Chapter 1591: Mutual Probing

Since the Tiangong's Cloud Envoy had arrived in person, the Goddess Temple naturally had to send people to escort him; this was the bare minimum of etiquette. Bai Ziqi dismounted, not standing on ceremony: "As expected of He Xiao, you are no nobody wherever you go."

He Lingchuan replied: "The magpies were chirping non-stop before the sun even rose this morning, and I couldn't drive them away no matter what. Aha, so it turns out a distinguished guest was arriving!"

With this small bit of flattery, the two looked at each other and smiled, while the other officials stepped forward to pay their respects.

Bai Ziqi nodded casually and asked He Lingchuan: "What official position do you hold here?"

"Just a minor Upper Deliberation Councilor, not worth mentioning."

"Councilor" itself was a nominal title, and adding "Upper Deliberation" didn't change its essence. Bai Ziqi said "Oh": "No salary?"

"None, none at all, pure volunteer work." He Lingchuan joked, "Can Envoy Bai speak to the King on my behalf and get me some wages, at least?"

Including You Rongzhi, the officials felt slightly awkward. In this massive expansion project in the eastern suburbs, He Xiao was indeed a unique existence; he held no rank or title and took no money, yet he had the final say on everything.

But the fact that he truly took no money made the Yao Kingdom look stingy in front of the Tiangong's noble envoy.

Especially since Bai Ziqi laughed with extra heartiness: "No problem, I will definitely help you get your wages back."

No matter how straightforward his nature was, after staying in the Tiangong for so long, he knew how to read the room. Just now, it was He Xiao who led the officials out to welcome him, and it was he who stood in front of everyone, speaking with Bai Ziqi first.

Leading the crowd, taking priority—such vocabulary was generally only applied to a leader. If He Xiao only held a nominal title, how did he manage to have other officials treat him as their head? Even though he had heard Qingyang mention it in the palace earlier, seeing it with his own eyes now, he still found it very interesting.

He Lingchuan faced Gangxi and, together with You Rongzhi, made an inviting gesture: "Welcome, Envoy Bai, to come and provide guidance."

Bai Ziqi truly followed him inside. Those dozens of guards all remained outside the courtyard, with only You Rongzhi, the Tiangong's attendants, and Bai Qi following by his side. Of course, the officials of the project surrounded them in the middle.

Wang Fubao observed carefully and didn't see the guards dispersing to block the back door, so his heart settled slightly.

Were they really here to tour the construction site? He glanced at the great river.

Now, his master was less than ten zhang away from the river water. If anything were to happen, they could immediately use force to clear a path and then jump into the river to escape.

A big fellow was still lurking in the river, waiting to provide cover.

This was the significance of He Lingchuan choosing to receive Bai Ziqi by the riverside.

It wasn't necessarily that they couldn't win a fight, but it wasn't necessary.

Upon entering the project office, You Rongzhi summoned the sand table to explain the construction of the new city to Bai Ziqi.

He also knew what Bai Ziqi wanted to hear, so after a few sentences explaining the overall plan, he focused on introducing Miao Zhantian's new shrine, describing everything in detail from the site selection and design to the materials used.

As a divine envoy of the Tiangong, wasn't his greatest concern the construction of the shrine?

Bai Ziqi listened attentively, asking questions occasionally, which You Rongzhi and the officials answered in detail. As for the landslide that occurred this morning, no one asked and no one mentioned it.

He Lingchuan didn't compete with them for these superficial tasks, instead falling behind to listen silently.

To others, it looked like he wasn't vying for credit or showing off, but the real reason He Lingchuan roamed the periphery was to guard against a sudden attack by the palace guards.

Of course, on the surface, he had poured a cup of warm water and was leaning against a wooden platform to watch the fun, looking completely relaxed and at ease.

The wooden platform was right by the window.

Outside the window was a pine forest, and behind the pine forest was the rushing river water.

Bai Ziqi looked over twice, and he even raised his cup and smiled.

The questions that needed to be asked were asked, and the things that needed to be seen were seen. Bai Ziqi also visited two completed sites in person, and only then did this inspection conclude.

With the process finished, You Rongzhi eagerly invited him to stay for a meal, but Bai Ziqi politely declined and said to He Lingchuan: "Shall we go for a walk by the river?"

Once these words were out, He Lingchuan finally felt relieved.

"I would be honored to comply."

If Envoy Bai wanted to stroll by the river, then there would be no idlers there, only guards following step by step.

It was getting dark, and the early winter wind was already cold and hard. Bai Ziqi took a deep breath of the crisp air: "He Xiao, I have heard your name everywhere I went along this journey."

Your name? He Lingchuan pondered these words. Was Bai Ziqi referring to him, He Xiao, or the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds?

In reality, these two terms could be heard everywhere on the Flash Gold Plain now:

The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce and the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds.

He maintained his smile: "Envoy Bai is too kind."

Bai Ziqi sighed with emotion: "After the Elixir of Immortality case ended, I thought you would stay in the Chi Yan Kingdom. I didn't expect you to travel ten thousand miles away and create such a situation."

"Only in muddy waters can one catch fish; only in a land of great chaos can one find opportunities. If I had stayed in Beijia, I would still be living under someone else's roof, having to struggle to climb up step by step like everyone else."

Beijia's system had been in use for six hundred years; to put it nicely, it was mature, but to put it bluntly, it was ossified. Even for talented people, the path to promotion was still as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"I originally wanted to say that with your achievements, you could have climbed a bit faster." Bai Ziqi was also within the system and felt deeply about this, "But looking at what you have done on the Flash Gold Plain, this is true freedom and ease. Your choice was not wrong."

"Thank you for the praise." He Lingchuan kicked a pebble away by the river, "What major matter could labor Envoy Bai to travel personally to the Flash Gold Plain?"

Bai Ziqi pondered slightly.

He Lingchuan immediately said: "Stop, stop, just pretend I didn't ask. Whatever Envoy Bai is handling must be a major matter for the Tiangong."

"It is no harm to tell you." Bai Ziqi said instead, "I am under orders to investigate the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds."

This instantly confirmed all of He Lingchuan's previous conjectures.

The Heavenly Gods were indeed very concerned about the "Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds."

After Bai Ziqi finished this sentence, he subconsciously observed He Lingchuan's facial expression carefully.

But he only saw a little surprise on the other's face: "For such a figure, you could actually labor Envoy Bai to make the trip!"

He Xiao's demeanor was that of someone uninvolved but wanting to watch the fun.

"This person has all kinds of supernatural phenomena attached to him, and is also revered by the common people as a god-man. He Xiao, what is your take?"

"A god-man?" He Lingchuan shook his head and laughed, "I mentioned this when chatting with the nobles of the Yao Kingdom. This is a human, not a god. At most, his cultivation is a bit deeper, and his movements are a bit more hidden."

"Your Yangshan Chamber of Commerce is spread throughout the west and center of the Flash Gold Plain. Have you had any dealings with the Great Emperor of the Nine Netherworlds or the Black Armored Army?"

The Soul-Consuming Mirror couldn't help but shout: "Hey, hey, why is he specifically emphasizing this point?"

"Some of my managers and clerks have reported that they have seen the Black Armored Army fighting, but they have never spoken to them, only seen them from afar a few times." He Lingchuan answered carefully, "However, many teams have recently popped up on the Flash Gold Plain acting in the name of the Black Armored Army, so they might not be able to effectively distinguish them."

"Yes, I have investigated all the way here, and there is ineffective information everywhere."

He Lingchuan expressed his curiosity appropriately: "From what the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce has seen, uprisings everywhere on the Flash Gold Plain are becoming a prairie fire. How does Envoy Bai distinguish which are fakes looking to loot, and which are the true actions of the Black Armored Army?" ===== CHAPTER 1592 =====