It had already been two months since the battle between Lin Feng and Hei Mo. The students were also talking about it less and less. The Celestial Academy was once again returning to a peaceful state.
Lin Feng and his friends were in their respective cultivation rooms, making great efforts to increase their cultivation level. Nothing important was happening.
At that moment, a silhouette was coming from the cultivation tower. That person was wearing ragged robes with a great deal of holes. Their robes had become completely tattered, but when the crowd saw the person, they only showed looks of admiration rather than disdain.
That person was Lin Feng.
When Lin Feng looked up at the sky, he saw that it was already evening. There were rosy clouds floating on the horizon. The scenery was splendid, but in the world of cultivation, very few people took the time to appreciate such beauty. The only thing that mattered was strength. The powerful people possessed everything. Those who were weak would only be endlessly bullied.
Lin Feng was walking and wanted to go to his apartment, but at that moment, a silhouette flickered and appeared in front of him.
When Lin Feng saw that person, his facial expression became slightly rigid, revealing his surprise.
Lin Feng had already seen that person before. When he was in the external part of the Imperial City, he had seen them at Qing Xin's restaurant. He had also seen that the person had an intimate relation with the owner of that restaurant, Qing Xin. That was the man in black clothes. Lin Feng hadn't expected to meet him, especially at the academy.
"Young master Lin, my name is Nan Shan."
Contrary to all expectations, that man introduced himself first to Lin Feng in a very polite way while smiling and nodding.
"Nan Shan…" repeated Lin Feng in a low voice. He looked at him and said: "Is there something you want from me?"
"Yes." said Nan Shan while nodding. He didn't have the same cold expression as when he had met Lin Feng for the first time. Instead, he was smiling and said: "I was worried that Young master Lin Feng wouldn't come out of the cultivation tower for a much longer time. Fortunately, I managed to meet you today."
Lin Feng's stupefaction became even more intense. Meet him? Surprisingly, that person was really looking for him specifically.
"Young master Lin, the young master of my clan would like to invite you to a banquet. I was sent here to find you for that express purpose. I hope that you will be able to honour his invitation and follow me." said Nan Shan extremely politely. Lin Feng was astonished. A banquet?
"Who is the young master of yours?" Why do they want me to participate in that banquet?" asked Lin Feng surprised. The last time that he had met Nan Shan, they had almost fought. The fact that Nan Shan had come to invite him to participate in a banquet seemed strange to Lin Feng.
"You know the young master of my clan. You saw him two months ago during your battle. He personally came to see it and was sitting on the viewing platform." replied Nan Shan. Lin Feng was stupefied: "Is it the second prince?"
"Indeed. My master is precisely His Highness, Duan Wu Ya." Nan Shan was slightly nodding.
When Lin Feng heard his response, he looked at Nan Shan. Nan Shan was one of the second prince's people. Therefore, the second prince probably knew about Lin Feng because of the time when he met Nan Shan at Qing Xin's restaurant.
"Could it be Meng Qing?"
Lin Feng had an idea. Lin Feng's show of strength on that day had been good but hadn't been enough to draw the attention of someone as important as the second prince. However, on that day, Meng Qing had destroyed the restaurant, which shocked everybody.
But if the second prince was interested in Meng Qing, why was he inviting Lin Feng to come to the banquet? The probability that he was interested in Meng Qing was very small.
"Why invite me?" asked Lin Feng.
"His Highness said that once you are there, you will understand." replied Nan Shan. Lin Feng seemed uncertain. He remained silent for a few seconds and then said: "Do we have to leave right now?"
Nan Shan looked at the sky and said: "The banquet should be starting soon. If this is not inconvenient for you, we should go now."
"Alright." replied Lin Feng while nodding after hesitating for a moment.
He also wanted to figure out why the second prince was treating him this way.
As far as safety was concerned, Lin Feng, contrary to all expectations, wasn't worried. If they wanted to kill him, they didn't need to use such methods.
In front of the second prince, Duan Wu Ya, Lin Feng was nothing.
Nan Shan hadn't thought that Lin Feng would cooperate so easily. Nan Shan was leading the way and they both left.
"Young master Lin, here. I already prepared the horses." said Nan Shan while pointing at a place where two divine horses were standing. They both looked incredibly mighty. They even had two red horns coming from their heads. Valuable horses were really completely different from ordinary ones.
"Dragon Colt Horses…"
When Lin Feng saw these two divine horses, he sighed. Dragon Colt horses were horses of very high quality. They were not ordinary beasts and were extremely valuable. They were extremely quick and their legs were powerful. Ordinary horses could travel over five hundred kilometres a day whereas dragon colt horses could travel over five thousand kilometres a day. They were ten times faster than ordinary horses. They were even faster than Chi Xie horses.
"Indeed, Dragon Colt horses." Nan Shan was pulling a horse towards Lin Feng. He then jumped on the other one, looked at Lin Feng and said: "Young master Lin, I'll lead the way. Just follow me."
While talking, Nan Shan pressed on both sides of the abdomen of the horse and left at the speed of light, looking like an illusion.
Lin Feng also jumped on the horse. The two silhouettes flew through the Celestial Academy, drawing a great deal of attention.
...
In the Imperial City of the Xue Yue Country, the most famous place was probably the Imperial Palace. Apart from it, there was another place which also enjoyed a good reputation.
The best beverage in the Imperial City was the Lovesick alcohol. It gave drunk people the impression of being drowned in love.
There was only one place where that alcohol could be made: the Lovesick Forest.
Many people in the Imperial City only knew the name but had never been to the Lovesick Forest. Many of them had also never tasted Lovesick alcohol either because the Lovesick alcohol couldn't be brought outside of the Lovesick Forest. That was an unbreakable rule and everybody had to abide by that rule, even noble and wealthy cultivators. Even the members of the Imperial Clan had to comply with the rules of the Lovesick Forest.
Since the creation of the Lovesick Forest, the rule had never been changed.
The rumors said that the creator of the Lovesick alcohol had made it especially for lovers.
Besides, for some reason, only wealthy and noble people could enter the Lovesick Forest. Ordinary people were not permitted entry.
At that moment, Nan Shan and Lin Feng entered the Lovesick Forest, but they weren't riding their horses anymore. They had to walk as it was forbidden to ride a horse inside the forest.
When Lin Feng saw the scenery, he entered into a calm and peaceful state of mind. He was surrounded by an emerald forest of bamboo trees, small bridges and flowing water. In the air, there were exquisite fragrances which gave a pleasant feeling to the people with each breath.
It was hard to imagine that there were such sacred places in the Imperial City. It somehow looked similar to the teacher's peach orchard, but the Lovesick Forest looked even more mysterious and mystical.
"What a nice place."
Lin Feng was sighing in admiration. Some people were drinking alcohol in the middle of the bamboo forest. They all seemed to be having a great time. The majority of them were people of high status, but they didn't look arrogant because they were inside the Lovesick Forest and it wouldn't be unlikely for them to come across people with an even higher social status as theirs.
Nan Shan guided Lin Feng on a narrow and winding path made of bluestone. They were walking slowly, and after a short moment, a lake appeared in front of Lin Feng. It was surrounded by bamboo trees, grass and plants. It seemed like a dreamscape.
In the middle of the lake, there was a broad and vast pavilion. There were many people inside that pavilion.
"That is precisely the place. Young master Lin, you can go there." said Nan Shan while smiling. A path made of red wood led to that pavilion.
When he finished talking, Nan Shan turned around, his silhouette flickered and he vanished in the blink of an eye. He had finished his mission and did not need to stay there anymore.
Lin Feng looked perplexed. He looked at that splendid pavilion. The one that he was looking at wasn't the only pavilion. There were other pavilions, but there was nobody inside them. The entire lake was very calm. Only a few voices filled the air every so often, they were coming from the pavilion which contained a group of people.
Lin Feng started walking towards the path made of red wood. When he was about to enter the pavilion, a silhouette appeared behind him in the blink of an eye.
When the person saw Lin Feng's clothes, which were torn and ragged, he frowned and said: "Get the hell out of here."
Lin Feng turned around and frowned. He looked at that young man. The young man was wearing a magnificent chang pao. His hair was tied. He was also very handsome, but he was coldly and arrogantly looking at Lin Feng with disdain.