Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Storm is Coming

  Normally, when one's internal energy is depleted, without 3-5 days of recuperation, it is impossible to recover completely.

  However, Ji Changkong simply let himself enter a state of selflessness one night, and the next morning, he found that his internal energy had been replenished once again.

  Moreover, he felt that the primordial force re-acquired within his body seemed even more profound than before...

  When Ji Changkong stood in front of Ji Yuanyun and Ji Yusheng with a spirited expression, the two were clearly startled. Ji Yusheng stared at him tightly, asking doubtfully: "Changkong, is everything all right? Your state seems a bit abnormal!"

  "Grandpa, don't worry, nothing's wrong." Ji Changkong smiled and said to Ji Yuanyun, "Auntie, today I'll go with you to the Jia family."

  "What are you going to do?" Ji Wanyun was taken aback and shook her head, saying: "Today I'm going with your second and third grandfathers to the Jia family's place. We just want to clarify things. The rare flowers and grasses you brought back from Yunmeng Daze are enough to shut the Jias up, so you don't need to get involved."

  "By the way, Longkong, how did you find those rare flowers and herbs in the Cloud Dream Marsh? Many of them seem to be growing in the Poison Dragon Pool, how did you get them? And what's with the Black Jade Yuan Crystal, what's going on?" Ji Yuexin hastily asked when he saw Ji Wanyun bring up the matter.

  "The overlord of the Cloud Dream Marsh, the Tianyi Winged Dragon, has a good relationship with me. With it by my side in the Poisonous Dragon Pool, no fierce beast dares to harm me. These things were all collected by me near the Poisonous Dragon Pool. As for the Black Jade Yuan Crystal, it was also given to me by the Tianyi Winged Dragon from the bottom of the pool." Ji Changkong didn't hide anything from the two people he cared about most in the world, and spoke out the whole story frankly.

  "What?! Ji Yu Sheng was startled and exclaimed: "You can get along with the brutal Tianyuan Winged Dragon? Long Kong, are you kidding me? That Tianyuan Winged Dragon is always bloodthirsty and violent. Anyone who dares to enter the poisonous dragon pool will be torn to pieces without mercy. How can you have a good relationship with it?"

  "I don't know, anyway, it will never harm me!" Ji Changkong shrugged and explained: "When I went to collect the thousand-year-old purple gold toad's saliva for my aunt, it was because of its help. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have been able to collect the thousand-year-old purple gold toad's saliva."

  "Strange, it's really strange. How could it not hurt you?"

  "Right, I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

  Ji Wanyun smiled and handed a small, purple-golden jacket to Ji Changkong: "This little jacket is made from the skin of a thousand-year-old purple golden toad. Wear it inside your clothes. I've tried it out - the skin of the thousand-year-old purple golden toad is impervious to water and fire, and ordinary swords can't harm you. It's also very light, so wearing it will definitely be beneficial for you."

  "Thank you, Aunt." Ji Changkong didn't stand on ceremony either, first taking off his long shirt and then putting on the purple-golden horse jacket inside.

  "There's also the Millennium Violet Gold Toad's eyes, tendons, and teeth, I've all kept them properly. When you go out traveling in the future, bring them with me. If you can make it to Tianshui City, you can hand these things over to the Lingbao Pavilion and exchange them for some special yuan stones that are useful to you, or rare metals for refining divine weapons." Ji Wanyun saw him wearing the Violet Gold armor under his clothes, only then did she smile and say.

  "Lao San, are you ready?" Ji Yu Xing's voice suddenly came from afar.

  "Alright." Ji Yu Sheng responded impatiently, then furrowed his brow and looked at Ji Chang Kong, asking: "You really want to go to the Jia residence?"

  "I wasn't necessarily going to the Jia residence, I just planned to take a look around Qingyan City. Lately, I've been practicing every day and feeling suffocated. Since returning from Yunmeng Daze, I haven't even gone to Qingyan City yet." Ji Changkong smiled and spoke honestly.

  "Alright, let's go to Qingyan City together. After entering the city, you can wander around on your own, and we'll go to the Jia residence to take care of that matter." Upon hearing this, Ji Yu Sheng nodded his head in agreement.

  ……

  At noon, four people rode tall horses together into Qingyan City. The city gate soldiers recognized the Ji family and let them pass directly.

  As soon as they entered Qingyan Castle, Ji Changkong suddenly discovered that today's Qingyan Castle seemed a bit off. On the wide streets inside the castle, there were suddenly many unfamiliar faces.

  Those people's clothing was strange and varied, some of whom were clearly not from Middle-earth. Some wore large robes with burning sun patterns on them, while others wore headscarves that covered their cheeks, revealing only a pair of eyes.

  Some people wore a mask-like hat, wrapped in a pitch-black long gown, emitting an aura of coldness that warned others to keep their distance.

  ……

  People of all shapes and sizes, each dressed strangely, with gloomy expressions and piercing bright eyes, as if secretly anticipating something.

  Inside the city, large and small inns and restaurants were crowded with people. One after another, quick footsteps flashed by at street corners.

  "Ah..."

  A shrill cry of despair echoed from a dead angle on the streets south of the city, and groups of guards in Qingyan City rushed over.

  After a while, a team of guards dragged out a corpse with scars all over its body, as if it had been hacked to pieces by thousands of knives, from the dead corner of that street.

  The whole city of Qingyan suddenly became quiet, and although there were many pedestrians on the streets, they rarely talked to each other.

  The indigenous people of the Qingyan Castle, with anxious and worried faces, locked their doors tightly from inside, as if they were afraid that strangers would suddenly break in.

  The whole street was filled with guards, patrolling in groups through the main streets of Qingyan City. The guards' faces were also full of vigilance and deep helplessness.

  ……

  "Dad, the Nan Yi envoy who comes to Mount Tian once every ten years is here for a grand occasion, has it arrived?" Ji Yuanyun asked softly after being stunned at the city gate for a while.

  "What else could attract so many masters to Qingyan City besides this matter?" Ji Yu Sheng sighed and nodded, then his face sank and he hastily said: "At this moment, the Jia family should not make things difficult for us. We'll go quickly and return quickly, get things done as soon as possible, and then discuss our countermeasures!"

  "Changkong, you go to the city master's mansion first and stay there. Don't wander around in the city, and don't casually provoke strangers, understand?" Ji Yusheng instructed.

  "Got it, Grandpa. I know what to do." Ji Changkong nodded in response, he could distinguish between light and heavy, knowing that at this critical moment, everyone in Qingyancheng was in danger, and only the city lord's mansion was relatively peaceful.

  Suddenly, Ji Changkong's whole body trembled, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and he stared at a person at the far corner of the street, gritting his teeth and growling: "Lu Yun!"

  In a distant street corner, Lu Yun, who served the old mother of Wushan, twisted a bamboo basket in his hand and flashed from the street corner, disappearing from sight.

  "Wait!" Ji Wanyun shouted in a low voice, grabbing Ji Changkong's arm tightly and said seriously: "Lu Yun has the power of the Five Elements Heaven, neither of us is his match. Lu Yun is nearby, and the old mother of Wu Mountain should also be in the city, you must not act impulsively, do you understand?"

  "Auntie, don't worry, I have my own measure." Taking a deep breath, Ji Changkong calmed down and smiled wryly.

  "Let's go to the City Lord's mansion quickly! We'll finish things up and come find you right away." Ji Wanyun nodded, gently pushing Ji Changkong.

  Ji Changkong gazed deeply at the corner of the street where Lu Yun had disappeared, then silently headed in the direction of the City Master's mansion. When he thought Ji Yu Sheng and the others could no longer see him, he suddenly changed direction and headed towards Luo Tian's three-tiled house.

  Inside Luo Tian's house, apart from Luo Tian himself, there were three more people. Among them was a middle-aged man with a red face, whom Ji Changkong had met once before.

  A stately and elegant noblewoman, wearing a phoenix coronet, exuding an air of nobility, sat calmly to the left of a middle-aged ruddy-faced man.

  To the left of the noblewoman with the phoenix coronet was a giant of a man who, even when seated, gave off an aura of overwhelming pressure. The giant's bald head was crisscrossed with scars, and his eyes gleamed with a fierce light, like those of a bloodthirsty beast from the Cloud Dream Marshes.

  Three people sat quietly in front of Luo Tian, as if they were all listening to what he had to say.

  After Ji Changkong came in, he was obviously a little surprised, looked at Luo Tian and smiled: "Old Luo, someone has come to buy wine again today?"

  Luotian looked at Jichangkong with a serious gaze, then pulled the corner of his mouth, seemingly somewhat pleased. He seemed to have seen through Jichangkong's cultivation in one glance, which had already reached the realm of Sancai Tian.

  "Little brother, nice to meet you. Take this broken jade and wear it around your neck, it might have some effect." Suddenly, the burly man with a fierce glint in his eyes stood up and forcibly stuffed a beautiful jade imbued with strange energy into his hand.

  "When I came, I was in a hurry and didn't bring many things. You can take this pouch, it can hold quite a few things." The elegant noblewoman also stood up and handed a heavy, dark gold pouch to Ji Changkong.

  After the two men stuffed things into Kichiro's hands, they immediately looked at the red-faced middle-aged man together, as if waiting for him to say something.

  "What are you looking at? I've been delivering medicinal herbs for over a decade, aren't they more precious than your stuff?" The middle-aged man blushed with anger and hummed.

  "Get out, all of you!" Luo Tian suddenly stood up and impatiently drove them away.

  The three of them saw Luo Tian and spoke at the same time, slightly bowing their bodies, then together they gazed deeply into the distant sky, only then did they leave and head outside.

  "Ah, things, your things! Take them all back!" Ji Changkong finally reacted and hastily shouted.

  "Those two things are yours now." The bald giant grinned and guffawed loudly, without looking back, and disappeared as soon as he walked out the door.

  ……