Chapter 140: We Were All Single Dogs, How Did You Suddenly Stop Being One

Chapter 140: We Were All Single Dogs, How Did You Suddenly Stop Being One

You have a new letter, which has been stored in your mailbox. Please check it.

A letter from the Warlord Commander Li Zhao.

Brother Chen, on July 16th, Mi Hong and I were united in marriage…

Chen Xiyi, who had been so busy that he lost track of time, suddenly received a letter. He had received letters from Li Zhao and Mi Hong a few times before, but they always sent him inheritances, not items with Historical Connotation. He guessed those were hard to find.

But today, a letter suddenly arrived, and Chen Xiyi was completely stunned.

What was going on? They were all single dogs—how could Li Zhao suddenly get married? This made Chen Xiyi feel rather speechless.

“When was July 16th? What’s the date today?”

Chen Xiyi was totally confused. His Home Game did have a Time function, but it didn’t show the year, month, or day—just simple day counts.

“I can tell it should be July this month, but the exact day is debatable.”

Fortunately, Chen Xiyi could figure it out by checking the NPC’s experiences.

The NPC experiences were summarized daily, and in front of each experience line, there was a month marker.

So, he just needed to count how many experience entries there were for July, since each day corresponded to one line.

“It’s July 15th—that’s tomorrow. You cut it close sending this to me; you weren’t worried I’d be late. But where’s the invitation?”

“The location is Gui City. I can still go there tomorrow.”

Chen Xiyi stretched a bit and roughly calculated the time. Another half a year had passed.

During this half year, he didn’t know when Li Zhao’s title had changed from Chamber of Commerce President to Warlord Commander. Perhaps the fall of the Student Faction had taught him that without military power, he could never realize his ambitions.

Given Li Zhao’s personality, the common people at the bottom of Gui City and the other three cities were probably living better lives. At least they didn’t have to worry about excessive taxes and levies.

All he needed to do now was build high walls, stockpile grain widely, and slowly declare himself king.

The end of this chaotic era didn’t depend on whether a hero appeared, but on when Ji Shan finished his meal.

This troubled era would likely last another ten years or so, after all. Ji Shan had said so himself, and there was some credibility to it. There was no need for him to lie to Chen Xiyi about something like this.

It wasn’t like finishing a bowl of rice in ten minutes was some big secret.

Chen Xiyi sorted through his gains.

After half a year of intense, round-the-clock studying with cheats, he had finally mastered one-third of the books in the Void Heaven Library.

The intensity was one thing; the other, of course, was the cheating.

He had Ritual Implements and Formation Arrays that greatly enhanced his spirit, all running at full power continuously. That was how he achieved his current results.

Now, his System had upgraded from version 2.0 to 3.0. It could now monitor his body and Primordial Spirit, and even help him with multitasking.

As for the White Cloud Method and Formless Astral Energy, he hadn’t made much progress with those. Mostly because they were sufficient for his current needs, and they were just spells. He needed to find a way to transition them into Innate Divine Abilities.

The Formless Astral Energy was manageable, but the White Cloud Method contained many shadow puppets. If he didn’t find a way to take them along, he’d suffer a great loss.

Especially with the System’s multitasking assistance in controlling these shadow puppets, Chen Xiyi’s daily tasks had become much simpler.

Chen Xiyi estimated that it would take him about another half a year to finish all the books in the Void Heaven Library.

On one hand, as he accumulated knowledge through study, he could infer many things from a single example. On the other hand, his Primordial Spirit had grown.

In the Shu King Palace Shelter, there were not only Formation Arrays to boost his spirit and speed up his learning but also a giant Yin Qi gathering array. This served two purposes: gathering Yin Qi to power the arrays and Ritual Implements, and naturally, to speed up Chen Xiyi’s cultivation.

Zhangliu had blessed him with Yin Qi, allowing him to use it as nourishment for growth.

Of course, there were also the Nourishment Resources for the Primordial Spirit he had obtained from the Min City Army. Over the past half year, these had fully transformed into his strength.

Although there was no specific division or numerical value for the Primordial Spirit, Chen Xiyi could still feel its enhancement.

After all, there were only so many people, and they were all major figures. What use was there in setting standards for the Primordial Spirit? It wasn’t a widely applicable system. Everyone walked their own path, with absolutely no compatibility. Reference was possible, but if it were exactly the same, the only outcome would be becoming the other’s Nourishment Resources.

The Innate Divine Ability Chen Xiyi had previously extracted, System 1.0, was the prototype of bait. All he needed to do was structure it properly and throw it out, waiting for a destined person. When the time was ripe, that person would become his Nourishment Resources to harvest.

Of course, he didn’t necessarily have to wait for a destined person; he could guide it himself.

But Chen Xiyi didn’t have the time for that. What he lacked most now was time.

If Li Zhao hadn’t written to him about getting married, he wouldn’t have planned to stop and rest.

As an invitation from a 5-star friend plus a 4-star friend, Chen Xiyi certainly had to go. Even though the inheritances they had sent him lately weren’t what he needed, the sentiment behind the gifts was what mattered.

Who knew when they might send him an item with Historical Connotation again? They had already sent two, so it wasn’t a small probability.

Regardless, just based on those two items with Historical Connotation, he had to make the trip.

Time flew, and it was the next day.

Chen Xiyi casually packed a small basket of fruit and set off.

He had left an Underground Shelter in Gui City before, so he could just teleport there directly, without having to go through a transfer station like last time.

After climbing out of the Underground Shelter, he noticed that the Salvation Society building seemed to have been renovated—it had looked a bit old before.

“Where was the location mentioned in the letter?”

Using Illusion Art to conceal himself, Chen Xiyi walked out of the Salvation Society building as if no one was around. Standing on the street, he canceled the illusion and felt a bit lost.

The email Li Zhao sent him had an address, but the problem was he had never really wandered around Gui City. How would he know where the address in the letter was?

“Sigh, no choice. I’ll have to take a rickshaw.”

He could follow the green dot on his Game Map, but the Game Map was rather pitiful—it didn’t show buildings or roads. He could definitely get there by going straight, but the buildings in Gui City wouldn’t allow it. He couldn’t just tear through them, could he?

He randomly hailed a rickshaw on the street and took out a stack of Provisionary Notes. “To Commander Li’s mansion.”

The rickshaw puller looked Chen Xiyi over carefully, his expression a bit odd.

“Sir, are you going to attend Commander Li’s wedding?” the puller asked, eyeing the fruit basket in Chen Xiyi’s hand. It seemed a bit inappropriate as a wedding gift.

“Just get going,” Chen Xiyi said unceremoniously as he sat down. As for the puller’s thoughts, that was none of Chen Xiyi’s concern.

His friendship with Li Zhao and Mi Hong was very pure—you could say it was as mild as water. Giving a fruit basket was perfectly normal. He had considered the situation’s impact by not pulling out a bowl of egg-fried rice instead.

Besides, although there weren’t many fruits in his basket, they were all top quality. Each one could restore health, making them much more valuable than ordinary gold, silver, or jewels.

“Alright, sir, hold on tight,” the rickshaw puller said after taking the Provisionary Notes from Chen Xiyi. He shouted loudly and started running through the streets with the rickshaw.

He was clearly an experienced puller, very familiar with the streets and alleys of Gui City.

Soon, he pulled Chen Xiyi up to the Marshal’s Mansion.

“Sir, we’re here. Take care,” the rickshaw puller said as soon as they arrived.

Chen Xiyi compared it with the green dot on his Game Map. The place was correct—this was it.

As soon as he got off, the rickshaw puller quickly ran off. The puller couldn’t enter and had no time to stand around with Chen Xiyi looking at the Marshal’s Mansion.

Chen Xiyi carried his fruit basket and walked inside. The Marshal’s Mansion was bustling with celebration, and people were coming and going in a steady stream.

Judging by their clothes, they weren’t ordinary folks.

“Sir, do you have an invitation?” A soldier at the entrance stopped Chen Xiyi.

But his attitude was quite polite. After all, most people attending the wedding of Li Zhao, the commander of four cities, were either rich or noble—not someone they could afford to offend.

Moreover, Li Zhao maintained strict discipline, and his soldiers didn’t have those bad habits.

“Ah, this… Could you announce me? Just say Chen Xiyi is here to visit. Your commander didn’t send me an invitation,” Chen Xiyi said, feeling a bit awkward. He wouldn’t make things difficult for them; it was true he didn’t have an invitation.

The other party remained courteous, without any arrogance.

Chen Xiyi’s words made the soldier hesitate. Announcing him wasn’t impossible, but they couldn’t set a precedent.

If everyone claimed to be an old friend or childhood buddy of the commander and demanded to be announced, it would create chaos.

“Sir, perhaps you could wait here for a moment. If any other guests know you, they can help. I have to be responsible for the Marshal’s Mansion, you see…” The soldier’s meaning was clear: it wasn’t allowed.

This left Chen Xiyi exasperated.

He suspected that maybe Li Zhao hadn’t forgotten to send the invitation. Instead, the invitation might not have been recognized by the mail system. So, the mail arrived, but the invitation didn’t.

Otherwise, given his relationship with Li Zhao, there was no way Li Zhao would give him a cold shoulder. Giving someone a cold shoulder at his own wedding—how would that look?

So, he thought about it and decided to just use Illusion Art to get inside.

“Brother Chen, why are you standing at the entrance? Why not go in?”

A voice called out. Chen Xiyi turned to look—a green-named friend.

He couldn’t remember exactly who it was, but having a name was enough.

“Brother Liu, a small mishap occurred. Li Zhao invited me to the wedding, but he didn’t send me an invitation. What a mess,” Chen Xiyi said.

The soldier at the door immediately saluted this Liu Ming. “Greetings, General Liu.”

Chen Xiyi glanced back. “I didn’t expect you’ve risen to the rank of general. Impressive.”

Of course, this general title only held weight within the four cities under Li Zhao’s control. Outside, it wouldn’t be as useful as the barrel of a gun.

“I owe it all to you, Brother Chen. If not for you, I wouldn’t have this position.”

Liu Ming responded modestly, then gestured. “Brother Chen, please. The commander was so careless as to forget your invitation. He’ll have to drink three cups as penalty later—no excuses.”

His meaning was clear: you’re the important one, you go first.

The soldier who had stopped Chen Xiyi earlier now stared straight ahead as if he hadn’t seen anything.

As for the lack of an invitation—so what? With Liu Ming, the general in charge of Min City, vouching for him, how could the soldier stubbornly stop Chen Xiyi and say he didn’t have an invitation?

That would be no different from seeking death.

Liu Ming was practically second only to one person, a highly trusted confidant with great authority. He was just a lowly guard; he didn’t have the guts to intervene.

“Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony then. Let’s go,” Chen Xiyi said, finally recalling who this person was. He was one of the people who had raced with him to attack the three cities, and one of the seven left behind to take over Min City.

In other words, the other man knew what Chen Xiyi was capable of, which was why he was so respectful.