The ancient-style side room felt thick with dust motes, and Shi Yan, looking somewhat stunned, stared blankly out the window for a good while before slowly closing the latch.
Returning to his seat, Shi Yan seemed listless, making no further move toward the girl nestled in his arms, focusing solely on downing his wine.
“Young Master Yan, was that the Beiming family’s entourage just now?” Karl, a Shi family martial artist in the room, casually inquired.
“Mhm,” Shi Yan replied, continuing to drink in silence.
Han Zhong stood by the window, frowning as he watched Shi Yan, his gaze strangely fixed. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Brother Yan, the woman on the warhorse just now… do you know her?”
Shi Yan nodded, draining the cup in one gulp. “Yes, I certainly do. I traveled out of the Gloom Forest with her as companions. You know how rampant the demonic beasts were during that stretch; one person’s strength is limited, so I had no choice but to find company.”
Han Zhong was an experienced man. Seeing Shi Yan’s lack of enthusiasm, his eyes darted around, and he correctly guessed there was some history between him and Di Yalan.
He moved closer, waved a hand toward the women attending them, and said, “You girls, stand down for a bit; we need to discuss something.”
The few enchanting young women were perceptive and rose with smiling deference, quickly slipping out of the side room.
Once only the Shi family martial artists remained, Han Zhong spoke, “Brother Yan, I don’t know that woman’s background, but it looks like Beiming Ce has taken an interest in her. If she willingly chooses to ally herself with Beiming Ce, don’t dwell on it.”
“Exactly, there are so many women in the world; there’s no need to make an enemy of Beiming Ce over one girl. The Beiming family is the most overbearing clan in our Merchant Alliance—their power is simply too immense. And that young Beiming Ce is the apple of Beiming Shang’s eye; provoking him would be reckless,” Karl also advised sincerely.
Karl was the minor leader among this group of martial artists, possessing the cultivation of the Second Heaven of the Innate Realm. Because Shi Yan had earned his goodwill, Karl offered this candid counsel.
“Old Han, what’s the background of those two old men?” Instead of answering, Shi Yan looked toward Han Zhong.
“Yin Kui and Jiu Shan are martial brothers, both at the First Heaven of the Nirvana Realm. No one knows where they hail from. They used to serve the Beiming family head, Beiming Shang. After Beiming Ce was born, because he possessed two Martial Souls and his cultivation realm advanced frighteningly fast, Beiming Shang feared some mishap might befall Beiming Ce during his growth, so he assigned Yin Kui and Jiu Shan to protect him.”
First Heaven of the Nirvana Realm! Shi Yan felt a chill run down his spine.
The Shi family head, Shi Jian, was only at the Third Heaven of the Nirvana Realm.
In the vast Merchant Alliance, with millions of inhabitants and countless martial artists, those who truly managed to break into the Nirvana Realm were exceedingly rare—they could be counted on two hands.
Two experts in the Nirvana Realm dedicated solely to protecting Beiming Ce, never leaving his side, meant that Beiming Ce was truly favored.
“Within our Merchant Alliance, the Beiming family’s strength surpasses that of any two other great clans combined. The Beiming family's retainers are filled with masters, and their younger disciples continually emerge as formidable talents. Furthermore, Beiming Shang himself is a Celestial Stage expert. Provoking the Beiming family will bring nothing good.”
Seeing Shi Yan remain silent, Han Zhong, fearing Shi Yan might act rashly, reiterated the Beiming family’s might.
“Mhm, I understand,” Shi Yan said after a long silence, nodding. His expression returned to normal, and he smiled. “Don’t worry, Old Han, I know what I’m doing. I understand what actions are permissible and when temporary forbearance is necessary.”
“Good, as long as you understand,” Han Zhong sighed in relief. “Shall I have the young ladies outside come back in?”
“No, I’m not in the mood. Let’s just drink,” Shi Yan replied.
“Right, drinking it is! Come on, come on!”
...
The Merchant Alliance was unique—a peculiar state governed jointly by noble families, martial artists, mercenaries, merchants, and various civilian organizations.
It lacked a formal army, official posts, or any established bureaucratic structure.
The Alliance was home to numerous great families, hundreds of mercenary groups both large and small, tens of thousands of merchants, martial artists drifting from place to place, and commoners weary of perpetual conflict...
The Alliance never involved itself in the wars between the Blazing Fire Empire and the Divine Grace Empire, enjoying a much greater peace than those two nations.
However, should any external nation attempt to sow chaos within the Alliance, all factions would unite to repel the threat.
In the history of the Alliance, both the Blazing Fire Empire and the Divine Grace Empire had coveted its wealth and sent troops to invade, but without exception, they were utterly crushed by the combined forces of the Alliance’s great families and hundreds of mercenary groups!
This peculiar nation, normally scattered and seemingly ungoverned, instantly coalesced into a single unit when faced with a common enemy.
Here, because of the presence of many powerful noble houses, hundreds of formidable mercenary bands, and wealthy merchants, the unified strength they could muster was terrifying—so much so that even the Divine Grace Empire and the Blazing Fire Empire could only submit.
If the Alliance didn’t reserve this united might only for foreign threats, the combined power of all these forces would be sufficient to shatter either the Blazing Fire Empire or the Divine Grace Empire!
The Merchant Alliance occupied a unique geographical position: the Gloom Forest to the south, the Dead Silence Swamp to the north, the Cloud Mist Mountains with their undulating peaks to the west, and the boundless Endless Sea to the east.
Whether it was the Dead Silence Swamp, the Cloud Mist Mountains, or the islands of the Endless Sea, all were reservoirs of rich resources: various ores, spirit medicines, metals, and more. As a nation centered on trade, the Alliance was perfectly situated to benefit from all sides.
Alongside the wealth hidden within the Dead Silence Swamp, the Cloud Mist Mountains, and the Endless Sea came terrifying perils: miasma, demonic beasts, poisonous fogs, vicious indigenous tribes, and rare, calamitous natural disasters...
Because of these dangers, adventuring in those regions demanded immense martial prowess, ensuring that the Merchant Alliance never lacked for mercenary groups and martial artists of every kind.
The Merchant Alliance had nineteen cities, but the largest and most principal was Skyfall City.
Skyfall City sat at the Alliance’s center, surrounded by eighteen smaller cities. The footprint of Skyfall City alone was nearly the combined size of the eight nearby cities, and its population dwarfed theirs by multiples.
Thus, Skyfall City was considered the heart of the Merchant Alliance, and all the great families used it as their primary base of operations.
The Shi family was no exception. Although they held properties and residences in all major Alliance cities, the true foundation of the Shi family lay in Skyfall City.
The Shi family compound was located in the northern part of Skyfall City, spanning nearly a hundred acres and comprising thousands of structures, where rockeries, courtyards, artificial lakes, and small streams were ubiquitous. The direct lineage of the Shi family resided in the quiet rear courtyard, centered around a man-made lake, flanked on all sides by elegant pavilions. Behind these pavilions lay training grounds, gravity chambers, and halls for austere practice...
The Shi family’s direct lineage was small, but with collateral members and retainers, the count reached a hundred, plus maids and guards, meaning nearly a thousand people resided within the compound daily.
Every morning, without fail, whether direct lineage members, retainers, or martial artists, everyone would train rigorously in the various practice halls.
On this particular day, just as the roosters began to crow and the sky was only beginning to lighten, many martial artists were already stretching and preparing, honing themselves in the various austerity training grounds.
Shi Jian also stepped out of the Bedrock Hall, called out below Yang Hai’s pavilion, and then headed toward the Shi family’s main gate alongside him.
Along the way, martial artists bowed in greeting, to which Shi Jian only offered a distant nod, his pace never slowing for anyone.
Not long after Shi Jian and Yang Hai arrived at the main gate, Han Feng silently appeared behind them, standing motionless next to Shi Jian, squinting towards the long corridor beyond the gate.
“According to Han Zhong’s intelligence, they should have arrived last night. Since they didn’t show up last night, they must be coming back today,” Shi Jian grumbled, knitting his brows. “I waited until the early hours last night just to confirm if that brat had truly reached the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm, but the little scamp never showed up...”
“Perhaps they were delayed by something on the road.” Yang Hai secretly cursed Shi Yan for his lack of etiquette, but verbally offered an explanation nonetheless.
“Madman, do you think Han Zhong’s information… could possibly be wrong?”
Shi Jian turned around, looking at Han Feng with a hint of doubt. “It’s certainly plausible for a Martial Soul to awaken in youth; I don’t doubt that part. However… that boy never practiced martial arts before the age of seventeen. To suddenly jump to the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm seems too utterly unbelievable. I’ve agonized over it for several nights and still can’t figure it out. What do you think?”
Han Feng twitched the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowed. “While Han Zhong likes to mess around, he has a sense of proportion in important matters. I don’t think he’d dare lie about this. Although… I also can’t grasp exactly what happened, if he said it, it’s likely true.”
“Mhm, I hope he’s right. That boy has disappointed me for seventeen years; I truly hope he won’t disappoint me this time.”
Many Shi family martial artists, having finished their morning training and meals, heard that the family head was waiting at the main gate and curiously gathered around, murmuring amongst themselves in low discussion.
They didn't know who was expected, but they conjectured it must be an important figure from the Beiming or Zuo families, otherwise Shi Jian wouldn't be there to greet them.
However, after waiting a long time with no sign of anyone, the Shi family martial artists began to grow impatient, inwardly cursing the expected guest for being too arrogant, forcing the family head to wait endlessly.
As the sun climbed higher and the expected arrival still hadn't materialized, Shi Jian grew concerned. He asked Yang Hai beside him, “It’s taking so long; has something happened?”
Yang Hai shook his head with a wry smile, indicating he didn't know, though he sighed inwardly.
In the past, although Shi Jian occasionally mentioned Shi Yan, he never displayed excessive concern; he merely asked after him casually.
Even when Shi Yan went missing in the Gloom Forest, Yang Hai had to remind him for him to even recall the matter.
But now, upon hearing that Shi Yan had reached the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm, not only had Shi Jian been inquiring about Shi Yan daily, but today he had come out impatiently early to wait...
The massive shift in Shi Jian’s attitude left Yang Hai momentarily unable to adapt.
Much later, as the sun reached its zenith, nearing noon, the massive form of the Earth Dragon finally appeared slowly in the long corridor.
Before the Earth Dragon walked two figures, chatting and laughing, unhurried and relaxed—it was none other than Shi Yan and Han Zhong.
...
:Asking for recommendation tickets, asking for member clicks, haven't asked in a while, everyone remember, okay? .M