The guard captain said, "Spatial teleportation is forbidden here. Violators will be executed without mercy!"
Ming Zhitian nodded, "We understand."
As the group attempted to enter, they were stopped by the guards again. "Unrelated personnel, please leave quickly."
Ming Zhitian stated, "I am not an unrelated person. I have business with Divine Cultivation King."
Upon hearing this, the guards turned pale with shock. "How dare you! Are the King's personal name something you can utter?! Considering this is your first offense, we'll let you go this time. Leave immediately, or else..."
Ren Xingyao stepped forward and whispered, "Husband, this is their territory. We should avoid causing trouble."
Ouyang Nifeng was itching to barge in. "Husband, with just one command, we'll fight our way in."
"Are you crazy?" Ren Xingyao whispered.
Yanran Qingcheng chimed in, "Sister Xingyao, Feng'er, Xingyao is right. This is their home ground. Besides, didn't you hear what that elder said? Divine Cultivation King has already ascended beyond divine powers, and his true strength is still unknown. It's best not to act rashly."
The guard captain looked to the side. "The National Tutor has arrived! Make way!"
Ming Zhitian and the others looked over. A grand palanquin, carried by eight bearers, held a man seated behind a gauze curtain on a golden-threaded couch.
"Hmm?"
"Hmm?"
As the palanquin passed Ming Zhitian and his companions, Ming Zhitian suddenly exclaimed, "Are you Bai Ju?!"
"Ming Zhitian?"
"Stop."
The servants halted the palanquin. Bai Ju pulled back the curtain and looked at Ming Zhitian. "It's been a while since we last met."
Ming Zhitian stepped forward. "Yes, it has been quite some time since the Forgotten Secret Realm."
The man before them, adorned in the golden-buttoned attire of a National Tutor, was indeed Bai Ju, the progenitor of mechanical arts. Ming Zhitian had coincidentally encountered a thought projection of his in the Forgotten Secret Realm and had even imparted the first form of mechanical arts to him, thus forging a karmic connection.
Bai Ju smiled faintly. "I didn't expect us to meet again so soon. It's truly fate. Where are you headed?"
Ming Zhitian glanced at Lan Baoding. "We're looking for someone, and we have some questions to ask."
Bai Ju replied, "Looking for someone? I have a certain standing in the Hongma Empire. Who are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you."
Ming Zhitian said, "I was originally looking for Divine Cultivation King. Since I've run into you, I'll ask you. Perhaps you might know."
Bai Ju nodded. "Oh? Then please accompany me to my residence for a detailed discussion."
"Alright," Ming Zhitian agreed.
Bai Ju looked at the three women beside him. "And these three ladies are?..."
Ming Zhitian replied, "My wives."
Bai Ju nodded. "Since they are family, you shall all come along."
The three women bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your kindness."
"Proceed," Bai Ju commanded.
The path Bai Ju normally took to the gates of Lan Baoding was bypassed. A hidden mechanical door on the side, triggered by whirring gears, swung open.
Bai Ju extended his hand. "Fellow Daoist Ming, please."
Ming Zhitian and his companions followed Bai Ju's palanquin inside. As the mechanism engaged, they simply stood, and the contraption surged forward like a subway train.
The guards watched in bewilderment. "Who is this young man? The National Tutor is personally escorting him to the National Tutor's mansion?"
Soon, they arrived at Bai Ju's National Tutor mansion. He disembarked from his palanquin and walked in directly, dismissing his servants and leaving only Ming Zhitian and his group in a secluded area.
Bai Ju sat at a large table and poured tea. "Please, make yourselves at home. Don't stand on ceremony. Have some tea."
"Thank you, Senior."
Ming Zhitian and the others sat down and began to sip the tea. After a moment, Ming Zhitian, unable to contain his impatience, asked, "Bai Ju, I just want to know, why did we come from the Forgotten Kingdom to this so-called True Forgotten Secret Realm? Shouldn't we have returned to the Forgotten Secret Realm? Also, how did your thought projection reach the Forgotten Secret Realm from here? And how do we get back?"
Bai Ju did not show any annoyance at his barrage of questions. Instead, he answered seriously, "Because the Forgotten Kingdom is a part of the True Forgotten Secret Realm, and the Forgotten Secret Realm is also a part of it. My thought projection was forcefully sent to the Forgotten Secret Realm due to an anomaly of displacement. As for how to get back? I don't know either."
Seeing Ming Zhitian's expression, Bai Ju knew he already had some inkling of the answer.
Since the old gentleman at the teahouse had said something similar, Ming Zhitian fell into deep thought.