232 A Man Once More

Arriving at the gate leading to the inner city, Xue Wei found that they were not the only ones who had decided to show up early. At least thirty experts were already waiting in a queue, but Xue Wei said nothing and just moved to the end of the queue, his eyes distant as he regularly scanned the area.

Time ticked by slowly, but no one there really minded waiting. They were all cultivators and thus they could spend the time refining the heaven-and-earth essence into Qi. The time was in no way wasted.

The sunset came, and finally, it was night. Although the sun had set, the entire city was still alive with a buzz of activity and it was as light as day with light orbs on every house and wall. Soft light flooded out from every shop and house, inviting the wayward customers inside with alluring scents and promises of cheap deals.

A loud bang resounded in the area around the gate before a creaking sound could be heard and the massive inner city gate was pushed open by ten Ordinary Knights.

"Five low-grade essence stones a person is the price to enter the inner city. While you are there, you must follow the rules of the inner city. If you do not, you will be punished according to the law!" one of the guards called out with a clear voice. He spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly. It was clear that the guards here knew those words by heart already from having to repeat it every time.

Xue Wei was not surprised. From what information they had gathered earlier, it was clear that the inner city was incredibly important to Tianxian City, and that only the best of the best were allowed to settle inside.

They soon found that it was not only a matter of paying an entrance fee. Not only did they have to pay low-grade essence stones, they also needed a purpose. Every person was interrogated when they reached the gates, and the procession into the city was rather slow.

After half an hour, it was finally Xue Wei's turn. He looked at the guard in front of him and handed him the low-grade essence stones.

"What is your purpose within the inner city?" the guard asked the routine question. The other three looked at Xue Wei. "We have been invited by Prophet Lan," Xue Wei said honestly.

There was no reason for him to lie about this fact, because anyone could figure out their purpose if they followed them as they headed straight to Lan's residence.

"Prophet Lan invited you to his residence?" The guard frowned and looked at them. Although their clothes were made from Fierce Beast Silk, it did not seem as if there was anything special about them. Why would Prophet Lan pay attention to such a normal family?

"Yes, I had the pleasure of encountering Prophet Lan on one of my travels, and he invited me to come to visit him. It so happens that we were in Tianxian City and wished to visit him." Xue Wei did not back down. He was neither humble nor arrogant, and spoke straightforwardly and elegantly. His demeanor not one bit inferior to a superior cultivator.

The guard was secretly shocked. This young woman was quite dignified, and he could not help but do a double take at her, unaware that it was actually a man who had dressed as a woman.

Still, he did not dare say anything knowing that it would be a disaster for their Dragon Hunter Guards if they erroneously blocked the guests of Prophet Lan entry.

"Enter, but remember to follow the rules. Additionally, I will send someone to lead you towards Lan's residence,"the guard finally sighed and said, waving and nodding at someone beside him.

Xue Wei cupped his hands in gratitude and entered through the gate, where an Ordinary Knight was waiting for them. Their escort stared at the female Xue Wei curiously.

"This way," he said politely, gesturing for them to follow him, and started walking through the beautiful inner city.

The inner city was many times more beautiful than the outer city. Where the outer city was filled to the brim with houses that had been pressed together, the houses in the inner city were not as compact. In fact, all of them were mansions that had their individual gardens. None of the mansions were attached to one another.

Although there were few stores, these stores also occupied mansions and the luxurious items for sale in these mansions could not be compared to any that were sold in the outer city.

They walked for a long time in silence. They had entered from the eastern side of the inner city, and Prophet Lan's mansion was at the western side - right next to the Baixing Lake. In fact, the wall that surrounded Prophet Lan's property went into the water on both sides of the lake.

After walking for what felt like an eternity in a very awkward silence, they finally made it to the mansion. Xue Wei was considering how to get rid of the guard that was leading them, as he could not introduce himself as 'Xue Wei' with him present, but he realized that he did not need to bother right as they reached the mansion. Lan was waiting outside, and his eyes landed on Xue Wei the moment they were within reach.

At first, silence permeated the air. The guard was wondering what was going on, but then Lan collapsed into a chair that was standing by his side. His shoulders were trembling uncontrollably, he slapped his thigh, and tears fell from his eyes as he erupted with the kind of laughter that one would think he would die from.

Xue Wei's face turned black. He was acutely aware of what had caused him to laugh like this, but the guard was completely shocked by this uncharacteristic display of emotions from the prophet.

"Seriously, don't laugh like that, you might die," Xue Wei said with a dry voice that did not disguise his annoyance the least. Hearing the tone he took with Prophet Lan, the guard was immediately on alert and his eyes showed even signs of hostility. It has to be said that Prophet Lan was one of the most important persons in the entire continent. To be disrespectful towards him was considered a crime.

"Sorry, sorry." Lan waved his hand, wiped a tear from his cheek, and looked at Xue Wei before erupting in yet another fit of laughter.

"You wanted to see me that much, huh?" he asked after getting his shaking shoulders under control, and Xue Wei gave him a fierce glare. "Yes I did, what about it?" he asked with the same dry voice.

"Have you still not considered becoming a part of my collection?" Lan suddenly asked, his voice containing amusement but also hope.

Hearing this, the eyes of the guard widened in shock. He completely misunderstood the words said by Lan. Currently, Xue Wei was in a female disguise. 'She' was speaking rudely to Lan, but he did not even bat an eyelid. And to boot, he even said he wanted this woman to join his collection. Was this a proposal?

"You there, bring my thanks to the Dragon Hunter Guards for leading this group here," Lan finally turned towards the guard, addressing him, "I have some important matters to deal with now, so I will have to invite my guests into my mansion and entertain them."

The guard was astonished when he heard the esteemed Lan thank him, so he quickly saluted before excusing himself.

The group of people entered the mansion. "Here, go in there and change your clothes and take the disguise off." Lan pointed at one of the first rooms they encountered. "I can imagine that you are rather unhappy with the current situation, and don't worry, no one will dare to make a move on you when you are in my mansion."

Xue Wei heaved a heavy sigh of relief and entered the room, where he quickly changed from a green dress into a red robe. He did not wear his armor as he was still within Lan's mansion. As Lan had said, this place was safe.

When he came out, a smile was on his face. Xue Wei was clearly very pleased with being a man once more.

Looking at the relaxed smile on Xue Wei's face, Lin Xiao, Hei Gou and Bai Tianyi could not help but feel slightly guilty, but the truth was that they had no option back then.

"Come with me," Lan said before dragging them into a study with a big round table in the middle where nine people could sit.

"Sit," he said, gesturing for the quartet to take a seat. They sat opposite of him, in a single file.

"So, my dear Wei, have you thought about what you can give me in return for the answers you want?" Lan asked with a great smile on his face. Xue Wei knew that it was time.

"I assume you are not interested in inscriptions?" Xue Wei tried asking, but the disinterested expression on Lan's face told him enough.

"What do you want?" Xue Wei finally asked.

Lan could not help but grin. "You are going to leave this continent, right?" he asked and Xue Wei, albeit surprised, was not overly worried about how he knew. Instead, he just nodded his head.

"What do you want?" Xue Wei resided in asking.

Lan could not help but grin. "You are going to leave this continent right?" he gleamed towards Xue Wei who, albeit surprised, was not overly worried about how Lan knew. Instead, Xue Wei just nodded his head.

"Well, that is perfect. I can't really leave the continent for the time being, but if you enter the Demon Phoenix Continent, you can get me something very rare that I have wanted for a long time."

"Demon Phoenix Continent?" Xue Wei was confused. He had never heard of such a continent before, but the truth was that he had never heard of any specific continent other than theirs, which was named Chang'an.

"Well, where were you planning on going?" Lan asked curiously. Xue Wei scratched his head embarrassedly. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "As long as it is not here. As long as it is somewhere we can be free, then it is good."

Xue Wei was tired of their constant fleeing. He wanted to have a different kind of life.

Lan contemplated for some time before he nodded his head. "Then you should go to the Demon Phoenix Continent," he said seriously. "That is a place much more chaotic than the Chang'an continent, but it is also much more suitable for you. The stronger you are, the more revered you will be. There are a few factions, and although these factions have some disagreements, it is quite far from the full-out ethnic war between the humans and the beasts here."

"The races on the Demon Phoenix Continent are also rather interesting," he continued, trying his very best to sell this place to Xue Wei. Seeing his mannerism, Xue Wei could not help but chuckle.

"So what is it you want me to find for you?" Xue Wei asked curiously. It could not be a simple thing.

"It is a Thunder Flame Crown," Lan said casually, as if it was the most common thing in the world, but Xue Wei had a feeling that this so-called crown was likely the most precious thing on that entire continent. Still, beggars can't be choosers.

"I will do what I can to get it, but I cannot do more than what my ability will allow me to do," Xue Wei promised. Hearing this promise, Lan considered Xue Wei's conditions for a moment or two before nodding his head.

"Okay," he agreed readily. "Now ask your questions. I will answer as many of them as I can."