Before Nie Li and his group arrived, the various families had already explored the Ancient Orchid City ruins, but unfortunately didn't find much, leading to fewer people coming to explore afterward.
Chen Linjian somehow managed to get a map of the Ancient Orchid City ruins, which prompted him to organize a team to venture there.
"Finally, we have arrived at the Ancient Orchid City ruins. We have two routes to choose from. Here's the map!" Chen Linjian spread out the map, pointing at some paths on it.
Everyone gathered around the map, discussing.
"The first route goes in from the west gate and follows the city wall, allowing us to quickly enter the main city. But what can we find along this route? We need to enter the residential areas inside the city to find any treasure!" said one of Chen Linjian's subordinates.
"I agree with his opinion!"
"Yes, we should search this residential area!" Everyone chimed in in agreement.
Chen Linjian was silent for a moment, then looked up at Nie Li and asked, "What do you think?"
The crowd was a bit surprised, not expecting Chen Linjian to seek Nie Li's opinion at this moment.
Ye Ziyun's bright eyes focused on Nie Li, and Hu Yilianruo also watched him intently.
By now, everyone cared about Nie Li's thoughts.
Nie Li shrugged and said, "If you came here just to search this residential area, you're making a huge mistake. Those who came before us have definitely already searched these houses. Searching them again probably won't yield anything. Who is the wealthiest in a city? Is it the common people? Of course not. Ninety percent of a city's wealth is concentrated in the hands of the large families!"
"This city spans hundreds of miles, with so many houses, many of which have been destroyed. How do we know which area was the residence of the wealthy families?" Shen Yue argued from the side, always eager to refute anything Nie Li said.
"Continue with what you're saying!" Chen Linjian, clearly agreeing with Nie Li's reasoning, said with interest.
"Finding the gathering place of the wealthy families is actually very simple. On this map, where is the building density the lowest? That's the place! Wealthy families usually have their own independent courtyards!" Nie Li continued.
The crowd's eyes fell on the map.
"It's here!" Hu Yilianruo said excitedly.
"Yes, it should be here. Many of the buildings in this area are very large!"
Chen Linjian frowned slightly and said, "This area has already been searched. While some good things were found, there weren't many! Someone even dug three feet underground here, but couldn't find any secret rooms or anything of the sort."
"I told you, whatever you can think of, others have already thought of! You think the large families of Glory City are pushovers?" Shen Yue snorted.
Nie Li frowned and glared at Shen Yue, "Can you shut your mouth when I’m talking? If you're so smart, why don't you tell us then?"
Shen Yue was about to retort but was stopped when Chen Linjian shot him a glare and snorted, "Shut up!"
Shen Yue opened his mouth but closed it in frustration.
Despite being a direct descendant of the Divine Sacred Family, he couldn't compare to Chen Linjian in terms of status.
No matter how many guts he had, he wouldn't dare argue with Chen Linjian.
"It's normal for this area to have been searched. Let's continue to look at the map. This area of the wealthy families is situated right along the central axis of Ancient Orchid City because it’s the most heavily guarded and safest place."
Nie Li pointed to an area behind the wealthy families and said, "This area should be where the City Lord's Mansion is located!"
Shen Yue nodded slightly.
So far, Nie Li's deductions were correct.
But even the City Lord's Mansion had already been searched by those who came earlier, including underground, and they still found very little.
"We continue looking at the map. Only a few hundred meters from the City Lord's Mansion, there are three areas. Do you know what these three areas are for?" Nie Li asked Chen Linjian.
"Of these three areas, one is a training ground where the City Lord drills soldiers, another has dense stone fortresses built entirely of Black Cloud Stones that can't even be chiseled open. The other is unknown, located right next to the stone fortress, overgrown with weeds and trees," Chen Linjian said.
He had thoroughly familiarized himself with the map of Ancient Orchid City before coming here.
Hearing Chen Linjian's words, Nie Li smiled slightly and said, "That's pretty much what I deduced."
Chen Linjian's eyes sparkled, and he said, "So you think these three places are suspicious? Could it be the stone fortress? But it’s already been searched!"
"That stone fortress should be a refuge for disasters. When demon beasts invade, people would definitely enter to hide. There could be some hidden rooms with treasures inside. The empty ground near the stone fortress is obviously a trap area meant to fend off demon beasts. If you try to detect it, you might not even know how you ended up dead. But I think the most suspicious place should be the training ground!" Nie Li said, smiling faintly.
"Why is the training ground the most suspicious?"
The training ground was just a muddy open space, a parade ground for soldiers.
What was suspicious about it?
"The least conspicuous places are often the safest. Moreover, the City Lord actually placed the training ground along the city's central axis, which is certainly unusual. Something very important might be hidden beneath the training ground!" Nie Li pointed to the map and said, "Let's go to this area first and see what we can find!"
"Yes, let's do that!" Chen Linjian put away the map and smiled slightly.
Once they decided on a direction, they could save a lot of time and avoid many detours.
Chen Linjian's subordinates looked at Nie Li with a hint of admiration in their eyes.
By now, no one underestimated Nie Li.
They felt it was only right for him to pick a treasure first.
Hu Yilianruo looked up, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Nie Li's meticulous reasoning impressed her deeply.
She faintly sensed that Nie Li was extraordinary; otherwise, how could a Bronze One-Star ignore her charm spell?
"The man I choose must be exceptional!" Hu Yilianruo thought proudly.
Although Nie Li completely ignored her, she still set her sights on him.
If Nie Li knew what Hu Yilianruo was thinking, he would probably be in tears.
Why did he have to show off? After getting entangled with this persistent case, shaking her off would be nearly impossible!
Ye Ziyun pursed her lips and smiled, her charming demeanor causing Nie Li to become momentarily dazed.
Ye Ziyun's every move held a unique, familiar charm.
Seeing Nie Li so entranced, Hu Yilianruo almost went crazy.
How could Nie Li, a beautiful and alluring girl like her standing right in front of him, act as if he were blind, with eyes only for Ye Ziyun? It was infuriating! Nie Li, I hate you!
Nie Li could hardly care about Hu Yilianruo's feelings.
He took out a crossbow and some Purple Mist Grass Potion from his backpack and applied it to the bolts.
"Nie Li, what are you doing?" Hu Yilianruo and Ye Ziyun asked in confusion, watching him.
Nie Li shrugged and said, "Nothing."
"Alright, let's move out!" Chen Linjian shouted, and the team slowly advanced into Ancient Orchid City, choosing a relatively quick and safe route along the city wall's edge.
Following the original path would have been challenging due to many areas with complex terrain that often hid many demon beasts.
Roars of demon beasts echoed from the ruins of Ancient Orchid City.
Besides demon beasts, occasionally, groups of people passed by.
They came from Glory City, seeking to explore the ruins of Ancient Orchid City.
As Chen Linjian, Nie Li, and the others ventured deeper into Ancient Orchid City, a group of people appeared at the entrance.
This group, totaling fifteen, wore black robes.
"Are you sure those kids are all noble scions?" A towering black-robed man, leading the group, scanned his companions and asked.
"Yes, Overseer Yunhua!" responded one of the black-robed men next to him.
"Good!" Overseer Yunhua showed a vicious grin and said, "Capture the three with the highest status and take them back to ransom from their noble families. Kill the rest!"
The Dark Guild was a notorious presence in Glory City, often kidnapping noble scions for ransom.
They thrived in the shadows of Glory City, amassing wealth through dark means to provide resources for the guild members' cultivation.
Although several large families in Glory City had tried to unite and strike against the Dark Guild, whenever they attempted a purge, the Dark Guild seemed to vanish into thin air.
Rumor had it that the headquarters of the Dark Guild was hidden in a very secretive location within the Saint Ancestor Mountain Range, a powerful and terrifying force that even Master Ye Mo couldn't completely eradicate.
Swish, swish, swish, the black-robed figures darted deeper into Ancient Orchid City.
Inside the ruins of Ancient Orchid City, Nie Li and his group continued their difficult progression.
From time to time, enormous Long-Armed Apes would emerge from the debris.
These demon beasts stood two meters tall, their robust limbs resembling black iron pillars, yet were incredibly agile, and most were of Silver rank.
Six Long-Armed Apes prowled among the broken walls, tailing Nie Li's group from afar.
These Long-Armed Apes possessed remarkable intelligence, and seeing there were more than thirty people, they dared not advance, only hovering at a distance, waiting for an opportunity.
"These Long-Armed Apes are really annoying!" Chen Linjian frowned.
Although they didn't attack, dealing with them was impossible.
As time passed, more Long-Armed Apes would gather, and once their numbers increased, they would attack en masse.
Just then, with a whoosh, a cold glint shot through from the shadows.
Chen Linjian and the others soon saw—it was an arrow, and it traced a cunning path through the branches, shooting towards one of the Long-Armed Apes.
Thunk!
The arrow struck the Long-Armed Ape, causing it to wail and topple from its perch on a high wall, sending up clouds of dust as it fell.
The ape thrashed on the ground but couldn't rise.
Seeing this, Chen Linjian quickly rushed over, raised his sword, and with a slash, the ape's blood sprayed, and it perished on the ground.
Everyone was astounded as they turned to see Nie Li leisurely walking out from the shadows.
(Chapter End)