Clan Cultivation: Starting with Building an Island Immortal City

47: Identity check passed smoothly.Aya and her brother and sister walked in front, followed by Li Yinglong and the other person.

Soon, the massive wooden city wall stood before their eyes.

Li Yinglong looked up, and this chasm separating the Southern Border from the outside world felt even more imposing than it had from a distance.

At the pass opened beneath the wall, a stream of people flowed into a shallow area, moving slowly forward.

Aya, familiar with the way, led the three directly to the leftmost queue.

The guards in this team were mostly dressed in indigo and cyan-green, with intricate floral patterns embroidered on their clothes. Even the small beast beside them, with its colorful fur, leopard-like form, and single horn, had several dried, exotic small flowers adorning its neck collar.

The line moved at a steady pace, and it was soon their turn.

The guard on duty was a middle-aged man with a dark complexion and fine lines at the corners of his eyes, but his posture was as straight as a pine, and his gaze was clear.

He wore an indigo short jacket with a cross-over front, a wide sash woven with colorful silk threads around his waist, a short sword curved like a new moon hanging on his right side, and a bulging leather pouch on his left.

He was currently examining the documents of the previous group of merchants, his fingertips lightly tracing lines on a roll of animal hide, asking a few questions in a low voice.

Before the other party could even look up, Aya smiled and called out, her tone familiar:

”Uncle Ba Xiong! You’re on duty today!”

The guard, called Ba Xiong, looked up at the sound. Seeing that it was Aya, a genuine smile immediately bloomed on his serious face:

”It’s Aya and Yan Gang! You’re back? You’ve been out for quite a while this trip, how was the harvest?”

His voice was loud, with a strong Southern Border accent, and his tone rose and fell like a folk song.

”It was alright, alright. We exchanged for some daily necessities and medicinal herbs.”

Aya stepped forward with a grin, naturally pulling a small cloth pouch from her personal bag and handing it over:

”For you, ’Awakening Leaf’ I picked on the way. Chewing it invigorates the mind and keeps you from getting sleepy during night duty.”

Ba Xiong didn’t decline, taking it and tucking it into his embrace, saying with a smile:

”Only you, little girl, have such a good heart.”

His gaze swept over Li Yinglong and Lin Xiaowan behind Aya, pausing slightly on Li Yinglong’s face and demeanor, which were distinctly different from the locals. His smile tightened a little:

”These two are...?”

”I was just about to tell you.”

Aya turned sideways, letting Li Yinglong and the other person step forward:

”This is Old Mr. Li, whom we met at the North Marsh Market, and his granddaughter, Little Wan. Thanks to their help, our brother and sister didn’t suffer a great loss this time!”

”Oh?”

Ba Xiong’s eyebrows raised slightly, and his gaze at Li Yinglong became a bit more scrutinizing:

”Ran into trouble?”

Aya’s smile faded, and she lowered her voice slightly:

”Indeed! Uncle Ba Xiong, do you still remember that Scorpion Gu Master who was expelled from the Black Gu Clan?”

Ba Xiong’s face darkened, and he nodded:

”That scoundrel! Of course I remember. His name is still on the Frontier Drum Alliance’s wanted list.”

”He’s even more despicable now!”

Aya’s tone carried contempt:

”He actually colluded with a few foreign Loose Cultivators and started robbing people on the outskirts of the market! We happened to run into them committing their crimes on our way back. It was this Old Mr. Li who stepped in and, together with us, drove off those scoundrels! Unfortunately, the Scorpion Gu Master and the leading old thief still managed to slip away.”

Upon hearing this, Ba Xiong’s gaze towards Li Yinglong softened considerably, carrying a hint of gratitude:

”Such a thing happened! Old Sir, you look unfamiliar, but your skills are extraordinary. Those thieves are cunning and vicious; it’s not easy to repel them!”

Li Yinglong cupped his hands, his tone calm:

”Seeing injustice on the road is my duty. I am Li Yinglong, traveling here with my granddaughter. When I encountered Miss Aya and her brother and sister in danger, how could I stand by.”

Ba Xiong nodded, then looked at Lin Xiaowan, who stood quietly to the side:

”And this young lady is?”

”Little Wan is naturally close to plants and follows the path of spiritual plants.”

Aya eagerly answered, her tone enthusiastic:

”I heard that our Southern Border has many strange and exotic flowers and plants, so she specifically wanted to come and broaden her horizons, and perhaps acquire some seeds or saplings useful for her cultivation.”

Ba Xiong’s face showed a look of understanding:

”I see. No wonder she has a familiar aura about her. A spiritual plant master is good; it has some connection with our Flower Barbarian Clan.”

The Flower Barbarian Clan themselves are also companions of plants, so they were similar to Lin Xiaowan.

His tone became more amiable, but he did not skip the procedures, his expression becoming serious:

”Aya, you’re a regular, you know the rules. Since they are new friends and Cultivators, they need to be carefully examined as per custom, and we also need to bring out the ’Wood Spirit Marten’ for a formality. What do you think...?”

”Of course, of course!”

Aya nodded repeatedly:

”Uncle Ba Xiong, just follow the rules. Old Mr. Li and Younger Sister Xiaowan are both proper people, no problem!”

Ba Xiong said no more, snapped his fingers, and a small beast quickly crawled out from behind him, crouching on his shoulder.

The small beast was no bigger than a palm, shaped like a squirrel, but its fur was dazzlingly colorful, with a emerald green base interspersed with smooth bright yellow and crimson patterns, and a fluffy tail that was even more vibrant.

Its eyes were large and round, black and shiny like crystal, exceptionally lively. At this moment, it was curiously observing the people in front of it, its small nose twitching slightly.

”This is a ’Wood Spirit Marten’,” Ba Xiong introduced.

”Don’t let its size fool you; it has an innate keen spiritual sense, especially adept at perceiving the emotional fluctuations of living beings, discerning truth from falsehood in the most subtle ways. Old Sir, when I ask questions later, you just need to answer truthfully. If it shows no discomfort, then you’ve passed.”

Li Yinglong’s expression remained unchanged, and he nodded slightly:

”Please proceed.”

Ba Xiong gently stroked the Wood Spirit Marten’s back, and the small beast lightly leaped onto his shoulder, crouching down, its gaze intently fixed on Li Yinglong.

”Old Sir, where do you come from?” Ba Xiong began to ask.

”From the eastern coast.”

Li Yinglong replied.

The Wood Spirit Marten on his shoulder tilted its head, and its tail lightly swished once, showing no abnormality.

”What is your purpose in entering my Southern Border?”

”Traveling with my granddaughter, seeking spiritual plants, broadening our horizons, or perhaps trading for a few necessary items.”

Li Yinglong answered fluently, his gaze frank.

The Wood Spirit Marten stuck out its small tongue and licked its paws, looking relaxed.

”Have you ever harbored enmity with any of the clans in my Southern Border?”

”Before today, I had not set foot in the Southern Border, so how could there be enmity? Today’s events were about punishing evil and promoting good, so there’s even less talk of enmity.”

Ba Xiong asked a few questions, all of which were reasonable.

Li Yinglong answered with ease, his tone steady, without any hesitation or evasiveness.

The Wood Spirit Marten remained quiet throughout, occasionally flicking its tail or scratching its ear with a hind paw, clearly having detected no pretense or deceit.

Seeing this, the last trace of scrutiny faded from Ba Xiong’s face.

He reached out and gave the Wood Spirit Marten a few unknown flower leaves as a snack reward. The Wood Spirit Marten snatched them up and quickly disappeared, enjoying its treats.

Ba Xiong smiled at Li Yinglong:

”Old Sir, please don’t take offense. It’s just my duty, a routine procedure. Your answers were straightforward, and the Wood Spirit Marten had no reaction, so it seems you are indeed benevolent visitors. Since Aya and her brother and sister vouch for you, and you’ve come for spiritual plants, you are most welcome.”

He stepped aside, clearing the path, and pointed to a dark black wooden pillar standing to the side inside the pass.

The wooden pillar was about a person’s height, uniformly dark, with a smooth surface and a faint dark glow flowing within it.

”According to the rules, please, Old Sir and this young lady, place your palms on this pillar to leave an imprint, and then you may pass. This imprint is only for record-keeping; if there are no incidents, it will never disturb you.”

Li Yinglong knew this must be some secret art of the Southern Border for recording auras and tracking identities, to prevent anyone entering from committing crimes or causing trouble, and to have a target to track.

Without further questions, he stepped forward calmly and, as instructed, placed his right hand on the dark wood.

The touch was slightly warm, with no other unusual sensation. He only felt that the dark wood seemed to briefly absorb a wisp of his own aura, then immediately returned to normal.

Lin Xiaowan also followed suit, placing her hand on it.

”Alright.”

Ba Xiong nodded:

”You all may enter now. I wish you good fortune in the Southern Border.”

Saying this, he waved to Aya and her brother and sister:

”Aya, Yan Gang, show our guests around properly, don’t tarnish the reputation of our Southern Border.”

Aya grinned and agreed:

”Don’t worry, Uncle Ba Xiong! We’re off then!”

As the four were about to turn and enter the pass, Ba Xiong seemed to suddenly remember something and called out to Aya:

”Hey, Aya, wait.”

Everyone turned back in surprise, their faces filled with confusion.