Chapter 214: Chapter 165: Not Strong Enough

However, Zou Feng wasn’t in a hurry. His Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step was sufficient for the time being, and it wasn’t like he absolutely had to achieve a breakthrough before acting as Teng County’s Guardian.

Oddly enough, Teng County hadn’t contacted him at all over the past few days.

But that was to be expected. By now, Wang Wenjing had likely arrived in Qingchuan City and was using every means at her disposal to find Teng County.

Under such circumstances, she was likely in a constant state of hiding. She wouldn’t dare contact him unless it was absolutely necessary.

Contacting him would only increase the risk of prematurely exposing him—her backup.

Five days later, in the afternoon, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

“Excuse me, is Doctor Zou home?”

After telling Tian Yun to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, and after confirming there was no unusual activity nearby, Zou Feng finally went to open the door.

Outside stood a hunched old man.

The old man looked as if he had one foot in the grave, but Zou Feng could tell at a glance that this person was a Seventh Grade Martial Artist, and his vitality had not yet begun to show obvious signs of decay.

To maintain such vigorous vitality at his age was proof enough that the man came from no small background.

Sure enough, upon confirming that the man who opened the door was “Doctor Zou,” the old man got straight to the point.

Just as Zou Feng had guessed, the old man had been sent by Murong Yunhai to invite him to his residence for a get-together.

But the get-together was clearly just a pretext; Murong Yunhai most likely wanted to partner with him for cultivation again.

This was something Zou Feng had already agreed to back at the Spring Night Building.

He was more than happy to oblige.

With Murong Yunhai’s family background, the benefits Zou Feng could gain from him would surely extend far beyond just a Soul Stabilizing and Spirit Condensing Pill.

Zou Feng was just worrying about the lack of good wine to advance his Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step, so Murong Yunhai’s invitation was a godsend.

After all, he refused to believe the City Lord’s Mansion didn’t have a sufficient collection of fine vintages.

The carriage to escort him was already waiting outside, and Zou Feng boarded it without a second thought.

Of course, before he left, he didn’t forget to instruct Tian Yun to immediately take the Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer and move to another house he had already purchased as a contingency.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the City Lord’s Mansion—a place Zou Feng had passed many times but had never entered.

From the outside, the Qingchuan City Lord’s Mansion looked much like the estate of any other wealthy family—perhaps even a bit plain.

But once inside the main gate, it was a completely different story.

Statues of Exotic Beasts forged from Profound Iron were scattered everywhere, their forms so lifelike it seemed they might spring to life at any moment and devour someone whole.

Zou Feng could even faintly sense that something with a spiritual presence seemed to be hidden within each statue…

The servants moving about—even the maids—were clearly trained fighters. Zou Feng even spotted a few among them who had reached the Entering Grade.

Passing through the garden was a true eye-opener for Zou Feng.

The garden was home to a number of seemingly docile Demon Beasts, all allowed to roam freely.

Zou Feng even saw two Celestial Eye Cloud Pattern Deer strolling leisurely across the lawn.

Such an extravagant display of wealth made even Zou Feng, the General Leader of the Hongxing Association, unavoidably green with envy.

This was the kind of cultivation life Murong Yunhai lived: one brimming with resources and with virtually no need to worry about safety.

After all, barring some major catastrophe, even the Major Sects had no reason to provoke a City Lord.

The title of City Lord, however, was unique to the Southern Border.

Before its rebellion, the Southern Border had, in name, been part of the Great Yan Dynasty.

In reality, however, it had always been autonomous, and there was little the Great Yan Dynasty could actually do to intervene in its affairs.

Bypassing the garden, Zou Feng was led into a private courtyard where it looked as though Murong Yunhai had been waiting for some time.

“Brother Zou, it’s good to see you’ve been well!”

“I just had a small matter to attend to and couldn’t greet you personally. I hope you won’t take offense, Brother Zou.”

Zou Feng clasped his hands in return. “Not at all, not at all. Brother Murong, you’re being too formal. There’s no need for such pleasantries between us…”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Murong Yunhai gestured for Zou Feng to take a seat in an open-air teahouse.

They drank tea prepared by an Entering Grade maid and chatted idly for a moment before Murong Yunhai got to the point. “Brother Zou, I must trouble you again. I’m afraid I’ve hit another bottleneck these past few days. My cultivation just feels… off.”

Hearing this, Zou Feng smiled. “No problem. But… if we’re going to cultivate, shouldn’t we move to a different location?”

Murong Yunhai waved his hand. “No need today. This time, I’ve specially invited some talented performers to put on a show here.”

’It seems the last time at the Spring Night Building, when his Cultivation Skill spiraled out of control and nearly caused a disaster, left him with some lingering fear. For now, he doesn’t dare to practice in a public place.’

’He might be the City Lord’s son, and some wild behavior could be overlooked, but causing a major incident with heavy casualties in a brothel would be a different story entirely.’

Even in the Southern Border, a place crawling with Evil Cultivators, one who had lost control was not welcome.

And because Murong Yunhai’s Cultivation Skill required him to “get into character,” hiring professionals to perform at his home wouldn’t diminish the effectiveness of his cultivation at all.

Zou Feng, on the other hand, needed to visualize the “All Living Beings’ Appearance” to continue cultivating his Great Universal Hand, so merely watching a performance would be insufficient for him.

’But it doesn’t matter if I don’t practice for now. My main reason for coming to the City Lord’s Mansion is to fleece Murong Yunhai anyway.’

“Brother Zou, are you still in need of the Soul Stabilizing and Spirit Condensing Pill?”

Murong Yunhai didn’t make things difficult for Zou Feng, moving straight to the topic of compensation.

“Ah, the Soul Stabilizing and Spirit Condensing Pill… I have no need for it at the moment.”

’Before my Great Universal Hand broke through, this Elixir would have been quite effective. Now, however, it’s of little use.’

Murong Yunhai immediately replied, “Then what is it you need, Brother Zou? Just say the word.”

“Brother Murong, do you have any fine wine in your mansion?”

“Wine?” Murong Yunhai didn’t immediately grasp Zou Feng’s meaning.

Zou Feng explained, “I won’t hide it from you, Brother Murong. One of the Cultivation Skills I practice requires the finest Spirit Wine as a catalyst. Ideally, a wine so potent that I would get uncontrollably drunk even while circulating my Gang Qi to resist it!”

The cultivation methods for Evil Skills were known to be strange and varied, so Murong Yunhai didn’t press further. He simply signaled to a maid and instructed her to fetch their best wine.

Before long, the maid returned, carrying a rustic-looking wine jar.

Its fragrance filled the air before she even drew near.

“This is Snow Ant Nectar. It is said to be able to grow flesh on bare bones and make one feel as if they’ve ascended to an Immortal Realm…”

Murong Yunhai was clearly very confident in this Snow Ant Nectar, and he spent some time extolling its many virtues.

But Zou Feng had never tried this wine, and he knew he would have to taste it for himself before reaching a conclusion.

As he boasted, Murong Yunhai didn’t forget to personally ladle a small cup for Zou Feng.

With a word of thanks, Zou Feng downed the cup in one go.

Murong Yunhai asked eagerly, “Well? How is it?”

Zou Feng set down the wine cup and savored the aftertaste for a moment before replying, “It is indeed a fine wine!”

Only then did Murong Yunhai feel relieved.

From the very beginning, he had approached Zou Feng with the intention of forming a mutually beneficial relationship.

This was mainly because he recognized how formidable Zou Feng was.

Furthermore, as they both cultivated Evil Skills, he had a better understanding of just how unimaginable Zou Feng’s methods were.

If one couldn’t deal with such a person in good faith, and that person decided to pull a small trick… the consequences would be unthinkable.

Inviting Zou Feng to the City Lord’s Mansion was, in itself, a safety precaution on Murong Yunhai’s part.

Before, he hadn’t known the true extent of Zou Feng’s abilities, which was why he had struck a deal with him right there in the Spring Night Building.

Now that he was aware of Zou Feng’s capabilities, Murong Yunhai naturally realized that if Zou Feng harbored any ill intent, it would be terrifyingly easy for him to sabotage their cooperation.

After all, if Zou Feng could pull him back from the brink of a demonic transformation, then he could most likely push him over the edge as well.

Thus, when cooperating with Zou Feng, he truly didn’t dare harbor any thoughts of taking advantage of him; he had to ensure the compensation was satisfactory.

Who would have thought that just as Murong Yunhai was breathing an inward sigh of relief, he would hear Zou Feng continue speaking.

“It’s a fine wine, to be sure, but…”

“It’s not potent enough!”

Zou Feng wasn’t intentionally trying to make things difficult for Murong Yunhai. This Snow Ant Nectar wasn’t much better than the Spirit Wine he’d paid a high price for at the Qingchuan City auction.

So, forget one jar; even several more wouldn’t be enough to help his Drunken Immortal Moon Gazing Step advance to the Peak Realm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep