Cloud-Rushing Town

Cloud-Rushing Town stood on the border of the Stone Kingdom and was an important stronghold.

The Stone Kingdom's mountains, rivers, and territories spanned tens of millions of li, making it difficult to govern every place individually. For ease of administration and to deter trouble, cities were built at the centers of certain regions.

Should unrest break out anywhere, the experts stationed in those cities could swiftly mobilize and suppress it with thunderous force.

Of course, the Stone Kingdom was flourishing now. Over the past century in particular, its Human Emperor had blazed like the midday sun, his divine might unrivaled. No princes or nobles dared rebel, and no foreign nation dared launch a full-scale invasion.

Under such conditions, vast stretches of the Stone Kingdom prospered. The only troubled areas were its borderlands.

But that could not be helped.

After all, the Stone Kingdom was not the only ancient kingdom on this immense expanse of land. There were others whose national strength was not necessarily much weaker, and territorial disputes were frequent.

Beyond that, vicious beasts and Primordial Remnants also posed a threat. They lived by the law of the strong devouring the weak, plundering human settlements, consuming living creatures, and frequently invading.

"That must be Cloud-Rushing Town!" Shi Yunfeng and the others gazed at the majestic city walls, which stretched like a mountain ridge, their hearts filled with indescribable awe.

Compared with the buildings in Stone Village, this place was undoubtedly far grander. The pitch-black gateway alone, built entirely from diamond rock, exuded an imposing presence, solid and steady.

To their eyes, walls like these might withstand the attacks of Fierce Birds and savage beasts head-on, and might even remain standing beneath the assault of enormous beasts.

In truth, the walls could indeed do so. This place lay near the Western Frontier, so its fortifications naturally had to meet exacting standards.

Otherwise, if they could not withstand a charge of countless beasts or keep enormous beasts from breaking in, what would be the point of building them?

"Let's part ways here. From now on, it's up to you." Entry into the city ordinarily required an inspection, but when the guards saw Di Yi's lavish clothing, they did not dare stop him. They merely made a simple registration before letting him through.

As for the Golden Hou, the guards steeled themselves and stopped him, citing the city lord's verbal decree and the instructions of the city's Sacrificial Spirit. They tactfully explained that battle pets could not be brought into the city and had to be placed in a designated location to be cared for.

To avoid causing offense, they explained further that this rule had been in place for a long time. Conflicts between species, such as natural enemies encountering one another, had once caused chaos among battle pets within the city.

To prevent such incidents from happening again, they had been forced to impose a blanket ban, no longer allowing unusual birds, beasts, and the like into the city.

Even if it was only a Strange Dog, far short of a fierce beast, most of the city's inhabitants were ordinary people. To guard against accidents, even a creature harmless to people and livestock could not simply parade down the streets.

Di Yi naturally understood. He soothed the Golden Hou and left him at the designated care station.

"All right, Uncle Di Yi. Goodbye!" Shi Yunfeng and the others had known this moment would come sooner or later.

Though they were reluctant to part, their journey of two or three hundred thousand li through the Great Wilderness had made their tender hearts increasingly resolute. They knew sorrow was useless; they had to look ahead.

"Goodbye!" Di Yi nodded, parted from Shi Yunfeng and the others, and disappeared into the streams of people in the city.

He intended to wander around the city first and see whether he could learn where to find cultivation methods. That would also help him decide which direction to take next.

Cloud-Rushing Town could be called large, yet in some ways it was indeed small. News of the Golden Hou—or rather, the Strange Dog—spread quickly among certain circles.

Inside an imposing manor, a slightly plump middle-aged man was chatting with people whose faces were unfamiliar to the residents of Cloud-Rushing Town.

"Have you found any leads on what I told you to investigate?" A pale-faced, beardless young man questioned the slightly plump middle-aged man in the tone of a superior.

Faint glimmers of runes flickered in his eyes. Without a doubt, he was a powerful expert.

"My lord, the things you asked this lowly one to find are truly difficult to locate. We have found nothing over these past three or four days," the slightly plump middle-aged man answered cautiously.

He was visibly nervous, terrified that a single misstep might offend the lord sent from above. "You're established here, and the clan sends no small amount of supplies every year. And what do we get? Useless trash!" The young man hurled an exquisite teacup to the floor. Its shattering crash made the slightly plump middle-aged man jolt.

"My lord, please forgive me! Please forgive me!" The slightly plump middle-aged man immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowing over and over as he begged for forgiveness.

"I know the things we asked you to find are indeed difficult to discover, but my hands are tied as well. Surely you understand my predicament?" The young man watched the slightly plump middle-aged man kowtow incessantly without the slightest pity, speaking slowly and evenly.

"This lowly one understands, this lowly one understands. They are this year's required tribute, intended as a birthday gift for a cherished jewel of the clan." The slightly plump middle-aged man had struck his forehead until it bled, yet he did not stop.

"If you understand, why are you still so incompetent?" The young man's face darkened. He had come on the clan's orders. Some of its holdings were located here, including rare metal mines and tribute grounds for rare birds and exotic beasts.

He had originally thought that, with this place so close to the Western Frontier, finding information about the young of vicious beasts and Primordial Remnants would not be too difficult. With that information, he could lie in wait and steal their young when the great adult beasts left their nests, completing his assignment.

Yet, to his surprise, they could not find even information about vicious beasts or Primordial Remnants, let alone their young. How could he not be furious?

This was supposed to be a tribute ground for rare birds and exotic beasts!

"Well... my lord, it truly isn't that we're incompetent. Cloud-Rushing Town has been unsettled lately. Other races invade from time to time, and neighboring kingdoms frequently come to harass us as well. We've already lost many of our people venturing into the mountains." The slightly plump middle-aged man had no choice but to defend himself. If he kept kowtowing like this, his life might be in danger.

"Those are all excuses!" the young man barked. "Our clan is one of the Stone Kingdom's great princely clans. We've invested so many resources here, and all we asked was for you to investigate and gather information on vicious beasts and Primordial Remnants. We never even expected you to hunt them down. And the result? You're telling me that the people we spent resources training can't even enter the mountains!"

"Yu Qing, we're all clansmen. There's no need to get so angry." Another young man stepped forward, helped the slightly plump middle-aged man up, and patted him down, playing the kindly counterpart. "This is the Stone Kingdom's frontier, a poor, remote place. How could the people trained here compare with those in the central regions?"

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!" The slightly plump middle-aged man was filled with gratitude.

"All right, all right. We're all clansmen; there's no need to stand on such ceremony." The young man smiled. "We do know how difficult things are for you. After all, we went into the mountains to search ourselves and came back empty-handed too. But we have our own difficulties, and I hope you can understand."

"This lowly one understands, this lowly one understands." The slightly plump middle-aged man did not dare voice any dissatisfaction.

"How about this? Since neither you nor we can find them, and the deadline is drawing near, we can't exactly venture tens of thousands of li into the mountains to search. Why not try a different approach? I remember that cherished jewel likes cute animals. Why don't we start there? That shouldn't be beyond you, should it?"

"Cute animals? We have one! We have one!"

"Oh? You found one that quickly?"

"It was a fortunate coincidence. Just as you lords returned, I received some news. Someone brought a Strange Dog to the city this morning. It has golden fur all over, is harmless to people and livestock, and looks very cute."

"Oh, a Strange Dog? How unusual?"

"They say it's a full five or six meters long and walks with a tiger's imposing vigor. There seem to be lightning-patterned markings in the fur on its feet, too. Of course, the most important thing is its appearance. Heh, you could call it the cutest dog in the city. It's drawn quite a lot of attention."

"Lightning-patterned markings in the fur on its feet? That's unusual enough. Let's take that one, then. What do you think, Yu Qing?"

"A Strange Dog? Then let's take it. I heard that cherished jewel once kept a similar pet. She should like it very much."

"Shall this lowly one make the arrangements immediately? It's only a Strange Dog. It shouldn't cost much, and acquiring it should be easy."

The slightly plump middle-aged man immediately declared his willingness. It was not too late to redeem his failure with a good deed.

"Then go. I only care about the result. If you can't even handle this trifling matter, don't bother coming back." Yu Qing waved his hand.