Northern Yan Chapter Thirteen: Phoenix Tower

“In broad daylight, how dare you bully the common folk? Let me teach you a lesson, hmph.”

With that, delicate hands slowly emitted a golden glow. Raising her right hand, she wielded her palm like a blade, ready to strike down with great force. Mo Hao, witnessing this, was both surprised and helpless, thinking to himself:

“This girl, Yiwen, hasn’t been seen for just a few months, yet she’s become so reckless—one person against several cultivators at the Qi Stage!”

The young woman was none other than Mo Hao’s childhood companion, Qian Yiwen. Mo Hao hurried over to stop her. Seeing someone intervene, she thought it was another ally coming to help and gritted her teeth, swinging her palm strike down. Mo Hao quickly channeled his spiritual power; with a loud bang, the golden light was stopped by a faint azure glow, unable to advance even an inch. Mo Hao took advantage of the moment to fall backward, tumbling several yards away. This was not due to a lack of power but because he did not want to reveal his mid-stage cultivation to these few, so as not to alert the enemy.

Yet, he was surprised by Yiwen’s strength and decisiveness—she was willing to unleash her strongest power without holding back. The others all turned to look at Mo Hao. Yiwen, still angry, intensified the glow from her hands and strode straight toward him.

Mo Hao lay in a pile of weeds, pushing himself up. Yiwen frowned at the disheveled youth before her, as if trying to place him. When Mo Hao tidied his hair, Yiwen stared at him in astonishment. He gave her a subtle wink and called out:

“Miss, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Come quickly; there’s a serious matter at home.”

Yiwen was momentarily stunned but, being sharp-witted, glanced around and noticed that the woman and her servants were all Qi Stage cultivators. She now understood Mo Hao’s intent. Still, she shot a glare back at the servant who had been bullying the merchant.

“Just you wait.”

Yiwen wanted to say more, but Mo Hao grabbed her wrist and urged her to leave quickly. The woman glanced at Mo Hao but paid no mind. One of her servants whispered something in her ear; she narrowed her eyes and then urged the servants forward, no longer bothering the merchant.

Mo Hao and Yiwen walked for a long stretch, neither speaking. Yet even someone as aloof as Yiwen could not hold back forever; she yanked her hand free, clearly displeased.

“Why did you stop me? I gave it my all! What if I had injured you?”

Mo Hao smiled but said nothing.

“Hey! Speak up! How have you turned mute after half a year?”

“After half a year, you’ve gotten more talkative!”

The two burst into laughter simultaneously.

“This isn’t the place to chat. Let’s find somewhere else. I’m new here and don’t know much about Yue City. Do you have a good spot?”

Mo Hao said awkwardly.

“Come on, I’ll take you somewhere, but you have to treat me. Consider it compensation.”

Without waiting for Mo Hao’s reaction, Yiwen grabbed his hand and led him somewhere. They walked about a hundred meters to a magnificent building, as splendid as a palace. Two stone statues stood guard at the entrance—not lions, but two brightly colored birds perched on a stone tree. Above the door hung a plaque inscribed with two characters: Phoenix. Two burly middle-aged men stood guard at the gate. Mo Hao’s mind flashed with three words:

“Phoenix Tower!”

He hadn’t expected the Phoenix Tower that Feng Xing mentioned to be here. It saved much trouble, yet he was surprised by its grand presence and its business in the ghost market.

Yiwen noticed Mo Hao staring at the gate and hurried him inside. The two men blocked their way and asked:

“Who are you?”

Yiwen slapped her forehead in frustration.

“I haven’t been here in ages and forgot about this.”

She then tapped her spatial pouch at her waist and produced a golden token, handing it to the guards. Mo Hao noticed it was similar to the token Feng Xing had given him, but Yiwen’s was made of gold. Upon seeing it, the guards stepped aside without expression, as if such scenes were commonplace.

The two entered the building, and Yiwen headed straight for the second floor. Mo Hao hurried to follow but took note of the first floor’s layout. It was divided into five halls, each themed with one of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Metal Hall glittered brilliantly, the Wood Hall was lush green, the Water Hall evoked wind and rain, the Fire Hall glowed vermilion, and the Earth Hall was elegantly rustic. These five halls formed a circle around the city, and in the center stood a round platform where several graceful women played the guzheng, their music exquisite. Not a single seat was empty, which amazed Mo Hao.

The second floor was entirely different, divided into four halls representing the four seasons. Each hall contained separate rooms. They entered the Winter Hall, decorated in snowy white, which brought a chill despite the sweltering heat. The two found seats and sat down separately, hanging their golden tokens by the room door.

Mo Hao noticed only two people in the Spring Hall; the other three halls were empty, which felt odd after the crowded first floor. Yiwen caught his hesitation and smiled.

“Heh, no need to be surprised. The first floor is the easiest to enter. Anyone with some silver can get a token and come in. The food and drink here are famous for hundreds of miles, so wealthy playboys often gather here. The second floor requires a gold token to enter. The Phoenix Tower has five floors: the third floor needs an iron token, the fourth a mithril token, and as for the fifth, I have no idea.”

Just as Mo Hao was about to speak, footsteps approached, followed by a knock. Yiwen waved them in. A young woman appeared, carrying a pot of tea and a menu. She placed the menu on the table, poured tea for them, and stood by. Yiwen took the menu and ordered several dishes with names unfamiliar to Mo Hao.

Before he could say anything, Yiwen began asking about his experiences over the past six months. Mo Hao recounted his journey. Upon hearing that he had reached mid-Qi Stage, Yiwen’s eyes widened. From the moment events unfolded in the village, she had known Mo Hao was a cultivator, and now that he had advanced further, she realized his choice back then had been right.

Yiwen shared her own recent experiences. After the incident, her family had left the village immediately, traveling overnight to Yue City where they sought refuge with their main family branch. Cultivators there noticed her spiritual veins and taught her to cultivate. When she encountered early-stage cultivators bullying merchants, she tried out her newly learned spells, only to be stopped by Mo Hao. Yet she was puzzled why Mo Hao, a mid-stage cultivator, had been thrown so far by her palm strike. Mo Hao smiled wryly:

“The reason I stopped you was because the veiled woman had a hidden mid-stage cultivator beside her. I feared you’d suffer, so I intervened. As for being thrown so far, well, your palm strike was just too powerful.”

Yiwen smirked but admitted she felt some fear—she truly was no match for a mid-stage cultivator.

Mo Hao asked about her family’s situation and was relieved to hear no major troubles had arisen.