The Governor's Reception, Bamboo Grove Beyond the Heavens

"That bunch of bastards from the Cui family!"

Li Guoquan slammed the document down hard, his expression extremely grim:

"The Cui family's reputation has just been shattered, yet they still act so arrogantly! What a Cui family! What a Cui family!"

Consul Zhao Wenting sighed softly:

"There's nothing we can do about it. I've heard that the Cui family son who prayed to the Merciful Divine Arrow is now seizing power in the Cui family."

After pausing for a moment, he continued:

"That's why the woman named Cui Qingyi came to Chongyang in person, both to devour Chongyang and to avoid the Cui family's arrogance."

Li Guoquan remained silent, his expression extremely gloomy.

Ten days.

In ten days, Cui Qingyi failed to recruit the upper echelons of Chongyang, so she directly targeted the middle ranks.

Now, on the Double Ninth Festival, more than half of the mid-level officials are from the Cui family. In the Heavenly Light, more than a hundred impeachments have been initiated against their superiors.

100 times!

Hu Zhongli, standing to the side, quietly said:

"I've also received news that high-ranking members of various sects are gradually infiltrating Chongyang."

"You will all be under tremendous pressure from now on, especially you, Lao Li. As Golden Councilor, you are naturally in the eye of the storm."

Li Guoquan closed his eyes and wearily rubbed his temples.

"The most troublesome thing is the pressure from Golden City. Also, I received news that people are coming from the capital."

His voice grew heavier.

"An old friend of mine in the capital told me that the people who came this time are not just here to support Chongyang becoming Federation city, but more so to investigate the Gaotian Association."

A slight silence fell over the conference room.

Those sitting here, at the very least, are directors of some administrative department, and have already joined the Gaotian Association.

Hu Zhongli frowned:

"But I've heard that the capital has designated the Golden Province as Forbidden Zone?"

Li Guoquan shook his head:

"Forbidden Zone is Forbidden Zone, but someone will eventually come to investigate. Let's talk about the matters at hand for now."

"Now that the Cui family has obtained the title of inspector, the directors of the Forestry Bureau, Education Bureau, and Finance Bureau are in serious trouble."

At the conference table, one after another, high-ranking and powerful figures silently rose, their expressions somber.

Zhao Wenting scolded:

"You're useless; you can find a bunch of clues about even the smallest things!"

He sighed again:

"At this rate, it's only a matter of time before half of the twenty-eight departments fall into the hands of the Cui family. Once they have more than half, they can, in principle, impeach those in higher positions."

Li Guoquan banged on the table:

"It's alright. We're under martial law now, and the Trio Arbitration Committee can easily suppress the impeachment."

Some people shook their heads:

"No, Director Zhang still hasn't returned. What if the Cui family takes the position of Public Security Bureau Chief?"

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

That Cui Qingyi isn't actually that troublesome.

The trouble lies in the deep-rooted connections of the Cui family, including their Celestial Person and the numerous sects and innate masters within the city.

And there's that person who's about to arrive in the capital.

Zhou Muneo watched all this quietly, then suddenly looked up and said calmly:

"How about we wipe out the entire Cui family?"

All eyes were fixed on the boy, but no one dared to speak. Nominally, Zhou Muneo was the Golden Councilor in the Waiting Area —although Hu Zhongli was still the one exercising the power.

"No."

Hu Zhongli said softly:

"Councilor Zhou, the Cui family's Celestial Person is still alive."

Zhou Muneo hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

The phone rang.

The First Commander of the Military Headquarters Zhang Erhe, answered the phone, his expression turning icy cold. After responding twice, he hung up and then spoke:

"Something's happened again."

He said in a deep voice:

"Cui Qingyi went to the military headquarters, caused a huge disturbance, injured many officers, and, in the name of the inspector, forced the military to send troops!"

"Where are we sending troops?" Some people had a bad feeling.

Zhang Erhe's expression was extremely unpleasant:

"That Kou Mountain where Chen Qiusheng and the West Cultist are!"

The Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption also answered the phone, and after a moment, exclaimed in surprise:

"Cui Qingyi went to the Independent Commission Against Corruption again and forcibly conscripted my people, detaining all the middle and high-ranking officials in the Public Security Bureau!"

One of the directors looked grim:

"She wants to wipe out that Kou Mountain, render martial law ineffective, and then start with the Public Security Bureau, first removing Director Zhang from his position?"

Hu Zhongli pondered for a moment, his expression unchanged:

"That's alright. Kou Mountain is already a stronghold of the Western Sect. The West Cultist who have infiltrated Chongyang these days are probably all there."

"Of course, that also includes the few Divine Envoy of the Western Sect. If Cui Qingyi goes there to cause trouble, I'm afraid he might not be able to return."

Everyone in the conference room breathed a sigh of relief, but they also had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Isn't Cui Qingyi supposed to be exceptionally intelligent?

Wilderness.

The entire Kou Mountain was slowly surrounded by the spaceship. Cui Qingyi strolled in, accompanied by a male attendant, step by step into Kou Mountain.

The attendant said softly:

"Miss, intelligence indicates that this place is full of West Cultist, and it's likely that their Divine Envoy of the West Cult also present. Why risk your life?"

Cui Qingyi lowered her eyelids and spoke coldly:

"Cui Wendao has been favored by a deity, and I have no choice but to step aside, but I must find a way to turn the tables."

The attendant was puzzled:

"Here?"

The not-so-glamorous beauty nodded slightly, her expression remaining unchanged and undisturbed even under the watchful eyes of many menacing gazes.

She spoke as she walked, making no attempt to conceal her thoughts:

"These people on the mountain are clearly a deliberate act by Chongyang, in order to maintain martial law. I've heard that the defector Chen Qiusheng is the senior martial brother of the Public Security Bureau Chief."

"I've also investigated some things and know that Chen Qiusheng was forced into becoming a bandit, and that Zhang Fusheng is related to the Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron."

After pausing for a moment, Cui Qingyi raised her head and addressed the enormous manor on the mountain:

"You can't control Zhang Fusheng anymore, can you? Let me take Chen Qiusheng back, charge him with collusion and rebellion, strip him of his authority, and then your Western Sect can easily subdue him, right?"

The mountain villa was deathly silent.

Suddenly an old voice rang out:

"What I'm more curious about is, what does all this have to do with how you managed to turn the tide under Cui Wendao's relentless pressure?"

Cui Qingyi's expression hardened, then she continued:

"I now also worship a deity, and I need to control Chongyang so that I can do some things for Him."

"Then, I will personally guide Him to descend, protect me, and return to the Cui family."

The aged voice rose again:

"Oh? What is the name of that god?"

Amidst the resounding music, Divine Envoy of the West Cult emerged, carrying a divine statue—and it was the statue itself that spoke.

"Greetings, Venerable One." Cui Qingyi bowed and calmly said, "His name is the God of Plague."

"I have come here today by the Imperial Decree of the God of Plague to ask the Western Sect —do they no longer wish to serve Him?"

A smile bloomed on her face, and the villa suddenly fell silent.

"Furthermore, wouldn't you all like to know the reason for Zhang Fusheng's rapid progress?"

"He betrayed the God of Plague, received the authority bestowed by the great God of Plague, and then disappeared. I have come bearing the mission of the God of Plague."

In dead silence.

The statue of a certain Elder Venerable from the Western Sect, held aloft by Divine Envoy, sighed softly.

"You little rascal, you actually dared to go to Jiangzhou alone to see the Plague King, you're really bold. So be it."

"Hand Chen Qiusheng over to her."

The massive spaceship slowly entered the Waiting Area.

"According to the rules, we have to stay for three more days."

Zhang Fusheng sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the Waiting Area below through the completely transparent special armor.

Beside her, Wei Lingzhu was silently practicing her Stance Training, sweat constantly pouring down her body and then evaporating into mist.

Although she had cultivated her spiritual realm to Perfection, her physical body was still that of a low-level martial artist.

"Old Lu, what do you think of this invitation?"

Zhang Fusheng reached out and flicked the invitation card, which carried a wisp of Spiritual Qi, and casually asked...

The Old Master, whose real name was Lu Xiuyuan, pondered for a moment before saying:

"The governor's thoughts are hard to fathom, just like no one knows why he wants the Golden Province to become independent."

After pausing, he reminded him:

"Master Zhang, although this governor has only been here for a little over ten years, he had already laid his groundwork here long before he arrived in the Golden Province."

"In a sense, it has been rooted for many years."

Its roots are deep and its foliage lush, yet no one knows of it.

Zhang Fusheng frowned slightly as he pondered.

Several days after the 'World Honored One' drew his bow and shot the arrow, invitations arrived from a governor and a deity, who wanted to see him in person.

The governor must have found something.

But specifically?

Zhang Fusheng was unaware of this.

What he knew was that the Golden Governor, who could achieve divine status and become the ruler of a province, must act with extreme caution.

Since this "beating the grass to alert the snake" has made him wary, he must have his own scheme.

The only thing that's certain is...

The Golden Governor wouldn't make things difficult for himself—otherwise, there would be no need for all this trouble and going through so many detours.

He decided to heed the words of the future ancient sage and his disciple.

I'm not going to be the most conspicuous trendsetter anymore.

But the current problem is, how can I extricate myself from all of this?

The Golden Governor.

The Sea-Calming Divine Needle Iron.

And then there's the Western Sect, which has always been watching them closely.

Zhang Fusheng closed his eyes and pondered, his thoughts swirling and difficult to understand.

"Someone's coming," the Old Master suddenly said.

Looking up, I saw a figure walking on clouds in the distance, ethereal and otherworldly, like an immortal.

A young man, dressed in bright red, walked step by step to the outside of the spaceship, and then passed straight through the hull of the spaceship, drifting in like a ghost.

"Director Zhang."

The young man bowed to Zhang Fusheng and spoke softly:

"Your Excellency, I would like to request a meeting with Director Zhang, to have a cup of tea, a game of chess, and to discuss some matters."

Zhang Fusheng beamed with joy:

"How could a mere bureau chief like myself, a Great Grandmaster, possibly deserve a personal audience with the governor?"

The messenger smiled:

"How dare we, the officials in charge, presume to fathom the Governor's thoughts? However, the Governor gave us instructions before we came."

"We respectfully invite you—but if you truly do not wish to meet us, then we shall refrain from doing so for now."

Zhang Fusheng stared at the young man, this governor-general's envoy, a governor-general's envoy with an intimidatingly high position in the Golden Province.

At this moment, however, he was surprisingly meek and submissive.

Judging from the flow of Qi, this is clearly someone at the [Innate Great Realm].

For a long time.

Zhang Fusheng suddenly smiled:

"How could I dare refuse the governor's invitation?"

"Director Zhang, please?" the envoy invited, bowing respectfully.

Zhang Fusheng rose leisurely, glancing sideways at the Old Master looked like an ordinary old man, and said:

"Take Lingzhu and head to Chongyang first, but keep a low profile for now to avoid trouble."

"Yes, Master Zhang."

The Old Master responded and watched as Zhang Fusheng followed the young envoy out of the spaceship and rode away on clouds.

Hong Tianbao arrived unnoticed, looking worried.

"Mr. Lu, Fu gave birth to him."

Although he didn't know who this Mr. Lu was, he could guess that he must have a very important and extraordinary background, and he could see some clues in his casual words and deeds.

The Old Master paused for a moment, then sighed softly:

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. If the governor of a province really wants to make things difficult for Master Zhang, there's no need to go to such lengths."

"I'm afraid it's because of [the Buddha]."

Hong Tianbao's expression hardened for a moment, then his brows relaxed.

"It's good to go back to Chongyang first," he murmured to himself, gazing at the distant figure disappearing into the waterway.

At the same time.

"This is not the route to the Golden City," Zhang Fusheng said calmly.

"Yes."

The messenger nodded slightly:

"This is the waterway to Jiangzhou—but don't worry, Director Zhang, we won't enter Jiangzhou."

He stretched out his hand, and silk and satin stretched out, transforming into a long road to the heavens. Zhang Fusheng frowned and stepped onto the road.

My vision is blurred.

When the scene returned to tranquility, we were already above the Heaven and Earth of Jiangzhou.

Or rather, it is above the bubbles, within the gaps between the many bubbles.

Looking up, or glancing around, one sees one bubble wonderland after another.

Just like twelve days ago, Zhang Fusheng borrowed the true blood of the Miss Mingyue to briefly peek out from the Dragon Boat and see the scenery.

Enveloped and filled with bubbles,

This place is empty, yet a bamboo grove grows here, with stone tables and wooden chairs placed within it.

"They've arrived?"

A gentle and refined middle-aged man smiled:

"Please take a seat."

The Golden Governor, a revered figure of our time.