While the old man and the young man continued chatting about various things, the line gradually shortened until it was their turn.
"Na and purpose," one of the guards at the gate asked indifferently. He wore worn-out red armor, clearly past its pri.
"The old man's na is Huang Bo, and I'm here to sell rice," Huang Bo explained cautiously, keeping his head slightly bowed.
He seed to fear that a wrong answer might anger the guard.
But the young man beside him had other concerns.
'My previous na wasn't Chinese... It would draw too much attention if I kept using it here,' the young man pondered, frowning.
"And you? Co on, don't waste my ti!" The guard shot an impatient look at the young man, who froze for a mont.
"Ah! Sorry! My na is..." The young man hesitated for a second, then an idea flashed in his mind.
"Long Aotian!" He responded firmly.
"..."
"..."
"Pfft..."
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
"..."
Huang Bo stifled his laughter out of politeness, but the guard had no such consideration and burst into loud laughter, completely ignoring the embarrassnt of the now-nad Aotian.
"Kid, if you don't want to die young, I suggest you change that na," the guard wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to contain his laughter. "Your na may be arrogant, but there are people out there far more arrogant, and they wouldn't think twice about killing you just for daring to have a na like that."
"Young man, it's better to listen to the guard's advice. That na could bring you trouble. Why not change it to, I don't know... maybe Xiao Long?" suggested Huang Bo, with a sympathetic look.
He thought the young man probably had ambitious parents who wished great things for their son but didn't see their own limitations.
"Even better, Xiao Xiao, hahahaha!" the guard mocked.
The young man looked visibly uncomfortable with the laughter and advice.
'They're not entirely wrong... I was impulsive with that choice. It was just the first na that ca to mind,' Aotian reflected, feeling a slight bitterness.
Long Aotian basically ant "Proud Dragon of Heaven" or "Arrogant Heavenly Dragon" — a typical na for overpowered characters in xianxia stories.
But such an arrogant na could indeed attract trouble... especially from the young masters of this world.
Even so, he decided to keep the na. In the worst-case scenario, he would just avoid saying it out loud until he had the power to back it up. It would also serve as motivation for his future practice.
And of course, he wouldn't change his na to Xiao Long, which ans 'Little Dragon,' and especially not to Xiao Xiao, which is essentially a nickna calling soone 'Tiny' or 'Little One'.
"Sorry, but this is the na my parents gave , and I can't change it," Aotian bowed, showing respect and gratitude for the advice.
Huang Bo nodded with an approving smile, admiring the young man's filial piety.
The guard shrugged, losing interest.
"It's 10 copper coins per person to enter. Animals cost 10 each as well," he charged, apparently forgetting that he hadn't even asked the young man's purpose for entering the city.
Aotian and Huang Bo paid the fee and passed through the gates.
As Aotian looked up, admiring the imposing stone walls, Huang Bo took the lead, guiding the young man through the bustling streets.
After about 10 minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a modest yet welcoming building.
"This inn belongs to an acquaintance of mine. The price is fair, and the food is good. This is where we part ways, young friend," Huang Bo smiled, preparing to leave.
"Thank you, Mister Bo, for all the help and the stories," Aotian bowed sincerely and took out so bronze coins to show his gratitude.
Huang Bo quickly waved his hand, refusing.
"No need for that. I also enjoyed sharing my stories. Besides, go on and eat... your stomach's been growling since we entered the city." The old man laughed, pulling his donkey as he walked away with steady steps.
Aotian stood there, watching Huang Bo disappear into the crowd.
After a while, he sighed.
"On the path to immortality, it's inevitable to see old and new faces disappear in the sands of ti..." he murmured.
Sohow, Aotian felt he would never see the old man Huang Bo again.
He would be just one of many who would pass through his life, eventually becoming a vague mory... until the day he was completely forgotten.
…
After so reflection, Aotian went to check in at the inn while managing his avatars.
At that mont, his avatars had left the mountain where they appeared and were following an old road they had found. Soon, a city ca into view.
The sect leader, who had not stopped trying to use spiritual power during the journey, had so success.
He managed to develop a prototype of divine intention, which essentially allowed him to use spiritual energy as a radar. Without proper training, he couldn't see very far or detect even slightly hidden auras.
Fortunately, it was still very useful for dealing with mortals.
By detecting the gaps in the guards' patrols along the wall, he simply jumped over with the elders. Like butterflies landing, they crossed the wall silently, stealthily entering the city.
They then began to enter alleys, searching for so thief or sothing of the sort.
'Well, in stories and movies, there's always this type of person in dark alleys,' Aotian analyzed.
Soon, as predicted, they encountered soone who didn't look like a good person.
Elder Lie, responsible for the Pavilion of Punishnt, advanced like a shadow and ambushed the man.
Before he could react, the man found himself pinned against the wall, his neck lifted by a powerful arm. In front of him, a fierce face with a vertical scar over one eye stared at him nacingly.
His neck was being held so tightly that he could barely breathe. He struggled, grabbing the arm and trying to pull it off his neck, but the arm didn't budge.
Then, Elder Lie opened his mouth, and a dark voice, which to the man seed to have co from the depths of hell, rang out, freezing him.
"I ask, you answer. If you lie, I'll break a limb. If you lie twice, two limbs. Was I clear?" Elder Lie asked in a hoarse, calm voice, but combined with his fierce face, it was terrifying.
The man, pinned against the wall, desperately nodded.
'Damn, I think I'm scared of myself! If I put a bat suit on Elder Lie, I think he'd make a great hero,' Aotian thought, amused, as he observed the interrogation.
"Are you a thief?" Elder Lie asked.
The man hesitated, then quickly shook his head.
"I'm not... a thief, please... let go!" the man begged weakly as Elder Lie's grip made it hard for him to speak.
A second of silence passed.
Then the man felt the hand that was on his neck retract, and he sighed in relief.
But soon the hand returned with renewed ferocity, gripping his mouth instead of his neck, and slamd his head violently against the wall. Another hand grabbed his left arm and broke it brutally.
"Hmph!!!... Humph!!!..." The man scread in pain, but his mouth was covered by the hand, so only muffled groans were heard as his face contorted in desperation.
The man kept crying and whining, then Elder Lie lost his patience.
"If you keep crying, the next thing I'll break will be your neck!" he threatened coldly.
The now-recognized thief quickly swallowed his sobs and looked terrified at the fierce man before him.
The avatar of Elder Lie knew when the man was lying due to his ability as the elder of the Pavilion of Punishnt: Lie Detector.
[Na: Liè Zhèng (aning: Fierce and Just)
Position: Elder of the Pavilion of Punishnt
Cultivation: 1st level of Qi Refinent (1 major realm above the host)
Position Skill: Lie Detector
Position Bonus: Fight Beyond Boundaries (power increased by 0.5x)]
"What sect is located up the road at the northern gate of the city?" Elder Lie interrogated.
"Th-That's the ancient Tianzhen sect. They specialized in formations, but it's said that they pushed their spiritual vein to the limit, and it was destroyed. So, they left in search of new spiritual veins. Even so, no one builds anything there, afraid that one day they'll return and claim the place," the thief quickly explained, not hiding anything.
"How long ago did this happen? And what was the level of the sect?" Elder Lie continued asking.
"Over a thousand years ago. It was a Golden Core sect, one of the few giants on this continent," he replied quickly.
"And now, what happened to the Tianzhen sect?"
"They say they only found second-level spiritual veins, so the sect declined to a Foundation Establishnt force, and much of their foundation was taken by other Golden Core sects."
"Are there still cultivators in the city? Or cultivation inheritances?"
"Without spiritual veins to irrigate the environnt, it's very hard to cultivate. There are no cultivators in this region anymore. As for inheritances, they say the city's lord still has so low-level techniques left by the sect for his ancestors, but without the spiritual vein, they're useless. Not even innate masters have been born since then, due to the lack of spiritual energy."
"I see... Last question, have you ever forced yourself on soone?" Elder Lie asked, looking deeply into the thief's eyes.
...
Three figures erged from the alley, leaving behind a faint sll of blood.
"He had quite a bit of money. We'd better change these clothes first, we look like three beggars," the sect leader said thoughtfully, tossing a heavy coin pouch to Elder Bao Hui.
Of course, the avatars talking among themselves were no different from Aotian talking to himself.
"Let's go!" The sect leader said and moved forward.
'I have to get used to talking to myself through the avatars, so I don't make any mistakes,' Aotian reflected as his avatars disappeared into the crowd.
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