Black Rock City.
This was the first city Chen Mo had visited since arriving in this world, and its scale was even more magnificent than he had imagined.
According to the map data, this city, known as Black Rock City, ranked among the top of all major cities in the Jia Ma Empire.
Chen Mo's purpose in coming here was to take a brief rest, allowing the Azure Beak Eagle to recover its strength before continuing their journey.
Flying was prohibited over Black Rock City.
The two of them maneuvered the Azure Beak Eagle to descend directly, landing at the city gate.
"It's an Azure Beak Eagle."
"Cloud Patterned Silver Sword, these two are disciples of the Yunlan Sect."
Their arrival made the already bustling crowd even more lively, with everyone looking at them with envy.
The behemoth that was the Yunlan Sect had already cast a shadow in the hearts of the people of the Jia Ma Empire.
After paying the tax at the city gate, they were smoothly allowed entry.
Chen Mo, dressed in a white disciple robe, stood tall and straight, his face chiseled with distinct features, his angular face exquisitely handsome, leading the Azure Beak Eagle at the front.
Following closely behind was Nalan Yanran, wearing a form-fitting disciple robe, her delicate and pretty appearance, elegant gait, exuding a pleasing aesthetic.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman.
Walking together, they resembled an immortal couple, and coupled with their status as Yunlan Sect disciples, they frequently attracted the gazes of passersby.
"Senior Sister, let's find a tavern to eat and rest for a while before continuing." Since it was still early, Chen Mo didn't plan to stay overnight but to replenish their energy and head to the next city.
Nalan Yanran nodded. Although the Tager Great Desert gave her a sense of danger, being with Chen Mo instead made her happy.
The hawking and shouting from both sides of the street, the crowded stalls, and the myriad of fresh scenes flashed before Chen Mo's eyes like a kaleidoscope.
An unfamiliar city, unfamiliar streets, unfamiliar people.
At this moment, a sense of loneliness welled up in his heart.
"How ridiculous, Chen Mo, what are you thinking? You were an orphan in your previous life anyway, what difference does it make to you between the two worlds?"
Chen Mo laughed at himself inwardly, sniffing the faint fragrance that belonged to Nalan Yanran beside him, making him realize that the most important thing was to seize the present.
Passing by a stall selling accessories, Chen Mo stopped.
Chen Mo pointed to a pale green jade hairpin with a phoenix pattern and asked, "Boss, how much is this hairpin?"
The boss, a seemingly honest middle-aged man, glanced at their attire and knew they were not to be trifled with, so he didn't inflate the price, saying, "One hundred and ten gold coins, but if the young master is interested, one hundred gold coins will do."
Without hesitation, Chen Mo tossed out a small bag of gold coins and, without a word, proceeded to place the hairpin in Nalan Yanran's hair.
Nalan Yanran was startled, then a blush quickly spread across her pretty face as she stared blankly at Chen Mo inserting the jade hairpin into her hair.
"So beautiful," Chen Mo praised.
"This jade hairpin truly suits the young lady," the boss chimed in at the perfect moment.
Chen Mo's praise made Nalan Yanran's heart flutter with joy. She reached up with her delicate hand to touch the hairpin on her head. Although this hairpin wasn't as expensive as any of her others, in her heart, it surpassed the combined value of all her previous hairpins.
At the same time, Nalan Yanran was also lost in her own thoughts, "Junior brother gave me a jade hairpin. What does he mean by that? Could he also like me?"
Chen Mo had no idea that she was thinking so much. He had simply acted on a whim. If she hadn't been by his side, he would have bought a couple more to give to others.
On their way to the tavern, a small incident occurred. As they passed through a relatively quiet street, a man selling books in the corner, upon seeing the two of them, panicked like a startled rabbit and hurriedly packed up his things to leave.
At the tavern.
Just as the story was reaching its climax, the storyteller suddenly stopped, his expression as if he had seen a ghost, and he couldn't continue.
The customers in the tavern, who were thoroughly engrossed, started shouting, "Storyteller, what's going on? What happened to that guy later?"
"Yeah, what happened? Keep going, we're not short on money for your storytelling."
The tavern owner, who had been listening intently, heard someone knocking on the counter. He turned around and, with an expression similar to the storyteller's, nervously asked, "T-two of you, are you staying or eating?"
At the same time, he thought to himself, "It's over, it's over, I've really lost myself in the pursuit of money."
Thinking that Chen Mo's recent events were quite popular, he had specifically gone to a bookstore not officially registered with the empire to buy a popular fanfiction book and hired a famous storyteller to narrate it.
The first two days were fine, but today's story had some explicit content.
Explicit content aside, today Yunlan Sect members had come.
"Two signature dishes and a pot of good wine. There are also two Azure Beak Eagles outside, prepare some good food for them." Chen Mo threw out a bag of gold coins, looking strangely at the owner. Was he really that scary?
"Right away."
Chen Mo and his companion found an empty seat to sit down. As they passed by the storyteller, he collapsed like a pile of mud.
The customers finally realized something.
"The Cloud Patterned Silver Sword, they're Yunlan Sect disciples."
"Judging from their attire, physique, and demeanor, they seem to hold quite a high position in the Yunlan Sect."
Whispers began to spread throughout the tavern.
Fortunately, most people didn't know what Chen Mo looked like. If they had known that the two of them were the main characters from the story just told, the tavern would have been empty by now.
Secretly fabricating and even fantasizing about Yunlan Sect disciples, tsk tsk...
"Is the Yunlan Sect's reputation not good in the outside world?"
"It's very good. Every recruitment season, many people sign up."
"That's strange. Why do they look at us as if they've seen a ghost?"
Just as the two of them were feeling curious, a waiter tremblingly brought up a pot of wine, hurriedly put it down, and was about to leave when Chen Mo grabbed his arm.
"Young master, what can I do for you?" The waiter's legs were shaking so much he could hardly stand straight.
Everyone's eyes turned towards them.
The storyteller had already packed up his things, ready to make a quick exit.
"I'm asking you, what happened here just now? And why are you so afraid of me?" Chen Mo demanded sternly.
Of course, the waiter didn't dare to tell the truth and could only give a vague answer.
After all, Chen Mo wasn't a villain, and without evidence, he couldn't force someone to explain everything.
Seeing that Chen Mo didn't ask further, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
After resting and leaving the tavern, Chen Mo once again saw the book vendor on that quiet street.
Upon spotting Chen Mo, the man tried to flee once more.
This time, Chen Mo didn't let him escape.
With the Soaring Dragon Movement Technique, he appeared in front of the man in an instant.
Chen Mo and Nalan Yanran blocked him in the middle of the street, one in front and one behind.