The Healer Demands Payment!

“The Lord of Xingluo City?” Meng Qi was stunned. It was the first time she heard such a statement. Three Thousand World had a specific rule. There was one sect per city, and the sect located nearest to the city was responsible for protecting the ordinary people residing there. In exchange, part of the city’s tax revenue would be paid to maintain the sect’s daily operation.

For example, Qingfeng Town at the foot of Qingfeng Valley’s mountain, and Fentian City of Fentian Palace. Some of the ancestors of Xingluo Pavilion had also died protecting Xingluo City. They held their swords to guard the city gate and protected all the ordinary residents inside.

But this was the first time Meng Qi heard about the title ‘City Lord.’ She glanced at the Feng Alliance’s disciple again. The other party seemed to be talking matter-of-factly, and there was no slightest difference in his expression.

Meng Qi retracted her gaze. Feng Alliance consisted of four large clans plus one headquarter and were in charge of five cities in the Western Realm. Moreover, Western Realm was also the area where medical cultivation had the highest and strongest status.

Turned out, they were strong enough to be the city lords?

She somewhat understood why at Xue Clan’s temporary residence that day, the First Elder was not hesitant when demanding Pei Mufeng to drive out the entire eastern district’s residents. For them, this might be just a trivial matter.

Subconsciously, Meng Qi put more distance from the two Feng Alliance’s disciples. She and Sikong Xing walked side by side on the other side of the street.

“How long did I sleep?” Meng Qi asked.

“One day and two nights.” Sikong Xing replied in a low voice. “Only one day before the Medical Cultivator Conference begin.”

So tomorrow was already the first day of the conference. No wonder Xue Clan even came to seek her.

“Two guests, please.” Meng Qi’s words earlier probably rubbed them in the wrong way, but the two Feng Alliance’s disciples had a colder attitude towards her. The disciple who spoke earlier waved his hand impatiently. “The heads of four clans are all inside. Fellow Daoist Meng must be the first Foundation Establishment cultivator who made those four esteemed people wait for so long.”

This disciple was in the Golden Core stage, and he could see Meng Qi’s cultivation base at a glance.

“Oh.” Meng Qi responded indifferently, “Should be my honor.” Without changing her expression, she walked with Sikong Xing by her side.

This must be the largest inn in Xingluo City’s eastern district, currently was being used exclusively by the Feng Alliance. The people guarding outside the gate were all cultivators wearing the robe with Feng Alliance emblem.

This time, the disciples brought by the Feng Alliance to Xingluo City, even the errand runners, were all of Golden Core and above. Their momentum was pretty huge.

Meng Qi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, gathered quite an attention here. But most of them just glanced at her quickly before turning their eyes away. Many people also stared at Sikong Xing, whose face was very beautiful even among cultivators.

Sikong Xing curled her mouth and said in a low voice, “If it wasn’t for Su Junmo, I wouldn’t come.”

Meng Qi smiled wordlessly.

The two disciples quickly took them to the inn’s lobby. There were no other guests here. The original lobby’s arrangement—the tables, chairs, benches, and such—had been put away and replaced.

“Tsk…” As soon as Sikong Xing stepped in, she couldn’t help but chuckle, “So luxurious! Magnificent!” She sighed softly. The lobby itself was very spacious. Now it had been re-arranged to look like a hall of a prestigious family house. All kinds of antique decorations, calligraphy, and paintings were displayed all over the place. Very impressive.

Two middle-aged men were sitting on the main seat inside the lobby, chatting. When Meng Qi and the others entered, the two men turned around with a probing gaze.

Sikong Xing’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Likewise, Meng Qi was also as usual.

“Clan Head.” One of the disciples who led Meng Qi quickly glared at Sikong Xing. He hurried forwards and saluted respectfully, “This is Meng Qi.”

The middle-aged man on the left turned his gaze at Meng Qi. His sharp eyes swept across her face.

Meng Qi also looked back. This man seemed to be in his fifties, with a long black beard and hair. Even though he no longer looked young, he was still quite handsome. He didn’t have Elder Yan Mingfeng’s immortal-like impression, but at first glance, Meng Qi could see that he had been sitting on the top for a long time. His whole figure was imposing with a bit of loftiness. Moreover, this middle-aged man looked fifty or sixty percent similar to Xue Chengxuan. Or, to be precise, he looked like an aged figure of Xue Chengxuan.

“Xue Clan Head.” Meng Qi respected the man as an older generation and stepped forward to salute.

“You are Meng Qi?” Xue Chengxuan’s father and current head of Xue Clan, Xue Chuan, looked at her up and down: “Chengxuan has mentioned about you before.” He put away his stern look, raised his lips slightly, and smiled at Meng Qi: “Chengxuan considers Young Daoist Meng as a friend of the same mind and is full of praise when mentioning you.”

“This junior doesn’t deserve the praise.” Meng Qi’s tone was flat.

“You know that when Xingluo Pavilion proposed to hold Medical Cultivator Conference in Xingluo City this year, many older generations resolutely opposed.” Xue Chuan said. “It was my son Chengxuan who persuaded those old men. He said that having Pavilion Master Pei enter the Starfallen Sea for ten years is more beneficial for the entire medical society, and it is worth giving up the right to hold the conference once.” He stood up, his face looked even more amiable: “Even now in Xue Clan and Feng Alliance, the opposition voices are still very strong. Since Chengxuan holds such a high opinion of you, Young Daoist Meng must be open-minded and smart. It’s worth to exchange a friendship with you.”

Meng Qi was a bit startled. She didn’t expect Xue Chengxuan to mention her to his father, the current head of Xue Clan. She thought that after their separation in Huajiang Manor, it would be difficult for them to have an intersection again.

The middle-aged man sitting next to Xue Chuan also stood up. He was shorter and also thinner than Xue Chuan. His gaze looking at Meng Qi was also very kind: “I think Young Daoist Meng has also met my son Wen He.” This person was Wen Su, the current clan head of Wen Clan, one of the four clans of Feng Alliance.

“Wen Clan Head.” Meng Qi saluted again.

“Young Daoist Meng doesn’t need to be so polite.” Wen Su waved his hand and said with a smile. “This old man also heard Chengxuan talking about Young Daoist. The youths nowadays are truly incomparable to our era. This old man is looking forward to the time when your generation surpassed us. Probably not too long in the future.”

The two Feng Alliance’s disciples who went to invite Meng Qi quietly exchanged a glance. They both saw a trace of fear in each other’s eyes. They obviously didn’t expect that the two Clan Heads, who stood at the pinnacle of Three Thousand Worlds’ medical cultivators, would be so polite to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Dense beads of sweat began to flow on their foreheads, and their backs were already drenched in sweat. When they were ordered to invite Meng Qi over, no one told them that this Foundation Establishment cultivator knew Xue Chengxuan, who was Xue Clan’s eldest young master.