Why Did No One Come When Qingzhou Repeatedly Asked for Help?

General Pei is seriously injured and cannot leave Qingzhou for the time being.

Li Hanguang carefully considered his words.

"With Pei Xuance's abilities, how could he possibly get injured in Qingzhou?"

Luo Zheng raised an eyebrow, clearly knowing Pei Xuance very well.

Li Hanguang smiled wryly and briefly explained that Pei Xuance's forced breakthrough to the Dao-Infant Realm had damaged his foundation, and that he needed to stay in Qingzhou to recuperate.

After listening, Luo Zheng's gaze darkened, and he spoke directly.

"Was it done by those bald monks from Lotus Flower Temple?"

There was a moment of silence in the front yard.

Li Hanguang did not directly address the question, but instead cupped his hands and said, "This matter still needs to be reported to Lord Luo privately."

"... OK."

Luo Zheng stared at him for two breaths, then slowly looked away.

"Is there anything else?"

He glanced around, pausing briefly as he passed Yang Xiao. "You didn't come to the General Headquarters just to drop off a sick person, did you?"

Li Hanguang gestured with the performance review document in his hand.

Luo Zheng then remembered the important matter and waved his hand towards the main hall. "Then let's go into the main hall to talk. The person is stable now, there's no need to waste time in the courtyard."

Yang Xiao followed Luo Zheng across the threshold of the main hall.

The interior of the hall appears much deeper than it does from the outside.

A map hangs on the front wall, showing the mountains, rivers, counties, and prefectures of all the states along the Cuiyun Circuit. The map is drawn with red ink, the ink marks varying in age.

On the wooden shelves on both sides, the files, arranged by state, were stacked neatly, each stack reaching as high as a person.

Luo Zheng took his seat behind the main table, and Li Hanguang presented his performance report.

The desk was piled high with documents from various states, one stack on top of another. After Luo Zheng sat down, he casually pushed the top stack aside to make room for new documents.

Luo Zheng took the document but didn't rush to flip through it. He first glanced at the two of them and got straight to the point.

"Tell me first why Qin Lie was injured like this, and what happened to Pei Xuance."

Li Hanguang was slightly taken aback.

He then recalled what Pei Xuance had told him privately before he arrived: Qin Lie and Luo Zheng had known each other for a long time and had a close relationship, so he could tell him some inside information.

Li Hanguang composed himself and briefly recounted the events that had occurred during this period.

"Xuan Zhen!"

Halfway through the conversation, Luo Zheng paused, his hand holding the document pausing, his face showing anger.

Looking at Luo Zheng's expression, Li Hanguang thought to himself that he really was just as Pei Xuance had said—a man with a violent temper.

"Lord Luo, besides the official documents, there is another matter that needs to be reported privately."

"Speak!"

Luo Zheng was already furious halfway through the conversation, but he managed to suppress his anger, his face turning red with suppressed rage.

"Xuan Zhen and the Yellow Wind Demon King have been secretly colluding for many years. Yellow Wind Mountain has been harassing Qingzhou for decades, and the Lotus Flower Temple has always been behind it all."

"This time, Xuan Zhen entered the city and injured Governor Qin and severely wounded General Pei. If General Yang had not returned in time, the Demon Suppression Division would have been defeated by him alone."

As for Xuan Zhen himself...

He paused, then looked at Yang Xiao, "He was killed in the street by General Yang, Dao Infant was also destroyed."

These few sentences were naturally not written in the official report, but Pei Xuance had instructed them to say so.

Snap!

"How dare they!" Luo Zheng paused for a moment after hearing this, then slammed his fist on the table in anger. "We taught them a lesson back then, but I never expected them to dare to target Qingzhou again."

After a long pause, he let out a cold snort through his nose.

He reached out and pulled a blank file from the table in front of him.

I've remembered those words.

He pointed to the file. "The Qingzhou matter will be sealed in a separate file, so I'll have proof when I report to the capital later."

"Lotus Flower Temple enjoys deep religious influence in Cloud Province and has repeatedly challenged the status of the Demon Suppression Division. I will settle this score with them sooner or later!"

Li Hanguang bowed and accepted.

Yang Xiao watched from the side, nodding slightly in his heart.

This Pacification Commissioner was ultimately protecting his own people from the Demon Suppression Division, but he knew even better that the Lotus Flower Temple was a powerful force that controlled an entire continent.

To spread rumors about Xuan Zhen's collusion with the Demon King without evidence would only alert the enemy.

He remembered Pei Xuance's words of advice.

In retrospect, Pei Xuance had planned all of this step by step.

When the sky falls, there are always tall people to hold it up.

Luo Zheng flipped open the Chinese book in his hand, and after reading a few pages, his eyes couldn't help but dart towards Yang Xiao.

His tone suddenly relaxed, carrying a hint of friendly banter:

"Pei Xuance chose to succeed as the Qingzhou Governor-General, and then pinned all the credit on this young man. He probably doesn't dare to see me and wants to take the credit for himself."

This statement was half true and half false, a jest tinged with a test.

Luo Zheng didn't need them to respond; he looked up at Yang Xiao:

"Your name is Yang Xiao?"

"Yes."

The burly man stared intently at Yang Xiao with his tiger-like eyes, as if he could see right through him. "You killed the Yellow Wind Demon King all by yourself, is that true?"

"Truthfully." Yang Xiao replied calmly.

Luo Zheng stared at him for two breaths.

He didn't press Yellow Wind Demon King, about how he was killed in public, nor did he demand that he demonstrate his cultivation level on the spot. He simply nodded, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

The fact that he could single-handedly kill a Dao-Infant Realm Demon King speaks volumes.

Luo Zheng had met many young people, but Dao-Infant Realm Demon King was not someone who could be fooled by the words "extraordinarily talented."

Xuan Zhen was also Dao Infant, and according to Li Hanguang, he also died at the hands of this young man.

Just because he didn't ask doesn't mean he wasn't curious.

Seeing Luo Zheng's expression, Li Hanguang suddenly realized that the Pacification Commissioner's interest in Yang Xiao went beyond just the battle report.

"In that case," Luo Zheng placed the document on the table, "I'll have someone take it down for verification."

He gave an order, and someone from the next room came forward to collect the report and the Qi-Gathering Bottle that Yang Xiao had brought along, and sent them to the side hall for verification.

Verification takes time.

Luo Zheng didn't just sit behind his desk and wait. He got up, walked to the map, and looked at the area around Qingzhou with his hands behind his back.

On the map, several small battle report markers were densely packed around the territory of Qingzhou.

About an incense stick's time later, footsteps came from the direction of the side hall.

The elderly clerk in charge of verification, his hair and beard white, yet his hands holding the bottle were remarkably steady. He strode in, bowed, and reported back.

"Reporting to the Pacification Commissioner, the records in the documents have been compared one by one with the sealed Yao Qi, and they match perfectly."

As he finished speaking, a hint of surprise flashed in the old clerk's eyes.

The sheer number of Demon King auras collected from Qingzhou is not surprising; what is surprising is the extremely short time intervals between them.

How astonishing that they were able to wipe out the Demon Plague from an entire continent in just a few months!

"The relevant physical evidence can be sealed up."

"Knew."

Luo Zheng then turned around and looked at Yang Xiao, this time scrutinizing him carefully.

A newly promoted Dao Infant does not necessarily mean that one can stand alone.

However, the battle reports and the Yao Qi corroborated each other, coupled with the achievements of clearing out the Demon King of various prefectures along the way and rushing back to Qingzhou to kill the Yellow Wind Demon King, as well as Pei Xuance's recommendation.

Only when the three were stacked together did he vaguely confirm that the young man in front of him seemed capable of doing some things for him.

Luo Zheng sat down again, but his hands slowed down when he flipped through the documents.

He found the records of Demon Plague in Qingzhou over the years.

Qin Lie was seriously injured and fell into a coma. The generals of the Thirteen Commanderies were each holding their ground and were in a difficult standoff, with none of them able to spare any time.

It's incredible that Qingzhou, in such a state, has held out for so long and managed to fight its way out.

Snap!

Luo Zheng closed the book, a look of emotion appearing in his eyes.

"It's truly remarkable that Qingzhou has managed to hold on until now, given the current situation."

These words, though not harsh, weighed heavier on Li Hanguang's ears than any praise.

His throat bobbed, and his eyes welled up with tears for a moment.

The Demon Plague in Qingzhou was relentless, and petitions for help were sent out one after another without a reply. The Deputy General were trapped with no way to break through, unable to even find a suitable Treasure Ground to gather spiritual energy. Even Pei Xuance had to resort to using Demon Core to force his way through...

One thing after another weighed heavily on his shoulders, making his days and nights unbearable. But hearing those words finally eased his mind a little.

"Lord Luo..."

"Hmm?" Luo Zheng sensed he had more to say, and tapped his fingers twice on the table. "Speak your mind, don't beat around the bush."

Li Hanguang took a deep breath.

He took another stack of old documents from his pocket and placed them on the table.

The paper is yellowed and the edges are worn and frayed, but the Qingzhou seal on it is still clear.

This stack contains the records of Qingzhou's various requests for assistance.

I want to ask...

Li Hanguang mustered his courage and spoke, his voice almost questioning, cold and hard.

"Qingzhou has sought help from Cuiyun Circuit nearly ten times in the past, why has no one ever come?"

"Cuiyun Circuit still have any regard for Qingzhou?"