Chapter 116: Friends

The old man seemed to recall something unpleasant and quickly waved them off, ignoring them further.

The group from Yongning County was surprised to be allowed through so easily, and it seemed related to Lu An.

They couldn't help but speculate about Lu An's background and why he was so well-regarded in the capital of Da Qi.

However, it was naturally a good thing to enter the city early. No one wanted to spend a night outside the city.

Once inside Wu'an City, without the giant city walls blocking their view, they finally saw the interior.

The city was quite different from what they had imagined. They saw many cultivators flying in the air, and some high-level cultivators were fighting fiercely.

There were also many civilians watching, applauding, and even the guards were watching intently, not intervening.

The group was puzzled. With such disorder, how could this city be worse than Wanren City?

Ji Xidong noticed their thoughts and explained, "Wu'an City is under the influence of the Wu'an family, and the martial spirit is strong here. Fighting and flying are not prohibited. As long as you can bear the cost, you can do whatever you want."

Lu An looked at him in surprise and asked slowly, "What do you mean by bearing the cost?"

"Of course, if you damage something, you have to compensate for it. Every blade of grass, every brick, and every tile in the city has a clear value."

"If you cause damage through fighting, just pay for the loss, and the government won't pursue it further."

The others listened with interest, and someone asked, "What if someone gets hurt?"

Ji Xidong smiled slightly, but a cold light flashed in his eyes. "Participants in fights risk life and death. If innocent bystanders are hurt, compensation is based on the severity of the injury."

"If an innocent person dies, you only need to pay with your life."

The group shuddered, realizing how casually death was mentioned.

"Do even high-level cultivators have to pay with their lives if they harm civilians?"

"Of course. The emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. This is a rule set by the Prime Minister."

Everyone understood now why the scenes in Wu'an City felt so out of place.

High-level cultivators fought, and civilians not only watched up close but even dared to get near.

Lu An was curious about the Prime Minister who had set such rules, including the emperor in the regulations. He seemed to be quite an unusual person.

It seemed that the three pillars of Da Qi were the Situ Prime Minister in charge internally, General Zhuang handling external matters, and only the National Master appeared to be idle.

Moreover, judging by the reaction of the Nascent Soul old man at the city gate, it wasn't just the National Master but also Master Lao Qiaohua who had a less favorable reputation.

What had his own faction done to be so despised?

With this thought, Lu An shook his head.

Ji Xidong took the group to the arranged inn and then turned to Lu An.

"Junior Brother, you should rest well. Tomorrow, I'll introduce you to a few friends and show you around Wu'an City."

He then prepared to leave, but Lu An called him back.

"Senior Brother, I want to ask you something. Please don't deceive me."

Ji Xidong was slightly taken aback but responded, "Ask away."

"Did you inform Master's wife and Master Uncle of my whereabouts?"

Ji Xidong scratched his head, showing an awkward expression.

"Junior Brother, don't blame me for this. When I returned, I went to greet Auntie."

"Auntie behaved unusually and even took out her treasured immortal wine to entertain me. I usually only had a few drinks with Master, so I got carried away with a few more cups. Afterwards, I accidentally got questioned by her."

"Thinking back, Auntie might have used some method to sense Master's aura on me, which is why she got me drunk to pry information."

He looked embarrassed as he slowly explained the situation. After a pause, he added, "However, I cleared the aura on me afterward, so Master definitely doesn't know about this."

Lu An couldn't help but smile wryly, not expecting it to be like this. But since the incident had already occurred, dwelling on it was pointless.

After bidding farewell to Ji Xidong, Lu An went back to his room alone.

After Ye Xiaoqian arrived at the inn, she left, probably to visit the contact point of the Lingxiao Pavilion and discuss future matters.

With only Lu An in the guest room, he wasn't bored and immediately sat down to cultivate.

The next day, Ji Xidong arrived early at the inn and woke Lu An up.

They chatted as they walked and soon arrived at a restaurant called "Drunken Immortal Pavilion."

Seeing this name, Lu An's heart stirred slightly. The "Drunken Immortal Wine" he often drank shared the same name; could it have originated here?

Ji Xidong didn't know Lu An's thoughts and began to introduce, "Junior Brother, this restaurant is one of the three major restaurants in Wu'an City. It is most famous for its self-brewed spiritual wine, Drunken Immortal Wine."

"You must try it. I guarantee you'll find it unforgettable."

Lu An's brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes. "Drunken Immortal Wine? My ancient county also sells it, but it seems to be ordinary wine."

Ji Xidong wasn't surprised and proudly explained, "Naturally. The ordinary Drunken Immortal Wine is sold widely throughout Da Qi and is highly praised."

"However, if you want to taste the spiritual wine Drunken Immortal Wine, there's only this place."

Saying this, he took Lu An's hand and directly walked into the restaurant.

"Ah, Young Master Ji has arrived. This way, please."

The landlady's eyes lit up when she saw Ji Xidong.

Lu An understood that Ji Xidong was a regular here.

Guided by the landlady, they arrived at a private room on the second floor.

Three young cultivators were already seated in the private room—two in the late Foundation Establishment stage and one in the early Core Formation stage.

Among them, Lu An recognized the Core Formation cultivator as Situ Shang, whom he had met at the teleportation array.

"Senior Brother Ji, why did you come so late? You need to be punished with three cups of wine."

"Junior Brother Lu is here too. Sit down, sit down."

Although Situ Shang was at a higher cultivation level, he was about the same age as the others, having merely stepped into the Core Formation stage earlier.

Moreover, they had a good relationship and often drank together, so they interacted as peers.

Ji Xidong shook his head and complained, "Brother Situ, you want me to drink three cups, but you let my junior brother sit down right away. How unfair."

He then introduced Lu An to the others, "Let me introduce you all. This is my junior brother, Lu An."

The other two exchanged glances, puzzled. When did the National Master have a new disciple? They had never heard of him before.

However, despite their curiosity, they didn't ask further and instead each greeted Lu An.

"I'm Zhuang Shitong. Nice to meet you, Junior Brother Lu."

"Gui Jing. Greetings, Daoist Lu."

Lu An's mind stirred. The surnames Zhuang and Gui were both notable in Qi Country.

The Zhuang surname was, of course, the family of the current Tawei (Grand Commandant).

Could Zhuang Shitong be a member of the Zhuang family? How coincidental that he had just killed a Zhuang family disciple.

But he naturally wouldn't mention it to avoid unnecessary trouble.

The Gui surname was even more famous, as the current emperor of Da Qi bore this surname.

This young man calling himself Gui Jing must be a prince of the current emperor?