Chapter Fifty-Nine: Arrival in City B

Xuanyuan Zhe was so delighted he jumped up; the old man had finally given him a task to handle alone. It was wonderful—the life he had always dreamed of, as boundless as the sea for fish to leap, as wide as the sky for birds to fly, was about to begin! He was so excited. He hurried back to his room to start packing, but his pitiful storage pouch, barely a square meter in size, was utterly inadequate. He had prepared a mountain of travel essentials, most of which couldn’t fit inside. It was truly disappointing.

Early the next morning, Tang Wei, Zixuan, and Xuanyuan Zhe stood at the main gate of the Xuanyuan residence, ready to set off. As expected of a great clan, the gate that Tang Wei had crippled just days ago now looked fresh and new.

Nearby, the head of the Xuanyuan family was fussing endlessly, instructing Xuanyuan Zhe about every step he must take, what to do first upon arrival, what to do next, and so on. Xuanyuan Zhe’s ears were growing callouses from the repetition; his face was slowly darkening, and he couldn’t help but think, “What’s gotten into the old man? I’m eighteen already, not three. Does he really take me for a child? I really want to lose my temper! But for the sake of the good days ahead, better bear it for now.”

Tang Wei watched Xuanyuan Zhe’s disgruntled expression from the side, nearly bursting out in laughter. It was rare to see him look like that! Usually, if he was unhappy, he’d jump up and throw a tantrum; this time, he was clearly suppressing it, eager to leave as soon as possible. Still, the Xuanyuan patriarch was indeed worrying a bit too much. Tang Wei decided to rescue the hapless Zhe, nudging Zixuan to send him ahead.

Zixuan immediately caught on, smiling as he walked over. “Uncle, Zhe may be young, but he’s quite capable and knows his limits. Please rest assured!”

With someone finally coming to his rescue, Xuanyuan Zhe felt as if a weight had been lifted and hurriedly urged the family head, “Old man, I promise I’ll do my best. Just ease up a bit. If you keep nagging, Yunqian will catch wind of it, and if she insists on coming with us, will you be able to stop her?”

As if his words had summoned trouble, just as he finished speaking, a lively figure bounded over, shouting, “Where are you going? I want to go too!”

The patriarch glared fiercely at Xuanyuan Zhe, his eyes full of blame—look at your crow’s mouth, always worrying about the wrong things and bringing them to pass!

Xuanyuan Zhe put on an innocent face. “This isn’t my fault, is it? I was just speculating! Someone must have leaked it to her!”

Before he finished speaking, Xuanyuan Yunqian was already in front of them, complaining, “You’re leaving without telling me—I nearly overslept!” Her tone made her sound as if she were also part of the official party, utterly shameless.

“Yunqian, you…” The patriarch began to persuade her.

“Don’t even think about it! If my little brother can go, why can’t I? Old man, I’m telling you, if you dare leave me at home, I’ll turn this place upside down and give you a headache!” Yunqian interrupted her father, even threatening him. Her elder sister was away on business, and no one at home could keep her in check; she wasn’t afraid even if the emperor himself showed up.

“Hey! From now on, don’t call me your little brother. I’m stronger than you now. Why do you keep breaking your word?” Xuanyuan Zhe couldn’t help rebelling.

“Fine! I won’t call you that. I’ll call you Zhe from now on. If you want me to call you ‘big brother,’ forget it—not even a crack in the door for that!” Yunqian agreed without further argument, immediately changing her address. How odd—she was so agreeable today.

The patriarch watched his children bantering, neither paying him any heed. Clearly, he couldn’t control the situation, so he sighed and instructed, “Behave yourself. Don’t make trouble over there. If you dare act up, I’ll ask your big sister to come and drag you back.”

“Okay, got it!” No sooner had she spoken than she was already several yards away.

Zixuan quickly took Tang Wei’s hand, bade farewell to the patriarch, and hurried after them. Once inside the car, they saw the siblings huddled together, whispering away. With Tang Wei and Zixuan’s current cultivation, eavesdropping was a trivial matter. It turned out there hadn’t been any leak; the culprit was among them! The two exchanged carefree smiles—let her tag along if she wants.

The treatment leaving this time was worlds apart from their arrival. Last time, they’d been blocked at the foot of the mountain, forced into a noisy fight before finally entering. Now, they had a private car straight to the airport.

For Tang Wei, a country bumpkin, this was her first time on a plane, and she couldn’t help feeling excited. Fortunately, with Xuanyuan Zhe and Yunqian, both seasoned travelers, leading the way, she boarded safely without embarrassment. Once airborne, no one felt uncomfortable, likely thanks to their constitution and cultivation—after all, they would eventually be flying on swords! The only annoyance was the flight attendants, who couldn’t take their eyes off Zixuan. Every three minutes, someone came by to offer service; it was almost too professional.

Nothing noteworthy happened after landing; a private car took them straight to the B City branch office, and they stayed in a five-star luxury hotel. Tang Wei couldn’t help marveling at how the wealthy lived—their room was larger than her own apartment, and the decor was dazzling.

Xuanyuan Zhe and his companion headed off to the branch to make arrangements. Tang Wei and Zixuan didn’t want to disturb them, and though they considered going out to find someone, they decided to wait until the situation was clearer before making any moves—being unfamiliar with the area made everything more complicated.

With nothing else to do, the pair first checked the hotel room for any surveillance devices, then drew the curtains and entered their private space together. Tang Wei hadn’t been inside her space for a while and missed the chatter of Little Ling urging her to practice. She realized she must have some masochistic tendencies!

After a bit of affection with Little Ling, Tang Wei hurried into the pill refining room; she had run out of Yuan Spirit Pills. When she first made them, no one dared try them, so she’d left only a dozen as samples. Unexpectedly, these pills had become highly coveted among Earth’s cultivators. She decided to prepare a larger stock, just in case.

Zixuan immediately began cultivating upon entering. Unlike Tang Wei, who had the five spirits assisting her practice, he had to rely on his own efforts to catch up.

Tang Wei worked through more than a dozen batches, producing over a hundred pills—certainly enough for now. She packed them into several jade bottles, placed them on the shelf, and stepped out to consult Little Ling about the time. Seeing that it was still early and Xuanyuan Zhe and his companion hadn’t returned, she decided to cook a meal to reward herself.

It wasn’t until four or five in the afternoon that Xuanyuan Zhe and Yunqian returned. As soon as they came in, they shared their plans: Xuanyuan Zhe had already sent cultivators ahead to Changbai Mountain as the vanguard and intended for the four of them to join them early the next morning.

That evening, Xuanyuan Zhe took Tang Wei and Zixuan around B City to familiarize themselves with the layout—routes, stations, and so forth. He explained everything in detail, proving himself quite the competent leader.

Yet, man proposes, heaven disposes. The next morning, before they could depart, a subordinate came to report that a large number of cultivators had arrived in B City overnight. The loose cultivators were flocking in, and every major clan had dispatched many people. At this rate, the national security authorities would soon be alerted. Xuanyuan Zhe would have to find a solution quickly.