Ma Xiong stared at Jiang Wang for a while.
He flipped his hand and put away the Image-Recording Stone. "Shall we go to the Patrol Inspection Office?"
His attitude seemed perfectly reasonable.
By any standard, he had no reason to pick a fight with a prodigy of the nation like Jiang Wang. Unless he was eager to earn merit, or... had some other motive.
Jiang Wang said, "Of course. I'll cooperate fully."
Ma Xiong searched the Hall of Protecting the State himself, then left four Green Badges to guard the place and forbid anyone from entering or leaving. Only then did he lead Jiang Wang away.
Calling it an escort would not be quite accurate, but Ma Xiong certainly kept Jiang Wang in sight at all times.
Jiang Wang remained calm. Ma Xiong was a Green Badge Chief Constable and had been tracking this case, so keeping an eye on him was simply part of his job. There was no real conflict in that.
But as Jiang Wang left the Imperial Ancestral Temple and saw the sun climbing overhead, he was suddenly overcome by a sense of unreality.
This was the second day after the Grand Master Ceremony.
He had thought it would be a simple sacrificial rite. He had never expected to witness another major event with his own eyes.
The shifting clouds and surging waves of Qi's politics made him wonder whether his decision to bring An'an over after the Yellow River Assembly had been the right one.
The Cloud Kingdom was neutral, with no hostile powers nearby. And the High Heaven Pavilion held supreme status there. As the only daughter of the High Heaven Pavilion Master, Ye Qingyu was fully capable of protecting An'an. Ye Lingxiao himself was also very fond of her.
By contrast, even if