Chapter 17 - No Man's Land
Looking at the life Gu Yao was leading in the Gu family, it was clear that just after leaving, his cultivation had already advanced to the third layer of Qi Refining. Back in the Gu family, he probably wouldn’t have had a chance to advance at all.
Gu Yao curled his lips and said, “It’s just some basic medicines and low-level talismans. Are they really that concerned?”
Tian Feirong kindly explained, “With the Gu family’s low-level pills and the Lu family’s low-level talismans, their effectiveness can’t compare to yours. They’re probably unwilling to see anyone challenge their position. It’s like our Tian family—if we weren’t skilled in weapon crafting, we wouldn’t have been able to establish ourselves in Yuanyang Town.”
Otherwise, they would have been defeated long ago by the two families’ combined efforts. Only now, as the Tian family’s foundation grows stronger, do the two families start to work together to suppress them again.
Gu Yao and Chi Changye exchanged a glance. These two families weren’t ones to reason with, so they had to be on guard.
Gu Yao said, “Let’s go out for a walk. I want to make some poison potions for self-defense.”
Tian Feirong’s hand trembled, and tea spilled over from his cup.
Chi Changye nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll go with you and see if there’s anything useful.”
Their courtyard also needed protective formations, as the worst thing in a fight was to rely on the enemy’s mercy. The more defensive tools they had, the better.
Tian Feirong was thoroughly impressed. No wonder these two got along so well; at their core, they were actually quite similar.
He hadn’t expected that Gu Yao, who seemed so gentle, would speak of making poison without even blinking. Anyone who thought of Gu Yao as an easy target would be in for a surprise. As he watched the two of them head back to the house to fetch their things, Tian Feirong found himself secretly hoping that the Gu and Lu families would come to trouble Gu Yao.
When they left the Gu family, neither of them even had the cheapest storage bags. Now, however, each had one—given as a gift by the Tian family. They were conveniently used for storing spiritual herbs, and Gu Yao thought it was very convenient. It worked perfectly to cover the space in his spiritual sea where his jade plaque was stored.
Now, the spiritual field in the space had been planted with many spiritual herbs that Gu Yao considered valuable. This spiritual field in the space was exactly to his liking. In his eyes, there was no better treasure for an alchemist.
The three of them appeared together in the market again, and Tian Feirong had brought along two bodyguards. Their appearance attracted a lot of attention.
Although the discussions surrounding Gu Yao had subsided somewhat recently, whenever he and Chi Changye appeared together, they inevitably attracted attention and whispers. Besides Chi Changye’s outstanding appearance, Gu Yao himself had undergone noticeable changes.
It was as if a jade stone covered in dust had been polished, and now, he radiated a smooth and luminous glow. In the past, he had seemed weak and gloomy, but now he held his head high, and his confidence had grown significantly. Compared to his past self, he seemed like a completely different person. People couldn’t help but think that it was indeed better for him to have left the Gu family. Gu Zhiming was heartless, and Gu Yao’s mother had died saving him, yet the family had treated him so poorly. He had been fortunate to be born into the Gu family, otherwise, he might have been drowned in spit by others long ago.
Gu Yao had gotten used to being watched by others and paid no attention to the various gazes. Chi Changye’s situation wasn’t much different from Gu Yao’s, so these stares didn’t make him uncomfortable. As for Tian Feirong, he never minded the attention, the more the better.
Chi Changye had collected a lot of materials for array crafting, and although Tian Feirong’s cultivation wasn’t that impressive, he had the necessary common knowledge. Seeing this, he raised an eyebrow. It was clear that Chi Changye’s background was not simple. Even if he wasn’t another Feng Yinhua, he couldn’t be too far behind. And such a person had been sent to Gu Yao by the Gu family’s twins. Tian Feirong was really curious to see their reaction when they found out the truth.
Gu Yao didn’t collect much, but Tian Feirong had promised that the Tian family would help with the gathering.
“Up ahead is the No-Man’s Land. Do you still want to go in?” Tian Feirong pointed ahead and asked. Although three families dominated the area, there were still some other strong forces both inside and outside the town. Over the years, they had left this area as a sort of neutral zone, attracting many cultivators. However, the downside was that if disputes occurred here, no one would intervene, and even if someone died, it was considered their own fault. As a result, many cultivators preferred to pay a certain rent and set up shop within the three families’ territory, where their safety was ensured.
“Let’s go in and take a look.” Gu Yao, who had never been here before but had heard of its reputation, was very interested. “I’ve heard that some people have found treasures here.”
Tian Feirong laughed heartily: “Not bad, although this place is full of mixed characters, there’s no telling if someone might mistake a pearl for a fish’s eye and sneak it in.”
Chi Changye followed behind the two, his hands clasped behind his back.
Indeed, this place was much more chaotic than the Tian family’s market. Most vendors were running street stalls, but there were also some shops. Behind those shops, there were surely cultivators of considerable strength ensuring their protection, so no one dared to cause trouble inside.
The items at the street stalls, as Tian Feirong had said, were uneven in quality. Some people might spend a lot of silver only to bring home a pile of junk, with very few items being truly worth their value. Of course, there were also a rare few who found items that exceeded expectations.
“Young Master Tian hasn’t visited us in a while. How about coming into our shop and trying your luck?” A shop assistant at the door immediately brightened upon seeing Tian Feirong, as if spotting a fat sheep.