♂,
It took another two days to travel from the defensive perimeter to the prefectural capital. Along the way, more than a dozen Ninth-Tribulation Immortals came to receive us. If I added up those coming from all directions, there had to be at least forty or fifty of them. Otherwise, I would have found it impossible. And for Xia Ruize and Ren Zhi to display their strength so openly, they were very likely planning not to let me leave this place unscathed!
Although I had not ascended the throne as emperor, these cultivators had apparently agreed beforehand to address me as Emperor Xia. They were not particularly reverent, however. In the end, the little respect they showed came only from the gap in cultivation and seniority.
After entering the prefectural capital, I proceeded into the Northern Prefecture surrounded by countless cultivators and was seated in the place of honor. Xia Ruize summoned the civil and military officials, who went through the motions of reporting the various commercial, agricultural, and military achievements of Black Dragon Commandery. He then took me through the streets and alleys to see the prosperity of their Northern Commandery Prefecture and the like.
I went through the whole routine, and by the time it was over, night had fallen. Only then did Xia Ruize invite me to his own residence to attend a family banquet.
Before we even reached the gate, Mother was already standing there, holding an adorable girl of a little over a year old and waiting for me. The instant I saw her, my eyes reddened despite myself.
After ascending to the Upper Realm, she had not grown any older, but after not seeing me for so long, her clothes were already soaked with tears when she saw me. If the two maids beside