In any case, it’s best to be cautious.

"Since there’s a cultivation marketplace, it means that the cultivators in Dragon Capital aren’t just limited to the Imperial City and the Demon-Suppressing Martial Arts Hall; there must be others I haven’t encountered yet."

"I might as well continue my investigation."

"If I can spot other cultivators heading to the marketplace, following them would provide an additional layer of security."

"Now it’s certain that the Underground Palace in Zhenbei Prison has long been surveilled by cultivators. The reason no one has acted could be because they are all waiting for an opportunity, or perhaps when they do act, I won’t even know."

Jiang Feng speculated.

He didn’t believe that the gathering of cultivators in Dragon Capital was because of its prosperity, nor did he think they preferred bustling places to hide in the city.

If nothing attracted them, he wouldn’t believe it.

The Underground Palace beneath Zhenbei Prison is the most likely possibility.

The days passed by quickly, and before he knew it, two months had gone by. During these two months, Jiang Feng frequently appeared in a teahouse with a view of the Demon-Suppressing Martial Arts Hall.

He thought he could wait for those two old cultivators to leave the city and head to the marketplace, but unexpectedly, for two consecutive months, both old cultivators stayed inside the Demon-Suppressing Martial Arts Hall and didn’t come out.

He wondered if they were in seclusion or doing something else?

Furthermore, Jiang Feng didn’t see any other cultivators visiting those two old cultivators at the Demon-Suppressing Martial Arts Hall. He initially thought that those old cultivators likely had other cultivation friends in Dragon Capital who would come to visit, but after two months, he still hadn’t seen any other cultivators appear.

He realized that these cultivators might all be hiding at home, cultivating, and it’s really hard to spot them on the streets.

Moreover, with his Second-Layer Qi Condensation strength, Jiang Feng could only judge if someone is a cultivator based on fluctuations in spiritual power; his spiritual sense couldn’t sweep the streets.

Because if he scanned a cultivator and got noticed, it might be seen as provocation, and the situation could escalate or remain minor. Without strong enough power, Jiang Feng didn’t dare to test it easily.

All he could do was cautiously sense the fluctuations of spiritual power within Dragon Capital.

A month ago, there was a fluctuation of spiritual power from Zhenbei Prison again. Jiang Feng observed for a few days but only saw innate powerhouses from the Imperial City; he didn’t encounter any other cultivators.

It was as if the Emperor of the Great Tang knew there was something strange in the Underground Palace but didn’t have a care about it, as if all cultivators didn’t care at all. Only he foolishly ran over to check.

This strange silence made Jiang Feng recall the commotion at Zhenbei Prison from before. Whether it was Old Demon Child coming out of seclusion or Demon Sect Traitors infiltrating Dragon Capital, Blood Wolf King rushing into the Underground Palace—throughout all those events, it seemed no other cultivators appeared.

Aside from the Six-armed Divine Emperor and Yun Gui Sect’s Snow Eagle Immortal Master, he didn’t see a third person.

It felt as if all other cultivators had lost contact.

Of course, it could also be that Jiang Feng’s previous strength was too weak, and he didn’t notice it. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Anyway, this strange silence made Jiang Feng feel that the Underground Palace in Zhenbei Prison hides a huge secret—a terrible ticking time bomb.

After much thought, he decided to go near Laojun Mountain tomorrow to look for the cultivation marketplace. If he couldn’t find it, he would wait at Laojun Mountain. As long as there’s really a marketplace over there, he won’t have to worry about not finding other cultivators.

"Did you hear? Han Tieshan’s daughter is regarded as an adopted daughter by the Emperor, and she’s going to marry the Turkic King for a political alliance."

"Your news gets to you fast; it was just announced from the Imperial City at noon!"

"The Turkic King is also giving his daughter in marriage to the Second Prince, so it seems like there’ll be peace in the north for a few years."

"They say the Turkic King is quite old, and when Han Tieshan’s daughter marries over there, she might soon become a widow."

...

Just as Jiang Feng was about to leave the teahouse.

A few young nobles entered and sat down, and their conversation reached Jiang Feng’s ears, shocking him like an electric shock.