Yishui City was the mortal town closest to the Savage Beast Forest. Of course, apart from mortals, cultivators also existed there.
It was just that very few cultivators ever revealed their cultivation levels to ordinary people. Therefore, while mortals knew that immortals existed in this world, catching a glimpse of one was exceedingly rare. In the parlance of the mortal realm, this was known as a matter of immortal fate.
For a mortal, encountering a cultivator was considered a tremendous blessing.
Yet, cultivators generally looked down upon mortals. To be more precise, cultivators in the Qi Refinement Stage looked down upon mortals without cultivation. This was much like how Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators looked down on those in the Qi Refinement Stage; Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators typically disdained mingling with Qi Refinement cultivators unless bound by master-disciple ties or exceptionally close relationships.
Even when realms advanced to the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or even higher stages, this phenomenon remained unchanged. In truth, this was quite normal; after all, the two parties belonged to entirely different planes of existence. It was just like how a human walking down the road would pay no attention to the ants crawling by the wayside.
……
When Shi Lei arrived at Yishui City, he immediately restrained his cultivation aura. (Normally, special arts were required to see through a cultivator's cultivation level. Of course, if a cultivator did not actively conceal their aura, circulate their cultivation manual, or use spells, their cultivation could also be discerned through mana fluctuations.)
Since Shi Lei was merely passing through Yishui City, he naturally wished to avoid unnecessary trouble, so entering the city in a low-profile manner was undoubtedly best.
However, the hour was already late, and the gates of Yishui City were already shut.
This left Shi Lei momentarily helpless, and he could only let out a soft sigh in his heart.
"Ah, I'm still a step too late. Plans truly cannot keep up with changes."
Originally, he had planned that upon rushing back to Yishui City, he would first find an inn, have a good meal to reward his stomach, take a bath, change into a fresh set of clothes, and then sleep soundly.
He had not lived a normal human life for nearly two months, having been cooped up inside the Vine House Space the entire time, which had nearly driven him mad.
……
It was just that having been away from the mortal world for so long, he had momentarily forgotten that mortal towns closed their city gates at night.
Now that the gates were shut, he was forced to alter his plans.
Since he had arrived late, Shi Lei decided to find a concealed spot outside the city gates and make do for the night.
Fortunately, Shi Lei had already reached the Qi Refinement 7th Layer and had grown accustomed to a life of eating the wind and drinking the dew over these past few days, so he naturally cared little for such minor hardships.
With that, Shi Lei lifted his foot and strode toward the right side of the city wall…
"Hey… brother, if you're looking for a place to spend the night, you'd better not go to the east side of the city gate…" Just then, someone called out to him from behind.
……
The path Shi Lei was currently walking was on the right side of the city gates, which was precisely the east side the person had mentioned.
Hearing this, Shi Lei halted his steps and looked toward the newcomer.
The person appeared to be around his own age. Although his hair was somewhat soiled, it did not look entirely unkempt. However, his clothes were covered in patches; he held a bamboo staff in his right hand and carried a broken ceramic bowl in his left. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a beggar.
"Greetings, little brother. Why is that?" Hearing this warning, Shi Lei felt puzzled, but he did not dare to be negligent and quickly stepped forward to ask politely.
Though this person was a beggar, a closer look at his features revealed that he was not bad-looking, and his speech was remarkably coherent, which aroused Shi Lei's curiosity.
"Brother, you must be new to Yishui City, right? You might not know this, but the east side of our city gate is under the jurisdiction of the Seal-Suppressing Pavilion, and a patrol squad is stationed there as well. If you go over there, you will definitely be driven away by them. Only the west side of the city gate is where we live."
After some conversation, Shi Lei finally realized that the beggar had mistaken him for a fellow panhandler.
Shi Lei was left somewhat amused and exasperated, though looking at his own tattered appearance, it was only natural for people to misunderstand.
Since he had nowhere else to go for the moment and only intended to make do for a single night without any further entanglement with these beggars, he made up his mind. Nodding at the beggar, he asked, "Thank you for the warning, brother. May I know your honorable name and how I should address you?"
"Hehe, p-people here all call me Xizi. As for my family name… I… I don't know either…" It seemed very few people had ever asked the young beggar for his name. Hearing Shi Lei inquire about his surname caught him somewhat off guard; he scratched his head and replied weakly.
Hearing Xizi's answer, Shi Lei was not particularly surprised. After all, he himself came from an impoverished background and knew that there were countless destitute people in this world drifting from place to place, most of whom did not know their family names and simply went by nicknames to get by. Thus, he pressed no further.
With Xizi leading the way, Shi Lei was quite content, and the two chatted as they walked.
Shi Lei primarily asked about the specific conditions within Yishui City, while Xizi proved quite patient, answering every question as if he knew the city's situation like the back of his hand.
Soon after, Xizi led Shi Lei into a shantytown located on the west side of the city gate.
This shantytown stretched along the base of the city wall toward the west. Along the way, groups of beggars could be seen here and there. Most of these people were sallow-faced and clad in rags, a sight that inevitably evoked pity.
As the two walked a bit further ahead, rows of dilapidated, filthy tents, earthen walls, and wooden shacks clustered closely together came into view, while the air was thick with the stench of rotting garbage.
A crowd of ragged figures was scattered in groups of three or five around these tents and earthen walls, having evidently made this place their home.
Xizi was clearly very familiar with the area. Leading Shi Lei, he wove back and forth through the tents and earthen shacks, quickly arriving at their destination.
There was a row of tents here that looked as though they had just been newly erected.
"Xizi, how come there's another newcomer? We don't have any space left here…" Suddenly, a voice drifted over from beside a nearby tent.
Shi Lei looked in the direction of the voice and saw a dark-skinned, rugged-looking fellow of about thirty years of age. Although he was dressed in tattered garments, a set of powerful muscles showed through beneath them, making him look exceptionally robust and standing out rather abruptly among this impoverished crowd.
Hearing these words, Shi Lei felt a trace of displeasure, but he had no desire to bicker with a mere mortal. Just as he wanted to step forward and explain—after all, he had been brought here by Xizi—
Xizi had already stepped ahead of him and said, "Tie Tou, this brother is new to Yishui City. In times like these, traveling away from home is never easy. Just let him stay here temporarily for the night. Why do you have to make such a fuss?"
At that moment, several more men emerged from inside the tent. Although these men were not as solidly built as Tie Tou, each of them was considerably stronger than the majority of the beggars in this impoverished district. Right now, pairs of eyes were fixed upon Shi Lei and Xizi.
This made Shi Lei feel slightly suspicious and uneasy, yet he still remained silent, choosing to continue listening to the exchange between Tie Tou and Xizi.
Tie Tou picked his nose, one eye wide and the other half-closed, glanced around, and then continued in an indifferent tone, "Look… with so many people here now, Xizi, do you think there's any room left?"
Seeing Tie Tou's attitude, Xizi felt a slight panic, having apparently not expected Tie Tou to rally so many people. In the end, he could only say helplessly, "Fine then, I'll take him somewhere else."
With that, Xizi grabbed Shi Lei and started walking in another direction.
Shi Lei curled his lip, but seeing that Xizi had no wish to argue with them, he said no more and followed Xizi away from the spot.
After leading Shi Lei through the chaotic shantytown for a while longer, Xizi stopped at a secluded corner. Pointing to a slightly out-of-the-way spot ahead, he said to Shi Lei, "Brother, this is where I live. If you don't mind, just make do here for the night."
Shi Lei took a look. Although this place was not as spacious as the area near the tents, it consisted merely of two roofless earthen walls. Inside the walls were scattered some messy dry hay and two wooden boards, and apart from that, there was nothing else.
Yet the place was exceptionally quiet, and its greatest virtue was that there would be no one to disturb them.
"This place isn't bad at all, but if I stay here, where will you sleep tonight?" Shi Lei asked with a faint smile.