After wandering around for half an hour, Lin Xun found Spirit Vulture Residence’s address.
Then, he hired a carriage with one gold coin and headed towards Spirit Vulture Residence.
One gold coin was enough to hire seven to eight carriages in other cities. This alone showed how expensive it was to live in the Forbidden City. It was indeed very difficult for a person to establish themselves there without an impressive background.
The northwestern area of the Forbidden City was considered a common people area in the imperial capital. Almost all the cultivators who resided there were from all over the world. In terms of affluence, it couldn’t be compared to the other areas of the Forbidden City.
Even so, the area was bustling and had all sorts of businesses, including restaurants, inns, and brothels...
Spirit Vulture Residence was a restaurant in that area, but it was very remote. Lin Xun had to search the area on a carriage for a long time before he found it on a corner of an alley.
It was an ordinary and unremarkable-looking two-story building.
It was almost noon, but at most ten people were eating in the restaurant. Its business didn’t seem too good.
“The friend of Instructor Xu Sanqi is the owner of this restaurant?”
Lin Xun lifted his head to look at the restaurant sign and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw the three words in ancient writing: Spirit Vulture Residence.He thought that the friend of Xu Sanqi had to be a powerful cultivator, but who would have thought that the so-called Spirit Vulture Residence was just an ordinary restaurant located in a common people area?
However, Lin Xun didn’t underestimate Xu Sanqi’s friend. As the saying went, many people with remarkable abilities lie low in inconspicuous cities.
Just when Lin Xun was about to step into Spirit Vulture Residence, a thunderous clatter of hooves in the distance caught his attention. The ground quaked like thousands of troops were approaching.
Lin Xun saw a group of cultivators sitting astride fierce beasts racing towards his side.
PA! PA! PA!
The cultivators swung their long whips, lashing the pedestrians in their way.
“Move away! Damn ugly thing, get lost!”
“Get lost if you don’t want to die!”
The people screamed on the street and bolted in panic. Chaos broke out.
People who failed to evade in time were sent flying across the air by the beasts and slammed into the ground.
Some people had moved away, but the cultivators still swung their whips at them, hitting them until their skin split open, leaving them to scream in agony on the ground.
Arrogant!
Disregards life!
Those were Lin Xun’s first impressions of the group of cultivators.
The beasts galloped wildly in the downtown area. It was no different from trampling on life.
However, despite committing such a heinous crime, the cultivators seemed incredibly triumphant and broke into loud peals of laughter.
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes.
Not far from him, he saw a little boy wailing in terror as he had forgotten to flee.
PA!
The fierce beast in front was speeding towards him, and the cultivator on it donned a sinister grin and flicked the whip towards the little boy.
If struck, the little boy’s head would no doubt crack open!
Gasps rang out on the street, and many people couldn’t help but close their eyes. They couldn’t watch anymore, knowing that the pitiful little boy would be killed.
At that critical moment, Lin Xun leapt up like a bolt of lightning, grabbed the little boy, and narrowly darted to the other side.
However, the whip landed on Lin Xun’s back, ripped his clothes, and left a bloody mark on his skin. It throbbed with burning pain.
Fortunately, the little boy was unscathed. He was only crying from the fright.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the leader of the group of cultivators glanced at Lin Xun in surprise. His lips curved in a disdainful smile and he withdrew his gaze.
Rumble—
All the cultivators on fierce beasts screeched to a halt in front of Spirit Vulture Residence.
An azure-bronze carriage drawn by four black-scaled horses was behind the group of cultivators. Although the carriage was unadorned, it was enveloped in a terrifying and threatening air.
From the appearance of the four fierce, black-scaled horses and the way the groups of cultivator guards cleared the path for the carriage, it was obvious that the owner of the carriage had an extraordinary identity.
Lin Xun frowned. He first brought the child back to his parents and then he turned around and peered at the carriage.
Soon, a young man draped in a scarlet cloak and black armor stepped down. His expression was stern and fierce, and a ruthless, iron-willed aura shrouded his entire body.
The young man headed straight into Spirit Vulture Residence and the group of cultivators quickly followed him.
“It's Chi Ze again!” someone hissed on the street.
“For the last half a year, he has brought his people to Spirit Vulture Residence every few days and caused a lot of trouble!”
“Hey, he didn’t originally have the surname Chi. It’s just because his younger sister married into the Chi Family, so he was luckily granted the surname Chi. Otherwise, how would he be able to enjoy such power?” someone remarked disdainfully.
“You‘re wrong. Although Chi Ze is from a poor family, he has pretty good cultivation talent. He joined the army at a young age and earned a lot of military achievements during his years on the battlefield. Otherwise, the Chi Family wouldn’t have granted him the surname Chi just based on his younger sister’s relationship.”
“Regardless, he is too arrogant. Does he think that he can do what he wants in the Forbidden City after changing his surname to Chi? Someone will deal with people like him one day!”
“Although I also want to see that, the surname Chi does indeed allow Chi Ze to do whatever he wants in the Forbidden City.”
Discussions broke out on the streets. Curses and exclamations of envy and hatred repeatedly rang out one after another.
Chi Ze?
Lin Xun immediately thought of the siblings Chi Cangmei and Chi Cangfeng. He also thought of the numerous encirclement operations he had encountered on his way to the Forbidden City.
The whip hadn’t damaged his bones, but the burning pain caused a chilling intent to flash across Lin Xun’s jet-black eyes.
He had killed an unknown number of cultivators from the Chi Family on his way to the Forbidden City, but he had just suffered a whip slash from a guy who changed his surname to Chi. How could Lin Xun not be furious?
“Friend, why does Chi Ze often come to the Spirit Vulture Residence?” Lin Xun asked the passerby beside him.
“Hey, isn’t it for the beauty in the Spirit Vulture Residence?” The man snorted coldly. “Chi Ze is so shameless. The beautiful woman has shown no interest in him, but he still comes to pester her repeatedly. He has no backbone at all. He really is a lowly being. Even if he changed his surname to Chi, he can’t change his inferiority complex.”
“Beautiful woman?”
“Brother, this must be your first time here. You might not know, but around one year ago, the owner of the Spirit Vulture Residence hired a woman who is elegant and stunning but as cold as ice. She’s like an unattainable iceberg. Her presence caused a sensation and attracted many people to eat here.”
The man’s eyes gleamed covetously. “I’ve also seen the beautiful woman before. Her face and figure can’t be described with words. If I can sleep with her for one night…”
Lin Xun frowned and interrupted, “But the business of Spirit Vulture Residence doesn’t seem too good. Why is that?”
The man shot Lin Xun a sidelong glare. “Isn’t it obvious? Chi Ze often brings his fierce-looking men to cause trouble. How would anyone dare to eat at Spirit Vulture Residence?”
As he was speaking, he rolled his eyes and left.
Lin Xun stood there alone and fell into contemplation. He believed the ‘beauty’ who Chi Ze had been pestering for over half a year should be Instructor Xiaoke.
Graceful and beautiful but with a cold-as-ice personality. Isn’t that her?
He counted the days. Instructor Xiaoke also left Blood Kill Camp around a year ago, so the timing matches.
Did Chi Ze eat the gall of a leopard? How dare he covet the beauty of Instructor Xiaoke. Isn’t he afraid of being beaten to death?
Lin Xun shook his head. No, if the beautiful woman is indeed Instructor Xiaoke, why would she let Chi Ze pester her for half a year and not ruthlessly strike back?
Bang—
Loud booms and clatter shook Spirit Vulture Residence. Immediately, dozens of diners were thrown out and screamed tragically.
“Hurry up and get out! Don’t you see my master is here? If we see you in the Spirit Vulture Residence again, we will kill without mercy!”
One of Chi Ze’s servants stepped forward and threatened one of the customers who had rolled onto the floor.
Lin Xun frowned, stepped forward to help the customer, and asked, “What happened inside?”
The man cried, “That Chi Ze went crazy again after the beauty rejected him.”
Lin Xun’s heart tightened. Without any hesitation, he stormed into Spirit Vulture Residence.
He wasn’t worried about Xiaoke being bullied, but he was worried that the Chi Family would target Xiaoke after she bullied Chi Ze!
Now that Lin Xun was aware of the conflicts between the aristocratic clans and the poor families, he knew that if something happened to Chi Ze, they would harm Xiaoke to protect the Chi Family’s face!
“Spirit Vulture Residence is closed today. Hurry get out of here!”
The two cultivator guards at the door roared when they saw Lin Xun.
Coincidentally, one of them was the man who whipped Lin Xun. He grinned sinisterly when he saw it was Lin Xun. “It’s you. What? Was that whip not enough?”
As he was speaking, he raised the whip in his hand again and swung it down at Lin Xun.
PA!
However, Lin Xun didn’t retreat and instead stepped forward. Without any visible movement, he slapped the man in the face. The man spewed blood from his nostrils and mouth with a whimper. His teeth shattered and his body spun in circles like a spinning top. He fell to his knees with a thud and saw sparks flying before his eyes. He almost lost consciousness.