It seemed as if she had thought of something. Ji Ruobing looked at Xu Zimo with some disdain and said, “You can’t possibly like men, right?”
Xu Zimo, who was still sitting on his horse, nearly fell off.
“You damn…” he took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Then come to my room tonight and try it.”
“Better not,” Ji Ruobing’s face briefly flushed red before she quickly regained her composure and said seriously, “I need to go to the City Lord’s Mansion to pass word of my return back to the sect. And Lu Changhen, that debt still hasn’t been settled.”
“Do you know how to get to the Land of Destruction?” Xu Zimo asked.
“There are celestial cranes kept in the Immortal City. When the time comes you can just ride one directly,” Ji Ruobing explained. “It’s simple and quick. But are you leaving now?”
“What else?” Xu Zimo asked back.
“The Fan Clan, no matter what, saved us out of goodwill,” Ji Ruobing said. “Now it seems they’ve run into trouble. If you don’t help them, doesn’t that seem a little unreasonable?”
“Hold on, to be precise they saved you. I couldn’t care less,” Xu Zimo replied. “But since they guided me here to the Immortal City, saving them is just a small effort anyway.”
The two talked as they followed the Fan Clan’s convoy into the city.
Don’t be fooled by this convoy of nearly a hundred people with its imposing aura, within the Immortal City, it wasn’t worth mentioning at all.
Xu Zimo saw many bull-headed, human-bodied creatures on the streets. Besides humans, these seemed to be the most numerous race here.
As for the rest of the Hundred Races, one could only spot them occasionally.
“About ten kilometers north of the Immortal City is the Minotaur Race’s settlement. That’s why you see so many of them here,” Ji Ruobing explained.
“They’ve been vassals of our Immortal Extinction Sacred Ground for tens of thousands of years. So they’re considered a subordinate force.”
“For a force to make an entire race submit, your Immortal Extinction Sacred Ground truly lives up to its name.”
“What did you expect?” Ji Ruobing replied proudly. “Though your True Martial Sacred Ground isn’t bad either.”
The convoy continued along the main street after entering the city.
The order within the Immortal City was extremely strict.
In other cities, Xu Zimo often saw street vendors and stalls.
But here, aside from rows of shops along both sides, there wasn’t a single stall or vendor.
Perhaps seeing Xu Zimo’s confusion, Ji Ruobing explained: “The Immortal City has designated zones. There are special areas for setting up stalls, but in other districts it’s strictly prohibited.”
“That’s pretty good,” Xu Zimo nodded slightly.
The convoy finally stopped in front of a shop named Hundred Pill Hall.
This shop was located right in the central section of the main street of the Immortal City, arguably the most prosperous location.
Xu Zimo couldn’t help but marvel at the Fan Clan’s boldness, to have secured such a prime spot.
The convoy began to disperse, and the Fan Clan’s young lady, accompanied by her maid in green and an elderly man, walked up to Xu Zimo and Ji Ruobing.
“We’ve known each other for a while now, yet never truly met face-to-face,” the white-dressed young lady said politely with a smile. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Fan Luoyu.”
Xu Zimo and Ji Ruobing also gave brief self-introductions.
“If you two plan on staying in the Immortal City, why not visit my family’s shop?” Fan Luoyu said with a smile. “Since fate has brought us together.”
“You go ahead, I still have some matters to attend to,” Ji Ruobing said beside him.
Xu Zimo knew she was heading for the City Lord’s Mansion, so he didn’t press.
After bidding Fan Luoyu farewell, Ji Ruobing left.
Xu Zimo, meanwhile, followed Fan Luoyu and the others into the Hundred Pill Hall.
The moment he stepped inside, he was met with the fragrance of medicinal pills.
The scent invigorated his spirit, like a spring breeze brushing across his face, refreshing and comfortable.
Xu Zimo began surveying the shop.
It wasn’t as lavish as he had imagined, but rather carried a sense of ancient elegance.
The entire shop had a pale brown hue.
On the left were shelves selling all kinds of medicinal pills, while on the right were herbs used for pill refinement.
The shop had five floors in total.
From what Xu Zimo saw on the first floor, most were common and frequently used pills.
Noticing their arrival, an old man in a green robe and hat quickly came forward to greet them.
“Young Miss, you’re finally here,” the old man exclaimed.
“I’ve been waiting for quite some time.”
“Uncle Fu, you’ve worked hard these past days,” Fan Luoyu said with a smile.
“It’s nothing. I’ve served the Fan Clan my whole life, ever since following the late patriarch. I practically watched you grow up,” the old man shook his head. With a sigh, he continued: “Back then when we opened this shop in the Immortal City, the patriarch trusted me to manage it. But still, trouble has been endless. I feel ashamed.”
“The Immortal City is full of troubles. No matter who manages it, it’s the same,” Fan Luoyu said solemnly. “In any case, now that I’m here, leave it to me.”
“Young Miss has traveled far. You must be tired,” the old man nodded. “I’ve kept a private room on the third floor ready. You can rest there.”
“No need. The shop’s affairs come first,” Fan Luoyu shook her head.
The group went upstairs to the third floor together.
The private rooms there were named after plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, separated by their themes.
“Would it be appropriate for me to enter?” Xu Zimo asked at the door.
After all, this was the Fan Clan’s private matter, and as an outsider, it wasn’t his place.
“It’s fine, nothing secret,” Fan Luoyu shook her head. “By now, this has probably already become a public matter.”
The room wasn’t large, with just a table surrounded by seats. A maid served hot tea and some snacks.
“How are things now?” Fan Luoyu asked.
“Our Hundred Pill Hall, when refining pills, has three major suppliers for ingredients. They are the Imperial Herb Pavilion, the Heavenly Wolf Mercenary Group, and the Bai Clan. Now, all three have stopped supplying us with herbs and other alchemical materials. At most, our current stock can last half a month. After that, we won’t be able to refine any pills.”
Fan Luoyu thought for a while before saying, “Is it possible to transport materials from Victory City instead?”
“That’s impossible. Victory City is at least seven days away,” the old man shook his head.
“And the route is long and dangerous. If anything were to go wrong on the way, it’s far too uncertain. This situation is clearly orchestrated against us. If they can stop these three from supplying us, they can also send people to intercept our shipments.
So, the knot must be untied by the one who tied it.”
“You mean the Wen Clan is behind this?” Fan Luoyu asked.
“No. The Wen Clan isn’t even as strong as our Fan Clan. How could they possibly have such ability?” the old man shook his head. “My guess is they’re just the ones put on the front lines. The true mastermind lies behind them.”