Chang'an Town, Where Gaotian Would Open

The phone vibrated, startling Zhang Fusheng from his reverie.

He answered the phone.

"Second Uncle?"

"It's me. The people from the capital are arriving soon. Send word over so everyone can go and greet them. Fusheng, look."

"I'm not going."

Zhang Fusheng calmly said:

"Have Lao Zhao sign the administrative order and go through the formalities. My assistant, Lin Changle, will temporarily take over my position as director."

On the other end of the phone, Chen Daoling was stunned:

"But this person is from the capital. It would be really inappropriate not to go and meet him, wouldn't it?"

In the living room, Zhang Fusheng lowered his eyelids:

"Just say I'm not here. I've heard there's a Chang'an Town in the wilderness. Is that where my grandmaster came from?"

"Here's what happened, what's wrong?"

"It's alright, I plan to take my family there for a couple of days." Zhang Fusheng looked out the window; the sky was already turning a pale white.

"Wouldn't that mean I'd really be gone?"

On the other end of the phone, Chen Daoling gave a wry smile:

"Alright then. The vortex surrounding the Double Ninth Festival is going to get bigger and bigger lately. I know Chang'an Town; it's not a simple place. It would be good for you to have Mom and Dad stay there for a while."

"Um."

The call ended.

It was already dawn, and both Dad and Mom were up. When they saw Zhang Fusheng on the sofa, they were both taken aback.

"You're not asleep?" Zhou Guifang asked coldly.

"Mom, I don't need to sleep anymore." Zhang Fusheng smiled helplessly.

"How about our family goes on a trip?"

He briefly described the villages and towns in the wilderness:

"There's a Chang'an Town, nestled beside a thousand-mile mountain range; it's a very nice place."

"Travel?"

Zhang Wentao and Zhou Guifang exchanged a glance. The former was very perceptive; he had worked in the Investigation Bureau, served as an undercover agent, and worked Night Watchman for a long period.

Immediately sensing something was amiss, he remained silent for a moment:

"Your mother and I will listen to you."

Zhou Guifang nodded as if she understood, then slapped her forehead:

"Chang'an Town, I knew that sounded familiar, the Chen family's kids study there."

"Read?"

Now it was Zhang Fusheng's turn to be surprised. The people living in this neighborhood were all wealthy and influential; why would they go to study in a remote town?

"Yes."

Zhou Guifang nodded and said:

"I heard Old Chen mention it. He said there's a very good school in Chang'an Town. Well, I think it's not called a school in Chang'an Town, but something like a private school."

Zhang Fusheng nodded thoughtfully, sensing the situation in Chang'an Town.

Zhou Guifang suddenly asked:

"Didn't they say it's difficult to travel outside right now? Old Chen and his family want to go to Chang'an Town to see their children, but they can't go."

"No, not at all," Zhang Fusheng said casually. "Why not seize the day? Mom and Dad, pack your bags and let's head out!"

Zhang Wentao nodded in agreement, and the two went back inside to pack.

Zhang Fusheng then called Lin Changle to explain that the other party had been appointed as the director of the department—the young girl was clearly confused.

"Huh? Me? The director??"

After hanging up the phone.

Not long after, Zhang Fusheng's parents, carrying a bunch of luggage, boarded the hovercar with him.

He didn't forget to inform Wei Lingzhu and the Old Master to come together.

After introducing themselves,

The hovercar soared into the sky and sped away.

Shortly after the hovercar departed.

The Whale-Penguin Ship slowly descended over Chongyang City.

Inside the ship.

Yang Shexing walked to the porthole and gazed down at the scene below. Early morning in Chongyang City was the quietest time, shrouded in mist.

Through the morning mist, one could see a large crowd gathered below—all high-ranking officials celebrating the Double Ninth Festival, here to welcome the guests.

Yang Shexing spoke calmly:

"Is the measuring instrument provided by the Research Institute ready?"

"Everything is ready."

The attendant nodded respectfully and exclaimed in admiration:

"This instrument can measure 'Time Particle,' and if a large-scale time exchange or transfer occurs, its exact location can be pinpointed immediately."

Time Particle, special illusory particles discovered by the Origin Qidian Research Institute, are used to capture the flow of time.

Not long ago, the research institute calculated that the Time Particle in the Golden Province were extremely abnormal, frequently oscillating at high frequencies.

This means that the time of one object has been transferred to another object.

This is terrifying, and it indirectly proves that the Gaotian Association's "Exchange Heaven and Dao" is true—a mysterious organization that can exchange years.

Let's anchor this bubble.

Yang Shexing spoke lightly:

"Once abnormal particle fluctuations are detected and time shift phenomena are identified, location of the problem must be determined immediately."

"Try to capture one or two members of the Gaotian Association and study them carefully."

"Yes, sir."

Finally, the attendant asked:

"Shall we go down?"

No rush.

Yang Shexing said lightly:

"Let them stand there for a while longer, until nightfall. You keep an eye on them; if anyone dares to leave, make an example of them."

"Yes, sir." The attendant nodded respectfully.

Yang Shexing sat back down and quietly flipped through a thin ancient book, completely oblivious to everything around him.

At this very moment.

Chang'an Town.

The convoy.

The man in black robes sat quietly in the back seat, and no one in the car dared to move—no one knew when he had appeared.

Zhou Tian Er was drenched in cold sweat. He had the highest cultivation level here and felt the effects the most. Every cell in his body was screaming and warning him!

Stay away! Stay away! Stay away!

Time passed little by little.

The man in black robes slowly raised his head, his hood slightly open, revealing hollow, piercing eyes.

It was gazing at the two old men blocking the convoy.

One was surnamed Wei, with white hair and a weathered appearance; the other was named Yuan Tiandao, blind and using a cane—and was also the 'elder brother' of the grandmaster.

Both of them gave Zhang Fusheng a very dangerous feeling.

Hidden talents and hidden strengths.

In complete silence.

The white-haired old man blocking the convoy coughed softly, glanced sideways, and spoke in a low voice:

"In the convoy?"

"My divination is infallible; there will definitely be an uninvited guest." Yuan Tiandao lowered his head, his voice calm:

"I'm not quite sure about the Spiritual Qi, the authority of plague, incarnations, and servants."

"The Underworld, the Nine Netherworlds."

Words escaped the blind old man's lips one by one, and he said regretfully:

"With only this much information, can you kill him?"

"Disaster."

Wei Busǐ shook his head and spoke in a low voice:

"You said it yourself, it's just a wisp of thought, an insignificant servant or avatar. I can't be sure where its [master] is, but it should be related to the God of Plague."

"That's enough."

Yuan Tiandao reached out and pinched, suddenly grasping a wisp of barely perceptible Plague Qi.

"Let's go. Using this as a medium, please use the Supreme Treasure. It will allow you to follow the trail in your dreams. Whether you kill or not is another matter. Let's first see what's real and what's not."

"That's how it should be." Wei Busǐ nodded. The two of them weren't in a hurry to find the bloodline of the Emperor—he or she was already there.

Now that we've arrived, everything is already predetermined.

The two old men turned and left.

The convoy.

Zhang Fusheng, in the body of a plague demon, gazed at the two departing old men, wanting to frown—but he had no eyebrows.

"Even without meeting them directly, I could feel the pressure."

Innate Limit?

Or stronger?

When faced with indecision and unclear about the details, bestow upon me a High Heaven Token.

The plague demon exhaled a chilling Death Qi, and the temperature inside the car suddenly dropped several degrees.

It uses a unique bone-friction sound opening:

"I have no ill intentions; I have come in accordance with the Imperial Decree to protect the Way."

Imperial Decree?

For no apparent reason, Li Yiyi thought of that note again.

When the mysterious Young Brother Zhang handed over the note, they joked that it was an Imperial Decree.

"Zhang Fusheng?" Li Yiyi asked tentatively.

The man in black robes said calmly:

"Yes and no."

"If you encounter danger, call out the words '[Zhongji]' and I will appear."

Finally, it said:

"No need to overthink it. My supreme ruler has a past relationship with the Northern Emperor."

What is the Northern Emperor?

Just as Li Yiyi's doubts arose, she saw the mysterious man in black robes transform into a thick cloud of black mist, which then slowly dissipated.

The rest is just a light, airy sentence.

"The Heavenly Khan of the Great Tang Dynasty was once the reincarnation of the Northern Emperor."

Li Yiyi's eyes widened suddenly.

Our ancestors?

The thick black fog dissipated completely, and looking left and right, there was no sign of the man in black robes.

It was as if everything was just an Illusory Scene.

The middle-aged man and Zhou Tian Er looking down at each other, seemingly lost in thought—neither of them were fools; they both knew they had encountered something extraordinary.

The latter felt both horrified and relieved, thankful that he hadn't actually slaughtered the sheep.

A shout came from the front of the car:

"Same rule as always, cars are not allowed in Chang'an Town, everyone get out!"

"Aerial vehicles are not allowed in Chang'an Town?"

Stepping out of the hovercar, Zhang Fusheng carried his parents' large and small bags of luggage and smiled:

"This town is indeed quite interesting."

The Old Master beside him nodded in agreement, looked around the large town, and said in surprise:

"I didn't expect there to be such a place on Chongyang Festival. It's so antique and elegant, it feels like I've stepped into ancient times."

At a glance, Chang'an Town shows no signs of technological innovation; the ground is paved with bluestone slabs.

The town is almost entirely made up of single-story houses, the tallest being only four or five stories high, and all of them are old-style buildings with green-tiled roofs.

"This place is really suitable for tourism!" Mom praised, and Zhang Wentao nodded in agreement.

On the contrary, Wei Lingzhu looked at her master with surprise and doubt.

Zhang Fusheng nodded slightly to her, indicating that she hadn't misread it.

This Chang'an Town is almost identical to the Chang'an City anchored in Wei Lingzhu's divine realm—only much, much smaller.

It is roughly a corner of the actual city of Chang'an, and does not include buildings such as the imperial palace.

"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhou!"

A clear voice came from behind them, and the group looked up to see a young boy.

"Old Chen's son, Chen Shishan."

Zhou Guifang said with a smile:

"I specifically asked Old Chen to let him know, but he still didn't believe we could come to Chang'an Town."

As they were speaking, a young man named Chen Shishan came forward, his face full of surprise:

"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, I thought you were joking with me. You actually came. Wasn't it under lockdown?"

He glanced at the hovercar, then looked at the others.

"Come, come, let me introduce you."

Zhou Guifang spoke warmly:

"This is my son, Zhang Fusheng, and this is Xiao Wei, Wei Lingzhu."

She gave a brief introduction, and Chen Shishan greeted her one by one, but was somewhat puzzled, feeling that the name Zhang Fusheng sounded familiar.

He didn't think much of it and scratched his head, saying:

"I took a last-minute leave and I have to go back to the school soon. Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, I'll take you to the inn first, you know, the hotel."

The Old Master raised his eyebrows, finding the town increasingly peculiar, while Zhang Fusheng also seemed to be deep in thought.

Chen Shishan led the group to an 'inn' in town—it was indeed in the style of an ancient inn.

The building has three floors. The first floor has rows of wooden tables, and many wine jars are piled up in the corner. There are waiters and bartenders there.

The shopkeeper was tapping an abacus behind the counter.

Even the guest rooms are divided into rooms with the letter A and rooms with the letter B.

In a daze, Zhang Fusheng almost thought he had really traveled to ancient times.

"I'm going to study now, otherwise the teacher will punish me. I'll take everyone for a tour of the town tonight!"

After making sure everyone was settled, Chen Shishan took his leave, and his mother praised him highly:

"Xiaoshan is indeed a polite child. I've only met him once, since we haven't been living here for very long."

"It's pretty good."

Zhang Fusheng nodded slightly, and as he spoke, he glanced at the Old Master, who was also looking at him.

They looked at each other.

The term "Master" is rarely heard; it's extremely uncommon for Old Master to refer to himself as such.

It's not noon yet.

Zhang Fusheng casually said:

"Let's rest for a bit first, and then try some restaurants in town later."

He saw his parents into their room, then returned to his own room and sat cross-legged on the bed, lost in thought.

This town is actually quite interesting.

There are probably many secrets hidden inside.

The three families: Wei, Yuan, and Wu.

Zhang Fusheng thought of the blind old man, Yuan Tiandao.

Let's give him a High Heaven Token.

"Perfect timing, let me see what you're really made of."

His divine sense swept out silently, conjuring the [High Heaven Token] out of thin air within the passerby's arms, interfering with the other's mind and issuing a mental command.

This was to lure the passerby to the Yuan family, and to use any means necessary to deliver the High Heaven Token to Yuan Tiandao.

"If Yuan Feidao and Yuan Tiandao, these two brothers, were to meet Above High Heaven, would they recognize each other?"

Zhang Fusheng smiled silently.