Chapter 474: Day 2 into the Alien War Story
Chapter 474: Day 2 into the Alien War Story
Chapter 474: The Second Day of Being Thrown Into a Mutant War Novel
Tianshan City.
It was still called Tianshan City.
But it was far more magnificent now.
An Yi stood before a towering city gate, looking up at the plaque above it.
People came and went through the gate, with a constant stream of carriages and horses.
The clothes people wore, the style of the carriages, even the accents in their speech—all were a bit different from what An Yi remembered, yet he could still see echoes of the past.
Time seemed to move unusually slowly in this world.
He stood quietly watching for a while, then followed the crowd into the city.
An Yi walked along the path he remembered.
He crossed three main streets and turned into a fairly quiet alley.
Several trees lined both sides of the alley. An Yi glanced at them and noticed that one already shimmered with a faint spiritual glow.
He stopped halfway down the alley.
Before him stood a two-story building with a tastefully decorated front. A wooden plaque hung above the entrance, bearing the words "Drunken Immortal."
The door was wide open, and sounds of drinking and laughter drifted out, along with the smell of wine and food.
An Yi stood in the doorway, watching quietly.
This place used to be a small courtyard.
There had been a little shop out front, often filled with the faint scent of herbs.
The courtyard had belonged to An Yi and Xie Xuandu.
Now, the herbs were gone, the owners were gone without a trace, and this place had become a tavern.
A faint smile crossed An Yi's face.
It was so faint it was almost invisible. Yet a passerby who happened to catch a glimpse froze in place, staring blankly at the beautiful child standing by the tavern, momentarily forgetting what he was doing.
An Yi stepped into the tavern.
It was early evening, and the tavern was nearly full.
The waiter was run off his feet, while the shopkeeper behind the counter clicked away at his abacus and occasionally called out loudly to the kitchen to speed up service.
A child like An Yi walking in alone should have attracted attention, but strangely, almost no one gave him a second glance.
An Yi sat down at an empty table by the window.
That spot had been occupied, but just as he walked toward it, the customers at that table happened to pay their bill and leave.
A waiter immediately came over, quickly cleared the previous customers' dishes, wiped the table with a cloth, and then looked at An Yi. "Young master, what would you like to order?"
His tone was casual.
"A pot of rice wine and a couple of side dishes," An Yi said.
"Coming right up!" The waiter responded and left, returning shortly with a pot of wine and two plates.
An Yi poured himself a cup of wine but didn't drink it. He simply held the cup, quietly listening in on the conversations around him.
At the next table sat three middle-aged men in fine clothes, talking loudly and animatedly.
"Did you hear? Something happened again!" a man with a short beard said in a hushed voice. "They say a demon appeared in the mountains and wiped out an entire village overnight!"
"Really?" another man said skeptically. "How could there still be demons running wild these days? Didn't the Demon Suppression Bureau clean out most of the world's demons eight hundred years ago?"
"Heh, you wouldn't know this," the third man interjected. He was a portly man, with a knowing look. "The Demon Suppression Bureau was powerful, sure, but that was a thousand years ago! These days, the court doesn't care much, and the Bureau's numbers have been shrinking every year. So of course the demons are coming back."
"Speaking of the Demon Suppression Bureau..." the short-bearded man took a sip of wine, a wistful look in his eyes. "That was the true golden age! Back then, Commander Gan Feng of the Bureau stood at the helm of the world, commanding a hundred thousand cultivators, sweeping through every corner of the realm. What demon or monster wouldn't kneel in fear? That was the golden era of cultivators!"
An Yi's hand, holding the wine cup, paused slightly.
"Commander Gan Feng..." the portly man sighed. "He was a legendary figure! They say his cultivation was unmatched. Unfortunately, three thousand years ago, he suddenly vanished without a trace."
"I say he must have become an immortal!" the short-bearded man said with certainty. "A man like him staying in the mortal world? That would be strange. He definitely broke through to that legendary immortal realm and ascended!"
"Makes sense. Didn't he once search the entire world for a way to become immortal? He set off a massive craze across the land!"
"Immortality?" the third man shook his head. "That's not so easy. Throughout history, have you ever heard of anyone becoming immortal? Not a single one! If you ask me, he might have gone to another world—don't forget, there are rumors that he originally came from outside this world, not from our world at all."
"Who knows?"
"Wherever he went, a figure like that was never destined for mediocrity." The portly man raised his cup. "Come, let's toast to Commander Gan Feng! Thank him for ridding the world of demons back then!"
The three raised their cups and drank together.
An Yi listened, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
He raised his own cup, made a small toast to the empty air, then poured the wine onto the ground.
The clear liquid splashed on the floor, quickly seeping into the cracks and vanishing without a trace.
This finally drew some attention.
At a table not far away sat two young men. One of them had been watching An Yi out of the corner of his eye. When he saw him pour the wine on the ground, he couldn't help but whisper to his companion, "Look at that young master... what an impressive presence. Who do you suppose he is?"
He's no ordinary mortal.
His companion turned to look but only saw an ordinary child sitting there. Sure, the kid was good-looking, but there was nothing special about him.
"You must be mistaken," his companion said doubtfully. "That's just a kid, isn't it?"
"That's strange—how does a kid that young end up in a tavern?"
The young man froze, then looked again, harder. The table by the window was already empty, leaving only a wine pot, two plates, and some silver coins on the table.
"Where did he go?" He stood up and looked around, but among the bustling crowd in the tavern, he could no longer find that young master anywhere.
"He was just here..." he murmured to himself.
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An Yi's steps brought him to an open square.
Before him stood a modern building complex built in an ancient style—a tourist spot with lush trees, decorative flower beds, and many visitors strolling around.
A tour guide holding a small flag and a megaphone walked past him, leading a group of tourists.
The guide's voice carried through the megaphone, telling the story of this imperial tomb.
An Yi stood quietly in place, watching this familiar land take on a completely unfamiliar look.
A little girl of eight or nine ran out from the tourist group, probably bored by the guide's talk and wanting to look around on her own.
She happened to look down and noticed An Yi standing nearby. Her eyes lit up, and she gave him a shy smile.
An Yi smiled back.
The girl's face turned even redder. She whispered, "Hi, little brother, you're so pretty," then ran back to her mother, hiding behind her while stealing more glances at An Yi.