Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi Chapter 91: The Strange City

As if afraid that Zhang Heng might change his mind, the old man hurriedly snatched the spiritual liquid from his hands, carefully poured a little into his cup, drank it in one gulp, and looked utterly satisfied. Unlike Zhang Heng, who was lavish with his resources, the old man naturally drank sparingly.

After finishing, the old man glanced at Zhang Heng, who was sitting nearby with a smile, and grinned obsequiously, "Little brother, where are you headed? Let me take you there."

He knew Zhang Heng must still have plenty of spiritual liquid left; this was a fool with resources, so he must be served well.

"The Imperial City of Qi. Please guide me, sir," Zhang Heng replied.

Although he already had a powerful ally, who would ever disdain having another? The Imperial City of Qi was a destination he must reach.

"Hehe, little fellow. I happen to want to go to the Imperial City too. It’s right on my way," the old man laughed even more joyfully. The capital was far from here; he could extract more spiritual liquid from Zhang Heng along the journey.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Zhang Heng rose respectfully to inquire. Someone of the Celestial Origin Realm, combined with such a character, deserved his respect.

This old man possessed the strength of the Celestial Origin Realm, yet was chased through the streets by ordinary folk, unwilling to harm anyone. Furthermore, knowing Zhang Heng had much spiritual liquid, he never tried to seize it by force.

He appeared eccentric, but in truth, he was a man of genuine temperament.

"Ah, little fellow, why be so conventional? A name is but a designation. Call me old man, old fellow, or old immortal—anything you like," the old man waved his hand dismissively, carefully sniffing the bottle containing the spiritual liquid.

Old fellow, couldn’t you just give your name? Why ramble so much just to fill the conversation?

"Zhang Heng, at your service. I hope, sir, you’ll look after me during this time," Zhang Heng stood up, placed a spirit stone on the table, and left with the old man.

When they reached a deserted spot, the old man changed his expression, turned to Zhang Heng, and grew solemn.

Zhang Heng still wore his gentle smile.

"Little fellow, you’re quite unusual," the old man began. "You have no spiritual energy at all, yet you drank a whole bottle of spiritual liquid without harm. You even discerned my cultivation. Most important of all, you’re not afraid of me?"

"Now, with no one around, if I had ill intentions, you’d lose your spiritual liquid—and perhaps even your life."

Seeing Zhang Heng did not answer, the old man began to lecture him.

"Roaming the world, you must be cautious. You possess so many treasures; if someone took them, wouldn’t that be a pity? Today, you’re lucky to have met me. If it were someone else, little fellow, you might have already lost your life."

"Sir, we are partners now. I give you spiritual liquid, you take me to the Imperial City. As for the rest, forgive me, but I have nothing to reveal," Zhang Heng said calmly, then smiled mysteriously.

This old man was of Celestial Origin Realm; if he wished, even amid a bustling street, Zhang Heng would be powerless against him.

Conversely, even if the old man acted now, Zhang Heng would be helpless.

"Let’s go, then." Although the old man was interested in Zhang Heng’s secrets, since Zhang Heng would not share, he no longer pressed the matter.

In fact, the old man was already at the sixth level of Celestial Origin Realm; he could have used spatial travel to instantly reach the Imperial City with Zhang Heng. But if he did so, his spiritual liquid would be gone. So, he led Zhang Heng on foot toward the capital.

This suited Zhang Heng perfectly. He was in no hurry; walking let him enjoy the scenery and he had a powerful companion by his side. Delightful, truly delightful!

On this day, they approached an unknown small town.

The old man looked ahead, frowned, then grew serious. "Something’s wrong, boy. Follow me, let’s investigate."

Without waiting for Zhang Heng’s consent, he grabbed him and teleported through the void.

Arriving just outside the city gate, Zhang Heng also sensed something was amiss. The air here was thick with a sense of oppression.

"Let’s go," the old man didn’t want to waste time and flew with Zhang Heng over the gate.

Seeing they could fly, the guards dared not hinder them.

Inside the city, Zhang Heng was bewildered.

All the ordinary townsfolk emitted faint wisps of black vapor from within.

Strangely, everyone went about their daily lives as if nothing had happened.

The old man’s face was filled with confusion.

Observing closely, Zhang Heng was shocked.

He recognized that black vapor well; the consciousness of the ghostly Daoist he’d just killed was composed of this very substance.

Could it be that someone had entered the depths of that ancient tomb before him and brought something out?

No, this had to be investigated swiftly; otherwise, the townsfolk were in grave danger.

The old man touched his head, perplexed, then said to Zhang Heng, "Boy, something’s not right here." He had lived for centuries, but had no idea what this black vapor was.

Zhang Heng stopped a passerby to question him.

But the man didn’t seem to notice them at all, continuing on his way.

Zhang Heng thought perhaps it was just a quirk, so he stopped another, but the result was the same. No one paid them any mind, each busy with their own affairs.

When the extraordinary occurs, there must be something sinister.

This time, Zhang Heng decided to use force. Most here were ordinary people; as a cultivator, a little spiritual power would make them defenseless.

But the one he stopped did not speak; instead, his temper flared, his eyes turned black, his limbs began to twitch uncontrollably, his face twisted in pain—it was obvious he was suffering.

There would be no answers; Zhang Heng let him go.

"Sir, something dire has occurred here. If not handled properly, I fear all the townsfolk will perish," Zhang Heng said to the puzzled old man.

"You know what that thing is, boy?" the old man turned to him, baffled.

"Sir, I don’t know what the black vapor is, but these people’s behavior is abnormal, clearly affected. If this persists, it may threaten their lives."

The old man recognized the gravity of the situation. The two began searching for the cause.

Walking through the town, every person they saw was tainted by the black vapor.

Who could be so cruel, intending to doom an entire city?

Hey, System, do you know what’s happening here?

Hey, hey!

Zhang Heng called several times, but the system did not respond. It seemed to have shut down.

Now, Zhang Heng felt the system was truly the protagonist. It helped him when it wanted, shut down when it didn’t—how capricious!

Never mind, if you won’t help, I’ll find out myself.

Zhang Heng and the old man circled the town twice, but found nothing unusual.

Suddenly, someone tapped them from behind. Turning, they saw three normal people, untainted by the black vapor.

The one in the middle seemed fearful and whispered, "Don’t speak. Follow me."