Chapter Nine: First Arrival in Qingzhou

Can I command others

At the three-way intersection beneath his feet, one path leads south to the Kingdom of Baiyue, while another heads northwest to the southern stronghold of Fast, Qingzhou. Now, which way should he go? Although the southern Kingdom of Baiyue allows him to distance himself from Suo'en, it has been expelling Fast people for the past two years. If he goes there now, he will certainly not find anything good, so he ultimately chooses Qingzhou. Qingzhou is so vast that he, Yun Feiyang, is merely a grain of sand in the ocean; finding him will undoubtedly not be easy.

Yun Feiyang spent his last silver coin at a bathhouse, giving himself a thorough grooming before stepping out, feeling refreshed and invigorated. Now, his four pockets were equally heavy, completely devoid of any money. However, Yun Feiyang remained unfazed, not wearing a frown but instead continuing to stroll leisurely down the street. After all, where there is a will, there is a way.

Yun Feiyang stood up and said, "This is more like it." Then he patted his backside and was about to leave

Yun Feiyang now looked somewhat disheveled. Fearing that Thorn's men might catch up to him, he had been focused solely on the journey. By the time he reached the outskirts of Qingzhou City, he was covered in dust, hardly better off than a beggar. He reached into his pocket and felt around; due to his hurried escape, he had only a few silver coins left. Surprisingly, the tattered piece of black robe was still in his possession. Yun Feiyang couldn't help but mock himself, saying, "It seems I am destined to be a person of misfortune; I didn't bring any extra money, yet this thing ended up with me." He reached into his pocket again, and due to his hurried escape, he had only a few silver coins left. Surprisingly, the tattered piece of black robe was still in his possession. Yun Feiyang couldn't help but mock himself, saying, "It seems I am destined to be a person of misfortune; I didn't bring any extra money, yet this thing ended up with me."

Yun Feiyang entered the city, curiously observing everything along the way. The streets were bustling with crowds, with numerous small vendors and shoppers, creating a lively atmosphere. This was far beyond what a small place like Qixia Town could compare to. After enough of the sights, Yun Feiyang felt his stomach rumbling. He reached into his pocket, where there were only a few silver coins, and with a determined heart, he found a restaurant and quickly devoured two large bowls of beef noodles. To hell with it, today there is wine, so let’s drink today; I’ll worry about being full later. Although the gold hairpin given by Madam San was valuable, he would not exchange it unless absolutely necessary. After all, it was a gift from that lady, and Yun Feiyang still valued the sentiment.

Kevin beside him still wore an expression of disbelief. Ever since he became a magician, he had never experienced such humiliation. He opened his mouth to speak, but Gillette beside him suddenly changed his expression and quickly grabbed Kevin. He opened his palm, and the stone that had just been hard was now nothing but a pile of powder. It was not difficult to crush the large blue stone, and a martial artist of the human level could also turn the stone into powder using martial energy. However, not only did he reduce the stone to powder, but he also maintained a hard outer shell while the interior slowly turned to powder, something even his grandfather, Jiguang, could not achieve. The martial arts of the man in black before them were simply unfathomable.

At this thought, Yun Feiyang felt a sense of ease. During his time in Qixia Town, he was merely a pawnshop assistant of low status, forced to wear a smile all day long, which was completely contrary to his true nature. He vowed that he would become a true Yun Feiyang in the future. At this thought, a surge of ambition arose within him: "One day, I will surpass Suo En, and when that time comes, that Third Madam... heh heh." Yun Feiyang's smile took on a somewhat lascivious tone.

Gillette watched as the stone flew towards him and quickly gathered his energy to reach out and grab it. From the black-clad man's earlier action of shattering the stone, he could tell that this person's skill had already surpassed his own. He prided himself on being able to shatter stones as well, but he could not do it as effortlessly as that black-clad man.

The old man, seeing that Yun Feiyang had taken an interest, feigned mystery and said in a low voice: "You will one day be the king of this continent of wind, moon, and land"

Yun Feiyang ran until he could no longer move, finally collapsing beneath a large tree, gasping for breath. At that moment, he realized that there were no longer any footsteps pursuing him from behind. He himself did not know how he had escaped the chase. Although he found it somewhat strange, he did not dwell on it; after all, it was a good thing that no one was chasing him.

Yun Feiyang also became interested and said, "What is so good about being a king? Will it bring wealth?"

The man in black seemed to have discerned Gillette's thoughts. He casually placed a palm-sized piece of large bluestone on the base of the statue, then with a flick of his hand, the stone flew in front of Gillette. He said, "Go back and tell that Thorn that today's matter ends here."

Yun Feiyang said with a mischievous smile: "Do you have a beauty?"

Without caring whether Yun Feiyang agreed or not, he pulled him to a bench by the street and sat down. The old fortune teller said: "Young brother, I have been reading fortunes for most of my life, and I have never seen someone with such a good face. Your future achievements are boundless."

Two days later, the majestic city walls of Qingzhou appeared before Yun Feiyang. Qingzhou is a southern stronghold of the Fast Empire, located not far from the border between the two countries. In between lies a section of the Lianyun Mountain Range, characterized by steep terrain and a natural pass known as Heifeng Pass, which is an excellent strategic position that can be defended by a single man against thousands.

The city of Qingzhou serves as a trade center for both the north and the south, making it quite bustling. When Yun Feiyang approached a small alley, someone suddenly grabbed his hand. Startled, Yun Feiyang feared that the people from Suo En had found him. However, when he turned around, he saw that it was an old fortune teller who had caught hold of him, and only then did he feel a sense of relief.

Yun Feiyang knew that this area was still not safe, so after a brief rest, he immediately stood up and ran wildly, only collapsing on the ground in exhaustion to sleep for half an hour when the sky began to brighten.

Under heaven, all lands belong to the king; on the shores of the earth, all subjects belong to the king

Yun Feiyang said mysteriously: "Old man, I think your calculations are inaccurate"

No matter how refined the demeanor of the Gillette family, upon hearing the arrogant response from the man in black, his expression changed. The Ji family of Qingzhou is the foremost family in Qingzhou City, and the clan leader, Ji Guang, is the top expert in Qingzhou, now a martial artist of the Earth level. Even the city guard of Qingzhou shows great respect when meeting his grandfather. He raised the banner of his family, hoping to intimidate this ignorant man in black into retreating. However, he did not expect the other party to be so arrogant. He raised the banner of his family, hoping to intimidate this ignorant man in black into retreating. However, he did not expect the other party to be so arrogant.

The Kingdom of Baiyue and the Empire of Fast have previously engaged in a minor war over the control of several small principalities within the Lianyun Mountain Range. Consequently, the Empire of Fast stationed a secondary legion, the Southern Legion, in this area. Although the Southern Legion does not possess the formidable strength of the renowned primary legions such as the Phoenix Legion, the Sirius Legion, or the Falcon Legion, it is still a fully manned legion with a strength of thirty thousand troops, and it benefits from natural fortifications like the Black Wind Pass, making it quite stable.

Where did I miscalculate? The old man felt somewhat insulted

The pressing urgency now is to consider what to do next. The previous days are no longer possible; it is best to stay as far away from Qixia Town as possible. If that Suo En finds me, I will be left with no choice but to meet a dead end with Tu Shu. I must confront a life that is different from what I have known before.

He stood up and surveyed his surroundings. He was now on a small hillside, with a wide road branching out below him. He had been here before; it was at least several dozen miles from Qixia Town. In the pitch darkness, he had somehow covered such a distance overnight, and he himself was unaware of how his stamina had improved so significantly.

The old man at Jiangnan stood up and said, "Young brother, it seems you have forgotten..." The old man's words were not fully spoken, but the meaning was already quite clear; Yun Feiyang had not yet paid the fortune-telling fee

The man in black did not even glance at the two departing individuals. He turned to look in the direction where Yun Feiyang had vanished and sighed, "Feiyang, oh Feiyang, the eighteen years are almost up. From now on, it will depend on your own fortune. I hope you will not let us down." Then, with a leap, he disappeared into the darkness.

Gillette uttered a single word: "Go," and then quickly pulled Kevin to run back, not daring to pause for even a second

His palm, filled with martial energy, accurately caught the flying stone. To his surprise, the stone came at a high speed, yet it felt soft and lacked any force upon impact. Clearly, this person had mastered the control of martial energy with great finesse. He squeezed the stone in his hand, and it remained hard, showing no signs of change.

By the time Yun Feiyang returned to the street, he had already run several blocks away

When Yun Feiyang woke up, it was already bright outside. His mind quickly became clear, and the events of the previous day felt like a dream. Just the day before, he had been enjoying the gentle land, but the next day he had turned into a stray dog, pursued to the point of vomiting blood. The peaceful and tranquil days in Qixia Town were gone forever, and his dream of becoming a head cabinet was shattered like a picture book. This was something he found difficult to accept for a moment.

This day belongs to you; do you have any money

The galloping cloud was completely unaware of everything happening behind him; his only thought was to run as far as possible. As he ran, he cursed, "You damn turtle, even if I put a green hat on you, there’s no need to hire a magician to deal with me. You should know that hiring a magician is quite expensive. If I had known you were so ruthless, I would have done it a few more times to make your hat a deeper shade, you bastard turtle."

Yun Feiyang is also someone who has been around the streets, so he is quite familiar with such tricks. He feigned interest and said, "Oh, really? What kind of achievements can I expect?"

He was just about to lose his temper when the old man spoke first: "This young brother, you have a dignified appearance and an extraordinary demeanor." After touching Yun Feiyang's palm, he continued, "Moreover, your bones are exceptional; you are indeed an extraordinary person. Today, I will read your fortune."

He couldn't help but want to take action, but judging by the tone of the man in black, it seemed as though he didn't even regard his own grandfather. Could it be that the person before him also had a significant background? For a moment, he felt a bit hesitant

The old man said with a smile, "Whatever you want, you shall have."

Yun Feiyang said, "No matter how many calculations you make, how could you not have anticipated that I would be out of money today?" After saying this, he swiftly darted into the alley, running at great speed. The old man shouted, "Hey, hey, you haven't paid yet."

He thought of Lady San and couldn't help but feel a bit worried about her. However, recalling that day when she was caught naked in another man's room by her husband, and that she had shouted even louder than Soen, he knew she would not come to any harm. It was only when he thought of this that he felt a slight sense of relief.