Chapter 44: The Hidden Demon King

Sanshan City is located in the southeastern part of Qinghe County and can be considered quite remote. The entire city territory is surrounded by overlapping mountain ranges, and it is most famous for its three distinct peaks, hence the name Sanshan City.

These three peaks are named Shubi, Yuheng, and Feilai.

Due to poverty and isolation, the people of this territory are often disparagingly referred to as "Mountain Barbarians." Many cannot even afford shoes; they traverse mountains and ridges barefoot as if walking on level ground.

As soon as the people of Sanshan City arrive, this year's Three-City Dao Debate can officially begin, as the people from Wangjiang City arrived in the city a day early.

In terms of geographical location, Sanshan City is slightly further away in a straight line, but not by much. However, traveling from Wangjiang City to Fenglin City by water is extremely convenient. One can take a boat down the Qingjiang River and turn into the tributary, the Green Willow River; if the wind is favorable, one can even arrive the same evening they depart.

But walking from Sanshan City to Fenglin City, at a commoner's pace, would take roughly three to four days... and that is only because of the official highways.

This does not mean that the scholars not participating in the debate can rest; during the entire period of the Three-City Dao Debate, they are required to assist the local government in maintaining order. For newly promoted disciples like Ling He and Zhao Rucheng, there is even less possibility of slacking off.

Under these circumstances, even a detachment of the City Guard was deployed to station within the city, leaving them with nothing to complain about.

The Sanshan City procession would certainly enter through the South Gate, so after receiving notice, they stood guard at the South Gate entrance early to welcome them.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Zhao Rucheng yawned incessantly. "If I had known I wouldn't be able to get out of this, I would have entered the competition myself. Why bother giving the slot to Third Brother?"

At this moment, Jiang Wang was rightfully recuperating at home under the guise of preparing for the competition. Meanwhile, those of them who did not have to compete had already been acting as patrol soldiers for three days. The disparity in treatment was truly immense.

"Sigh." Huang Azhan also shook his head. "I only acted out of a momentary softheartedness because Senior Brother Zhang is getting old. Otherwise, I should have been the one leading the team. How could I end up wasting time with you youngsters!"

As a student within the three-year term, no matter how much he boasted, his limit should have been Li Jianqiu. Instead, he had jumped straight to the five-year term, aiming directly for the position of leader. One could only say that the art of bragging knows no bounds.

Zhao Rucheng and Ling He both turned to look at him, casting appreciative glances his way.

"Is that so?"

While Huang Azhan was feeling confused, a low, eerie voice sounded from behind him: "Am I that old?"

Huang Azhan nearly jumped out of his skin. "What I meant to express was... Senior Brother Zhang is highly respected and venerable!"

Zhang Linchuan was standing right behind him, about two paces away, with a half-smile. "For the sake of the greater good of all Fenglin City, how could you be softhearted? Why don't you just take the leadership position back..."

"Ah! Ouch!" Huang Azhan's voice rose and fell rhythmically. "Why does my stomach hurt so much?"

"Please bear with me, fellow brothers and sisters, I shall return shortly." With a pained expression, he clutched his stomach, hunched his back, and bolted away in a flash.

"Return" was, naturally, never going to happen. He would rather be punished by the Dao Academy or have his Dao merits deducted.

Zhao Rucheng curled his lip. He had only been talking nonsense for a moment of excitement, but this Huang Azhan simply didn't know when to stop. It seemed Old Tiger Du had left too early; he hadn't drunk enough wine.

"Senior Brother Zhang." Ling He, being of a proper temperament, first bowed to his senior before asking, "Why have you come?"

Zhang Linchuan nodded in return. "The debate is imminent; I must observe the enemy's situation."

It seemed Dong A had indeed put a lot of pressure on him, to the point where the cleanliness-obsessed man was actually willing to squeeze into a crowd to observe "enemy movements."

In fact, there were quite a few commoners crowding the South Gate. Compared to the wealthy elites of Wangjiang City, they were far more interested in the so-called Mountain Barbarians.

"They're here!"

A commotion erupted ahead; the students from the Sanshan City Dao Academy had finally arrived.

Unlike the cultivators from Wangjiang City, who arrived like they were going on a tour with a retinue of servants, only six people had come from Sanshan City. The number of slots for each city in the debate was exactly six.

They entered through the South Gate in a 1-3-2 formation.

Almost immediately, people's eyes drifted to their feet. It was said that a Mountain Barbarian family only owned one pair of shoes, reserved only for those traveling far.

And they were not disappointed; the girl walking at the very front of the Sanshan City group was indeed barefoot.

Such a scrutinizing gaze, laden with discrimination, would undoubtedly cause displeasure. Therefore, Ling He immediately stepped forward to greet them.

"Fellow Daoists of Sanshan City! Ling He of the Fenglin City Dao Academy has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me; let us first head to the Academy to rest and eat, and I will lead you to familiarize yourselves with the debate grounds a bit later."

Logically, Huang Azhan, being a three-year student, should have been the one to welcome the guests from Sanshan City. However, the coordinating instructor had designated Ling He on the grounds of his better image, and Ling He's sincerity indeed made him well-suited for the task.

Before the people from Sanshan City could even feel offended, they were already following behind Ling He.

To Zhao Rucheng's surprise, the gaze of the commoners crowding the city gate was focused more on the middle of the Sanshan City procession—on a large, rounded, stout figure.

Unlike the others who wore simple and neat martial attire, he was draped in a hooded black robe, his entire face hidden within the hood, making him appear exceptionally strange and conspicuous.

Zhao Rucheng could even hear some people whispering.

"Is that their strongest one?"

"Is that even a question? Look at how he's positioned like the center of the stars! Look at that aura!"

"He looks terrifying."

"Our Fenglin City needs to be on guard!"

"What's there to fear? Zhang Linchuan of the Zhang family is no pushover!"

"He doesn't look like a vegetarian to me... last time he came to our restaurant, he didn't even touch the bear paws; he only ate a few bites of green vegetables. And I was the one who served them!"

The topic gradually drifted off course...

As for the little girl walking at the front of the Sanshan City group, she was simply too harmless. Even though she was indeed beautiful, petite, and cute, the world of cultivators was a cruel one; only the truly strong were given importance.

As part of the welcoming party, Zhao Rucheng naturally engaged in casual conversation with the Sanshan City cultivators, but these people were quite taciturn. Furthermore, they were very attentive to their formation, keeping the black-robed figure firmly protected in the center, as if they were afraid someone might study their secret magical artifacts.

Young Master Zhao pretended to try and squeeze through a few times but failed, so he gave up.

However, he noticed that as the roadside commoners gossiped, the expressions of these Sanshan City cultivators... were somewhat strange.

Zhang Linchuan did not stay with them; he merely squeezed through the crowd to take a few looks before departing.

Under Ling He's enthusiastic introduction and the barefoot girl's laconic responses, the group turned right and headed toward the Dao Academy.

The barefoot girl suddenly stopped, her gaze turning toward a restaurant on the street.

On the second floor of the restaurant, a refined young man stood by the window. With one hand behind his back and the other holding a cup, he offered a distant, silent acknowledgment to the barefoot girl, revealing an impeccable smile.

The barefoot girl did not look away from her path and continued walking straight ahead.

And Ling He recognized him.

That was the leader of the Wangjiang City delegation for this debate, and the number one on the Wangjiang City Dao Academy's Merit Rankings: Lin Zhengren!