Chapter 1397: Time Reversal

It had silently swallowed one-tenth of his Nascent Soul power. This was somewhat horrifying!

He looked around, his gaze finally settling on Kaiyang City below him. He said: "Let's first go into the city and ask around. If we can't find anything out, we'll wait for this old woman to wake up."

Fairy Ziwei nodded and flew down into the city with Jiang Fan.

The city was mostly populated by mortals. Merchants, porters, and street vendors were everywhere. Having not visited a bustling city in a long time, Jiang Fan couldn't help but feel a moment of disorientation. The last time he had entered a city was with Yue Mingzhu in Sunset City, located in the Northern Frontier. That was already more than half a year ago.

Beside him, Fairy Ziwei tilted her head, looking at Jiang Fan, who walked beside her. A hint of bitterness welled up in her heart. She had never imagined that one day she would walk side by side with Jiang Fan on a bustling street. If only this day had come sooner. Now, it was too late.

Suddenly, a leather ball rolled over, coming to a stop at Jiang Fan's feet. Jiang Fan looked up to see three six-year-old children, dressed in coarse cloth shirts and shorts, chasing after the ball. Seeing the ball at Jiang Fan's feet, the boy in the middle, a bit timid, walked forward and asked, "Can I have my ball back?" Around his neck hung a polished brass longevity lock, and on his head was a small tiger-shaped hat. He had big eyes and a small, flat nose. He looked at the tall, black-clad Jiang Fan with a hint of fear.

Jiang Fan smiled faintly, bent down to pick up the ball, and handed it to the little boy, saying, "Here you go." The little boy quickly took the ball like a small mouse and then darted off with his two friends.

Jiang Fan chuckled softly and said, "What a carefree age."

After speaking, Jiang Fan suddenly paused. He didn't know why, but he felt as though the scene before him was familiar.

Fairy Ziwei composed herself, then noticed a young man, a Core Formation cultivator with a bronze sword on his back, passing by. She quickly stepped forward and asked, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask you something?"

The young man, dressed in white, looked at the graceful Fairy Ziwei and immediately flashed a lecherous smile. He reached out to touch Fairy Ziwei's chin and said, "Certainly, let's find a secluded spot, and I'll slowly tell you... Ouch!"

The young man suddenly cried out in pain. Jiang Fan had firmly twisted his wrist. Fairy Ziwei looked surprised. "Young Master Jiang, what a quick reaction," she said. The man had been so brazen and unexpected that before she could even react, Jiang Fan had already stopped him.

Jiang Fan pushed the white-clad youth away, then looked at his own hand with a slight frown, a puzzled expression on his face. It wasn't that he reacted quickly. Rather, it was as if he had a conditioned reflex; before the other party even made a move, he acted preemptively, as if he had a premonition. This wasn't right. Jiang Fan was a very detail-oriented person. Others might have overlooked it and not thought much of it. But he found it very unusual.

"This city really does have a problem." Jiang Fan gazed at his surroundings, but no matter how he looked, he couldn't pinpoint the issue.

Fairy Ziwei frowned. She also felt that something was amiss, though she couldn't explain why. Just now, when Jiang Fan returned the ball to the child, a scene flashed through her mind: Jiang Fan saying, "What a carefree age." It was as if she could foresee the future.

Jiang Fan looked at the constant flow of people and said, "Let's explore a bit more and ask more people. If something unusual has happened in the city, it's impossible for them to be completely unaware."

The two walked through the crowd, stopping and questioning every martial artist they encountered. These included cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage and the Nascent Soul stage. Without exception, they all expressed confusion.

Finally, they arrived at the City Lord's Manor. Fairy Ziwei said, "There should be a City Lord here, an eight-aperture Nascent Soul cultivator. Let's go see him." Given their cultivation levels, they were quickly granted an audience. They appeared in the City Lord's Manor.

The City Lord was a clean-shaven, amiable, and refined middle-aged man, with shackles on his body. If he were to go mad, the shackles would automatically knock him unconscious. He smiled as he observed Jiang Fan and said, "To reach the eight-aperture Nascent Soul stage at such a young age—it's unexpected that a figure like you could emerge from Taicang Great State. Truly remarkable."

Jiang Fan cupped his hands and replied, "You flatter me, City Lord. To be frank, we are visiting you to inquire if anything unusual has happened in the city."

The City Lord stroked his beard, frowning in thought. "Unusual events? My Kaiyang City has been quite peaceful lately; not even a public duel has occurred. What exactly are you referring to, Fellow Daoist Jiang?"

Jiang Fan frowned deeply. As an eight-aperture Nascent Soul cultivator, his perception abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people. Even the slightest disturbance in Kaiyang City would be noticed by him. Yet, he was completely unaware. Jiang Fan felt deeply perplexed. What exactly was wrong with this city?

The City Lord smiled and said, "If you two have no other matters, please stay in my manor for a few days. I'd like to extend my hospitality."

Jiang Fan replied, "I appreciate your kind offer, City Lord, but we have other matters to attend to, so we'll take our leave now." He stood up, casually glanced at the furnishings in the City Lord's Manor hall, and then left with a deep frown.

Fairy Ziwei sighed softly. "Never mind," she said. "Perhaps it's just a misunderstanding. Young Master Jiang, I'm truly sorry for having taken up so much of your time. You still need to find someone; don't delay any longer. Let's part ways here."

Jiang Fan nodded. Since the Seven Cities of Tianyuan were generally fine, he wouldn't need to trouble himself further. Let the people of Guixu State investigate it themselves. He had to hurry to find Yue Mingzhu. Those half-giants were beasts who would assault talented women. And Yue Mingzhu was a beautiful young woman with the perpetually youthful face of an eighteen-year-old. The longer she stayed in Tianyi City, the more danger she would be in.

"Then we shall meet again. Farewell." After saying this, he frowned again. He didn't know why, but this scene felt very familiar. It was as if he had parted ways with Fairy Ziwei many times before. But this was clearly their first farewell. Something was wrong. Something must have happened to him; many things felt off.

He closed his eyes, his mind racing. Suddenly, he remembered an almanac hanging on the wall of the City Lord's Manor. His eyes slowly opened, a glimmer of light spreading within them. He called out, "Fairy Ziwei, what day is it today?"

Fairy Ziwei replied without hesitation, "The third day of the twelfth month. Why do you ask?"

Jiang Fan's eyes widened abruptly, a look of shock spreading through them, and he said in a low voice: "I just saw the almanac in the City Lord's Manor display... that today is the first day of the twelfth month!"

Fairy Ziwei paused. "Maybe the City Lord's Manor forgot to tear off the almanac page," she said. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Jiang Fan's eyes were filled with gravity; he had already guessed something. He quickly flashed over to a stall selling calligraphy, paintings, and almanacs. An open almanac there also showed "The first day of the twelfth month!"

Fairy Ziwei hurried over and, upon seeing it, froze. "What's going on?" she asked. "Could it be that everyone in Kaiyang City forgot to tear off their calendar pages? Or..." Her beautiful face changed drastically as a thought she scarcely dared to believe emerged in her mind. "Could it be... that the Kaiyang City we're seeing is two days in the past?"

Jiang Fan nodded solemnly: "A powerful figure has turned back Kaiyang City's time by two days!"