Chapter 1273: Anyuan City

Han Li sat opposite the four women, leaning against the side of the carriage, naturally taking in the unease on their faces.

He had already scanned the grassy area outside the carriage countless times, but everything appeared normal—just ordinary grass with nothing out of the ordinary.

Though puzzled, Han Li showed no outward reaction and remained silent. After all, his knowledge of the Spirit Realm was limited, and he didn’t want to appear overly suspicious.

However, over the past few days, the four women had grown much friendlier toward him, especially the red-robed girl named Quan’er, whom he had saved. She addressed him warmly as “Brother Han” at every opportunity.

Han Li found it somewhat uncomfortable, but given her young age, he couldn’t bring himself to be too cold toward her. As a result, he had engaged in quite a few conversations with Quan’er during this time.

Instead of openly inquiring about the Spirit Realm, he subtly gathered information about the Tian Dong Trading Company.

Through their talks, he learned that the “Madame” they referred to was actually a high-ranking manager overseeing business in over a dozen cities for the Tian Dong Trading Company. She was also the daughter-in-law of the company’s owner and was respectfully addressed as “Madame Fang” by most.

The owner of Tian Dong Trading Company had three sons, and this Madame Fang was the lawful wife of his second son. The couple had been deeply devoted to each other, but the husband had died in an accident over twenty years ago, leaving behind two young children. As a result, Madame Fang had taken over the responsibilities that should have been shared by the couple.

The four women were her personal maids, raised by her since childhood and treated almost like half-daughters, half-servants.

This time, Madame Fang had personally traveled to the remote Anyuan City—partly because the city had paid a high price for their goods, but also because her youngest son, who had been found to possess a Spiritual Root and had joined a cultivation sect, was in Anyuan City and had sent word requesting her assistance.

Concerned for her son, Madame Fang had not only taken charge of the trip but had also left the caravan behind shortly after departure, rushing ahead to Anyuan City with a small escort.

She had assumed that with so many guards and several cultivators accompanying the caravan, there would be no issues under normal circumstances.

Yet, unexpectedly, a low-level insect demon and a snake demon had emerged in the Qing Luo Desert, nearly causing disaster.

Hearing this, Han Li couldn’t help but probe further about the origins of the Tian Dong Trading Company’s owner.

Given the scale of the business, it seemed unlikely that an ordinary person could manage it. To his surprise, the information he received left him stunned.

The owner was indeed a mortal—one without any Spiritual Root or cultivation skills, not even basic martial arts. How could such a person command such a vast enterprise?

Perplexed, Han Li asked vaguely, but even the red-robed girl seemed unclear on the matter.

Seeing this, Han Li dropped the subject, storing the question in his mind for later.

Thus, while he had learned some things during these days, new doubts had also arisen, leaving him somewhat frustrated.

The grassland seemed even vaster than the Qing Luo Desert. After traveling for over a month, the caravan still showed no signs of leaving it.

During this time, the guards and riders remained on high alert, and even the cultivators who usually stayed inside the carriages periodically flew out to patrol the skies, their expressions grave.

Despite the tense atmosphere, after half a month, the caravan finally exited the grassland and entered a hilly region.

The moment they left the grassland, the entire group visibly relaxed. The cultivators returned to their carriages, and the guards resumed their usual banter.

Even the girls in Han Li’s carriage let out long sighs of relief.

The green-robed girl even patted her chest lightly and said with a smile, “Thank goodness we didn’t disturb the wolf beasts of this grassland. Even though it’s not my first time crossing, I’m always terrified.”

“It’s not just you, Sister Xiang’er. Everyone in the caravan was on edge, afraid we’d be unlucky enough to encounter a pack of wolf beasts that had awakened before the ‘Beast Tide.’ If that happened, we’d be doomed—there’s no escaping them in the grassland. Though rare, some trading companies run into this every year,” Liu’er added with a sigh.

“Exactly. I heard Anyuan City spent a fortune ordering so many weapons and a hundred sets of rare ‘spirit tools’ from our Tian Dong Trading Company just to prepare for the Beast Tide,” Quan’er chimed in, tilting her head thoughtfully.

“That’s strange. Anyuan City isn’t large, but it’s not newly built either. Why would they suddenly order so much equipment? Normally, only medium-sized or larger cities would invest so heavily,” the white-robed girl mused.

“It’s not that odd. Maybe a powerful beast horde migrated nearby, or the city is facing a once-in-a-thousand-years ‘Great Beast Tide’—where all nearby beast hordes unite in an attack. That would be hard to fend off,” the blue-robed girl said dismissively.

“That makes sense. Sister Liu’er must be right,” Quan’er agreed with a smile.

Han Li sat cross-legged, seemingly meditating, but he listened intently to their conversation. At the mention of the “Beast Tide,” his brow twitched slightly.

He recalled Zhang Kui, the scar-faced man, mentioning something about a “Scorpion Tide” in the Qing Luo Desert. Could there be a connection?

However, the girls soon moved on to other topics, leaving Han Li with unanswered questions. He continued silently circulating his Vajra Arts to heal his meridians.

Thanks to his rest and the regenerative effects of the Woodborn Pearl, his recovery had progressed faster than expected. His body was mostly healed, and with another half-month of rest, he’d be fully restored.

With the fourth layer of the Vajra Arts and his familiarity with mid-to-low-level cultivation techniques, he estimated he could hold his own against even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for Core Formation cultivators, he’d have to test his strength in battle to know for sure.

Of course, this assumed that the abilities of cultivators in the Spirit Realm were similar to those in the human realm, without any unexpected surprises.

Once out of the grassland, the caravan traveled for just two more days before reaching their destination—a majestic stone city.

Through the carriage window, Han Li saw towering walls over thirty zhang high, with small watchtowers every hundred zhang, making the city appear grand and imposing. The walls stretched endlessly into the distance, their white stone gleaming under the sun.

Strangely, intricate, unfamiliar patterns were carved into the walls, resembling some kind of mystical script, adding an air of mystery to the city.

Han Li was momentarily speechless.

This city was nothing like a “small” settlement. Even the so-called “great cities” of the human realm paled in comparison.

He also noticed uniformed soldiers in iron armor patrolling the walls, while massive crossbows—each loaded with gleaming metal bolts three to four zhang long—were mounted on the watchtowers. The bolts shimmered faintly, suggesting they were low-grade magical artifacts.

Such weapons, if truly enchanted, could likely cripple even a Foundation Establishment cultivator with a single hit.

Lost in thought, Han Li barely noticed as the caravan arrived at the city gates.

The area outside the gates was eerily empty, the massive black doors tightly shut. Soldiers lined the walls above, eyeing the caravan warily from their vantage point.

Zhang Kui urged his giant wolf forward and, without a word, flung a golden token up to the gate.

A commotion ensued as a middle-aged man in silver armor picked up the token, examined it, then glanced down at the caravan.

“Open the gates and inspect the caravan. They’re from the Tian Dong Trading Company,” he ordered.

The soldiers immediately moved to obey, and soon the steel-like gates creaked open, revealing dozens of armed soldiers lining the entrance.

The silver-armored man stepped forward, eyeing Zhang Kui cautiously.

“You’re the leader of the Tian Dong Trading Company?” he asked.

“I am Zhang Kui. I assume you’ve received orders from your city lord. The goods your city ordered are in the caravan,” Zhang Kui replied calmly.

“I have my orders. But these are special times. We must have our cultivators inspect your caravan before allowing entry,” the man said firmly.

“Afraid of demons sneaking in? Fine by me. Inspect as you wish,” Zhang Kui agreed without hesitation.

“Good. Master Li, Master Huang—please conduct the inspection,” the silver-armored man called toward the gate.