After bidding farewell to the demons, with Heishan and Chifeng leading the way, it took less than half a day for the sprawling mountain range that had trapped Si Chen for over two years to be left entirely behind.
"So we're… out?"
Si Chen gazed at the gradually widening plains ahead, feeling as though it wasn't quite real.
"Heh, what did you expect?" said Heishan, who had taken on human form and still looked like that rough, rugged fellow. He tugged awkwardly at the specially made oversized cloth shirt on his body and grumbled, "With your sense of direction, if you hadn't followed us brothers out, I, Old Bear, would've been genuinely worried!"
Beside him, Chifeng had also taken on human form, his short hair sticking out in every direction, his features looking somewhat fierce — especially his eyes, which still carried a tiger's intimidating might even in human shape.
He stood on Heishan's side for once: "Indeed."
Si Chen glanced at the two of them.
Though neither demon was comfortable in human form — Heishan's posture was awkward, clearly still not at ease with the shape — Chifeng kept unconsciously twisting his backside, as if trying to flick a tail, only to find nothing there.
Yet they had still insisted on taking human form. Si Chen treated them as friends, so naturally they were unwilling to cause him trouble, even if Si Chen himself didn't mind.
A warmth stirred in Si Chen's heart. He said nothing more.
* * *
The three of them rode their escape light through the air, and after less than half a day, the outline of a town appeared on the horizon.
It was a decent size, called Luoxia Town.
Unlike the great cities of Yunjin City or Wanggu City, it had no towering walls and no guards checking travelers at the gates. Yet carriages and horses came and went in a steady stream, the streets lined with shops on both sides, the sounds of vendors Shout and Sell never ceasing.
One person, two demons, and Red Bean perched on Si Chen's shoulder blended naturally into the bustling crowd and walked into the town.
The moment they entered, Heishan's nose began twitching incessantly, his large copper-bell eyes growing brighter and brighter.
"Delicious! It smells incredible! Brother, this is exactly it — just like you described before!"
The air was thick with the aromas of all manner of food — the scorched fragrance of sizzling fat, the rich savory smell of braised meat, the sweet scent of pastries…
In the past, they hadn't eaten such things: partly due to the differences in their species' habits, partly because they had no human currency, and partly because deep down they had harbored a certain disdain for "human tricks."
But ever since Si Chen had painted that vivid, mouth-watering picture of dishes with his words, their curiosity and cravings had been thoroughly roused.
Si Chen himself had been living on plain, tasteless fare for two years. Unable to hold back any longer, the group quickly found the liveliest-looking restaurant with the most enticing aroma — a place called Zuixian Lou — and sat down.
They had barely settled into their seats by the second-floor window when the murmured conversation from the table beside them drifted over.
"This Luoxia Town has been a lot livelier than usual lately."
"Of course it has — the Liuyun Sword Sect is right nearby. Ever since that big incident at their sect, forces from all sides have sent people to investigate. How could this town stay quiet?"
Si Chen's hand paused slightly as he lifted the teapot.
The Liuyun Sword Sect? He hadn't expected that this seemingly ordinary little town would be situated right next to the Liuyun Sword Sect.
That was… quite a coincidence.
The conversation continued.
"Tsk, tsk. Who could have imagined — the Liuyun Sword Sect's Sect Master and two Core Formation Stage Elders all fell at the Dragon's Fall. The sect is probably going to collapse after this."
"That's putting it mildly! I heard that the Fang Clan's genius Fang Heng was also gravely wounded and fled, and his guardian perished… Two Nascent Soul Stage cultivators! Just like that, gone!"
"Hiss—" A collective intake of breath rose from those nearby.
"Good heavens… the Fang Clan? Which Fang Clan?"
"Which one do you think? That Fang Clan! This is going to be a massive spectacle!"
Si Chen calmly poured himself a cup of tea and listened quietly.
Heishan and Chifeng exchanged a glance, both pricking up their ears.
"The strangest part is that fellow called Si Chen!" another person cut in, his tone laced with disbelief. "The one who, two years ago in Wanggu City, killed the Liuyun Sword Sect's Core Formation Stage Elder while only at the Foundation Establishment Stage!"
"Wasn't he personally hunted down by Sect Master Lü Ci and chased into Wanji Mountain? There's been no news of him for two years — everyone assumed he was dead. Could he be connected to all this?"
"Connected? He's at the center of it! You should've come a couple of days earlier — the people who escaped said the fighting inside was earth-shattering. Sect Master Lü Ci and the Fang Clan's guardian both seemed to be going after him. And now? No one's seen him alive or found his body!"
"Hiss… You mean Sect Master Lü Ci and the others… might have been killed by this Si Chen…"
"I wouldn't dare say that outright! But rumor has it he obtained a heaven-defying Inheritance at the Dragon's Fall…"
He left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood what he meant.
At that moment, a man who seemed to have even better sources leaned over with an air of mystery and said, "Latest news — the Qingxuan Rankings have been updated! Guess what? That Si Chen — he's on the list!"
"Tsk, tsk. Azure depths above, hidden mysteries within… The Qingxuan Rankings records only rising talents under a hundred years of age! How old is he?"
"His exact age is unknown, but he's definitely young! Still, everyone on that list is a one-in-ten-thousand genius with limitless potential!"
"Hmph, so what if he's on the Qingxuan Rankings?" a sarcastic voice cut in.
"Don't you all know? The Qingxuan Rankings is also called the 'Fallen Prodigies List'! Every genius on it is supremely ambitious and fiercely competitive — the casualty rate is extremely high! Getting on the list just means dying faster!"
These words made several people nod quietly to themselves. Geniuses were admirable, of course, but a genius who died too young was nothing more than fodder for conversation.
Heishan listened with a curl of his lip, leaning over to mutter to Si Chen and Chifeng, "Humans just love making these useless rankings. If you want to fight, just fight — why bother ranking everyone? Nothing better to do with their—"
Halfway through, he suddenly remembered that Si Chen was also human. A flicker of embarrassment crossed his massive bear-like face, and he quickly tried to recover. "…Uh, I mean, some humans, haha, some humans…"
Si Chen paid it no mind. Chifeng, however, gave Heishan a wordless look of exasperation.
Just then, the dishes they had ordered began arriving one by one.
A large plate of braised meat stewed until tender, glistening with sauce; a whole roasted chicken with golden-brown skin giving off a scorched, savory fragrance; stir-fried seasonal vegetables, bright green and fresh.
There was also a large bowl of steaming bone broth, its color a milky white.
Nothing particularly refined, but generous in portion and wonderfully fragrant — and besides, when had Heishan or Chifeng ever encountered cooking like this?
"Gulp."
Heishan and Chifeng swallowed at the same time, their eyes going wide.
The Liuyun Sword Sect, the Qingxuan Rankings — all of it was instantly flung to the back of their minds.
Faced with this table full of food, Si Chen's inner glutton was fully awakened.
He picked up his chopsticks and gave the order.
"Dig in!"
The next moment — a whirlwind swept the table clean.
The two demons had no idea how to use chopsticks and didn't even try, grabbing food directly with their hands, stuffing chicken in one fist and duck in the other, shoving it straight into their mouths.
After the first bite, their eyes lit up. Heishan said with his mouth full, "Incredible! This is ten thousand times better than eating things raw!"
Si Chen ate with relative composure, but his pace was no slower than theirs.
Though the three of them made quite a commotion eating, the Cultivation World was full of all manner of people, and eccentric behavior was commonplace. The other patrons simply assumed they had come out of Closed-Door Cultivation and were ravenously hungry, and paid them little attention.
One person and two demons buried their heads and ate with abandon, thoroughly satisfied.
But a full table of dishes was nowhere near enough for two demon kings and one Body Cultivator.
In the end, Si Chen kept waving his hand to order more dishes. The young waiter ran back and forth four or five times, staring in wide-eyed disbelief, until the table was a landscape of empty plates and bowls piled like a small mountain — only then did the three of them feel even remotely satisfied.
Heishan patted his swollen belly contentedly, let out a loud, resonant belch, and sighed, "Bliss! Now this is the life of a demon!"
Chifeng also exhaled a long breath in agreement.
With food and drink behind them, Si Chen set down his chopsticks and gazed out the window.
Since the Liuyun Sword Sect was not far away, and they had come all this way, it seemed wrong not to go and take a look.
He stood up. "Let's go. We'll pay the Liuyun Sword Sect a visit."
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