151: Tour of Beijing

"In the ancient city, I hear the beautiful woman play her zither."

"Under the bright starry night sky, I watch children release sky lanterns."

Amidst the melodious background music, Zhou Yan and his group finally entered the Great Yu Imperial Capital.

Despite some unpleasantness regarding the boat blockade earlier, they eventually entered the city smoothly.

Though night had fallen, the Imperial Capital was still brightly lit and bustling.

Unlike Jiangzhou Prefecture, the overall layout of the Imperial Capital bore some resemblance to Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, incorporating modern elements, likely because it was the most prosperous city in Great Yu and had significant interaction with the Eastern Region.

Although still far from the cultivation-themed sci-fi city Zhou Yan had personally designed, the sight of the Imperial Capital was nonetheless stunning.

Various islands floated in the air, magnificent pavilions hung high, and along the incredibly wide streets were shops jointly operated by Mortals and Cultivators.

Wang Yao and the others were shopping together on the street, while Shi Suiyan remained by Zhou Yan's side.

Zhou Yan gazed blankly at the magnificent city before him, and the wisp of human warmth, an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

Especially with the perfectly timed background music, his emotions surged uncontrollably.

Jiangzhou was bustling before, but not as lively as it was now.

Now, it truly felt like walking through a bustling main city in an online game, with the clamor of human voices.

It was as if the online games he once played had become reality, and he had replaced the game characters, stepping into their lives.

Once he started thinking this way, Zhou Yan couldn't help but recall the longing he felt when he played games, exploring various nostalgic maps and storylines.

Back then, game graphics were crude and mechanics outdated, yet due to their novelty and sentimental value, they always kept people playing.

This also brought back Zhou Yan's carefree days of playing games while eating.

Thinking of this, he inexplicably felt a tightness in his chest.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?" Shi Suiyan noticed his unusual expression and stepped forward, asking with concern.

"Nothing, it's my first time in the Imperial Capital, just a bit overwhelmed," Zhou Yan replied casually.

He might have initially been amazed by the city, but the subsequent emotional fluctuations were clearly more than just that.

However, Shi Suiyan didn't press further, merely following silently beside him, paying closer attention.

Seeing that she didn't ask, Zhou Yan also breathed a sigh of relief.

In the past, recalling memories didn't feel like anything, but now, the scenery stirred his emotions, and his thoughts continued to spread.

Zhou Yan had to admit now that he was a little homesick.

Unlike typical novel protagonists, Zhou Yan had both parents, a happy family, and was a recent college graduate whose life was just beginning to flourish, only for it to abruptly end. It was inevitable that he felt unwilling.

When he first arrived in this world, the novelty, the allure of cultivation, and the continuous pressure left him little time to recall the warmth of home.

He also instinctively avoided these emotions that might weaken him and hinder his current progress.

However, scenery stirring emotions is often so unreasonable; once the emotions are there, nothing can stop them.

Zhou Yan walked to the center of the street, gazing at the prosperous city and the bustling crowd, his emotions growing more intense.

Fortunately, he wasn't an only child, and someone at home was looking after his parents, but he still felt a sense of indebtedness.

He just wondered if there would be a chance to go home and visit in the future, and of course, it would be best to return with his cultivation.

However, since this was a Xuanhuan world, even the most bizarre things could happen. Since he could Transmigrate here, there might not be no possibility of returning.

Since that was the case, why not set another goal? If there was an opportunity in the future, he must go home and visit.

People are often like this: they always yearn for the unknown, but once they truly venture into the unknown, they constantly ponder how to do this, how to handle that, completely unaccustomed to that life.

After finally adapting, they begin to miss their old life because they've lost it.

But while memories are beautiful, if they were to truly return, perhaps they would feel unwilling again.

In Zhou Yan's view, Transmigration to another world was no different from a college student entering society for the first time, traveling alone to a foreign land, or starting a new job.

They all stood at a new starting point in life, facing unfamiliar things and environments.

It was just that the latter adapted faster because they were still in the same, almost identical, worldview.

If not for his cheat, he might have just changed worlds and continued to face the "corporate slave" life of another world.

Lost in thought, Zhou Yan suddenly felt someone bump his shoulder and instinctively blurted out.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't notice just now."

The other person simply replied faintly.

"It's fine."

With that, they brushed past and left.

The moment they passed, Zhou Yan sensed something was off. He sharply turned his head, only to find no one behind him.

This sudden change made his heart race, instantly dispelling his myriad thoughts from earlier.

He then realized he was still in danger and this was no time to indulge in memories.

The reason Zhou Yan turned around abruptly was that he had reached Foundation Establishment Perfection. Even without relying on the mini-map, he could instinctively sense his surroundings when his mind was clear.

Just like when he met that Provincial Graduate cosplaying Senior Su on the pleasure boat earlier.

Unless the other person deliberately bumped into him, he couldn't have bumped into anyone.

What alarmed him even more was that not only did his Divine Sense not detect anything, but even the mini-map showed no information about the other party.

This meant that the other party either had strength far surpassing Soul Transformation, making them undetectable by scanning.

Or they were in a different space, like the Old Shrimp he encountered before, unable to be displayed due to a different map.

But since the other party bumped into him, it meant they were in the same space.

Such close contact, yet the panel still didn't refresh.

It wasn't even a panel full of question marks like Meng Ke's, but rather no panel at all, as if no one had been there.

But Zhou Yan was certain it was not an illusion.

"Senior Brother, are you feeling unwell? Shall we find a place to rest first?" Shi Suiyan asked again with concern.

However, these words only made Zhou Yan's expression grow a bit more solemn.

Because this proved that Shi Suiyan hadn't seen that person either, otherwise she wouldn't have said that.

And when he tried hard to recall, he only remembered the other person saying, "It's fine," but their appearance and voice were blurred.

"My heavens," Zhou Yan cursed inwardly.

It was already outrageous enough that Great Yu had a “Dragon” Brother; there couldn't possibly be another expert, could there?

But then he thought, if there truly was such a powerful enemy, the Sect would have warned him long ago and told him to flee.

After all, if this was a certain death situation, there would be no meaning in undergoing trials, and his cheap master would definitely not let him go.

Hopefully, that person just passed by.

Zhou Yan kept the incident in mind but didn't voice it.

"I'm fine, I might just be tired these past two days."

"I'll go call them back. It's getting late, we need to find a place to stay."

"Tomorrow, we also need to pay a visit to Senior Brother Li Wenbo."

With that, Zhou Yan followed the mini-map's guidance to find his other companions.

Only Shi Suiyan remained, frowning in thought.

She watched Zhou Yan's retreating figure, pondering inwardly.

"Could Senior Brother be developing a Heart Demon...?"

He had only been cultivating for a few months, so it shouldn't be the case. With his personality, he didn't seem like someone who would develop a Heart Demon early due to obsession.

Although his cultivation improved extremely quickly, Shi Suiyan had investigated and found that his Foundation was even more stable than hers, not like someone whose Realm soared, leading to the proliferation of Heart Demons.

However, in Shi Suiyan's heart, it was unlikely for Zhou Yan to develop a Heart Demon, but the Major Thousand Worlds held countless wonders, and she feared the 'what if'.

Shi Suiyan remained uneasy and decided to pay more attention to Zhou Yan's condition from now on.

With that thought, she resumed her usual smile and quickly followed after him.

"Senior Brother, wait for me, I'll go with you."