Chapter 339: The thousand dao city 9.

"Then we will see what happens."

Mo Yuxin nodded. They continued walking. Neither of them knew that the people pushing against Battle Maiden Sect had already noticed their friendship with its disciples. And someone had already started asking questions about the two wandering cultivators. That night, a meeting was held in one of the upper rooms of Thousand Dao City. Several powerful figures sat around a long table. The room belonged to no single sect. That was intentional. They were not discussing official matters. They were discussing the Battle Maiden Sect. One man in black robes said, "Their trade routes are becoming difficult to block." Another replied, "Then apply pressure through the merchant council." A third said, "The Purple Heaven Valley elders are still supplying them."

"Not enough to matter."

"The Nine Heavens Academy keeps accepting their students."

"That can be addressed."

Someone else asked, "What about the outsiders?" The room went quiet.

"Which outsiders?"

"The two wandering Nascent Soul cultivators. The women traveling with them."

The first man frowned.

"Are they important?"

"Unknown."

"Then ignore them."

Another voice answered quietly.

"We tried."

Silence.

"And?"

"One of them identified a forged city seal in seconds."

Several people exchanged looks. The man in black robes finally said, "Watch them. Do not provoke them." They agreed.

For now.

Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing knew nothing about the meeting. The next morning, they woke early and went looking for breakfast. They found a small stall selling sweet rice cakes. Mo Yuxin bought eight. Su Yubing looked at the bag.

"Again?"

"They looked good."

"You already bought eight yesterday."

"These are different."

"How?"

"Different shop."

Su Yubing stared at her. Then she laughed.

"Fine. Feed me."

Mo Yuxin immediately smiled. She picked up a rice cake and held it to Su Yubing’s lips. Su Yubing ate it.

"Good?"

"Very."

Mo Yuxin looked pleased. They continued eating as they walked through the eastern streets. A few blocks later, Su Yubing suddenly stopped.

"Look."

She pointed ahead. There was a small open courtyard where cultivators could trade used items. Mo Yuxin looked.

"Do you want to go?"

"Yes."

They entered. This simple market eventually became the place where they found an old book about the Southern Continent’s sect history, a damaged formation compass, and a small silver token carrying a symbol that Mo Yuxin had seen before. The symbol belonged to the Battle Maiden Sect. The token was old. Very old. Mo Yuxin turned it over in her hand. The seller said it had been found in a ruined storage building years ago. Su Yubing studied it.

"Should we buy it?"

Mo Yuxin nodded. She paid a small amount and placed it inside her sleeve. She did not know yet why she wanted to keep it. Something about it bothered her. Not because it was dangerous. Because it felt familiar. She did not tell Su Yubing. Not yet. Several more days passed. The city continued to feel larger. Mo Yuxin and Su Yubing still had not seen even half of it. They had not visited all the major market streets. They had not entered the deeper sections of the central district. They had not attended a major auction. They had not seen a single grand sect gathering. And yet they already felt that something was beginning to shift.

One evening, while walking back from dinner, they passed through the central plaza. A group of cultivators had gathered around a large notice board. A new announcement had been posted. It concerned an upcoming joint meeting between several major sects. The subject was regional resource distribution. Battle Maiden Sect was listed as one of the participants. Another notice announced that several old resource contracts would be reviewed. A third mentioned an upcoming evaluation of the city’s sect rankings. Su Yubing read the papers.

"This is going to become messy."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"Yes."

"How messy?"

"Probably very."

Su Yubing sighed.

"I thought we came here for sightseeing."

"We did."

"Then why does trouble keep following us?"

Mo Yuxin considered the question.

"Maybe you are attracting it."

Su Yubing looked offended.

"Me?"

"You are too kind to people."

"And you are too strong."

"That is also true."

Su Yubing laughed. She leaned her head on Mo Yuxin’s shoulder as they continued walking.

"At least we have each other."

Mo Yuxin squeezed her hand.

"Always."

Thousand Dao City had another habit that Mo Yuxin slowly discovered during the next few days. Nothing happened in a small way if it could happen in a large way instead. A normal marketplace occupied an entire block. A public lecture could fill a hall large enough for several thousand people. A single sect might maintain three different headquarters because one was for trade, one for disciples, and one for political meetings. Even the ordinary streets were built with cultivation in mind. Bridges carried spiritual traffic above the main roads. Drainage channels were lined with simple cleansing formations so that poison from alchemy districts would not spread. Every few streets there was a stone platform where guards could activate emergency barriers. Public wells had purification arrays. Buildings near the training districts were reinforced so that stray sword qi would not shatter their windows.

Su Yubing became especially interested in the public formations.

"This city was built by people who expected trouble."

Mo Yuxin nodded.

"A city this large has to."

"But it is not just protection. Look at that."

She pointed toward a row of silver pillars. A group of children was playing around them. Whenever a child stepped into a marked circle, a gentle barrier appeared so they could not run into the street. Mo Yuxin looked at it for a while.

"Good design."

Su Yubing smiled.

"You sound impressed."

"I am."

"Should we buy a house here?"

Mo Yuxin looked at her.

"Do you want one?"

"I am asking you."

"If you want a house here, we can buy one."

"And if I want a house in every city?"

"Then we buy one in every city."

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TO BE CONTINUED.