Chapter 00186: Pan Qi Has Returned
# Pan Qi Has Returned
Chapter 186
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 186: Pan Qi Has Returned
In the Crystal District of West Wind City.
Once Ding Huan arrived, he understood why the prices here were so high.
Someone had set up a filtration array that cleared all the impurities from the air.
Not only that, but the natural energy of heaven and earth was also more abundant than in other places.
A long river snaked like a silver ribbon into the distance, its endpoint hidden from sight.
When Ding Huan directed his spiritual sense, he found he could not even reach the opposite bank of the river.
Next to the river, rows of small courtyards had already been built, looking remarkably tidy.
This was clearly a wealthy area.
“Ding Dao You, this river is the West Wind River, and at the end of it is the Cang Jian Mountain. I’ve heard that there’s a vortex to the universe there, formed when a celestial sword fell from the sky. It’s nearly impossible to survive if you accidentally get pulled in,” Nu Rong explained as she pointed at the river.
Cang Jian Mountain? Ding Huan immediately thought of the mountain where celestial swords were stored, although Nu Rong had mentioned that the sword had been taken away by Ji Xinting.
“Is that my courtyard?” Ding Huan pointed to a slightly larger independent courtyard not far from them.
That courtyard was indeed larger than the others and closer to the West Wind River.
“Yes, someone should already be living there. To stay here, they likely received the approval of the Bone Occupation Sword. If you don’t want to contest this, I can return the crystal stones to you,” Nu Rong said earnestly, looking at Ding Huan.
Ding Huan just smiled without replying.
He was sure Nu Rong knew he wouldn’t back down.
Few people capable of doing business in this place were ordinary folks.
Seeing Ding Huan approach the small courtyard, Nu Rong followed closely, eager to see how he planned to persuade the occupant.
Ding Huan had already offended Pan Qi in Sheng Dao Street, and she believed that anyone with sense wouldn’t offend the Bone Occupation Sword as well.
There was no formation set up at the entrance of the courtyard, just a simple restriction that barely qualified as a barrier.
Ding Huan tapped the restriction lightly.
“Who disturbed my barrier?” An angry voice shouted, and a man as thin as a bamboo pole rushed out.
“I wanted to know who it was. It turns out to be you. Hahaha, are you daring enough to sell my house?” The frail man clearly knew the property deed was in Nu Rong’s hands.
“I have purchased this house; you should move out now,” Ding Huan said calmly.
This was just a guy at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement; Ding Huan could finish him off with a mere wind blade.
“Get lost! You have three breaths of time to leave, or don’t expect to walk out alive…” The thin man had barely finished his threat when he suddenly clutched his throat.
At that moment, blood gushed from his neck like a fountain.
He desperately tried to contain it with his hands, but it was in vain.
“Dare you kill me…”
He managed to utter a few words before Ding Huan swiftly moved past him, landing behind him and kicking him in the back.
“Don’t dirty my courtyard…” Those were the last words the frail man heard before he was plunged into the roaring waters of the West Wind River.
“Splash!” The lifeless body of the frail man fell into the West Wind River, and silence returned, as if nothing had ever happened.
“You killed him?” Nu Rong stared at Ding Huan in shock.
Ding Huan shrugged, as if it was only natural. “Would you leave him around for dinner?”
Nu Rong quickly realized that Ding Huan just killed a sixth-layer Qi Refinement practitioner with a wind blade, indicating he was either at the Foundation Establishment stage or had achieved full mastery of Qi Refinement.
“Oh, no, no. I’m just worried that the Bone Occupation Sword will come looking for trouble with you.”
Ding Huan laughed. “Thanks for the reminder, Sister Rong. I’m going in to rest now; maybe I’ll pay you a visit another time.”
“Then I won’t disturb you any longer,” Nu Rong said hurriedly as she took her leave.
As she left Ding Huan's courtyard, she pondered whether he had truly reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
How else could he not fear Pan Qi and the Bone Occupation Sword's alliance? But she was also curious; if Ding Huan had indeed reached Foundation Establishment, why would he come to West Wind City, a place that offered little benefit to practitioners?
After Nu Rong departed, Ding Huan stepped into the courtyard.
The place was relatively clean, with a welcoming pine tree in the center that could absorb spiritual energy, acting as a simple gathering array.
The courtyard had five rooms that all looked quite decent.
Ding Huan moved to the main room and gathered all the belongings of the thin cultivator he just dealt with, then set them ablaze with a fireball.
He needed to set up a protective array here.
Although he couldn't craft artifacts, he could buy some array flags in West Wind City.
Just in time, Yan Mei and Lao Liu were busy with business on Sheng Dao Street, so he decided to head over to Sheng Dao Street.
...
Outside West Wind City, four unicorns raced along carrying three men and a woman.
“Pan Alliance Leader…” A panicked voice called out from the side of the road.
The four unicorns seemed to come to a sudden halt next to a burly man with a spotted face.
“What is it, Guan Si?” asked a handsome man.
Everyone in West Wind City knew him; he was Pan Qi, a figure equal in status to the city lord.
He held sway over the southern and eastern parts of West Wind City.
Guan Si, the burly man, looked furious. “Today, the Iron Power Alliance paid us sufficient crystal stones and went to Sheng Dao Street to check a shop. Who would have thought the city patrol guards acted like they had taken leopard guts and killed all the members of the Iron Power Alliance. Not only that, but they also killed over a hundred shopkeepers who assisted on Sheng Dao Street!”
“How bold,” Pan Qi's expression remained calm, but his voice revealed a hint of murderous intent.
Originally, the four of them had gone out to explore a secret realm and had returned in good spirits, but this news immediately enraged them.
“What happened to them?” Pan Qi, feeling anger boil inside, maintained a cool demeanor.
Guan Si’s face twisted in rage as he reported, “After killing so many, the city patrol guards didn’t stop; they continued searching on Sheng Dao Street. Any shop that had supported the Iron Power Alliance either faced a fine of fifty crystal stones or faced death. By the time we arrived, they had already searched through most of the shops. I immediately led my people to take them down, but there was a monkey demon on their side, astonishingly tough. With just a water arrow technique, they killed seventeen of our men. If I hadn’t run quickly, I might not have made it back to see the Alliance Leader.”
“Very good. I will see how much nerve he, Xue Bu, has to let the city patrol guards wreak havoc on my Sheng Dao Street,” the killing intent in Pan Qi's eyes intensified.
After finishing, Pan Qi turned to a thin man beside him. “Brother Gu, the city patrol guards are from the Central District. We initially allowed them to patrol the city at will, but that was never a license for them to kill freely. This Xue Bu has violated our agreement; what are your thoughts?”
This thin man, Gu Jian, controlled the western and northern parts of West Wind City, holding a position equal to Pan Qi, though he was even more ruthless in his actions.
In West Wind City, Pan Qi was known for being ruthless, but Gu Jian was even more so, which hinted at the number of souls lost under his command.
“Ha! If Brother Pan didn’t mention it, I would have gone to meet this city patrol myself. Today they can come to Sheng Dao Street to kill; tomorrow, they can come to my territory to kill,” Gu Jian laughed, his voice laced with coldness.
“Could it be that you killed too many city guards and angered Xue Bu?” a woman among the four suggested.
Pan Qi scoffed. “Even if I did kill more, he, Xue Bu, wouldn’t care. He would dare not care. If not for the regulations of the Bright Star Lord's domain, he might have dismissed the city patrol outright. Brother Gu, let’s go take a look first.”
“Alright.” Gu Jian nodded, and the four of them urged their unicorns to dash swiftly into West Wind City.
...
The Only General Store?
Ding Huan’s gaze fell on this strange name, thinking to himself that this guy sure knew how to name things.
As he scanned with his spiritual sense, he found that indeed, this general store had many items—spiritual herbs, magical tools, talismans, array flags, and materials…
“Friend, if you need anything, come check out our general store,” a white-haired old man said with a smile.
A woman stood beside him.
At that moment, the woman felt relieved that not many shops on Sheng Dao Street had been fined crystal stones, and their Only General Store was one of them.
“Alright, let me have a look,” Ding Huan said as he entered the store.
The first thing he noticed was not the array flags but a talisman brush.
This brush looked even better than the one at the Border Star Talisman Pavilion and was also a first-tier magical tool.
“How many crystal stones for that brush?”
“Twenty crystal stones,” the old man replied with a smile.
“Let me see it,” Ding Huan pointed at the talisman brush.
The old man was just about to fetch the brush when a sudden commotion arose outside.
From the sounds, it seemed everyone had rushed back out onto the streets.
“Uncle Qi, let me go take a look,” the woman said as she dashed outside.
Ding Huan had already detected the four approaching figures on their unicorns.
He was astonished to find that all four of them were at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
Isn't West Wind City a place where low-level cultivators and mortals mix? How could there be so many at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement?
But he quickly realized what was happening as shopkeepers from both sides of the street rushed to him for help.
Pan Alliance Leader? This must be the Pan Qi Nu Rong mentioned earlier!
Since they were here, then he might as well finish them off.
After all, in this place, whoever had the bigger fists had the final say.
Moreover, he intended to establish a quiet West Wind City.
In that case, he would have to kill Pan Qi and Gu Jian too.
As for the city lord Xue Bu, whether he lived or died would depend on whether he knew how to be sensible.
“They didn’t pay a single crystal stone; they must have something to do with the city patrol guards.”
Among the crowd, someone recognized the woman who had come out to inquire and immediately stepped forward to testify against her.