Chapter 987: Hantai Catfish, opportunity for cleansing

*Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling. *

The bells collided.

The big horse stopped in the middle of the road and refused to move forward. Its hairy tail lifted, and a steaming pile of horse dung fell to the ground. The half-stinky, half-green livestock smell drifted out. The dung soon froze hard, but the smell lingered for a long time.

Unlike Cha Qing was used to it. He exhaled through his nostrils and carried half a side of mutton home.

Half a year of life, diligent study.

It was impossible to say there was no accent, but as long as the locals slowed down their speaking speed and didn't say any professional terms, normal life communication was no problem.

*Creak. *

Opening the courtyard door, Unlike Cha Qing smelled a rich aroma of spices and felt dissatisfied.

"I haven't come back yet, why did you start eating?"

"What is he jabbering about?"

"Asking why we started eating. Before you came, Lord, we used the Snow Mountain language for daily communication to learn it as quickly as possible. Today, Brother Unlike Cha Qing went to buy meat."

Unlike Cha Qing was shocked to hear his native language inside the house and pushed the door open.

The house was lively. A large copper pot was bubbling and rolling, emitting rolling heat. The table was covered with fresh vegetables, mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, and water tofu brought from somewhere. The aroma was appetizing.

Liang Qu, Long Long Eying, Long Long Binglin, and even a bald monk he didn't recognize, along with Fan Fan Zixuan and Kou Zhuang, were sitting around, totaling six people. There were also two water otters on the side. The house looked a bit crowded.

"My Lord!" Unlike Cha Qing suppressed his excitement and bowed respectfully.

"Come, sit down and eat together." Liang Qu moved the stool to make room. "We brought the vegetables. They were picked from Pingyang Prefecture this morning. We were just waiting for your beef and mutton to go into the pot. I've long heard that the beef and mutton in the Great Northwest are good, but I haven't had much chance to taste them."

Tatta Kai stepped forward to take the beef and mutton, took a dagger and green wolf, and quickly sliced the meat into the pot.

Unlike Cha Qing was incomparably excited, but still incoherent: "My Lord, when did you arrive?"

"Arrived yesterday. The boat didn't dock, and no one knew. It took a while to find you three. Don't be excited, sit down and chat. How is life in Hantai? Are you adapting? How is your local language?"

Unlike Cha Qing calmed his emotions: "Not adapting. Hantai is drier and stuffier than Pingyang. It's harder to breathe than in Pingyang. The cold miasma near the Blue Lake is too powerful. Local language communication is fine."

"Just hypoxia." Liang Qu picked up a piece of meat.

"Hypoxia?"

"It's nothing. Continue. I've also just finished exchanging pleasantries with Kou Zhuang and Fan Zixuan. We haven't talked about business yet. Let me listen carefully to your results over the past half year."

The three of them looked solemn.

The two looked at each other, and finally, it was Unlike Cha Qing who summarized.

"Hantai Prefecture leans against the Blue Lake in the Southwest. Crossing it is the Great Snow Mountain range. The Northeast connects to the Thousand-Tent Plain, which is the winter pasture of the Red Bone Tribe of the Northern Court. The Red Bone Tribe belongs to one of the large tribes of the Northern Court, the Naiman, which is the tribe of Haruhan, who competed with you in the Imperial Capital in the past."

"Hmm, I remember."

"The actual controller of Hantai Prefecture is the Bai family. The Bai family's successive patriarchs have all been the Prefecture Lords of Hantai Prefecture, third rank. The current patriarch is Bai Bai Mingzhe, a second-realm Perfected Form, a Grandmaster."

"Wait a minute." Liang Qu scalded two rolls of mutton, dripping soup, and raised a question: "Is he appointed as Prefecture Lord first, then became patriarch, or became patriarch first, then became Prefecture Lord?"

"Became patriarch first."

Liang Qu was shocked and suspicious: "How can this be? Whoever is the Prefecture Lord, doesn't that mean the Bai family has the final say?"

Generally, a Prefect is fourth rank, which is not enough to be called a Prefecture Lord.

Only special places, such as Pingyang Prefecture in Southern Zhili, Heyuan Prefecture in Saibei, and Hantai Prefecture, which involve military importance, have Prefects two levels higher, which is third rank. Only then can they be called "Prefecture Lord." The Prefecture Lord needs to be both civil and military, and his power is much greater than that of an ordinary Prefect.

With this status, plus the Hantai Pass, let the Bai family decide for themselves?

Unlike Cha Qing explained helplessly: "My Lord, the Bai family was actually not inserted by our dynasty later. They are a mixed-blood of the Snow Mountain, Central Plains, and Northern Court, and have been rooted in Hantai Prefecture for a thousand years. Their descendants number more than a million. In the past, they even had a Martial Saint ancestor.

Strictly speaking, the Bai family actually rose to prominence before the previous dynasty. Our control over them is not as strong as it was during the Great Great Qian, and besides, "soothing distant people lies in the righteousness of loose control"; our degree of loose control over the Great Snow Mountain is not that high.

Of course, the Imperial Court will not let the Bai family have the final say. After the founding of the dynasty, we required that the first generation of Bai family patriarchs of this dynasty must abdicate within the sixty-year cycle.

The second and subsequent patriarchs must have lived in the two capitals for more than ten years before the age of twenty-five. It is considered a result of compromise. Bai Bai Mingzhe actually serving as Prefecture Lord also happened in the last ten years."

Liang Qu suddenly understood.

Still cherishing.

"Did the Bai family's Martial Saint ancestor die of old age?"

"No. He only lived to be over five hundred years old and died before our dynasty rose to power. His descendants refined him into a ritual, similar to the Great Black Heaven God you encountered during the competition in the Imperial Capital, called General Xianshuang, enjoying incense offerings.

It is said that a Heaven-Man Perfected Form can activate General Xianshuang to descend upon their own body, and they can be invincible within the Perfected Form realm, far more powerful than ordinary third-realm Heaven-Men."

Liang Qu pondered silently.

The Great Shun's control over Hantai Prefecture is not as strong as the Great Great Qian's. After all, it has only been seventy years since the founding of the dynasty.

I fear it is the same here, which is why the Great Snow Mountain across Blue Lake has seen this situation and developed some crooked ideas, leading to the current situation where various forces are competing for the Drought Demon's position fruit...

Did the Holy Emperor agree to let him come here because he had the intention of acting as a "catfish"?

He picked up the mutton and filled his mouth.

"How many Perfected Form experts does the Bai family have?"

"On the surface, there are nine Perfected Form experts, two of whom are Heaven-Men. In the dark, there should be two digits. Counting the Lifeng Prefecture and Qiyun Prefecture south of Hantai Prefecture... there are more than thirty famous Perfected Form experts active near the Blue Lake..."

"Why so many?" Long Long Binglin was surprised.

Five Perfected Forms is already a great clan. The Bai family actually doubled it?

And the number of experts in these few prefectures and departments is too exaggerated. What about the inactive loose practitioners?

"Lord Long, this place is a border pass." Unlike Cha Qing scalded vegetables in the copper pot. "The deployment of the successive Imperial Courts here is not even as good as the Heyuan Prefecture of the Northern Court. Heyuan Prefecture is the true majestic pass."

Long Long Binglin sighed.

He thought that the three Perfected Forms on their boat would stir up big waves when they came to Hantai Prefecture. Who would have thought it would be like this.

A Perfected Form Grandmaster is indeed powerful in a prefecture or department, calling the wind and rain among millions of people, but coming to the border between countries, a place where large forces squeeze each other, it is still not enough.

Thinking back again.

The Ghost Mother Cult is really not on the table.

The four-character meaning of lingering on its last breath is incomparably clear at this moment.

Long Long Binglin felt pressure in his heart.

Liang Qu held a small bowl, scalded two stalks of lettuce, and didn't take the Bai family seriously.

He advanced to Grandmaster on the road, and things were different now.

As long as they don't come to besiege him, winning by numbers, within the Perfected Form realm, he doesn't fear anyone, and he can even touch a Heaven-Man. If the divine ability he condensed is average, it's even easier to talk about.

If he could lure them into the water at noon or midnight...

"What is the internal situation of the Bai family? Are there hostile factions? Or excuses for cleansing? Developing for so many years, the tree is big and the roots are divided, it shouldn't be of one mind, right?"

"That is indeed..."

*Bang bang bang. *

The courtyard door was knocked, interrupting Liang Qu's words. A local language phrase emerged in the speech, seemingly calling Unlike Cha Qing's name.

Liang Qu swept his eyes.

"What is the person outside saying?"

Kou Zhuang said in a low voice: "It's Li Li Gongga from the courtyard next door, here to bring food to Unlike Cha Qing-dage. He has a good relationship with us, but Unlike Cha Qing-dage said that Li Li Gongga should be a spy for the Bai family."

Liang Qu asked with a smile: "How do you know that is a spy?"

*Bang bang bang. *

The knocking sounded again, with a sense of urging.

The three had no time to explain and looked at Liang Qu.

"Open the door, don't worry about me."

Unlike Cha Qing couldn't guess Liang Qu's meaning. He clearly said he came quietly, but now he wants to announce his arrival?

"Coming!"

Unlike Cha Qing put down his chopsticks and got up to open the door.

*Creak. *

The light pillar went from narrow to wide.

Li Li Gongga carried a fresh fish, stepped into the house familiarly, and looked around: "Unlike Cha Qing-xiongdi, you three men, why are you closing the door to eat hot pot in broad daylight?"

Three people?

Unlike Cha Qing turned his head.

The cold wind blew the hot mist crooked.

On the table, beef and mutton were complete, vegetables and extra bowls and chopsticks had all disappeared, all gone, and the Lord's figure was nowhere to be seen. ===== CHAPTER 988 =====