What's going on in my comic?!

Walking through the streets, Li Chen stared at the buildings, which were symmetrically arranged. The aesthetic of the village made him curious.

How was it possible that it looked more clean than some towns? 

'What an interesting village. The name is also interesting,' Li Chen thought, lowering his hat further when some curious fellows tried to see his face. 

'Although different from my timeline, I like the soothing peace. Hmm, I never thought I was a nature lover until now.' His thoughts raced as he silently walked through the street, looking around.

He wasn't willing to face the consequences of people seeing him "talk." 

But after walking about for a long while, Li Chen halted in the middle of the street. The road was just hard yellow sand and the oxblood color of the roofs and building beams added a touch of perfection to the village's seamless blend with the surrounding oxblood trees.

At the top of these tall trees were birds of different kinds and their chirps were carried by the air, adding a touch of life since the people's chats were barely heard.

Located on Li Chen's right were five ten-year-olds playing with sticks and makeshift weapons. 

"I'm a master swordsman!" A kid bellowed, assuming an awkward pose, his stick, cut from a tree branch that still had some leaves pointed at a big-eyed girl in orange attire. 

"Humph! Swordsmen are weak. I'm an elemental cultivator!" She snickered, waving her tiny fist about. 

"Miao Miao is right!" Other kids echoed and the first kid dashed forward but was smacked down by a bigger kid. 

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him, causing the kid to raise his head. Seeing a man with a golden mask who had no mouth or nose, his eyes widened.

"Nice mask! Where do they sell it in the village?" 

[!!] 

Seeing those hovering words, other kids quickly retreated, leaving the lying kid facing the words above him. 

Curious, the kid tried touching them but his hands went past them. "Wow!" 

[I like your courage. Elemental cultivators have honed their powers to the level of a Paragon but no swordsman has. We all cultivate energy through the stars. No path is weaker than the other. ]

"Eh…Paragon? What's that?" The kid got up and scratched his head. He couldn't understand much of Li Chen's written words but he could hear his voice. 

[!!!...]

Sighing heavily, Li Chen rubbed his metallic face and squatted. [Do you know of any inns in this village?]

"My mom runs one! It's cheap!" The girl in orange rushed forward and grabbed Li Chen's wrist. 

[Finally.] 

Li Chen lifted the girl over his shoulder and she kept waving at the villagers as he moved according to her direction.

"I like your sword." 

A voice rang and Li Chen saw the small kid walking behind him. His eyes were as wide as saucers and drool fell from the corners of his mouth as he stared at the sword in Li Chen's left hand. 

Ignoring the kid, he kept walking but the brat couldn't stop talking about swords and suddenly said something that made Li Chen halt.

[Repeat what you just said.]

"Eh? Uhm, I said there's a mountain divided by a swordsman where my dad went to fetch the famous Azure Blade flower." The kid scratched the back of his head, while Miao Miao chuckled when she saw his flustered act.

Shooting the girl a glare, the kid reverted his attention to Li Chen. 'That could be where the old man wants us to go? What happened there and what's this Azure Blade flower?' Li Chen thought for a moment. 

[What does the flower do?]

"I don't know but my father said that the petals would make us rich." 

[And where's your father?] The moment Li Chen asked that question, the kid's expression became solemn. 

The kid raised his head and spoke calmly, "He didn't return." 

"That's why my mom adopted him." Miao Miao spoke out for the red-headed boy. 

Lifting the red-headed kid, Li Chen continued his journey at a steady pace. Women who saw him had a certain twinkle in their eyes, probably because his dressing made him look rich, his bearing was like that of a cultivator and the mask made him mysterious.

****

Standing before the one-story building, Li Chen dropped both kids. He noticed there was a restaurant right next to the inn and the carriage he drew was packed outside. There were other carriages and strong horses outside.

'That old man is at another eating joint!' 

[I'll be back.] He said this to the kids and walked into the restaurant. Looking around, he saw men and women garbed in silk clothing, enough to make them stand out among the villagers. 

Sackcloth and coarse linen were the trends in the village. 

Most of the customers had weapons around them and Li Chen could feel the thick presence of star energy. 

'Cultivators.'

Ignoring their stares, he walked to the next floor and saw Old Li downing wine and gobbling chicken soup. 

Seeing him tear the tantalizing flesh and chew recklessly, Li Chen gulped hard. 'This old man!'

Sitting opposite him, Li Chen banged the table lightly. [What are you doing?]

"Eating to my heart's content and listening to the juicy gossip of my fellow practitioners." Old Li leaned close and whispered. 

"Listen," he winked. 

[I don't want to.]

"If you can't eat, at least do something that will keep you occupied." Old Li snorted.

Subconsciously, Li Chen focused on his hearing. 

"I heard you got married and to that water cultivator?" A man in a green robe asked a black-robed man.

"I heard most of them turn to vengeful spirits when they die!" A man in blue exclaimed. At this point, almost everyone was interested once they heard the word "spirit." 

Spirits were famous for their mayhem in villages, towns, and cities. And true to the blue-robed man's words, water cultivators usually end up being spirits.

The black-robed man's face changed. "You're just jealous. She's a beauty that the famous hero Feng Lanxi has recommended." 

"What?!" 

"You're truly lucky, brother Yun." 

'My protagonist. When did I make him recommend some women? Wait, he did have lots of love interests. Maybe she's one of the nameless ones.' Li Chen thought.

"He's a peerless prodigy. I heard he broke through two months ago!" 

"That kid is now a formidable immortal Daoist!" Another exclaimed. 

'I had to do that to gain more readers after I returned from the hospital.' Li Chen said it inwardly.

"I heard he's interested in Bai Fenxi, the water dragon clan's prodigy," the green-robed cultivator said.

"She's a great beauty, number one in our dynasty," the black-robed one replied.

"That's a lie. What about the woman who defeated her in the noble clan's competition? Feng Lanxi wasn't the only dark horse. Xiu Ying was also there. And she's a great beauty." A man from another table retorted sharply.

"Yes, not less than Bai Fenxi!" A fat cultivator bellowed.

"Hehehe, all of them are still below Princess Xiu Ying. The number one beauty of our mortal realm." 

'Another Xiu Ying. What's going on in my comic?!'