Great Xia

Yun Long took his seat of honor and raised a hand in invitation. "Commander Ning, Young Master Ning, please sit."

"You are too courteous, Yun Family Head." Ning Yongrui clasped his hands, wearing a polite smile. "I have long heard of your great reputation. Seeing you today, you truly are a young talent of outstanding bearing."

Yun Long lifted his teacup and took a light sip, his gaze settling on Ning Yongrui with a trace of probing intent.

He considered himself discreet in all his dealings and had never displayed his true cultivation or strength before others.

Ning Yongrui was Wanfang Lake's commander and a cultivator himself. His sudden visit today, with his son in tow, was certainly no simple courtesy call.

"Commander Ning, I fear you have not come today merely to praise Yun a time or two, have you?" Yun Long set down his teacup. His voice remained calm, yet he directly pierced through the other man's pleasantries. "Yun does not believe he shares any deep friendship with Commander Ning. May I ask what brings you to my door today?"

An inscrutable curve rose at Ning Yongrui's lips, but he did not directly answer Yun Long's question.

He reached into his robes and calmly withdrew an exquisitely crafted envelope. With a flick of his finger, he sent it gliding onto the tea table before Yun Long.

"Yun Family Head, why not look at this first?"

Dark golden cloud patterns had been stamped along the envelope's edges. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, yet it carried an inexplicable chill.

Yun Long's eyes narrowed slightly as he picked up the envelope.

His fingers tore open the seal and drew out a thin sheet of paper.

The instant he unfolded it, several lines of ink came into view. Every word was like a red-hot branding iron, ruthlessly searing his heart.

"Fellow Daoist, has the Qingxuan Gengjin Qi been useful? You owe me, Long Feiyu, a favor."

Only two short lines, yet they exploded in Yun Long's mind like thunder!

The fingers clutching the letter suddenly tightened, his knuckles faintly whitening from the force.

Qingxuan Gengjin Qi!

Long Feiyu!

Those two names were like twin blades, instantly piercing through all his disguises and lingering hopes.

All this way, he had believed his actions hidden beyond detection. Who would have thought he had long since fallen under another's gaze?

He did not even know who this "Long Feiyu" was, yet the other party clearly knew his greatest secret like the back of his hand.

A chill shot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and Yun Long felt his breathing seize.

He forcibly suppressed the tempestuous waves in his heart, then slowly raised his eyes toward Ning Yongrui.

The other man still wore that polite smile, yet his gaze was as deep as an ancient well, as though it could see through everything.

This was not the posture of someone here to hold him accountable.

If they truly meant to pursue the matter, the one who had come would likely not have been Ning Yongrui, but the dynasty's law-enforcement cultivators.

Thoughts raced through Yun Long's mind as he tried to sort through this sudden upheaval.

Before he could speak, Ning Yongrui reached out again and took out two dossier-like documents, placing them side by side beside the letter.

"Yun Family Head, take a look at these as well."

Ning Yongrui's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an air that brooked no objection.

Yun Long drew a deep breath, suppressing his churning blood and qi, then reached for the document on the left.

Upon opening it, he found densely packed records of the property he had "borrowed" along the way after entering the Great Xia Dynasty's territory.

Gold and silver, jewels, land deeds... every transaction had been recorded. Though the amounts differed slightly, they were generally accurate.

What alarmed him most was that there was not a single word of conviction at the end of the document, only an objective account.

This was more like a silent warning, a display of strength.

Yun Long put down the document, feeling a chill seep into his fingertips.

He picked up the one on the right.

This document was even stranger.

Written prominently across its first page were the four words: "Yun Clan Household Registration."

Beneath them were the names of the Yun Clan's group: Yun Long, Yun Hu, Yun He, Yun Ji, Li Lingyue, Shi Tie, Shi Chen...

After every name was an approximate cultivation realm. Some were accurate, while others were vague.

For instance, behind Yun Long's name was written: "Mid Qi Refining Stage (suspected)."

More importantly, the portion concerning their origins was completely blank.

It was as if they had simply appeared out of nowhere at Wanfang Lake.

Yun Long understood at once.

This was an official proof of identity granted by the Great Xia Dynasty.

And those blank spaces clearly required him to fill them in himself.

This was both recognition and an invisible form of control.

Only now did Yun Long truly realize what a terrifying existence the Great Xia Dynasty was.

The Yun Clan had gone to great lengths and traveled in circles to reach this place, believing they had done so without gods or ghosts knowing.

Yet in the end, beneath the dynasty's enormous palm, they were no more than an ant with a little value, worth casually taking in.

He was no longer that muddleheaded youth from years ago, one who charged headlong into trouble like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

He raised his eyes, his gaze returning to Ning Yongrui's face, which carried an unfathomable smile.

Since the other man had not come to question him, then today's actions must have another purpose.

This Ning Yongrui was merely borrowing the Great Xia Dynasty's tiger skin to bolster his own prestige.

He surely had other matters to discuss, matters he would only mention after confirming that the Yun Clan would take root and develop here.

Sure enough, as Yun Long remained silent, Ning Yongrui began speaking on his own.

"Yun Family Head, the court has already smoothed over those 'borrowings' of yours along the way."

Ning Yongrui's tone was casual, as though he were discussing something utterly trivial.

"Consider it a small convenience available only to Qi Refining Stage cultivators."

He lifted his teacup and gently blew away the floating foam.

"In all of Wanfang Lake, aside from my Ning Family, none of the other Cultivation Families know Yun Family Head's true background."

"Nor will anyone know that you, Yun Family Head, are a Qi Refining Stage cultivator."

Ning Yongrui set down his teacup.

He had learned of the Yun Clan's arrival not long after they came three years ago, and he had quietly sealed off all news concerning them.

According to the rules, once it had been confirmed two years ago that the Yun Clan would develop here, they could have been registered. Yet he had been secretly observing whether the Yun Clan was worth cooperating with.

Long Feiyu's letter was merely an inconsequential pretext for his visit to the Yun Clan.

Yun Long listened quietly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping against the tabletop.

From the moment Ning Yongrui had produced that letter, the initiative in their conversation had been firmly held in the other man's hands.

Naturally, he could have flicked his sleeve and left, disregarding every word Ning Yongrui said.

But the consequence would be that the Yun Clan could no longer live as peacefully as they had over the past three years.

What the Yun Clan lacked most now was time for steady development.

This tender sapling of the Yun Clan was still far from the time to spread its branches and leaves, let alone grow into a towering tree capable of sheltering one region.

Ning Yongrui truly had a fine scheme, treating the Yun Clan as one of his backup plans.

By sealing off news of the Yun Clan and making them his hidden aid, he would gain an extra layer of security when stirring up the winds and clouds of Wanfang Lake in pursuit of profit.

The Yun Clan had only recently arrived and knew little of this place. Under such circumstances, cooperating with the Ning Family, which had the government at its back, was a good choice.

After all, the Yun Clan still had to survive within the Great Xia Dynasty.