I Am Xue Wenqian. Greetings, Immortal Emissary.

On the official road leading to Dingzhou City.

A stately, orderly ceremonial procession was making its way slowly toward Dingzhou City.

Vice Prefect Xiao sat upright in his carriage, clutching an exquisite brocade box tightly to his chest.

Inside the brocade box was a precious White Jade Bottle.

But precious as the White Jade Bottle was, it was not worth one ten-thousandth as much as what lay inside it.

For the bottle contained a pill, an Immortal Elixir refined by an immortal's own hand.

On the surface, Vice Prefect Xiao sat stiffly upright, his expression solemn, but his heart was far from calm, filled with eagerness and excitement.

He was eager to take the Immortal Elixir back to the Capital and present it before the throne.

And he was excited because, once His Majesty took the Immortal Elixir, recovered from his injuries and illness, and enjoyed enduring blessings and longevity, he would surely be promoted and granted a higher title for presenting the treasure, with a boundless future ahead of him.

Whenever he thought of that wonderful future, how could he not be excited and thrilled?

So throughout the journey, he had tended to the brocade box with the utmost care, holding it tightly to his chest while eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping, never letting it leave his side.

He was terrified that a knock or a bump would destroy his wonderful prospects in an instant.

If not for having to deal with the Prefect's niece, he would have returned to Dingzhou City yesterday.

Speaking of the Prefect's niece, she had been unlucky to the extreme.

Not only had she been abducted and taken up the mountain by bandits, she had also been brutally murdered and decapitated, until all that remained was a head with its features mangled beyond recognition.

If only the immortal had gone up the mountain to wipe out the bandits a little earlier, she would not have died such an untimely death.

Although the matter had little to do with Heyang County, if the Prefect flew into a rage and really investigated, Zhang Huaimin of Heyang County certainly would not escape implication.

In the past, he naturally would not have meddled in such affairs and offended a prefect for the sake of a mere county magistrate.

But things were different now. Zhang Huaimin was in the same boat as him; they would prosper or suffer together, so he certainly could not stand by and do nothing.

So, after he and Zhang Huaimin put their heads together, they decided to act as though they had never seen the Prefect's niece and buried the head somewhere deep in the mountains and old-growth forests.

In any case, there was neither a living person to be found nor a corpse to be seen. No matter how furious the Prefect became, with him mediating, he believed they could ultimately turn a major matter into a minor one and a minor matter into nothing.

Officialdom was not a fight to the death, but a matter of personal connections and social niceties.

Only after dealing with the Prefect's niece did he set off for Dingzhou City at an unhurried pace.

"Screee..."

As they neared the gates of Dingzhou City, a clear, melodious crane cry suddenly rang out overhead.

Vice Prefect Xiao had not paid it any mind at first, but a commotion broke out among the procession outside.

"Why the panic?"

Vice Prefect Xiao lifted the window curtain and asked with a displeased expression.

"My lord, a crane suddenly flew out of the city. A huge crane."

A guard outside reported.

A huge crane? How big could it be?

Making such a fuss over nothing.

Vice Prefect Xiao leaned out the carriage window and looked in the direction his subordinate was pointing.

"Holy shit! That's a huge crane!"

Ever since taking office, he had heard that there were cranes at Yangcheng Dian outside Dingzhou City, but he had never gone to see them.

Yet he had never expected, upon seeing one today,

that the cranes of Dingzhou City would be so much bigger than those he had seen before.

He could not help recalling the young man of peerless beauty he had encountered on the road a few days ago.

"Dingzhou City truly is a land blessed with outstanding people and a gifted spirit. Not only does it have immortals and beautiful men, even its white cranes are more extraordinary than those elsewhere."

Vice Prefect Xiao spoke in admiration from the bottom of his heart.

"My lord, that isn't so. I've lived in Dingzhou City for half my life, and this is the first time I've seen such a huge, extraordinary white crane."

The guard outside the window spoke up.

But the white crane had already vanished without a trace, and Vice Prefect Xiao no longer felt like discussing it with his subordinate. All he wanted now was to hurry back into the city, report to the Prefect after completing his assignment, and head straight for the Capital.

But after entering the city,

he found that Dingzhou City seemed a little different from usual today.

Quiet,

unusually quiet.

The streets, which should have been bustling and lively, were now deserted.

He had only been gone a few days, so why did Dingzhou City feel as though it had become a ghost town?

Vice Prefect Xiao's heart tightened, and his expression grew grave.

Something was wrong,

eleven parts wrong out of ten.

Could it be that Prince Ning had finally been unable to restrain himself and rebelled, storming Dingzhou City and slaughtering everyone inside?

But on second thought, he felt that was impossible.

Although the city was quiet, it was too clean and intact, nothing like the unspeakably tragic scene left after rebels breached a city.

But where were the people?

Where had everyone in the city gone?

Thoroughly baffled, Vice Prefect Xiao could not make sense of it no matter how he thought, until a squad of patrolling soldiers came down the street not far away.

He hurriedly stopped them and asked what had happened.

"My lord, an immortal descended upon South City an hour ago. All the city's high officials, nobles, and common folk ran to South City to see the immortal."

The soldier reported truthfully, his face showing regret and remorse.

If they had not been on patrol today, how could they have missed the momentous chance to see an immortal? If only they had known, they would have swapped shifts with someone else.

"What? An immortal descended?"

At those words, Vice Prefect Xiao felt as though he had been struck by lightning, his face full of shock.

"To South City, go to South City at once."

After the shock came excitement and exhilaration, and Vice Prefect Xiao immediately ordered the carriage to head for South City.

"Too late, my lord. You came too late. The immortal has already flown away on a crane."

The soldier looked at Vice Prefect Xiao sympathetically as he spoke.

Although he had not seen the immortal, Lord Xiao had not seen him either. Thinking of it that way, he suddenly felt much better.

"What? Flew away on a crane? That big white crane that just flew out of the city?"

Vice Prefect Xiao slumped in his carriage, looking utterly despondent, feeling as though his whole being was unwell.

"Zhang Huaimin has done me in! Zhang Huaimin has done me in!"

Vice Prefect Xiao sat in the carriage, stamping his feet and beating his chest, overcome with regret.

If he had not helped Zhang Huaimin deal with the matter of the Prefect's niece, how could he have missed today's chance to behold the immortal's face?

Meanwhile,

outside the Canglang Gang's Main Headquarters.

Although Xiao Ya wore coarse hemp clothes covered in patches, although her skin was dark and her hair disheveled,

the people around her looked at her as though she were a god.

All because the Precious Pearl she held in her hands had been bestowed by the immortal.

Xiao Ya was very nervous. She had never seen such a grand occasion.

Among the people around her were high officials, powerful nobles, wealthy merchants, and members of prominent clans, all important figures she had never even had the chance to meet before.

Yet today,

they had all appeared before her eyes, and they were not looking down at her from on high as though she were an ant.

But she dared not panic,

because she now represented not only herself, but also the immortal's dignity.

Xiao Ya, struggling to appear calm, could hardly stand on her weakening legs. She did not know what to do now.

But just as she stood there at a loss, a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robes suddenly came over from the crowd.

His gaze was not excited and fervent like the others'; instead, there was an inexplicable calm and composure to it.

It was as though this was not the first time he had seen an immortal.

But hidden in those calm eyes was a trace of unwavering devotion and faith.

"I am Xue Wenqian. Greetings, Immortal Emissary."