The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

"An alien army is about to conquer Earth." After charging his phone a little, Luo Yifei scrolled through news articles from four years ago and couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw this one.

Suddenly, a notification popped up saying that the battery level was below 20% and power saving mode was activated. Luo Yifei immediately turned off the phone. The phone could only be kept for emergencies. In fact, without the network, the phone could only be used to take photos and check the information stored on the phone in this world.

"Have you thought it through? What things do you want to bring with you?" Qi Yuan asked Luo Yifei, who had spread the contents of his backpack all over the floor.

"This little bag will suffice," Luo Yifei said, pointing to a small backpack at his feet. "The rest of the things are really not necessary to help carry, so let's just leave them on An Island."

“Alright, you can put it away for me, and I’ll put it in Bi Li’s yard tonight,” Qi Yuan replied.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Why not wait until they're settled in before you go?" Luo Yifei still had doubts about Qi Yuan's statement that they would leave An Island tomorrow.

"Freedom City can't wait any longer, I have to go back as soon as possible. Besides, aren't you in a hurry to find your friend? We finally have a clue, what's wrong with setting off sooner, especially since we have to take a detour?" Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei.

Luo Yifei didn't say anything more, but just nodded silently.

"Don't worry, it's always good to have a clue." Qi Yuan patted Luo Yifei on the shoulder.

He then said to the three people inside the house, "I'll go downstairs and see if Ji Mi and Wei Er are back."

Hua Xi and Bi Li helped Luo Yifei put the scattered "gear" back into the oversized outdoor backpack.

Luo Yifei held the solar charging panel, hesitated for a moment, and said to Hua Xi, "This might be of some use to you. Let me teach you how to use it."

Hua Xi did not refuse and nodded seriously.

So Luo Yifei taught Hua Xi how to use a solar charging panel, how to connect an outdoor battery, and how to charge a flashlight using an outdoor battery.

Bili stopped packing and watched quietly from the side.

……

Back to this morning, Ji Mi, filled with trepidation, followed Wei Er to the City Lord's Mansion, the location where the Seven Sword Immortals were accepting disciples.

The City Lord's Mansion is located at the southernmost part of Sword Immortal City, a place with excellent feng shui. The backyard of the City Lord's Mansion leads directly to the north gate of Sword Immortal City.

Beyond the North Gate lies a continuous range of mountains, among which the seven tallest peaks are the location of the Seven Sword Immortal Lineages. These seven peaks are the training grounds of the seven personal disciples of Sword Immortal Duan Xiuzhang.

The reason why the Seven Sword Immortals, who widely recruit disciples, can hold their selection at the City Lord's Mansion is not only because Sword Immortal Duan Xiuzhang can protect the peace of An Island, but also because the City Lord is Jiang Zhihuang, the Sword Immortal's second disciple.

Ji Mi naturally dared not hope to become a disciple of the city lord. In fact, what he was most interested in was the fifth lineage of the sword immortal—Fang Xiaocong.

The reason that Ji Mi was interested might be that Fang Xiaocong, the fifth lineage of this sword immortal, also came from a merchant family, but unexpectedly produced a martial arts master.

Before long, the two arrived at the city lord's mansion. This city lord's mansion was not as large as the city lord's mansions of other cities on the continent. Instead, it looked like the courtyard of a martial arts sect on the continent.

Once you enter the front yard, you'll see many people waiting there, along with their companions.

There were seven teams in the courtyard, each corresponding to one of the seven lineages of the Sword Immortals. Six of the teams were quite long, but one team had an unusually small number of members. This team belonged to the third lineage of the Sword Immortals – He Shihui.

This Senior He is a martial arts prodigy with exceptional talent, and his requirement for accepting disciples is that they possess the same talent as him. There are naturally not many geniuses in the world, and it is said that this third lineage has not accepted any disciples for three years, with only a handful of people coming to seek apprenticeship.

If someone fails to be selected this year, regardless of who they are, they will have to wait three years for another chance. Most people are self-aware and don't consider themselves geniuses, so not many people come to the Third Lineage to become disciples.

As time went on, Ji Mi moved further and further forward in the fifth team, and soon responded and entered the backyard.

Each lineage of the Sword Immortals has its own criteria for selecting disciples. This fifth lineage uses the most conventional method: a tournament to select the ten strongest individuals. This method of choosing the best of the best is the most brutal, but also the fairest.

Ji Mi stepped onto the arena, her previous unease gone, replaced by a calm as she prepared to unleash all her skills.

……

While Ji Mi was engaged in a fierce battle on the arena, Han Yue, the city magistrate of Freedom City, disguised himself as John, a Western merchant, and traveled by water from Lanxi County to Tongren County.

The journey was smooth and uneventful. However, as they approached Tongren County, Han Yue, dressed with blond hair and blue eyes, led his group off the boat at a place called Zhuling Village.

Han Yue led this group of people, all of them strong and sturdy. Although they were dressed as merchants, it was hard not to arouse suspicion.

These men were not real merchants; the real merchants were on a merchant ship heading to Tongren County according to a pre-arranged plan. They were actually soldiers borrowed by Han Yue from the government.

The magistrate of Lanxi County would naturally not easily lend his soldiers to a Western merchant. In fact, he would not lend his men to just anyone.

However, Han Yue was an exception, because the magistrate of Lanxi County was also surnamed Han and shared the same lineage as Han Yue, although they had split into two families three generations ago.

Magistrate Han of Lanxi County was a profit-driven man, and naturally he would not lend his subordinates to Han Yue just because they were from the same family three generations ago.

The reason why Magistrate Han was willing to lend people was not only because Han Yue gave him a reason for his certain victory, but also because he gave Magistrate Han enough benefits.

……

Fan Ye, who was lying in ambush in the mountains, kept a close eye on the water. The occasional passing boats did not affect them.

Their goal was clear enough that their Western-style clothing was a preparation in advance.

Although their attire was inferior to that of Han Yue and his group, it could be described as either self-deception or burying one's head in the sand.

The roles they were to play were certainly not those of real Western merchants, but rather smugglers. As long as the bureaucracy of the Southern Han Kingdom saw enough profit, they would turn a blind eye to these parasites.

Fan Ye wanted to deceive the people at the border and escape from Southern Han, so he naturally couldn't use the silver he had stolen from Taihe Money Shop. He would rely on the goods and money on the Western merchant ship that was about to arrive.

As the boat slowly came into view, Fan Ye held his breath, then waved his hand, and a group of people rushed forward. They swung accurately from the trees onto the boat using ropes.

However, when they boarded the ship, they found it to be empty.