The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1148

Chapter 1148: Chapter 1145: Invitation from Yunmeng Marsh Chapter 1148: Chapter 1145: Invitation from Yunmeng Marsh Outside Wuzhuang View, on the winding stone steps leading down the mountain.

Shen Luo did not directly fly with his magic, but walked down the mountain at a leisurely pace with his hands behind his back, feeling the gentle mountain breeze and pondering the gains and losses of his trip to Wuzhuang View.

Initially, the revival of the Ginseng fruit tree could have brought the matter to a close, but the involvement of Lion Camel Ridge somehow left Shen Luo unable to let go of his concerns, so he decided to make a trip there before heading to Tianji City.

For one thing, he wanted to investigate the situation with the Yin Yang Two Qi Bottle, and for another, he also wanted to see Fu Donglai.

Since the Three Realms Martial Arts Conference, Fu Donglai had returned to Lion Camel Ridge, saying that he would investigate the appearance of the Demon Void Earth Dragon in the Secret Realm. After he left, the two of them lost contact.

Moreover, Shen Luo wanted to know the results of his investigation.

He always felt that these matters seemed unrelated on the surface, but internally, there seemed to be a secret thread connecting them all.

“Big Brother Shen…” While he was contemplating, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind Shen Luo.

Accompanying it was the pleasant sound of tinkling silver bells.

“Man'er, didn't you plan to stay a few more days?” Shen Luo asked in surprise.

“Big Brother Shen, I've changed my mind and decided to go to Yunmeng Marsh first,” Wu Man'er caught up with him and said with a smile.

“Yunmeng Marsh?” Shen Luo muttered to himself.

“I hope you can accompany me there,” Wu Man'er said frankly.

Shen Luo was taken aback by the request, somewhat surprised.

Subconsciously, he wanted to refuse, because the most important thing for him at the moment was to head to Tianji City and find a way to repair the jade pillow.

Going to Lion Camel Ridge was only a matter of convenience.

As for Yunmeng Marsh, it clearly wasn't part of his plans.

“Is there any danger in going to Yunmeng Marsh?” But just as he was about to refuse, the words that came out changed.

“I don't know,” Wu Man'er admitted, shaking her head with a bit of embarrassment.

Then, she added, “I've never been there before. I've only heard from my master that it's a marshland so vast it's almost as large as an ocean.”

“Why do you want to go there?” Shen Luo asked, puzzled.

“Big Brother Shen, do you remember why I came to Wuzhuang View?” Wu Man'er blinked and asked.

Shen Luo furrowed his brows slightly and nodded.

Of course, he remembered that Wu Man'er had secretly left the Divine Wood Forest and come to Wuzhuang View in search of the essence of the Ginseng fruit tree.

“It is said that deep within Yunmeng Marsh, there is a Ginkgo Divine Tree thousands of years old, which also has Spirit Liquid nurturing it. I want to collect some to strengthen the prohibition of our tribe's Divine Tree. Doing so might reduce the frequency of the Demon Soul outbreaks and spare our people from some casualties,” Wu Man'er explained, her eyes slightly glowing.

Upon hearing this, a twinge of guilt surged in Shen Luo's heart.

Wu Man'er had just helped revive the Ginseng fruit tree, which was a great favor to Shen Luo, yet he had subconsciously thought to refuse her request for help, which was indeed somewhat insensitive.

“Big Brother Shen, is there any difficulty? If you have urgent matters to attend to, we can drop the matter, and I have no problem traveling alone,” Wu Man'er said hurriedly with a guilty expression upon seeing Shen Luo's hesitation.

Seeing this, Shen Luo smiled and said:

“`

“Forget it, it's not anything particularly urgent. I'll accompany you to Yunmeng Marsh first. I've read about Yunmeng Marsh in books before, claiming it to be 'shrouded in clouds and mist, with thousands of atmospheres.' This time, I have the opportunity to verify it myself.”

“But…” Wu Man'er hesitated.

“There's no 'but'. You helped me save the Ginseng fruit tree before, avoiding a conflict between the Great Tang Dynasty Government and the Wuzhuang View. Accompanying you to Yunmeng Marsh this time can be considered as returning the favor,” Shen Luo said with a smile.

“I had my own selfish reasons for helping to save the Ginseng fruit tree…” Wu Man'er admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

“I'm not concerned with that. I am definitely returning the favor. However, if you're unwilling, then I won't force you,” Shen Luo said indifferently.

“Of course, I'm willing,” Wu Man'er quickly replied upon seeing this.

“Then that's settled. Shall we set off immediately?” Shen Luo asked.

“Yes.” Wu Man'er, with a smile on her face, nodded immediately.

Shen Luo also gathered his thoughts, and the two of them boarded the flying boat and shot up into the sky right away.

Months later.

Outside Yunmeng Marsh stood a small border city adjacent to the swamp.

The city gates were wide open; on both inside and outside, only a scarce dozen or so soldiers with askew helmets and armor were stationed, clearly indicating a relaxed guard.

Just outside the city gate was a bustling street.

It was early morning market time, and the sides of the street were covered with simple straw mats. On top of these mats were fruits and vegetables for sale, and the small vendors behind the mats shouted at the top of their lungs, eagerly hawking their goods.

Further down the road were sporadically placed shops and taverns. Apart from a few doing early morning business, most of them had their doors half-open, not yet officially open for business.

However, there were still quite a few people hitting the early market on the street, and among the many leisurely figures, a tall man in a green robe was walking shoulder to shoulder with a beautiful woman in blue cloth. Their attire set them apart from that of the locals, making them quite conspicuous in the crowd.

Especially the bright and shining silver ornaments on the woman that jingled “dingling” as she moved, coupled with her stunning appearance, attracting much attention from the passersby.

They were none other than Shen Luo and Wu Man'er, who were preparing to head to Yunmeng Marsh.

Wu Man'er didn't seem to mind the curious glances from the passersby. Or rather, she was herself curiously gazing at everything around her, eyeing the passersby and all the items set up along the street.

Having grown up in the Divine Wood Forest, her knowledge of the outside world came almost exclusively from her mother and her master's descriptions.

The last time she came out, she had flown straight to Wuzhuang View, and whenever they stopped along the way, they chose secluded spots such as mountains and dense forests far from human settlements; she had never intentionally entered a bustling city like this before.

Thus, everything she saw was exceptionally intriguing to her.

In fact, Shen Luo noticed this on their way here and deliberately took her to stay briefly in several cities.

Even so, Wu Man'er found every new city she visited to be wonderfully novel.

However, their visit to this small city today wasn't to satisfy Wu Man'er's curiosity but to purchase an essential item needed to enter Yunmeng Marsh.

The two of them walked along the street towards the inner part of the city, where it gradually became quieter.

“Big Brother Shen, can we really find Road Guidance Lamps in such a small city?” Wu Man'er asked, skeptical.

“Don't underestimate smaller cities like this. As the saying goes, 'Live off the land and water you're near.' This small city near Yunmeng Marsh has stood for a thousand years, largely thanks to the advantages provided by Yunmeng Marsh. Whether it be freelance cultivators entering the Marsh for opportunities or monks from Sects here for training, they all stop here. And since Road Guidance Lamps are an essential for entering Yunmeng Marsh, it is natural that they would be sold here,” Shen Luo explained with a smile.