Along the way, Li Yan also got a lot of information from Zhao Zhihuan. First was his identity. Zhao Zhihuan was the governor of this province, and the area he governed was a province called Jiaoming under a country called the "Great Qi Kingdom."
Today, Zhao Zhihuan was on an inspection tour with his men. Jiaoming Province was located at the southernmost tip of the Great Qi Kingdom, and a part of its territory was adjacent to the edge of a "Sky Eye Wind." According to the experience of previous years, a "Sky Eye Wind" would appear in about half a month.
Normally, no one would live in the location where Zhao Zhihuan had appeared today. This place was already in the peripheral part of the "Sky Eye Wind." Even so, its power was still considerable. At best, the good fields would be destroyed; at worst, villages would be wiped out and people would die.
So Zhao Zhihuan had long ago ordered that this area of a thousand li be a restricted zone, and no one was allowed to build villages or cultivate land here. However, because the land in this area was fertile, every year there would still be people who secretly came to plant crops. They thought they had mastered the pattern of the "Sky Eye Wind," so they all decided to press their luck.
For this reason, a lot of people had indeed died under the sweep of the "Sky Eye Wind." Zhao Zhihuan had thus issued another law. Violators would be lightly caned and punished, or heavily imprisoned. Even so, there would still be people who secretly came to cultivate the land, especially some refugees.
In their view, nothing was more worth risking their lives for than having their own land and no longer having to pay rent and taxes. Zhao Zhihuan had to report the number of casualties in his annual report to the court to have his merits evaluated. He could not have too many deaths in the area he governed. In the end, he had to send out officials to patrol once every ten to fifteen days.
Thirteen days ago, Zhao Zhihuan had calculated that the "Sky Eye Wind" was coming soon. Worried, he had personally led his men out to inspect. According to past experience, the "Sky Eye Wind" would appear in at least a month. Even if it came early, it would only be about half a month early. Who knew what had happened this time? The "early" was a bit too early. By the time Zhao Zhihuan and his men were on their way back after their inspection, the "Sky Eye Wind" had appeared.
When the few of them realized something was wrong, the "Sky Eye Wind" had already arrived. In their haste, they could only abandon their horses and hurriedly look for a place to hide. In the end, they had almost died. Fortunately, they were already on their way back and were at the very edge of the "Sky Eye Wind." Some of them had luckily survived, which was how they had rescued Zhao Zhihuan. But the horses had been blown away to who knows where.
Besides this news, Li Yan also learned from the other's words that the mortals on the Wind God Continent still knew a lot about immortals. The main reason was the fight against the Wind Beasts. This had let the ordinary mortals know that there were immortals helping them. Moreover, according to Zhao Zhihuan, in some places where some ethnic groups lived, there were even cases where immortals directly led mortals to fight against the Wind Beasts. In that case, immortals and mortals had always been on the "same road."
This made Li Yan think of the Tianli Clan. They were an ethnic group fighting against the Wind Beasts. It was also because of this that the mortals here did not live an ordinary life like the mortals on the Desolate Moon Continent. Instead, they were a bit like the mortals on the Forsaken Continent. Due to special reasons, they knew a lot about immortals.
And according to what Zhao Zhihuan said, the most terrifying "Sky Eye Wind" place on the Wind God Continent was called the "Wind God's Eye." The rank of the Wind Beasts that appeared there was very high, and they could easily overturn clouds and rain, move mountains and fill seas. But Zhao Zhihuan did not know where this place was. He had only once heard an immortal say that there was such a place.
Li Yan was somewhat familiar with the name "Wind God's Eye." The "Skywind Bamboo" he had used when he had gone through his tribulation was said to have come from there. Li Yan did not use any trickery to ask Zhao Zhihuan about these things. Instead, he directly used a small illusion. Afterward, Zhao Zhihuan and the others did not know what they had said at all.
This kind of illusion that could make people lose their minds had to consider the cultivation gap between the two when used on cultivators. If one was not careful, one could be controlled by the other. But it was very effective on mortals. Not only would there be no consequences of using the Soul-Searching Art on mortals, but it could also make the other party speak the truth without their knowledge.
And so, along the way, Li Yan got a lot of information about the Wind God Continent.
A day later, Zhao Zhihuan and his party finally met a patrol of guards. When they saw Zhao Zhihuan and his party's appearance, they were shocked. Someone immediately came up to take over the two wooden stretchers…
After getting some information, Li Yan had originally intended to use an art to make these few people forget them before entering the city and then leave. But he learned from Zhao Zhihuan that he had a map of the Great Qi Kingdom and the surrounding neighboring countries.
The map Li Yan had was drawn by the Wei family. It had a general route and was not too detailed. He had always been careful and meticulous in his actions. After thinking for a moment, he still wanted to get the detailed map from Zhao Zhihuan. This had always been his habit. The map from the Wei family was enough for him to find the Tianli Clan, but if he were to use it to escape, it might be a bit stretched.
Some of the mountains and rivers were not marked in too much detail. If Li Yan encountered a strong enemy and wanted to use a certain place to set up an ambush, most of the places on the map would have to be guessed by himself. Being prepared had always been Li Yan's motto.
So when Zhao Zhihuan and the others woke up, they had already forgotten many things…
Three days later in the afternoon, Zhao Zhihuan and his party rode fast horses to Jiaoming City. After entering the city, Li Yan and his group went straight to a mansion.
"Hehehe... Little friend Zhang, this is my humble abode. In a while, I will arrange for someone to take you to wash and rest. After I have also removed this dirt, it will not be too late to talk with the three strong men!"
Zhao Zhihuan nodded with a smile at the three of them. As he was speaking, someone at the front of the mansion had already seen them. Seeing that it was their master, a person who looked like a steward immediately ran over…
After the three of them entered the main gate, after a few instructions from Zhao Zhihuan, they were led by a maid to a side corridor and separated from Zhao Zhihuan and the others. The entire mansion did not look luxurious, but it was simple, clean, and elegant.
The three of them followed behind the maid, passing through corridors and gardens. They encountered some servants and patrolling soldiers, who just glanced at them and no one came forward to ask questions. And as the three of them walked along, they had been intentionally or unintentionally staring at the back of the maid in front of them for several glances.
This maid had a voluptuous figure, with a full chest and a slender waist. Her looks could only be considered average. After she had received the three of them at the door, she had not said a word all the way, just leading the way with her hips swaying.
About a cup of tea's time later, the four of them came to the gate of a courtyard. Li Yan looked around. This area was very quiet. On both sides of the round archway were large patches of fine bamboo and banana trees.
"Three sirs, there are five side rooms and a living room here. You can choose any one to live in. I will have a servant bring hot water right away. Sirs, please take your time to bathe. If you need anything, you can call a servant. When the master is ready, I will come over to inform the three sirs."
After the maid finished speaking, she bowed slightly to the three of them, curtsied, and then left directly. Li Yan and the other two also nodded with a smile at her and then entered the courtyard.
"I didn't expect there to be a little demon here!" As the three of them walked, Zi Kun said casually.
"To be willing to be a servant in a mortal official's home, this is also strange!" Qian Ji was also sizing up the entire courtyard and said casually. Li Yan, who had transformed into a burly man, also had a few flashes in his eyes.
"When we entered the mansion before, this maid seemed to be waiting there. But she didn't look like a steward…" He looked up at the sky, his gaze sweeping around as if unintentionally.
"Hehe... interesting!" Li Yan smiled to himself. He hadn't expected to see a decent formation restriction in a mortal's mansion. And Qian Ji and Zi Kun had actually failed to notice.
The maid passed through the halls and courtyards and soon came to another courtyard!
At this time, it was a bit noisy here. Many burly men in strong suits were gathered here, talking loudly in a circle. When the maid entered the courtyard, a few of those who saw her showed a respectful look on their faces.
"Sister Ling'e!"
Some of those who greeted her were already in their thirties or forties, obviously much older than this maid, but they addressed her with respect.
"Oh, you're all here. How is Zhao Yuan?" The maid, known as Ling'e, also had a smile on her face. Although her looks were not top-notch, her figure was voluptuous and rounded, and she had a certain charm when she smiled.
"Doctor Ding is treating him. It's mainly his right leg that was broken by a large rock. The rest of his body is fine!" A burly man with a full beard quickly answered.
"Then I'll go in and take a look!" Ling'e nodded and then walked straight into the room. Those people immediately moved aside to make a path, showing great respect for this woman.
A short while later, Ling'e came out of the room again, followed by a middle-aged man carrying a medicine box. The two of them were talking in low voices as they walked. When they reached the courtyard, Ling'e stopped for a moment and then looked at the group of burly men.
"Zhao Yuan is fine. I'll go and report to the master now. But he also needs to rest quietly. You all should not be noisy here. Go and do what you should do. By the way, the master said that Zhao Wu should be buried with honors! After this is done, you go and help a little more. When Zhao Wu's family is brought to the mansion later, they will be settled in Zhao Wu's original residence. The three who lived with Zhao Wu have all moved out. The head steward will make the specific arrangements. What I want to say is that in the future, you must not go to Zhao Wu's courtyard at will, so as not to cause gossip!"
Ling'e looked at these people and instructed them a few times.
"Sister Ling'e is right. We are not low-class people. For the orphans and widows, we will only take more care of them in our daily lives!" The burly men all patted their chests. After watching Ling'e and the middle-aged doctor leave, they still swarmed into Zhao Yuan's room…
In a corner of the Zhao mansion, Ling'e stood there alone. At this time, there was no one around. She frowned tightly.
"According to Zhao Yuan and Zhao Wuding and the others, the way those three moved the huge rock was not just because they were strong. It felt a little light... 'Giant Strength Art'?"
She was recalling the answers when she had questioned the few of them, and seemed to have a guess.
Li Yan had not expected that although his actions were careful and there were no flaws, and he had even broken out in a sweat after moving the huge rock, Qian Ji and Zi Kun, although they had also concealed themselves, Li Yan had not really noticed that they had seemed a little "frivolous" when they had acted…
That night, Zhao Zhihuan held a banquet. There were no outsiders invited. The guests were only Li Yan and the other two. At the table, only Zhao Zhihuan and his wife were present. Their eldest and youngest sons were already grown up. The eldest son, after passing the imperial examination, was an official in a distant place. The youngest son was often away, and he also had his own residence in this city. He would only come over to pay his respects when he was free.
Zhao Zhihuan's wife had a quiet personality. Apart from thanking the three of them at the beginning, she had remained smiling all along.
Zhao Zhihuan, as a governor, was quite talkative. He chatted and laughed with the three of them. In his words, there was still an intention to inquire about the origin of the three of them, which might be an instinct of an official.
With Li Yan's cunning, it was very difficult for him to show his true colors. Zi Kun and Qian Ji were only focused on eating and drinking. They had not had mortal food for many years. Occasionally, they would indulge themselves and let loose their appetites. Although the dishes on the table were not delicacies, the ordinary ingredients were cooked quite deliciously.
Seeing the two of them eating ravenously, Lady Lin had a kind look on her face. Occasionally, she would turn her head and whisper a few instructions to the maid beside her. Not long after the maid left, plates of fresh food would be brought up.
And the maid beside Lady Lin was the same one who had led Li Yan and the other two into the courtyard in the afternoon. She kept her eyes lowered and did not look at the three of them. Only when Lady Lin called her would she come forward and bend down to listen.
And Li Yan and the other two did not pay any attention to this woman. No matter what her purpose or reason was, to be at the beck and call of some mortals here had nothing to do with them.
"The three of you, little friend Zhang, are traveling the world. You are truly roaming the martial world freely and unrestrainedly! I wonder if you have considered truly exterminating the Wind Beasts in a certain area? Not only can you show your strengths, but you can also leave your name in history!"
As the conversation at the banquet went on, after raising his cup to Li Yan, Lin Zhihuan took a sip of wine and looked at Li Yan with a smile.