landing on the solid, flat Azure Gangstone.
He walked to the courtyard wall and looked up at the top of the wall.
Outside the courtyard wall was a quiet alley, with few pedestrians passing by.
Such a courtyard provides a peaceful place for cultivation without attracting attention.
"This is the place."
Fang Han turned around, took out several silver notes from his pocket, and placed them on the stone table in the courtyard.
"Rent for six months first."
The old man took the banknote and examined it carefully; his smile deepened.
He deftly took out a pre-prepared contract from his pocket, filled in the date and rent, and both parties signed and sealed it.
After the old man left, Fang Han closed the courtyard gate and lowered the bolt.
The courtyard returned to silence, save for a few sparrows hopping about on the branches of the old locust tree, chirping softly.
"We have a place to stay!"
Fang Han stood with his hands behind his back in the center of the training ground, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard that would be his residence for the foreseeable future, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
He reached out and removed the Human Skin Mask from his face, revealing his true features.
Beneath the mask, the skin had turned somewhat pale due to being unable to breathe for more than ten days.
He carefully put the mask away, went into the main room, placed the blue cloth wrapping on the table, untied the rope, took out a change of clothes and several bottles of Danyao, and put them away properly.
After a quick tidying up, he sat down on a pear wood chair in the main room and began to think about what to do next.
The reason he had to flee to the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures incognito was because of the threat of a Grandmaster-level assassin. In order to protect himself in the face of a Grandmaster-level assassin, it was his top priority to acquire Grandmaster-level combat power as soon as possible.