Envoy

Below Tiger Roar Cliff.

In what was originally Lord Huangshan's lair.

Li Zhufang trembled with fear.

"Um... my benefactor, you want me to be the mountain... the mountain god?" Li Zhufang trembled, her whole body shaking, and she could barely stand.

She never imagined that bringing her benefactor to see Lord Huangshan would result in... Lord Huangshan's death.

This fearsome tiger, renowned for miles around, died quietly.

To Li Zhufang, Lord Huangshan was an unshakeable god, but now the god's head was placed in front of her.

"Who said you were going to become a mountain god? Even if I did, I wouldn't have the ability. You'd need to be at least Ninth Rank of the Spirit Way." Li Qi smiled. "Don't worry, I just want you to have these golden body fragments. They'll make your future cultivation easier."

Li Qi said, "You can take these things as payment. You can use them directly on the path of divinity, or you can break them down and exchange them for other resources on other Dao Path. However, you have to promise me one thing."

Upon hearing this, the young girl immediately knelt down again. "Please speak, my benefactor. I do not need these rewards, but if you give me any instructions, I will do my utmost! I will not slacken in the slightest."

"You get what you pay for, that's the right way. No need to say more, just accept it." Li Qi handed the golden statue fragment to the simple-minded girl, then pointed to the tiger head of Lord Huangshan and said to her:

"The remnant soul of Lord Huangshan is suppressed within this head. With this present, he is not truly dead. Keep it here and guard it day and night to create the illusion that he is still alive. It won't take long, just a month. Then destroy this object and let him return to the cycle of reincarnation."

Suppressing a remnant soul is a method that prevents one from ever being reincarnated. Li Qi would not use this method unless it was absolutely necessary, but he had no choice now, so he found a supervisor. A month later, once the dust settles, he can release the soul back into the cycle of reincarnation.

"Then, this is the core of this array plate. I destroyed the part that was extracting your essence, but the Mountain and Water Array itself is still there. I have no ability to stop it, nor is there any need for me to stop it. After all, this thing is used to resist demons. If it is destroyed, more people will die or be injured."

"So you must guard it carefully and not let any outsiders have access, do you understand?"

After giving these instructions, Li Qi looked at Li Zhufang, waiting for her reply.

Li Zhufang quickly kowtowed. "Zhufang will definitely do her best and will never dare to slack off in the slightest!"

Li Qi sighed and said, "I have no one I can trust here, so I can only entrust this to you. I have important matters to attend to and will leave for now. You will stay at Tiger Roar Cliff. I have already set up a restriction using the pile of bones outside, disguising Lord Huangshan's method. As long as you don't make a fuss, a month should pass quickly. By the way, if Qingyue appears later, remember to go and pay her a visit immediately. You will be rewarded."

After explaining some more details, Li Qi turned and left, then climbed up the rock, leaving Li Zhufang behind.

This butterfly was just a fleeting encounter for him, and after this parting, he probably would never see it again.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Along the way, there were so many people and things to say goodbye to that Li Qi had long since gotten used to it.

The road ahead is long, Dao Path, few people and things can accompany you all the way.

With that thought in mind, Li Qi returned to Old Ma's side.

At this moment, a Chen had just ended, and Old Ma had rested enough.

So, the man and his horse set off again.

As the sun began to set, Li Qi finally made it back to the White Rhinoceros Army.

This journey of more than twenty Chen has finally come to an end.

The White Rhinoceros Army also led the people for a distance, but not far, only about two days, covering about a hundred miles. They could easily find them by searching in the sky.

Not to mention that Old Ma has the ability to track people and can find Shen Shuibi's location.

After all, the Old Ma is not just a story; horses themselves have the ability to identify roads.

They returned safely, but as soon as Li Qi arrived, he sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.

The soldiers of the White Rhinoceros Army were tense, while the people were overjoyed, with smiles on everyone's faces.

He landed on his Old Ma, and immediately some soldiers from the White Rhinoceros Army came to greet him.

"Mr. Li, you're back? Is this the messenger you brought?" a soldier asked, stepping forward.

"An envoy? What envoy?" Li Qi frowned.

The officer who approached said, "A Chen ago, an envoy from Guangyang City arrived with Lord Situ's plaque, saying he wanted to see our current commander and general. He's been inside the tent for a Chen now, but there's still no news. Mr. Li, why don't you go in and take a look?"

"A Chen has passed? Okay, I'll go check now. Oh, right, here's the grain, you take it... wait, never mind, don't take it, I'll come later." Li Qi was originally going to hand over the grain, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.

People from Guangyang City have arrived; it's not a good idea to bring out grain now.

If the people believe that the grain was brought by Guangyang City, then conflict may break out.

Li Qi pondered these things, told Old Ma to go and rest, and then quickly walked towards the tent in the distance, which was the temporary command post.

As Li Qi walked along, he could sense that the people seemed very happy. He heard many voices expressing their relief that government officials had finally arrived, and that they probably wouldn't have to worry anymore.

The more he listened, the more uneasy he felt.

The government officials weren't planning to save people; instead, they were preparing Blood Sacrifice.

Li Qi knew perfectly well that the envoy's intentions were not simple.

But the question is, what does it mean that the people trust the government's messengers so much?

This shows that the government is trustworthy in normal times and that the people are willing to believe in it.

What exactly happened that led them to choose to Blood Sacrifice these civilians?

However, Li Qi was not entirely convinced of this, because, although there was a lot of circumstantial evidence proving that the government did not care about these soldiers and civilians, the Blood Sacrifice incident was still a significant event.

However, Li Qi had only heard Wang Baiyan mention the Blood Sacrifice theory. In Li Qi's own understanding, this was entirely Wang Baiyan's opinion, without any other conclusive evidence, only some circumstantial evidence.

Therefore, in reality, Li Qi didn't trust either Wang Baiyan or the Guangyang government.

He has his own plans.

But those things are not something to Human Path.

As Li Qi approached the tent, he saw a rabbit basking in the sun, seemingly dozing off, before he even saw the envoy.

It wasn't Miss Shen, but a rabbit.

And this rabbit is even wearing clothes.

A perfectly fine rabbit dressed in miniature clothing, like the kind of four-legged dresses for dogs, with even some flowers embroidered on it—I wonder who did it.

This gray and white rabbit, with its ears drooping like eye masks covering its eyes, was lying on a rock sunbathing its bottom. It was very conspicuous, yet seemed quite normal; in any case, no one noticed it.

As if nothing concerned her, Shen Shuibi simply lay there and took a nap.

However, all of this had nothing to do with her, and in fact, she was in this state at Li Qi's behest.

Li Qi had previously sent back a message through the mountain and water communication system, one of which was a request for Shen Shuibi to revert to her original form and then conceal her aura.

What Li Qi didn't expect was that after reverting to her original form, she was also wearing clothes...

In her eyes, rabbit fur is probably just like skin—it's considered not wearing clothes.

It seems that when he petted her hair last time, she thought it was the same as touching his butt.

That really had serious consequences; you narrowly escaped death...

If someone you don't know well does this, she'll probably take advantage of you.

It crunched and gnawed into pieces.

They might also just reach out and slap him to death.

Be more careful next time.

Without disturbing Shen Shuibi, Li Qi stepped forward and lifted the tent flap.

Inside the tent, the Deputy General in charge of the White Rhinoceros Army and Zhang Lan were present.

These two were present, but next to them was an elderly man whom Li Qi did not recognize.

The old man was vigorous and muscular. Although he had white eyebrows, a white beard, and white hair, his muscles were bulging and he was stronger than the soldiers outside. He looked terrifying at first glance.

Although he had white hair and a youthful face, and wore the loose robes of an old man, the robes that were usually loose on most people looked bulging on him, as if they were stretched out.

As soon as Li Qi entered, all three people in the tent looked at him.

The burly old man flew into a rage, glaring at Li Qi, and said rudely, "Who is this?! We are here to discuss matters with our superiors, how dare you barge in without first paying your respects?! Go down and receive a hundred lashes!"

Li Qi was still confused when the Deputy General of the White Rhinoceros Army quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Excellency, please don't be offended! This man is not a subordinate of the White Rhinoceros Army, but a righteous man who came to our aid. He is the Li Qi we mentioned earlier."

Li Qi frowned. "I wonder why the envoy is so irritable. Is it because his Yang Energy is too strong?"

"You are Li Qi?" The burly old man stood up.

"Indeed, may I ask the name of the messenger? How come we missed each other on the way? I just came from Guangyang City myself." Li Qi said with a gentle smile.

However, no matter how you look at it, his smile seems forced and insincere.

Zhang Lan didn't say anything, but silently got up and touched the sword box.

He figured it out.

This envoy and Li Qi must have some kind of grudge.

However, they did not know each other. It was obvious that the envoy did not know Li Qi, but he knew the name Li Qi, which meant that Li Qi had done something in Guangyang City that made this government envoy aware of it.

What Li Qi did must have greatly displeased the government, otherwise the atmosphere wouldn't be so tense.

In Zhang Lan's view, Li Qi was clearly not the kind of bad person who would cause trouble, nor would he do anything immoral.

So why did the government treat him this way?

The various reasons are probably worth pondering.

Therefore, Zhang Lan remained silent and watched how things would develop.

"My name is Zhang Dailu, the ancestor of the Guangyang Zhang Family. You should have heard of me," the burly old man said proudly to Li Qi, raising his head.

Li Qi had never heard of the name Zhang Dailu.

But he knew about the Guangyang Zhang Family.

"I have long admired your name, but I wonder why you have come here?" Li Qi asked, cupping his hands in greeting.

The Deputy General of the White Rhinoceros Army looked around and could tell that the two seemed to have a conflict.

However, it is taboo to mediate without knowing the reason for the matter, so he did not speak, but listened to their conversation from the side, interjecting whenever he felt like it, so as not to escalate the conflict with his words.

This is the safest approach.

Zhang Dailu twitched his chest muscles, raised his chin, and looked at Li Qi: "Don't you know why I came? You're the one who openly defied orders on behalf of the White Rhinoceros Army, aren't you? You don't know what you did after arriving in Guangyang City? You disguised yourself as a military intelligence officer, swindled military rations, and defied orders on behalf of the White Rhinoceros Army. You've only been in Guangyang City for a day, and you've already accomplished so much. You're quite something."

After speaking, he looked at the Deputy General and raised his voice. "The White Rhinoceros Army is temporarily under your command! Upon seeing this notice, if there is an order from the Minister of Works, immediately capture this traitor and execute him on the spot! Then come with me back to Guangyang City!"

Upon hearing this, not only Zhang Lan and his Deputy General were surprised, but even Li Qi was taken aback.

Li Qi thought the other party was going to say something, but he didn't expect them to start attacking him right away!?

They haven't even introduced themselves yet!

The Deputy General was stunned and rushed forward, saying, "Your Excellency, there must be some misunderstanding! Mr. Li saved our entire army and has always been kind to us—"

But before the Deputy General could finish speaking, Zhang Dailu raised his hand, displaying a gold medal, and shouted sternly, "Temporary acting commander, are you going to disobey orders!"

"This humble general dares not! But there must be something fishy about this. Mr. Li is definitely not the kind of person who would do such a thing. Your Excellency, please do not rush to punish him. Do not act impulsively and harm a loyal and virtuous person!" The Deputy General knelt on one knee, but refused to accept the order.

The entire White Rhinoceros Army witnessed Li Qi and Zhang Lan stepping in to help at the most critical moment, holding off two eighth-rank officials and saving 100,000 soldiers and civilians.

Moreover, Li Qi even held a special ceremony to deliver the souls of his brothers from the dead, drive away the evil spirits of those demons, and perform rituals to expel the illness of 100,000 people, all without seeking anything in return. He truly did all sorts of good deeds.

How could such a righteous person do such things?

There must be something fishy about this.

Seeing that the Deputy General of the White Rhinoceros Army had actually disobeyed orders, Zhang Dailu's eyes twitched, and he was about to say something.

However, Li Qi interrupted at this moment.

"Really? What I heard seems to Great One from what the envoy said."

Li Qi took a step back before speaking, "I went to Guangyang City, but all I saw were countless refugees, yet no one cared about them."

"We only saw that the granaries of wealthy families like the Guangyang Zhang Family were full of grain, but the military granaries were empty."

"All we saw was that none of the armies received support, and they were almost wiped out by the demons."

"All I see are you despicable scoundrels! When the demons attacked, you didn't even think about resisting; you only wanted to retreat to the rear, build a mountain and water formation, and try to Blood Sacrifice the people to bring peace!"

"Now they want to use the same rhetoric to fool real men of courage and force them to do something ungrateful."

"Is this how you officials of Guangyang behave? Where is your dignity?!" Li Qi shouted loudly!

Zhang Dailu was furious. "Shut up!"

Li Qi ignored him, turned to Zhang Lan, and asked frankly, "Brother Zhang, do you dare to kill an official?"

Zhang Lan laughed loudly, "Hahaha! What's there to be afraid of?!"