The sun rose.

  Gu Heng stood on the main road, looking at the markings on the map.

  He had spent the night at Burial Mountain, and ten miles away from there was Cloud Spirit City.

  Now, the city y at the far end of the horizon before him. With the help of his Divine Movement Boots, he reached the city gate in just a few breaths.

  After paying some silver to the city guards, he ehe city.

  The se ihe city was a world apart from the wilderness outside.

  The city was bustling and lively, with shops lined up in rows. There were many people, some dressed in luxurious clothes, others were wandering cultivators with ons and magical artifacts. There were also young masters and dies from wealthy families strolling with their servants and maids.

  "The security here is much better than outside..."

  Gu Heng sighed softly as he watched the bustling crowd.

  Cloud Spirit City was much rger than Greenwood City, and the streets were wider. The on people seemed to live quite fortably.

  He suddenly felt he had uimated the situation.

  There was no parisoween Greenwood City and Cloud Spirit City, and paring Cloud Spirit City to White Emperor City was even more pointless. Although he sold his Medie Hall in Greenwood City food price, was it really enough to buy a simir-sized shop in White Emperor City?

  Probably not.

  He realized he had been too shhted, staying in such a small pce for too long stunted his vision.

  Although he could ask Bai Fei'er for a shop, he really disliked owing people favors, especially those of cultivators, as they were not easily repaid.

  "Sigh, looks like I'll have to settle for less..."

  Gu Heng murmured to himself, patting Little Xi's head, pnning to find an inn to stay in first.

  He inteo spend some time figuring out the prices in Cloud Spirit City. If his silver was just enough to buy a det shop, he would settle down here.

  He also o iigate the iial families in Cloud Spirit City and the surrounding powers. In a new pce, it's crucial to identify the forot to be trifled with, or it could cost him his life.

  After searg for a while, Gu Heng chose the "Cloudtop Inn" a io book a room with a nice view.

  This cost him quite a bit of silver.

  "The prices here are really not low..."

  Gu Heng chatted with the innkeeper for a while and learhat there were three promi families in Cloud Spirit City: the Yun Family, the Yan Family, and the Lu Family. However, these families were not the stro.

  The stro was actually outside the city.

  The Nianli, a sect affiliated with the Sunfre Empire, had thousands of disciples. Its leader, Zhu Ling, owerful cultivator at the eighth level of the Body Fusion stage. The area around Cloud Spirit City was not a good pce, with many dangerous beasts, but the Nianli frequently cleared them out, allowing everyoo live fortably.

  Even the on people lived well.

  Gu Heng thought this pce was quite nice, simir to Greenwood City in the past. As long as there was a dominant force to suppress others, it was enough.

  "But this pce is still quite good... Now I o see if there are any shops for sale iy."

  He decided to act immediately.

  ...

  Gu Heng wandered for several hours and finally found a shop in the south of Cloud Spirit City that wasn't too remote.

  The shop was not small, rger than the one he had in Greenwood City, with a sed floor and a small courtyard in the back, though rown with weeds. With some care, it could be turned into a small garden.

  The System's mall also sold "seeds," ges, but Gu Heng hadn't been ied in gardening before. Now... he might sider it.

  "Hmm, this shop is quite nice, I'll take it."

  He called out inside.

  A man soon emerged, with refined and elegaures, smiling as he said, "Since you want this pce, I'll sell it."

  "Alright, see if this deed is suitable."

  Gu Heng carefully examihe deed the man handed him, firmed it was fine, and handed over most of his silver to pay for the shop.

  The cost was not as much as he had imagined. Gu Heng had hat most on people lived in the south of the city, while the north, west, a were the territories of the three major families. Only the south was a mix of various elements.

  In other words, it was a bit chaotic.

  Heading south from Cloud Spirit City led to a vast forest known as the Cloud Spirit Forest, home to mas and rumored to have devoured people. Surrounding the forest were numerous small hills where many forces had established camps, f small and diverse fas.

  But none of this ed Gu Heng.

  He was just here to open a Medie Hall.

  After buying the shop, he rearrahe front hall for sultations, set up medie ets, made a bed on the sed floor, and cleared the weeds in the backyard, pnting seeds from the System mall. Overall, it looked quite and tidy.

  By the time Gu Heng finished, it was already dark.

  Little Xi was lying in the front hall, bored and waggiail. Gu Heng gave her a sugar pill to eat, then sat down and took out an a mp from the System Backpack.

  "Old Xuan, how is it?"

  Gu Heng looked at the faintly glowing white light ihe mp.

  "It's quite ni here, the enviro is good. Thank you, Young Master Gu, for such a good pce to nurture myself."

  Jian Xuan's voice sounded much mentle. Although Gu Heng didn't uand why Jian Xuan was so happy ihe mp, he had po let him out to fly around, but seeing how tent he was, Gu Heng decided to let him stay inside.

  "Hmm, it's time to write the signboard."

  Gu Heng stood up, took out rice paper and a brush from the System Backpack, dipped it in ink, and was about to write when he suddenly paused.

  There was a otion outside.

  "You brat, you're asking for a beating!"

  "How dare you steal from us again! Don't you know the power of the Bck Forest Gang!?"

  "Hurry up and kneel and kowtow! Or I'll beat you to death!"

  Gu Heng frowned and walked to the door with the a mp, where he saw a group of seven ht burly men surrounding a thin figure in a small alley across the street. The leader had a scar on his fad was gring fiercely at the frail figure in the ter.

  In the midst of the burly men, a boy in shabby gray clothes with sallow skin was c, clutg a worn-out quilt, his face full of panic. But despite trembling all over, his eyes were red and swollen, and his lips were quivering.

  Gu Heng paused as he looked at the frail figure.

  Because he could see that the boy didn't seem to be afraid, but rather harbored deep hatred and defiance!

  Although the boy had taken quite a beating, with bruises all over, he hadn't uttered a sound, nor shown any sign of weakness.

  "Heh, this kid is really something."

  "We, the Bck Forest Gang, are one of the big gangs in Cloud Spirit City, and you dare to offend us? You're c death!"

  The men taunted and jeered.

  Gu Heng stood behind the window, listening silently for a moment, uo help but twitch his mouth—

  The Bck Forest Gang wasn't big.

  At least from the information he had gathered, the forces camped outside the southern city were actually quite weak—of course, weak to cultivators, but still formidable to on people.

  But Gu Heng gnced over ahat none of these guys were cultivators, at most they were on people with some martial arts training.

  Should he help?

  Gu Heng was flicted. Getting involved with the local small-time thugs in a new pce wasn't a good idea, but letting the boy be beaten to death was something he couldn't stomach.

  "What, still won't kneel?"

  The scar-faced leader saw the boy gritting his teeth and refusing to give in, snorted coldly, and waved his hand, "Bret him! We must beat him to death today!"

  "Yes!"

  The others responded and rushed forward.

  The men were burly, while the boy seemed extremely small and malnourished, yet he remained calm, rolling up the quilt to shield his chest, and assuming a defeance, seemingly ready to eheir blows.

  His eyes were resolute, without a trace of fear.

  Such ce made Gu Heng involuntarily admire him.

  He should help.

  After all, no matter what the boy had done, if he were beaten to death like this, it would be too cruel and would haunt Gu Heng for the rest of his life.

  Gu Heng stepped out of the house and walked straight towards them.

  "Excuse me, could you stop for a moment?"

  His gentle voice made the men pause and turn to look at him. It was dark, and suddenly a young man in simple robes appeared oreet with an a mp, which surprised them.

  But soon, the scar-faced man cursed, "Damn it, where did this brat e from! Get lost!"

  "Oh, sorry to interrupt." Gu Heng apologized with a smile, "I just wao tell you something."

  "What is it?"

  "I just moved into this shop, and if you kill someone here, I'm afraid I won't be able to do business peacefully."

  "Could you let him go?"

  "...Huh?"

  The men exged gnces, puzzled, but soon the scar-faced man realized and looked at him menagly, "Brat, you want to stand up for him?"

  "I advise you not to interfere, or after we deal with this little bastard, it'll be your turn!"

  He stepped fring at Gu Heng.

  "Get lost, we're the Bck Forest Gang, if you get in the way, I'll kill you too!"

  "Is that so?" Gu Heng still smiled. "Then I definitely 't leave, you're threatening me now."

  The scar-faced man thought a few words would scare him off, but Gu Heng remaianding there, unfazed.

  Not listening? The's just take a!

  The scar-faced man sneered and swung a punch at him!

  The punch came fast and hard, with a gust of wind, clearly using all his strength, intending to disfigure Gu Heng's face!

  kant2025