Chapter2：Qingniu Town

This was a small town, but calling it a town was a bit of an overstatement. In reality, it was just a larger village named Qingniu Town. Only those villagers living in the nearby mountains, who had little exposure to the outside world, would incessantly refer to it as "Qingniu City." This was the sentiment of Zhang Er, who had been a gatekeeper for more than a decade.

Qingniu Town was indeed small, with only one main street running east to west called Qingniu Street. There was also just one inn in the town, the Qingniu Inn, located at the western end of the elongated town. Consequently, if travelers did not wish to sleep outdoors, they had no choice but to stay here.

At that moment, a carriage that clearly had traveled a long distance entered Qingniu Town from the west. It sped past the front door of the Qingniu Inn without stopping and continued all the way to the other end of the town, finally coming to a halt in front of the Chunxiang Tavern.

The Chunxiang Tavern was not particularly large and even a bit dilapidated, yet it had an antique charm. Since it was lunchtime, the tavern was nearly full of diners, with hardly an empty seat to be found.

A round-faced, mustachioed, and rather plump man, along with a dark-skinned boy of about ten years old, alighted from the carriage. The man strode into the tavern with the boy in tow, without any hesitation. Some of the regular patrons recognized the man as "Han Fatty," the owner of the tavern, but no one knew who the boy was.

"Old Han, this dark-skinned kid looks a lot like you. Could it be that he's your secret lovechild?" someone joked.

This remark caused a burst of laughter among the onlookers.

"Phew! This is my nephew from my family. Of course, he looks a bit like me," Han Fatty replied, not at all offended and even somewhat proud.

These two were none other than Lee and his uncle, who had just arrived in town after three days of travel and were commonly referred to as "Han Fatty."

After greeting a few regulars, Han Fatty led Lee to a secluded courtyard at the back of the tavern.

"Lee, rest well in this room and conserve your energy. I'll call you when the Inner Sect official arrives. I need to go out for a bit and attend to some regular customers," Han Fatty said amicably, pointing to a room in the courtyard.

With that, he hurried out, but at the door, he seemed a bit uneasy and added, "Don't wander around. The town is crowded, and you might get lost. It's best not to leave the courtyard."

"Okay!" Lee replied obediently.

Seeing Lee's agreeable response, Han Fatty finally left with a sense of relief.

Once his uncle had left, Lee felt very tired and promptly fell asleep on the bed, without any of the shyness one might expect from a child in an unfamiliar place.

In the evening, a servant brought in some food. Though it was not a feast, it was still quite tasty. After Lee finished eating, the servant returned to clear away the leftovers. Only then did his uncle walk in leisurely.

"How was the food? Do you miss home a bit?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little," Lee replied meekly.

His uncle seemed pleased with Lee's response and began chatting with him about family matters, regaling him with amusing stories from his own experiences. Gradually, Lee felt more at ease and began to laugh and talk with him freely.

This went on for two days.

On the third day, after Lee had finished dinner and was waiting for his uncle to tell him more stories about the martial world, another carriage pulled up in front of the tavern.

This carriage was entirely painted black and gleamed under the light. The horse pulling it was a rare and fine specimen, a yellow-painted steed. Most eye-catching of all was a small triangular black flag with the character "Xuan" (meaning "Mystery") embroidered on it, with silver characters and red borders, exuding an air of mystery.

At the sight of this flag, any experienced martial artist within hundreds of miles would know that an important figure from one of the two major powers in the region, the "Seven Mysteries Sect," had arrived.

The "Seven Mysteries Sect," also known as the "Seven Absolutes Sect," was founded by the renowned "Seven Absolutes Ancestor" two hundred years ago. It once dominated the state of Jing for decades and even extended its influence to several neighboring states, becoming well-known throughout the entire Yue Kingdom. However, after the death of the "Seven Absolutes Ancestor," the sect's power declined sharply. It was expelled from the capital of Jing by rival factions and forced to relocate to the most remote area of Jing, Xianxia Mountain, where it became a third-rate local power.

As the saying goes, "A dead camel is still bigger than a horse." Despite its decline, the Seven Mysteries Sect still possessed considerable potential. Once settled in Xianxia Mountain, it quickly took control of more than a dozen small towns, including Qingniu Town, and had three to four thousand disciples. It was truly one of the two major powers in the region.

The only other force that could rival the Seven Mysteries Sect was the "Wild Wolves Gang."

The Wild Wolves Gang originated from a group of bandits in Jing who were known for their brutal and bloodthirsty behavior. After several attempts by the authorities to eliminate them, some accepted amnesty, while others formed the Wild Wolves Gang. Their fierce and fearless nature was inherited from their bandit predecessors, which often gave them the upper hand in conflicts with the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Although the Wild Wolves Gang controlled more towns, they were not as prosperous as those under the Seven Mysteries Sect. Envious of the wealthier territories under the sect's control, the gang frequently instigated conflicts, causing great headaches for the current leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect. This was also the main reason why the sect had been actively recruiting new disciples in recent years.

A man in his forties, thin and agile, jumped down from the carriage. Clearly skilled in martial arts, he seemed very familiar with the place and strode directly toward the room where Lee was staying.

Upon seeing this man, Lee's uncle immediately approached and bowed respectfully.

"Protector Wang, why have you come in person?"

"Humph!" Protector Wang snorted coldly, his face filled with arrogance.

"The roads have not been safe lately, and we need to enhance our defenses. The elders ordered me to come and lead the recruits personally. Stop wasting time. Is this boy the one you're recommending?"

"Yes, yes, he is my nephew. I hope you will look after him on the journey," Han Fatty replied, quickly producing a heavy bag from his person and discreetly handing it over.

Protector Wang weighed the bag in his hand, and his expression softened slightly.

"Han Fatty, you know how to handle things! I'll take care of your nephew on the way. It's getting late; let's get moving."