An Invitation and Luoxi City’s Hidden Past

“Do you two have anything else planned? If not, why don’t you come over to my place and rest for a bit?”

An Yaozhen smoothed out her somewhat rumpled clothes, which Moxi’s punch had disarrayed, then looked at Feiluo and Moxi – specifically Moxi – and said, “Since you’ve both come all this way to Luoxi City, it’s only right that I fulfill my duties as a host.”

Moxi did not immediately agree, instead turning her inquiring gaze to Feiluo, allowing her to make the decision.

After a moment of thought, Feiluo nodded.

After all, their reason for lingering in Luoxi City was simply to explore, so An Yaozhen’s willingness to host them was quite welcome. It would also be rather interesting to see the residence of Luoxi City’s City Lord.

Moxi’s deference, consulting Feiluo instead of agreeing directly, caused An Yaozhen to raise an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.

However, she said nothing more, maintaining her composed demeanor. Upon seeing Feiluo’s nod of agreement, she said, “Alright then, follow me.”

With that, she began to walk, leading the two forward.

Watching An Yaozhen’s figure recede further and further, Feiluo suddenly realized something. They had been talking for quite a while, and An Yaozhen had even been punched in the stomach by Moxi earlier, doubling over in pain to the ground. Yet, the onlookers around them hadn’t reacted in the slightest.

Wasn’t An Yaozhen the City Lord of Luoxi City? Seeing their City Lord assaulted, shouldn’t these people have shown some reaction? Even if no one was hot-blooded enough to step forward and defend An Yaozhen, the surrounding crowd should at least have been screaming in alarm.

Feiluo glanced at the surrounding onlookers, only to find them still engrossed in discussing the scene where An Yaozhen had unleashed her powerful aura, directly scaring Miss Wang into unconsciousness. Not a single person mentioned An Yaozhen being brutally punched by Moxi.

It was as if, from the moment An Yaozhen had walked towards them, a paper cutter had severed their canvas from that of the onlookers, leaving them entirely uninfluenced by each other. What’s more, these onlookers hadn’t even noticed that An Yaozhen, the central figure of the incident, had departed, as if she had been completely overlooked.

Such an uncanny sight left Feiluo utterly astonished.

“Stop staring, my dear apprentice,” Moxi said. “An Yaozhen is getting far ahead; we need to catch up.”

Moxi took Feiluo’s hand, glancing at the noisy crowd of onlookers, and added, “It’s just a minor illusion. If you want to learn it, my dear apprentice, I can teach you when we get back.”

“Eh, really?” Hearing this, Feiluo’s spirits lifted.

Honestly, an illusion that makes people ignore your presence would be incredibly useful! If she could use it during class, she wouldn’t have to fear being discovered by the teacher, even if she was sleeping, snacking, or reading comics! This would undoubtedly be another massive upgrade for Feiluo, the ‘King of Slacking Off’!

Of course, this improvement was strictly in the realm of slacking off.

“It’s true.” Moxi nodded, then pulled the delighted Feiluo towards An Yaozhen, who, noticing they hadn’t followed, was waiting for them not far away.

“Well, look who finally caught up,” An Yaozhen quipped as they approached. “Is it because you’re so short that your strides are tiny, making you so slow?”

As soon as they drew near, An Yaozhen’s mouth, which seemed to provoke a desire to tear it off, began spewing insults incessantly.

‘She looks like an ice-cold beauty, yet why does she turn into such a sarcastic person the moment she opens her mouth?’ Feiluo thought to herself, watching An Yaozhen’s lips move. ‘What a wonderful person she could be, if only she hadn’t been born with a mouth. How great it would be if An Yaozhen were mute.’

Feiluo shook her head inwardly, regretting that An Yaozhen was not, in fact, mute.

“If you dare to call me short again,” Moxi warned An Yaozhen, her eyes chilling and a dangerous curve forming on her lips, as she mimed a punch to An Yaozhen’s stomach. “I’ll use this shorty’s fist to show you that shorties aren’t to be trifled with.”

“Cough, I won’t say it, I won’t say it,” An Yaozhen stammered. Seeing Moxi’s renewed intention to strike, An Yaozhen seemed to feel a fresh pang in her stomach. She gave a light cough and hastily changed the subject.

“Feiluo, you probably don’t know much about Luoxi City’s history, do you? Let me give you an introduction.” With that, An Yaozhen resumed walking, continuing to lead Feiluo and Moxi forward.

“As for Luoxi City’s history, I do know a little.” Feiluo and Moxi walked hand-in-hand, trailing behind An Yaozhen. “Luoxi City has been established for three thousand years now, hasn’t it? I heard that originally, it was just a place where people displaced by war gathered together for warmth and solidarity. Later, as the war expanded, more and more people converged, and it gradually developed into a city.”

“That’s right, Luoxi City was indeed founded that way,” An Yaozhen confirmed. “But do you know why Luoxi City came to be protected by the Blazing Spirit Sect?”

Feiluo paused, genuinely unsure of the answer. She had always assumed it was to ward off attacks from wild beasts and unintelligent demonic beasts from the mountains, which was why it received protection from the Blazing Spirit Sect. However, upon closer reflection, she realized this conjecture was highly improbable.

If it were merely wild beasts and unintelligent demonic beasts, there would be no need for the Blazing Spirit Sect’s protection at all. Experienced old hunters could easily deal with wild animals, and even unintelligent demonic beasts would not pose a significant threat.

If a demonic beast’s intelligence had not awakened, it could only passively absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, a process that was incredibly slow. At best, they would only be physically stronger than ordinary beasts; otherwise, they were not much different. Demonic beasts only gradually awakened their intelligence upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. Even Qi Condensation stage demonic beasts could be killed with the coordinated efforts of a few seasoned hunters.

So, if it wasn’t for the harassment of wild beasts and demonic beasts, why was Luoxi City protected by the Blazing Spirit Sect? Feiluo looked at An Yaozhen, hoping for an answer.

An Yaozhen didn’t keep them in suspense, directly stating, “That war intensified relentlessly. The conflict between the imperial dynasties of the Human, Demonic, and Fiendish races no longer involved only cultivators; vast numbers of ordinary people without cultivation were thrown into battle, and the populations of all three races were rapidly depleted.”

“Because the front lines required a constant supply of soldiers, the imperial dynasty at the time set its sights on Luoxi City, which had gathered many displaced people.”

“Are you saying the imperial dynasty wanted to use the people of Luoxi City as cannon fodder?” Feiluo frowned, deeply repulsed by the imperial dynasty’s disregard for human lives.

“Precisely,” An Yaozhen affirmed. “The residents of Luoxi City back then were ordinary people who had only just managed to escape the flames of war and survive. The City Lord at the time didn’t want them to return to that man-eating battlefield. However, he was merely an ordinary man without cultivation. He had become City Lord because he had helped many people, and his prestige was sufficiently high.”

“Facing the imperial dynasty’s pressure, he was helpless. He could only place his hopes on the Profound Spirit Holy Land, an orthodox sect, to step forward and assist, since they always proclaimed themselves ‘righteous,’ didn’t they?” At this, An Yaozhen let out a scornful laugh, perhaps directed at the imperial dynasty, perhaps at the Holy Land, or perhaps at both.

“But he couldn’t even enter the Holy Land’s gates. He was directly beaten out by the gate-keeping disciples and ultimately carried back to Luoxi City.”

Feiluo pursed her lips. Deep down, she was reluctant to believe this was true. Yet, recalling the conduct of the Holy Land disciples she had encountered in the past, she realized it was indeed something they were capable of.

Feiluo’s emotions grew complicated. Suddenly, she felt a squeeze on her palm and turned to meet Moxi’s concerned gaze.

…

Feiluo looked at Moxi’s gentle eyes, a smile gracing her lips, and the mix of emotions in her heart vanished.

Unaware of the small interaction behind her, An Yaozhen continued, “After that, the City Lord at the time sought help from many renowned orthodox sects, but they all rejected his plea.”

“Later, as the imperial dynasty pressed harder, the City Lord, having no other recourse, had to seek assistance from the Blazing Spirit Sect, which was at the time branded a Demonic Sect by the Profound Spirit Holy Land and other orthodox sects.”

Saying this, An Yaozhen put her hands on her hips, turned to face the two, and declared proudly, “And so, I, An Yaozhen, was dispatched by Moxi to Luoxi City to serve as its guardian here.”