As soon as Huang Mei's thought reached him, two figures descended outside the main hall and walked slowly toward Xu Yi. The divine statue had exploded, and the panicked crowd was surging out, but the two men passed through without the slightest obstruction. The crowd couldn't see them at all.
Three zhang away, the two men stopped. A golden order talisman appeared in the palm of the black-robed elder on the left. "We are Heaven's Patrol Envoys, currently making our rounds near your Anlu City. We received word that the divine statue had exploded. The statues in every temple are commissioned by the Yin Court and cannot be damaged easily. Now that the main statue of your Anlu City God has been destroyed, the incense offerings throughout Anlu have been seriously affected. This is a major case. Come with us."
Xu Yi sneered. "You sure arrived at just the right time. Come with you? Where?"
From the statue's explosion to the arrival of these two men, barely twenty breaths had passed. They clearly couldn't even be bothered to keep up appearances.
At the thought, Xu Yi felt a sudden urge to leave. But as soon as it arose, he couldn't bring himself to do it. His resentment fed a blazing fury in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he thought, So they want to make trouble? Fine, let's make a real mess of it. If I can't get by, then none of you will either.
"Of course, to the Jiangnan Earth Palace."
The black-robed elder's voice turned cold. "What, are you planning to defy orders?"
Xu Yi sneered. "What rank are you, that you dare accuse me of defying orders? You're nothing but a pawn under someone's command, the sort who runs around with the boatmen, innkeepers, porters, and matchmakers. And