Fufeng City.
The city gates were lofty and imposing, ancient and vast.
Once inside the gates, the buildings stood row upon row, the streets bustled, and pedestrians came in an endless stream.
At a glance, silk shops, paper shops, bookstores, butcher shops, medicine shops, jewelry stores, martial arts schools, restaurants... all had their main doors thrown wide to welcome customers. The scene was lively and prosperous, carrying a distinct aura of the mortal world.
In particular, the Fufeng Protectorate was located on the frontier of the Second Yanhan Empire, where foreign races abounded.
The Quanrong, White Deer, Jade Rabbit...
All kinds of outcasts who looked human but bore the styles of other beast races wore Han clothing and mingled among the crowd without the slightest sense of incongruity.
Er Ha stared at a female member of the Quanrong Tribe who seemed to have the bloodline of a poodle, dumbfounded.
Smack!
Huang Xie struck his good-for-nothing nephew hard across the head. "What are you doing? Chief Su asked the Battalion Commander to send us here. Do you know how much face he had to put on the line? What a tremendous opportunity this is for us to rise to the heavens in a single step! You'd better behave yourself, establish a good background, and then would you still have to worry about Slender Dogs not coming to your door?"
"Woof... awoo..."
Er Ha was just about to howl like a wolf, but hurriedly covered his mouth when he heard that, forcing a bitter smile as he lowered his voice. "Uncle, I can't control myself either... Besides, a dog's life is short. Although we look almost the same as the people of Yan Han, our lifespans are much shorter than theirs..."
"Idiot!" Huang Xie struck his nephew again. "That's precisely why you need to cultivate. If you can win the lord's favor and have him pass on a Qi Refining method to you, then once you enter Xiantian, you'll live as long as the Human Race."
"So that's how it is..." Er Ha stuck out his tongue.
"Fufeng City is the core of the Fufeng Protectorate and the place where the Grand Protector resides. Five thousand Black Wind Army troops guard it, making it as secure as an iron fortress."
Feng Xi'er wore a bright-red riding outfit and led the way on horseback. With a smile, she asked, "Su Daozhi, what do you think?"
"It's lively and prosperous, with a flavor quite different from the Central Plains," Zhong Shenxiu said emotionally, unconsciously comparing this place to the Central Plains cities in Su Daozhi's memories.
"Are you feeling homesick? Don't worry. Once I get your convict registry revoked this time, you'll be able to leave the Fufeng area openly and travel around the Central Plains." Feng Xi'er sighed. "It's a pity that most of the Su Clan have withered away. Otherwise, you could have sheltered some of them..."
In this era, clans were an individual's support. Conversely, once someone prospered, caring for their clan was only natural.
By rights, Su Daozhi had now risen to prominence, so he had a responsibility to look after the members of the Su Clan who had been exiled here as well.
Although Zhong Shenxiu had no relation to them, he had promised Su Daozhi that he would care for his clansmen. It was only right.
As for revenge?
Thinking of how the Su Family had been implicated in the prince's case, and how it was the emperor who had issued the order, there was only one option: a gentleman's revenge could wait ten years—or a hundred.
Thus, he hurriedly put on a grateful expression. "Please tell me where the members of my Su Clan are located, Colonel. I'll bring them back one by one and take care of them."
Feng Xi'er gave a slight nod and arrived at the Protectorate.
The mansion occupied an extremely vast area. Soldiers patrolled the entrance, each one an elite. They wore iron armor weighing over a hundred pounds as though it were nothing.
Zhong Shenxiu's eyes dimmed slightly. He also saw countless rays of spell light forming a circle of protection, making it difficult for Daoist Arts to invade.
As expected of the Grand Protector's Mansion. Its setup is far more extravagant than Feng Xi'er's.
"Before the Protectorate, all civil and military officials must dismount!"
A soldier spotted the group and immediately shouted.
"You wait outside. Su Daozhi, come in with me."
Feng Xi'er dismounted and gave the order.
Here, she was merely a Colonel. According to regulations, she could only bring one personal guard inside.
Zhong Shenxiu did not mind. He followed Feng Xi'er through the main gate and immediately sensed that the defenses had risen another level, leaving him slightly oppressed.
But he was nowhere near qualified to meet the Grand Protector.
The hierarchy of Yan Han was strict. He was only acting as a personal guard, there to provide Feng Xi'er with the treatment appropriate to her position.
As for meeting the Grand Protector—wasn't that thinking too much?
Feng Xi'er left him in a small hall and went off on her own to pay respects to the highest-ranking authority in Fufeng.
With nothing to do, Zhong Shenxiu yawned.
He knew that when Feng Xi'er went over, she still had to see whether the Grand Protector was available. If he was not, they might have to wait several more hours.
With his current status, he was no different from the drivers and secretaries of a leader—he was only fit to drink tea in the gatehouse.
No, there aren't even seats or tea snacks here... As expected, people in ancient times had it even worse.
Zhong Shenxiu secretly sighed. Why aren't there any personal guards of other generals or Colonels here? It would be nice to chat and pass the time together...
He knew full well that such trusted aides were the easiest to leak secrets.
It might seem that certain top-secret messages existed only on the desks of generals and above, but among their confidants, those things were hardly secrets at all.
After another quarter of an hour, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly raised his head and looked toward the hall entrance.
A Daoist wearing a Five Peaks Crown and Daoist robes, with red lips and pearly teeth and the appearance of a man in his twenties, barged in. He shot Zhong Shenxiu a glance. "Are you Su Daozhi?"
"That's me!" Zhong Shenxiu clasped his fists. "What instructions does the Daoist have for me?"
"Very good." The Daoist pointed, and a spell flew out, transforming into a black smoke rope that bound Zhong Shenxiu.
"What are you doing?"
Zhong Shenxiu feigned utter alarm and frantically circulated his Spiritual Turtle True Qi, yet it had no effect.
Of course, this was all fake. This Daoist was merely at the Gang Sha Realm. Although his cultivation was deeper than Feng Xi'er's, Zhong Shenxiu only needed to release the Headless Count and beckon once to annihilate him.
But this was the Grand Protector's Mansion. He still had to give them some face. Being turned into a wanted criminal across the entire country would be rather troublesome.
"Nothing. I am Linghe of the Cloud Mirror Sect. I'm only here to conduct an inspection." Daoist Linghe advanced leisurely. Looking at Zhong Shenxiu, who could not move, he wore a faint, disdainful smile as he seized Zhong Shenxiu's wrist pulse.
A force completely different from True Qi traveled straight up along the tendons and meridians of Zhong Shenxiu's wrist. It circled once around his chest before sweeping over his dantian.
"The injuries to his chest are extremely dangerous. The True Qi in his body is at the peak of Xiantian. It is Spiritual Turtle True Qi, and there are no traces of magic power."
Daoist Linghe slowly nodded, unaware that Zhong Shenxiu had already deceived him countless times.
The injuries were fake. As for the Headless Count, it was a Vengeful Spirit at the Divine Ability Realm, skilled in spatial arts. By directly creating an alternate space and hiding inside, it was equivalent to concealing Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed. There was no way this Linghe could see through it.
Daoist Linghe pondered for a moment. Suddenly, another stream of magic power rose from his body, transforming into golden light that shone into Zhong Shenxiu's eyes.
He demanded sternly, "Was any part of your statement that day false?"
A spell to confuse the mind?
Zhong Shenxiu felt a force urging him to tell the truth.
Unfortunately, that force was far too weak. If it were a hundred or a thousand times stronger, he might have confessed. "Nothing was false!"
"Good."
Daoist Linghe nodded and withdrew his magic power without saying anything else before turning and leaving.
To him, Zhong Shenxiu seemed to be no more than a passerby, or even an ant. He did not show the slightest intention of apologizing for his earlier rudeness.
After all, in this era, a cultivator of the Gang Sha Realm truly had no need to treat a mortal with warmth and courtesy.
Very good. I'll remember you.
Watching the Daoist's back, Zhong Shenxiu muttered inwardly.
Before you continue