Chapter 2

This is a small town, or rather, a large village, known as Green Ox Village. Only those who lived in the nearby mountain gullies, with little knowledge of the world, would incessantly call it "Green Ox City." This was the inner monologue of Zhang Er, who had been a gatekeeper for over a decade.

Green Ox Village is indeed small, with only one main street running east to west, called Green Ox Street. There is also only one inn, the Green Ox Inn, located at the western end of the elongated village. If travelers did not want to sleep outdoors, they had no choice but to stay there.

Now, a carriage that clearly had traveled a long distance entered Green Ox Village from the west. It sped past the main gate of the Green Ox Inn without stopping, continuing all the way to the other end of the village, where it finally stopped in front of the Chunxiang Restaurant.

Chunxiang Restaurant is not large and even a bit old, but it has a charming, ancient atmosphere. Since it was lunchtime, the restaurant was nearly full of diners.

A round-faced, mustachioed fat man and a dark-skinned child of about ten years old got off the carriage. The man walked straight into the restaurant with the child. Some regular customers recognized the fat man, knowing he was the owner of the restaurant, "Fat Han," but no one knew who the child was.

"Old Han, this black kid looks a lot like you. Could he be a son you had behind your wife's back?" someone joked.

This remark caused a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.

"Spit! This is my cousin's son, so of course he looks a bit like me," the fat man said, not at all angry, but rather with a hint of pride.

These two were Han Li and his uncle, whom others called "Fat Han," who had just arrived in the village after three days of travel.

Fat Han greeted a few regular customers and then led Han Li to a secluded courtyard at the back of the restaurant.

"Xiao Li, rest well in this room and regain your strength. When the internal affairs officer arrives, I'll call you. I need to go out and attend to some regular customers," Fat Han said kindly, pointing to a room in the courtyard.

With that, he turned and hurried out.

At the door, he seemed a bit uneasy and added, "Don't wander around. There are too many people in the village, and you might get lost. It's best not to leave the courtyard."

"Okay!"

Seeing Han Li's honest response, he finally left with peace of mind.

Han Li, feeling very tired after his uncle left, fell asleep on the bed, showing no signs of being afraid of strangers.

In the evening, a servant brought some food. Although it wasn't a lavish meal, it was quite tasty. After eating, another servant came in to clear the dishes, and then his uncle finally entered the room.

"How was the food? Are you missing home a bit?"

"Yes, a little," Han Li replied obediently.

His uncle seemed pleased with Han Li's response and began chatting about family matters, boasting about some interesting experiences he had. Gradually, Han Li felt more at ease and started to laugh and talk with him.

This went on for two days.

On the third day, after Han Li finished dinner and was waiting for his uncle to tell him some stories about the world, another carriage stopped in front of the restaurant.

This carriage was entirely painted black and gleamed in the sunlight. The horse pulling it was a rare and fine yellow horse. Most strikingly, a small black triangular flag with the character "Xuan" (Mysterious) in silver and red borders was attached to the side of the carriage, exuding a mysterious aura.

Seeing this flag, any experienced traveler within a few hundred miles knew that an important figure from one of the two major powers in the area, the "Seven Xuan Sect," had arrived.

The "Seven Xuan Sect," also known as the "Seven Absolute Sect," was founded by the famous "Seven Absolute Immortal" two hundred years ago. It once dominated Jingzhou for decades and even extended its influence to several neighboring states, earning a prominent reputation throughout the entire Yue Kingdom. However, after the death of the "Seven Absolute Immortal," the Seven Xuan Sect's power declined sharply, and it was forced out of the capital of Jingzhou by other sects. A century ago, the sect was relocated to the most remote part of Jingzhou, Xianxia Mountain, where it has since taken root and become a minor local power.

As the saying goes, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Despite its decline, the Seven Xuan Sect still possessed considerable potential. Upon arriving at Xianxia Mountain, it quickly took control of over a dozen small towns, including Green Ox Village, and had several thousand disciples, making it one of the two major powers in the area.

The only other force that could rival the Seven Xuan Sect was the "Wild Wolf Gang."

The Wild Wolf Gang originated from a group of bandits who plundered and killed in Jingzhou. After several government crackdowns, some of the bandits accepted amnesty, while others formed the Wild Wolf Gang. The bandits' ferocity and willingness to fight to the death were passed down, giving the Wild Wolf Gang an advantage in conflicts with the Seven Xuan Sect.

Although the Wild Wolf Gang controlled more towns, it was not as prosperous as the towns under the Seven Xuan Sect. The Wild Wolf Gang envied the wealth of the Seven Xuan Sect's territories and frequently provoked conflicts, causing the current leader of the Seven Xuan Sect a great deal of trouble. This has been the main reason for the recent increase in the number of disciples recruited by the Seven Xuan Sect.

A lean, agile man in his forties jumped off the carriage. He seemed very familiar with the place and strode directly toward the room where Han Li was staying.

Han Li's uncle immediately approached him respectfully.

"Protector Wang, why have you come in person?"

"Hmph!" Protector Wang snorted, his face full of arrogance.

"The road has not been peaceful lately, so we need to strengthen our defenses. The elder ordered me to come and fetch the people. No need for small talk. Is this the child you are recommending?"

"Yes, yes, this is my cousin's son. I hope you will take good care of him on the journey."

Seeing the man's impatient expression, Fat Han quickly took out a heavy bag and discreetly handed it to him.

Protector Wang weighed the bag and his expression relaxed.

"Fat Han, you know how to handle things! I'll take good care of your nephew on the journey. It's getting late, so let's get going."