Chapter 2263

When he first met He Lingchuan back then, Dong Rui's ghost ape happened to attack, and he blocked a blow for Lady Ying, getting injured himself.

Afterward, He Lingchuan visited him, bringing as thanks not only Lady Ying's mutton-fat white jade but also two packs of strawberries and one pack of large red dates.

Sun Hongye sat down and casually popped a strawberry into his mouth.

Very sweet, with a milky fragrance.

After all these years, the Nine Nether Great Emperor still remembers this small matter, hasn't forgotten this old friend of his.

After the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, a flash of light appeared on the empty ground outside the door, and the Haoyuan Golden Mirror manifested.

Sun Hongye saw the tree shadows swaying outside the eaves, as if someone had arrived, and the two guards also bent over in salute:

"Your Majesty!"

Then they withdrew.

Sun Hongye hastily rose to his feet, just as a mountain breeze blew by, and he saw someone stride leisurely across the threshold, as if riding the wind.

That figure, that dragon's stride and tiger's step, truly matched his memory exactly.

Sun Hongye dared not stare, bowed his head and knelt: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Though the other party was clearly still a zhang away, he bent his waist and stretched out his hand, and He Lingchuan supported his arm:

"No need. Sit!"

Sun Hongye sat down instinctively, his body reacting faster than his thoughts, leaving even himself startled.

Though He Lingchuan intentionally restrained himself, the Nine Nether Great Emperor's dignity still unconsciously overflowed.

Sun Hongye kept his back straight, his posture proper yet somewhat stiff.

The person before him looked familiar, but he understood this was no longer the son of the border guard of the Yan Kingdom from those days, but the reincarnated dragon god, slaughter-god and demon-slayer, the Nine Nether Great Emperor who unified the entire Flash Gold Plains!

Based solely on these magnificent achievements, anyone on this plain would be enough to make them kneel before him.

Especially He Lingchuan's gaze, though calm, made him feel somewhat uneasy.

Sun Hongye had imagined countless times how he would react upon seeing the Nine Nether Great Emperor, but when this day truly came, he still had sweaty palms, a hot back, and not a single line of his prepared remarks proved useful.

It was He Lingchuan who spoke first:

"Not seen in over ten years, you've darkened, and grown thin."

Sun Hongye choked up momentarily, with myriad feelings in his heart.

The last time they met, both were under twenty, full of vigor, kindred spirits.

Upon reuniting, both had passed the age of thirty. One had become the Nine Nether Great Emperor, famed throughout the world; the other wandered the world, drifted to the ends of the earth.

The world changes, people rise and fall.

In the end, all he could say was: "Your Majesty's bearing surpasses bygone days."

"When did I ever have any bearing?" He Lingchuan laughed. Sun Hongye, when he served under him, was still a spoiled playboy, merely to avoid letting He Chuanhua suspect too much. "Back then, one had to watch people's expressions and act accordingly."

The Sun Hongye before him now had deep-set eyes, skin clinging to bone, having lost the youthful exuberance, gaining steadiness and depth instead.

Sun Hongye sighed: "In the blink of an eye, over ten years have rushed by, and nothing remains as it once was."

Alas, it is all the polishing of time.

He Lingchuan glanced over and immediately knew Sun Hongye also had cultivation, and not weak: "You've also cultivated divine abilities?"

For cultivators, gaze, bearing, and gait differ from ordinary people.

"I only know the basics, just to strengthen the body."

With the revival of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, a cultivation craze has arisen in the mortal world. Those previously unable to cultivate due to low spiritual energy levels now have a chance to try.

Even if they cannot achieve perfection, at least they can cultivate a strong body, free from myriad illnesses, greatly benefiting themselves.

He Lingchuan casually picked up a strawberry and tossed it into his mouth: "Over all these years, you truly gave me a hard time finding you. I only thought you had gone east to Between Between Between Beijia or Mu State, never expecting you to have gone south."

How vast heaven and earth are—even for the Nine Nether Great Emperor, whose power shakes heaven, to find a nameless person is no easy task.

"After leaving the Yan Kingdom, I first went to Between Between Between Beijia, where I worked in the county office of Tongya County in Baoshu State, and after two years was promoted to county registrar, still doing clerical work."

He Lingchuan nodded. He had visited the Baoshu Monster State, knowing the county registrar is an aide personally selected by the county magistrate, but the position is low, not even comparable to a county commandant.

"That county town is not large, but the paperwork is extremely tedious; often a minor official matter requires seven or eight sets of documents, and handling affairs in the county involves lengthy procedures, difficult approvals, and slow speed. The county magistrate also lacks diligence; I gave him two suggestions, which he dismissed as wind in the ears, later regretted when the chance passed, and shouted at me for several scoldings. I originally didn't want to continue, but going to Between Between Between Beijia was not easy, so I thought to persevere a bit longer."

Saying this, Sun Hongye suddenly realized: "Ah, I shouldn't be saying these trivial details, wasting the Emperor's time!"

How precious is the Nine Nether Great Emperor's time? To describe it as 'an inch of time is an inch of gold' still falls short.

"No, no, just go on." He Lingchuan listened quite attentively.

"Well... during my time as county registrar, I discovered some things in the county accounts were falsified, unable to withstand scrutiny. Just then, the Baoshu King suddenly ordered a rectification of officialdom, investigating corruption, training horses and troops."

"Was the Tongya County Magistrate caught in this storm?"

"Yes, the higher-ups always need to catch some people to report to their superiors. The Tongya County Magistrate's weakness had probably long been grasped by someone, and within three days three groups of troops arrived, nearly turning the county office upside down."

"You must have slipped away beforehand?" Otherwise, how could there be intact eggs under a collapsing nest?

"The Emperor knows me." Sun Hongye scratched his head, "When the first group of troops entered the county office, they didn't pay much attention to me, so I slipped away that very day. Before leaving, I shot an order-arrow into their courtyard, tying the account-book evidence pages to the arrowhead."

"After about a month, I heard the Tongya County Office had been completely cleaned out from top to bottom, personnel replaced. However, my wanted notice was also posted up, suggesting they still needed to find a few scapegoats. My 'fleeing to avoid punishment' fits just right."

"So you just left Between Between Between Beijia?"

"Without looking back." Being hunted by the northern monster state, this psychological pressure was still great; Sun Hongye wished to stay as far away from it as possible.

He Lingchuan laughed: "No wonder you're my strategist—just like me, you're also wanted by Between Between Between Beijia."

Sun Hongye immediately nodded: "Indeed, sharing in the honor. But you're first on the Heavenly List; how could I compare?"

He knew this matter.

"However, the wanted notice on the Emperor's person has long been canceled." Even if Between Between Between Beijia hadn't actively canceled it back then, now they would feign deafness and muteness. Wanting to warrant a nation's leader only makes the warrant itself foolish.

"Later I wandered southward, stayed in a sect for a while, stayed in a small state for a while, and encountered bandits four or five times. The most absurd was that I had just entered the Tongming Sect for less than three days when it suffered an invasion by the Baiyi State. Fortunately, I again left quickly; the Tongming Sect was beaten into a sorry state, heard to have finally evacuated the entire sect."

"So you were in the Tongming Sect back then." He Lingchuan remarked, "What a coincidence—before Between Between Between Beijia's major attack on Mu State, they first incited their subordinate forces to attack Mu State's allies. You suffered as a fish in the pond."