Chapter 336: Meeting Zhao Kuo Again
Chapter 336: Meeting Zhao Kuo Again
Translator: StackThatCoin Editor: Hitesh
White Frost City was one of the four largest cities in Xue Yuan Planet.
Unlike Snowflake City, Flying Snow City, and Snowdrift City, WhiteFrost City was ruled by one and only one clan - Bai clan. It had a very long history of several tens of thousands of years, and by making an alliance with several tens of smaller clans, they formed the ruling class of White Frost City. Bai clan had many descendants, and most of them possessed excellent Spirit Roots. On top of that, one of their female Patriarchs had successfully transcended her thunder tribulation three thousand years ago and became a Heaven Immortal, later marrying to an itinerant cultivator of Heaven Immortal realm as well. Since then, Bai clan's reputation and overall strength had been flourishing.
After all, compared to those Heaven Immortals who supported different clans based on the relationship of marriage or discipleship, a Heaven Immortal from a certain clan would definitely be closer to his or her own clan, and would spare no efforts to support and foster them. For a Heaven Immortal like Immortal Chang Wu, he might only employ thirty to fifty percent of his effort to help Lin Qiuluo's clan. On the other hand, Bai clan could obtain full support from two Heaven Immortals.
Therefore, not only was Bai clan the largest clan in Xue Yuan Planet, they were also the existence that sat loftily on the pinnacle among all clans in the four strongest cities.
As a result, White Frost City had become the most orderly, well-governed city in Xue Yuan Planet. As Bai clan dominated everything in the city, all the rules and laws were laid down by their clan members, and everyone who lived in the city had to obey the rules set by them. This eventually and greatly reduced the conflicts and disputes.
It was high noon when Wu Qi and his company arrived at White Frost City. Apparently, it was the rush hour, as many cultivators were entering or leaving the city through its front gate. Wu Qi noticed that all the cultivators who entered the city would have to show a jade medallion. When the company approached the city gate, as they did not have the same medallion, their arrival immediately attracted the guards' attention. An old man with Gold Core cultivation base came to them with long strides, wearing a warm smile as he cupped his fist and greeted Wu Qi.
"Fellow Daoists, is this the first time you are visiting White Frost City? Please come here and register yourselves." The old man had a kind attitude, and he spoke politely, while the smile on his face was warm. This made Wu Qi think of those professional ushers back on Earth, who waited for their patrons at the entrance of entertainment outlets.
He turned and gave Yan Qijun a look over his shoulder, and saw the three of them were glancing curiously at the surrounding scenery, showing a face of letting Wu Qi decide everything for them.
Nodding his head, Wu Qi gave the old man a smile, then followed him into a small building built with ice cubes right next to the city gate. There, a few men who looked like itinerant cultivators had just written something on a scroll, and each was given a jade medallion. Wu Qi noticed that when these itinerant cultivators received their jade medallions, they injected a thread of energy into it. A faint white gleam immediately shone from the medallions, and their bodies were shrouded in a thin layer of white gleam.
Apparently, this was how White Frost City identified whether a cultivator had registered himself at the front gate or not. Those bodies shone with a white gleam were cultivators who entered the city through the proper way, while those without would be illegal visitors, and would be examined thoroughly or even arrested.
Wu Qi came before a table in the building. A middle-aged man, who looked amiable and enthusiastic with a smile on his face, was sitting behind the table and writing something. As he saw Wu Qi come, he quickly rose to his feet, cupped his fist and said with a pleasant smile on his face, "Fellow Daoist, may I know your name, and where do you come from? I'm the person in charge here, Bai Qi. I hope fellow Daoist will not take any offense at the formalities, for the medallion serves the purpose of ensuring the safety of all fellow Daoists in the city."
Yan Qijun and the two demon kings entered the building as well. They heard Bai Qi, then nodded their heads indifferently. Bai Qi and the old man ran their eyes over at Yan Qijun and his company very quickly. When they realized they could not find out Yan Qijun and his company's actual cultivation base, the look of reverence on their faces became even stronger. Bai Qi pulled out a silk scroll and passed it over to Wu Qi. There were a few columns on it which were required to be filled, such as name, status, place of origin, level of cultivation base, the purpose of visit, and some others unimportant details.
After a brief moment of pondering, Wu Qi picked up a writing brush and began to write quickly on the scroll. He made up four random names, wrote itinerant cultivators and Thousand Waves Planet as their status and place of origin, visiting here for the purpose of purchasing some water element spirit herbs that were native to Xue Yuan Planet, and some ice and snow essence. Wu Qi did not conceal the level of their cultivation; he just wrote two Nascent Divinity, one Nascent Soul, and one Gold Core realm.
Behind Wu Qi's back was a clump of black mist that swirled endlessly, and a small sword could be vaguely seen darting back and forth in it. That was indeed a Gold Core strange sign. However, it was a little bit scary to learn that among Yan Qijun and the two demon kings, one of them was a Nascent Soul cultivator, while the other two were Nascent Divinity cultivators. On the other hand, among all the Patriarchs of various clans in Xue Yuan Planet, the strongest of them only possessed the cultivation base of peak-stage Nascent Soul realm. In the long history of the planet, the female Patriarch of Bai clan was the only native Heaven Immortal.
Followed by the unexpected discovery of two Nascent Divinity cultivators among Wu Qi and his company, the attitude of Bai Qi and his colleagues had become more respectful, and they even felt a tiny bit of fear. Even though their clan was supported by Heaven Immortals, having two Nascent Divinity cultivators standing right before them was still something pretty scary, because they owned the power that could destroy an entire city easily. So, who dared to show even just a slight disrespect or neglect towards them?
Bai Qi took out four pale-golden jade medallions and handed over to Wu Qi respectfully, then he smiled and said, "This are the medallions for White Frost City's distinguished guests. With it, seniors will be able to enjoy thirty percent discount on all your spending in the city, as long as those shops are operated by Bai clan. This is just a small goodwill from us, I hope seniors can accept it."
Wu Qi thanked Bai Qi, accepted the jade medallions, and gave one each to Yan Qijun and the others. The four men injected a single thread of their energy into the medallion, making it glow immediately. In the next moment, a faint golden gleam flickered on their bodies, then formed a small golden character of 'Bai'.
After being done with the registration, Bai Qi suggested that he would arrange a local tour guide for them, but Wu Qi and the company politely declined. Then, they went straight into the city.
When they had gone far enough, Bai Qi quickly took out a golden crystal ball, performed an incantation gesture, and cast at it. Immediately, four odd-looking gleams lit up within the crystal ball: one was a pale green gleam, faint but pure; one was a half-gray, half-white spirit light, ever-changing like clouds; one was a vast and mighty dark mist, surging and pushing like the fierce waves in the ocean; and the last one was a strong green and white light beam, streaking back and forth within the crystal ball like a crane in the sky.
After carefully observing all four auras in the crystal ball, Bai Qi finally breathed out a sigh of relief. Then, he told some clan members in the room, "Quickly inform Patriarch, and mention that two foreign Nascent Divinity seniors have entered White Frost City. Their cultivation techniques are half-righteous and half-evil, but there isn’t too much blood and sin in their auras. We should keep them at a respectful distance. Do not provoke them, but do not be too intimate with them as well."
One of the men from Bai clan answered and rushed into the city hastily.
Wu Qi turned and gave the city gate a gaze, as he overheard Bai Qi's order with a mystic technique. He pinched the medallion that he kept under his sleeve and nodded silently. Apparently, this medallion had to be activated with a cultivator's energy, and once the energy was injected into it, the visual representation of that cultivator's energy would appear in some kind of treasure in Bai Qi's hand. Through the external characteristics of the visual representation, he could then identify the cultivation technique and temperament of those who entered the city, so that when he detected those fellows who practiced evil and fiendish cultivation techniques, and committed innumerable murders, he could take some precautionary measures.
Evidently, it was because of their unique method of running the city that allowed White Frost City to stand towering like a giant in Xue Yuan Planet for several tens of thousands of years. Nevertheless, it was not Wu Qi's concern on what kind of precautionary measures would they take, as he was not here to stir up troubles.
Following Lin Qiuluo's confession, the four men walked along the widest main street in the city for tens of miles of distance, and finally arrived before the front door of a large inn - 'White Frost Residence'. It looked quite similar to Huixian Abode in Flying Snow City. The four men exchanged a glance with one another, and decided not to enter the inn. Instead, they spun and went into a tavern sitting right across the street, found themselves a private room on the sixth floor, and sat down comfortably.
With a few words Wu Qi dismissed the eagerly attentive waiter, giving him two pieces of upper-grade energy stones and asking him to randomly bring some fine wines and dishes over. When the wine and dishes were served, Wu Qi closed the door to the private room and sat shoulder to shoulder with Yan Qijun beside the window, coldly overlooking the people that were entering and leaving White Frost Residence across the street.
In the meanwhile, Xiong Wanling and He Qianqiu sat beside the table and began to enjoy the wine and food. However, their divine will had also blanketed White Frost Residence's front door.
Holding a jar of wine in his hand and sitting with his ankle on his knee, right next to the window, Wu Qi said in a flat tone while observing every single cultivator entering and leaving White frost Residence's front door, "Lin Qiuluo mentioned that the person who made contact with her is a lady, and is accompanied by two companions. We'll wait here and see if they really do stay in White Frost Residence, and will they come out for a walk!"
White Frost Residence occupied a huge piece of land, measuring nearly five miles in both width and length. Its interior was a vast garden with running water and small hills, amidst which, numerous fine and luxurious pavilions and abodes were built. Each of the buildings was protected with defensive energy barrier, which even Xiong Wanling and He Qianqiu failed to penetrate with their divine will. As they were unable to determine whether the three persons Lin Qiuluo described really did stay in White Frost Residence, they had no other choice but to use the stupidest method of holding their position and waiting for the suspects to show themselves.
They sat there waiting, from high noon until late in the afternoon. Then suddenly, they saw a few valiant-looking men clad in war robes walking out of the White Frost Residence. Joking and laughing with one another, the leading man was seen putting his arms around two beautiful teenage girls, whose cultivation base was merely at peak-stage Houtian realm. When they stepped out of the front door, they darted their eyes to the left and right in a nearly instinctive manner, running their sharp glances over every single pedestrian around them.
The wine jar in Wu Qi's hand shattered abruptly, while the wine in it evaporated into a gust of hot air and spread out in the atmosphere, filling the whole private room with a strong aroma of wine.
Yan Qijun turned to give Wu Qi a look, lowered his voice, and asked, "You know that guy?"
Wu Qi nodded slowly, and answered in an even lower voice, "Great Zhao's Chief General, Zhao Kuo..."
He paused for a brief moment, then smiled and said, "He is my sworn brother. We each swore a poisonous oath before, that we will work hand in hand and take care of each other."
Yan Qijun did not have any response when he heard the first part of the answer, just that his face turned slightly gloomy. But when the heard the second part of the answer, his hand trembled, causing the wine jar in his hand to fall to the ground and be crushed into pieces. Extremely surprised, he stared at Wu Qi and cried out, "He is your sworn brother? But he is from Great Zhao! How can you make him your sworn brother?!"
Wu Qi stared back at Yan Qijun, his face a little bit blushed as he said in an even lower voice, "Well, I forced him to be my sworn brother with the tip of a sword pressing against his body." Then, he told Yan Qijun the oaths that each of them swore.
Hearing the oaths, Yan Qijun was rendered speechless, and could only twitch his lips and shake his head.
Wu Qi grinned. He casually picked up a few snow lotus seeds from a plate on the table, then threw two of them at Zhao Kuo.
Sensing something was shooting at him, Zhao Kuo was startled. Abruptly, he raised his head up, and with a bright gleam flickering in his eyes, the two snow lotus seeds turned into a wisp of smoke while they were still seventy to eighty feet away. Wu Qi poked his head out of the window and gave Zhao Kuo a smile, then beckoned to him. Zhao Kuo's face fell instantly, and became extremely unsightly, just like the look on the face of a little girl who wore her new shoes and was getting ready to do some shopping in the market, but unexpectedly stepped into a basket full of dogsh*t.
After dawdling for almost the time to finish a pot of tea, Zhao Kuo finally came into Wu Qi's private room alone.
Upon entering the room, Zhao Kuo immediately cupped his fist, bowed deeply, and said, "Zhao Kuo offers greeting, Senior Brother. It's been three years since we last met. Is Senior Brother still as healthy as before?"
He paused briefly, strengthened his back, and said with a deep voice, "Senior Brother, do you know someone wants to kill you? I sent my man to bring this message to you in White Cloud Planet a few days ago. Have you met my loyal subordinate?"
A look of surprise emerged on Wu Qi's face. Somebody wanted to kill him?