1897 Farewell And Departure From The Capital City

"Don't worry, we're safe here." Lin Mu assured the man.

It was normal to feel anxious when one handled something this valuable and powerful like the Hundred Vicissitudes Essence pills.

If they were to be revealed on the market, there would be great chaos. Even the three empires would jump in and would probably be the ones that would end up buying the pills. And if there wasn't anyone strong enough backing the pills, there was a great chance they would be snatched in the first place.

"If you say so." Alchemist Ruoxian said. "Since we're on the topic, I recommend that you consume the weaker pill first and get acquainted with its effects." He suggested.

"Yes, I'll do that." Lin Mu nodded his head. "Though how would its effects be, according to you?" he asked.

"If the normal Hundred Vicissitudes Essence pills provide about a hundred years of cultivation, then the weaker pill provides around forty to fifty years of it." Alchemist Ruoxian replied. 

"Why the variation?" Lin Mu asked.

"I don't think the pill is fully stable and some energy is bound to leak out. The end value will depend on how well you can absorb it." Alchemist Ruoxian explained.

"I see. I'll try to do my best not wasting anything." Lin Mu said before finally storing the box away in the ring.

~phew~

With the pills stored in safety, Alchemist Ruoxian couldn't help but take a breath of relief.

"Are you gonna be leaving the capital city?" Alchemist Ruoxian asked, feeling interested.

"Yes, I'll be heading south. I think it is time for me to consolidate my gains and start cultivating seriously." Lin Mu replied.

"Mmm, that'll be good. You must have learned a lot from the tournament." Alchemist Ruoxian nodded his head in approval. "Well then, I won't take up any more of your time and take my leave." He said before standing up.

"I hope to meet you again in the future." Lin Mu said.

"Of course, if fates agree we shall meet again." Alchemist Ruoxian said and went on his way.

With the man gone, Lin Mu was free to handle the last thing that was now left.

"Time to say goodbye to them all." Lin Mu muttered to himself and contacted Lu Xu and the others.

He simply asked where they were and found out that they were no longer at the Crown Prince's Mansion. Instead, they had moved to Lu Xu's place in the capital. Lin Mu simply told them that he would come to meet them there.

"Let's go, Little Shrubby. I think this'll be the last we'll see them for a while." Lin Mu called the beast over.

"Yes!" Little Shrubby jumped to his shoulder and the two went out.

Lu Xu was a native of the Capital city and his clan had been doing business here for a long time. His clan wasn't an Aristocratic clan, but it was still a mid sized merchant clan in the city. Their residence reflected this and was about as twice as big as the Hundred Fruits Courtyard in size.

~shua~

Lin Mu did a scan of the area with his Immortal sense and quickly made out the number of people living inside as well as their cultivation levels.

'Hmm, seems like Lu Xu's clan does have a few strong people.' Lin Mu actually spotted a Sixth Tribulation Stage Elder in seclusion within the residence. 

He was probably the eldest in the clan and was definitely related to Lu Xu. In total though, there were around a hundred clan members living in there along with twice the amount of servants and other workers.

"Who are you here for?" At the gate, Lin Mu was stopped by the guards.

Since he was wearing his mask, it was impossible for them to recognize him. If not, the guards would have probably alerted the clan head right away.

"Let him in," A voice was heard from inside. "He's my guest." 

"Yes, young master!" The guards said, letting Lin Mu proceed.

'That saves me some effort.' Lin Mu didn't wish to remove his mask here either, as it would only invite more attention.

He didn't want to be delayed here as he wished to wind up things and leave the capital city soon.

Entering the residence, Lin Mu quickly went to the room where Lu Xu and his companions were waiting. He had already sensed their position earlier and hence had no problem finding them.

~Creak~

Opening the door, he saw Lu Xu sitting and drinking some tea along with the others.

"Brother Mu Lin!" Lu Xu greeted out loudly, knowing that there would only be one person that would be coming.

"Seems like you guys are having fun," Lin Mu said as he removed his mask.

"Come sit!" Luo Liqin gestured to the empty chair next to him.

It was clear that they had left a seat for him.

"Brother Mu Lin, we missed you." Ming Dandan spoke up. 

"We didn't see you for three days, so we thought you left without meeting us." Ming Aolian stated.

"I wouldn't do that." Lin Mu shook his head. "I was just resting and clearing things up." Lin Mu said as he sat down.

"Does that mean, you'll be leaving now?" Qian Wen could read between his words.

"I am, yes." Lin Mu replied. "I'll be leaving today after this." He confirmed.

"I see… Looks like it'll be time for us all to part." Lu Xu said with a hint of sadness.

"Don't worry though, we'll probably meet up in the future again." Lin Mu said, placating them. "At the very least, I'll keep in contact with you all."

"That'll be great!" Ming Dandan said with joy.

With that, the group enjoyed their time and continued to talk. They had one last meal, before Lin Mu left and discussed their plans.

Ming Dandan and Ming Aolian said that they would be returning to the Blue Mountain Palace and undergo serious training. They also said that their master might take them to another world to tame suitable beasts.

Luo Liqin said that he too would be leaving to train himself and now that he had gotten the new skills and resources, he hoped to break through soon.

Qian Wen on the other hand, stated that he would be returning to the Imperial Army as he had been summoned back. Apparently, the entire army had been called into action and many missions would be carried out soon. The Crown Prince had already talked to them about this and hinted that this had to do with what had happened after the finals.

Then there was Lu Xu at last, who would also be going out. Though not out of the Capital city.

Instead, he would be moving to the land that had been granted to him.

Apparently it was even bigger than his entire clan's residence and he would be opening up some shops there along with his personal residence. He hadn't told his clan about this yet and hoped to finish setting everything up first before surprising them.

Their farewell ended up in joy rather than tears, and Lin Mu was now ready to depart. He walked out to the open garden along with his companions.

"Are we gonna go back to the courtyard?" Little Shrubby asked.

"We have finished all that was to do here. No need to return there. Let's just head out right away." Lin Mu replied.

He had tried to fly but couldn't and realized that the permission that had been granted to him had expired at that time. 

"Since you are going to the south, you can hire a carriage there, Brother Mu Lin." Luo Liqin suggested. 

"Nah, no need to hire a carriage. I can just ask our personal carriage to drop brother Mu Lin off." Lu Xu offered.

"There won't be a need. I have something much better." Lin Mu said and looked at Little Shrubby.

~shua~

"Let's go!" Little Shrubby rapidly expanded in size, stunning the people around.

"He can grow!?" Lu Xu was stunned.

"B… Big…" This was Ming Dandan and Ming Aolian's first time seeing a beast like this.

"Little Shrubby was this big?" Qian Wen was astonished as well.

"Yeah, this is his normal form." Lin Mu said as he got back onto Little Shrubby's back. "Well then, goodbye!" He waved his hand, as Little Shrubby leaped into the sky.

While tamed beasts weren't uncommon in the capital city, a sudden appearance like this was definitely astonishing to those who saw Little Shrubby.

Lin Mu ignored these looks, as he had no reason to pay them any attention now. 

~ROAR~

A thunderous roar was heard across the Capital city that day before a red blur flashed across the capital city.

~WHOOSH~

The people who had witnessed it were left gobsmacked wondering just what the beast was. It was certainly a day that the people would remember. Yet, only a handful knew that the winner of the tournament had secretly left the city.