The Power of Fate (Part Two) (Happy January 5th)

"There's no need for such formality, nor to address me as 'senior.' We can simply address each other as fellow Daoists."

Looking at the honest-looking man before him, Ji Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

Just now, he used his Divine Consciousness to sense that when the man went berserk while using forbidden techniques, he had the woman who was with him leave first. This scene reminded him of his uncle whom he had never met.

After all, it was their uncle who allowed them and their parents to leave alive.

Ji An simply followed behind Ji Ning without saying anything. This journey was Ji Ning's training ground; otherwise, with his strength, he could have traveled from Myriad Swords City to Anchan City in just a few breaths, instead of needing these few days!

"Brother, do you have a solution?" Ji Ning Divine Consciousness telepathically.

It's a real pity that Meng Yan suffered from a lingering illness due to using forbidden techniques.

"Let's see first," Ji An transmitted his voice.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist." The handsome, fair-skinned young man quickly helped the honest-looking man up. "The three of us are all members of the Meng Clan. This is Meng Yan, this is Meng Xin, and my name is Meng Jun. May I ask your esteemed name, fellow Daoist?"

"Stone." Meng Xin also grabbed the man's hand, tears welling in her eyes. She looked at Ji Ning, her eyes filled with curiosity and awe.

Ji Ning nodded. "My name is Ji Ning, and this is my elder brother, Ji An. We happened to meet the three of you on our way to Anchan City."

"Brother Ji Ning, Brother Ji An, are you also going to Anchan City?" The handsome, fair-skinned young man immediately asked with delight, "The three of us are traveling together. If you two don't mind, why don't we travel together?"

Meng Yan and Meng Xin also looked expectant.

"Okay, that's fine." Ji Ning glanced at his older brother beside him and nodded in agreement.

Ji Ning agreed to travel with them because he genuinely wanted to learn more about the outside world from them. Although the Ji Clan had records, they were all too general, and Ji An had only given a general overview of the information from the outside world.

Upon hearing Ji Ning's agreement, Meng Jun immediately greeted him warmly, "That's wonderful! Brother Ji Ning, please! We can travel together on my Flowing Yunzhou. Although it's not a top-of-the-line boat, it's stable, comfortable, and its speed is acceptable."

He observed that although Ji Ning was powerful, his robes clearly indicated he came from a small force, and naturally could not compare to his Meng Clan.

As for Ji An? Because his cultivation level was too high, in their perception he was just an ordinary mortal at the Houtian Realm.

Meng Xin also smiled, her gaze lingering on Ji Ning.

Only Meng Yan, though still somewhat pale from using forbidden techniques, looked at Ji Ning and Ji An with pure gratitude. "Thank you both for saving my life."

Ji An simply nodded slightly.

Meng Jun summoned a blue flying boat, and the five people boarded it, heading towards Anchan City.

The interior of the boat was quite spacious, much better than the Void-Escaping Boat.

Meng Jun was clearly a master of social interaction, and soon he placed spiritual fruits and a wine pot on the table in the boat.

"Come, Brother Ji Ning, try this fine wine. It's Jade Spring Brew, brewed internally by the Meng Clan. Although it can't compare to the celestial nectar, it has its own unique flavor." Meng Jun personally poured a cup for Ji Ning.

He then pointed to the spiritual fruit on the table, "Brother Ji Ning, try this Ice Soul Fruit as well. It comes from a secret realm of my Meng Clan and is quite beneficial to cultivation."

As for Ji An, Meng Jun simply pointed to the fruit platter and wine pot on the table, his smile fading slightly, "Brother Ji An, please help yourself."

That enthusiasm was noticeably less than when he was with Ji Ning.

Meng Xin echoed Meng Jun from the side, occasionally striking up a conversation with Ji Ning, such as, "Brother Ji Ning, you've achieved such cultivation at such a young age; you're truly a prodigy."

The phrase "I wonder where the Ji Clan is located" carries a hint of deliberate sarcasm.

She was indeed extremely beautiful; it was rare to find such beauty in the Ji Clan.

Only Meng Yan, this honest and simple man, frowned when he saw Meng Jun and Meng Xin only surrounding Ji Ning and being quite indifferent to Ji An.

He frowned slightly.

Ji Ning saw all of this, and his opinion of Meng Jun and Meng Xin dropped even further.

Meng Jun was overly flattering and clearly opportunistic; Meng Xin, on the other hand, was shrewd and knew how to assess situations and who was valuable to befriend.

But this insincere behavior also annoyed Ji Ning.

Ji An knew the reason why the two had treated him and Ji Ning differently these past two days. It was simply because his cultivation was too high, while theirs was too low. In addition, he unconsciously concealed his aura, causing them to think that he was a mortal with little cultivation.

Given their character, if he weren't Ji Ning's older brother, neither of them would likely give him a second glance.

But Ji An didn't care; in fact, he found it quite amusing, as if he were watching a clown.

But Meng Yan made Ji An take notice, because this man did not treat him and Ji Ning differently because of his lower cultivation level.

Seeing Meng Jun asking Ji Ning for the magic treasures of the Snow Dragon Mountain disciple, Ji An couldn't help but laugh. He was already being kind by not asking them for protection money for the past two days, and now he wanted to get several magic treasures just by flattering them a bit? This guy was just too shameless.

"Brother Ji Ning!" Meng Xin hurriedly pointed down and shouted, "Look, isn't that Anchan City?"

"Anchan City?" Upon hearing the voice, Ji Ning immediately turned to look.

In the distance, there was a huge city. Even though it was thousands of miles away, Ji Ning could still faintly sense the fluctuations emanating from that majestic city.

"This is the Immortal Rank grand formation that my elder brother was talking about?"

"I've heard that the airspace above Anchan City is an absolute no-fly zone. Anyone who dares to fly over there will definitely suffer the consequences." With that, Meng Jun piloted the airship towards the ground.

As soon as they landed, Ji An, who had been calm all along, suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Ji Ning's shoulder.

"Xiao Ning, let's go."

The next instant, "Whoosh!"

Under the shocked gazes of Meng Jun, Meng Xin, and Meng Yan, the two transformed into streaks of Flowing Light and flew straight towards Anchan City.

"They—" Meng Xin exclaimed in shock, "They actually dared to fly over Anchan City?!"

"They're insane! They're courting death!" Meng Jun exclaimed in astonishment. "Flying is strictly forbidden for cultivators in Anchan City! And isn't Brother Ji Ning's brother a mere mortal?"

To the surprise of the three, the Flowing Light that Ji An had transformed into flew into Anchan City without any hindrance.

There was no obstruction whatsoever.

They hadn't yet recovered from the shock of Ji An being no ordinary person.

The three of them quickly entered the city. Looking at the book about Anchan City in their hands, they finally understood why Ji An was able to fly directly into Anchan City.

"Primordial Spirit Daoist —can fly through the air—" Meng Jun murmured.

"That Ji An —the Ji An he treated as a mortal—is he Primordial Spirit Daoist?!"

A wave of regret washed over me instantly.

His body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Primordial Spirit Daoist! Even within the Meng Clan, that would be a truly important figure!

They were a powerful force throughout the entire Anchan Commandery.

What did he just do? He was so cold, even disrespectful, to a Primordial Spirit Daoist!

He was so focused on flattering the obviously powerful Ji Ning that he completely ignored his seemingly ordinary older brother.

"I—I was so blind!" Meng Jun wanted to slap himself twice. "I actually—missed such an opportunity!"

He wondered if he had been a little more attentive to Ji An on the flying boat, would he already have a Primordial Spirit cultivator as a backer?

Suddenly he remembered his attitude towards him and felt a chill run down his spine.

If that senior Ji An holds a grudge—

Then, for Meng Jun, rather than making things difficult for himself, he decided to blame others. "It's all his fault. Why did he hide his cultivation level? If he hadn't hidden it, would I have treated you that way?"

Meng Xin's reaction was equally intense.

Unlike Meng Jun, she wasn't conflicted; instead, she was filled with fear.

She recalled the many times she had glanced at Ji An during their journey. How impolite would those glances have been in the eyes of a Primordial Spirit Daoist?

"It's over--" Meng Xin felt a chill in her heart. Offending a Primordial Spirit Daoist had consequences that she, a collateral descendant of the Meng Clan family, could not afford.

Suddenly, Meng Jun grabbed Meng Yan's arm. "Stone! Did you already know? On the ship, you seemed—you seemed to treat Senior Ji An differently?"

Meng Yan gave a wry smile and shook his head, "How could I have known that Senior Ji An was Primordial Spirit Daoist? I just—I just..."

"I feel that Brother Ji Ning saved us, and Senior Ji An is his elder brother; we should all respect him equally, no matter what."

He looked at Meng Jun and Meng Xin, whose faces were ashen, and said in a low voice, "What's the use of saying all this now? I hope—I hope Senior Ji An is magnanimous and won't hold a grudge against us insignificant people."

Meng Yan's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Meng Jun and Meng Xin.

Yes, it's too late to regret it now.

They could only pray that Brother Ji An was magnanimous and wouldn't hold their previous rudeness against him.

Under the shocked gazes of Meng Jun, Meng Xin, and Meng Yan, Ji An, carrying Ji Ning, transformed into a streak of Flowing Light and flew towards Anchan City.

During the flight, Ji Ning gazed at the approaching giant city below, recalling Meng Jun's words before landing. He couldn't help but turn to his composed brother beside him and ask, "Brother, didn't Meng Jun say that flying over Anchan City is prohibited? If we fly directly there like this, won't we—"

Upon hearing this, Ji An's lips curled into a smile as he replied, "That Meng Jun is just a half-baked expert with limited knowledge. Anchan City does indeed have a no-flying order, but that applies to ordinary cultivators. Rules are rules, but strength is fundamental. As long as you have the strength of Primordial Spirit cultivator, you can fly through Anchan City."

Ji Ning suddenly realized something. Looking at the city's outline rushing past below, he suddenly remembered something and asked again, "Brother, do you know where the Northmont Blacktiger's mansion is in Anchan City?"

Ji An glanced sideways at his younger brother. "What are you going there for?"

In this life, without the Ji Clan's Essence Stones mine as depicted in the original story, Ji Ning shouldn't have any interaction with Beishan Baiwei, right?

Ji Ning explained, "When I was training in the Yan Mountain region, I met the son of the Northmont Blacktiger, Young Master Beishan Baiwei. He was a generous man and gave me a token, telling me that if I arrived in Anchan City, I could use the token to go to his residence to find him."

"Oh? Beishan Baiwei?" Ji An's eyes flashed with surprise.

It's this same person again? Is this truly the power of fate? He nodded, not asking for further details, "In that case, let's go straight there."

Before the words were even finished, the speed of the Flowing Light increased.

Northmont Blacktiger.

The two brothers landed a hundred feet away from the main gate of the mansion, without directly entering the mansion grounds.

Ji Ning looked up and couldn't help but admire inwardly, "What an imposing mansion!"

Before them stood a vast mansion, its area estimated to be at least ten miles in circumference. The towering walls, like those of a city wall, exuded an aura of solemnity.

In front of the main gate of the mansion, two squads of soldiers in standard armor stood with a menacing air and sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.

The most eye-catching feature is the black tiger stone sculpture next to the main gate of the mansion.

The black tiger roared to the sky, lifelike, especially its head, with its piercing eyes coldly surveying every pedestrian on the street.

The two walked straight towards the gate of the mansion.

As the two stepped within ten zhang of the gate, one of the leading soldiers shouted, "Who goes there?!"

This area is already within the territory of the Northmont Blacktiger's residence, and the Northmont Blacktiger' residence can directly kill any intruders.

Ji Ning flipped his hand and took out the Northmont Blacktiger Token given to him by Beishan Baiwei. Upon seeing it, the gate guard immediately put on a smile and became much more respectful, "May I ask who you wish to see, sir? I will go and inform him immediately."

"My name is Ji Ning, and I have come to pay my respects to Beishan Baiwei. Thank you for your help," Ji Ning said with a smile.

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir!" The soldier hurriedly rushed into the mansion, and the other guards at the gate also looked at the two of them with a friendly gaze.

"Haha--" Suddenly, a hearty laugh rang out.

A young man dressed in black finery and wearing a tall crown strode out. Upon seeing Ji Ning, his face lit up with joy. "Brother Ji Ning, I've been waiting for you for so long! You said you'd come soon, but more than a year has passed in the blink of an eye. You've really broken my heart, hahaha! Now that you've come to Anchan City, you've come to my home. You don't need to worry about anything; leave everything to me. And who is this?"

Ji Ning smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "Brother Baiwei, it's been a long time. This is my elder brother, Ji An."

Beishan Baiwei widened. "So you're Brother Ji Ning's elder brother! Since you're Brother Ji Ning's elder brother, then you're also my brother, Beishan Baiwei! Brother Ji An, it's a pleasure to meet you!" With that, he stepped forward, grabbing Ji Ning's arm with one hand and Ji An's arm with the other. "Come on, let's get in the carriage! Now that we're on my turf, I'll have to treat you two brothers well!"

A carriage, bathed in flames, sped towards them and came to a steady stop in front of the gate of the Northmont Blacktiger.

A woman dressed in fiery red soft armor was sitting in the carriage.

The woman swiftly leaped down from the carriage and respectfully bowed to Beishan Baiwei: "Young Master!"

Just as Beishan Baiwei was about to help Ji Ning and Ji An into the carriage, a dignified voice rang out. "Baiwei, you step back first."

The voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. Beishan Baiwei paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure that had appeared inside the mansion gate at some point.

It was a bald man dressed in the same black finery.

This man was different from Beishan Baiwei; he seemed like an ancient god or demon, exuding a fierce and domineering aura.

It was his father, Northmont Blacktiger!