Ding Yan found an inn and settled in. Three days later, many unfamiliar faces appeared in this remote town. No one knew where the entrance to the Wasteland Demon City was, and even the remaining map only showed a general direction. Héjí Town was only located in the center of this direction. Apart from this, there were many cultivators in the surrounding towns, most likely sent by the Scatter Immortal Sect to gather information.
Ding Yan sat on the second floor of the inn, holding a pot of wine and drinking slowly. The first floor of the inn was a place for drinking tea and chatting, where many people gathered and chatted freely. There were merchants, escorts, martial artists, and cultivators who had infiltrated to gather information in this area.
Ding Yan poured wine into a cup and took a sip. The wine was brewed by a farmer and was cheap. Many guests liked this kind of wine. Ding Yan bought three pots and had been drinking from early morning until now.
He drank slowly, much slower than the boastful guests of the martial world. "Great wine, a pleasant atmosphere. I wonder if I have the fortune to drink with you, brother?" said a dandy.
Ding Yan looked at the man and remained silent, continuing to drink the remaining wine. The dandy smiled and sat in front of Ding Yan, opening his paper fan with a landscape painted on it.
"I'm Xia Chunshui. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" the dandy, Xia Chunshui, said.
Ding Yan said nothing.
The wine flowed between his lips and teeth, and its lingering fragrance brought back many memories. He used to love wine. In order to brew wine, he had traveled the mortal world for over a hundred years, learning countless brewing methods for fine wine. The world changed, and he, too, had changed. Although the same person, he tasted different wines and lived a different life, feeling tired.
"To make friends through wine, there is no need to get acquainted. It seems that I have descended to a lower level," Xia Chunshui said, and asked the waiter to bring another pot of wine to their table.
"Alright!" came a shout from downstairs.
A while later, the waiter brought a pot of wine and some snacks to their table. After placing them down, the waiter quickly backed away.
Xia Chunshui filled his cup and raised it to Ding Yan. "Let’s raise a toast to two wine lovers." After finishing the wine in one gulp, Xia Chunshui poured another cup.
Ding Yan continued to drink as if he hadn't heard Xia Chunshui's words.
Noticing this, Xia Chunshui's expression soured. "Do you look down on me, my friend?" he asked.
Ding Yan closed his eyes, downed the last drop of wine in his cup, and then put it down. Then, he looked at Xia Chunshui. A sharp glint flashed in his drunken eyes, but it quickly disappeared as he refilled his cup and drank it in one go.
"Refreshing!" Xia Chunshui said.
He poured another cup. "One more drink, a toast to you." After finishing his cup, he poured another. "Another drink, still a toast to you," he said before drinking it all.
Ding Yan picked up his cup, swirled it in his hand, and suddenly asked, "Do you really want to enter the Wasteland Demon City with me?"
Xia Chunshui was taken aback, then smiled and said, "This time, there are eleven Scatter Immortals from the mortal world planning to enter together, including three Scatter Immortal masters. These people are mostly from established sects, with many connections. I, Xia Chunshui, am a lone ranger and not their match."
"Eleven people..." Ding Yan had known at first glance that Xia Chunshui, like him, was a Scatter Immortal who had survived the Tribulation. The seemingly ordinary paper fan in his hand was actually a rare middle-grade magic treasure.
"Was the person who came to see me two days ago your disciple?" Ding Yan asked.
On the second day of entering Héjí Town, a cultivator had come looking for him, saying his master wanted to form an alliance with Ding Yan to enter the Wasteland Demon City together. At that time, Ding Yan had not paid much attention and had simply sent the person away. Today, with Xia Chunshui's appearance, Ding Yan could sense the same aura from him as the cultivator two days ago, thus inferring that Xia Chunshui was the mentor of the previous person.
"Brother Ding is truly perceptive," Xia Chunshui indirectly admitted.
Ding Yan remained expressionless and picked up his cup.
Rumble...
Suddenly, a rumble sounded.
The noise was like thunder, low and oppressive.
"The thundercloud above Xiaoyun City has burst..."
"The thundercloud above Xiaoyun City? Don't you know? A thundercloud has been hanging over the city for half a month. It floats over the city and has not dissipated. It is said that even the ancestor of Xiaoyun City has been unable to disperse it..."
"Is it true? But the ancestor of Xiaoyun City is an immortal."
"How can it be false? Many residents of Xiaoyun City have fled and dare not return to the city."
A noisy voice came from downstairs.
Xia Chunshui put down his cup and stood up. "It seems that the entrance to the Wasteland City should be above Xiaoyun City. According to the records on the map, the gates of the Wasteland City will be open for three days. If I'm correct, those three old guys should have already gone there."
"Three days?" Ding Yan's eyes flashed, but he didn't say much.
Xiao Chunshui frowned, "Could it be that Brother Ding doesn't have any partial maps?"
Ding Yan nodded, "I indeed have not obtained any partial maps. Initially, I came to the mortal world only to comprehend life and elevate my state of mind and cultivation. As for the news about the Purgatory City, I only learned of it a few days ago."
"No wonder Brother Ding arrived here only three days ago..." Xiao Chunshui suddenly realized.
Many scattered immortals came to this area after obtaining the partial maps, and many cities in the vicinity have their spies. With Ding Yan's cultivation, it would have been impossible for him to come early without being noticed by Xiao Chunshui.
After speaking, Xiao Chunshui waved his sleeve and took out a partial map, handing it to Ding Yan.
"I have over a dozen partial maps here, and I'll give this one to Brother Ding," he said.
"A dozen?" Ding Yan was surprised.
"There are a great many partial maps, reportedly numbering in the hundreds. However, they are scattered throughout the mortal world. In recent years, my disciples, in the capacity of a national teacher, have been sent out to collect them everywhere, and only after some effort have they found these dozen or so," explained Xiao Chunshui.
As he spoke, he took out a few more partial maps and handed them to Ding Yan.
Inspecting the partial maps, Ding Yan found that the contents of the maps were mostly the same.
"These partial maps..." Looking at them, a flicker passed through Ding Yan's eyes.
These partial maps were completely different from the one he obtained in Mo's village. The locations marked as routes to live on this partial map were mostly dead ends and perilous places on the one Ding Yan had obtained.
"These maps are fakes," a thought flashed through Ding Yan's mind.