Chapter 142

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Shen Qing had completely absorbed the precious medicine, leaving nothing behind, and his cultivation had also reached the first level of the Grand Master Realm.

Shen Qing took a moment to stabilize, then prepared to head to Azure Prefecture.

In the courtyard.

Shen Qing was finishing up the last tasks.

After all, many people were working for Shen Qing, and he wouldn't just leave them unattended.

Shen Qing used his Illusion-Breaking Eye to find gaps in their cultivation methods, helping them patch those gaps.

"Zhang Shan, you're all set on your end, right?"

Zhang Shan furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and said: "No problem! I've memorized it all!"

Shen Qing nodded: "Just remember that; filling these gaps is enough for you to break into the Master Realm. Once you reach the Master Realm and practice the technique I told you about, breaking into the Grand Master Realm will just be a matter of time and effort."

Zhang Shan chuckled: "I never even dreamed I'd have this day. I once thought reaching the peak of the Innate Realm in old age would be the limit, but I never expected to have this day."

"Never before has there been such a wonderful start!"

Shen Qing then turned to the Pan Ruhai brothers and asked: "How about you?"

Two people laughed: "Sir Shen, after all we have been taught, so naturally we have fewer loopholes than Commander Zhang; we have also remembered everything clearly."

As for the others, Shen Qing had also given pointers one by one to Sun Wu, Bai Quan, etc.; at the very least, breaking through to the Grand Master realm poses no problem for them.

Shen Qing nodded slightly and slowly hovered in midair.

"Then I'll set off for Qingzhou; when I arrive, I'll arrange a position for you, so do your best."

"Later we'll get together for drinks."

Having said that, Shen Qing shot up into the sky.

Leaving Zhang Shan and the others gazing upward, they did not move away for a long time.

After a long while, Zhang Shan looked at Pan Ruhai and the others: "Old Pan, I never thought I'd have a day to break through to the Master realm; it feels like everything that's happened these past few months is like a dream."

"Sir Shen descended like an immortal upon Yongning Prefecture, took us flying for a bit, and then continued ascending to Qingzhou."

Pan Ruhai burst out laughing: "What are you talking about? I used to be a follower of Peng Guang; if I hadn't confessed early, the grass on my grave would be two meters high."

"Sir Shen is destined to be a divine dragon soaring in the clouds; just being able to follow him for a while is already a great fortune."

"Who knows, we might even leave our names in the histories to come."

"All right, all right, let's go; the Japanese pirates have just left, and we still have plenty to take care of."

"Let's go!"

Above the clouds, Bai Yun and the Black Hawk had long been waiting here, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard followed behind, riding pure white cranes.

On the Black Hawk sat four people: the scholar, Black Dog, Old Li, and Lin Zikai, who had accompanied Shen Qing out of Bai Yun County.

Their cultivation is low, but Shen Qing doesn't mind; after all, no matter how much they improve, they can't keep up with his breakthrough speed.

Therefore, being capable in handling affairs is far more important than cultivation.

Shen Qing glanced at Xu Ying: "General Xu, have there been any recent developments in Qingzhou?"

"I don't want to just sit in the hall as soon as I take office; that would be terribly boring."

Xu Ying raised his eyebrows: "Hehe, Young Master Shen, guess what? It's really a coincidence."

"The martial arts world of Qingzhou is about to hold a martial arts assembly, with masters from all sides gathering."

"Moreover, because Yongning Prefecture established the martial alliance that unified the jianghu, this session of the martial arts assembly is unprecedentedly large."

"It will be absolutely lively and absolutely interesting!"

Shen Qing's mouth corners twitched up slightly.

After glancing back and confirming everyone was present, he waved his hand.

"In that case, let's set out."

"Target: Qingzhou!"

Qingzhou.

Qingzhou's territory is several times larger than a prefecture; besides the largest prefectural city, Tianxing City, there are nine major cities, each far larger than Luoshui City and Beiyun City.

Consequently, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's scale is also huge; each of the nine major cities has a Commandant's Office with a Commandant, and Tianxing City even has both northern and southern Commandant's Offices.

Prefectural city, Tianxing City.

Outside the Northern Commandant's Office.

Several officials had gathered here, all having come to welcome him upon hearing the news of Shen Qing's appointment.

It is obvious that the senior officials here all know Shen Qing's identity.

Each is dressed solemnly.

Qin Chuan, as a fourth-rank official of the Ministry of Justice, naturally also belonged to the reception party.

However, his condition was not good; he limped into the venue.

The Minister of Justice frowned at him and shoved Qin Cheng toward the back.

"Qin Chuan, why isn't your injury healed yet? Do you know who the big figure we're receiving today is? Your conduct is unacceptable; go stand at the back."

Qin Chuan gave a bitter laugh and stood at the rear of the crowd.

At that moment, Commandant Huang Qianhu approached, his face grim and his voice tinged with ruthlessness.

"Well, isn't this Assistant Minister Qin? Your health is fine—you're already up and about so quickly?"

"Who do you think you are? I told you to turn a blind eye—just let the Lin family's young master pass."

"If you insist on being righteous, fine—consider it done; sooner or later I'll kick you out of Qingzhou!"

"How righteous are you? Righteousness is useless; out here it's all about power and background!"

"Which faction do you belong to?"

After speaking, Huang Qianhu walked to the front of the crowd.

Qin Chuan was somewhat unwilling and wanted to argue, but the Vice President of the Ministry of Justice standing beside him grabbed his arm, and he shook his head.

"Qin Brother, you can't beat them; they're all descendants of princes and aristocratic families."

"Or you could just yield to them."

Qin Chuan took a deep breath, shook his head, and said: "No, I'd rather leave Azure Province than yield!"

Qin Chuan still wanted to say something, but his arm was tightly pulled by the Vice President beside him, and suddenly several shadows appeared in the sky.

Everyone's faces turned excited.

Soon, a huge white flood dragon landed on the platform, and on its head, Shen Qing's robes fluttered, mighty and awe-inspiring; he lightly leapt and floated down from the high stage.

Officials one after another rushed forward to shake hands with Shen Qing.

"Lord Shen, I am President of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Yun."

"Lord Shen, I am President of the Ministry of Rites, Li He."

"I am the Vice Minister of Revenue..."

But Shen Qing ignored them all, his gaze sweeping across the crowd; suddenly he noticed something, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Qin Chuan! You really came."

Saying this, Shen Qing leapt over the crowd and flew toward Qin Chuan.

This left everyone staring at each other, beginning to whisper incessantly.

"Who is this Qin Chuan? Is he from the Azure Hill Qin Clan, or the Son of Prince Ji?"

"That can't be right; why have I never heard of him before?"

But upon hearing Qin Chuan's name, the faces of two people changed instantly—President of the Ministry of Justice Zhou Yun and Commandant Huang Qianhu.

They roared inwardly: "It couldn't be that Qin Chuan, could it?!"

Soon, their hanging hearts finally died completely when Shen Qing landed in front of Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan's face full of disbelief: "This... this... Shen Qing... you... you're the newly arrived Commander?"

Shen Qing laughed and said: "Exactly, unexpected, huh."

But gradually Shen Qing's smile faded as he saw the wounds on Qin Chuan's body.

Shen Qing's voice turned cold instantly: "What happened to your wounds?"

Qin Chuan didn't speak, and Shen Qing had no intention of waiting.

He turned and looked at the officials, his gaze quickly locking onto Zhou Yun and Huang Qianhu, whose foreheads were continuously sweating.

Shen Qing flew straight over and looked down at the two of them.

"Qin Chuan is my friend."

"His wounds—you'd better give me a reasonable explanation."

Shen Qing's voice was flat, yet everyone shivered.

Zhou Yun and Huang Qianhu struggled to lift their heads, forcing out a painful smile.

Their hearts kept wailing.

Damn it!