Chapter 119: Returning to Canglan Prefecture City (2)

Lu Yang continued along the wilderness road as the scenery of Wuyuan Province gradually unfolded before him.

Fertile fields stretched across the land, occasionally interrupted by small villages and winding rivers. Merchants traveled between towns, while farmers could be seen returning home as the sun descended towards the horizon.

Compared with the more chaotic regions of the cultivation world, this place was relatively peaceful.

Of course, peace was always a relative concept. ℴ

There were still disputes between powerful families, conflicts over resources, and cultivators who relied on their strength to bully ordinary people.

The difference was that such matters were generally handled behind closed doors rather than openly displayed on the roads.

At least, that was how things appeared in Wuyuan Province.

Lu Yang had traveled for several days, yet he had not encountered a single bandit who possessed cultivation.

He had seen ordinary merchants, traveling physicians, wandering scholars, and even a few cultivators who were clearly heading towards nearby cities.

However, none of them had the slightest intention of robbing passing travelers.

Lu Yang found this somewhat disappointing.

His funds were running low.

After giving Zheng Hui one hundred and fifty taels of silver, the amount of money in his possession was considerably less than before.

Although he had not invested every last coin, he could hardly be considered wealthy anymore.

Under normal circumstances, this would not have been a particularly troublesome matter.

After all, he was the grandson of Lu Hai, one of the four Prison Wardens of the Imperial Prison. His father was a Prefectural Judge, and his stepmother came from a prominent family in the Imperial Capital.

Even if he wanted money, he could just write a letter home.

However, Lu Yang did not wish to rely on his family for every little expense.

Besides, he had deliberately chosen to travel alone.

If he constantly returned home to ask for money, what would be the point of leaving in the first place?

He preferred to solve his own problems whenever possible.

And there was a particularly convenient solution available to cultivators: robbing other cultivators.

Of course, he would not indiscriminately attack innocent people, but if he encountered a few cultivator bandits who made their living robbing ordinary travelers, he would have no objection to relieving them of their accumulated wealth.

It would be a perfectly reasonable exchange. They would lose the money they had obtained through robbery, while he would gain the funds necessary to continue his journey.

Everyone would be happy.

Lu Yang shook his head with a sigh.

Unfortunately, Wuyuan Province was prosperous enough that cultivator bandits rarely dared to operate openly along the main and even side roads.

The local authorities maintained a considerable degree of control, and the larger cultivation factions were not particularly tolerant of outsiders causing trouble within their spheres of influence.

Even bandits needed to understand their circumstances.

A small group of Body Tempering cultivators could intimidate ordinary merchants in a remote region, but doing the same in Wuyuan Province could easily attract the attention of a powerful family or a local cultivation faction.

And if they were unlucky enough to provoke someone they could not afford to offend, their lives might end rather abruptly.

This was the case in his past life, and it seemed to be the same in his present life.

Lu Yang understood their predicament. Unfortunately, he still wished for them to appear; even two or three groups would be more than enough.

He could obtain some silver, test his recently advanced cultivation, and perhaps acquire a few martial techniques from their collections.

If they happened to possess something interesting, that would be even better.

It would be a shame to waste such an opportunity.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yang eventually abandoned the idea.

...

Another day and night passed.

The wilderness gradually gave way to cultivated land, and the number of travelers on the road increased.

Before long, a distant city appeared on the horizon.

Its walls stretched across the landscape, while the rooftops of countless buildings could be seen rising behind them.

Canglan Prefecture City.

Lu Yang slowed his pace.

He had finally arrived.

Although still not comparable to the Imperial Capital, the city was much larger and more majestic than the county town he had visited earlier.

Its population was greater, its streets more prosperous, and the number of cultivators passing through its gates was naturally much higher.

Merchants from different regions gathered here to trade goods, while officials, scholars, and members of prominent families traveled between the various government offices and residences.

Lu Yang felt a sense of déjà vu looking at the city gates.

His entire third life was spent in this place, and he still remembered almost every detail intimately. 𝖋𝙧ⅇ

He remembered the streets, the shops, the residences of powerful families, and even the locations of several inconspicuous alleys that most people would never bother to notice.

He remembered the city as it had been during his third life and the people who had walked its streets, many of whom had long since disappeared into the passage of time.

He also remembered how much of it had been destroyed in the last battle of his past life.

That final battle had taken place in Canglan Prefecture City.

Four Essence Gathering cultivators had invaded, bringing with them an army of Spirit Awakening and Body Tempering cultivators, a calamity that ordinary people could barely imagine.

At the time, Lu Yang had already lost his wife and daughter, and there was very little left for him to hesitate over.

He burned his essence and blood, drawing upon a forbidden technique to unleash power far beyond his ordinary limits. His sword had illuminated the heavens, and the resulting battle devastated a substantial portion of the city.

For a moment, Lu Yang’s was lost in his memories.

He could still recall the overwhelming pressure of those four cultivators, the sensation of his life rapidly slipping away, and the final thoughts that had crossed his mind before everything went dark.

Lu Yang raised his hand and removed the wooden mask covering his face.

He had worn it throughout his journey across Luoyun Prefecture, concealing his identity while dealing with Zheng Hui, the Great River Escort Agency, and the Liang Family.

But now, there was no need to continue wearing it here.

He placed the mask inside his belongings and adjusted his clothes.

The young man who now stood before the city gates looked very ordinary.

His appearance was clean and composed, without anything particularly striking about it. His cultivation aura was also concealed, appearing to be only at the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

As Lu Yang approached the city gates, he glanced at the familiar walls one final time.

The city had changed little compared to his memories, though the people living within it were much different from back then.

The past had already happened, and there was no way to change it.

Passing through the city gates, Lu Yang entered Canglan Prefecture City.

The sounds of merchants calling out their wares, carts rolling over the stone roads, and pedestrians conversing filled his ears.

A familiar smell drifted from a nearby restaurant.

Lu Yang glanced at it briefly before continuing forward.

He had not eaten properly for most of the day, perhaps he should find something to eat first.