Chapter 285: Don’t Go Into Dark Alleys With Strangers

Green Curtain City, Bullhorn Mountain Range.

Looking at the ancient archway at the entrance of the city, an inexplicable question rose in his heart.

That day, when he had first discovered himself in this world, he had been outside this city, lost in the woods. He had run around haplessly, utterly terrified after finding himself in an unfamiliar body and an unfamiliar environment.

Fortunately, he had heard the sound of hooves, of horses drawing a carriage through the woods, following a rarely used road not far from his position. Chasing after the noise, he had finally reached the outskirts of the city.

What a stroke of fortune it was that he had run into Senior Ming Zi there! That old man had probably saved his life, guiding him to the recruitment ceremony of the Crimson Snow Sect with such kindness...

If he ever met that man in the future, he’d surely repay this favor.

But setting that matter aside, why was the original owner of this body in the woods? All alone, too!

In his memories, there was no answer to this mystery, no matter how much he tried to recall.

Sighing in frustration, Han Xuhan shook off his daze and accompanied his senior brothers and sisters, riding into the city unceremoniously. There, they booked some rooms in a small inn. The sun would set soon, and they were tired from the long journey.

But Han Xuhan couldn’t retire to his bed as easily as they did. He was anxious to get things done, things that would pacify his other soul and bring him a step closer towards the Mystic Path’s foundation.

Looking outside, he noticed that the city was still rather lively after the sun had set. The big streets were well lit with torches, both ordinary and Mystical ones. Areas around large mansions and big shops were especially bright, bustling with moving crowds.

He reckoned he still had a good couple of hours before the streets fell dark. That was more than enough time to check out the orphanage.

The orphanage was an old building at a distant corner of the city. Hoping to renew his memories of this place, Han Xuhan decided to walk rather than take a carriage, even though he could now afford one without batting an eyelid, something that he would’ve considered to be a novelty just months ago.

His eyes took in a lot more details that he hadn’t really thought about in the past when he had traveled with Ming Zi through the city.

The civilization here was... more advanced than he had originally presumed. The style of the roads and buildings suggested that many industries were slowly starting to take off on a grand scale.

Maybe it wouldn’t be long before the familiar sight of smokey skies and a dozen-floored concrete buildings showed up, just like the black and white photos of the 19th century he had seen on Earth.

But it was also blatantly obvious that the passage of scientific advancement here wasn’t exactly natural. Occasionally, there would be odd elements that were definitely not supposed to be present in this era; for example, the eerily familiar sewage system running beneath the streets, or the advertisement boards on top of simple shops bragging about their branding...

’How many fellow transmigrators have messed around in this world before me?’ Han Xuhan couldn’t help wondering.

"Young man, you look quite familiar. Have we met before?"

The distant voice jerked Han Xuhan back to the present. At the moment, he was walking alone, and the narrow street he was on did not have many people. The call sounded rather pointed.

Wary, he turned around and scanned the approaching speaker carefully.

It was an ordinary looking middle aged man, wearing clothes that could be called...worn, but certainly not cheap. There was a subtle air of nobility about him, be it his grooming or gait.

For some reason, Han Xuhan felt that the look in that man’s eyes wasn’t quite right. Something felt off in his gaze.

The man didn’t stop in front of him. Instead, he patted Han Xuhan on the shoulders as he passed by, gesturing at him to continue walking alongside.

Try as he might, Han Xuhan couldn’t recognize this person. Even from up close, nothing rang a bell. His clothes and accent didn’t quite fit in with the townsfolk here either. Was he perhaps a foreigner here?

In that case, the chances that the original owner of his body would know this man were quite slim.

"No, I don’t think we’ve met before," he responded. "You got the wrong person, senior."

But that didn’t dim the unusual look in the man’s eyes at all. He practically pushed Han Xuhan into walking along with him, muttering in a low voice.

"Oh, no, no. You definitely look familiar, a bit too familiar, I’d say. Just fires up some strange instincts in me, your face does. Where have I seen you...? Why can’t I recall..."

"My face fires up instincts in you?" Han Xuhan asked, feeling awkward. "Senior, the brothel’s that way. They might be able to cure your fiery ’instincts’. I’m not even as handsome as their guards."

The man didn’t care for the crass insult. He slapped the back of his own head frustratedly, saying, "That’s not the kind of instinct I’m feeling, young man. A romp in a brothel won’t cure this. Just wait for me to clear my head a little, ahhh..."

Han Xuhan didn’t know where this man intended to drag him to. The area ahead was somewhat deserted, and accompanying a stranger into one of those shadowed alleyways hardly seemed smart.

At first, he slowly prepared to turn and run away, but then he remembered that he was a cultivator now. Why did he have to be afraid of a random mortal man?

At least, from the lack of any spiritual aura on this man’s body, and the ordinary strength behind his pushing and pulling, Han Xuhan was almost certain that this man wasn’t a cultivator.

But on second thought, there was always an element of doubt in such situations. What if this man were an expert, good at hiding his cultivation? Better to be safe than sorry.

"I can’t recall ever meeting you, senior. You can’t remember whether we’ve met either. So why not accept it as it is and go on your way?"

Trying to reason with him, he pushed off the man’s palm from his shoulder and broke into a sprint, but a claw-like hand landed on his shoulder immediately.

And this time, the grip felt stronger... a lot stronger. His legs simply couldn’t propel him an inch forward!

Han Xuhan’s heart turned cold.

Sure enough, with his dog luck, he had run into an expert hiding his cultivation. And even more importantly, this guy didn’t quite seem reasonable...