"Duty was duty, and personal ties were personal ties."
Feng Wuyai lightly waved a hand, cutting off what Wei Qing was about to say.
"Brother Feng is absolutely right." Liu Xinghe nodded in agreement, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Brother Wei, don't stand on ceremony."
Crack!
The jade-green folding fan in Liu Yulong's hand suddenly snapped. He stared wide-eyed at his father, the corners of his mouth twitching violently.
Dad, what are you doing?
I call him Brother Wei, while you call him little brother?
This hierarchy is such a mess, you could get lost in it like a maze!
"Cough, cough..."
Nangong Ruyan covered her upturned lips with her sleeve, her shoulders trembling slightly.
The other disciples lowered their heads as well, holding back their laughter. A few even pinched their own thighs.
Who would have thought that the elders of the various sects would rush to imitate them?
"Brother Liu is right!" Xuan Yue Li suddenly chimed in. "Brother Wei, stop being so polite!"
"Exactly! Brother Wei deserves this show of goodwill!" Zhao Santong also joined in on the fun.
The expressions of the disciples present changed in unison. A moment ago, they had been enjoying Liu Yulong's embarrassment; in the blink of an eye, they had all dropped down a generation.
"Hahaha!" Liu Yulong finally could not hold it in and burst out laughing, pointing his broken folding fan at everyone. "Gentlemen, how does it feel?"
He secretly felt a surge of satisfaction. Serves you lot right for laughing at me. Feeling good now?
Seeing this, Wei Qing could only clasp his hands and smile wryly. "I am unworthy of everyone's kindness, but I shall gratefully accept it."
Liu Xinghe shot the others a fierce glare, thinking, Shameless bastards. They stole my idea.
The others all pretended not to notice.
Feng Wuyai promptly changed the subject. "We cannot delay any longer over the Blood Robe Gate. If they escape, tracking them down later will surely be twice as hard."
"Indeed." Liu Xinghe nodded solemnly, then turned to Liu Yulong. "You will return to Qingcheng first with Brother Wei."
"Once we have wiped out the Blood Robe Gate, we will go to Qingcheng to find you."
"Ruyan, you should go as well."
"Yuanming, take your junior sister and wait for your master in Qingcheng."
"Yes."
Everyone understood at once and answered in unison—this was clearly meant to let them take the opportunity to grow closer to this prodigy of the Heavenly Realm Division.
Before long, the group split into two.
The heads and elders of the various sects transformed into streaks of light and sped toward the Blood Robe Gate.
Meanwhile, Qin Shuang and the other young disciples followed Wei Qing, galloping toward Qingcheng.
The sun was setting.
A carriage slowly came to a halt a hundred meters outside Qingcheng's gates.
"My lord, Qingcheng lies ahead."
Guiding the carriage, the driver looked at the city ahead and spoke softly toward the curtain behind him.
As soon as he finished speaking,
the curtain was lifted, and a refined-looking man leaned out to gaze at the distant city.
"We have finally arrived. Let us go straight to the yamen."
The curtain fell. Du Ziteng sat back inside the carriage, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the bloodstains on his sleeve.
Bandits had run rampant all along the way. Had the driver and his personal guards not protected him with their lives, he would have long since died in the wilderness.
Of the twelve personal guards, only two remained.
He was also deeply uneasy about the place where he was about to take office.
After all, Qingcheng had only recently suffered demon chaos.
"Hmph. Given the chance, I will definitely slaughter every last one of those bandits."
For now, his foremost task was to assume the post of Qingcheng's Magistrate, soothe the people, and stabilize order in Qingcheng.
At present, he could only suppress his hatred.
"Hyah!"
The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage rolled over the bluestone streets, slowly passing through the city gates.
"Steamed buns! Wu-style steamed buns! Fragrant and delicious! Three coppers—no losses, no tricks!"
"Candied haws! Sweet and sour candied haws!"
"Freshly roasted duck! Taste before you buy! If it isn't good, you don't pay!"
"Tofu..."
"I heard treasures have appeared over at the Black Mist Wasteland. Lots of martial artists have gone there."
"Who told you that?"
"My third granduncle's son's eldest cousin's wife's younger brother works at the yamen. Too bad ordinary folk like us can only listen to it for amusement."
"True enough. Come on, let's have a few drinks at Xingyun Tower. Maybe we'll run into Lord Wei by chance."
"Hehe, let's go!"
Du Ziteng lightly lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze sweeping across the streets and alleys—vendors hawked their wares, pedestrians came and went, and there was not the slightest trace of panic on the people's faces after the demon disaster. Instead, the city was peaceful and harmonious.
It was completely different from the desolate scenes he had witnessed along the way.
"Strange..." he murmured.
"My lord, is something wrong?" a personal guard asked in a low voice.
Du Ziteng frowned slightly. "According to my teacher's information, Qingcheng was badly affected by this demon chaos. On top of that, the families of local officials and the Lineages colluded with demons."
"But why does Qingcheng now look as though no demon chaos ever happened?"
The driver said softly, "Once we reach the yamen, we can ask the County Magistrate. He will surely know."
"Mm, let us go."
Du Ziteng lowered the curtain, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the official seal tucked within his sleeve.
The carriage continued slowly onward. The townsfolk along the road stopped one after another to watch, whispering among themselves as they curiously observed it.
"Where did this grand official come from?"
"Who knows?"
"I heard the guards say he seems to be heading for the yamen."
Some townsfolk could not help whispering among themselves.
In a place like Qingcheng, anyone who could afford a carriage was either an official, a member of a great family, or a wealthy merchant.
For ordinary people, let alone riding in one, they would be satisfied just to touch it.
As they discussed it, the carriage had already stopped before the yamen.
The driver lifted the curtain. "My lord, we have arrived at the yamen."
"Mm."
Du Ziteng straightened his robes and stepped down from the carriage. Looking up at the yamen's plaque, his expression remained calm.
The yamen runner on duty saw the newcomers and stepped forward. "May I ask what business you have at the yamen?"
One of Du Ziteng's personal guards stepped forward. "The new Magistrate, Lord Du, has arrived to take office!"
"The... the Magistrate?" The yamen runner froze at first, then hurriedly bowed. "This subordinate greets you, my lord! Please come in at once!"
As he spoke,
another yamen runner had already sprinted inside, shouting all the way, "Lord County Magistrate! The new Magistrate has arrived!"
Xingyun Tower.
That night, it had been reserved entirely by the disciples of the various factions and sects.
After the battle in the Black Mist Wasteland, they could be considered comrades who had faced life and death together.
"Come, Brother Wei. Let me toast you. If I ever go to the Imperial City in the future, I will have to rely on you to watch over me."
Liu Yulong was the first to raise his cup in a toast.
He had previously looked down on Wei Qing, but the life-and-death trials in the Black Mist Wasteland had utterly crushed that contempt—
when he witnessed Wei Qing slay a Sixth-rank Demon with a single sword strike, he finally understood what it meant to be worlds apart, like clouds and mud.
Being able to befriend Wei Qing was instead him reaching above his station.
Wei Qing raised his cup with a light smile. "Brother Liu, you flatter me. Whenever you come to the Imperial City, I will certainly host you properly."
His impression of Liu Yulong was not too bad, though Liu Yulong was somewhat arrogant.
But if a prodigy lacked even a bit of pride, he would instead lose the backbone of a true cultivator.
The two clinked cups and tipped back their heads, draining them in one gulp.
"Brother Wei, this cup is for you!" Qin Shuang rose to his feet, his eyes and brows filled with sincerity. "Had you not stepped in to save us, how could we have received such fortune?"
Nangong Ruyan echoed, "Ruyan will drink to you as well."
"And me!"
"Count me in!"
The other sect prodigies all raised their cups.
Before you continue