Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 122 Martial City

As the sun sets and night gradually falls, a gentle breeze blows.

North of Songjiang City.

The fields, which are neatly arranged like blocks of tofu during the day, are now shrouded in a hazy shadow. Only the vague, undulating outlines of the ridges and furrows remain, and only the silence of the wilderness remains.

The evening breeze swept across the barren fields, bringing a slight chill.

At the edge of the field, rolling hills rise, their trees dense and layered, their shadows swaying like lurking dark shadows.

Beyond the hills, countless mountains stretch across the depths of the night, their dark mountain lines blending seamlessly with the inky sky, seemingly without end.

Ye Ci rode his horse steadily along the official road.

"Rumble—"

A muffled sound came faintly from afar, dull and persistent, like a boulder rolling over, breaking the deathly silence of the wilderness.

Perhaps another fight has broken out somewhere.

The reason the two rode slowly was because they frequently encountered groups of rebels or refugees along the way.

These people seemed to have appeared overnight.

When those people saw Ye Ci brandish his long sword, and that the horse he was riding was draped with white silk, none of them dared to stop them from going their way.

Ye Ci gazed at them, her thoughts drifting away.

Going to a new place always brings a strange sense of excitement.

It must have taken him more than a year to master the Hua Jin (化劲) skill, making him a peerless genius in the county.

Now, if I join a sect and obtain the Dan-embracing technique, I believe that with the support of the Shen family's wealth, I will eventually master the Dan-embracing strength.

In addition to the basic techniques, he also mastered two deadly moves: the Mountain Embracing Seal and the Sea Severing Style.

The Embracing Mountain Seal is more focused on amplification, while the Sea-Severing Style is a trump card, but it requires a certain lifespan.

Lifespan: 19/30

Ye Ci looked into the void and felt somewhat surprised.

According to my understanding, the lifespan of the Sea-Severing Style should be at least ten years, and logically it should be 26 years.

Thinking of this, he unconsciously reached into his robes, his fingers touching the talisman from before.

"Um?"

He was slightly startled, because the sensation coming from his fingertips was only some residue.

"What exactly is going on with this talisman?"

Ye Ci pondered in his heart, suspecting that this thing contained some incomprehensible power. It was probably because the leader had restored part of his lifespan, thus exhausting the energy within.

At that moment, he had no time to think about where this thing came from.

Because behind her, Shen Yixi was counting silver notes, making "ku ku ku" sounds of laughter.

"Are you happy?" Ye Ci asked her.

This girl was different from what I had expected. She didn't have much of the spoiled air of a young lady. She used a knife to cut the hem of her wedding dress and quickly made it into a bundle.

Suddenly, the figure behind them stretched out their arms, forming a "T" shape, as if taking a deep breath, and whispered, "Freedom—"

She paused, her tone suddenly tinged with sorrow: "Several of the women who served Zhang Guan died, yet my father still sent me there, and even thought I could win over Zhang Guan."

She hesitated.

Ye Ci tilted her head slightly and asked, "Didn't you plan to poison him after marrying him?"

How did you know?

"He knows the answer already, but Zhang Guan isn't stupid. People like them have someone test their food for poison."

"Master Ye is indeed clever."

Shen Yixi smiled sweetly from behind: "I've thought about it, I only have one chance—so the way I poison him will definitely be something he won't expect."

Not there.

"Feed him with your mouth?"

Ye Ci chatted casually.

Shen Yixi suddenly fell silent, then said softly, "Don't say anything, I feel nauseous."

This girl is definitely a bit of a germaphobe.

"By the way, did you come here to rescue me today?"

Shen Yixi suddenly asked a question.

Ye Ci paused for a moment, then calmly said, "Would you believe me if I said I didn't care about you, that I was just passing by?"

For no apparent reason, Shen Yixi felt that this statement was true, and thus felt somewhat discouraged.

"However, for Mr. Shen's sake, I might ask for your opinion before I leave."

"possible----"

Shen Yixi felt that the last sentence was even more unpleasant, but then she suddenly burst out laughing.

It gave the impression that she was somewhat seriously ill.

"Am I ridiculous?"

She felt that her previous idea of ​​"sacrificing her life for the cause" seemed somewhat ridiculous in the face of this young man.

"It's a little funny, but not much."

"Master Ye really knows how to talk."

Shen Yixi thought: Which girl doesn't like to hear good things? Even if you're just passing by, I'm still very touched that you took me with you in the end. Besides, being able to leave Songjiang safely and head to Shengwu City, with my grandfather and I doing business, we can also buy some cultivation resources for you. Plus, you're a retainer, so we're at least allies.

How wonderful it would be if people could say things that are pleasing to the ear.

Ye Ci changed the subject and asked, "What are your plans next?"

Shen Yixi considered for a moment and said, "I asked a friend to buy you the White Jade Snow Lotus. When we go to Shengwu City, let's find them first and see if they've gotten it. Once you've improved your physical constitution, with your talent for cultivation, you should be able to join a major sect. That way, you won't have to fear the revenge of Marquis Jianwu."

"After you reach the Transformation Realm, you will need to practice the Embracing the Elixir Technique. If you want to improve the training effect, you will definitely need auxiliary items. Tonics like Qi and Blood Pills will not be very useful to you. Most people will buy Qi Gathering Pills, which are not ordinary pills but elixirs. However, if you want something even better, you would choose the Gathering Yuan Pill."

"Noble children usually cultivate using Gathering Yuan Pills, which cost about 20,000 taels of silver on the market. If you can refine one in ten days, it will cost about 60,000 taels of silver per month. If you refine it quickly, it might cost a little more."

"There is also a calming incense that can aid in cultivation, and it is said to make cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. One stick of incense costs two thousand taels of silver, which adds up to sixty thousand taels a month."

"The Embracing the Elixir has ten levels of strength, and each level requires breakthroughs. You also need to prepare pills for these breakthroughs, and those pills are priceless and must cost a lot of money."

She sighed.

Ye Ci hadn't expected this girl to know so much, and he said, "You're quite thoughtful."

He had actually seen these cultivation materials in his previous letters, but he hadn't expected them to be so expensive.

I suppose I was just about to ask her about her plans with the Shen family, but the girl started talking about cultivation instead.

"Can't you sense that a girl cares a lot about your affairs?"

Ye Ci said helplessly, "Miss, could you please look at the fork in the road ahead and see which one leads to the ferry?"

The two arrived at the ferry, found a boatman, and with Shen Yixi paying the fare, they headed east.

This saved Ye Ci from worrying about trivial matters.

This waterway should take more than forty days to reach.

Because the boat they found was small and slow, they had to find places to dock and find food along the way.

Ye Ci remained vigilant throughout, as fishing boats could be seen on the water from time to time, and the boatmen were carrying knives and guns.

"They're all river bandits."

The boatman told Ye Ci that he could tell Ye Ci was a martial arts expert, so he wasn't too worried about him being robbed.

Ye Ci remained silent for a moment. He noticed that these people were not just randomly robbing people; rather, they seemed to be organized and heading towards a nearby county town.

It took the two more than ten days to reach Jiangling, where the docks were quite bustling.

Shen Yixi spent money to hire a speedboat, thus saving almost half the time.

We finally arrived at the waters of Holy Martial City.

The first thing that catches the eye is the solid and sturdy city wall, magnificent and imposing, with a kind of composure that has been honed by the years.

The city walls are tall and are made of huge, bluish-gray stones, with tight mortar joints between the stones.

The apricot-yellow flags fluttering on the city wall complement each other, each bearing a giant "武" (martial) character.

As Ye Ci docked at a huge pier, he gazed at the two characters on the massive city wall gate—【武城】 (Wu City).

"There's a word missing," he said casually.

Shen Yixi interjected, "Sacred Martial City is a general term, representing a force. In the early days, the place where Martial Saints cultivated themselves was called the Holy Land, and this city was called Martial City."