Chapter 252: Zhongdu City and the Imperial Princess Manor

The Ye family had long since lost the glory it once possessed.

Ye Shiyuan himself had even been one of the abandoned children of the family, an unfavored illegitimate son who received little attention.

His grandfather had once held the position of Chancellor.

However, in his later years, he lost his standing and was falsely accused of crimes, resulting in the execution of the entire family.

Ye Shiyuan’s father survived only because he had married the Imperial Princess of the current dynasty.

As a result, that branch of the family was spared.

Unfortunately, his status and position were not particularly high.

In many ways, he lived by relying on the protection and influence of the Imperial Princess.

Ye Shiyuan’s mother had originally been his father’s lawful wife.

However, after three years of marriage, she still had not borne any children.

Later, the Imperial Princess took an interest in Ye Shiyuan’s father.

One year after the original wife was forced to leave her position, Ye Shiyuan was born.

Afterward, Ye Shiyuan entered the path of cultivation.

Logically speaking, once someone stepped onto the path of immortality, they should no longer concern themselves with worldly affairs.

But who could truly accomplish that?

Even Zhou Yifei, after cultivating for so many years, still had not been able to let go completely.

And Ye Shiyuan had only been on the path of cultivation for a relatively short time.

Bai He brought Xu Feng with him to Zhongdu City.

This was the most prosperous city Bai He had ever seen.

Just by looking at the way people were dressed, it was easy to tell that their lives were exceptionally comfortable and wealthy.

Bai He had brought quite a bit of money with him on this trip.

If he had not been searching for Ye Shiyuan, he definitely would have stayed behind to explore the city properly.

He was certain he would have found many things he liked.

"Master, here."

Xu Feng bought a candied hawthorn skewer and handed it to Bai He.

Bai He accepted it and began eating.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you to see where Shiyuan’s family lives."

"Master, how do you know so much about it? Have you been here before?"

Uh...

No.

Would it count if he had read about it in a book?

On the way to the Princess Manor, Bai He turned around and noticed a large procession approaching.

The crowd was vast and imposing.

The common people along the street automatically moved aside to the edges of the road.

Bai He immediately stepped aside as well, allowing them to pass first.

At the front rode a man who appeared to be in his fifties.

He sat atop a black horse and traveled at a leisurely pace.

Behind him was an exquisitely crafted carriage.

Judging by its color scheme, the passenger inside was most likely a woman.

More than a dozen guards escorted the carriage as it moved steadily forward.

Only after the procession disappeared from sight did the surrounding people finally let out sighs of relief.

"Didn’t the Imperial Princess just return to the capital a few days ago? Why is she back already?"

"Who knows? It’s probably because the Prince Consort’s illegitimate son came back again, and she had another argument with the Prince Consort."

"I heard that illegitimate son went off to cultivate immortality."

"That’s quite a story. Cultivate immortality? Who would believe that? That pretty boy was probably some wealthy person’s kept companion. Now that he’s been abandoned, he’s slinking back home with his tail between his legs."

...

These people really had foul mouths.

No wonder they seemed like a group of vicious gossips.

After thoroughly criticizing them in his heart, Bai He immediately grabbed Xu Feng and followed the procession that had just passed by.

This way, they could easily find the Princess Manor.

There was no need to study the map himself.

That would have been far too troublesome.

"Master, the person they were talking about couldn’t have been Senior Brother, right?"

"Congratulations. You guessed correctly."

"Master, and you can tolerate that?"

Bai He rolled his eyes at Xu Feng.

"What else am I supposed to do if I can’t tolerate it? If you’ve got the ability, go beat them up yourself."

Bai He had no interest in arguing with a group of gossiping women.

They were no different from keyboard warriors on the internet.

Utterly boring.

As a cultivator, he could not casually use force against ordinary people.

Doing so would also violate the principles of cultivation.

"I was just saying."

Xu Feng thought about it for a moment.

Going out to beat up a few elderly women would be humiliating even if he won.

It was better to forget about it.

At last, they arrived at the entrance of the Princess Manor.

Above the gates hung enormous gilded characters, accompanied by the seal of the late emperor.

Four guards stood watch outside.

At the moment, there was no possibility of getting in.

"Master, what do we do now?"

"Since we’ve already confirmed that Shiyuan really returned here, why don’t we come back tonight?"

A look of understanding immediately appeared on Xu Feng’s face.

Thus, Bai He decided to spend some time exploring Zhongdu City first, find a place to rest, and then return at night to look for Ye Shiyuan.

...

Inside Zhongdu Tavern, Bai He lay sprawled across a table.

Through the wide open window, he could see the moon hanging in the night sky.

The time was almost right.

"Host, why do you always like buying useless things?"

"How are they useless?"

Bai He protested, though his voice lacked confidence.

But when he thought about it carefully, they really did seem rather useless.

Still, whenever he went shopping, the merchants would describe their goods in such glowing terms.

They praised them endlessly and made them sound absolutely amazing.

Bai He simply could not resist.

So he bought them.

"I have money. I’ll spend it however I want."

"Oh? Host, don’t forget that Dan Zhu isn’t going to pay for those clothes for you. You’ll still have to repay that debt yourself."