If Lin Hai had the mark of a Sealed Door between his eyebrows, it meant that Lin Feng's father had come into conflict with a member of the Duan Clan.
Before leaving Yangzhou City, Lin Hai had told Lin Feng that he was going to the...… Imperial City.
Lin Feng's memories were a bit chaotic but he remembered that his father hated the members of the Duan clan and vice-versa. Lin Feng's father probably hadn't gone to the Imperial City for pleasure or for a short holiday. It was most likely he was going to settle a conflict.
"Did you run into danger for me father? This time, I'm coming to the Imperial City and I will definitely find you." Lin Feng didn't know how his father had provoked the Duan clan. He also didn't know why there were tensions between them and his father. If he found his father, he would definitely try to understand what had occurred in the past between him and the Duan clan.
Lin Feng had suddenly remembered that his father had never told him about his mother. Lin Feng found that it was very strange.
"Lin Feng." Meng Qing was looking at Lin Feng and thought that he was acting strangely which is why she called out to him. Lin Feng was lost in thought but at that moment came back into consciousness. Lin Feng's thoughts were agitated because of all the questions and possibilities. Lin Feng was surprised by Meng Qing and then said: "I'm alright. Duan Feng, when will we arrive in the Imperial City?"
"If we keep travelling at this speed and there are no problems on the road, then it should take another five or six days at a minimum."
"I'll drive the carriage later to let Jing Yun have some rest. We'll make even quicker time that way." said Lin Feng. Even though Duan Feng didn't know what Lin Feng really meant, he still nodded. He was wondering why Lin Feng had been acting so strangely after he had seen the sealed doors.
But Lin Feng didn't tell Duan Feng what was going through his head and Duan Feng wasn't going to ask.
Duan Feng was right, even at full speed while travelling day and night, they would really need at least five or six days to arrive in the Imperial City.
Because they had taken another road to the Imperial City they had not come across any attackers. Maybe it was also because no one knew Duan Feng's location any longer due to them removing the spy.
The Imperial City was vast but roads leading to it weren't numerous. Actually, the entire city was surrounded by huge barriers and there was only one gate to enter it.
The gate was gigantic and majestic. It was made of incredibly strong precious materials. The gate had a width and a height of several hundreds of meters. At the top of the gate, there were multiple guards with spears.
The Imperial City was encircled by a huge moat filled with water and the only gate was accessible only after crossing a large stone bridge. This was the only way to access the city.
However the entrance gate of the Imperial City was securely closed. It would only open during the day for a few hours.
Pedestrians weren't bothered by that because outside of the Imperial City, there was another city which wasn't as big but still had millions of inhabitants. It was quite famous.
At that moment, a carriage had arrived outside the Imperial City. Lin Feng was the one driving it. They were precisely in the city next to the Imperial City. There was a myriad of restaurants and shops. The city was incredibly lively. Lin Feng thought that it was much better of an atmosphere than when inside Yangzhou City.
"There are so many people!" said Meng Qing who had opened the curtain inside the carriage and was looking out of the window.
"We are not in the Imperial City yet. This is the periphery but we're still close to the Imperial City so obviously there are many people." said Lin Feng while laughing from outside. Lin Feng was also convinced that there were so many people in the region at the moment because many of them hoped to be chosen to practice their cultivation at the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue.
For the inhabitants of the Xue Yue Country, the creation of the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue was a unique moment in the history of the country. It was going to change the life and destiny of thousands of people.
At that moment, nobody was paying attention to their carriage. Everybody was young and hoped to assist in the inauguration of the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue and eventually be taken to study there.
"Meng Qing, you must be exhausted because of the long trip. Considering the gate isn't open yet, it would be best to have a break and eat something."
Lin Feng stopped near a restaurant. Duan Feng and Jing Yun came out of the carriage as well. The four of them entered the restaurant. In the middle, there was a huge tree and that tree was growing through the roof of the restaurant. There was a hole in the middle of the restaurant so you could also see the first floor. It was filled with people and many of them were either drinking tea or wine.
They immediately headed to the wooden stairs and went to the first floor because the restaurant was very crowded. What surprised Lin Feng though was that the restaurant, even though it was filled with people, was very calm. There were many people but they weren't talking loud at all to the extent that you could almost perfectly hear the musician playing the guqin on the first floor.
"What a peaceful and serene restaurant. No wonder it has such a good reputation." whispered Lin Feng. Even though that place wasn't a luxurious one, it still looked elegant and refined. The decoration was also done with taste which gave its customers a perfect environment to taste their tea and wine in peace. It was definitely a perfect atmosphere.
"Lin Feng, big brother, there is one free table over there. What a coincidence."
Duan Feng noticed a table near a window. The four of them went and sat there.
"Hello, how may I help you?" asked a waiter who had to come the four of them while smiling.
"We'll have a big pot of the best wine that you have as well as your best tea, and some pickles." ordered Lin Feng. Since Lin Feng was in that world, he hadn't really tasted good food and drinks. At that moment, he had the opportunity so he seized it.
"Noted. Please wait for a moment." said the waiter and left.
Lin Feng was listening to the other people's conversations. Even though they were almost whispering, Lin Feng had the strength of the Ling Qi layer and his sense of hearing was thus extremely developed, and in general nobody would be revealing secrets in such a public place.
It seemed that everyone was only talking about thing: the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue. Lin Feng also heard that some people were mentioning the crown prince and the second prince.
"Bro Han, you're saying that the Yun Hai Sect has been annihilated? Who could benefit from the destruction of the Yun Hai Sect?"
At that moment, a conversation drew Lin Feng's attention. Surprisingly, there were some people who were talking about the Yun Hai Sect.
"Well, the Yun Hai Sect and the Hao Yue Sect didn't get along that well. It had been that way for several years already. The destruction of the Yun Hai Sect was thus a great reason to celebrate for the members of the Hao Yue Sect. The Ice and Snow Mountain Village, whose disciples all have an ice or snow spirit, as well as the Wan Shou Sect, whose disciples all have a beast spirit, could also benefit from it in a way because they will have more influence and attract more disciples. Besides, the Hao Yue Sect must be really happy now because they can clearly be defined as the strongest sect."
"Hehe, Brother Han, you were right. So then Duan Tian Lang went to annihilate the Yun Hai Sect himself…That is the price to pay when you refuse to send outstanding disciples to the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue like all the other big sects did. Duan Tian Lang is really powerful."
These people sounded proud and arrogant. They also seemed to be happy and excited about the destruction of the Yun Hai Sect. They were talking very loudly.
At that moment, many people stopped talking and started staring at them. These two people were laughing loudly while talking but when they noticed that almost everyone was staring at them, they stopped smiling.
"Ridiculous." A voice filled the restaurant. Suddenly, everyone turned around and stared at the people moving towards the flight of stairs. Three silhouettes had appeared. One of them was a woman. She was extremely beautiful and was wearing very luxurious clothes. She also had a lot of jewellery made from precious stones all over her body and she was wearing a cheong sam. She was holding a soft black iron staff in her hand and she looked extremely domineering.
Behind her were two men who looked extremely calm.
"You are only a mouse who can only see an inch… yet still thinks it can perceive both the past and future. How ridiculous."
Everyone was surprised by the woman talking so loudly. She shouted: "Young people don't understand anything and never know when they should talk about certain things. Then they never want to bear the consequences of their actions and don't want to be punished for their mistakes."
"Face Slap." said the woman. Immediately, an illusion appeared behind her back and slapped the owner of the voice who had just contradicted her. Blood was spilling out of the corner of his mouth.
"He only annihilated the Yun Hai Sect, that's all. The big sects have all taken the techniques that the Yun Hai Sect used to have. Not only has it enabled a great deal of people to acquire great skills and techniques but it also helps other sects gain more influence. It is also a good thing for everybody that the Yun Hai Sect doesn't have too much power in the country. Those who have been chosen to go to the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue will also be able to use some of those skills and techniques that they have taken from the Yun Hai Sect. Besides, there are also some former disciples of the sect who have betrayed it and can also use these skills and techniques. Nobody cares about the Yun Hai Sect."
The woman was looking at the other man. That man didn't look good but he kept listening to the woman and didn't dare interrupt her or even refute her statements. Therefore, he only nodded wisely.
"Most of the sects accepted to send some of their disciples to the Holy Courtyard of Xue Yue, not because they were happy about the benefits it would bring to them but rather because they were scared of the consequences it could have. They were scared to end up like the Yun Hai Sect and vanish from the maps of the country. They all understood that there was no way out. That is why they accepted to help and destroy the Yun Hai Sect. That is how everything happened."
"But even if the Yun Hai Sect has already been annihilated, it won't last long before the other sects have to go through the same thing. In the Xue Yue Country, there can only be the Imperial Clan. There isn't enough space for other spheres of influence especially when they have power. Sooner or later, the last group of people who will exercise authority in the Xue Yue Country will be the Imperial Clan."
Lin Feng heard the woman say those things and laugh. What she said was partially true but was also too partial. It seemed like she was a supporter of the Imperial Clan.
"Since the Imperial Clan is so strong, why do they need to resort to such underhanded methods? Why do they need to annihilate sects if they are already so powerful?"
A voice spread in the atmosphere. Lin Feng was astonished. The one who had said that surprisingly was Jing Yun. She really took the woman's words to heart and decided to contradict the woman.
The woman slowly turned around and stared at Jing Yun. She smiled coldly and said: "You are right, anyone who contradicts them should be annihilated… like what you're doing now….."
When the woman finished talking, a soft black iron staff shadow appeared and moved straight towards Jing Yun's cheek.
When Lin Feng saw that that woman was attacking Jing Yun, his pupils shrank and he was staring at that rude woman. Lin Feng then said to the woman: "She only said that randomly. Are you not overreacting a little bit?"
"There are some things which cannot be said. If someone says such things, they have to pay the price for it because most of the time, people who say such things are worthless."
The woman was coldly looking at Lin Feng and continued: "You! you don't have the qualifications to talk that way either."