Chapter 69

"Where is Lu Xingzhou?" Outside the County Governor's mansion, Sheng Yuanyao looked at the empty carriage, her face dark: "He said he was here to help me, so he was just using my motorcade to get in, right? I even went out of my way to get a carriage for these two cripples! If it weren't for being dragged down by them, we would have arrived long ago by galloping horses!"

In fact, after entering the Middle Three Grades, Daoist practitioners could already control some magic treasures capable of flight, but such treasures were relatively precious and generally couldn't be bought. It was even more troublesome for martial artists to control swords; at the very least, Sheng Yuanyao couldn't.

Sheng Yuanyao sometimes suspected that Lu Xingzhou's wheelchair could fly, but so far she hadn't seen him fly, so she wasn't sure.

The suspected-to-be-able-to-fly scoundrel had actually dragged everyone's speed down by sitting in a carriage, and in the end, he had slipped away, and no one could be found! Sheng Yuanyao was so angry she almost wanted to kill her way back to Xiazhou and put a seal on the Heaven-Walking Sword Sect.

"Forget it, we're visiting the County Governor, the invitation has been delivered, and we're already here..." Sheng Yuanyao said irritably: "Let's go in; we're not waiting."

Just as she was about to lead the group into the door, she saw someone in a Demon Suppression Division uniform running from the corner of the street. Sheng Yuanyao turned her head and saw a face she didn't recognize. Looking closer, she noticed traces of a human-skin mask; the mask had been covered by magic, making it difficult to see the true face through it.

Sheng Yuanyao stared, and the person whispered: "It's me."

Sheng Yuanyao also transmitted her voice: "Your leg..."

"I can stand and walk, but fighting will be a bit worse." Lu Xingzhou said: "What would it look like for you to attend the County Governor's banquet with a cripple from another sect by your side? Of course, I have to cover it up. At the same time, it's also to hide the fact that I can stand up; I still need to ambush people from my wheelchair later... City Lord, don't leak the secret."

Sheng Yuanyao was both angry and amused: "Then you're willing to let me know?"

There was a hint of a smile in Lu Xingzhou's eyes: "I, Lu Xingzhou, love to scheme against people, but that doesn't include friends."

Sheng Yuanyao tilted her head and looked at his ugly masked face, then "snorted": "It's truly not easy to be considered a friend by someone like you."

Although she said that, her mood was much better.

From the first day she met him, she had been used by him, and now she could actually hear the word "friend" from his mouth... And it was clearly not just talk; he had actually exposed such an important secret as his leg being healed in front of her, just to accompany her to the banquet.

Even though she clearly knew that Lu Xingzhou's subsequent purpose wasn't that simple, Sheng Yuanyao still felt a sigh of "it's not easy." She flicked her ponytail, held her head high, and walked into the County Governor's mansion: "Let's go in. By the way, where is Anuo?"

"How is it suitable for a child to come here? She went to Shen Tang's place." Lu Xingzhou followed half a step behind her, saying in a low voice: "Powerful demons are very good at concealing their demonic aura so as not to be detected. Do you have any special preparations for this?"

Sheng Yuanyao looked straight ahead: "I carry a treasure that senses demonic aura. As long as it's not a Great Demon of the Upper Three Grades, it shouldn't be able to escape the treasure's reaction."

"Then what if it really is an Upper Three Grade?"

"If it deliberately hides, then it's difficult... but if it gets angry or fights, even if it leaks a trace of demonic aura, it should be detectable. Speaking of which, if there really is an Upper Three Grade Great Demon, why would it run to such a broken place? Even the County Governor is only Fourth Grade."

"Who knows? A Fourth Grade demon is not weak either, and it still hid in that small place in Xiazhou, and the City Lord was only Fifth Grade... No, the current City Lord is Sixth Grade."

Sheng Yuanyao: "...I'm about to break through!"

"Congratulations." Lu Xingzhou said, feeling a bit surprised. Sheng Yuanyao was under twenty this year, the same age as him. A Sixth Grade upper-stage cultivation was quite good; she could be on the Newcomer List or not, but if she broke through to Fifth Grade, she could definitely get a high position on the Newcomer List. I couldn't tell this melon girl had such good cultivation talent... She was much stronger than that trash Huo Yu.

Although she couldn't compare to the stunning talent of the little white-haired girl who broke through to Fourth Grade at eighteen, the little white-haired girl was a direct descendant of a Holy Land, a peerless genius of which there were only one or two in the entire continent, so it wasn't easy to compare. Generally speaking, being qualified for the Newcomer List was already a one-in-ten-thousand talent; the purpose of establishing the Newcomer List was for this.

During their few words of small talk, they had already crossed the outer courtyard and reached the main hall of the County Governor's mansion.

County Governor Hao Jingchuan was already waiting inside with some officials from the county—Sheng Yuanyao had sent someone to deliver an invitation in advance, and for her status as both the Xiazhou City Lord and the daughter of the Sheng family, Hao Jingchuan still gave her a very high-standard courtesy, not treating her as an ordinary subordinate official.

Seeing Sheng Yuanyao lead the group in, Hao Jingchuan clapped his hands and laughed: "I have long heard that the daughter of the Sheng Chief Constable is heroic and dashing; seeing her today, it is indeed so."

Sheng Yuanyao cupped her hands and saluted: "I was supposed to visit County Governor Hao when I took office as City Lord, but things were delayed, and I only came now... I hope the County Governor will not blame me."

"Not late, not late." Hao Jingchuan laughed heartily: "It's just mealtime, why not go straight to the banquet? We can talk while we eat."

Sheng Yuanyao wasn't pretentious, cupping her hands: "Then I will trouble County Governor Hao."

The banquet was divided into inner and outer tables. The subordinates from the Demon Suppression Division brought by Sheng Yuanyao sat in the outer hall, accompanied by the officials of the County Governor's mansion for their meal, while Sheng Yuanyao only brought one "trusted aide" to sit with the county officials.

Hao Jingchuan looked at Lu Xingzhou's dead-man face and asked with a smile: "Who is this..."

"Oh, this is my trusted aide and general, surnamed Gou. County Governor, you can just call him Little Gou." Sheng Yuanyao introduced him with a straight face.

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

Melon girl, I'll remember this.

Hao Jingchuan, of course, wouldn't call him Little Gou, laughing: "Constable Gou is also a young talent."

Look at how well the County Governor speaks. Lu Xingzhou smiled modestly: "I wouldn't dare."

Soon, servants brought up dishes, and Hao Jingchuan didn't dawdle, asking directly: "City Lord Sheng, is your visit purely for a courtesy call upon taking office, or is there other official business to discuss together?"

Sheng Yuanyao smiled and toasted him: "Mainly to visit the County Governor, and my father also asked me to report to and seek guidance from you more often... Of course, there is also some small official business, and I hope to get your help."

Hao Jingchuan laughed loudly and clinked glasses: "Easy to say, easy to say."

The two finished their drinks, and Hao Jingchuan smiled: "I don't know what official business it is? City Lord Sheng, please feel free to speak. Everyone here is a colleague with great experience in the county... Look, the one on your right is County Assistant Mu, who is very proficient in government affairs."

County Assistant Mu Feng sat on Sheng Yuanyao's right, smiling very politely: "City Lord Sheng, please feel free to speak if you have anything."

Sheng Yuanyao smiled slightly: "Then I will speak... You all know about the case of Xu Bingkun in Xiazhou raising demons. My main task during this time has been to trace the clues as to where this demon came from."

In fact, everyone in the county already knew that she wasn't here to ask about government affairs; it was mostly likely this topic. Hao Jingchuan's smile remained unchanged: "Demons wandering in from outside are not rare. City Lord Sheng, you don't need to be too stubborn, otherwise, how much work will be left undone..."

Sheng Yuanyao shook her head: "Even if they wander in, we should distinguish the source. Assuming it is a new demon born within the Great Qian, we need to trace the source, figure out where it was born, why a demon was born there, and deal with it in time to avoid the continued birth of new demons in the future."

The banquet hall went cold for a moment. Lu Xingzhou watched everyone's expressions coldly, sipping his wine quietly.

Sheng Yuanyao didn't get a response and continued on her own: "Assuming it is a demon from the north sneaking in, we also need to distinguish where it snuck in from, what loopholes there are in the defense there, and fill them in time to avoid future invasions. It seems like a wandering demon, but it actually has a significant relationship. County Governor, you have long guarded this place and have rich experience; you must have something to teach me."

The banquet hall was silent, and the officials who were smiling just a moment ago all had stiff expressions.

Sheng Yuanyao's words looked polite, but in reality, it was no different from saying that the County Governor was derelict in his duty, not only ignoring such an important matter but also advising those who wanted to manage it not to be stubborn. She was just short of cursing out loud...

Lu Xingzhou sighed in his heart. In fact, even many people in Xiazhou didn't quite understand why Sheng Yuanyao was so obsessed with a demon; wouldn't it be over once the case was closed? But the melon girl's sense of responsibility was far-reaching; it was truly not something ordinary, mediocre officials could understand.

Hao Jingchuan smiled awkwardly with a stiff face for a while, put down his wine glass, and sighed: "The Sheng family has a tiger daughter... it is also the fortune of the Great Qian. So, City Lord Sheng, you are here to ask the county to cooperate in investigating this case?"

"To tell you the truth." Sheng Yuanyao secretly held a piece of jade in her left hand and said word by word: "I have obtained some clues and feel that the demon might have come from the county."

As soon as she finished speaking, the jade vibrated lightly, as if a small needle was scraping lightly in her palm, pointing in the direction of... County Assistant Mu Feng, who was sitting on her right.

That was the County Governor's assistant, the number two figure!

Lu Xingzhou didn't lie; the demon case was indeed coming to the county to be investigated! Just this one sentence made the demon in his heart tremble, leaking demonic aura.

It was actually such a high-level figure; in terms of official rank, he was even higher than her... Judging from the level of demonic aura, it was about Fifth Grade.

Currently, Lu Xingzhou was sitting on her left, and this demon Mu Feng was sitting on the right; the position wasn't very suitable for a pincer attack... Should she try to incite a surprise attack now or discuss it later?

Just as she was thinking, her left hand was squeezed lightly; it was Lu Xingzhou signaling her not to act rashly yet. Sheng Yuanyao suppressed her temper, and Hao Jingchuan on the other side had already darkened his face: "City Lord Sheng, you are young and vigorous; you can't just say things like this. What do you mean by the demon coming from the county?"

Even if you said it came from the mountains outside the county, it would be better. What do you mean by saying it came from the county? If this word got out, his responsibility as County Governor would be great.

Sheng Yuanyao was about to speak when Lu Xingzhou suddenly stood up, holding a wine pot with a smile: "Our City Lord is young and doesn't speak very precisely; I hope the County Governor will be generous... Come, come, I will toast all the officials in the county on behalf of the City Lord. Everyone, please be generous, be generous..."

As he spoke, he picked up the wine pot and left his seat, passing Sheng Yuanyao and walking toward the main seat to toast with a fawning smile.

When passing by Mu Feng, he seemed to have tripped over a stool and accidentally fell toward Mu Feng. Mu Feng subconsciously supported him: "Eh, Mr. Gou, be careful..."

Lu Xingzhou took the opportunity to grab his arm, and a bone-piercing nail silently pierced into Mu Feng's elbow.

The cultivation technique was dispersed, but the thing was still there.

Mu Feng let out a "hiss," and before he could react, a blade of light like a practice sword on his left slashed toward his neck—it was Sheng Yuanyao's waist saber.

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