Malevolent Energy Benefits, Visiting Duke Lu

Lin Jiang Department.

Chief Clerk Yang's expression was complicated, tinged with a hint of shock.

Last night, this Banner Bearer had single-handedly defended three hundred and sixty paces.

He had fully expected not to see the Banner Bearer today.

Either he was killed by the Demonic Evils last night, his corpse beyond recognition.

Or he had abandoned his post and fled.

The former needed no further explanation, while the latter would be a capital offense for desertion in the face of the enemy!

Therefore, he vaguely felt that if this Banner Bearer hadn't already been executed, he had likely escaped Gao Liu City by now, living as a fugitive, taking refuge in various Sanctuaries, with no hope of a future.

Perhaps if they met again in the future, he himself would be well-dressed and prosperous, while the once promising Fifth Master would be in rags, disheveled, starving, cold, miserable, and utterly wretched...

"You think too much."

Lin Yan looked at him deeply, his expression calm, and slowly said, "Last night, Demonic Evils broke into the city and attacked multiple locations. As the Chief Clerk of my Lin Jiang Department, you must lead people to take stock of the situation."

The Lin Jiang Department, as a branch of the Heavenly Supervision Department, possessed the power of oversight.

With multiple locations attacked, the southern district offices of the outer city had dispatched personnel to handle the aftermath.

Among them, there were inevitably those who would harbor greedy thoughts, pocketing funds, withholding supplies, or even taking lives for greater profit.

"Your subordinate understands, but..."

Chief Clerk Yang looked up, only to find the Banner Bearer had already disappeared.

Only his indifferent voice drifted back slowly.

"Do your job well. I will return to the Lin Jiang Department tonight to personally conduct the verification."

"Also, no matter who comes looking for me today, tell them to wait."

Name: Lin Yan.

Cultivation Method: Five Elements Inner Breath Art.

Realm: Essence Refining Realm (72/3650) +

Divine Ability 1: Devour Fiend Qi!

Divine Ability 2: Demon Suppressing!

Techniques:

Lightning Blade First Level (100/100)

Paper Cut into Horse (100/100)

Disguise Technique (67/100) +

Breath Concealment Technique (31/100) +

Malevolent Energy: 513

"Last night's gains far exceeded expectations!"

"Combined with what I used last night, the total gained in one night surpassed six hundred strands of Malevolent Energy!"

Lin Yan thought to himself, "The results of this one night are comparable to my two years of accumulation."

With this thought, he unhesitatingly added all the Malevolent Energy to his cultivation.

Essence Refining Realm (585/3650)

In an instant, he felt his physical body continuously strengthen.

His skin, flesh, tendons, bones, meridians, marrow, and internal organs all seemed to solidify simultaneously.

Blood Essence surged within him, like a rolling river, and his blood boiled in an instant.

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again, his eyes shining brightly, his gaze piercing.

"Yesterday, I had just entered the Essence Refining Realm, considered the very bottom of this stage."

"After today, among the Martial Artists in the Essence Refining Realm, I should be considered to have properly entered the stage!"

"The road ahead is still long, and there's a considerable distance to the peak of the Essence Refining Realm."

"Although I killed many Demonic Evils yesterday, the truly powerful ones were ultimately sent away by incense offerings."

"This world is filled with darkness, strangeness, and endless Demonic Evils. Even at the peak of the Essence Refining Realm, one might not be truly safe."

Lin Yan cautioned himself in his heart, dispelling the slight pride and complacency that arose from his cultivation breakthrough.

He scanned his surroundings, continued forward, found a suitable place, changed his attire, removed his disguise, and returned to his original appearance as Lin Yan.

He then went to the street where his second brother lived and took a look from a distance, confirming that his brother had not been affected by last night's events.

Relieved, he returned to his old house, took a bath, ate a meal, and then set off for the salt manor.

During this time, he noticed that the pattern on the "Abnormal Ovum" in his left palm seemed to be more active.

"First, we need to figure out what this abnormal ovum actually is!"

Lin Jiang Ward.

In the small courtyard.

Duke Lu closed the book with a calm expression and set it aside, sighing, "It's too noisy."

The middle-aged man in the courtyard, who had been raising his axe, froze.

He looked at the firewood in front of him, unsure whether to chop it or not.

"You're not reading anymore, you can continue with your work."

Duke Lu stood up, suddenly turned his head, and asked, "Moving from the inner city to the outer city, how do you feel about it?"

"It feels very off."

The middle-aged man silently put down his axe and said in a low voice, "Gao Liu City, being one of the top three major cities in Qifeng Prefecture, every part of it feels rough and strange."

Duke Lu calmly asked, "Are you referring to the divisions between the wards, or the Prefectural Governor's Mansion? Or perhaps the Heavenly Supervision Department?"

"All of them."

The middle-aged man replied.

"You should know that when Gao Liu City was first built, it was modeled after Qifeng Prefecture City."

Duke Lu stroked his beard slightly and said with a smile, "You came from Qifeng Prefecture City, so naturally, Gao Liu City appears imperfect in your eyes."

"But don't forget, the construction of Qifeng Prefecture City itself was also modeled after ancient ruins."

"Including the rules and regulations, various government offices, and official ranks, all were revised based on the records in the surviving ancient texts."

"Everything in the world today is being rebuilt from ruins and explored through confusion."

"Don't be bothered by its shortcomings; you should look at its progress in recent years."

"Look back at the chaos that occurred in Gao Liu's inner city back then; that was the flaw of its imperfection."

"Afterward, Qifeng Prefecture sent the Heavenly Supervision Department to be stationed there long-term to monitor the entire city. That was the method of improvement."

Speaking of this, Duke Lu said softly, "At least, based on what I've seen so far, I am quite satisfied. At least Gao Liu City has been improving all these years, which is better than before."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and was about to speak when he looked towards the courtyard gate and frowned.

"Are people like these who constantly come to visit, hoping to curry favor, also something you are satisfied with?"

"Human relationships and social interactions are themselves a trend of this era as order and civilization are gradually being restored. From this, we can see that Gao Liu City has been quite stable and prosperous in recent years."

"So?"

"Tell them to get lost! Don't bother me while I'm reading."

"Understood."

The middle-aged man clapped his rough palms and walked out, opening the courtyard gate.

Outside the courtyard, more than a dozen people had gathered, representing various families from the inner city.

"The Sun Family is hosting a banquet and wishes to invite Duke Lu. Here is the invitation..."

"My Liu Family has a calligraphy piece, an ancient artifact from a 'Sanctuary.' Please give it to Duke Lu for appraisal."

"The Bai Family recently acquired a strange horse, covered in scales all over its body, suspected to be a Flood Dragon Scale Horse. Please, Duke Lu, bestow a name upon it."

"The Zhou Family has obtained a rare flower, but they fear they cannot cultivate it. We trouble Duke Lu to tend to it. All expenses incurred will be borne by the Zhou Family."

"The Prefectural Governor's Mansion has cleared out three interconnected courtyards in the inner city to establish the Gao Liu Academy."

Then, someone from the Prefectural Governor's Mansion respectfully said, "It is now under Duke Lu's name. We hope Duke Lu will return to the academy to preside, teach, and nurture talent, thereby revitalizing Gao Liu."

"..."

The middle-aged man's expression was blank.

He seemed accustomed to this scene.

It had been like this since Duke Lu first returned to Gao Liu City.

Because he was tired of the constant bother, he had moved to Lin Jiang Ward in the outer city two days ago, and things had finally quieted down and become more peaceful.

However, last night, Demonic Evils crossed the city walls and broke into Lin Jiang Ward. Everyone believed Duke Lu had taken action to quell the chaos.

Furthermore, this morning, news arrived from Qifeng Prefecture City that Duke Lu's personal disciple had been nominated as one of the twelve Temple Priests of the Wutong Temple in Qifeng Prefecture!

The days of peace were over again.

Various forces in Gao Liu City were rushing to extend invitations.

This was not the first group.

Before dawn, a Temple Priest from the Temple of Lord Liu had personally come, using the pretense of seeking guidance to invite Duke Lu to the inner city, hinting that a visit to the temple would surely not disappoint him.

Today, there were three more merchant caravans from outside Gao Liu City, representing the powers behind them, who came to pay their respects, bringing actual gold and silver. All of them had been turned away.

"Duke Lu is unwell and cannot receive guests. Please return."

The middle-aged man slowly said, "As for gifts... Duke Lu, in his life, does not accept things from outsiders. As the saying goes, one should not accept rewards without merit. Please take your gifts back."

The crowd was about to speak again, and they all stepped forward.

The middle-aged man's expression turned cold. "Last night, Demonic Evils attacked the city, causing considerable damage. If you truly have good intentions, you should go and deal with the aftermath..."

As his voice fell, he turned with a dark expression, intending to close the courtyard gate.

But the next moment, his brow twitched, and he looked towards the end of the street.

Everyone followed his gaze and turned their heads.

They saw a young man with a complex expression, handsome features, simple clothing, and visible mending stitches.

He carried a cured meat on his left hand.

In his right hand, he held a cloth bag.

Someone nearby, standing on tiptoe, took a peek and saw it was a small bag of fine salt.

"You are..."

The middle-aged man frowned.

The young man, who had been about to turn back upon seeing the crowd, felt a bit helpless. "I came to visit Duke Lu, but since he's not receiving guests and doesn't accept gifts, I won't disturb him for now. I'll come back another time."

The people from various factions exchanged glances, finding the situation rather absurd.

No wonder Duke Lu had seemed so annoyed lately. It turned out that people from the outer city, any Tom, Dick, or Harry, would hear Duke Lu's name and presume to get close to him without knowing their place?

A cured meat and a bag of salt as gifts?

Did they think Duke Lu was a poor old man living in hardship on the street next door?

But just as the young man turned to leave, he heard Duke Lu's voice from within the courtyard.

"The tea is brewed. Won't you try this old man's skill?"