TFHS: Chapter 46

In addition to the rich vital energy of the inner city, the streets were also more orderly. The pedestrians walking on the streets were not only dressed more brightly but also had a stronger aura.

The mounts also looked different. In addition to the wildebeests, there were also fire-scaled horses.

It was a desolate beast covered with scales and hair that looked like balls of fire from a distance. It was tamed by humans and used as a means of transportation.

The wildebeests could only be trained to become level two mounts at best, but fire-scaled horses were level three desolate beasts. Being able to ride a fire-scaled horse in itself was a symbol of status and position. Those with weak financial resources couldn’t even afford to feed a fire-scaled horse.

The only thing that was inferior to the outer city was that the number of pedestrians on the street was less than that of the outer city. The outer city looked more prosperous, but in fact, most people from the outer city weren’t qualified to enter the inner city. This made the inner city appear much quieter than the outer city.

It was obvious that people in the inner city enjoyed the quietness of the inner city more and disliked the hustle and bustle of the outer city. This showed the difference between them and the outer city and highlighted their identity.

Walking on the road, Feng Ming didn’t mind at all about being seen as a country bumpkin by others. He looked around curiously at the scenery. Of course, the three of them also became the scenery in the eyes of others.

The moment they entered the inner city, they were discovered by many people who had been secretly watching them. Some people even came out specifically to look at the father, child, and the abandoned genius Bai Qiaomo.

There were also those who were unaware of the situation. Seeing Feng Ming’s appearance, they showed contempt in their eyes and said to their companions, “This person must’ve come from the outside again. It is a rare opportunity for him to come to our inner city, but he looks like he has never seen the world. It is really embarrassing.”

The speaker was Pan Jing, a resident of the inner city. His family had a small property. They might not be able to be compared to the wealthy families in the inner city, but at least they had their own house and small store. Thus, they had no problem making a living.

Pan Jing was also a ger. He was very content with living in the inner city of Gaoyang County. He always looked down on people from outside the city, let alone those who came from small places outside Gaoyang County.

He was born with a delicate appearance. He wasn’t as exquisite as Feng Ming, so his words were even more mean.

The companion next to him was also a ger, whose name was Qi Mingzhou. The Qi family and the Pan family lived in the same alley.

His vision was much sharper than Pan Jing’s. He could tell at a glance that the clothes these three people were wearing weren’t bad. Their entire outfits were better than his and Pan Jing’s.

However, he always understood Pan Jing’s personality. It was useless to persuade this person. It was better to take him away quickly to avoid offending others.

The people in the inner city were also divided into different levels. If the people at the bottom of the inner city were unfortunate enough to offend a noble, they might be expelled from the inner city if they managed to save their lives. Like Pan Jing, he also didn’t want to leave the inner city.

“You have your eyes on a piece of clothing, don’t you? If you don’t hurry up, someone else might buy it.”

The moment Pan Jing thought of this possibility, he didn’t bother to mock the three country bumpkins he saw. He pulled Qi Mingzhou toward the store without any more persuasion. “You’re right. We have to hurry up. I finally saved enough money.”

Qi Mingzhou was thinking in his heart that he should stay away from Pan Jing in the future. In particular, he would go out with Pan Jing less often to avoid being implicated by his sharp tongue.

He knew Pan Jing’s thoughts. Pan Jing wanted to marry a noble man in the inner city, even if it meant being his concubine.

Qi Mingzhou wanted to take advantage of the good conditions of the inner city to practice hard. Even if he left the inner city in the future, he would be able to rely on his own strength to travel outside and support his family.

All cultivators had sharp ears and eyes. Even Feng Ming, the weakest one, heard the conversation between the two clearly due to his soul power. He shook his head and said, “The people of the inner city are really extraordinary.”

But he didn’t take it seriously. He looked up and saw a striking building in front of him. “Liuyang Pavilion? Is it the Liuyang Pavilion that does business all over the Feihong Continent?”

This was what he read in a book, but there was no branch of the Liuyang Pavilion in Qingyun City. This time, he finally saw it when he came to Gaoyang County.

Feng Jinlin and Bai Qiaomo both looked up. “Yes, it is the Liuyang Pavilion that does business all over the Feihong Continent. It has a very special status and has very good relations with the three dynasties and the Shengyuan Sect.”

Bai Qiaomo narrowed his eyes slightly. There was more to the Liuyang Pavilion than what it seemed. The reason why the three great dynasties and the Shengyuan Sect allowed its business to spread across the continent was because the Liuyang Pavilion had a background behind it that went outside the Feihong Continent.

Of course, it was also because the Liuyang Pavilion only did business and didn’t interfere in the affairs of the Feihong Continent.

Feng Ming excitedly pulled his father and Bai Qiaomo into the Liuyang Pavilion. The Liuyang Pavilion was known to have everything and was the store with the most complete range of items. Now that they were here, how could they miss it?

The Liuyang Pavilion occupied a considerable area. The fact that it owned such a piece of land in the inner city showed that it was quite powerful.

The three of them walked into the lobby of the first floor. The space inside was extremely spacious, and the various items on the counter were dazzling. It was worthy of being the Liuyang Pavilion. At first glance, they felt that even the largest store in Qingyun City couldn’t compare with it.

There were special shopping guides in the pavilion. They didn’t treat Feng Ming and the other two strangely. Instead, they greeted the trio warmly, asking about their needs, and introduced the items in the pavilion to them.

There were many things in there that Feng Ming had only heard of but had never seen in real life, so he looked at them with great fascination.

Someone upstairs noticed the three people coming in. The items displayed in the lobby of the first floor were relatively ordinary, those on the second floor were high-end, and those on the third floor were of even higher grade.

Two people were whispering upstairs.

“Is that the ger that Wan Bairong provoked?”

“Don’t you see Bai Qiaomo next to him? It must be the ger he married. The man with them must be Feng Jinlin, the biological son of the Feng family. However, the Feng family has no shortage of children. The fact that this marriage was arranged for the ger shows that…”

Some people were afraid of Feng Ming, but there were also people who saw the essence through appearances. Feng Jinlin might be the direct descendant of the Feng family, but not all direct descendants of the four major families lived a happy life.

One thing was for certain. Compared with Feng Jintai, the heir of the Feng family, Feng Jinlin’s status was far inferior. It might even be inferior to some of the side branches.

Otherwise, why did Bai Qiaomo’s engagement with the Feng family fall on Feng Jinlin’s ger instead of someone else in the Feng family?

But there were also some inconsistencies. “During the time when many people were unaware of the fact, the head of the Feng family had someone spread the word that these two are his biological son and grandchild. This seems to imply that he isn’t so indifferent.”

“Why bother so much? In any case, we have no conflict with them. There is no need to offend them or rush to please them. We can just watch from the sidelines.”

“That’s true.”

—

Feng Ming and the other two didn’t notice the conversation upstairs. Feng Ming and Bai Qiaomo were mainly watching. It was Feng Jinlin who took out the yuan crystals to buy a batch of spiritual objects for Feng Ming that could nourish his body.

He was willing to spend money on his ger. Spending a large amount of yuan crystals made the smiles on the shopping guides’ faces even more enthusiastic and genuine. These three were big customers.

After looking around the first floor, they naturally had to go up to the second floor. Feng Jinlin wasn’t someone who couldn’t afford to spend yuan crystals. Thus, the shopping guides recommended things to them even more diligently.

Once the three of them went upstairs, they passed by the two people who were talking before. The two of them just glanced at Feng Jinlin’s group without stopping their conversation.

“Brother Chen, have you heard about the recent incident of a mercenary group being trapped in the Misty Forest?”

“Are there people going into the Misty Forest again? Why do some people keep on trying to get something great out of the Misty Forest? Is there anyone who hasn’t heard about the weirdness of that place?”

“You know that someone once brought out a fifth-grade spiritual grass from the depths of the forest and became rich overnight. There are always some greedy people who don’t believe in evil and think they will be the lucky ones, or think they are capable enough.”

“Hehe, they are greedy. If they accidentally break into that place, they can still get out. It is safe. But if a greedy person goes in, they will almost always die.”

“Due to this, there are many legends about the Misty Forest. Most people believe there is a mansion of a great senior hidden in the depths of the Misty Forest. As long as you enter the mansion, you can obtain countless natural treasures and the inheritance of that great senior. Who can resist this temptation?”

The sound of their conversation gradually faded away. Bai Qiaomo, who was walking on the stairs, paused and turned his head, seemingly unintentionally. He glanced at the backs of the two people.

The Misty Forest. How could he forget about the Misty Forest? The conversation of these two people reminded him.

Bai Qiaomo was thinking about something, but others couldn’t see it on his face. However, Feng Ming could sense that he was distracted. Feng Ming nudged him with an elbow and whispered in his ear, “What are you thinking about? Is it the Misty Forest those two mentioned before? What is that place?”

Bai Qiaomo glanced at Feng Ming with amusement and replied in a low voice, “Let’s talk about it when we go back.”

“Okay.” Feng Ming’s eyes lit up. He knew that this Misty Forest had a great background the moment he heard Bai Qiaomo say this.

Was there gossip to listen to or was there treasure to be discovered? Either way, he was very interested.

Since he had something more interesting to do, Feng Ming didn’t stay in the inner city for too long. This place was nothing more than a place to spend a lot of money. Did Feng Ming have such a narrow vision? So he dragged his father and Bai Qiaomo back to their residence in the outer city.

This made the children of noble families and other cultivators in the inner city, who were waiting to observe Feng Ming’s group, feel very disappointed when they heard the news. How could they leave so soon?

Some people even wondered if the father and child came to the inner city to find an excuse to return to the Feng family. However, they actually passed by the house without entering. Both the children of the Feng family and other cultivators felt very regretful.

Feng Jinlin, who was nearby, naturally heard the conversation between Feng Ming and Bai Qiaomo. After returning to their residence, Feng Jinlin warned, “The Misty Forest is too dangerous. You two, don’t think about going there. Qiaomo, you should be very familiar with the dangers of that place.”

There were no outsiders around, so Bai Qiaomo didn’t mind talking more. He didn’t look at Feng Ming’s expression urging him to speak quickly.

Bai Qiaomo said, “I know. Thank you for reminding me, Uncle. But as far as I know, there is indeed a relic mansion hidden deep in the Misty Forest. It contains the inheritance that Brother Ming needs most right now.”

Feng Ming was surprised. “Could it be the inheritance of an alchemist? Is there a mansion left behind by a master alchemist in the Misty Forest?”

Feng Jinlin’s heart started beating faster as well. He knew how difficult it was to obtain an alchemist’s inheritance.

He didn’t care about it in the past, but when Feng Ming showed an amazing talent in the art of alchemy, he was actually secretly inquiring about news in this regard. For example, a place where an alchemist’s relic mansion appeared.

Feng Ming’s talent was too special and he could easily refine the best-grade flawless pills. It was just that his aptitude for cultivation was too poor. There would be sects and alchemists who were interested in him, but they might not pay too much attention to Feng Ming.

Moreover, given Feng Ming’s physical condition, Feng Jinlin wasn’t too comfortable letting Feng Ming leave him to join a sect.

The time was too short. Both him and Feng Yue hadn’t found any clues. He hadn’t expected to hear it from Bai Qiaomo.

The Misty Forest in Gaoyang County was famous, and almost every cultivator knew about it. It was a well-known dangerous place in Gaoyang County. Once, cultivators from a first-grade city came here to explore it but returned empty-handed. They believed there was a natural, huge maze there.

Feng Jinlin asked calmly, “Is what you said true or false? How can it be judged?”

Feng Ming also calmed down at this time. “Sit down and talk slowly.”

Feng Jinlin glanced at his own ger unhappily but didn’t object. “Then sit down and talk slowly.”

Bai Qiaomo knew more or less about Feng Ming’s habits. So after they sat down, he not only made tea but also brought some snacks for Feng Ming to grind his teeth while listening.

Feng Jinlin glanced at it. The relationship between these two people seemed to be better than he thought.

Seeing Bai Qiaomo take care of his ger in his own way, he was naturally happy as a father.

After doing all of this, Bai Qiaomo said, “Some people say there is a natural maze there. This is true, but someone took advantage of the maze there to strengthen the effect of the formation. If you are unlucky enough to accidentally enter, you will be repelled by the formation, and it is easy to walk out. But if you go deeper, the mist there will be poisonous.”

Bai Qiaomo glanced at Feng Jinlin. “Uncle, have you ever heard of the mysterious butterfly?”

“Mysterious butterfly?” Feng Jinlin rubbed his eyebrows and thought about it. “A poisonous creature that is said to have long been extinct? Could it be that there is a group of such mysterious butterflies in the depths of the Misty Forest? If so, it can explain why cultivators are in danger of death after going deep into the Misty Forest.”

Even the poison had been extinct so it was hard for the outside world to find an antidote to it.

“But how is this mysterious butterfly connected to the alchemist?” Feng Jinlin asked in a puzzled manner.

Bai Qiaomo smiled. “Uncle’s guess is right. There is indeed a nest of mysterious butterflies there. I once got a very unusual piece of information. There was once an alchemist of the Shengyuan Sect who got the eggs of the mysterious butterfly by chance and luckily hatched them. Later, this alchemist violated the sect’s taboo and was wanted by the Shengyuan Sect. Since he left the Shengyuan Sect, there was no news of him, and no one knew where he went.”

Feng Jinlin was surprised. “It is actually an alchemist from the Shengyuan Sect? Is this news true?”

If true, the value of the news was enormous. The Shengyuan Sect was the only sect force that could compete with the three major dynasties. It was the top sect on the Feihong Continent.

If it was an alchemist of the Shengyuan Sect, the alchemy inheritance couldn’t be bad. It would be best if they could get it.

As for whether they would be discovered by the Shengyuan Sect after obtaining it and violating the Shengyuan Sect’s taboo, it wouldn’t be too late to talk about it once they left the Dongmu Dynasty and reached the territory of the Shengyuan Sect.

Feng Ming was also surprised, but he guessed that the information should’ve been obtained by Bai Qiaomo in his previous life, not this life.

It was very likely that in his previous life, Bai Qiaomo later arrived at the territory of the Shengyuan Sect and learned something from the disciples of the sect. He associated it with the various strange situations in the Misty Forest and linked the defected alchemist with the Misty Forest. This allowed him to guess the whereabouts of the alchemist.

Feng Ming was curious. In Bai Qiaomo’s previous life, did anyone solve the mystery of the Misty Forest and obtain the alchemy skills inherited from the relic mansion?

It was indeed as Feng Ming thought. Bai Qiaomo went to the territory of the Shengyuan Sect in his previous life and heard a rumor from others. He concluded that the alchemist of the Shengyuan Sect died in the depths of the Misty Forest.

This person wasn’t only a fifth-grade alchemist, but also a rare expert in formations.

Bai Qiaomo nodded and said, “The news shouldn’t be wrong. Uncle just needs to find the symptoms of the cultivators who escaped from the depths of the Misty Forest, and we can determine if they have been poisoned by the mysterious butterfly or not.”

Bai Qiaomo described in detail the characteristics of being poisoned by the mysterious butterfly, allowing Feng Jinlin to go and get information. He also told them the antidote for the poison.

If there was no solution, it would be useless even if they knew there was a legacy left behind by a master alchemist.

It was because with their strength, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the poison. If they broke in, the result wouldn’t be much better than others.

Bai Qiaomo learned how to solve this poison from other continents after he left the Feihong Continent. It was because the mysterious butterfly might have been extinct in the Feihong continent, but it wasn’t extinct on some other continents.

Feng Jinlin showed surprise when he heard this. Obviously, he had never expected that the solution to the poison of the mysterious butterfly would be so simple. But while it might be simple for those who knew it, it was fatal for those who didn’t know it.

He knew that those who managed to escape wouldn’t live long and would eventually die. For today’s cultivators, this poison had no antidote.

Feng Jinlin could no longer sit still. If the situation was the same as Bai Qiaomo said, they could take the risk and break into the depths of the Misty Forest to see if the alchemist from the Shengyuan Sect had left his alchemy heritage there.

Feng Jinlin immediately asked people to inquire about the information. At the same time, he was careful not to show clues and make people suspicious.

Feng Jinlin left, and Feng Ming blinked curiously. “Did this relic mansion have an owner or no owner in the end?”

Bai Qiaomo explained with a smile, “In any case, I have never heard of anyone reaching there. If I hadn’t overheard the conversation between the two cultivators in the Liuyang Pavilion today, I wouldn’t have remembered the special features of this Misty Forest for a while. This is also your good fortune, Junior Brother Ming. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have remembered this either.”

Bai Qiaomo wasn’t good at alchemy, so the news was of little value to him. Therefore, he didn’t take it too seriously when he heard it.

However, now he knew that Feng Ming was lacking an alchemy inheritance. If he could obtain such an inheritance, it would be like a tiger with wings for Feng Ming. His talent in alchemy would be even greater.

He was willing to help Feng Ming within his ability.

Since it had no owner, Feng Ming felt no guilt at all and wanted to take this inheritance for himself.

He said with great joy, “I should really thank the two cultivators in the Liuyang Pavilion. Brother Bai, you are so kind. If I can get the alchemy inheritance, I will definitely refine better pills for you.”

Bai Qiaomo was also happy that he could help Feng Ming. “Didn’t you say that you would cover all my future pills?”

Feng Ming nodded happily. “Yes, I’ll take care of everything. I promise to let you use the best pills.”

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