Chaonan City hadn't completely woken up yet. Countless plumes of smoke rose up from the kitchen chimneys. One could imagine how prosperous and lively this city would be during the day.
Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue stood side by side on the bank, their conical hats thrown away.
They had found out when they were walking at night that the conical hats could be blown away by the strong wind because they were walking too fast.
They wrapped their heads and faces with two pieces of gray cloth, looking like the ascetic monk doctors of the Guocheng Temple in the north.
The water of the Muddy River was indeed murky, and the current was extremely strong. There were turbulence and whirlpools everywhere in the river, looking extremely dangerous. Who knew what kind of monsters were hiding in the river?
Many years ago, the residents on both sides of the river didn't dare cross the river by boat, which meant that the transportation was cut off. It wasn't until the founding of the Aoyama Sect, that the founding grandmaster ordered the disciples of the Xilai Peak to use the magic to move the soil and rocks here and build a bridge. They also used the Sword Formation to suppress the monsters, thus solving the problem fundamentally.
Because the Muddy River was too wide, the middle of the round arch bridge was very high. When the clouds and fog rose up, the bridge looked like it would lead to the sky from both sides of the river. It was so magnificent that it was named the Heavenly Bridge, which had nothing to do with the name of Chaotian.
Standing on the bank and looking at the magnificent bridge, Jing Jiu had a strange feeling.
Reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles. The words of the sages were indeed reasonable.
He had read ten thousand books when he was very young, and he had traveled to many places by riding his sword. However, he had devoted all his time and energy to Cultivation back then, so he hadn't been to many places and seen many sceneries. Even when he traveled, he had flown high in the sky, so he didn't have the same feeling as he did now.
When he flew high and looked down at the ground, all the sceneries were flat paintings in his eyes.
He was not so tall now, so he had to raise his head to look at the sceneries, which was inconvenient. However, the paintings were more three-dimensional and more vivid.
"I haven't finished my homework for today."
Zhao Layue stood by the cliff's edge with him for a while. She felt that they had wasted too much time, so she reminded him.
Looking at her, Jing Jiu seemed to see himself in the past. "Let's go," he said with a smile.
There was nothing wrong with focusing on the Dao, whether it was him in the past or her now.
However, compared to the him of the past, the current him had the qualifications and the spare time to see the scenery that he had missed.
However, whenever he thought about how he had obtained this qualification, he would still feel displeased and even pained.
…
…
The Sky-crossing Bridge was already very old. There were cracks all over its surface, and in some places, there were even holes the size of half a fist, through which one could see the water below. It looked rather frightening. However, feeling the solidness of the ground beneath his feet, coupled with the hidden aura of the Sword Formation, Jing Jiu believed that even if it was attacked by wind and rain for thousands of years, this seemingly dilapidated stone bridge would not have any problems. Even if all the River Demons in the Muddy Water attacked together, they would not be able to shake this bridge at all.
The closer they got to the middle of the river, the higher the bridge was. Gradually, they were more than a thousand feet above the water, and they could see further and further away.
Zhao Layue pointed to a white cliff upstream and said, "That hole was made by the Dace Devil."
Jing Jiu knew this demon very well. The Dace Devil was a particularly cruel and terrible demon that liked to eat humans, regardless of gender or age. As for the rumor that it liked to eat children, it was more of an evil veil given by the folklore.
The problem was that the Aoyama Sect was alerted soon after the Dace Devil started its evil deeds in the Muddy Water, and it had been killed by the disciples of Liangwang Peak of the previous generation. He remembered that Lei Poyun had participated in this battle when he was still young. Why did this demon come back to life after so many years?
However, there had always been a saying that the great demons in the Muddy Water all swam backward from the West Ocean. As for the great demons before the West Ocean, they probably came from the Line of Sea and Sky, one of the three big whirlpools. There had always been a rumor that the deep end of the hanging waterfall in the Line of Sea and Sky could lead directly to the Underworld.
As such, these great demons were most likely driven by the Underworld, so it was normal for a group of them to appear every few decades or even hundreds of years.
Jing Jiu had never been to the Underworld, so he didn't know if these speculations were true or not. He thought that he would go to that continent and ask his friends if he had the chance.
…
…
There was a nine-story building in the west of Chaonan City. It had a gray outer wall and was quite inconspicuous, but it was a famous place.
This was the largest auction house in Nanhezhou, the Precious-Tree House.
In the early morning, two people with their faces covered by gray cloths appeared in front of the gray wall of the Precious-Tree House. They looked a bit strange, attracting some attention.
A few sword lights streaked across the distant sky, and the warning could be vaguely heard.
Jing Jiu said, "It's indeed not a good idea."
Not long ago, Zhao Layue rode her sword and brought Jing Jiu to the city from the west city wall, which alerted the officials and the practitioners of Chaonan City.
Zhao Layue glanced at him and said, "Do we have to wait until nightfall? We don't have that much time. "
Jing Jiu thought, What should I do then? Seeing the practitioners of Chaonan City chasing after them on their swords, he wondered if he should reveal his identity.
Back when he traveled on his sword, he seldom stayed in the cities, and he was received by the Emperor when he went to Zhaoge City. He had never encountered such a situation.
"We just need to get in."
Zhao Layue led him into the Precious-Tree House.
"What is this place?"
"The auction house. The manager is a mortal, but he has a strong background. Nobody in Chaonan City dares to offend him."
"His background?" asked Jing Jiu.
"It's us," said Zhao Layue.
Jing Jiu now knew that this auction house was a peripheral business of the Aoyama Sect.
The two of them walked into the Precious-Tree House through the hidden door on the gray wall.
The manager who received them was about forty years old, with a thin beard and a pair of spirited eyes. He looked like a mouse, but he didn't seem to be cunning.
Seeing the two of them covered with gray cloths, the manager asked with a smile, "Could you please show your faces?"
"No," replied Zhao Layue.
The manager didn't insist. He pointed to the outside of the building and asked with a smile, "Those flying swords?"
"Yes, they are here for us," said Zhao Layue.
"Then you should know the rules. The Precious-Tree House can only guarantee the safety of the guests in the building. If you leave, we won't do anything."
The manager continued with a smile, "Of course, the first thing we need to confirm is whether you are our guest or not."
It was easy to become a guest of the Precious-Tree House, but it was also very difficult.
It was easy because one only needed to pay a certain amount of wealth in exchange for a wooden board of the Precious-Tree House.
With this wooden board, anyone could bid for the treasures in the building, and the Precious-Tree House would take twenty percent of the price.
It was difficult because the amount of wealth was unimaginable for the common folks, and even some practitioners couldn't afford it.
Based on the experience at the Inn, Zhao Layue looked at Jing Jiu.
Jing Jiu thought about it, and then took out a handful of golden leaves and put them in front of the manager.
This pile of golden leaves was enough to buy a large house in Chaonan City.
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