Chapter 00180: West Wind City
# West Wind City
Chapter 180
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 180: West Wind City
When Qing Yu saw that the matter couldn't be concealed any longer, she had no choice but to speak up.
"That Ding Huan was too arrogant! He even dared to take back the Condensing Star Bamboo from Elder Qiong. I couldn't stand it, so I told a disciple from the Shuanghun Sect that Elder Qu was killed by Ding Huan. I happened to run into him in Yan Yue City."
Guan Lou coldly replied, "How did Elder Qu die? Both Elder Gu and Elder Liu clearly know he fell victim to the Swallowing Foot Zombie poison. You're just someone who recently cultivated your aura, how could you possibly know that Elder Qu was killed by Ding Huan? Ding Huan is just a cook; how could he kill Elder Qu?"
Qing Yu hurriedly said, "Sister Lou, I was trying to help you! Regardless of whether it was Ding Huan who killed him or not, he showed disrespect to Elder Qiong and deserves to be punished."
A wave of disappointment surged through Guan Lou's heart.
"Qing Yu, do you know how we survived? It was Ding Huan. If it weren't for him, we— not just us, even Elder Gu and Elder Qiong— would have perished. Given the circumstances, how can you tarnish Ding Huan's name?"
Qing Yu dismissed it, saying, "Sister Lou, Ding Huan is just an ordinary cook. If he died, then so be it; it doesn't matter."
Guan Lou fell silent.
Wasn't Qing Yu just an ordinary mortal? If she hadn't brought her into the world of cultivation, she too would have just aged and died in the mortal realm.
Before, all she knew was that Qing Yu was good at seizing opportunities and was quite clever.
Now, she realized how terribly wrong she had been.
In this moment, Guan Lou recalled Qing Yu’s behavior along the journey and the time she had tried to abandon her to join Elder Qu's group.
More importantly, she remembered what Ding Huan had said when he left. “Miss Guan, you must be wary of this maid beside you. In the future, if anyone tries to harm you, it will surely be this ungrateful woman.”
...
Ding Huan arrived at an ancient old city with Yan Mei and Lao Liu.
Having studied formation crafting for so long, he felt confident enough to set up a formation himself if he had the flags.
As soon as he arrived, he noticed that the old city had no protective formations.
This meant that there were no powerful cultivators residing here.
Above the old city's walls, the name "West Wind City" was inscribed.
A dusty yellow road extended from the city, leading to unknown places.
Many vehicles passed by, and the pounding of hooves stirred up clouds of yellow sand.
This scene reminded Ding Huan of an old saying: "On the ancient road, west wind and a thin horse."
“Brother Huan, I feel this place is quite good,” Yan Mei said, sensing the relative safety of the environment.
Although there were many people, they didn't seem like a threat.
Ding Huan calculated the situation and felt there was no problem.
Moreover, his calculations became clearer here, showing that few powerful cultivators frequented this area.
“Indeed, this place will be our home from now on,” Ding Huan agreed with Yan Mei and led the way into West Wind City.
He was in search of his foundation establishment path; there was no need to rush to a bustling city filled with spiritual energy; he simply needed peace and quiet, ideally without anyone to disturb him.
As they stepped into the city, the dirtiness and chaos surged into view.
The streets were littered with trash and filth.
It was easy to see conflicts arise among pedestrians; within a short time, Ding Huan witnessed three fights.
Although no one died, they all ended only after blood was shed.
What astonished Ding Huan was that, no matter how fierce the fights were, they seemed to end spontaneously.
There were no guards or enforcers to intervene.
In fact, it seemed there hadn't been any city guards since they entered.
“It seems a bit chaotic,” Yan Mei whispered.
Ding Huan chuckled. “If it was a clean and peaceful city, would we dare to settle here?”
Yan Mei considered this and realized that both she and Ding Huan were currently resembling people who couldn't be seen in the light.
“Brother Huan, I have some Zhen Ye coins; let’s buy a house first,” Yan Mei said, tapping her backpack, happy to find it might finally be useful.
Ding Huan shook his head. “Those Zhen Ye coins will likely be worthless here. I believe the local currency is fragmented crystal stones.”
His spiritual sense had already detected that the local trade was conducted using broken crystal stones.
Some of these stones were as small as a fingernail but could still be used for transactions.
Here, broken crystal stones were akin to the silver coins of a certain dynasty back in Huaxia.
“Ah…” Yan Mei's expression fell.
She hadn’t planned to try it out.
Since Ding Huan said it couldn't be used, she had no choice but to believe him.
“Are there houses for sale here?” Ding Huan approached a real estate agent.
“Yes, we have all sorts of houses available. As long as you are a citizen of the Zhuangxing Lord Country, you can buy a house,” the agent replied enthusiastically.
“What if I’m not a resident of the Zhuangxing Lord Country?” Ding Huan asked.
The agent shrugged. “Then you can only rent. I have houses for rent too, at cheap prices.”
“Is there a way to become a resident of the Zhuangxing Lord Country?” Yan Mei interjected.
“I have a handbook for that, just one Crystal Bean,” the agent said, pulling out a book and handing it to Ding Huan.
Ding Huan had no Crystal Beans; he didn't want to crush his Zhen Shen Crystal Stone.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell it had just been crushed, and that wouldn’t be good for him.
Years of caution had made Ding Huan very careful in his actions.
He simply scanned the book with his spiritual sense and grasped the gist of the situation.
West Wind City was one of the cities in the Zhuangxing Lord Country, which itself was under the guise of protection from the Great Sect of Big Star Sword Path.
Though it was called protection, from the words within, Ding Huan could guess it was merely a gilded facade.
In truth, many disciples from the Big Star Sword Path who were unable to progress in their cultivation and were older found themselves without a place to go upon leaving the sect.
They used the name of the Big Star Sword Path to establish these lord countries in lacking spiritual energy areas.
In these lord countries, the majority consisted of ordinary mortals, low-level cultivators, older practitioners, and those who could no longer advance—they all existed at the bottom of the hierarchy in the world of cultivation.
The cultivators who built lord countries under the control of the Big Star Sword Path must have originally been disciples of that sect.
If these disciples had contributed to the sect, they would receive some assistance, which justified their claim of protection.
In reality, if any trouble arose, so long as it didn't involve the Big Star Sword Path, there were basically no powerful figures who would come to help.
To become a resident of the Zhuangxing Lord Country, one must contribute or be a public servant of that country.
Upon realizing this, Ding Huan quickly identified a loophole.
Instead of taking the handbook, he said, “I already have this book. May I ask, if I apply for the City Watch, will I automatically become a resident of the Zhuangxing Lord Country?”
“Correct! I also saw that when we entered the city earlier. The City Lord’s mansion is recruiting for the City Watch; we can apply,” Yan Mei immediately understood Ding Huan's idea.
Ding Huan had indeed seen that the City Watch was hiring as they entered; now, seeing this introduction to the Zhuangxing Lord Country, he felt he had found a loophole.
The agent chuckled and put the book away. “You must be new here, right? Do you know that the City Watch is always recruiting?”
“Is it because the death rate is very high?” Ding Huan understood the agent's implication.
The agent laughed softly. “Death rate? Let me tell you, no one who becomes a City Watch has lived more than a month. The City Lord's mansion not only recruits City Watch members but also leaders, as the current City Watch members lack leadership. The few remaining members don’t dare to come out. When they do, they mainly clean up the bodies on the streets.”
After saying this, the agent looked at Ding Huan with a half-smile, as if questioning whether he'd still dare to apply to be part of the City Watch.
Ding Huan finally understood why West Wind City was so chaotic.
It appeared to be in a state of anarchy, with no one to manage or organize anything.
However, the shops were still functioning, which meant there must be some unspoken forces at work behind the scenes.
“What about the City Lord?” Ding Huan inquired, puzzled.
The agent shook his head, unwilling to say more.
Ding Huan could tell he didn't dare to continue, so he thanked him and left with Yan Mei and Lao Liu.
“Brother Huan, should we still apply for the City Watch?” Yan Mei was worried about the high death rate; who wouldn't be concerned in such a situation?
“Of course, why wouldn’t we?” Ding Huan said matter-of-factly.
In a place like this, thriving without facing any risks was absolutely impossible; this was Ding Huan's survival wisdom.
Rather than seeking security in the shadows of powerful cultivators, it was better to survive in a humble place like this, fighting for a quiet existence.
“Brother Huan, if we get the job, will we be like those old City Watch members, just hiding at home?” Lao Liu couldn't help but ask.
Yan Mei glared at Lao Liu, thinking he had lost his mind.
If they could hide at home and not come out, would such a good job still be available to them?
...
City Lord’s mansion.
“City Lord's mansion is an important place; outsiders stay back.” As Ding Huan approached the entrance, a few guards blocked his way.
This was the first time Ding Huan had seen guards in West Wind City since his entry.
With Ding Huan's experience, though West Wind City seemed to be lawless and chaotic, it was likely divided into different areas of interests.
This seemed to be the interest zone of the City Lord’s mansion.
Ding Huan pointed to a nearby sign. “We’re here to apply for the City Watch.”
There was also a recruitment sign hanging here; it seemed West Wind City was truly eager to recruit City Watch members.
“You want to apply for the City Watch?” The guards appeared to find it utterly amusing.
After a long moment, they finally responded, “Sure, just go report to the City Watch directly.”
"Isn’t there a need to report to the City Lord's mansion first?" Ding Huan asked.
The guard scoffed, “If such a small matter requires the City Lord to attend, then he might as well not rest at all.”
From the guard's words, Ding Huan gleaned two pieces of information: first, that the City Lord indeed sheltered himself within the mansion and was indifferent to the lives of the residents in West Wind City, confirming his assumptions; second, that the death rate of the City Watch was indeed high.
Before Ding Huan could ask more, the guard pointed, “Do you see that gray building? That’s where you go to report for the City Watch.”
(End of Chapter)