Chapter 283: City Lord Ying Dongqing (Please Subscribe)

The few Nascent Soul stage cultivators in the inner city of Changle City had a rough time during the previous rectification; they had nearly been dragged off to the front lines as cannon fodder together. Currently, they were still in a state of stress, which is why they vied to be the first to speak.

They were terrified that their attitude might be deemed insufficient, that they would be seen as cowardly or avoiding battle, unwilling to contribute to the Immortal Sect, or failing to consider the sect's interests, and thus be sent to the front lines as convicts!

Of course, to say they didn't think this way at all would be a lie, but in ordinary times, they wouldn't be so obviously agitated or so blatant.

Zhang Qing, however, managed to discern a certain flavor from that calm face. He hurriedly waved his hand to interrupt the clamor of his confidants, then spoke with a humble air: "Traveling Inspector Du, actually, the sect does give them opportunities; it is they who failed to grasp them!"

"Oh?"

"As you have surely seen, both inside and outside this city, there are people holding various posts, working silently without having to suffer on the battlefield, and they basically all came out of the towns outside the city or the individual rooms in the inner city!"

"Can the outstanding ones be kept?"

Du En had actually noticed that even the laborers outside the city possessed the level of ordinary third-rate cultivators, and by the time one reached the inner city, even the worst were at a second-rate level.

"Exactly so. As long as they don't wallow in self-pity but instead strive to forge ahead and seize their chance at life, they can actually avoid the fate of being shipped to the battlefield."

"The rules and regulations are all laid out there! But they just won't listen; all day long they only want to cry and make a fuss. It would be better to learn from me: seize the opportunity from the very beginning and silently accumulate strength."

"Oh, look, those few over there, they truly understand the crux of the matter. They cultivate consciously, racing against time, and even go to the city's training grounds to hone their techniques for combat and the like. This is the righteous path!"

Following Zhang Qing's gesture, one could indeed see buildings in the distance whose forms appeared normal and were not shrouded in hallucinogenic green smoke or incense.

At this moment, someone was just exiting one of these buildings, their movements hurried but their eyes resolute.

Du En withdrew his gaze and looked only at the expression on Chief Steward Zhang's face.

They choose to degenerate, what can I do?

That was, by and large, the expression.

Then, seemingly feeling it wasn't enough, Zhang Qing continued: "Also, I don't know if you are aware, Traveling Inspector Du, but our Immortal Sect is actually quite humane!"

"Take the Rotten Forest Immortal Sect, for instance; I hear they directly refine people into puppets. In the past, when we fought them, the battlefield was full of trees, and in the woods, there were puppet-people mixed in who were just like wood—impossible to guard against, extremely insidious!"

"And that Fu Dong Immortal Sect, wearing furs and carrying armor, they simply raise and torture people like demonic beasts. It is purely the conduct of the Demonic Path; they simply do not treat human life as anything at all!"

If his words were true, then in this competition of who is the least rotten, the Falling Feather Immortal Sect was actually made to look quite decent. At the very least, people still looked like human beings, and as long as one gritted their teeth and worked hard, there was still a glimmer of light ahead.

Of course, this glimmer of light was undoubtedly a filter, meant to sift out the outstanding talents for other uses—a disguised form of exploitation. Their essential situation remained unchanged; when the time came that they were needed on the battlefield, they basically wouldn't be able to escape.

Du En lowered his gaze slightly, showing no reaction.

This left Zhang Qing and the others unable to discern his specific thoughts. For a moment, they felt it was tricky and dared not say anything more, merely maintaining a friendly atmosphere as they escorted him to the City Lord's Mansion.

The City Lord of Changle, Ying Dongqing, had already been waiting here for quite some time.

She was fair-skinned and beautiful, with a tall figure, dressed in an elegant palace gown. Her standing posture was like a plum blossom standing in the cold; her demeanor leaned toward the serious, though not to the point of coldness, appearing strictly professional, with a faint trace of worry between her brows.

Clearly, she also had some misgivings in her heart regarding Du En's sudden visit.

They exchanged greetings and pleasantries.

"Chief Steward Zhang, you may stop here. I will receive Traveling Inspector Du from here on."

In short, first dismiss the idle bystanders.

Zhang Qing, truly unable to gauge Du En's intentions, immediately let out a long sigh of relief. He stated that he had other matters to attend to and hurriedly left with his subordinates and confidants.

Only the two of them remained on the spot.

Ying Dongqing gestured with her hand and turned to lead the way.

Du En followed her into the City Lord's Mansion.

The layout here was basically identical to that of the small cities and border towns; there was nothing worth noting. He felt as if he had returned to his own home, perfectly familiar with the path.

"City Lord Ying, is there anyone else here?"

As expected!

Nothing good ever happens when he arrives!

Hearing Du En's words, Ying Dongqing immediately appeared prepared. With a light lift of her slender finger, the defensive measures of the City Lord's Mansion manifested and began to operate right before his eyes, a posture indicating that if there were important matters, he could speak plainly.

Thus, Du En spoke bluntly, recounting how he had been entrusted by the Great Cultivator Yun Yi, and how he had been ambushed during his travels not long ago.

Hearing this, Ying Dongqing could not help but widen her beautiful eyes slightly, her red lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something but stopped. Finally, she just rested her fingers on her temples and gave a bitter smile: "Since this is such a major matter involving the infiltration of Fu Dong, why were you still leisurely admiring the scenery of this city?"

She really couldn't help but complain, yet she also felt a sense of relief.

The complaint was naturally due to the aforementioned reason, and the relief was because it meant there was no problem within her own city, which was fine.

Having just finished being rectified, if something else were to go wrong in the blink of an eye, she feared her time as City Lord would be at an end!

Du En took out the pig-faced mask and handed it to the City Lord, speaking methodically: "Because no matter what, it would take quite some time for me to rush to Changle, and that would already be enough for the enemy to react. Therefore, whether I arrived a little earlier or later actually makes no difference."

"... The opponent is an infiltration team from the Fu Dong Immortal Sect, so that is not wrong. However, never mind; in my report, I will not specifically point it out."

Ying Dongqing felt somewhat helpless.

Du En dared to act according to the situation like this, but she could not. Therefore, saying this here was not to curry favor, but a slight probe.

Could it be that this person wanted to target her?

Although they had no grudges in the past, she was, after all, the lord of a middle city with sufficient information channels. Vaguely, she had already learned that Du En seemed to be a person from Meng Changqing's side.

That faction was most weary of the struggle for hegemony, and recently, due to the rectification, the performance of Changle City had clearly leaned toward what True Monarch Zhuding wished to see.

So, at this moment, she was afraid that Du En had originally come in a hurry, but upon seeing the situation in the towns outside the city and the interior of the city, he had deliberately slowed his pace.

It didn't matter if he was slow, but if she reported it truthfully, the Hub City might feel that she was not sensitive or alert enough, that she didn't rush out to welcome him the moment she heard he was coming, thereby "wasting" time and causing a delay in the war effort!

"City Lord Ying need not overthink it."

Du En answered very calmly, letting her stare at him secretly, yet she could not discern his specific thoughts.

(End of chapter)