Lancang City, Shameless

Wu Dao's figure gradually faded into the distance.

At the bridgehead, the members of the caravan were in a miserable state; the women were weeping, and the others wore expressions of bleak confusion and sorrow.

Behind the crowd.

Two middle-aged men carrying crimson spears gazed long at the back of the departing Wu Dao for a long time. The slightly older man in green robes, his temples streaked with gray, sighed softly:

"I thought he was a man of loyalty and righteousness, but it turns out he is just another baring tiger and wolf."

"Such is the state of the world; one's heart is willing, but one's strength is lacking."

The relatively lean middle-aged man in black, his face etched with exhaustion, laughed at himself:

"Sometimes, I actually wish the Prince of Nanyang would raise his banner sooner. He is not a man of violence or tyranny; he cares for the common people, and no calamities run rampant in the territories he governs..."

"Watch your tongue!"

The man in green warned sternly: "We have been favored by the sovereign for generations. Everything we have is bestowed by the Emperor. To share the sovereign's worries and protect the nation and its people is our duty. No matter how chaotic this world becomes, we must not waver in our bottom line."

"Just some idle grumbling, that's all."

The man in black gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Thinking of the purpose of their trip.

He sighed again and said: "The White Whale Martial Arts Hall, after all, originated from the once-infamous Giant Whale Sect, and this Qi Canghai is someone who sways between black and white.

Not to mention that the imperial court played a major role in the destruction of the Giant Whale Sect back then. With that grudge, he is unlikely to lean toward the Royalist Faction like the Fangcun Sword Hall.

This trip is very uncertain."

"Do our best and leave the rest to fate. This trip isn't entirely for the sake of the White Whale King."

The man in green looked slightly solemn:

"Recently, those bastards have become increasingly restless, and some have even begun colluding openly with others to harm the people.

Commander Xiaoman and many of the captains have been unable to pull themselves away lately; they are conducting a thorough investigation into this matter. Once the non-human entities behind the scenes are rooted out, there will surely be a major move.

Before that happens.

The calamities caused by non-human entities within Guangqing Prefecture can only rely on us, the Jingzhe Guard stationed in various places, to put in more effort.

In Lancang Commandery, scouts have reported non-human disturbances in many places recently.

We cannot control the disasters caused by men, but dealing with non-human calamities is the duty of the Jingzhe Guard; we cannot sit idly by."

After speaking, the man in green looked once more at the sorrowful and miserable caravan ahead. He wanted to do something, but ultimately lacked the strength to do so, and could only sigh in shame as he left.

The mountain road of several dozen miles was soon finished.

When the scorching midday sun hung high, Wu Dao finally arrived at his destination—

Lancang Commandery City!

At the end of the spacious official road, wide enough for eight horses to gallop abreast.

Upon the plains, a towering, majestic, and imposing giant city crouched like a dragon and coiled like a tiger. Within it, thousands of buildings and mansions stood, the noise and clamor rising to the heavens; even from afar, one could feel the surging aura of humanity.

The thick, black city wall, roughly thirty meters high, wound like a giant dragon across the end of the plains. The carriages, horses, and throngs of people passing through the various gates looked as tiny as ants in comparison.

It was hard to imagine just how much manpower and resources had been expended to forge such an iron wall capable of repelling thousands of troops.

Whoosh, whoosh—

As he drew closer.

He could hear the rushing sound of the Lancang River, vast and misty, flowing from north to south. The river was packed with painted pleasure boats and merchant vessels, entering and exiting the water gates on both sides, transporting merchants and goods from all corners of the land.

Standing in the line to enter the city, Wu Dao felt the bustling, lively atmosphere of prosperity and, for a moment, felt a sense of temporal displacement.

It was simply that he had encountered too many scenes of suffering along this journey, leading him to think that the world had fallen into total chaos and that scenes of wailing and misery were everywhere.

But then, upon second thought, it was only natural.

Lancang City was, after all, a commandery city.

In the territory of Da Li.

The world is divided into five regions: Central Plains, Southern Frontier, Northern Lands, East Sea, and Western Desert.

Beneath them are:

Prefectures, Commanderies, Counties, Towns, Townships, and Villages.

The status of a commandery city is equivalent to the prefecture-level administrative districts of Wu Dao's previous life.

Its scale, population, and economy naturally far exceed those of the small county towns he had seen along the way.

Not to mention.

Lancang Commandery City is also the location of the main headquarters of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall, the hegemon of Guangqing Prefecture. Unless war truly arrived, the commandery city would not fall into chaos.

At most...

It was nothing more than changing one "Prefecture Governor" for another.

Wu Dao glanced at the city gate and the towering city walls, finding that the expected official city guards were nowhere to be seen.

Replacing them instead.

Were burly, powerful men with thick necks and bulging temples, all dressed in sturdy martial attire.

These strong men guarding the city were all, at the very least, experts in the Rigid-Soft Realm. Their eyes were sharp, their palms and fingers covered in callouses, and they all wore uniform armor, shields, steel blades, and steel spears bearing the emblem of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall.

On the gate tower, there were crossbowmen wielding heavy crossbows, their eyes like hawks scanning the crowd below, ready to turn anyone who made a suspicious move into a hornet's nest.

City guards!

Armor!

Shields!

Heavy crossbows!

No matter how poor Wu Dao's knowledge of history was, he knew that these positions and armaments were the exclusive property of the Imperial Court in a feudal dynasty.

For ordinary people to dare to manufacture or hoard them was no different than treason!

But now...

The White Whale Martial Arts Hall wasn't even bothering to pretend anymore.

They were acting entirely like "rebels" who held military power and relied on their own strength, blatantly trampling the majesty of the Imperial Court underfoot.

You can see the whole by observing a part.

If the local tyrant of a single prefecture in the Southern Frontier could be this bold.

One could only imagine what the other four regions of Da Li looked like now, and just how far the decay and decline of the Imperial Court had reached.

It was essentially a replica of the prelude to the Three Kingdoms; various warlords, Rebel Kings, and ambitious men were sharpening their blades, everything ready, likely just waiting for the wind to pick up.

However...

None of this had anything to do with Wu Dao. In this life, he had no interest in vying for the world, nor any intention of becoming a king or hegemon.

His only goal in living was to pursue the ultimate end of human evolution and transcendence.

To him, all things in the world were divided only into beneficial and harmful; any other associated meanings were just fleeting clouds, not worth mentioning.

"Could it be that you are the great hero Skull-Crushing Hand? This junior, Zhao Jianji, has long admired you."

Just as Wu Dao was quietly moving along with the flow of the crowd.

A handsome young man in front of him kept looking back, and after seemingly confirming Wu Dao's identity, he cupped his hands in a greeting.

The youth was about twenty years old, fair-skinned and clean-shaven, wearing a short wolf-tail braid that was quite unusual, with a thin sword slung at his waist, possessing the air of a dashing wanderer.

"En."

Wu Dao gave an indifferent nod, though his face twitched imperceptibly; that moniker was truly awful.

He didn't know which bastard had spread it, but if he ever caught them, he would make sure to splatter their brains all over the ground.

"I presume that with your strength, senior, you have come to compete for the position of Hall Master at the White Whale Martial Arts Hall as well."

Seeing Wu Dao's lukewarm attitude, Zhao Jianji didn't mind, instead striking up a conversation as if they were old friends.

"Correct."

Wu Dao remained a man of few words, feeling that this person was truly thick-skinned; how could he lack such basic social awareness?

"Then senior must be careful."

Zhao Jianji, oblivious, continued on his own: "This junior has heard that Guangqing Prefecture has issued the Gathering of Sages Invitation throughout the region, and many long-famed Cocoon-Breaking Experts have gathered in Lancang City.

Once the Hero Assembly opens tomorrow, they will compete for the positions of county Hall Master to enjoy wealth and glory.

But there are only three county-level Hall Master slots this time, so the competition will likely be fierce, and a violent clash is inevitable.

However.

It is worth it.

Once elected as a Hall Master, one can not only command all the disciples of the branch in that county, but all sorts of cultivation resources, wealth, and women are just a matter of a single word—far more impressive than the county magistrate himself.

It is a pity.

This junior is not skilled in fighting and killing; I prefer playing with ink and abacuses, so I can only compete for the position of county hall Clerk to console myself.

If we are lucky, perhaps we might be able to..."

"Shut up!"

Listening to Zhao Jianji's endless chatter, Wu Dao felt like ten thousand flies were buzzing in his ears. He said impatiently: "Are you stupid or am I? Does this trivial nonsense require you to waste your breath?

Also, how old are you?"