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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nThe crescent moon was like a hook, hanging in the night sky.

nIn White Jade City’s pavilion, candlelight shone through the lanterns, illuminating the entire room.

nLu Fan sat in his wheelchair, with a cloak draped over his shoulders.

nNext to him, Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Nie Changqing stood quietly.

nNi Yu wanted to take an elixir out of the cloth satchel she was holding against her chest to eat, but she did not dare. She was afraid the crackling sound from crunching the elixir would break the utter silence.

nNing Zhao was as cold as ice. She had read the denunciation. The author disparaged Lu Fan and even humiliated him in every possible way.

n“Young Master…,” Ning Zhao said hesitantly.

nHowever, Lu Fan waved his hand to stop her.

n“His Majesty came to Beiluo in person. And I promised him I would do something he didn’t have the nerve to do…,” Lu Fan said slowly.

nHis voice echoed in White Jade City’s pavilion.

n“It’s time to pay the capital city a visit.”

nLeaning on the back of his wheelchair, Lu Fan placed his forearm on the armrests and tapped it with his fingers.

n“Nie, Sister Ning, Yi Yue… Get ready. We’ll go to the capital city tomorrow.”

n“I’m good-tempered, but the world lacks the respect they should have for cultivators,” Lu Fan said flatly.

nNing Zhao nodded slightly, while Nie’s pupils shrank. Young Master Lu would go to the capital city. It was not difficult to imagine what would happen to the capital city.

n“By the way, Nie, you told me your wife, Lil Shuang’s mother, is kept in the Daoist School. I want you to go there and take your wife back when this thing with the capital city is over.”

n“In the name of White Jade City,” Lu Fan said slowly.

nNie was shocked. He murmured for a while, but in the end, he just let out an emotional sigh.

n“Thank you, Young Master.”

nLu Fan nodded. He waved his hand, telling all of them to go out.

n******

nYuanchi City.

nIn the barracks of Great Zhou’s elite troop…

nJiang Li was looking at the sand table inside the tent. Chi Lian, wearing a charming black dress, was standing next to him. Some of the lieutenants were also looking at the sand table, studying the current situation.

n“His Majesty went back to the capital city alone, so he didn’t talk Lu Ping’an over?”

nJiang Li let out a sigh after hearing his subordinate’s report.

nHe extended his hand to point at Beiluo City’s position on the sand table. At the moment, Beiluo was the most unpredictable factor in Great Zhou.

n“Mo Beike is allying with Tantai Xuan. Surely Mo Beike wouldn’t let go of this unpredictable factor easily. That means… He must have already done something to Beiluo City. That night, I thought it was Yinyang School’s philosopher Wei Luan who came to kill me, but it wasn’t… Wei Luan might have gone to Beiluo.”

nJiang Li analyzed.

nChi Lian was shocked.

nYinyang School’s philosopher Wei Luan?

nWei Luan was a philosopher-level man. That night in Drunken Dragon City, if Wei Luan had shown up, she was afraid the City Master would have been doomed, and Drunken Dragon City would have been captured.

n“However, judging from the current situation, Wei Luan… He should have been killed.”

nJiang Li’s fingers gently moved on the sand table.

n“By Young Master Lu from Beiluo.”

n“So Lu Ping’an is a great concern for Mo Beike. If His Majesty can get Lu Ping’an into the capital city, the capital city will definitely remain safe. Mo Beike can’t anticipate what Lu Ping’an will do, so he won’t have the nerve to jump the gun or try his luck,” Jiang Li said slowly.

nIn the tent, the others did not even dare breathe hard. They were all listening to Jiang Li talking to himself.

nJiang Li suddenly turned to Chi Lian.

n“How is Qingniao?”

nChi Lian bowed and cupped her hands. “She needs to get used to the cruelty of war. Lord, rest assured that she is in a fairly stable condition now.”

nJiang Li nodded. He looked out of the tent at the crescent moon. The look on his face showed a complicated emotion.

nSince Lu Ping’an never left Beiluo, he would need to deal with Mo Beike and Tantai Xuan’s cruelty next.

nIn the silent night…

nThe clacking sound of horses trotting could be heard.

nOutside of the barracks, the clacking sound was deafening…

nAs if dark clouds were gathering, giving people a suffocating feeling.

n“Report!”

n“The emperor’s decrees have just arrived!”

n******

nTen miles away from Yuanchi City…

n“This He Shou… He is really a moron!”

nBeside Tantai Xuan, Mo Ju swore in anger with a cold face after reading the denunciation.

nMo Beike read it too. He closed his eyes slowly. The wrinkles on his face vibrated. He did not know how to express his feelings.

n“The aristocratic families in the capital city were tragically suppressed by Kong Xiu when Yuwen Tuo was in power. Now, they had their tails up as soon as they seized the chance. Unfortunately, they are just a bunch of morons.”

n“This denunciation could make He Shou famous indeed, but did he ever think about the influence it would bring?”

nMo Beike sighed, shaking his head.

nHe was not afraid of strong enemies, but he was really afraid of foolish teammates.

nThis denunciation did put pressure on the emperor.

nHowever, it would also draw Lu Ping’an, who had not gone to the capital city with the emperor, out of Beiluo.

nMo Ju was in a towering rage. He crumpled up the denunciation and threw it hard on the ground.

n“Lu Ping’an from Beiluo is a narrow-minded man. Now with this denunciation, what happened to the aristocratic families in Beiluo would happen again to those families in the capital city very soon.”

n“The emperor might have qualms with the aristocratic families in the capital city, but is there anything Lu Ping’an cared about?”

nMo Ju waved his feather fan hard. He was so angry that he turned pale.

nTantai Xuan, who was sitting in the seat of honor, understood what he meant.

n“Giant, what shall we do next?” Tantai Xuan asked.

nMo Beike sat in his chair. On his old face, his big eye bags slightly vibrated.

n“Wait.”

n******

nA team of armored horsemen came from the west and was heading north. They were going to the capital city.

nWestern Liang’s armored horsemen were the strongest troop in the Great Zhou Dynasty. If Jiang Li were in charge of the Western Liang Army, then his troop could be compared to them. However, Jiang Li had been the City Master of Drunken Dragon City for years, and his valiant troop was already history.

nXiang Shaoyun, clad in black armor, was not wearing his helmet. Carrying his axe and shield on the back, he mounted a giant black horse. The black armor complimented the black horse really well. He looked like an evil god in the dark night.

nWhile on horseback, Xiang Shaoyun was holding a document.

nHe tore it into pieces after glancing over it.

n“The author of the denunciation is an idiot.”

nThe military generals around him were confused.

nWell, you are the commanding general, so you can say whatever you want to say.

nThe cold moonlight shone on Xiang Shaoyun’s black armor, giving it a frosty luster.

nXiang Shaoyun pulled the reins to summon a Grandmaster general whom he trusted.

n“Xu Chu, you put on my black armor and lead the troop to Yuanchi City. Encamp 150 miles away from Yuanchi City. Don’t fight the North County Army. Just stay away from them,” Xiang Shaoyun said.

nXu Chu, a muscular military general carrying two giant barbed iron balls on his back, was dumbstruck.

n“Lord, what is this for?”

nShowing a smile, Xiang Shaoyun looked at where Beiluo City was located.

n“It’s a rare chance… I should pay a visit to Young Master Lu from Beiluo, the best cultivator in the world.”

nUnder the armor, Xu Chu’s muscles bulged. He looked excited.

nAverage people would not be able to handle the Overlord’s visit…

n******

nAt daybreak, the next day.

nWhen the first rays of the early morning sun shone on the flagstone ground of Beiluo City…

nThe heavy city gate of Beiluo was slowly opened.

nAnd a luxury horse carriage drove out of the city.

nOn the side window of the carriage, the curtain was lifted. Lu Fan’s gentle face showed up.

n“Fan’er, don’t linger there. Come back early,” Lu Changkong, clad in full armor, said to Lu Fan, who was sitting inside the carriage.

nHe told Luo Cheng to follow Lu Fan to the capital city with 500 elite soldiers. Lu Fan refused him, but Lu Changkong insisted until eventually, Lu Fan accepted this arrangement.

nWhen Lu Fan’s carriage left Beiluo City…

nScouts from various powers lurking outside of the city were alerted instantly.

nLike a brood of alert birds…

nOne after another, messenger pigeons flew out.

nWhen Lu Fan’s fleet was near to the capital city…

nA carriage drove across Beiluo Plain, grinding gravels on the way. It stopped before Beiluo City.

nLu Fan lifted the curtain of his carriage’s side window. Sitting in the wheelchair, he was checking the carriage opposite him.

nThe man in the opposite carriage lifted the side window’s curtain too. Inside the carriage was an old man wearing a thick golden beaded necklace around his neck. He got off the carriage with a sordid smile.

nLv Mudui followed the old man with a complicated feeling.

n“Lv Dongxuan, Tianji Zi from Tianji School, is here to meet Young Master Lu.”

nThe old man bowed deeply before Lu Fan’s carriage.

nThe people around them all showed odd expressions on their faces.

nNing Zhao pushed Lu Fan’s wheelchair off the carriage.

n“Tianji School?”

nLu Fan, sitting in the wheelchair, looked straight at Lv Dongxuan flatly. Then he looked toward the thick golden beaded necklace around his neck.

nAll of a sudden…

nAround Lv Dongxuan’s neck, those hollowed-out golden beads started to turn.

nLv Dongxuan was slightly shocked. He was even a little horrified.

nLu Fan raised his eyebrow. Although Lv Dongxuan’s golden beaded necklace was not a Spirit Tool like the Spirit Pressure Chessboard, it did possess some spirituality.

nHe supposed Lv Dongxuan must be using this golden beaded necklace to calculate things.

nLu Fan said in a plain voice, “Nie, Sister Ning, Yi Yue… You three go to the capital city. Just do it in the old ways.”

n“Yes.”

nNie Changqing and the other two cupped their hands.

n“Ni, take me back to the island.”

nThen Lu Fan looked at Lv Dongxuan and Lv Mudui with a slight nod.

nRather than deal with those insignificant people in the capital city, incorporating Tianji School was more important for Lu Fan right now.

nOutside of Beiluo City…

nSeeing Young Master Lu returning to the city…

nThe scouts from all those big powers were all shocked.

nThe message had been sent, but Young Master Lu went back?

nThe scouts hurried to write another letter and sent messenger pigeons out once again.

nThe brood of birds was alerted once again.

n******

nIn the tent of the North County Army…

nTantai Xuan, Mo Beike, and the others had been waiting up all night. Finally, a pigeon came.

nThey unfolded the letter delivered by the pigeon. Then, the air in the tent suddenly was charged with tension.

n“Lu Ping’an left Beiluo City in the end.”

nMo Beike let out a sigh.

nTantai Xuan’s facial expression changed. He made a difficult decision after a long time had passed. He commanded the troop—which had retreated ten miles—to retreat thirty miles more.

nHowever…

nNot long after he gave the order…

nAnother pigeon flew into the tent.

nHe took the letter and glanced over it.

nTantai Xuan…!

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