“I do not know.”

Though humans believe in the existence of Divine Beasts, the Divine Beasts themselves rarely interfere with the affairs of humans. Sometimes they will linger around human territories, teach them a few things, and that’s it. It is rare for them to interfere with humans directly, such as going to war on their behalf. Sometimes they will also offer protection to humans they are fond of or watch and look out for them, just like the Qilin and the Zhang Family.

“There is an unwritten rule between the Divine Beasts and the Devils. We shall only fight amongst each other and involve the humans to a bare minimum. It is fine for us to offer a certain amount of protection, care for them, and such to humans we are fond of, but enlisting them and leading them to go to war with each other is forbidden. Of course, helping the humans above the bare minimum threshold too is forbidden.”

“Why is that?”

The Qilin’s eyes gleamed.

“Because then, there will be a great war. Though humans are weak individually, together, they could even kill a god, but with severe consequences. Simply put, it will be a loss for everyone… Though it seems like the time is near when a great war is inevitable.”

Riyue couldn’t quite hear the last words of the Qilin. As for the previous ones, he somewhat understood, which also made him decide against trying to convince the Qilin to help him more.

‘Honestly, the horn is already a great help, so I’m satisfied.’

Seeing how the Qilin had stopped talking, Riyue took the initiative to speak.

“Oh great Qilin. May I ask for a favor?”

“Speak.”

“I am currently being chased by many assassins of the Jin Family. As such, escaping this forest would prove to be immensely difficult… Is it possible to receive your help in any way regarding this situation?”

The Qilin went silent before speaking in a majestic voice.

“Though I cannot kill the assassins sent toward you, I could help you escape. Is there any place you would like to go?”

“Then, please help me get to Luo Yen City.”

Luo Yen City is a port city at the edge of the Shen Lei Kingdom, primarily used for trade and commerce with other countries. It is also home to many smuggling ships and illegal travelers. The Original Riyue had connections with one of the smugglers there and would be able to escape to the Jin Long Empire, where he would be relatively safer than in the Shen Lei Kingdom.

‘I wanted to ask him to straight up transfer me to the Jinlong Empire but… It might annoy the Divine Beast.’

As such, Riyue chose to take the long route, prioritizing maintaining a great relationship with the Qilin.

“That is not a problem. Then, we shall go now.”

“Now?”

Riyue’s eyes widened before an immense amount of Qi emerged from the Qilin. It made Riyue’s body tremble, and it pricked his skin just by being near it. Soon enough, he could see the space itself being distorted, as a circular blue portal emerged right next to him.

‘...Don’t tell me. Is this spatial travel?’

“Go inside. It will transfer you to Luo Yen City.”

Riyue blankly stared at the portal before he stood up and bowed his head deeply toward the Qilin.

“I thank you for your help, oh great Qilin.”

“As I said before, this is of little problem to me. Go now, boy. Let us meet again in the future.”

Riyue nodded before he went through the portal. Immediately, the scenery changed from the luminescent foggy forest to a bustling city landscape. Riyue could see a bunch of people wearing similar robes to his own, albeit a lot simpler. They seemed similar to cheap-looking hanfus. The buildings were reminiscent of ancient China, and despite a portal being in the middle of the city, the people paid it no heed as if they couldn’t see it. However, right after Riyue arrived, they started looking at him with wariness and confusion.

Riyue then looked down at his current outfit.

The previously luxurious black hanfu with intricate golden patterns had some parts ripped off, while the rest were covered in blood, dust, and dirt.

‘I could pass as the king of beggars wearing this.’ Riyue sighed and decided to buy some clothes first.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Riyue then put his head down and tried not to draw attention to himself. Although Luo Yen City was very far away from the Lost Forest due to being at the edge of the kingdom, it was still the Shen Lei Kingdom after all. He needed to be careful so that no goons of the Jin Family or the Royal Family caught wind of him.

‘With that said, there is no need to be overly careful either.’

The assassins were probably still waiting at the Lost Forest, searching for him. They wouldn’t know that the Qilin is real as it is a secret that even the Royal Family didn’t know, and even if they did, they wouldn’t have dared to intrude. They wouldn’t expect Riyue to get the Qilin’s help and head over here. As for Luo Yen City itself, the news framed by the Jin Family about the Zhang Family being a part of the Demon Sect shouldn’t have spread yet, at least to the general population.

‘...Though even if it had spread, that smuggler wouldn’t care whether the news was true or not.’ Riyue thought as he entered a store that sold clothing. The Original Riyue always carried quite a lot of money with him. Therefore, though it was not a humongous amount, it was enough to get a new set of clothes and pay for the smuggling ship.

Riyue changed his clothes into a simpler form of black robe with sashes and arm guards, which made him look like a wandering martial artist rather than a young master. Riyue then slightly changed his hairstyle by adding a short ponytail to his messy shoulder-length black hair. This was to make him look as different as possible from the Original Riyue.

Of course, without makeup, hair dye, and many more tools, it would be hard for a full transformation. But right now, this was good enough for a disguise.

After Riyue secretly burned the formerly luxurious hanfu he was wearing, he immediately headed toward a certain part of the city, stopped in front of a certain building, and looked at the sign.

Purple Lotus Inn.

After confirming that this was indeed the right place, Riyue headed inside. The building was five stories tall, with the first floor being a restaurant while the second to fifth floors were full of guestrooms. Riyue didn’t sit at the restaurant tables and immediately headed to the counter.

The receptionist was a rough-looking middle-aged man with black hair that had some whites on it. He sat with his arms crossed.

“Room or food?” he said while frowning at Riyue.

‘That kind of attitude would’ve gotten you a 1-star in Indonesia.’

Riyue smiled.

“Three fish, five hot pots, ten dumplings, seven wine bottles.”

He then pointed upwards.

“To room 509.”

There was no room 509 in this inn.

The man looked at Riyue up and down before he sighed, got up, and headed to the back of the inn. After a while of waiting, the man came back and gestured for him to follow.

“Go in. The boss wants to talk with you.”

Riyue nodded as he walked into the back of the receptionist’s table and followed the man. After a few steps, there was a door, and the man opened it for Riyue. As he went inside, he saw a room with two couches, a table between them, a fancy rug, and a fireplace. There was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed male sitting on one of the couches, his hair groomed, and he was dressed in an expensive white silk robe layered together with wide sleeves.

‘It’s like I’m seeing a foreigner cosplay as a Chinese man.’

The man turned towards Riyue and signaled for the other man to close the door. Once the door closed, the man smiled.

“Oh my, why is the wanted criminal sought by the Royal Family and the Jin Family here?”

“Stop playing around, Rong Yu.”

“Hahaha, I’m not though. The news hasn’t spread here yet, but it’s raging like wildfire all throughout the capital. The high and noble Zhang Family has fallen straight into the dumpster hole! What a riot!”

The man then laughed again. However, Riyue was not laughing, as he stared at Rong Yu with a cold gaze.

“I will give you some advice. As a smuggler, you should be careful of what you say.”

Rong Yu raised both of his hands. As someone who liked to irritate others but knew how to barely not cross a line, he recognized that it was time to pull back.

“Hehehe, alright. So, what is your business here?”

Riyue threw a bag of gold coins onto the table.

“Get me a smuggling ship to Baizhu City, as well as a new identity for me. Ah, right, get me some disguise tools as well.”

Rong Yu grabbed the bag of gold coins before he rummaged through it.

“Hmm, this amount would only get you to the edge of the empire instead of Baizhu City and the identity card, but—”

Rong Yu smiled after seeing the slight frown forming on Riyue’s face.

“As a special service, I will give you a discount and just take this. I am still grateful to your parents for sparing me back then. Therefore, isn’t it right to pay back the favor?”

‘If you are grateful, then why try to pick a fight with me?’ Riyue sighed in his mind. The only reason his parents had spared him was because he was not worth the trouble, and all he did was smuggle items. If he were in the illegal slave business, well, he wouldn’t be sitting here in front of him right now.

“To show more of your gratitude, give me a free room and food for the day. Or include the payment in that bag of gold coins as a ‘special discount.’”

“Hahaha, after falling to the gutter, you have changed, Young Master. No, former Young Master, isn’t it? You have gotten more cunning and resourceful… Sure, order anything you want.”

After recognizing that his taunts were no longer working, Rong Yu ended the conversation with a smile, while Riyue, who had been ignoring Rong Yu’s words, simply headed back out, grabbed a room key, and went to his room.

Riyue then sighed. Talking to Rong Yu was exhausting, and he was even more annoying than usual due to Riyue’s fall from grace. Though Joshua was not entirely Riyue, after receiving the entirety of the Original Riyue’s memory and his body, it couldn’t be helped that he was affected in certain ways.

‘Well, fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any intention of reporting me… Well, a smuggler who does that would be extremely untrustworthy, so no wonder…’

Riyue’s eyes drifted onto the bed in the room he was in, and as if enchanted, he walked over to it and dropped his body onto it. The memories of the last few days rushed into his mind, and he was filled with happiness after finally obtaining a bed.

‘However, I can’t sleep yet. Every second is precious, and considering how I got free food for the day… Let’s try out the Training Room for the day.’ Riyue smiled. As revenge for Rong Yu’s taunts, he was planning on taking full advantage of the free food for the day.