The young cultivator looked around, his face pale. Only after seeing that no one nearby had noticed them did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Yang Zhen watched the carriage disappear into the distance with interest. "His family really does own mines."
"More than just mines!" The young cultivator glanced at Yang Zhen. "You're from out of town, aren't you, fellow Daoist? Are you here for the Three Kingdoms Trial or the Long Moon Pavilion's guest elder selection?"
Without waiting for Yang Zhen to answer, the young cultivator continued, "Never mind. Fate brought us together, after all. Whether you're a disciple from a major sect here for the Three Kingdoms Trial or hoping to try your luck at the Long Moon Pavilion, you'd best keep a low profile, especially around that man just now. Don't offend him."
"Thank you for the warning, fellow Daoist. I'm the most low-key person there is. I've never even known what it means to be arrogant, much less gone around offending people without good reason." Yang Zhen waved a hand to reassure the young cultivator, then asked, "May I ask your surname, fellow Daoist? And who was that man?"
The young cultivator sighed. "My name is Ma Yuan. As for that man, he's the young master of the Ding Lineage, Ding Keqi. He's a genius at the Mahayana Realm. They say his comprehension is exceptionally high, and he's mastered quite a few of the Ding Lineage's powerful cultivation methods and martial techniques."
The Ding Lineage, Ding Keqi.
Yang Zhen committed the name to memory, secretly slipped Ma Yuan a crystal, and asked, "Brother Ma, are there any other people or things I should watch out for?"
Seeing the crystal Yang Zhen offered him, Ma Yuan hastily tried to decline. "How could I accept this? I'd be embarrassed."
As he tucked the crystal into his robes, Ma Yuan said with a smile, "Actually, Raging Fire City isn't all that ruthless. Besides Ding Keqi, the young master of the Ding Lineage, there's one other person you need to watch out for: Lan Fangyue of the Lan Household."
"Does the Lan Household own mines too?"
Ma Yuan gave Yang Zhen a strange look. "It's not just people whose families own mines you shouldn't mess with. Crystal mines alone can't sum up these lineages. Their roots run deep in Raging Fire City. Even the Long Moon Pavilion has to give them a little face. Of course, the Long Moon Pavilion only gives them a little."
At that point, Ma Yuan leaned close to Yang Zhen and said, "Ding Keqi is exceptionally gifted, but he's narrow-minded and takes revenge for the slightest grievance. Most people who offend him come to a bad end. But Ding Keqi doesn't dare mess with Lan Fangyue at all. Do you know why?"
Yang Zhen edged backward, nearly unable to stop himself from slapping Ma Yuan on the head. If he knew why, why would he need to listen to this guy blather on?
"I'd love to hear the details!" Yang Zhen slipped Ma Yuan another crystal.
Ma Yuan chuckled strangely, tucked the crystal into his robes, and said with a cheeky grin, "Because Lan Fangyue is even more gifted. Not only can Ding Keqi not beat her, even his family background can't compare. In Raging Fire City, Lan Fangyue is the one Ding Keqi fears most and most wants to conquer."
"Oh!" Yang Zhen nodded expressionlessly and asked, "Is there anyone else I shouldn't offend?"
"The others are easier to deal with." Ma Yuan shook his head as he spoke. "You certainly wouldn't go offending anyone from the Long Moon Pavilion. As for the people from outside, most of them are actually powerful, so you wouldn't offend them either. Apart from the two I just mentioned, the rest... Never mind. You're someone who knows his limits and keeps a low profile anyway, so you shouldn't get into trouble."
Yang Zhen nodded in deep agreement. "That's true. I'm so low-key that I never cause trouble. Well, farewell, Brother Ma. It was a pleasure meeting you."
Ma Yuan smiled. "It was a pleasure meeting you too... Huh? Why do you smell like a girl? You're not a woman dressed as a man, are you?"
Yang Zhen: "..."
This guy's imagination had gone beyond the limits of humanity. Yang Zhen hurriedly took his leave. He couldn't afford to mess with him, couldn't afford to mess with him.
Behind him, Ma Yuan watched Yang Zhen with a strange expression. "That's not right. He clearly has a man's voice, so why does he smell so fragrant? What a strange person."
The Heavenly Fragrance Fruit. Yang Zhen's heart turned icy cold as he walked.
Only after Yang Zhen had vanished from sight did Ma Yuan shake his head and turn to leave. Suddenly, his whole body jolted, and he hurriedly felt inside his robes. His crystal pouch was nowhere to be found.
"Damn you, bastard! Give me back my crystals!"
Ma Yuan's wail rang down the street, piercing metal and splitting stone, startling the people around him. But no matter how hard Ma Yuan searched, there was no sign of Yang Zhen.
"Huh? Wait, that's not right. I think there were only two crystals in my pouch." Ma Yuan pulled out the two crystals Yang Zhen had given him. No matter how he looked at them, they resembled his own two crystals. With an indignant expression, he put them back.
In Raging Fire City these days, there was no need to ask for directions to the Long Moon Pavilion. All one had to do was follow the crowd.
Yang Zhen followed the crowd for about the time it took an incense stick to burn before arriving in front of a magnificent pavilion.
The pavilion stood seven or eight stories tall, making it one of the tallest buildings in Raging Fire City, and it covered a vast area. Not only did it look imposing and domineering, but its carved dragons and decorated beams also gave it an immortal air. It truly lived up to its reputation.
A gentle presence emanated from the Long Moon Pavilion, but Yang Zhen stared at it in surprise and stood there in a daze.
Although the presence around the pavilion was gentle, Yang Zhen was certain that if anyone tried to force their way in or damage it, the Long Moon Pavilion would teach them a lesson in minutes.
Even with his mastery of the entire Heavenly Book: Profound Principles Chapter, Yang Zhen had taken a full five minutes to figure out the powerful formation laid over the building.
Clearly, there was at least one formation grandmaster in the Long Moon Pavilion.
"Get out of the way, country bumpkin! Can't you go stand around in a daze somewhere else? Stop blocking my path!"
An impatient voice sounded beside Yang Zhen, snapping him out of his daze. He shifted his shoulder slightly and dodged the newcomer's shove.
"Huh?"
The newcomer gave a quiet exclamation and frowned at Yang Zhen before snorting coldly. "Hick!"
With that, the man strode toward the Long Moon Pavilion, and the crowd gathered along the way parted to let him through.
He looked only seventeen or eighteen and was short, reaching only Yang Zhen's shoulder. No wonder that shove had felt strange to Yang Zhen.
The instant they passed each other, Yang Zhen's expression grew even stranger. This guy was actually the owner of the carriage that had been charging recklessly through the streets: Ding Keqi, the young master of the Ding Lineage and one of the people least to be offended in Raging Fire City!
What a coincidence.
After the crowd parted to let Ding Keqi through, they all looked at Yang Zhen with some pity.
"Who is that? Standing there in a daze without moving. Now he's done it. Young Master Ding looked at him, so he's probably remembered him."
"So what if he has? He only has himself to blame for being so stupid. Everyone else moved aside, but he didn't. If Young Master Ding hadn't been in a good mood today, he probably would have cut him down with a single strike already."
"I really don't know whether to call him lucky or unlucky."
After Ding Keqi entered the Long Moon Pavilion, everyone began talking at once. An old man quietly advised Yang Zhen, "Young friend, you should leave, or take a detour whenever you see Young Master Ding from now on. Otherwise, if he sees you a second time, you won't be so lucky."
Yang Zhen nodded to the old man who had advised him and grinned without saying a word. Instead, he walked straight into the Long Moon Pavilion along the path the crowd had cleared.
"Hmph, he really doesn't know whether to live or die. Following him in now is just asking for death."
"Where did this reckless brat come from? Doesn't he know he's already offended Young Master Ding?"
"Maybe he's some country boy. Those who don't know, don't fear. What a pity."
Under the pitying gazes of the crowd, Yang Zhen entered the Long Moon Pavilion and came to a wooden board in the main hall.
The wooden board was densely covered in writing. A short young man stood in front of it, shaking his head as he read. It was none other than Ding Keqi, who had entered before him.
The board wasn't very large, and its contents couldn't be read from far away. Yang Zhen walked up behind Ding Keqi and slapped him on the back of the head. "Move. A good dog doesn't block the road."
Smack!
Ding Keqi turned around, utterly bewildered.
Everyone around them nearly dropped their jaws, staring at Yang Zhen with their mouths agape.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.