Chapter 34: with translation of chapter title

"How big is this Nanjiang City? We saw it from far away, yet after riding for so long we only reached its feet." Looking up at the majestic walls of Nanjiang City, Chen Yi He let out such a sigh.

"I said it already, Nanjiang City is the only city in Nanjiang; ninety percent of Nanjiang's population lives in this city. I estimate it's at least the size of a dozen or so mountain cities! Tsk tsk." The Dragon King clicked his tongue.

Chen Yi He, the Dragon King, and Dongfang Xing quickly reached the walls of Nanjiang City; within a kilometer they could enter the city.

"Isn't that the little Palace Master's palanquin?" Chen Yi He asked.

All that could be seen was a splendid eight-person palanquin slowly entering Nanjiang City; the city gate opened for it, and the eight bearers stepped in unison, proceeding orderly. They encountered no hindrance.

"Wasn't it said that the court sent thirty thousand Embroidered Uniform Guard to guard Nanjiang City? Yet she just brazenly marched in like that?"

"The Five Absolutes Palace can't be stopped by the court; besides, this final ultimatum hasn't reached the Embroidered Uniform Guard yet, so they wouldn't dare provoke the Five Absolutes Palace. And don't think there's no one beneath the walls—maybe as soon as we approach, someone will rush out from hiding to attack us!"

As the Dragon King had expected, from afar the area outside Nanjiang City appeared empty, but upon getting close we discovered the Embroidered Uniform Guard were all lying in ambush in tunnels beneath the walls; the moment someone approached, they would rush out and seize them!

Gleaming swords pointed at Chen Yi He and his companions, and the atmosphere immediately grew tense.

The Dragon King pointed at his own armor and hurriedly said, "Comrade, comrade, I've come to deliver a letter!"

The leading Embroidered Uniform Guard warily glanced at the Dragon King, then looked at Chen Yi He and Dongfang Xing on the horse behind him, and asked, "Why are two people riding one horse?"

"We're in a hurry on the road, the horses are exhausted from running, so we had to double up..." Chen Yi He explained with an apologetic smile.

"Double up?"

"It means to share a horse."

"Then what's with all these gems?"

"Big brother, big brother, this is a secret, come come come, I'll lean in and tell you." Chen Yi He dismounted, walked up to the head guard, leaned close to his ear, and while speaking softly slipped a few gems into his pocket, saying, "The emperor's intention is that the Crown Prince might not have enough funds in Nanjiang City—do you understand?"

"I understand! But I still need to check with Deputy Commander Li Lan!"

"This is an urgent matter; if we delay the Crown Prince's enjoyment and blame comes down, can you and Li Lan bear the responsibility?" Chen Yi He threatened, deliberately slipping two more gems into the other's pocket.

The head guard naturally felt the weight of the gems; moreover, what his comrade said was correct—offending the Prince, he couldn't bear that responsibility—so he took the envelope the Dragon King handed over and asked, "This is to be given to Deputy Commander Li Lan, right?"

"That's right."

Chen Yi He laughed loudly and said, "Hahaha! All right, we're entering the city—the Crown Prince is still waiting!"

"Let them through!" the head guard waved his hand, and the gate of Nanjiang City opened from inside.

Thus, Chen Yi He and his two companions entered the city in a grand and dignified manner.

……

"You damn pigbrain! Get lost!" Li Lan kicked the guard who had just opened the door for Chen Yi He's group, sending him rolling on the ground.

"He... they said they were delivering money to the Crown Prince, who urgently needs it, so I didn't dare delay!" the guard lay on the ground, continuously kowtowing.

"Acting on your own initiative—take him out, behead him, and feed him to the pigs." Li Lan issued the order mercilessly.

"Deputy Commander, spare my life! Sir, spare my life! Wah wah wah..."

Li Lan clenched the envelope in his fist; having followed Old Master Zhang for so many years, he knew that whether it was his letter or an imperial edict, there had to be a seal at the very least—no seal meant it was fake. Moreover, how could the crooked, twisted characters on this letter possibly come from the court?

"What exactly does the genuine letter say inside?" Li Lan pondered in his heart.

"Who else rescued the Dragon King and his companions this morning?"

"Who are the three who entered the city? Could it be them?" Questions came one after another.

Inside the room, a woman walked out—turns out to be the Cat Woman—she teasingly asked Li Lan, "What are you thinking about, Sir?"

"How is the Double‑Blade King?" Li Lan countered.

The Cat Woman shook her head, laughing, "He's gone mad." Her sensual body had already clung to Li Lan, her murderous fingers tracing down his hair...

Li Lan tried to push the Cat Woman away, saying, "Useless thing! Being driven mad by a twenty‑year‑old woman—if word got out, wouldn't that be a laughingstock!"

"Have you found out her background?"

"No, and we also couldn't trace the background of that Chen Yi He."

"That man is a waste of space; we just need to watch the Dragon King and that woman." The Cat Woman, instead, clung even tighter.

"What kind of person could frighten the Double‑Blade King, who kills without blinking, into madness?" Li Lan still hardened his heart and shoved the Cat Woman clinging to him away.

"That's not so bad either." Li Lan's action didn't disappoint the Cat Woman; she smiled alluringly again, "If one goes mad, there's one less to share the gold—how many people can divide it?"

"Oh? You're quite greedy, aren't you!"

"Once inside the city, the crowd is thick, everyone is in peril—who could save them?" The Cat Woman spread her hands, her long, slender fingers dancing before the eyes, a reddish‑black poison flickering in and out, her emerald eyes gazing bewitchingly; the slightest touch would surely be fatal.

Li Lan said nothing; he felt the Cat Woman made sense—Old Master Zhang had only given him a few chests of gold, yet killing the Dragon King and his companions and seizing their gems and banknotes would be a huge profit!

"How about it? Think it over again?"

Li Lan felt bitter inside: "Gold, gems, banknotes—I could do without them. If those three don't interfere with the Prince, I might as well ignore them. But if they do, not only might I lose my official hat, I could even lose my head." After thinking it over repeatedly, Li Lan finally spoke: "One head, a hundred thousand taels."

"Hahaha! Sir Li Lan, it's rare to see you so generous!"

"Hehe, I'm afraid you can afford the price but you won't have the life to claim it. The Double‑Blade King is now mad—can you and the fat guy even take down those three?"

"With the fat guy? Hehe, I have my own methods." The Cat Woman laughed and walked away.

……

"Dragon King, can't you tell where that white flash this morning came from?" Having entered the city and momentarily relaxed, Chen Yi He voiced the doubt in his heart.

The Dragon King shook his head. "You should ask Miss Dongfang if her head hurts—the white flash finally stopped at her brow."

Dongfang Xing touched her forehead, a little embarrassed, and said, "I... I don't feel anything unusual..."

"Then that's strange..."

"There's an inn—now isn't the time to think about all that." The Dragon King reined in his horse and shouted outside the inn, "Give us three upper rooms!"

"Sure thing, sure thing."

"How much?"

"You three are masters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—why talk about money? It's on the house, on the house!"

The innkeeper lowered his attitude tremendously, which surprised Chen Yi He greatly.

"I never expected the Embroidered Uniform Guard's badge to be this useful!" Watching the attendant lead away their horses and carry their gems, chest after chest, through the back door into the inn, Chen Yi He couldn't help but sigh.

"Yeah, I never expected that in such a remote southern border, the West Factory's reputation would still be this strong." Long Wang agreed with Chen Yi He's statement, "No matter what, we can't expose our identities now; if we can pretend until August 15, we must pretend until then—we must pretend for as long as we can."

Suddenly, an argument broke out in the inn's lobby.

"This is clearly our spot—what right do you have to take it?" The two-meter-tall big man slammed the tabletop loudly, extremely agitated, with three people like his subordinates behind him.

A richly dressed young man sat at the table, allowing the big man to slap the table, merely eating his noodles slowly and carefully there, without responding.

"You damn, are you deaf?" The big man couldn't stand it anymore; taking his seat would be bad enough, but he even ignored his existence! Everyone around were onlookers—doesn't he care about face?!

Chen Yi He guessed that this big man was also here to compete for the Thousandfold Gate, because he was quite young and his strength was comparable to his own.

The big man reached out to grab that person's neck.

That person didn't lift their head, right hand holding chopsticks continued eating noodles, left hand reaching behind themselves.

The moment his hand touched the big man's.

The big man seemed to freeze, standing there unable to move, his hand still raised but not dropping. Immediately, his body gradually turned red, from light red to vivid red, then fiery red…

"Whoa!" The big man was ignited in an instant, and in another instant burned to ash!

The air gave off a faint scorched smell, specks of white ash falling. Some fell into that person's bowl, so he simply put down his chopsticks, left his seat, brushed off his sleeve, and went straight upstairs.

As he, Chen Yi He, and a third person brushed past each other, he gave them an extra glance.

From just now until now, the inn had not made a sound; everyone was in a state of suffocation… With a single move, a cultivator of considerable strength was burned to ashes!

Long Wang said in a low voice, so solemnly, "Purgatory Hand…"