Before long, Li Ling and Zhou Cheng arrived at the residence beneath the gate tower. Sure enough, five cultivators-four men and one woman-were seated in the hall.
Lu Wencheng was already receiving them there. When he saw Li Ling, he hurried over and handed him the tokens the cultivators had presented.
"Prince Consort, these are the five immortal masters' credentials. The royal family commissioned them to guard the pass. More extraordinary talents will be arriving in the coming days to lend their support."
Li Ling inspected the tokens, returned them to Lu Wencheng, and looked at the five visitors.
Seeing Li Ling and Zhou Cheng arrive, all five rose to their feet. Their leader, a graying man past fifty, ventured, "You two fellow Daoists are...?"
Lu Wencheng said, "This is our Mystic Xin Kingdom's Prince Consort, husband to the Pacifying-the-Kingdom Grand Princess. Over the past few days, he, the Grand Princess, and their fellow disciples have been guarding this place. This is Immortal Master Zhou from Mystic Xin Peak."
"So you are Prince Consort Li of the Mystic Xin Kingdom and Fellow Daoist Zhou from Spirit Peak!" The older man cupped his hands and said with a smile, "We hail from Crouching Mountain and call ourselves its rogue cultivators. Our fellow Daoists in the cultivation markets have graciously bestowed on us the fine title of the Fushan Five Friends. I am Jiang Binghua. My greetings to you both."
After he finished, a burly, middle-aged rogue cultivator to his left clasped his fists. "I am Shi Yuan."
To Shi Yuan's left stood a refined, middle-aged man in green robes. He cupped his hands in greeting. "I am Fang Lisong."
To Fang Lisong's left stood a sword cultivator with a keen air and a longsword on his back. He nodded slightly. "I