Wu Tianmo was shocked and didn't speak, only staring at Ling'er warmly.
Liu Changfeng clapped his hands,
"Wonderful, Wonderful! I salute the happy pair. Upon my return I will inform Jiang Fushui of his new son-in-law."
Wu Tianmo looked away and sighed inwardly,
How did it happen this way?
Liu Changfeng stood and started to turn,
"Patriarch Wu, make sure to send a betrothal gift to the Jiang family manor within the city. Cultivating is important but you should show yourself around town. People are starting to call you the Wu Family Hermit. See you later!"
Ling'er giggled then turned shyly towards the Wu Patriarch,
"Hehe, looks like you're stuck with me now."
Wu Tianmo stood and walked towards the door,
"Ling'er"
Her gaze met his,
"Yes, Hermit Wu."
A vein bulged on Wu Tianmo's head.
Tsk
He turned away,
"Do you wish to return to your family for now? Is there anything you need to take care of before?"
Ling'er's face flushed,
"Uhm--- Hermit--- *clears throat* Patriarch Wu, I will return to tie up some things. First of all I need to give my sisters a talking to, then I will collect my belongings. May I make a small request?"
Wu Tianmo smiled,
"Anything."
Ling'er took a deep breath,
"Can we have the ceremony at the end of the week? I don't wish to wait... Part of the reason I was camped out in your estate with my sisters is because.."
Wu Tianmo raised an eyebrow,
"Because? Is there something you're not telling me."
Ling'er became flustered,
"Well... there was one additional person that came to the gate while you were in seclusion. Zhang Minghao... He was quite upset."
Wu Tianmo sighed,
"No wonder you were so eager to get married to me, you wanted to escape the clutches of Zhang Minghao. To use me as a shield..."
Ling'er reached for Wu Tianmo
"No... I--"
He retreated slightly taking a single step back,
"I don't fault you, however honesty is the only way this will work between us. Scheme against me again and I will return you to the Jiang family manor a corpse. I'm going into the town, then to the forest for a few days."
Ling'er crossed her arms and let out a cute, "Hmph!", then stuck out her tongue.
Wu Tianmo didn't know what else to say so he turned away defeated.
He walked towards the door, and picked up his pace. As he exited the main hall he leapt over the walls of the Wu Family Estate towards Heimu Village.
A voice echoed out above the Wu Estate,
"In one week I will come to receive you from the Jiang family manor for our wedding, leave Minghao to me."
---
Within the market of Heimu Village.
---
Wu Tianmo was slightly agitated by Ling'er, it wasn't that he didn't understand her situation it was that she lied to him.
In a way he was using her the same way she was using him. She needed protection, he needed heirs.
Yet he felt disturbed that a mortal would scheme against a cultivator, did she have no fear?
Her boldness was what intrigued him to begin with, perhaps he was too harsh on her.
Wu Tianmo cleared his head and walked down the main road. To his surprise, several shops were already open.
Wu Tianmo looked all around,
Seclusion really makes time go by quickly... This place has already changed so much. No one would have guessed that beasts ruled this place less than a year ago.
The street was busy with all sorts of people, mostly mortals but there were also some cultivators mixed in.
Most of them were only at the 1st Stage Body Reforging.
If you had the aptitude, cultivation was easy to begin, but without the proper guidance it was nearly impossible to progress.
Wu Tianmo looked at the large blackwood pavilion before him which had a signboard freshly mounted,
"Jade Elixir Pavilion? This must be the Liu Clan's shop"
Outside the shop there was a sign which had small description of what they sold,
Medical pills that mortals could take, tier 1 pills for cultivators to help heal wounds, and fasting pills.
Nearby was an Inn run by the Zhang clan, called River Lotus. It was equipped with a restaurant and rooms to stay for the night.
On the opposite side of the street there was a large building that you could hear the sounds of clanking metal. This was a blacksmith shop, it had open walls and there were many types of weapons for sale.
Most of the weapons were for mortals and only had lower tier quality, however there were a few that were Tier 1 and even a single Tier 2 item.
To create the cultivator tools you needed to become an artifact refiner, and this was a very difficult thing to do. Not only did you normally need to learn under a master, but you had to have the right spiritual roots.
Wu Tianmo needed a good weapon, however he didn't have any money so the Tier 1 Wooden Sword was all he had to work with. His previous blade was a mortal tier sword and filled with cracks, he only kept it because it retained the signature Wu Insignia.
A bit farther down on a side road there were many small stalls that were open for rent, this was a place anyone could set up a stall and sell their goods. The Blackwood Forest was full of specialty goods.
Those with courage could venture into the forest and obtain fortunes to sell back within the town.
After walking past all the rentable stalls, Wu Tianmo noticed a side street. The customers in this area looked significantly rougher and there was a heightened sense of unease.
Wu decided to check out the entire town, he wouldn't avoid this street simply because of the company.
Wu Tianmo noticed a large black tower at the end of the street with a walled rear courtyard.
Wu Tianmo didn't know that a slave shop had already been built in their town, and right next to it was a large arena. This type of place was known to host the gladiatorial games and quite popular in all cities.
However in larger cities it was strictly regulated.
Heimu Village simply didn't have the manpower to police everywhere, so the rules in this place were incredibly flexible.
Wu Tianmo sighed and walked towards the door when a 7 ft tall burly man with an eyepatch stopped him,
"Welcome to the Black Tower, are you here to buy or to fight?"
Wu Tianmo thought to himself,
Isn't this a big brute, a mortal as well. His parents must have laid with Giants!.
Wu Tianmo looked the large man up and down,
"I'm here to look, I'm checking out the business."
The large man spat then waved his hand dismissively,
"If you're not here to buy, and you're not here to fight then fuck off. This isn't the spot for you to lurk around. Go while I'm still being polite."
Wu Tianmo frowned,
"How am I supposed to know whether I'll buy if I can't look..."
The brute started stumbling over his words,
"Well.. You... I mean I guess that's true.."
Wu Tianmo chuckled and admitted,
"I don't have money but how were you supposed to know that"
The big brute started to get angry,
"You're messing with me? Die!"
The large brute, who was only a mortal, threw a heavy punch.
Due to his size, it was as if a battering ram was flying towards Wu Tianmo's head. The mortal's arm was as thick as a watermelon!
Wu Tianmo took a breath then planted his feet, raising a single palm to slap away the first punch.
The Brute laughed and veins bulged on his forehead,
"I will destroy you!"
Wu Tianmo was a bit impressed, if he was still in the first stage of body reforging this brute might have stood a chance.
Now that he was in the Third Stage?
Not a chance in hell.
The Brute moved forward with every punch, which Wu Tianmo met at the same pace.
Each punch was effortlessly diverted until the brute was breathing heavily, resting his hands on his knees.
The brute yelled,
"You! Who are you?"
Wu Tianmo snickered then kicked the brute horizontally across the face, sending him flying into a nearby wall and breaking his jaw.
"I'm just a hermit."
Wu Tianmo entered the Black Tower for a look.