Chapter 224: Leaving the Imperial City, Heading to Songzhou

Having finally glimpsed hope, how could Zhang Xuan possibly be willing to wait any longer.

He grabbed Jiang He, pushed through the crowd, and rushed forward.

"What are you doing!"

The people who had been waiting up ahead looked indignant, but upon clearly seeing the chilling black armor on that man's body, they could only roll their eyes and said nothing in the end.

"Excuse me, excuse me."

Zhang Xuan nodded apologetically at the crowd, then stepped through the government office gate.

Liu Kun had just set down his brush when he looked up and saw that bitter-melon face of his: "..."

He groaned inwardly.

Songzhou was practically begging for help from the Wumiao every half year; every time he scraped together some merit and came to the imperial city, the first thing out of his mouth was that demon disaster—he'd long been an old acquaintance.

"If you're here to report merit, go queue at the back..."

Liu Kun sighed inwardly, intending to brush him off casually, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Zhang Xuan silently drag out the person behind him.

Jiang He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

Seeing this, Liu Kun fell silent for a moment as well, and at a glance recognized the other party's identity as a Wumiao disciple—these people's relationships were complicated, and the hardest to deal with.

Under Zhang Xuan's shoving, Jiang He could only speak helplessly: "I, I know Lord Shen, please, little brother, introduce us."

Hearing these words that lacked any backbone, Zhang Xuan's heart immediately sank.

Sure enough, it was all bluster again.

But there was no other choice now; he could only stare blankly at Liu Kun sitting behind the counter.

"..."

Liu Kun sighed, stood up, and walked toward the curtain: "Wait here, I'll go report to my lord."

He stood outside and murmured a few words, and quickly received a reply.

"Let them in."

"Yes, sir."

This Lord Shen probably still didn't know how clingy Zhang Xuan of Songzhou was—a dignified Slain Hunyuan, great general of demon suppression, acting like a drowning man who grabs any pole to climb up and won't let go of any rope he clutches.

He wasn't someone you could dismiss with a few words.

Liu Kun walked back to the counter, glanced at Zhang Xuan, gritted his teeth, and in a voice only the two of them could hear muttered: "Lord Shen is a Wumiao disciple."

This sentence not only pointed out Shen Yi's noble status, but also contained an extremely important piece of information.

Unlike registered disciples, Wumiao disciples all cultivated Yin Gods—they weren't some Hunyuan Sect master.

Before you open your mouth, weigh whether you can afford to offend a young prodigy who's come here to draw pay without working.

At these words.

Zhang Xuan froze on the spot, then turned to stare blankly at Jiang He beside him.

He knew there was exaggeration in the other's words, but hadn't expected it to go this far—not even knowing what this Lord Shen cultivated, and yet daring to claim they'd exchanged a few moves.

Jiang He's eye twitched twice, and he decisively shut his mouth.

"Get in there already—waiting for my lord to come out and invite you personally?" Liu Kun glared at the two of them.

Since the report had already been made, they had to go through the formalities.

Zhang Xuan stepped forward with a grey face, bent down and lifted the long curtain; Jiang He, though unable to control his mouth, still had this much loyalty, and hurriedly followed.

Seeing that young man for the second time.

The other wore a dark robe, sitting quietly behind the desk; though his handsome features looked somewhat young, in Jiang He's eyes they somehow carried an extra measure of authority.

Inspector, in charge of the Zhen Mo Si offices across the nine provinces, overseeing all noble houses and sects under heaven.

Whether he could actually control them was another matter—at least nominally, all demons and monsters of this great Qian dynasty fell under his jurisdiction.

Jiang He cupped his hands in greeting, then felt something was off; the pleasantries he'd prepared turned into a tangled mess in his head, and he opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a single word for a long while.

"State your business."

Shen Yi gave a slight nod, and as he spoke, the two men's taut bodies finally relaxed a little.

"This subordinate, Zhang Xuan of Songzhou, pays respects to Lord Shen."

Zhang Xuan tried hard not to look so nervous, finished his bow respectfully, and for a moment didn't even know where to begin.

If the other party wasn't a Hunyuan Sect master, speaking would be pointless; if he kept silent, wouldn't that be challenging the Inspector—nothing he did felt right.

How could the words of those people just now escape Shen Yi's ears.

He knew what the other was worried about, and his voice softened slightly: "Just speak directly. Besides being a Yin God cultivator, I also happen to know a bit of body-tempering methods."

Body-tempering methods?

Zhang Xuan raised his head with a bitter smile, but since his thoughts had already been seen through, he stopped being wishy-washy: "Reporting to the Inspector, my lord, two Demon Kings are causing chaos in Songzhou, we really are... about to collapse."

"Two of them?"

Shen Yi stood up and walked over to stand before the two men.

Zhang Xuan seemed to have been holding it in for a long time—even if it couldn't solve the problem, he wanted to pour out his grievances before his superior: "That Demon King..."

Before he could finish speaking, he stared dumbly as Lord Shen walked past the two of them and headed outside.

What was going on?

Shen Yi lifted the curtain and turned back to say lightly: "No need to rush, tell me on the way."

Zhang Xuan was stunned again; Jiang He secretly pushed him, and only then did he realize what had happened.

This Lord Shen—was planning to inspect Songzhou?!

After coming to the main office so many times, when had he ever encountered such a clean and decisive situation.

"Why overthink it... bringing the Inspector back is still better than going back alone!"

Jiang He gritted his teeth in frustration at his friend's uselessness.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuan hurriedly chased after him. Stepping out of the partitioned room, he saw Liu Kun staring fixedly at him, as though wanting to devour him alive.

"Lord Shen, you've only just arrived at the Wumiao… no, I didn't mean to speak out of turn… it's just that… let me go prepare a horse carriage for you."

Liu Kun finished his stammering, but saw Lord Shen merely shake his head.

"No need for a carriage. Just prepare two good horses."

Even General Chen Qiankun could possess such a divine steed, so naturally the Zhen Mo Si headquarters had even finer mounts.

Liu Kun darted out with brisk efficiency, and soon led back two jet-black demon horses, their bodies covered in scales, as though draped in a layer of black armor.

"Lord Shen, should we inform Lord Wu?"

He held the reins, watching helplessly as Shen Yi swung himself onto the horse — was business ever conducted this way?

The Zhen Mo Si inspects the Nine Provinces without mustering troops, without dispatching letters, and just rides off like this?

Zhang Xuan mounted the other demon horse with a blank expression, still feeling his head was muddled even now. Before he could react, the two demon horses had already raised their hooves and headed toward the city gate.

"They're leaving just like that?"

Liu Kun watched the demon horses disappear around the street corner, then suddenly gave himself a hard slap across the face.

The Inspector, who had only been invited back by Lord Wu yesterday, had stayed in the imperial city one night and was already gone.

……

Wumiao, First Courtyard.

Wu Daoan stood with his hands clasped behind his back before the small courtyard, cleared his throat, and said: "Yan Shidi Shen, I've come to see you."

The other party had only obtained the Three Primordial Immortal-Rising Art yesterday. Although he could not guide Shen Yi on the path, showing some concern was never wrong.

He waited quietly for a moment.

The door remained tightly shut, with not the slightest response from within.

"Yan Shidi Shen?"

Wu Daoan frowned slightly and raised his voice a little.

He lowered the palms clasped behind his back.

He was, after all, a Yin God cultivator — surely he wouldn't be so worn out from the journey that he still hadn't gotten up?

(End of chapter)