Chapter 90: Journey to Ye City

In the early morning, amidst the dense forest, Chen Chen and his group had already left the Moon Lake River Village and set off on the road to Ye City.

Near Moon Lake, mountains rose one after another, with many winding and twisting mountain paths. In this rugged terrain, even carriages and fine horses were inconvenient to travel, so even someone as noble as Dantai Wannings had to follow the group, cutting through the underbrush and traversing the mountain paths.

However, perhaps because of the company of her long-lost brother Chen Chen, the young girl did not feel bored at all. Instead, she stayed close to Chen Chen throughout the journey, chatting and laughing, and the sound of her silver laughter echoed through the mountain paths from time to time.

On this journey, Liu Hanyan was always gloomy, her delicate and ethereal face always showing a look of worry, as if she had something on her mind. Her gaze toward Chen Chen's back was also somewhat timid...

Not long after, Old Shi caught up, and his eyes were fixed on Chen Chen from the beginning, as if trying to see through something. After staring for a long time without success, he finally couldn't help but strike up a conversation.

"Chen Yifeng's boy, it's been over two years, and you truly make me look at you with new eyes," Old Shi said with a deep and meaningful smile, unable to help but sigh as he looked at Chen Chen.

"Cough, cough... Senior Old Shi, I don't know what you mean," Chen Chen's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.

Chen Chen did not dare to be the slightest bit disrespectful to this old man. This old man was a famous strongman under the command of Lord Beifeng, and even his father, Chen Yifeng, had to show respect, let alone him, a junior...

What Chen Chen was most worried about was the exposure of the ancient mirror in his mind sea. It almost contained all his secrets. Not only the ancient mirror, but also the "Ningshen Wenda Jue," the black crystal of the earth vein, and the large number of black stone fish, all of which were treasures that would make people envious. If they were exposed, with his current strength, he couldn't protect them, and it might even bring him deadly trouble.

Although this old man could be considered an old acquaintance and had some connection with his father, Chen Yifeng, Chen Chen was always cautious. He would never easily reveal those things, as it could lead to endless trouble...

"Hehe, what kind of look is that, boy? It's just that you killed someone, why do you need to hide? Would I harm you?" Seeing Chen Chen acting foolishly, Shi Tai glared at him and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that after just a few days, you could even kill a cultivator at the eighth level of the Blood Fusion Realm. I underestimated you back then!"

"Hehehe..." Chen Chen touched his nose and laughed dryly, secretly relieved. He thought Old Shi had discovered something mysterious, but it turned out he was overthinking. The old man was talking about something else.

"Brother Chen Chen, have you started cultivating?" Hearing their conversation, Dantai Wannings, walking beside them, showed a curious look.

Earlier, the young girl had already sensed the aura of a cultivator from Chen Chen, but since Chen Chen didn't say anything, she didn't dare to ask, fearing she might anger her brother Chen Chen. Now that Old Shi had brought it up, she naturally wanted to know more.

"Yes, I learned some things in a small sect a few months ago, but it's nothing much!" Facing their suspicious looks, Chen Chen dodged the question, speaking lightly.

"Why did you leave later, Brother Chen Chen?" Dantai Wannings, like a curious little girl, kept asking, seemingly very concerned about everything about her brother Chen Chen, wanting to know more.

Unfortunately, this question clearly touched a sore spot for Chen Chen.

"That sect... was destroyed..." He closed his eyes slightly and responded calmly, not saying more.

"This..."

Hearing this, Dantai Wannings and Old Shi were both shocked, but they were both smart and quickly connected the dots.

"Cough, cough... Boy, don't take it to heart. This world is cruel, and even cultivators like me might die with regrets one day. It's all up to fate, not by our will..." The old man coughed awkwardly, sighing, his face slightly embarrassed.

"Brother Chen Chen, I'm sorry..." Dantai Wannings looked sad, seemingly understanding Chen Chen's pain, and apologized carefully.

"Hehe, it's nothing, Senior Old Shi is right. It's all up to fate, and there's no one to blame..." Chen Chen himself was very calm, waving his hand indifferently.

The current Chen Chen was like a wounded young tiger. He knew how to hide his sharpness and slowly accumulate strength. Some things, like complaining to heaven or beating his chest, were useless. What truly mattered was doing something one day...

Seeing Chen Chen's calmness, Dantai Wannings' beautiful eyes curved into two crescent moons, and she shook her fair wrist cutely, encouraging him, "Wannings believes that one day, those who hurt Brother Chen Chen will suffer a hundredfold, and no one will escape!"

"Hehe, girl, you really have high hopes for your Brother Chen Chen..." Chen Chen was speechless. This girl seemed to treat the powerful figures like cats and dogs, thinking revenge could be achieved so easily in a short time...

At this moment, Dantai Wannings seemed to think of something, her beautiful eyes filled with joy, and she turned to Old Shi, pleading softly, "Grandpa Shi, since Brother Chen Chen has nowhere to go now, can you..."

"Hehe, I know what you're going to say, girl," Old Shi interrupted her with a bitter smile, affectionately patting the young girl's head and shaking his head helplessly, "You should know that this isn't something I can solve by pleading. You know the rules of Luoyun Sect. Even your father, Lord Beifeng, who has a close relationship with Luoyun Sect, has to follow the rules to send you to the sect, let alone others!"

"Then, what if Brother Chen Chen also participates in the selection? Can you, Grandpa Shi, make the manager turn a blind eye and not make it too difficult for him?" The girl was still not giving up, her beautiful eyes filled with hope.

"This... there are some ways, and I do have some connections with the old fellows responsible for the Yunzhou South Region selection this time, but unfortunately..." Old Shi glanced at Chen Chen regretfully and sighed, "This boy has been cultivating for too short a time. Let's wait two more years. If he can reach the ninth level of the Blood Fusion Realm before he turns eighteen, I can help him. This time... the sixth level of the Blood Fusion Realm... is too much of a disadvantage, and there's no need to rush..."

The old man spoke very tactfully, but Chen Chen was very self-aware. He immediately shook his head and smiled at the young girl, "Wannings, I appreciate your kindness, but Senior Old Shi is right. I'm not ready yet. I would only be asking for trouble if I went now!"

When he said this, Chen Chen was very calm. He didn't mean to argue with the old man. After all, the old man wasn't intentionally belittling him; he was just being realistic. His current apparent strength was indeed only at the sixth level of the Blood Fusion Realm...

"Oh..." Dantai Wannings' mood was somewhat low, and she murmured, "If Father Chen had allowed Brother Chen Chen to cultivate back then, it would have been much better. With Brother Chen Chen's talent, his cultivation level wouldn't be lower than mine now..."

Although the young girl's voice was very soft, Chen Chen heard it clearly. He could only sigh inwardly.

In general, this matter couldn't be blamed on his father, Chen Yifeng. Chen Chen, as the only son of the Chen family, was well aware of the mysterious illness in the Chen family. He knew that his father, Chen Yifeng, and the clan elders didn't allow him to cultivate out of good intentions, fearing that he might also suffer an unfortunate fate at the age of eighteen and die for no reason.

Of course, Chen Chen didn't regret taking this path. One reason was that after being captured by the old ghost from Youquan, he had no choice. But more importantly, Chen Chen's nature was to never leave his fate to heaven. He never liked waiting for death. When the old man sighed about "fate over will," Chen Chen believed more in... "My fate is in my hands, not in heaven's!"

On the other side, Dantai Wannings quickly recovered from her low mood. Her beautiful eyes were like clear autumn water, and she decided not to dwell on these matters. She gently pulled Chen Chen's wrist and ran happily toward a nearby small city.

"Brother Chen Chen, that seems to be the Qingyuan County on the map. Let's go explore the streets and find a place to stay..."

From the other end of the mountain path, the young girl's light laughter soon echoed. The group had already crossed a large mountain, and they could see a small city a few miles away, with buildings that exuded an ancient and natural charm...

"Senior Old Shi, does your young lady's friend really have no chance to compete with those young geniuses?"

After Chen Chen and the others left, one of Dantai Wannings' attendants, a servant with a strong aura, stepped forward and asked the old man respectfully.

This servant not only had a strong cultivation but was also clearly very loyal to Dantai Wannings. He knew that the young girl would be sad about this matter for a long time, so he had temporarily buried his disappointment and now came to ask if there was any chance for a turnaround.

"Deshou, I know that over the years, you have cared about the young girl more than your own life, and you can't bear to see her suffer in the slightest," Old Shi shook his head with a bitter smile, not treating the loyal servant with disdain but explaining seriously, "The young geniuses competing for the chance to join Luoyun Sect are all very capable. You know that, according to past trends, ninety percent of them are at the ninth level of the Blood Fusion Realm or higher. I don't want Chen Yifeng's boy to participate because I'm concerned that he might be defeated and lose his self-esteem, which could affect his future cultivation..."

"But... I clearly felt that Young Master Chen Chen's body is