Lin Jiang Department.
Clerk Yang wore a complicated expression, with faint shock showing in his eyes.
Last night, this Banner Bearer had stood guard alone for three hundred and sixty paces.
He had thought there was little chance he would see this Banner Bearer today.
Either he had been killed by demons and monsters last night, leaving no intact corpse.
Or he had abandoned his post and fled.
The former went without saying, but if it was the latter, the crime of fleeing in the face of battle was enough to warrant execution!
So he vaguely felt that if this Banner Bearer had not already been beheaded, then he had most likely fled Gao Liu City by now, become a fugitive wandering the ends of the earth, and hidden himself in various Pure Lands, never to rise again.
Perhaps if they happened to meet someday, he would be dressed in finery, his face gleaming with prosperity, while Fifth Master, who had once possessed boundless prospects, would be clad in rags, with disheveled hair and a dirty face, unable to fill his belly, beset by hunger and cold, miserable and wretched, suffering beyond words...
"You're thinking too much."
Lin Yan gave him a deep look, his expression calm, and slowly said, "Demons and monsters broke into the city last night, and many places were attacked. As my clerk at Lin Jiang Department, you must lead people in taking stock of things."
Lin Jiang Department, as a branch of the Heavenly Supervision Department, possessed the authority to investigate and supervise.
Now that many places had been attacked, the Southern Prefecture Office of the Outer City had sent people to handle the aftermath.
Some of them would inevitably grow greedy, line their own pockets, embezzle funds and supplies, or even take lives in pursuit of greater profit.
"Your subordinate understands, but..."
Clerk Yang raised his head, only to discover that the Banner Bearer's figure had already vanished.
Only a cold voice drifted slowly back.
"Do your work properly. I'll return to Lin Jiang Department tonight and conduct the inspection myself."
"Also, whoever comes looking for me today, make them wait."
--
Name: Lin Yan. Cultivation Method: Five Elements Inner Breath Art. Cultivation: Essence Refining Realm (72/3650)+ Divine Ability 1: **Devour Baleful Intent!** Divine Ability 2: **Demon Suppression!** Techniques: Thunder Blade, First Layer (100/100) Paper Cut into Horse (100/100) Disguise Technique (67/100)+ Breath Concealment Technique (31/100)+ Killing Intent: 513
"Last night's gains were far beyond what I expected!"
"Adding in what I used last night, I gained more than six hundred strands of Killing Intent in a single night!"
Lin Yan thought to himself, "The results of this one night are comparable to my two years of accumulation."
With that thought, he did not hesitate and added all the Killing Intent to his cultivation.
Essence Refining Realm (585/3650)
In an instant, he felt his flesh and physique continuously growing stronger.
His skin, flesh, tendons, bones, meridians, bone marrow, and internal organs all seemed to solidify considerably at the same moment.
The qi and blood within his body surged like a mighty river. In the blink of an eye, his blood boiled with heat.
He slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. His eyes shone brightly, his gaze as fierce as a torch.
"Yesterday, when I had just entered the Essence Refining Realm, I was at the very bottom of this realm."
"After today, among martial artists in the Essence Refining Realm, I should be considered to have entered the hall and begun the practice!"
"The road ahead is still long. I still have a long way to go before reaching the peak of the Essence Refining Realm."
"Although I slew many demons and monsters yesterday, the truly powerful ones were ultimately sent away by incense offerings."
"In the darkness of this world, strangeness abounds and demons and monsters are endless. Even at the peak of the Essence Refining Realm, one might not truly be able to protect oneself."
Lin Yan warned himself thus in his heart, dispelling the trace of pride and complacency brought on by his breakthrough in cultivation.
He swept his gaze around, continued forward, found a suitable place, changed his attire, tore off his disguise, and turned back into Lin Yan.
He first went to the street where Second Brother was staying and looked over from afar, confirming that his elder brother had not been affected by last night's events.
After breathing a sigh of relief, he returned to his old house, took a bath, ate a meal, and then set off for the Salt Store.
During this time, he discovered that the "strange egg" pattern in his left palm seemed to have grown even more active.
"I need to figure out what this strange egg really is first!"
--
Lin Jiang Ward.
In the small courtyard.
Duke Lu wore a calm expression as he closed his book and set it aside, sighing, "Too noisy."
The middle-aged man in the courtyard, who had raised his ax, froze all over.
He stared at the firewood before him, unsure whether to chop it or not.
"I'm not reading anymore. Continue your work."
Duke Lu rose to his feet, then suddenly turned his head and asked, "What do you think of moving out of the Inner City and coming to the Outer City?"
"It feels very wrong."
The middle-aged man silently lowered his ax and said in a muffled voice, "Gao Liu City is at least one of the top three major cities in Qifeng Prefecture, yet every part of it seems rough-hewn. There's always a strange feeling."
Duke Lu said calmly, "Are you referring to the divisions of the various wards in the city? Or the Prefectural Governor's Mansion? Or perhaps the Heavenly Supervision Department?"
"All of them."
The middle-aged man nodded.
"You should know that when Gao Liu City was first built, it was modeled after Phoenix Perch Prefecture City."
Duke Lu stroked his beard slightly and said with a smile, "You came from Phoenix Perch Prefecture City, so naturally, the Gao Liu City you see seems imperfect everywhere."
"But don't forget that the construction of Phoenix Perch Prefecture City itself also imitated the ruins of an ancient city."
"That includes the rules and systems, the various prefectural offices, and official ranks and positions. All of them were revised anew along the records preserved in ancient texts."
"In the present world, everything is being rebuilt amid the ruins and explored through confusion."
"Don't only look down on this place's shortcomings. You should also look at its progress in recent years."
"Take the Inner City of Gao Liu back then. Chaos arose there because of the flaws that came from its former lack of refinement."
"Afterward, Qifeng Prefecture sent the Heavenly Supervision Department here to station there long-term and oversee the entire city. That was the method of improvement."
At this point, Duke Lu said quietly, "At least, judging from what I've seen so far, I'm quite satisfied. At the very least, Gao Liu City has been improving all these years, and it's better than before."
The middle-aged man nodded slightly and was about to speak when he turned his head toward the courtyard gate and frowned.
"Are you also satisfied with these people who keep coming to visit, vainly hoping to curry favor with you?"
"What people call human relationships and worldly ways are themselves signs of this era gradually restoring order and civilization. From them, one can see that Gao Liu City has been quite stable and increasingly prosperous in recent years."
"So?"
"Make them leave! Don't disturb my reading."
"Understood."
The middle-aged man patted his rough palms and walked outside, opening the courtyard gate.
More than a dozen people had gathered outside, each from a different family in the Inner City.
"The Sun family is holding a banquet and wishes to invite Duke Lu to attend. This is the invitation..."
"My Liu family has a calligraphy copy, an ancient artifact preserved in a 'Pure Land.' Please deliver it to Duke Lu for his appraisal."
"The Bai family recently captured a strange horse covered entirely in scales. It may be a Flood Dragon Scale Horse. We ask Duke Lu to bestow a name upon it."
"The Zhou family obtained a wondrous flower but fears it may not survive. We trouble Duke Lu to cultivate it. The Zhou family will cover all expenses during that time."
"The Prefectural Governor's Mansion has cleared out three residences in the Inner City and connected them together to serve as Gao Liu Academy."
Then someone from the Prefectural Governor's Mansion respectfully added, "It has now been placed under Duke Lu's name. We hope Duke Lu will return to the academy to preside over it, teach and nurture talent, and strengthen our Gao Liu."
"..."
The middle-aged man's face remained expressionless.
He seemed to have grown accustomed to the scene before him.
It had been like this from the moment Duke Lu returned to Gao Liu City.
Because he could not stand the disturbance, he had moved to Lin Jiang Ward in the Outer City two days ago. Things had quieted down considerably, and he had gained some peace.
But last night, the demons and monsters crossed the city wall and broke into Lin Jiang Ward. Every faction believed that Duke Lu had taken action and pacified the chaos.
On top of that, news had arrived from Phoenix Perch Prefecture City early that morning: Duke Lu's direct disciple had been recommended as one of the twelve shrine priests of Wutong Temple in Qifeng Prefecture!
The days of peace had ended once more.
The various forces in Gao Liu City vied to send invitations.
This was far from the first group.
Before dawn, a shrine priest from the Temple of Lord Liu had personally come, using the excuse of seeking instruction to invite Duke Lu into the Inner City, implying that Duke Lu would certainly not be disappointed if he went to the temple.
Today, three more caravans from outside Gao Liu City had come to pay a visit on behalf of the forces behind them. They had brought actual gold and silver, but he had sent them all away.
"Duke Lu is unwell and cannot receive guests. All of you should return."
The middle-aged man slowly continued, "As for the gifts... Duke Lu has never accepted things from outsiders. As the saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit. Take them back with you."
The crowd still wanted to speak and began stepping forward.
The middle-aged man's expression turned slightly cold. "The demons and monsters attacked the city last night, causing considerable damage. If you truly have the intention, you should go handle the aftermath in the various places..."
As his voice fell, he darkened his face and prepared to shut the courtyard gate directly.
But in the next moment, his brows rose, and he looked toward the end of the street.
Everyone followed his gaze and turned their heads.
There stood a young man with a complicated expression, delicate features, plain clothing, and visible needlework repairs.
He held a strip of cured meat in his left hand.
In his right hand, he carried a cloth bag.
Someone nearby rose onto his toes to take a look and discovered that it held a small bag of Refined Salt.
"You are..."
The middle-aged man frowned.
The young man, who had originally intended to turn around and leave upon seeing so many people, said helplessly, "I came to visit Duke Lu. But since he isn't receiving guests or accepting gifts, I won't disturb him for now. I'll come again another day."
The people from the various forces looked at one another, finding the situation utterly absurd.
No wonder Duke Lu had seemed so irritated lately. So it was because in this Outer City, every Tom, Dick, and Harry who had heard of Duke Lu's name had lost all sense of rank and propriety and vainly hoped to curry favor with him?
A strip of cured meat and a bag of salt as gifts for a visit?
Did he think Duke Lu was some impoverished old man living across the street from his house and struggling to get by?
But just as the young man turned to leave, Duke Lu's voice came from inside the courtyard.
"The tea is ready. Won't you taste my handiwork?"
Before you continue