The cavalry slowed slightly at the city gate. The general's gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over the waiting crowd.
When his eyes passed over Lu Changfeng's carriage, they lingered noticeably.
Lu Changfeng had an exceptional bearing. Though Qing Dai beside him was dressed as a maid, her cool elegance was impossible to conceal, and an extraordinarily majestic white parrot perched on his shoulder. Amid the motley crowd at the gate, they truly stood out like a crane among chickens.
The general reined in his warhorse and raised a hand to halt his men. Turning his mount, he rode toward Lu Changfeng. He did not dismount, but studied Lu Changfeng from above before cupping his fist in greeting.
"I am Lin Xiong, a deputy general of the Youzhou Governor's Office. You have an uncommon bearing, sir, but yours is an unfamiliar face. Where have you come from, and what business brings you to Youzhou?"
His tone was hardly courteous. He was distinctly wary.
Lu Changfeng did not mind. Border generals did not defend cities and protect their people by being gentle and refined.
Remaining calm, Lu Changfeng returned the greeting. "I am Yun Fan, from Dengzhou. I heard that horses and pelts fetch favorable prices in Youzhou, so I came to try my luck." He casually invented an identity as a merchant.
Lin Xiong's thick brows rose slightly. Clearly, he did not quite believe him.
Though Lu Changfeng's clothes were not particularly lavish, his composure and the unusual companions around him were beyond any ordinary traveling merchant. Still, Lin Xiong did not expose him immediately. He merely said gravely, "A merchant, then. Youzhou has been anything but peaceful lately. Bandits run rampant, and a Demonic Cultivator has been causing trouble. Several entire households have been slaughtered in succession. Every