A Chaotic World

Chapter 111: Herbal Paradise

Lu Tianzi might have lost to Nanhuang Jiansheng before, but he did not consider himself to be beneath the latter.

When he faced Nanhuang Jiansheng previously, Lu Tianzi had been riding the high from being top ranked in the Nine Suns Trial, having defeated twenty eight Peak Essence Condensation realm opponents in a row.

After which, he personally experienced the representatives of the various influences trying their best to leave a good impression on him at Bluenight Palace.

All these had inflated his ego to the point of overconfidence, which in turn resulted in carelessness that had caused him to lose in a single strike!

Moreover, that was also partially because Lu Tianzi was forced to refrain from tapping into his Spiritual Essence system.

Had he been allowed to go all out, Lu Tianzi believed that even if he had to suffer a disadvantage in the first exchange, it would not have been to the point of being struck directly in the chest.

And as long as he had been able to regain his footing, he would still stand a good chance of matching, if not defeating Nanhuang Jiansheng!

Of course, that was talking about their true strengths.

In the upcoming Scarlet Moon Heroes Meet, Lu Tianzi knew full well that he would be fighting with a similar handicap.

As for these Four Stars of Scarlet Moon City, as long as they were still within the Essence Condensation realm, just how strong could they be in comparison?

But despite his curiosity, Lu Tianzi knew better than to butt into the argument.

Even though they were one of those visitors who had just been insulted, the other party had made a sweeping statement, and was not specifically directing it towards them.

Getting worked up for such a small reason, that young lady would have to personally bear the consequences of her own bad temper!

"I-I" the young lady stammered.

Saying the words 'I am sorry' was not difficult.

As long as she had been in the wrong, having to apologise was no big deal.

The difficulty was in having to say those words even though she was only standing up for herself.

No, she was not just standing up for herself either.

She was standing up for all the young geniuses who had entered the capital to attend the Scarlet Moon Heroes Meet!

"You, you, you what?" Jiao mocked. "I don't understand what you are saying at all!"

"Weren't you very arrogant just now? Why are you suddenly stuttering now?" Bie chimed in immediately.

The young girl clenched her fists in indignation as she swept her gaze over the others in the restaurant.

She was sure that there were others present who were just like them, having come to the capital to attend the Scarlet Moon Heroes Meet. However, it was apparent that none of them was willing to support her at this point.

Bunch of cowards!

The young lady cursed in her heart.

But no matter how unwilling she was, the young lady had arrived in the capital a week ago, and had quite a good understanding about the politics within the Scarlet Moon City by now.

Therefore, she knew as well that the Four Stars were existences that she simply could not afford to offend.

Otherwise, even the influence that she belonged to might suffer due to her actions today!

She had no options other than to apologise to these arrogant bastards from the capital!

At this moment, the seated Peng suddenly burst out into laughter.

In this solemn situation where tension was running high, his sudden outburst naturally drew the attention of everyone present.

"Hahaha! Relax, Miss," Peng waved his hand nonchalantly. "My companions are just a little too drunk, that is why they had spouted so much rubbish. Let me apologise to you for their rude actions!"

After saying that, Peng toasted towards the young lady and emptied his wine cup in one go.

"I-I see," the young lady's stiffened body finally relaxed as she involuntarily let out an awkward smile.

Her companions behind heaved a sigh of relief as well.

After Peng spoke, the rowdy Jiao and Bie acted like pets that just received new instructions from their master, immediately returning to their seats in an obedient manner.

"Don't worry about it. I will not take offence," the young lady returned the toast and emptied her cup as well.

"Hahaha! Good!" Peng laughed out once more. "We might have started off on the wrong foot, but it is still fate that has brought us into contact. So why don't we make each other's acquaintances?"

The young lady was surprised by this Peng's friendliness, but naturally did not reject his suggestion.

Even though it was just an indirect link, this was still a chance to establish a connection to one of the Four Stars!

How could she let go of such a rare opportunity?

The two groups did not bother hiding their conversation as they introduced themselves.

The young lady's group was from an influence named Wind Leaf Sect. As expected, they were here for the Scarlet Moon Heroes Meet.

Just like Lu Tianzi's group, they were intending to explore the capital before the Scarlet Moon Heroes Meet commenced in a few days' time.

"Earlier today, we managed to chance upon information about a naturally occurring herbal paradise in the outskirts of Scarlet Moon City. Do you know anything about it?" the young lady asked.

"Oh? The herbal paradise?" Peng was taken aback for a moment before quickly regaining his calm. "What a coincidence! We are about to head there ourselves! Since our destinations are the same, why don't we go over together?"

"Really?" the young lady's face lit up in excitement. "We only have a general idea on how to get there, and are just about to ask you for more information. If you don't mind, then it would be best if we can head there together!"

"Let's do just that," Peng smiled. "Looks like it really is fate that has brought our two groups together! We shouldn't waste anymore time then, the day is going to end soon if we dally any longer. Let's go!"

The two groups were extremely decisive.

After they decided to head over to this herbal paradise, it did not take long before they paid up and left the restaurant.

Even after they left, the others in the restaurant still felt a little confused at what they just witnessed.

What just happened?

Those two groups were just on the verge of coming to blows, yet they suddenly ended up leaving together like friends?

Just where was the logic in this?

But disregarding that, Lu Tianzi's eyes had already lit up in excitement.

Herbal paradise?

Just from the sound of it, it was obvious that there would either be plenty of herbs, or at least a suitably rare herb that was ready for the picking.

Otherwise, it would fail to live up to the word paradise in its name!

"Inscription Master Nanlu Tianzi, just what are you thinking about right now?" Nanlan Qianxue did not miss the bright glint in Lu Tianzi's eyes.

Even though she asked, Nanlan Qianxue already had a good guess in her mind.

"I will be going off for a bit. See you guys back at the residence," Lu Tianzi smiled in response.

"I knew it," Nanlan Qianxue laughed. "The sound of an herbal paradise must have been too tempting for you!"

"Haha" Lu Tianzi scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"Do you need us to come along too?" Nanqing Haowen asked nonchalantly.

"I will be fine on my own. I am just following them, not fighting them," Lu Tianzi shook his head.

"Be careful," Nanhuang Jiansheng cautioned. "Retreat at the first sign of danger."

"Got it," Lu Tianzi nodded before taking his leave.

The group from before had only just left the restaurant, and Lu Tianzi easily caught sight of them.

Lu Tianzi took care to keep his distance, but he also kept his eyes on them, making sure not to lose them.

After all, he had no idea just where this herbal paradise was located. If he lost their trail, then the only thing left for him to do would be to obediently return to the residence.

If he used his perception to lock onto them, he might end up triggering their senses, so that was not a viable option.

Thankfully, his vision was now far better after the repeated refinement of his eyes.

Otherwise, he might really have lost the group in the sea of bustling crowds!

It did not take long before they left the busy streets, heading towards the borders of Scarlet Moon City.

In the end, they passed through the gates, leaving the boundaries of the capital in its entirety!

The terrain beyond the city walls were nothing but wide plains that stretched on for a dozen kilometres. After which, dense forests took over in every direction.

After leaving Scarlet Moon City, Lu Tianzi could not help but feel uncomfortable.

While there were still people travelling along the roads, the number of people had decreased by far as compared to that within the capital. And without the cover of the crowds, he would look extremely conspicuous if he continued to follow after them.

Lu Tianzi had no choice but to widen the distance between them, following at as far a distance as possible.

After all, both that Peng and the young lady were at the Peak Essence Condensation realm, and the perception strength of martial artists at their cultivation level was nothing to be scoffed at.

In fact, if not for the jade pendant hanging around his neck, he might have already been discovered long ago!

Hmm?

Thinking about the jade pendant, Lu Tianzi suddenly recalled something.

With a swipe of his spatial ring, an exquisitely made mask appeared in Lu Tianzi's hands.

He had obtained this mask during the grand feast at Bluenight Palace. Back then, the conceited Nanlan Qianbing had tossed this mask over to him while mocking him for being a coward.

At that time, she had also mentioned that the mask had the ability to hide his facial features from the perception of martial artists, allowing him to truly hide his identity.

Lu Tianzi let out a wry smile.

According to Nanlan Qianbing, those were actions suited for cowards.

Yet right now, it seemed like the best course of action for Lu Tianzi would be doing exactly what Nanlan Qianbing had outrightly mocked!

Even though the group in front had yet to notice him, Lu Tianzi needed to ensure that even if they did, they would not be able to recognise him.

After all, he was secretly tailing them in order to obtain the location of the herbal paradise, and that was not something to be proud of!

If he offended the other group by doing so, then it would only do him good to not have his identity revealed!

With that in mind, Lu Tianzi put on the mask without hesitation.

Lu Tianzi was unclear if it was really able to block the powerful perception of martial artists, but having it on was at least better than not having it on.

After that, he continued following after the group.

All of them were martial artists of the Essence Condensation realm, and it did not take long before they were dozens of kilometres away from the city walls.

By then, the group had already entered the dense forest a long time ago, and was finally starting to slow down.

"Are we reaching the herbal paradise?" the young lady asked.

"Oh we have reached, all right," Peng nodded as he finally stopped advancing

"Here?" the young lady was filled with curiosity as she scanned her surroundings. "But why does it seem just like any ordinary part of the forest?"

"Hahaha! That is because it is!" Jiao laughed out from behind Peng.

"What do you mean?" the young lady narrowed her eyes to stare at Jiao before turning towards Peng. "Did you lie to us?"

"Oh don't get me wrong, this is truly the location of the herbal paradise. A year ago, that is!" a sinister grin slowly spread across Peng's face.

"Country bumpkins truly are idiots!" Bie mocked. "Do you think that if there is something like an herbal paradise out here in the wilds, the people of the Scarlet Moon City will just leave it be? The herbal paradise had been emptied out a long time ago! But Peng is not wrong either. This really is the location of the herbal paradise from before!"

"What is the meaning of this?" the young lady gritted her teeth in rage. "Are you toying with us?"

"Toying with you? It is not as simple as that!" Peng scoffed. "You dared to mock us back in the restaurant? For your sins, all of you shall pay with your lives!"