Chapter 403: Qingyun City

From his current position, Cao Yun could not see any city yet. However, he was able to see a small outpost with only one building. There were clearly other structures hidden around him. In fact, Cao Yun perceived some killing intent. It had been very well hidden but he was just too perceptive for him to miss it. Those killing intents came from early to middle Mortal Warriors. They had to be at least six. Most likely, they knew how to use battle formations and they could contend with a 1st-grade Spirit Warrior until some reinforcement showed up.

Of course, Cao Yun had no reason to be hostile toward them. Before anyone could order him to, Cao Yun decided to land on the ground. He chose a spot that was close to the structure and outside of the array formation. From there, he would have to walk on foot. According to his map, he would need a day or two to get to the capital. With Yong Ke always following behind him like a servant, Cao Yun went toward the structure. It was some small tower used to watch out for intruders, both from the sky and on the ground. Cao Yun got closer very carefully so as not to be perceived as a threat. He made sure that his alchemist insignia was very visible as well.

"I am Guai Mo, 1-star Human alchemist. I have business in Qingyun City."

Then, he took out some documents he had received. And he even added the 4-petal card from the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. Technically, it had no relevance here as they were men of the Hongchen Kingdom, most likely under the Governor's authority. But it still had an impact on them. If the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall was valuing him so much, they would not make things difficult for him. Besides, he was an alchemist, so he would be treated very well. And indeed, from the tower, Cao Yun heard a voice. The man didn't shout but Cao Yun's ears were able to hear him as though he was close by.

"Venerable alchemist, you may go forward. However, any kind of flight is forbidden in this area. Unfortunately, you'll have to walk. Your mount may follow you but it won't be allowed within the city itself. You'll have to find some stables around the city."

"I already know where she will stay."

Cao Yun's voice was full of arrogance but still respectful. He had to play the part of a proud alchemist. On the other hand, Yong Ke was completely silent. Seeing that she was a mere servant with no cultivation whatsoever, the guards didn't even look at her and didn't ask her to reveal her face.

"Then everything is in order. We won't delay you any further, Venerable alchemist."

Without adding another word, Cao Yun walked forward and completely ignored the man in the tower. Although he could still feel the killing intents locking onto him, it was less than before. They were vigilant but they had been convinced. Although his identity was fake, his documents were absolutely legitimate after all.

After that, Cao Yun walked without any pause. Hongyu was also forced to walk on the ground, unable to fly as she wanted to. Thus, she slowed him down. Instead of taking less than a day, it took him two whole days and one night. In the end, he arrived at Qingyun City. Clearly, it was a military place. All around it, there were guards patrolling. He could also see Three Bow Ballistae here and there. There were probably other weapons of siege at the ready.

As he had studied the map beforehand, Cao Yun knew where the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall was in that city. They had a stable where he would be able to leave Hongyu. He didn't like treating her like a common animal, but he simply couldn't just walk around the city with a demonic beast. So he went to the stables first. Just by flaunting his 4-petal cherry card, Cao Yun was received as though he were royalty. The workers there also handled Hongyu with the greatest care. She was clearly sad to see Cao Yun leave but she was smart enough to understand that she couldn't enter a human city as large as this one.

The stables were rather large. And the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall had the authorization to let their demonic beasts fly and roam around at specific times of the day. This would be a way better place to be for Hongyu than to follow Cao Yun on foot. At least, she would have a bit of freedom.

Before leaving, Cao Yun talked to her.

"Thank you for your help. You should rest and enjoy some calm for now. Do not worry, I'll come by as often as I can, but I might be very busy."

She answered with a peaceful shriek. Then, Cao Yun turned toward the workers manning the stables.

"If anything happens to her, you shall answer to me directly."

As he said that, he used a small part of 'Bleeding Eyes'. Of course, he wasn't threatening them directly, but he was intimidating them nonetheless. To be honest, he wasn't doing that without any reason. He wanted his reputation to spread in Qingyun City. Although they were working for the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, they would speak. They knew what to tell and what to keep silent though.

Once Cao Yun was done, he really left Hongyu behind. His next destination was the Major Hall. Right now, he needed to be sure of his information. Then, he could either alter his plans or keep them as he had them in mind. Once again, the Major Hall received him with great honor and answered his every questions. There, he also played the arrogant alchemist part without doing too much. He didn't want to get into any unnecessary conflict, but he had to establish his character and make sure that many people knew of his presence as Guai Mo. That also served to clearly differentiate him from Chen Guo. Before a month was passed, everyone in town would know of his presence and no one would suspect him of being the Young Sect Master of the Wubei Sect.

Incidentally, the presence of a silent servant helped reinforce the fact that he was indeed Guai Mo. There was one man who would know though. And Cao Yun was about to go meet him right away. What he had learned about him from the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall made Cao Yun even more certain of his plan.

From the Myriad Cherry Blossom, he got some confirmations and gained a better view of what was going on. Apparently both Fang Shaolong and Xiao Xuefeng had made sure that he would be considered with the highest regards. With his 4-petal cherry card, Cao Yun was already deemed as a very important patron of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. But with this kind of support in the shadows, his treatment was almost at the level of a 5-petal cherry card. Even for a 1-star Human alchemist, this was extravagant. Even the lowest Heaven alchemists were not treated in such a way.

Cao Yun also used the opportunity to sell what he had no need for in his spatial ring like a few demonic cores he had obtained on the way. He also tried to get some information on Di Xihe but it was impossible. However, he asked for every rumor of theft either against hunters out in the wild or even within cities. Considering the recent chaos, the reports were not complete and accurate but still Cao Yun was able to find out a few instances in which he was certain that mischievous girl had acted. Apparently, she had begun to steal after the demonic beasts stampede. Although she had been good at deception, Cao Yun was certain that she had never killed anyone in cold-blood.

Those were interesting, but what Cao Yun truly wanted to know concerned the current affairs of the Subei Province and the Qingyun City in particular. On that front, he was also lucky.

Thankfully, the capital had been preserved from the stampede that had sadly also hit the Subei Province. Of course, the array formations used to deter any invasion by the demons had also stopped the demonic beasts. However, many small cities and towns had suffered. The Governor had almost sent no help at all. On the other hand, General Yun had decided to mobilize his own troops to protect a few large cities. And in that endeavor, the Huang family also helped them, prompting many other families to help as well.

In the end, the Governor had been forced to give a few men and so did the Xue family. The Yun and the Xue families were at odds with each other as they were both lead by a highly decorated general of the Hongchen Kingdom. Of course, Governor Jiahe was also pitting them against one another in order to keep his stature. But to be honest, he had little to do as both men hated each other with a passion. General Yun was known to be a virtuous general but also a ruthless warrior who took personally part in most battles. On the other hand, General Xue was more of a strategist who didn't like to be on the battlefields. However, he was also illustrious and wasn't callous with the lives of his troops.

That being said, their ambitions had been at odds several times. Even their own parents had been in conflict. If there was not the threat of the demons at the border, both families might well have ended up at war. Governor Jiahe was trying to vent the flames in order to prevent any kind of alliance between them while also playing the mediator so that they could still fight side by side against the demons. It really wasn't easy, but Governor Jiahe seemed to be very adept at that, if anything else. Currently, he was favoring the Xue family but it was circumstantial.

Indeed, the Yun family had gained popular support during the stampede. At the same time, they had suffered quite a lot. They were not as rich as the Xue family who had two alchemists among their ranks, Xue Rui and Xue Gulin. Xue Gulin was still in the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. But Xue Rui, who was officially a disciple of the Wubei Sect, was about to come back to Qingyun City. Most likely, he wanted to be chosen as the representative of the province in the upcoming Alchemy Conference.

After reading about all the bad blood between the two families, Cao Yun was even surprised that they hadn't killed each other yet. It was a good thing, but it was surprising. General Yun had even accused General Xue to have knowingly risked the lives of men from the Yun family in some recent skirmishes in order to protect his own troops and win the day and the honors. Of course, General Xue had done everything according to the rules. That old fox was a shrewd strategist for sure while General Yun was a bit too straightforward.

Among those news, Cao Yun found many interesting things. But he found nothing about some Heaven alchemists. He also wasn't able to find anything linking Governor Jiahe or anyone else to demonic cultivators in any way, shape, or form.

Among all those reports, Cao Yun studied everything but there were many details that even he couldn't ingest all at once. After all, those reports told the entire story of the Subei Province and its capital.

When he was done, Cao Yun also asked the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall to find two ingredients, the Universal Spanning Frost and the Eternal Frostfire Fir. As both ingredients were 5-star Heaven ones, finding them would be very difficult. And buying them would be almost impossible for a single alchemist. Only a Heaven alchemist or a great family could buy those ingredients. For now though, Cao Yun was not too worried about that as he knew that finding them would take a lot of time in itself. Even if the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall had some, it would be in one of the major branches, maybe even in the Imperial City itself, and they wouldn't sell them easily. Since he needed those ingredients, he would need the means to buy them.

Before doing anything else, Cao Yun asked to speak directly to the Hall Master. The man was only an early Mortal Warrior by the name of Qinghe Ming. His cultivation was not impressive at all but his physique was. Even compared with both Yun Ping and Ren Chao, he was a tall man. In itself, it was impressive, but his musculature was just as impressive. Qinghe Ming had clearly the body of a hunter.

Since the Major Hall in the Subei Province had been paid by the Imperial City in order to help their war effort, the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall had decided to hire their personnel on site. After all, very few people had wanted the position. But some hunters who knew the province and were able to quickly appraise the value of almost anything had proposed themselves. Qinghe Ming had been the best one and his loyalty had been tested many times in other venues, proving him to be a trustworthy man. For the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, this was almost more important than his own capabilities. But this didn't mean he was not capable, far from it.

Despite his impressive physique and history, Qinghe Ming was very subservient to Guai Mo. After all, he had rarely seen someone holding a 4-petal card. Thus he couldn't afford to offend him in any way. Qinghe Ming had no hope of getting higher in the organization, but his ambitions were already accomplished so he didn't mind. However, he could easily fall down... He had to admit that this was more stressful than hunting, but the reward was also much better.

"Hall Master, I will need the assistance of your Major Hall to sell some pills I will refine."

"This is not a problem at all. I even thought that you might ask this of us so I took the liberty of preparing everything if need be."

"Good. I have some top quality pills I want you to auction off, but without revealing the alchemist behind them. As such, I'd like you to sell them throughout the Subei Province. In fact, if you could contact other branches of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall to sell them in other provinces, this would be better."

"Well... This might be a bit problematic. Of course, we can vouch for the products, but people might be reluctant to bid on them."

"Do not worry about that. I can assure you the quality will be top-notch. In fact, I'll only auction off True Essence pills."

"True Essence pills?!"