Chapter 54: Vital Zone

Right as he was leaving, Xie Peiling ran into Ye Zhuying. Ye Zhuying was standing right at the fork in the road, and seeing Xie Peiling, he smiled and waved.

Xie Peiling walked over and asked bluntly, "Senior Brother Xu isn't here."

Ye Zhuying shook his head. "I'm not here for Big Brother Xu. I'm here for you."

"For me?"

Xie Peiling was puzzled. He remembered only meeting the man twice, and the second time he had even insulted the man's sister. Why would he come looking for him?

As for whether there was any danger, he didn't give it much thought. Cultivators were exceedingly rare in the city of Yu'an Prefecture; most noble clans only maintained a dozen or so, and they were usually out of sight.

Moreover, the most crucial point was that Xu Yuanming was in the city. With him holding down the fort, Xie Peiling felt at ease and had no excessive worries.

He bought roughly two portions of pastries nearby, along with a flask of wine, which came to exactly fourteen taels of silver—not a single coin more, not a single coin less.

Ye Zhuying said, "That's right."

Xie Peiling asked, "What is it?"

"Can't I come looking for you if nothing's wrong?"

"..."

Xie Peiling hadn't eaten yet, so he had no choice but to buy tea and pastries nearby, coming to a total cost of twelve taels of silver. It was very expensive, though admittedly worth every coin. The most crucial part was that he wasn't the one paying.

Ye Zhuying smiled and said, "Brother Xie, I heard that Jiang Zhenguang, the ancestor of the Zhenling Sect, is dead. How has Big Brother Xu reached such a realm after not seeing him for so long?"

He spoke directly, without beating around the bush.

Xie Peiling pondered for a moment, and instead of answering directly, he asked, "Ye Zhuying, you address Big Brother Xu with such affectionate familiarity—could it be that you don't know his true identity?"

Ye Zhuying blinked and said, "Big Brother Xu is the top-ranked inner sect disciple of the Yingtian Taoist Temple, possessing peerless natural talent and world-shaking combat prowess. I knew this from the very first time we met. Rumors in the streets say that the disciples of the Yingtian Taoist Temple are as cold as drawn swords, but I see it otherwise. It's just those people who are blind and got in his way."

Xie Peiling could naturally hear the underlying meaning in his words, so he smiled and said, "As expected of the young master of the Ye family. Perhaps once you succeed to the headship, you truly will lead the Ye family to a resurgence, becoming the leading authority in Yu'an Prefecture."

Ye Zhuying waved his hand. "Brother Xie, you mustn't speak such nonsense. My Ye family is nothing compared to the Chu family; it's quite enough to just honestly be ordinary, law-abiding folks."

Xie Peiling smiled and said nothing more. He followed Ye Zhuying to an extremely secluded part of Yu'an Prefecture.

Although secluded, its imposing aura was extraordinary; the towering city walls were barely any different from the outer defense walls of Yu'an Prefecture.

Xie Peiling asked out of curiosity, "Where is this?"

Ye Zhuying replied, "This is the inner precinct of Yu'an Prefecture. Only by stepping in here can one reach the true prosperous heart of Yu'an Prefecture. Setting aside the Chu family, the other four great noble families all reside within."

Ordinary commoners would hardly ever have the chance to step foot into a place like this in their entire lives.

Ye Zhuying placed a token into Xie Peiling's hand, the implication being that he should wear it and hang it at his waist to declare his identity.

Just then, a martial artist in armor guarding the gates strode over. The man's vital blood was immensely powerful, and Xie Peiling estimated that his own chances of defeating him in a fight were actually not very high.

His thoughts drifted back to the world within *The Records of Yang Zu's Flying Swords*. In a place as grand as a prefecture commandery, cultivators were surprisingly few, and the martial artists varied wildly in strength. Back then, the only presence that had threatened him was deep within the high terrace.

The martial path was no lesser path. The founding patriarch of the martial arts lineage had once cleaved open a direct path to the heavens for all living beings. Though he eventually perished, his martial fortune endured eternally, and his descendants picked up the baton, walking into the modern era.

As long as one walked to the very end, one could also attain the Dao and rank among the great transcendent beings of the world.

Upon seeing the arrivals, the gate-guarding martial artist recognized Ye Zhuying's identity with a single glance.

The boundary gate leading to this "new world" was surrounded by an array domain set up by a grand array master invited from goodness knows how many years ago. Those born within it were naturally recorded by the array from birth, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to cross over in a lifetime. This array was a heavenly chasm distinguishing the interior from Yu'an Prefecture.

Ye Zhuying said to the martial artist, "This is my friend. I'm bringing him inside, so please record him."

Soon, a person dressed in official robes trotted over. After casting a glance at Xie Peiling, he whispered something to the martial artist.

Once he finished speaking, the official walked over, cupped his fists, and bowed to Ye Zhuying. "Young Master Ye, the entire city of Yu'an Prefecture has no trace of this person, nor is there any record of him entering the city. If I'm not mistaken, the gate guards must have been lax, and now you've given him a token..."

His meaning was simple: Xie Peiling did not follow the rules and had been smuggled in, making him ineligible to enter. Not reporting this person to the official yamen right now was already considered a mercy.

"You should know that someone will investigate this, and we won't be able to account for it."

Ye Zhuying smiled faintly. "This has nothing to do with you. I will sort it out for him afterwards."

The official's expression turned somewhat ugly, yet he dared not make a move. Even if he were given ten more guts, he would never dare to attack the young master of the Ye family.

The martial artist at the side remained silent, but imperceptibly, his hand had already rested upon the hilt of his saber.

They were chosen by the Chu family and could not defy the Chu family's orders. Although the Ye family also ranked among the five great noble families, everyone knew the Ye family was a subordinate house, and bullies naturally picked on the softest persimmons.

Seeing this, Xie Peiling similarly gripped the sword hilt hanging at his waist, looking as though he would preemptively strike the moment the other party made a move.

Ye Zhuying remained completely calm and spoke up, "Go tell them to give their approval."

His stance was simple: if they let them in, they would go in; if they didn't, that was their own affair—what did it have to do with whether they entered or not?

The official sighed, asked the two to wait a moment, and retreated into the guardhouse. Before long, he returned with new instructions.

They had come straight from a prominent figure of the Chu family.

Let him in.

Furthermore, they even handed over a fish tally symbolizing the Chu family.

The two officials watched Xie Peiling's figure gradually recede into the distance with a hint of silence.

The martial artist broke the silence, "Did you see it clearly?"

The official sneered, "How could I not remember?"

The martial artist rolled his eyes at him and said, "I'm talking about that sword."

The official fell silent for a moment. "I've long heard that the Chu family drew up a marriage contract for the eldest miss of their clan years ago, using that 'Dragon Taint Sword' as a token of engagement."

The martial artist nodded. "It should be called 'Hidden Edge' now. Over the past few years, how many people visiting the Chu family have laid eyes on this treasure that can be called a 'fairy sword'? Years ago, it was Chu Linghe's personal weapon, but for some reason, she entrusted someone to send it back."

The official smiled, mocking himself, "Then what the hell are you talking about? What do these matters have to do with us?"