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, its hairy tail raised, and steaming horse dung fell to the ground. The half-stinky, half-fragrant livestock smell drifted away. The feces quickly froze, but the smell lingered for a long time.

Unlike Cha Qing was used to it, exhaling from his nostrils, carrying half a sheep's meat home.

Half a year of life, serious study.

To say there is no accent is impossible, but as long as the locals slow down their speech and don't say any professional terms, normal life communication is no problem.

*Creak. *

Opening the courtyard gate, Unlike Cha Qing smelled a rich spice smell and felt dissatisfied.

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

"What is he babbling about?"

"Asking why we started eating. Before you came, Lord, we used 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 hometown accent in the room and stepped in.

The room was lively, a big 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 nowhere. The fragrance was appetizing.

Liang Qu, Long Eying, Long Binglin, and even a bald monk he didn't know, plus Fan Zixuan and Kou Zhuang, sat around, totaling six people. On the side, there were two water rats. The room appeared 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 space, "We brought the vegetables, picked from Pingyang Prefecture this morning. Just waiting for your beef and mutton to go into the pot. Long heard that the beef and mutton in the Great Northwest are good, but never had a chance to taste them."

Otter 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, still incoherent: "My Lord, when did you arrive?"

"Arrived yesterday. The boat didn't dock, 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 acclimatized? How is your local language?"

Unlike Cha Qing calmed his emotions: "Not acclimatized. Hantai is drier and stuffier than Pingyang, harder to breathe than Pingyang. The cold miasma near Blue Lake is too fierce. Daily communication is no problem."

"Just oxygen deficiency." Liang Qu lifted the meat.

"Oxygen deficiency?"

"Nothing, continue. I just finished greeting Kou Zhuang and Zixuan, didn't talk about business. Listen carefully to your results from the past half year."

The three people's expressions became serious.

Looking at each other, finally, Unlike Cha Qing summarized.

"Hantai Prefecture Southwest leans on Blue Lake. Crossing it is the Great Snow Mountain range. Northeast connects to Qianzhang Plain, which is the winter pasture of the Red Bone tribe in the Northern Court. The Red Bone tribe belongs to one of the big clans of the Northern Court, Naiman, which is the original clan of Haruhan, the one who competed with you in the Imperial Capital, My Lord."

"Hmm, remember."

"The actual controller of Hantai Prefecture is the Bai family. The Bai family patriarchs have been Hantai Prefecture Lords for generations, third rank. The current patriarch is Bai Mingzhe, second-realm Perfected Form, Jiang Zongshi."

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

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

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

With this status, and then encountering the Hantai pass, let the Bai family decide for themselves?

Unlike Cha Qing explained helplessly: "My Lord, the Bai family was not actually inserted by our dynasty later. They are a mixed-race of Snow Mountain, Central Plains, and Northern Court, rooted in Hantai Prefecture for thousands of years. The descendants are more than a million. In the past, there was even a Wu Sheng ancestor.

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

Of course, the Imperial Court will not let the Bai family decide for themselves. After the founding of the dynasty, we required that the first generation of Bai family patriarchs of this dynasty must abdicate within the sixty years.

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 the result of mutual compromise. Bai Mingzhe actually served as Prefecture Lord, which also happened in the last ten years."

Liang Qu suddenly realized.

Still cherishing.

"The Wu Sheng ancestor of the Bai family, died of old age?"

"No, only lived to over five hundred years old, perished before our dynasty rose. Descendants refined him into a ritual, similar to the Great Black Heaven God you encountered during the Imperial Capital competition, called General Xianshuang, enjoying incense offerings.

It is said that a Heaven-Man Jiang Zongshi urges General Xianshuang to descend upon himself, and can be invincible within the Perfected Form realm, far more powerful than ordinary third-realm Heaven-Man."

Liang Qu pondered silently.

The Great Shun's control over Hantai Prefecture is not as strong as the Great Qian's. After all, it has only been founded for seventy years, before and after.

It is probably also because of this that the Great Snow Mountain on the other side of Blue Lake saw this situation and gave birth to some crooked thoughts, leading to the current situation where all forces are competing for the Drought Demon status fruit...

Did the Holy Emperor agree to him coming here, intending to act 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 Forms, including two Heaven-Man. Secretly, there should be a double-digit number. Counting the Lifeng Prefecture and Qiyun Prefecture south of Hantai Prefecture... there are more than thirty Perfected Form experts active in the vicinity of Blue Lake with names, surnames, and positions..."

"Why so many?" Long Binglin was surprised.

Five Perfected Forms is already a great clan, and the Bai family actually doubled it?

And the number of experts in these few prefectures and departments is too exaggerated. What about the scattered people who are not active?

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

Long Binglin sighed in his heart.

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

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

Recalling again.

The Ghost Mother Sect is truly not on the table.

The four-character meaning of lingering on is incomparably clear here.

Long Binglin felt pressure in his heart.

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

Promoted to Jiang Zongshi on the way, things are different now.

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

If he can be lured into the water at noon or midnight...

"What is the internal situation of the Bai family? Are there hostile factions? Or excuses for cleansing? Growing for so many years, the tree is divided, it shouldn't be of one piece, right?"

"That is indeed..."

*Bang bang bang. *

The courtyard gate was knocked, interrupting Liang Qu's words, and a local language popped out, 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 is Li Gonga from the next courtyard, here to send food to Unlike Cha Qing brother. The relationship with us is not bad, but Unlike Cha Qing brother said that Li Gonga 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 sound rang 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. Clearly said to come quietly, now is it to announce their 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 Gonga led a fresh fish, stepped into the room familiarly, and looked around: "Unlike Cha Qing brother, you three men, why are you eating hot pot with the door closed in broad daylight?"

Three people?

Unlike Cha Qing turned his head.

The cold wind blew the hot mist askew.

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

The cold wind blew the heat mist askew.

On the tabletop, beef and mutton were complete, and the vegetables and extra bowls and chopsticks had all disappeared; there was no sign of the adults at all.