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Fufeng City.

The city gates were majestic and grand, ancient and vast.

After entering the city gates, houses were packed closely together, the streets were bustling, and tourists were as numerous as threads in a tapestry.

At a glance, silk shops, paper stores, bookshops, butcher shops, pharmacies, jewelry stores, martial arts schools, restaurants... all had their main doors wide open to welcome customers, lively and prosperous, with a distinct earthly atmosphere.

Especially since the Fufeng Protectorate was a border region of the Second Yanhan Empire, there were many foreign races.

Quanrong, Bai Lu, Yu Tu...

Various beings that looked human but had other beastly characteristics, wearing Hanfu, mingled among them, showing no sense of incongruity.

Er Ha stared, dumbfounded, at a female Quanrong who seemed to have a poodle's bloodline.

Slap!

Huang Xie fiercely slapped his unworthy nephew. "What are you doing? Officer Su went to a lot of trouble to get us assigned here by the Battalion Commander. We've been given a chance to ascend to heaven in one step, what a great opportunity! You behave yourself, get a good start, and you won't have to worry about fine dogs coming to your door later!"

"Woof... Awooo..."

Er Ha was about to howl, but upon hearing this, he quickly covered his mouth and chuckled bitterly. "Uncle, I can't control myself... Besides, dog life is short. Although we look similar to Yanhan people, our lifespans are much shorter than theirs..."

"Stupid!" Huang Xie slapped his nephew again. "That's why you need to cultivate. If you can catch the attention of the great one and they teach you the method of Qi refinement, allowing you to enter the Xiantian realm, you'll live as long as humans."

"So that's how it is..." Er Ha stuck out his tongue.

"This Fufeng City is the core of the Fufeng Protectorate, the residence of the Grand Protector, guarded by five thousand Black Wind Army soldiers, making it impregnable."

Feng Xi'er, dressed in a bright red riding outfit, took the lead and asked with a smile, "Su Daozhi, what do you think?"

"Lively and prosperous, with a unique charm compared to the Central Plains," Zhong Shenxiu sighed, unconsciously comparing it to the cities of the Central Plains in Su Daozhi's memory.

"Are you feeling a bit homesick? Don't worry, after we get your Convict status cleared this time, you can officially leave the Fufeng region and travel back to the Central Plains." Feng Xi'er sighed, "It's a pity that most of the Su Family clansmen have withered away, otherwise you could have protected a few..."

In this era, clans were a person's support, and conversely, it was natural for a person to take care of their clan after achieving success.

By rights, Su Daozhi, having achieved success, had a responsibility to care for the Su clan members who were also exiled here.

Although Zhong Shenxiu had no relation to them, he had promised Su Daozhi that he would take care of the clan members.

As for revenge?

Considering that the Su Family was implicated in a case involving a prince, and the order came from the Emperor, then "a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten or a hundred years."

Therefore, he quickly adopted a grateful demeanor. "Please tell me where my Su clan members are, Commander, so I can bring them back and care for them one by one."

Feng Xi'er nodded slightly and arrived at the Protectorate.

The mansion occupied a vast area, with soldiers patrolling at the entrance, all of them elites, wearing over a hundred pounds of iron armor as if it were nothing.

Zhong Shenxiu's eyes darkened slightly, and he also saw a large amount of spell light, forming a protective barrier that made Daoist Arts difficult to penetrate.

As expected of the Grand Protector's mansion, the setup here is much more luxurious than Feng Xi'er's.

"All civil and military officials dismount before the Protectorate!"

A soldier saw the group and immediately shouted.

"You all wait outside. Su Daozhi, you come in with me."

Feng Xi'er dismounted and gave the order.

She was only a Colonel here, and according to regulations, she could only bring one personal guard inside.

Zhong Shenxiu didn't mind. He followed Feng Xi'er into the main gate and immediately sensed that the defenses were even tighter, feeling a slight pressure.

However, it wasn't his place to meet the Grand Protector.

The Yanhan hierarchy was strict. He was merely a personal guard, reflecting the proper treatment Feng Xi'er should receive.

Meeting the Grand Protector? That was wishful thinking.

Feng Xi'er left him in a small hall and went to pay her respects to the highest authority in Fufeng.

Zhong Shenxiu, bored, yawned.

He knew that Feng Xi'er would have to wait to see if the Grand Protector was free, and if not, he'd have to wait for several more hours.

His current status was like that of a leader's driver or secretary, only fit to drink tea in the reception room.

No, there aren't even seats or refreshments here... Indeed, people in ancient times were more miserable.

Zhong Shenxiu lamented inwardly, Why aren't there any other generals' or colonels' personal guards to chat with...

He knew that these trusted confidantes of leaders were the most likely to leak secrets.

Even if some top-secret information might only be on a general's desk, it wouldn't be a secret to these confidantes.

After another half hour, Zhong Shenxiu suddenly looked up towards the entrance of the hall.

A Taoist priest, wearing a Wuyue crown, a Taoist robe, with rosy lips and white teeth, looking no older than twenty, barged in. He glanced at Zhong Shenxiu and asked, "Are you Su Daozhi?!"

"Indeed!" Zhong Shenxiu cupped his fists and asked, "Master Taoist, do you have any instructions?"

"Very good." The Taoist priest pointed, and a spell flew out, transforming into a black smoke rope that bound Zhong Shenxiu.

"What are you doing?"

Zhong Shenxiu was greatly alarmed. He repeatedly activated his Spiritual Turtle True Qi, but it was useless.

This was, of course, a ruse. This Daoist was merely at the Gang Sha stage. Although his cultivation was deeper than Feng Xi'er's, Zhong Shenxiu could have annihilated him with a single command if he had released the Headless Count.

However, this was the Grand Protector's mansion, and he had to show some respect. Becoming a nationally wanted criminal wouldn't be good.

"Nothing. I am Linghe of the Cloud Mirror Sect. I am merely here to conduct an inspection," the Daoist Linghe said, stepping forward leisurely. He looked at the immobilized Zhong Shenxiu with a condescending smile at the corner of his mouth, and seized Zhong Shenxiu's pulse.

A magical power, vastly different from True Qi, flowed straight up along the meridians of Zhong Shenxiu's wrist, circled his chest, and then surveyed his Dantian.

"The injury on your chest is quite severe. Your internal True Qi is at the Xiantian peak, it's Spiritual Turtle True Qi, and there are no traces of magical power."

Daoist Linghe nodded slowly, unaware that Zhong Shenxiu had already deceived him many times over.

The injury was fake. As for the Headless Count, it was a Vengeful Spirit at the Divine Ability stage, skilled in spatial magic. By directly creating a separate dimension and hiding within it, it was akin to the divine ability of hiding a Sumeru within a mustard seed. This Linghe truly couldn't see through it.

Daoist Linghe pondered for a moment, then another surge of magical power flew from his body, transforming into golden light and shining into Zhong Shenxiu's eyes.

He sternly demanded, "Is your previous confession truthful?"

Is this some kind of mind-confusing spell?

Zhong Shenxiu felt a force urging him to tell the truth.

Unfortunately, this force was too weak. If it were a hundred or even a thousand times stronger, he might have confessed. "It was not false!"

"Good."

Daoist Linghe nodded, withdrew his magical power, and said nothing more. He turned and left.

It seemed Zhong Shenxiu was merely a passerby, or even an ant, to him. He didn't even offer an apology for his previous rude attitude.

After all, in this era, a cultivator at the Gang Sha stage truly didn't need to be cordial with mortals.

Very good, I'll remember you.

Zhong Shenxiu watched the Daoist's retreating back, muttering inwardly.