"You spoke well. I hope you can maintain this understanding and not be beguiled or recruited by the demonic sect."
Eunuch Deng's lips curled upward, the wrinkles on his dry skin like the surface of dead wood. His eyes seemed both satisfied and relieved as he gave Xiang Yang a slight nod. Then he suddenly turned into a shifting shadow, crossing a hundred zhang in a single leap, like fleeting light skimming over shadows.
Xiang Yang smiled faintly as well. He understood that the other man merely wanted to test his stance. If his answer had been unsatisfactory, the invitation might have ended there, and there would have been no need for him to go to Hongtu Tower.
Xiang Yang did not dwell on it. He employed his lightness skill, swift as wind and lightning, following close behind Eunuch Deng without falling a single step behind as they hurried toward Hongtu Tower...
The foot of First Line of Heaven had once been utterly barren. As far as the eye could see, there had been nothing atop the hard, dry earth but yellowed withered grass and scattered rocks, cold and desolate like an abandoned wasteland.
Later, the headquarters of the Divine Constable Gate was established here, becoming the sacred ground of constables throughout the Nineteen Provinces. People came and went through the vast mountains from dawn to dusk without rest, bringing vibrant life to the mountain and its foothills.
Shrewd merchants raised shop after shop and pavilion after pavilion from the ground, conducting business among them. Over time, it gradually formed a small marketplace town, flourishing and prosperous, becoming a splendid sight beyond the imperial capital that made people reluctant to leave.
This small town had a permanent population of more than twenty-three thousand. Everything needed for daily life was available,