FIMA Ch167: Storm

In the northern region of the Canglan Continent, thousands of miles away from the Taixuan Immortal Sect, lies a vast and boundless black giant city on the desolate plains. It stands like a silent and majestic beast, solitary and unmoving.

Located near the extreme northern ice fields, the area is notorious for its strong winds and frequent snowstorms.

Feathery flakes of snow fall silently from the sky, blanketing the ground in a thick layer that emits a soft rustling sound when stepped upon, oddly pleasing to the ears.

Even the soldiers guarding the city gates are covered in thick layers of snow on their armor, yet they remain motionless as if sculpted from ice.

The wind and snow render the surroundings eerily silent, as if the entire world has fallen into a hush.

At the end of the storm, two figures with slender bodies slowly approached.

“Is this the Fengxue City? It looks quite magnificent…” A clear and melodious voice rang out distinctly amidst the wind and snow.

Glancing at the three large characters on the city gate, Gu Siyuan calmly remarked, “If the northern text is the same as ours, then it should be correct.”

Xie Xueyi smiled brightly as he glanced at him, “Brother, you’re becoming more interesting in your speech. Is it because you’ve been around me for so long? Therefore, you should stick with me more in the future…”

“Well, indeed, being around for so long,” Gu Siyuan nodded lightly, his words carrying a hint of meaning as he asked, “But is it just being around?”

“Hmm?” Xie Xueyi narrowed his beautiful eyes.

Taking confident steps forward, Gu Siyuan’s magnetic voice dispersed in the wind and snow, “I thought it was being inside you that was more effective.”

“…”

Xie Xueyi.

Xie Xueyi’s brilliant smile froze for a moment.

Heh, Gu Siyuan, Senior Brother Gu, this overwhelming snow and purity can’t conceal your true intentions.

Ahead of them, on the right side of the Fengxue City gate, a queue had formed, consisting of dozens of cultivators waiting to submit their spirit stones and obtain entry permits. Most of them were newcomers visiting Fengxue City for the first time.

At the main gate, several people were already proceeding smoothly with their permits, having arrived here earlier for business or other reasons.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi naturally understood the situation instantly, walking side by side towards the right gate to process their entry permits.

However, at that moment, a sudden change occurred. From the wilderness behind them came several rough and angry shouts.

“Stop right there, dare you run!”

“Damn brat, hand over the stuff.”

“Hand over the goods obediently, and we’ll spare your life.”

“If you dare run again, I’ll tear your tendons and peel off your skin.”

Naturally, this commotion attracted everyone’s attention, including Xie Xueyi’s curious glance as he turned around.

A panicked young man in blue clothes was sprinting towards the city gate as if chased by an eagle after a rabbit, swift and desperate.

Clearly aware of his predicament, he was on the verge of being caught up, and his expression was one of desperate urgency.

In passing, he directly pulled out an item from his bosom, applying a bit of force as if throwing a stone, and aimed it towards Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi’s location.

At the same time, he shouted loudly, “Brother, this is for you! Let’s split up and meet later at the Four Seasons Restaurant inside the city.”

With that said, he held up his entry permit in his other hand and attempted to sprint rapidly towards the main gate to Fengxue City.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi were both intelligent individuals. At the sight of this sudden turn of events, they understood that the young man in blue was attempting to divert trouble towards them.

“We’re just passing by and don’t know him,” Xie Xueyi explained to the two gray-clothed men chasing after them, simultaneously raising his leg to kick away the object thrown towards them.

If it were elsewhere in the outside world, encountering someone as outstanding as Xie Xueyi and Gu Siyuan, and with their sincere attitude, people might stop and calmly discuss the situation to clarify any misunderstandings.

However, this was Fengxue City.

Here, all sorts of people mingled together. Whether misunderstandings occurred or not, if someone took offense or was in a bad mood, they might resort to violence without hesitation, which was quite normal.

At this moment, the two gray-clothed men chasing after them—one continued pursuing the young man in blue, while the other completely ignored Xie Xueyi’s explanation and swung his big knife aggressively towards them.

Forced into action, Xie Xueyi had no choice but to engage with the man.

On the other side, Gu Siyuan watched the fleeing young man in blue, his eyes glinting coldly.

“Seeking death,” he muttered under his breath, waving his sleeve lightly. A fierce wind howled through the air, stirring up a whirlwind of snowflakes. In an instant, both the young man in blue and the gray-clothed man chasing after him were forcefully pulled back towards him, landing with a thud at his feet.

Meanwhile, the big man who was fighting Xie Xueyi was swiftly subdued.

Onlookers entering and leaving through the city gate observed this scene. Originally accustomed to the calm acceptance of violence in Fengxue City, their eyes now showed a hint of surprise.

“So, the two fierce tigers are defeated just like that!”

“And there’s that cunning Situ Li, like a slippery ghost, caught at last!”

“Tsk, Fengxue City has gained two formidable experts again. It might get lively for a while.”

“…”

Xie Xueyi excitedly hopped over to Gu Siyuan’s side, looking at the three men lying on the ground with a grin. “Hehe, I’ve heard that Fengxue City is the most dangerous and chaotic place. I didn’t expect to encounter such an interesting incident even before entering the city.”

Gu Siyuan’s lips curled slightly. “Don’t get too excited.”

“Mm-hmm,” Xie Xueyi nodded, then turned to the young man in blue on the ground. “Hey, where’s the treasure? Hand it over. I want to see what kind of thing you guys were chasing so desperately to frame me.”

The young man in blue glanced at the object that had been kicked away by Xie Xueyi earlier. “Sir, when I gave it to you… didn’t you throw it away?”

“You’re asking for death!” Xie Xueyi’s voice suddenly turned icy, echoing in the ears of the young man in blue, as if a blizzard had swept into his heart, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

“I… it’s this,” the young man hesitated for a moment, ultimately yielding to the overwhelming force. He retrieved another object from his chest and slowly handed it to Xie Xueyi.

It was a black metal item, its original shape indiscernible, resembling a fragment of some kind of artifact.

Xie Xueyi examined it for a moment but didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he turned to Gu Siyuan and asked, “Brother, do you recognize what this is? It feels somewhat sinister to me.”

Gu Siyuan glanced indifferently, then with a flick of his hand, the black metal shard was irresistibly pulled from the young man in blue and fell into his palm.

After inspecting it briefly, he murmured, “I have some clues, but I’m not entirely sure. I’ll study it carefully later.”

Xie Xueyi nodded with a smile. “Brother, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Gu Siyuan took Xie Xueyi’s hand. “Let’s enter the city first.”

“Okay,” Xie Xueyi obediently agreed, then turned to sneer at the three men on the ground. “Feeling good on my first day here, I’ll spare you three little rascals this time. Next time you think about causing trouble, make sure you’ve got the skills to back it up!”

The three men, terrified by his sudden change of demeanor, dared not have any other thoughts and quickly replied, “Yes, thank you for sparing us, sir!”

…

The streets of Fengxue City were laid out similarly to those of Xuanyuan City under the Taixuan Immortal Sect, appearing superficially unchanged.

However, the buildings were almost uniformly black, as if covered with layers of old blood, emitting a faint smell of decay and blood.

Pedestrians on the streets hurried past each other, their eyes filled with alertness, ears pricked up to guard against possible attacks from any corner.

Considering everything before entering the city, it truly deserved its reputation as a city of chaos.

“These damn city entry permits cost a hundred spirit stones, and they’re only good for a month. After that, you have to pay more. They really know how to make money here, and their attitude is so terrible. This job is way too easy,” Xie Xueyi murmured as they queued to enter Fengxue City.

Gu Siyuan glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips. “What, jealous of the gatekeepers’ job?”

Xie Xueyi couldn’t help but glare at him, retorting boldly, “If I were reduced to guarding a gate, it would definitely be because you couldn’t support me anymore. So it’d be all your fault.”

Gu Siyuan indulged him with a smile. “Yes, my fault.”

Xie Xueyi blinked, his cheeks flushing involuntarily.

When Gu Siyuan was stern with him, he could still smile and joke around, but when Gu Siyuan was gentle, he often didn’t know how to respond.

At that moment, Gu Siyuan looked ahead to a restaurant not far away and said, “Let’s rest there for a while.”

Xie Xueyi looked at the signboard above the restaurant’s entrance and burst into laughter. “Four Seasons Restaurant! Haha, isn’t that the restaurant that little rascal mentioned for us to meet up at? What a coincidence.”

The two walked towards the restaurant.

The waiter stood at the door to greet them.

Seeing him, Xie Xueyi spoke confidently, “Give us the best private room you have. Bring us all your signature dishes and drinks.”

There was not a trace of hesitation or stinginess as there had been earlier about the cost of entering the city with spirit stones.

The waiter immediately apologized with a smile, “Dear guests, thank you for choosing us. I’m sorry to say that all our private rooms are fully booked today. Would you mind resting in the main hall?”

Gu Siyuan glanced around the restaurant’s interior. Indeed, it was bustling with activity; even the main hall was mostly occupied. Waiting any longer might make finding a seat impossible.

He nodded, “That’s fine. We’ll take the main hall.”

With that settled, he led Xie Xueyi towards a corner table by the window that was currently unoccupied.

Xie Xueyi absentmindedly touched his spatial ring, feeling a rare sense of not being able to spend his spirit stones. Reluctantly, he followed and sat down.

The waiter went to the kitchen to prepare their meal, leaving the two men alone at the table.

Xie Xueyi clicked his tongue, “Tsk, can’t even spend my spirit stones.”

Gu Siyuan glanced at Xie Xueyi’s expression and calmly advised, “Mr. Xie, there’s no need to get upset. The main hall has its own advantages.”

“Mr. Xie…” Xie Xueyi twitched his mouth. Was this how parvenus were addressed in the mortal world?

However, after sitting for a while, he found that the main hall wasn’t too bad after all.

Almost everyone eating here had a big appetite, talking endlessly like a funnel while eating. They discussed a lot of information about Fengxue City, which was somewhat useful for newcomers like them.

Seeing Xie Xueyi getting interested, Gu Siyuan smiled faintly, “Not bad, right?”

Xie Xueyi glanced around the restaurant and nodded after a full survey, “Just looking at this restaurant, it’s no different from the Taixuan Pavilion in Xuanyuan City. I wonder if those rumored things really exist here in Fengxue City?”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained calm. “This has been analyzed and confirmed by me and the Sect Master. There shouldn’t be any mistake. Besides, even if it’s not here, we need to find clues here to proceed to the next place. Weren’t you present at that time?”

Xie Xueyi nodded listlessly, “Yeah, yeah, you two are both clever.”

In fact, when Gu Siyuan and the Sect Master talked endlessly, he didn’t understand a single word.

Thinking about it, he nervously turned his eyes and asked, “Speaking of which, when we went to Mount Taixuan before, the Sect Master’s gaze towards me, I always felt something was wrong. He couldn’t have seen the problem with me, could he?”

Gu Siyuan smiled faintly, “He shouldn’t have seen anything. After your spiritual power was rebuilt and you underwent the Thunder Tribulation for body refinement, the aura of the demonic cultivation techniques on your body should have completely dissipated. It’s hard to detect for the Nascent Soul cultivation level as well. Didn’t we verify this when we went to the secret realm before?”

Xie Xueyi felt a slight relief and exclaimed with enthusiasm, “That’s true, hehe. When we went to the secret realm, Master Baiqing and the others didn’t notice anything. Only your master knows about it now, right?”

Gu Siyuan calmly refuted, “Not exactly. I had already informed the Sect Master about your previous identity issues before you went to Mount Taixuan.”

“Oh…” Xie Xueyi widened his eyes, feeling guilty. “You told him? You told the Sect Master that I’m from the Lingting?”

Gu Siyuan nodded straightforwardly, “Yes.”

Furrowing his brows, Xie Xueyi didn’t know what to say.

After a moment, he pretended to smile and said, “Wow, your Taixuan Sect really has an open mind. This place is a mix of righteousness and evil, with all sorts of people. How could the Sect Master be at ease letting you, the eldest senior brother and future sect leader, run around with me? Wouldn’t your Mountain Master, your Master, or even the Sect Master suspect you? Aren’t they afraid I’ll lead you astray?”

“Astray? Evil people won’t walk the righteous path, and righteous people won’t have an evil path in front of them,” Gu Siyuan said seriously, looking at him. “Also, it’s not ‘your Taixuan Sect,’ it’s also your Taixuan Sect.”

Listening to this, Xie Xueyi’s heart trembled.

In fact, when he was in the evil path, what troubled him the most wasn’t the physical suffering he endured. It was the fact that he couldn’t face himself from the bottom of his heart, unable to accept that he might truly become a demonic outsider and never walk under the sun again.

But now, Gu Siyuan’s words brought him sudden clarity.

Gu Siyuan looked at his expression and reached out to touch his face gently. “What’s wrong?”

Xie Xueyi reacted quickly, grabbing his hand and pressing it against his face. “Brother, you’re really kind.”

Gu Siyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, understanding what he meant, teasing him deliberately, “Well, that’s only part of the reason.”

Xie Xueyi widened his eyes, “What reason?”

Gu Siyuan said seriously, “You are someone I brought back. As you said, I am the eldest senior brother of the sect, and most likely the future sect leader. As the future leader of the righteous path, even if I have contact with the evil path, it wouldn’t be considered collusion, let alone walking the evil path. This can only be seen as a normal meeting between two major forces.”

“…” Xie Xueyi

Xie Xueyi’s mouth twitched slightly, and his face contorted.

Hmm, understood. You’re truly remarkable.