Tianfeng City.
From the two women who had encountered a nasty conflict just before her eyes, An Fei had obtained a rather interesting snippet of information.
The young girl’s heart felt livened whenever she thought of the words that had departed from the young woman’s lips, and couldn’t suppress the urge to smile.
The loss of her treasured pair of weapons, the twin butterfly swords, wasn’t enough to dampen her joyful mood.
“A transference array in Tianfeng City, something that not even Dong Lin City possesses, ah.”
With a transference array, returning to Jiang’an was no longer a troubling issue.
Though the actual process of transferring was rather uncomfortable and definitely not a welcoming experience, the young girl found herself capable of stomaching the hesitation and discontent at the notion of the possibility of returning home.
Hence, tracing her fingers at the edge of the taijijian’s handle, An Fei strolled along the weathered streets with a graceful spring in her step.
Oh, how she wished to laze around in that wooden study of the Flowing Wind Residence!
“Still, how should one go to Tianfeng City?”
The young girl managed to rein in her overflowing dreams at the final threshold, maintaining her rationality to avoid falling into the limitless chasm known as ruined hopes and dreams.
An Fei quietly entered a side alleyway, brushing the little raven off of her shoulder as she unslung the leather bag from her shoulder.
Caw!
The little creature howled as it protested its wronged state, only to be ignored by the young girl. An Fei’s delicate fingers dove throughout the leather bag’s contents, until index finger and thumb clenched around the edge of a square of fabric.
Dong Zhuo Province – this was the region of Great Yong of which the Bone Spirit Town and Dong Lin City were located within.
Dong Zhuo Province was one of three provinces extending over the stretch of land directly underneath the skyborne city of Jiang’an.
On the map held open by An Fei’s hands, the province that encompassed the enormous Wu Ji Forest as well as the mind-boggling territory that separated Bone Spirit Town from Dong Lin City was nothing more than a small marker.
Even Dong Lin City, of which the supposed warmongers and hegemons of the Hundred Clan Coalition reigning under the prerogatives granted by Great Yong, was not present on the large square of leather.
Naturally, it was no different that Tianfeng City, the location of which was rumored to host a transference array, was similarly unlisted on the map. Coming to such a realization, the brightened mood of the young girl took a sore strike to its viscera.
…as if to rub salt into the crevices of the wound, she didn’t even know which cardinal direction the city was located towards.
Caw!
The little raven snorted in derision at the dismayed expression threatening to conquer the remainder of An Fei’s countenance.
The pair of crimson eyes flickered with schadenfreude and interest as it witnessed the young girl relentlessly sigh and shake her head as though she had allowed a divine opportunity to slip from her fingertips.
“Too hasty, I was too hasty…”
An Fei slapped herself on the forehead with her palm, feeling her skin prickle and shiver at the piercing gaze directed towards her body from the little raven.
The young girl deeply wished to dig herself a massive hole and bury herself in it, unable to concentrate as the embarrassment and sense of failure embedded themselves into her mind.
“I might not know the location, however… I can ask someone?”
The young girl smacked the little raven on top of its feathery head to halt its gloating laughter, before folding the map and tucking it back into the leather bag. As An Fei slung the bag over her shoulder and returned to the buzzing streets of Dong Lin City with the little raven, she couldn’t help but momentarily pause.
Indeed, to escape from a problem deemed unsolvable by her current knowledge and experience, she could merely ask for assistance.
…but who was she to ask?
–
“…and that’s why you came back?”
An elderly man raised a grayed eyebrow towards the silent yet flustered young girl seated across from him, thoroughly enjoying the awkward expression on her countenance. Wang Qinian tapped his index finger against the surface of the wooden table, a slight smile dancing across his lips.
Oh, since she had returned, then his duty faced a chance of success!
No, it must! Regardless of the price he paid today, he had to make this young girl sitting across from him accept him as her Master!
“…surely, someone as advanced in knowledge and experienced as the Esteemed Senior would know the location of Tianfeng City?”
An Fei’s lips cramped as she fought to maintain a steady countenance, replying to the elderly shopkeeper’s gloating tone with a deadpan expression and monologue voice.
The young remembered the excited words of Shen Ming Yue regarding Wang Qinian being a frequent traveler, and pitched her hopes onto the decrepit and withered old man sitting across from her.
However, never would she have expected the answer that swooped around to deliver a resounding boxing curve onto the fragile curves of her ears.
“No, I’ve never heard of a place called Tianfeng City!”
Wang Qinian’s smile enlarged upon witnessing the young girl’s body fiercely tremble at the provocative words. Rubbing at the base of his beard with his fingers, the elderly shopkeeper mused in his heart that the Xu Lingxue seated before him was rather adorable when playing around with words.
“…the Esteemed Senior has never been to Tianfeng City? A city that can host a transference array in Great Yong, and the Esteemed Senior has not heard of such a location?”
An Fei grit her teeth and curled her fingers into tight fists, preventing herself from being overrun by the urge of drawing the elegant taijijian sheathed at her waist.
The young girl took a deep breath to steady her nerves, dreading the reply that was bound to escape the lips of the elderly man.
No – they were practically begging to be flung from the base of his throat, so that they may deliver a shocking blow to her vitals!
Damned old man, did he think that she wasn’t aware that he was merely playing around and flaunting his reputation and seniority – ahem, senility – as though he were donating alms to the beggars on the streets?
“Hm… this old bag of bones has never heard of this Tianfeng City that Lingxue speaks of, but I do indeed know of a Tiangfeng City that matches the description. It is only that…”
As she had expected, Wang Qinian was indeed playing around with the young girl seated before him.
Witness her anxious and exasperated body squirming at the base of her chair as she desperately attempted to restrain her boiling annoyance, the elderly shopkeeper’s heart leaped in soothing relaxation.
Oh, those adorable actions; they were practically a replica of his granddaughter’s younger self!
“Ahem, perhaps Lingxue is confused on a little matter,” Wang Qinian lightly coughed to clear his throat, before washing his following thoughts with a cup of tea.
“A Tianfeng City exists on practically every provincial region of territory of both Great Yan and Great Yong; several larger plots of land can possess numerous cities with similar, if not identical names. Additionally, the number of cities named Tianfeng City that host a transference array… are not small in any perspective, ah. A transference array isn’t that rare, after all.”
“…then does the Esteemed Senior know of the closest city with a transference array?”
Though she was unwilling to admit, An Fei could understand why the elderly shopkeeper had replied in such a form. The young girl scowled in her heart, though a sliver of irritation brooded alongside of her silence.
…to think that the problem of overexpansion had similarly taken root in the Shattered Star Continent as well?
Though it was much larger than the entire surface area of the modern Earth in the first place…
When a single cultural group expanded their physical territory beyond the limits supported by their cultural beliefs and linguistic creativity, a phenomenon such as recurring names for cities and locations was bound to occur without fail.
It was merely a natural phenomenon, but annoying nonetheless in its infallible ability to create misunderstandings.
Given the size of Great Yong, of which there could easily exist three hundred cities with the same name, how would it be possible to communicate with others?
Excuse me, were you from Tianfeng City of the east, or Tianfeng City of the south?
“A city with a transference array? Indeed, I will be leaving from this city rather soon,” the elderly shopkeeper directed a cursory glance towards the small and poorly-maintained restaurant, only to return onto An Fei’s countenance with a brilliant gleam suffusing his wizened eyes.
“Indeed, such a feat isn’t impossible – but, Lingxue, you must call this old thing Master!”
Oh, that’s right… others may be from a Tianfeng City from either the north, south, east, or even west… but this Wang Qinian was from the cardinal direction of shamelessness.
Pa!
For the second time of the day, the young girl ignored all precedent of social etiquette of both modern and ancient societies, delivering a powerful palm to the base of her forehead.
