Wu Dao's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.
At the bridgehead, the people in the caravan were in a pitiful state. The women wept until their faces were streaked with tears, while everyone else wore looks of sorrow and confusion.
Behind the crowd.
Two middle-aged men with crimson spears slung across their backs gazed for a long time at Wu Dao's departing figure. The one in blue was a little older, his temples graying. He let out a quiet sigh.
"I thought he was a man of loyalty and righteousness. Who would've thought he was another snarling wolf or tiger?"
"That's the way of the world. There's only so much we can do."
The thinner man in black looked exhausted. He gave a self-mocking smile.
"Sometimes, I find myself hoping Prince of Nanyang would raise his banner sooner. He isn't a tyrant; he cares about the common people, and his territory isn't plagued by calamities..."
"Watch your words!"
The man in blue sternly admonished him. "Our families have served the sovereign for generations. Everything we have was bestowed by the Son of Heaven. It's our duty to ease our lord's burdens, protect the country, and defend the people. No matter how chaotic the world becomes, we must never waver in our principles."
"I was only venting."
The man in black smiled helplessly.
Thinking of the purpose of their journey,
he sighed again. "The White Whale Martial Arts Hall may have a new name, but it still traces its roots to the infamous Giant Whale Sect. Qi Canghai is also a man who wavers between black and white.
"Not to mention that the court played a major role in the Giant Whale Sect's downfall back then. With that grudge between them, he probably won't lean toward the Royalist Faction like Fangcun Sword Hall.
"This trip is a long shot."
"Do what we can and leave the rest to fate. Besides, this trip isn't entirely about the White Whale King."
The man in blue spoke with a grave expression.
"Those bastards have been getting more and more unruly lately. Some have even brazenly joined forces with others to prey on the common people.
"Commander Xiaoman and quite a few company commanders have been tied up lately, thoroughly investigating the matter. Once they uncover the inhuman monsters behind it, there'll certainly be a major crackdown.
"Until then,
"the calamities caused by inhuman monsters within Guangqing Prefecture can only be handled by us Jingzhe Guards stationed across the region.
"Recently, scouts from all over Lancang Commandery have reported numerous cases of inhuman monsters running amok.
"We can't do anything about human affairs, but dealing with Strange Calamities is the Jingzhe Guards' duty. We can't just stand by and do nothing."
After speaking,
the man in blue glanced again at the sorrowful caravan ahead. He wanted to do something, but in the end, there was little he could do. He could only sigh, feeling ashamed, and leave.
The dozens of miles of mountain road passed quickly.
Beneath the midday sun, Wu Dao finally reached the destination of his journey—
Lancang Commandery City!
At the end of a broad official road wide enough for eight horses to ride abreast,
a colossal city stood upon the plain, majestic and imposing, like a coiled dragon and crouching tiger. Inside, countless towers and buildings rose amid a deafening hubbub. Even from far away, one could feel the surging aura of humanity reaching for the heavens.
The thick black walls, over thirty meters high, wound like a giant dragon along the edge of the plain. The people, carriages, and horses passing through the gates looked as tiny as ants beside them.
It was hard to imagine how much manpower and material it had taken to build such an iron rampart, capable of holding back thousands upon thousands of troops.
Rumble—
As he drew closer,
he could hear the mighty Lancang River surging from north to south, its waters stretching as far as the eye could see. Pleasure boats and merchant vessels crowded the river, passing in and out through the water gates on either bank, carrying merchants and cargo from every corner of the land.
Waiting in the line to enter, Wu Dao took in the bustling prosperity within the city. For a moment, he felt as if he had slipped through time and space.
He had seen too much misery along the way. He had started to think the whole world had fallen into chaos, with suffering everywhere he looked.
But on second thought, it made sense.
Lancang City was, after all, a commandery city.
The territory of Da Li.
The world was divided into five regions: the Central Plains, the Southern Frontier, the Northern Lands, the East Sea, and the Western Desert.
Beneath them were:
prefectures, commanderies, counties, towns, villages, and hamlets.
A commandery city was roughly equivalent to a prefecture-level city in Wu Dao's previous life.
Its size, population, and economy naturally far surpassed those of the small county towns he had seen along the way.
What was more,
Lancang Commandery City was also the location of the main hall of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, the undisputed ruler of Guangqing Prefecture. Unless war actually broke out, the commandery city would never descend into chaos.
At most...
it would just get a new "commandery governor."
Wu Dao glanced at the city gate and the high walls above it. Just as he had expected, there were no official city guards.
Instead,
the walls were manned by burly, powerful men with bulging temples.
Even the weakest of these guards was an expert in the Rigid-Soft Realm. Their gazes were sharp, and their palms and fingers were covered in calluses. They all wore matching armor marked with the White Whale Martial Arts Hall's emblem and carried shields, steel sabers, and spears.
On the tower above, crossbowmen held powerful crossbows. Their eyes swept over the crowd like falcons' as they watched from above. At the first sign of trouble, they would turn the offender into a pincushion.
City guards!
Armor!
Shields!
Crossbows!
Even with Wu Dao's poor grasp of history, he knew that in a feudal dynasty, these positions and weapons belonged exclusively to the imperial family.
For ordinary people to manufacture or secretly keep them was no different from rebellion!
But now...
The White Whale Martial Arts Hall wasn't even pretending anymore.
They were openly behaving like rebels, keeping troops for their own power and trampling the royal authority beneath their feet.
A single glimpse revealed the whole picture.
If even a local strongman in a Southern Frontier prefecture dared to act so boldly,
one could imagine the state of the other four regions of Da Li—and just how rotten and feeble the court had become.
It was practically a prequel to the Three Kingdoms: a host of ambitious warlords, Rebel Kings, and plotters had sharpened their blades and made all their preparations. They were probably just waiting for a gust of wind.
But...
none of that had anything to do with Wu Dao. In this life, he had no interest in vying for supremacy or becoming a king.
His sole goal in life was to pursue the ultimate point of human evolution and transformation.
To him, everything in the world was either beneficial or harmful. Every other meaning attached to it was like passing clouds—fleeting and unworthy of notice.
"Ah, you must be the great Skull-Crushing Hand. I'm Zhao Jianji. I've long admired you, senior."
Just as Wu Dao was quietly moving forward with the crowd,
a handsome young man in front of him kept turning around to look. Once he seemed sure of Wu Dao's identity, he clasped his hands in greeting.
The young man looked to be in his twenties, with a smooth, hairless face and an unusually short wolf-tail braid. A slender sword hung at his waist, lending him the air of a dashing wanderer.
"Mm."
Wu Dao nodded indifferently, though the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. What an awful title.
He had no idea which bastard had spread it. If he caught the culprit, he'd make sure to yank out every last bit of his brain.
"With your strength, senior, I suppose you've come to compete for the position of Hall Master at the White Whale Martial Arts Hall."
Zhao Jianji saw that Wu Dao's manner was neither warm nor cold, but didn't mind. Instead, he chatted with him as if they were old friends.
"Yes."
Wu Dao remained as sparing with words as ever. This man really was thick-skinned. Didn't he have the slightest sense of tact?
"Then you'll have to be careful, senior."
Zhao Jianji still didn't seem to realize the hint. He continued on his own. "I heard that Guangqing Prefecture has sent out Gathering of Sages Invitations throughout the prefecture. Many Cocoon-Breaking Experts who've been famous for years have gathered in Lancang City.
"They're just waiting for tomorrow's Hero Assembly to begin. Then they'll compete for the position of hall master in each county and enjoy wealth and honor.
"But there are only three county-level hall master positions this time, so I imagine the competition will be fierce. There'll be no shortage of brawls.
"Still,
"it'll be worth it.
"Once you're chosen as a hall master, you won't just command all the branch-hall disciples in a county. You'll also have access to all kinds of cultivation resources. Wealth, women—it'll all be yours for the asking. You'll have even more prestige than the county magistrate.
"Unfortunately,
"I'm not fond of fighting. I prefer writing and working the abacus, so I can only compete for the position of county hall 'secretary' to console myself.
"If we're lucky, perhaps we could..."
"Shut up!"
Listening to Zhao Jianji's endless babbling, Wu Dao felt as if ten thousand flies were buzzing in his ears. He snapped impatiently, "Are you stupid, or am I? Do you think I need you to spell out this obvious nonsense?
"And how old are you?"
Thanks to Shi Polu for becoming a Hall Master.
Before you continue