Perfect: I am Shi An from Shicun, and I am Huang’s brother!

Chapter 223 The Zhao Family Has No Rule
"Sir, you've come to the right person!"

Upon hearing this, the innkeeper's eyes flashed with shrewdness, but his face was filled with an even more enthusiastic smile as he rubbed his hands together and said, "This Tianhe City is an important town on the Tianhe Plain in Tianzhou, and various forces are mixed together within the city."

"The largest of them is naturally the City Lord's Mansion, which is backed by the Celestial Race."

"Secondly, it controls most of the businesses in the city and is backed by the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce, which is the rival of the Celestial Race—the War Race."

The boss spoke while gesturing with his hands, his face full of awe.

"Then there are the three major local families of Tianhe City: the Zhao family, the Liu family, and the Li family. These three families also control many industries in the city, and their strength should not be underestimated."

"In addition, there are some smaller mercenary groups and sects in the city, such as the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group and the Green Wood Sect."

At this point, the innkeeper smiled broadly: "Of course, behind these small sects and factions, there are more or less the shadows of Zhao, Liu, Li, and even the City Lord's Mansion and Tianhe Chamber of Commerce."

However, just as Shi An was wondering why the innkeeper hadn't mentioned Juxian Pavilion, he quickly took a few steps closer and lowered his voice, saying, "Besides these, there's another mysterious force in Tianhe City—Juxian Pavilion!"

"Juxian Pavilion is not affiliated with any force in Tianhe City, but no force dares to provoke it easily. Even the City Lord's Mansion, which is backed by the master of Tianzhou—the Tianren Clan, does not dare to do so."

Upon hearing this, Shi An couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Oh? Why is that?"

"It is said that the Juxian Pavilion was not originally a local force in Tianzhou, but an annex of other states. The power behind it is also a terrifying force no weaker than the Celestial Race, ruling over a state."

"An existence no weaker than the Celestial Race..."

Upon hearing that the Juxian Pavilion was backed by a force no weaker than the Celestial Race, Shi An's pupils constricted slightly. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the rim of the teacup, completely ignoring how the rising steam made his eyes appear even more profound.

It should be noted that there are only three thousand Dao states in the Upper Realm, and the Celestial Race alone controls one of them. This means that there are at most three thousand forces in the entire Upper Realm that can rival the Celestial Race.

Not to mention that some of these provinces are not under the control of a single force, but rather multiple forces.

But now, this so-called Gathering of Heroes Pavilion is backed by such a powerful force. No wonder that uncle named Lin Feng dared to say such things.

Thinking about it, Shi An and Yun Xi couldn't help but exchange a glance, and their evaluation of Lin Feng improved even more.

Then, Shi An took out a few spirit crystals and handed them to the innkeeper: "Thank you for your help. This is a token of my appreciation. If you have any further questions, I hope you will be kind enough to ask."

Seeing that Shi An had given away several spirit crystals that could be considered top-grade, the innkeeper was overjoyed. He quickly accepted the spirit crystals with both hands and bowed repeatedly, saying, "You're too kind, sir! Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

"By the way, sir!"

After saying that, the innkeeper seemed to remember something and quickly added, "Our shop also has some special spiritual foods, all made with spiritual ingredients from the Tianhe Plain. They are very beneficial to cultivation. Would you and your wife like to try some?"

Upon hearing this, Shi An glanced at Yun Xi beside him. Seeing that she had no objections, he nodded and replied, "Then bring a few dishes and send them to the room."

"Okay, wait a minute!"

Seeing that Shi An agreed, the innkeeper immediately responded and then quickly left.

After he left, Yunxi slowly got up, walked to the window, looked at the bustling streets outside, and said softly, "I never thought that such an ordinary city in the Upper Realm would gather so many forces, and among them are several terrifying beings who control an entire province."

As soon as Yunxi finished speaking, Shi An, who was standing beside her, looked down at the street and slowly said, "No matter which world you're in, resources are limited. To obtain more resources, you naturally have to compete and control them on multiple fronts."

Shi An's gaze was deep, and his voice was deep and powerful: "The Upper Realm is vast and boundless, and its resources are far more abundant than those of the Lower Realm. But it is precisely because of this that the competition between various forces is even more intense."

"Behind every prefecture and every city lies a web of hidden interests and power struggles." *Knock knock!*

As the two were talking, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed by the innkeeper's voice from outside: "Sir, the spiritual food you ordered has arrived."

Hearing the commotion, Shi An first glanced at Yun Xi, then softly replied, "Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi An saw the innkeeper enter with several waiters, placing dishes of enticing spiritual food on the table.

These spiritual foods are beautifully presented, and the spiritual energy contained within the ingredients is faintly visible. Just one glance is enough to sense their extraordinary nature.

"Please enjoy your meal, sir. Please feel free to ask if you need anything."

After everything was arranged, the innkeeper didn't tactlessly stay. Instead, he smiled, said something, and then left with his staff.

Seeing this, Shi An and Yun Xi didn't stand on ceremony and quickly sat down to enjoy the food.

"Amu~"

With each bite, the two could feel a surge of spiritual energy emanating from it, flowing into their bodies, and nourishing their meridians and internal organs.

“The spiritual food from the upper realm is indeed extraordinary; it’s a rare sight in the lower realm.”

After taking a few bites, Yunxi couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, her eyes filled with surprise.

Similarly, Shi An did not hold back his praise, nodding with a smile: "Indeed, the Upper Realm is rich in resources, with countless rare treasures, far surpassing the Lower Realm."

And so, the two enjoyed the spiritual food while discussing their plans for the future.

Ultimately, Shi An decided to stay in Tianhe City for a while to understand the situation in the Upper Realm before heading to the Celestial Race to reunite with Yun Xi's family.

For a moment, the room was filled with fragrance, and the atmosphere became more and more warm and comfortable. Shi An and Yun Xi savored the delicacies from the upper realm, their eyes meeting from time to time.

But as the saying goes, the heavens are not on our side!
Sure enough, at such a heartwarming moment, an unexpected accident always occurs.

"Get out of the way! Anyone who stands in the way will die!"

A loud shout, accompanied by the rapid sound of horses' hooves and the exclamations of the crowd, came from outside the window, causing Shi An to frown and then get up and go to the window.

In the middle of the street, a group of knights clad in black armor were rampaging through the crowd. Leading them was a young man with a sinister face, who wielded a blood-red whip, lashing passersby who couldn't dodge in time, leaving them with bloodied skin.

"It's Zhao Wutian, the third young master of the Zhao family!"

"My God! What's that jinx doing here?"

"Yeah, didn't they say he just went deep into the Tianhe Plain yesterday? How come he's back today?"

Soon, some people in the crowd recognized the identity of the young man in the lead, and they all cried out in fear and scattered to avoid him.

All of this was because Zhao Wutian always relied on the power of the Zhao family to run rampant in the city, causing many people to suffer and complain.

(End of this chapter)