Chapter 154 – Vegan Representative Challenges Florida Man in Fencing. The Latter Brings Guns.
The town was the same as Leo had imagined.
The building architecture style was mostly the same. All wooden buildings in the outer town area were either two or three stories big as they served as the commercial area.
Inns, taverns, and shops were packed with commoners and first-stage cultivators. Stronger cultivators who could use Qi suppressed their aura and mingled with them on the street. Stall vendors shouted to attract passing-by travelers.
Tiger Swordsman swept glances at the local people and noticed that cultivators and commoners co-existed here, which was different from the Magpie City.
"At Magpie City, we segregate the town into two parts – The cultivator area and the commoner area. That way, we can prevent harming commoners with our natural Qi. This is my first time seeing how a town operates without implicating the commoners."
Xu Nuan heard the comment, but she disagreed.
"That's not it. If you pay attention carefully, you will notice that most native commoners are actually 1st-stage cultivators. The commoners you see around here are all cultivators. No regular commoners can live here."
Gao Yan, Yao Qiqi, and the two tamers nodded as they understood why. As they had been following their nascent soul seniors, their aura sometimes made them uncomfortable – they got suffocated whenever the senior's overwhelming aura disrupted their breathing and Qi circulation.
Meanwhile, Esen, Leo, Taxi, Cat, and Ricardo belonged to the non-cultivator category. As they had never been affected by random Qi oppression, they thought that Tiger Swordsman and Xu Nuan exaggerated their experience.
Esen giggled, "That's why human cultivators are weak and trashy! You can't even endure the breaths of other people. How can they become an immortal with that mindset?"
Leo snorted, "They don't have infinite lifespans like yours. They were born fragile. Welp, I can't say much about humans since I'm no longer one of them."
"You aren't?" Xu Nuan, Tiger Swordsman, Gao Yan, Yao Qiqi, and the girls were surprised. But when they thought about it, they wryly laughed.
Xu Nuan sighed, "Right. You're an immortal, senior. But still, please don't forget about your origins. You said you WERE once a human, right? Please think of us, the humans, who are still struggling as a mortal."
"Ah, sorry, sorry. My bad," Leo snickered. He didn't tell them that he shouldn't be considered a cultivator after all he had gone through.
Only Esen gave him a weird look. She smacked her lips and cursed Leo in her mind.
'Damn monster.'
.
.
It took Leo's party two hours to reach the inner city. They came across another checkpoint, where another array of walls separated the outer town from the residences of local aristocrats and cultivators.
Upon reaching the checkpoint, the guards simply glanced at Leo. Unlike the outer wall gate guards and their captain, all soldiers here were soul formation cultivators.
The guards instantly identified everybody's cultivation base. They flinched when they noticed the aura of Leo, Cat, Ricardo, and Taxi as they seemed to be stronger than a soul transformation cultivator.
The gate guards remained vigilant. One of them approached Xu Nuan and asked her.
"Who is your group's leader?"
Xu Nuan turned toward Leo and introduced him, "This is Daoist Florida Man, the Lord of… Florida Domain."
"Domain? Foo-li-da?"
The guards were confused as they had never heard of this organization's name before. Still, as many experts accompanied the group, they chose not to provoke them.
"Please come inside. Also, senior, if possible, could you suppress your aura? Beyond here is the residence of aristocrats and noble families. Some servants are still low-level cultivators. Many children can't withstand your aura…"
"…Hmm."
Leo nodded and deeply inhaled. Instantly, his rainbow aura faded.
He didn't suppress his aura. He simply held his breath. Then, all pores of his skin were closed, sealing all holes.
Seeing how Leo efficiently and effortlessly suppressed his Qi and aura, the guards saluted him in admiration. Tiger Swordsman and Xu Nuan were also elated as their lord displayed amicable and admirable techniques.
Only Esen noticed what Leo was doing. She smirked and nudged Leo's side with her elbow.
"Geezer, how long can you hold?"
Leo rolled his eyes and showed her two fingers.
"Two? Two what? Two incense sticks? That's short."
Again, Leo rolled his eyes before he stared at her. Then, the back of his ears moved, revealing the fish-like gills. His voice came out from the gill holes, and a portion of the rainbow aura came out from his ears.
"Two incense sticks, my ass. My record is two hundred years, damn brat. Don't make me talk like this. It's uncomfortable."
Esen widened her eyes as she couldn't sense Leo's Qi, voice vibration technique, or telekinesis ability. She heard his voice as if he spoke normally. The others were also surprised, but they didn't speak out.
"What the?! What the hell is this technique, geezer?! Teach me!"
"Grow some gills, then I'll teach you."
"G-Gills? What in the hell…?"
Esen frowned and jumped up and down behind Leo. Then, she noticed the source of his voice. Her expression got complicated again as she secretly cursed Leo once again.
'Damn monster!'
.
After passing through the inner city checkpoint, they found a new world. Instead of seeing a busy road and a wooden town full of people, they only found a series of long walls and large manors behind them.
Gao Yan, Tiger Swordsman, and Xu Nuan remained expressionless as they had seen many big manors before. Only Yao Qiqi and the girls were stunned by the scene.
"Whoa."
Curious, the girls jumped two meters high, peeking inside the walls. They noticed gardens and beautiful courtyards inside.
"So beautiful!"
Xu Nuan rushed toward them and grabbed Yao Qiqi. Then, she reprimanded the two tamer girls.
"Stop jumping! These manors belong to the court officials and major clan's cultivators. You'll get us in trouble!"
"…We're sorry!"
The girls stopped misbehaving. Xu Nuan let out a sigh of relief, hoping that the journey to the palace would be peaceful.
But someone among them was bored. She let out a noise.
"Nom-Nom Meow?"
Cat had been following Leo like a pet dog for hours. She wore a thick cloak and a black robe to hide her monster physique. However, she wore a chained choker, and the end of the chain was tied to Leo's belt. Without the leash, Cat would have run off long ago.
"MEOW! NOM-NOM MEOW!"
Cat started to complain. She sniffed and protested Leo.
Leo turned around and pursed his lips. He inserted his Qi into the ring and ejected a dead caiman, which he had been keeping as backup food for the return trip.
"Here's your food. Stop complaining."
"Meow <3"
Cat's human mouth was deformed and enlarged. She caught the dead thunder caiman with her mouth and swallowed it whole!
"…"
Everybody in the party stared at Cat in disbelief. The latter burped and let out a sigh of satisfaction before she poked Leo's back.
"Nom-Nom Meow?"
Leo shook his head and continued walking toward the palace ahead.
"No, Cat. The rest of the food is for tomorrow. If you eat it all, we won't have anything to eat."
"No Nom-Nom Meow?"
"Cultivators DO eat food, Cat. Stop trying to coax me that the others don't eat food."
"…Meow."
Cat sucked her thumb and looked at Xu Nuan, showing her the innocent eyes. Unfortunately, Xu Nuan had already learned about her character. She didn't fall for the cute eyes trick.
"You heard him, Cat. Be patient. The palace should have prepared a banquet for us."
"A banquet?" Leo and others were interested.
"Yes, senior. At night before the tournament, the emperor always holds a banquet to welcome all clans and sects. Most of the time, the disciples will stay in their rooms while elders like us join the banquet for political talks."
"Eh?!"
Gao Yan, Yao Qiqi, and the two girls were disappointed. They thought that they would get to attend a royal banquet.
"Sorry, kids. The banquet is for the adults," Xu Nuan laughed and patted Yao Qiqi's head.
Leo snickered and mimicked Xu Nuan's action. He patted Esen's head instead.
"Sorry, brat. The banquet is for the adults."
"Bastard geezer! I'm older than everybody here!" Esen screamed again.
"But you're here as a disciple. No talking back."
"You…"
Esen clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. After being reminded of her role, she still couldn't figure out how Leo would bypass the detection of the other cultivators.
"They will find out soon."
"They won't."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
Leo widely grinned. As a matter of fact, he looked forward to seeing everybody's surprised face when he introduced Esen to the other contestants.
"Before that, you should also suppress your cultivation base… or strength a bit. Make it so that you're a nascent soul like the kid and Gao Yan."
"…I don't have a cultivation base. I'm a lich, not a cultivator."
"And how do you use your power?"
"I use my enemy's blood and yin Qi."
"…"
Leo had some concerns about Esen. For the moment, he gave her an order.
"Don't use your power. If possible, only use your external martial arts."
"You mean, fists and kicks?"
"Something like that."
"… Can I bite?" Esen widely grinned and revealed her four long fangs.
Leo gave Esen a weird look, "…Fine."
.
Walking further for another hour, everybody arrived at the last checkpoint of this city - the palace entrance.
The palace gate was made from pure gold. It was even wider than the city entrance. Moreover, a battalion of 1,000 nascent soul cultivators in full plate armor stood on the walls, staring at the people below.
As Leo approached the checkpoint, a nascent soul cultivator in an eunuch robe jumped down from the wall. He bowed 90 degrees to Leo as if he had been expecting him.
"Welcome, Lord Florida Man. The emperor has been waiting for your arrival. Please follow me."
"…"
Leo turned around to look at Xu Nuan as he was surprised. Then, he gazed at the Eunuch.
"Lead the way, then. By the way, do we get a place to rest for the night?"
"Of course, sir. We always prepare the best courtyard for the tournament participants."
"What about the banquet?"
The eunuch flinched for a moment. His eyes gleamed, "Of course, we will hold a banquet at night, as usual, sir. But for now, please follow me."
"Fine."
Leo gestured for the others to follow him. The crowd nodded and was about to enter the palace.
However, the gate guards raised their weapons, blocking their way to get in.
"HEY!" Esen yelled at the guards, "We are together with him! Why can't we get inside?!"
The eunuch glanced at Esen for a moment before he turned to Leo. As usual, he bowed again.
"Until we verify that you are indeed Florida Man of the rumor, we cannot allow your people to enter the restricted area. Could you please inform them to wait, sir?"
"…This is unnecessary."
"This is for our palace's security, sir. In the past, many imposters tried to get in by impersonating famous cultivators. Most of the time, they chose to act as leaders of new sects or clans. In your case, we need to confirm your identity first. Once we recognize you, your group can enter the palace without the verification procedure the next time."
"Fair enough."
Leo shrugged and turned around. He gestured to Esen.
"Protect everybody. I'm testing the water."
Esen frowned for a moment before she caught the hint. Her expression turned solemn.
"Leave some for me. Don't eat them all."
"I ain't Hannibal Lector. I don't eat people!"
Not waiting for an answer or reaction, Leo turned around and followed the eunuch into the palace. He didn't care if this might be a trap from the emperor's side.
.
The eunuch brought Leo into the massive golden palace. They passed through the front palace, which had the same structures and layout as the Forbidden City in China.
After entering the Forbidden City and reaching the inner palace, Leo came across another Forbidden City. However, the building materials were made of white spirit stones.
Leo had the urge to touch the spirit stone pillar nearby, but he was afraid that it might mutate. He pulled his hand back and kept up the pace with the eunuch.
Entering the white Forbidden Palace, Leo walked into a large hall. Deep in the hall was a throne, where the emperor had been sitting and watching him.
In the throne room, Yan Xiang's top soldiers and experts from various clans stood on the sides, opening the center area for the newcomer to enter. Some of them didn't bother hiding their killing intent.
Among the crowd, Situ Bai and Ouyang Ke were there. However, Leo couldn't see Tang Xuan.
Yan Xiang waved his hand, ordering the eunuch to retreat. The eunuch nodded and withdrew from the area.
"Come closer, Daoist Florida Man."
"…"
Leo raised his head and walked on the red carpet until he reached the center of the room. He then greeted the emperor for the first time.
"I'm Florida Man from Florida Domain. Hello, there, your majesty."
Many eyes turned red as Leo didn't kneel and he sounded rude. Still, Yan Xiang didn't pursue the matter as he had other issues with him.
"Well met, Florida Man. Let me get straight to the point since we don't have much time."
Yan Xiang leaned forward and released the aura of a quasi-immortal.
"Swear allegiance to the Yan Empire, and we will forgive you for killing my son."
Leo tilted his head, wondering what the emperor was cooking. He smirked, "No, thanks."
"… I see."
Yan Xiang deeply sighed while Situ Bai and Ouyang Ke also brought out their talismans, preparing for an all-out attack. However, Yan Xiang had his own agendas and plans. He offered another proposal.
"Let's make a bet, Florida Man."
"Yes? What bet?"
"I'm hosting a tournament for young disciples tomorrow. I heard you've accepted my invitation and brought your people here. How about we bet on our junior's performance?"
"Oh?"
"If your junior wins the tournament, we will forgive you for killing the second prince, and we will acknowledge you as the new citizen of our empire. But if you lose…"
Yan Xiang glared into Leo's eyes. His voice changed.
"You will be expelled from our country, and you cannot establish a new cult, clan, sect, or store ever again. Even if you stay, we will excommunicate you and order all cultivators of our country not to patronize you."
"Hah?!"
"We know that you're strong, Immortal Florida Man. It's impossible for us to kill or harm you. But that doesn't mean you can bully us forever."
"…"
"How about it? Will you accept our challenge? Sir Immortal?"
Leo finally understood Yan Xiang's intention. It seemed that the emperor was smarter than the thieves and cultivators who raided his store.
Since the emperor wanted to play it safe, Leo was happy to oblige. After all, he wanted to harvest their lifespan, not murdering everybody here in vain.
"Alright. Let's do it."
