Liu Xing was joking, but he still thought that it would take Chu Zen at least a full day to arrive at the outer sect gate. His sect covered a large area, including several mountains and peaks, and had many gates, the closest one being the outer sect gate, while the furthest ones were the gates to the inner sect. There was also a gate from the outer sect to the inner sect that was located behind the Outer Hall, but let alone a mortal, even an outer sect disciple couldn't cross that gate.

Liu Xing began to chat with Chu Zen. This kid was really expressive and good at talking. The city below the sect was called Purple Shield City. Chu Zen said that a long time ago an inner disciple had built a hut there, and over time more and more people had gathered around the hut. This disciple had also left a purple shield in the center of the town, saying that whoever could claim the shield would be guaranteed a place as an inner disciple. Chu Zen said that the purple shield had finally found an owner a few weeks ago, a man with black hair that was so long and beautiful that from behind he looked like a woman.

Liu Xing asked about life in Purple Shield City. What kind of work was there? Was there a doctor? He even asked if Chu Zen knew about bacteria, to which Chu Zen responded with a blank face. When he had crossed over from Earth into Liu Xing's body, he was already an outer sect disciple, and while Liu Xing wasn't from a big family, the Liu clan was a cultivator family.

Chu Zen said that there were many professions in the city. There were farmers, blacksmiths, shopkeepers, and many other important jobs. The most interesting occupations were umbrella maker, hat maker, and a theater troupe that would occasionally hold a performance.

"Usually they would perform heroic stories of cultivators around the world, and although I like it, it's kind of repetitive. Most of the stories are like this. A guy found a treasure, he saved a girl, and in the end one or two demonic sects were annihilated."

Liu Xing had never seen a live performance before, but he had read so many xianxia stories that he could relate to what Chu Zen said. After several hours, he stumbled upon a topic that greatly interested him.

"Although my father is sickly, he is still a good merchant and has many connections. A few years ago, my father managed to secure a sack of spirit rice from the Water Nation. This nation is really famous for their method of farming, where they plant the rice plant in the water instead of on the ground. My father sold that spirit rice so cheaply. At that time I was confused about the price, but now I understand that keeping the spirit rice would bring trouble because many people would want to get their hands on it, whether my father wanted to sell it to them or not."

Liu Xing nodded. "I understand. A long time ago, there was a guy in the outer sect who was lucky enough to get a pill that could triple his cultivation speed. That guy was robbed and beaten, and he almost died."

This poor guy was actually Liu Xing before he transmigrated. And even though he had not experienced it himself, the memory was vivid.

"Anyway, about the Water Nation, do you know anything about it? I happen to have some business there."

"I don't know much. I only know about their spirit rice farm, and I've heard that it's a beautiful country far away from here." Chu Zen pinched his chin. "Although I have heard a legend from my father about it."

"Oh, can I hear it?"

"Sure." He cleared his throat. "They say a long time ago, when the Water Nation was just a wilderness, there was a family that gave birth to a genius. This genius was Ye Wenjie, and she was so strong that she united several tribes and formed a nation. One day, a warlord heard about Ye Wenjie's plan to conquer his land, so the warlord prayed to the guardian beast from under the water. Some people said it was a dragon, some said it was a turtle, some said it was a snake, and some said it was a fish. The most important thing is that this guardian beast agreed to help the warlord, and they launched a counter-invasion against the nation. They fought for a month and created many lakes, rivers, water sources, and flooded a large area. In the end, Ye Wenjie won, and the guardian beast and the warlord died in the battle. Ye Wenjie was furious with the warlord's tribe, and she cursed the whole tribe, and they became ghosts. They said that the ghosts are still in our world, waiting for revenge."

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Liu Xing tried to memorize the whole legend. Although there was no mention of the Lightning Ring that Yan Yu had mentioned, there was still a possibility that this legend was related to it.

"There is also a version of the story that says Ye Wenjie stole the method of farming on the water from the warlord because the warlord tribe lived in a lake, but I think it's false."

Chu Zen's story began to drift from the legend and to speculate about how a farm could be built on the water. Liu Xing knew about hydroponics, and when Chu Zen heard about it, his eyes shone as if he had just heard the greatest secret in the world. He said he wanted to try this hydroponic method for his little garden.

Several more hours passed, and the sky turned orange. Chu Zen's feet began to tremble, and Liu Xing offered to deliver the sack of rice himself while Chu Zen rested, but Chu Zen refused. He said it was a matter of principle. "If I don't meet the customer, how can I make sure the customer is satisfied with my service?"

Thus, their pace slowed down, but after the sun went down, they finally arrived at the outer sect's gate. There were two guards standing in front of the gate. They were disciples as well, and they had taken on the mission of guarding the gate. Usually they stood lazily, but now their backs were straight and their eyes were alert.

There was a man standing between them. This man was younger than Liu Xing, with his hands behind his back and a proud aura emanating from him. His eyes were sharp, as if he could easily cut through people, and his expression was aloof, as if the world must bow to him. Liu Xing recognized his face. When he had first seen Yan Yu, he had also seen this man's face in the crowd of new disciples. He didn't know his name, but he could guess who he was.

"Senior Liu Xing, thank you for your help, but I have to carry the sack myself from now on!"

Liu Xing looked at the sack on his shoulder, nodded, and handed it back to Chu Zen. Chu Zen lifted the sack onto his shoulder and started to walk respectfully towards the man.

He watched the man, who was probably Shen Ye--one of the strongest new outer disciples of the sect and also a prince of the Phoenix Empire. He was wearing the purple robe provided by the sect, and a gold medal engraved with a phoenix dangled from his neck. Chu Zen knelt in front of Shen Ye, put down the sack of rice, and clasped his hands.

"This is the rice you ordered, esteemed cultivator Shen Ye."

Shen Ye looked at the sack. "Do you know how long I have been waiting?"

"My sincerest apologies! I delivered this sack of rice as fast as I could!"

"I said, do you have any idea how long I waited?" Shen Ye repeated. His eyes pierced Chu Zen, then he turned to a guard. "Tell me how long I waited."

"Yes, sir! At least fifteen minutes!"

"Did you hear that? I have been waiting here for over fifteen minutes! Aren't you the one who said that you could deliver this rice on time, when the sun went down?"

Chu Zen started to pale, and Liu Xing knew that trouble was coming. He summoned his gun and got ready to jump if anything happened. As he prepared himself, he wondered had Chu Zen really promised to deliver the goods before sunset? That was quite a bold statement. Without Liu Xing's help, he would have had to carry the sack himself, and Liu Xing doubted that Chu Zen could have delivered it in time. Still, he knew that Chu Zen was a smart kid. He probably thought the stairs weren't too long and the customer would be forgiving.

"You are wasting my precious time. You must be punished!"

"W-Wait, esteemed cultivator. I sincerely apologize for the delay, a-and to pay for it, y-you can get a big discount every time you shop at my father's store!"

When Shen Ye's expression did not change, Chu Zen's face was so pale that it looked like it was made of candle wax. "Then it's free. It's free! We'll give you free goods!"

"The punishment for making me wait is death!"

Shen Ye pointed his palm at the frightened Chu Zen, and Liu Xing knew that the situation was already out of control. Although Liu Xing had known Chu Zen for less than a day, he didn't want him to be harmed.

Liu Xing stepped between Chu Zen and Shen Ye.

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