This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 118 Rootless Land

Ruoxue half-embraced Xiaoxingchen's arm, burying her head deep in his chest; the scene resembled a heartless lover bringing a courtesan home.

She said the rumor about someone else wasn't unfounded, because she saw a familiar face in the crowd that, logically, shouldn't be there in this situation.

"You don't need to show your face to offend people. Do you want to guess who's trying to embarrass you this time?"

Ruoxue chuckled to herself, completely unconcerned about the insults directed at her from those around her; in fact, she found it quite amusing.

"Have I offended someone again? This is truly baffling,"

Xiao Xingchen was somewhat confused. He knew exactly who he had offended, and after thinking about it for a long time, he still felt that today's events were a bit strange. If those people really wanted to get rid of him, they could have just killed him. There was no need to resort to such petty tricks, and besides, these methods were rather underhanded.

He shook his head, indicating that he couldn't think of anyone he had offended.

"If we can't figure it out, then let's stop thinking about it. Where do we go now? We can't just stay here and be stared at like this, can we?"

"That's a good question. It doesn't seem right to take you back to the Zheng family, but I'll be staying there since I'm in the city. How about you lend me some money, and we can buy a house?"

"You tricked me again?" Ruoxue straightened up resentfully. Borrow money? It was supposed to be a loan, but given Xiaoxingchen's character, she had no confidence that he could pay her back.

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'll return the favor twofold. Aren't these just some gold and silver? Why would a master like you care about such things?"

"Don't believe me. Since you have nowhere to go, I'll take you somewhere. But have you thought about the consequences? A young sword immortal eloping with a courtesan—that's not a good reputation."

"Reputation is worthless, living is the only thing that matters. Let's go, I'm afraid they'll throw rotten vegetables and eggs at me."

Xiao Xingchen pulled Ruoxue and rushed outside, completely disregarding reputation. This surprised Ruoxue; her detachment from public opinion carried an air of transcendence.

This is like how celestial beings don't care about how mortals judge them, because they are above and can control the life and death of mortals at any time.

She can do it because she's experienced it all and transcended it. Therefore, she doesn't care about the world's insults and slander. This only applies when she's in a good mood. If she were in a bad mood, she could make all these people on the street sleep soundly tonight.

But Xiao Xingchen was different. As far as she knew, this boy was only fifteen years old. To have such a transcendent mindset at fifteen was truly astonishing.

Before leaving, Ruoxue glanced back at a corner of a nearby restaurant, where several scholars were enjoying tea and discussing matters. She smiled disdainfully and didn't say much to Xiaoxingchen before he pulled her away.

As the sun rose, Yong'an was bustling with activity. Xiao Xingchen's journey along the way had truly been an eye-opening experience.

He now understood why those big stars in his past life wore masks; the feeling of being stared at wherever he went was extremely unpleasant, especially when he was constantly being insulted the entire way.

Calling him a heartless man, a good-for-nothing, and a piece of trash—you have to understand, just yesterday he was a chosen one, attracting envious glances wherever he went.

Just one night later, it seemed everyone wanted to kick him while he was down.

Where is the place you mentioned for accommodation?

"Turn left at the second intersection ahead. Don't worry, once we get there, we won't be yelled at by so many people."

Ruoxue's figure fluttered through the crowd. Although the surrounding air was filled with vulgar language, it couldn't conceal her beauty. Her long dress billowed, causing the men to involuntarily swallow hard.

"I hope so. It wouldn't be good if people blocked my door and yelled at me every day."

Following Ruoxue's guidance, Xiao Xingchen and Ruoxue, both possessing the foundation of cultivators, found the journey to be short. However, upon reaching the corner, Xiao Xingchen paused, clearly stunned.

Why is it here?

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up, they'll stop yelling once we're inside,"

Ruoxue, on the other hand, seemed quite satisfied with the place. She grabbed his hand and rushed inside. It was a gatehouse, and below the gatehouse was a narrow, prison-like door, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

On either side of the prison door, two guards were dozing off, completely unaware that someone would rush in at this time.

Stepping through this gate felt like entering another world—dark, damp, and cramped, filled with an unpleasant odor; you could even hear the hissing of insects.

Beneath my feet lay filthy mud, and ahead stretched endless darkness, but all the curses and shouts from Yong'an vanished the moment I stepped through that door.

Xiao Xingchen recalled the records about this place, her heart filled with emotion, while Ruoxue didn't care at all. Her white dress was soaked with mud, and she didn't cover her nose at the unpleasant smell in the air. Instead, she skipped and hopped forward as if she were back home.

"What are you daydreaming about? This is the place I told you about. I guarantee no one will bother you here. Are you satisfied?"

For some reason, upon arriving here, he noticed that Ruoxue seemed to have completely shed the shackles on her shoulders, brimming with energy like a happy young girl returning home.

“You surprise me,” Xiao Xingchen said, stepping forward to follow Ruoxue.

“Surprised? What’s so surprising? This is my home, the place where I was born. Aren’t you surprised that Yong’an has a place like this? Don’t worry, once you actually get there, you’ll find it’s quite nice.”

Ruoxue seemed very happy and kept explaining, but Xiaoxingchen had Xiaojianren's memories, so how could he not know where this place was?

Although Xiao Jianren had never been here before, this place was not unfamiliar to many people.

If Yong'an City represents the prosperous and flourishing side of the Great Qian Dynasty, then the road he is walking on leads to another side of the Great Qian Dynasty—a place completely opposite to the outside world, filled with darkness, dampness, and hardship, where all those who have committed sins are exiled.

Their feet will be shackled, and they will never be allowed to cross that door again. These people are basically similar to thugs, but here they have another name: Ant-Men. The place they live in is also called the Anthill, which, as the name suggests, is where ants live.

Ants represent something that can be crushed at any moment, something whose fate is decided by humans. This place has only one exit, which is the dark tunnel he's currently walking through. When he reaches the end of the tunnel, there will be a huge underground space—the anthill, a place specifically for ants to live.

One above ground, one underground, one door, two lives.

A sudden wave of sadness washed over Xiao Xingchen. Perhaps this was life; some were born in Rome, while others never saw the path to it in their entire lives.

"Come quickly, I'll show you another world in Yong'an,"

Ruoxue waved from the end, completely unconcerned that her clothes were soaked with dirty water and mud. Even in the dim light, he could see some dust on her face, but she didn't seem to mind at all; on the contrary, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Since this is Ruoxue's home, he thought of many things. If Consort Xian wants to build her own faction, she will definitely look for people without roots. What place in Yong'an is more suitable than this place?

The people here are not naturalized and are strictly controlled behind this door. It's the perfect place to recruit soldiers; once you get them out, they'll be loyal only to you.

Did Ruoxue bring him here just to escape the noise outside?