Defending the City
The news that Jimo Hong had finally confessed his crimes and would soon lead the Jimo Household head and his entourage to Eternal Night City for a punitive expedition quickly spread throughout the entire Rizhao City.
Along with this, what reached Sang Ying's ears was also the elder of Ten Thousand Daos Born.
Elder Xiao, who was specially dispatched to investigate Wen Heyu's disappearance, was an old acquaintance of Sang Ying. Jimo Qing still remembered his previous words clearly.
Therefore, when the other party came to his door, Jimo Qing greeted them politely, but he remained vigilant and refused to let Sang Ying have any contact with them.
Fortunately, Elder Xiao did not insist, because in his view, Sang Ying would become Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciple sooner or later.
Although I can't see Sang Ying, it's still easy to see Wen Heyu.
When Elder Xiao saw his long-lost disciple, he barely recognized him at first glance.
The young man was no longer as flamboyant and unrestrained as before; his cheeks were thinner, and his figure was much more slender, clearly showing that he had suffered a lot.
But there was not a trace of resentment in the other person's gaze; instead, it was full of surprise.
"Uncle-Master Xiao, what brings you here?" Wen Heyu was indeed surprised; he hadn't expected the sect to send Elder Xiao to find him.
After all, the other party was a Soul Leaving Stage Immortal Spirit Realm Soul Leaving Stage cultivators.
Elder Xiao patted his disciple's shoulder, feeling the hard bones beneath his clothes, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "Uncle-Master is late, I'm sorry you suffered."
Wen Heyu grew up in Ten Thousand Daos Born and was watched by everyone as he grew up. He was a spirited young man before he left home, but after traveling for a while, he has become like this, which would make anyone sad.
But Wen Heyu comforted him instead, saying, "I didn't suffer; on the contrary, I was very lucky. If I hadn't gone through this ordeal, how would I have had the opportunity to temper my character? Besides, compared to those who perished in the spirit mine, it's already a blessing that I returned unharmed."
Wen Heyu spoke sincerely, which moved Elder Xiao deeply.
"It seems this trip has really helped you grow a lot!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, right," Elder Xiao suddenly remembered, "the Jimo Household will soon be heading to Eternal Night City to punish the villains, and you're involved in this matter too. Why don't you come with us?"
Elder Xiao had already thought it through. Wen Heyu had suffered a great loss this time, and as his elder, it would be unreasonable for him not to seek justice for him.
It's good to bring Wen Heyu along; it can also be considered as giving him some experience.
But upon hearing this, Wen Heyu suddenly frowned. "Uncle-Master, are all the people going to the campaign against the Jimo Household? If everyone leaves, won't Rizhao City be..."
Elder Xiao smiled, "The Jimo Household head has naturally considered these things long ago. This time, he and Jimo Qing will both be going to Eternal Night City, so the affairs of Rizhao City will be handled by his dao companion wife, Madam Yinqiu, and his daughter. With the assistance of the elders, I don't think there will be any major trouble."
"The daughter of the Jimo Household head? When did he have a daughter?" Wen Heyu had never heard that Jimo Qing had a younger sister.
Elder Xiao explained, "You've met that girl before; she's the one who rescued you from the mine."
It was because he had heard about this that he snatched the opportunity to visit Rizhao City from the elders.
He thought he would finally get to see Miss Ji Mo, but the young master treated him like a thief.
Thinking of this, Elder Xiao sighed inwardly. He didn't consider himself a monster; he just wanted to take Miss Ji Mo into Ten Thousand Daos Born.
Upon Elder Xiao mentioning this matter, Wen Heyu immediately became excited. "So it was the young lady from the Jimo Household who saved me?! No wonder, I knew such a powerful young cultivator couldn't be a Wuming."
"Elder, you must thank Miss Ji Mo properly for me, otherwise I'm afraid I would have perished in the mine long ago!" Wen Heyu said hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, Elder Xiao readily agreed, even though he couldn't possibly meet Sang Ying at the moment.
After discussing Sang Ying, the uncle and nephew on one side turned to talk about Eternal Night City. Meanwhile, Sang Ying and the others on the other side also mentioned this strange and dangerous city.
"Just like its name, Eternal Night City is perpetually shrouded in a dark cloud, and the people within its walls never see the sunlight, as if they are forever trapped in the night."
"That place was originally a no-man's-land, belonging to none of the three states. The city was a melting pot of all sorts of people, mostly Evil Cultivator. It wasn't until a cultivator who had mistakenly entered this place from the Black Tortoise Realm used ruthless methods to subdue several powerful figures in the city and then subdue many forces that Eternal Night City was able to temporarily find peace."
The head of the Jimo Household took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "After that, I don't know how that cultivator got to know the leader of the Mara Gate. The two seemed to be of the same ilk and quickly became friends. As a result, Eternal Night City was also incorporated into Yao Zhou and began to be under the jurisdiction of the Mara Gate."
"Although it's called jurisdiction, in reality, the Mara Gate doesn't dare to restrain the people of Eternal Night City at all. The two sides are merely mutually dependent and subservient to each other," Jimo Qing added at the opportune moment.
Fu Yinqiu already knew this information, and the reason the father and son were explaining it in such detail was simply to help Sang Ying understand more.
Seeing that Sang Ying nodded to indicate that she understood, the Jimo Household head continued, "This campaign against Eternal Night City is, on the one hand, to seek justice for the innocent people in my city, and on the other hand, to curb the continuous expansion of Eternal Night City. In the past few years, with the support of the Mara Gate, they have developed rapidly and are no longer just a menace to one region."
If the people of Eternal Night City had simply stayed in their own city and harmed their own people, the head of the Jimo Household would naturally have been too lazy to meddle. But the other side had already extended their reach into Rizhao City and intended to expand their influence into Spirit Prefecture.
This was something the head of the Jimo Household could not tolerate. Not only did he not want to tolerate it, he was determined to cut off the other party's outstretched hand before he was satisfied!
"But the people in Eternal Night City are all formidable, so we will be taking a large number of people with us this time. At that time, Rizhao City will probably be under-defended, so you and your wife will have to guard it together." The head of the Jimo Household then slowly revealed his intentions.
Sang Ying was stunned, almost unable to believe what the other person had said, "You're going to hand this city over to Madam and me?"
The head of the Jimo Household nodded. "Although you refuse to call us father and mother, everyone in the city now knows that you are the eldest daughter of the Jimo Household, so the task of defending the city should naturally be entrusted to you."
The family of three nodded earnestly, which made Sang Ying seem rather odd.
Before Sang Ying could even refuse, Jimo Qing said, "If we leave, Mother will be left to fend for herself alone. If she encounters trouble, it might be difficult to resolve. We know that with your personality, you will definitely lend a hand, but if you act as a guest, you probably won't be able to gain the respect of the people. It would be better for you to stay as the young lady, guard this Rizhao City, and wait for our triumphant return!"
Sang Ying opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a rebuttal.
Jimo Qing's considerations were not without merit. She had received so much kindness from the Jimo Household, and she was only staying to guard the city. It would be inappropriate to refuse at this time.
Sang Ying thought for a moment and then agreed, "This matter is of utmost importance, so I will temporarily borrow your young lady's identity. Please rest assured, Master, I will certainly obey Madam's orders and defend Rizhao City well!"
The three people opposite her all smiled with satisfaction, but Sang Ying couldn't see the smugness of their successful scheme hidden beneath those smiles.