Luo Qingyi raised her brows slightly.
She had traveled far and wide over the years and entered more cities than she could count, but this was the first time she had seen a city like Qinghe Prefecture City, where one had to register just to enter.
What surprised her even more was the bearing of the two guard disciples.
Their gazes were neither servile nor overbearing, their stances steady and solid. The scabbards at their waists were plain, but the wrapping on their sword hilts had been polished bright from wear. One glance was enough to tell that they practiced with them often.
These were not the sort of idle disciples who stood around the city gates merely to pass their days.
"Tingyu Tower, True Disciple Luo Qingyi." She took a bronze token from her sleeve and handed it over. "I seek an audience with Kaoshan Sect's Mysterious Abyss Dao Child."
The disciple accepted the token and examined it. His expression turned solemn as he nodded. "Please wait."
He turned and quietly instructed the other disciple in a few words. The latter swiftly ran into the city.
At the same time, the red-robed young man spoke as well:
"Chiyan Valley, Yan Wushuang. By the order of Valley Master Daoist Fencang, I seek an audience with the Mysterious Abyss Dao Child."
The other disciple likewise inspected his token, then politely led the two inside the city gate to the guard station to sit and wait.
The guard station was not large: two blue-brick, tiled-roof rooms. Several long benches and a wooden table stood in the inner room, with a coarse pottery teapot and several inverted cups upon it.
A rough map of Qinghe Prefecture City hung on the wall, with the locations of granaries, markets, and barracks marked in cinnabar.
Luo