440: Yinjiang Li Family-Li Yuanfeng (two in one)

Jun Li returned to Lanbian Fortress along the original path.

Even though she had traversed it once and dealt with several waves of demonic attacks, effectively clearing the area, Jun Li still encountered two more attacks on her way back: one with six Ghouls and another with four Ghouls.

The Ghouls likely passed through or wandered into the area; although they prefer 'dead things,' they will still attack if they passively encounter living beings, as 'unprocessed living things' can simply be killed to become 'food.'

Upon returning to Lanbian Fortress.

"You're back? Any gains?" The Commander happened to be near the gate. Seeing Jun Li return, he put down what he was doing and walked over to ask.

"It went smoothly! I followed the trail and found a Day Roaming Ghost, an Innate Realm creature. It has been dealt with," Jun Li told the Commander.

"Excellent! As expected of a Sword Immortal! This skill is truly formidable!" The Commander's expression showed a hint of shock upon hearing that Jun Li had resolved the matter so quickly. He said to Jun Li with some emotion, "I initially approached this with a 'let's try' mentality, but I must say, a Sword Immortal is indeed an expert!"

After all, the deeds of Sword Immortals have always been recounted, and the Commander naturally knew about them.

Sword Immortals are not only powerful but also extremely skilled at slaying demons and devils.

When he first met Jun Li, it was out of respect and admiration for a Sword Immortal. Arranging a pass for her was merely a small favor, as it was just a pass, not a rare item; it was simply a convenience.

Unexpectedly, Jun Li provided him with a satisfying answer.

In less than a day, this long-standing problem that had troubled them was resolved.

"Please wait a moment, I'll get your pass!" the Commander told Jun Li.

"Alright." Jun Li nodded, standing quietly.

A moment later, the Commander walked over and handed Jun Li a pass with a stamp and some anti-counterfeit marks.

In addition, there was a small pouch.

"This is the pass, and this is the bounty," the Commander said, handing both items to Jun Li.

"The pass is enough; the bounty isn't necessary," Jun Li said, shaking her head slightly.

"No, no, no! One thing at a time! And this is something I have to report anyway; it's not from me personally. It's about the matter itself, and it's well-deserved," the Commander said, waving his hand at Jun Li.

"Alright then! Thank you!" Jun Li nodded. Since he put it that way, she accepted it.

She took the pass, glanced at it, and then directly put it and the money pouch into her storage ring.

"Then I shall take my leave!" Seeing that the matter was concluded, Jun Li prepared to depart.

"Farewell, Sword Immortal! Oh! Right, this is a general map of Luzhou. If you don't mind, please take a look." The Commander took a map from a nearby table and handed it to Jun Li.

"This is truly the most useful thing for me!" Jun Li said with a smile as she took the map.

"Then I really did give you the right thing!" The Commander shrugged and smiled, then his expression turned a bit serious: "Although cities are under the management of the Imperial Dynasty, this is only in name. The Imperial Dynasty's yamen in most cities cannot manage many things.

And Sword Immortal... Hmm, you need to be careful... it might be a bit difficult. This isn't like your time here at Lanbian Fortress..."

"Hmm, I understand! I'll be careful, don't worry!" Jun Li paused when she heard the Commander's reminder, then nodded with a smile.

Other things aside, she wouldn't allow herself to be at a disadvantage.

If there truly were people who didn't know their place, Jun Li was not some obedient girl...

Her sword was not only efficient at killing demons, but even more so at killing people!

"Since that's the case, I can only respectfully see off the Sword Immortal!" the Commander nodded and said.

"Hmm, thank you!" Jun Li nodded, then took the map and left Lanbian Fortress.

The Commander watched Jun Li's departing back, his eyes narrowing slightly: "Sword Immortal... Alas, I wonder if there's still a glimmer of hope in today's world..."

He could only offer a reminder. What to do, what could be done, he had no way of knowing; he was just a small fortress commander.

Moreover, let alone him, even those above him, the entire Imperial Dynasty couldn't manage it, let alone him.

Jun Li walked along the road, looking at the map.

The nearest city was a place called Yinjiang City.

She just needed to follow this main road straight ahead.

As she walked, there were forks in the road, but those led to other cities, further away, though they would pass through several small towns along the way.

Jun Li did not change her mind and continued forward.

She had only walked for less than ten minutes when she heard the sound of horses and carriage wheels.

Jun Li turned her head to look.

A carriage approached from behind, with several people riding horses, dressed in leather armor, carrying swords, knives, and shields, both in front and behind the carriage. They didn't look like mercenaries, nor soldiers, and their strength was not bad, each of them at the Innate Realm cultivation.

Jun Li glanced at them and slightly moved aside. Already walking on the edge of the road, she stepped off it.

The carriage slowed down as it approached her and finally stopped beside her.

The driver of the carriage was an unsmiling middle-aged man. After the carriage stopped, he still looked straight ahead, his expression unchanged, and he made no movements.

A head peered out of the carriage window; it was a young man of about 20 years old.

"Hey! Do you need to go to Yinjiang City? Want a ride?" the young man called out to Jun Li.

"?" Jun Li looked at him. So kind?

The young man saw Jun Li's indifferent expression and felt that he might have been a bit abrupt, so he stepped down from the carriage.

Only then did Jun Li see his full appearance.

He was quite handsome, dressed in luxurious clothes, clearly of noble or wealthy status, but his cultivation was rather ordinary, barely at the Innate Realm.

"Hello! I am Li Yuanfeng of the Li family in Yinjiang City," Li Yuanfeng said to Jun Li.

"Jun Li." Jun Li nodded in response.

"I have no ill intentions, just offering a ride along the way," Li Yuanfeng said to Jun Li.

"Aren't you afraid I might have malicious intentions?" Jun Li looked at Li Yuanfeng with some puzzlement. Judging by his appearance, he must belong to a rather large family, right? Their strength probably wouldn't be too bad, evident from the group of Innate Realm guards.

Could it be that he was smitten by her beauty? Hmm... that's somewhat possible.

"I trust my feelings," Li Yuanfeng said with a smile. "And, you should be a Sword Immortal, right? Actually, my offer to give you a ride also includes an invitation to visit my home.

Hmm, as for why~"

As Li Yuanfeng spoke, he patted the long sword at his waist.

Looking at him this way, he also seemed to be a Sword Cultivator.

It was unclear if this was just him, or if the Li family of Yinjiang City was like this. If the Li family was like this, then it was a family with a Sword Technique inheritance.

If it was a family with a Sword Technique inheritance, this surprised Jun Li a bit.

She hadn't expected to encounter a family with a Sword Technique inheritance just like that?

"My family has been Sword Cultivators for generations. Of course, our achievements and strength cannot compare to the Sword Sect; we are merely a small family with a few inherited Sword Techniques," Li Yuanfeng continued.

Jun Li roughly understood his thoughts. Because she was a Sword Cultivator, Li Yuanfeng, as a member of a Sword Cultivator family, naturally saw a fellow practitioner. Whether out of kindness, or 'fellow disciple support,' giving her a ride was just a small favor.

And he probably also wanted more Sword Cultivators to join his family.

He likely had the intention of recruiting her, but even if it wasn't successful, it would probably forge a connection.

"You, as a Sword Cultivator, should know how the world is now. When we fellow practitioners meet, we naturally help each other as much as we can. Of course, I'm just extending an invitation; whether you're willing or not is up to you to consider." Li Yuanfeng said to Jun Li, and his demeanor was very poised, his eyes clear, indicating that he was likely not a bad person.

Of course, even if he were a bad person, Jun Li wasn't afraid; her strength was there.

"Then I'll trouble you!" Jun Li thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

After all, she was going to Yinjiang City, and she coincidentally met a 'local magnate' of Yinjiang City. Wasn't this a heaven-sent stroke of luck?

Again, Jun Li always acted on impulse. Since such a thing happened, it must be fate, so she would just follow destiny.

"That's truly wonderful! Get in! Do you mind sharing the carriage with me?" Li Yuanfeng asked Jun Li, "Or you can take the carriage, and I'll ride a horse."

"No need." Jun Li was not the type of person who would feel her purity was stained if she rode alone in a carriage with someone of the opposite sex, or would make a fuss if her hand or shoulder was touched.

She naturally had more of a free-spirited, 'Jianghu' type of personality.

"Then let's go!" Li Yuanfeng smiled and invited Jun Li into the carriage.

The carriage was quite spacious; seating three or four people was not an issue.

So, there was no situation of being squeezed together.

The group continued on their journey.

"I wonder if you have any business in Yinjiang City, Jun Li?" Li Yuanfeng casually brought up a topic.

"Nothing in particular. I'm just traveling around. You can consider it as cultivating my mind and practicing my sword," Jun Li said, shaking her head slightly.

"I see! Well, if you don't mind, when we arrive in Yinjiang City, you can visit my Li family. I see your strength should not be weak. My younger sister loves swords the most, but she has always been troubled by the rarity of female Sword Cultivators. She would probably be very happy to meet you," Li Yuanfeng said to Jun Li. "And if you've just arrived in Yinjiang City, you probably won't find a place to stay right away. My Li family doesn't have much else, but we do have plenty of guest rooms..."

"I can certainly visit. I'll be troubling you then." Jun Li heard Li Yuanfeng's words, thought for a moment, and agreed.

She would have a place to stay then. She figured she would need to stay in Yinjiang City for a while.

After all, she came here to search for her Sect's relics. She would definitely have to thoroughly search and inquire in each place, which was not an easy task.

And the Li family probably had some influence in Yinjiang City, so she could ask them for help then.

"Not at all, not at all! Although our Li family isn't very large in Yinjiang City, it's not small either. But as for guests... we don't see many in a year," Li Yuanfeng said, waving his hand. "It's quite a pleasure to have a guest visit our home!"

"Hmm?" Jun Li looked at Li Yuanfeng curiously, asking with some confusion, "I see you travel with so many Innate Realm guards. Based on this scale, the Li family's influence in Yinjiang City shouldn't be bad, right? With such influence, how can you not have any guests?"

Surely the Li family doesn't make friends with no one?

Li Yuanfeng heard Jun Li's words and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Sigh, what else could it be? Because my Li family is a Sword Cultivator family! Other families basically exclude us. Due to issues with public sentiment, our Li family has developed very well in Yinjiang City, which has further aroused the dissatisfaction and hostility of other families.

But it doesn't matter; I don't care about those guys."

Li Yuanfeng shrugged at the end: "The only force we have good relations with is probably the Imperial Dynasty. We have a good relationship with the yamen in Yinjiang City. Many matters are entrusted to us, and they only seek us out."

Jun Li nodded in understanding.

The Imperial Dynasty belonged to the 'Sword Immortal Faction,' so this was quite normal.

Jun Li pondered for a moment. Based on the information she had gathered so far.

Currently, there seemed to be two factions: the Imperial Dynasty, Sword Immortal families, and the Sword Sect (a loose organization formed by Sword Cultivators) belonged to the 'Sword Immortal Faction.'

And all the other various 'Dao' belonged to the 'Anti-Sword Faction.'

Although she didn't know why, even though they themselves were 'a hundred flowers blooming,' they couldn't tolerate a 'Sword Dao'? They uniquely excluded the Sword Dao.

This made Jun Li a bit confused.

Unlike people living outside, Jun Li was an 'outsider' who had just entered the game.

So she didn't have 'inertia.'

When Jun Li posted this question in the Cross-World Group, everyone started chatting animatedly.

Yi Xin thought for a moment and said, "I think there are several reasons for this. One is that the Sword Dao was 'too strong' before, in every aspect. These new powers didn't want to see the Sword Dao 'dominate.'

So now that the Sword Dao is in decline, they definitely want it to never rise again, and for them to become the future orthodoxy!

Even if a hundred flowers bloom, they will still specifically exclude the Sword Dao, that former 'monarch.'

Another reason is the current reputation of the Sword Dao among the common people, as well as the Imperial Dynasty's bias. This also has a certain impact.

Finally, it's a matter of human nature and the human heart."

Lin Zifeng: "Yi Xin makes some sense. Of course, we don't know the specific situation... Perhaps there's a hidden story behind it, or even some dark force pushing all of this."

Chen Mu: "Don't know what to say, anyway, 6 is right."

Bai Mo: "You guys with more words, I'll follow you."

Jun Li: "Hmm... I don't quite understand..."

Jun Li couldn't quite grasp it, but it was normal. Her life experience was only that tiny bit, especially in terms of character; she hadn't really grown much, after all, she had been in Heaven Sword Mountain for so many years.

However, her will was resilient. After all, loneliness and loss can greatly temper a person's will.

Jun Li received feedback from everyone in the Cross-World Group. Although she didn't fully understand, she kept it in mind.

"What's wrong?" Li Yuanfeng asked curiously, looking at the distracted Jun Li.

"Ah! Nothing! I was just thinking about the Sword Dao." Jun Li came back to herself and said with a slight smile.

"I see! It seems my diligence isn't quite up to par! I need to learn from you!" Li Yuanfeng said somewhat ashamed after hearing Jun Li's words.