It was already the fifth month of the year, and it had been raining heavily for more than ten days. It was a rare sunny day. At the pier of the North Canal, it was a bustling place. A man walked up the pier.
This man was dressed in a linen robe. His eyes were dim, as if he was much weaker than the average person.
Along the way, it was bustling and prosperous. There were clothing shops, silk and satin shops, paper shops, bookstores, seafood and fresh fish shops, soup shops, pharmacies, laundry shops, meat shops, and jade and jewelry shops. It was very crowded and crowded with people.
This man followed the bustling crowd onto the bridge. He stopped in his tracks and looked back. His face was deep in thought as he mumbled, "When I left, my master told me that it was hard to predict the changes in the world. But if I can find the source of the changes, I will be able to find out who is the master of the world."
Ying Prefecture has responded to Ji Bei Hou on one hand, and Free Cloud Sect on the other. As for the Governor, he's been gathering information along the way. He's been opening up the port to trade, and the market is booming. However, these people are all officials of the Imperial Court, and there aren't many changes to their plans. "
"Ji Bei Hou has withdrawn his troops, and has lost his military might. How can he cause any changes? I have to meet him, and observe the situation. "
"There's another variable in Free Cloud Sect. Free Cloud Sect has been conferred the title of True Sovereign. Their reputation has increased, and they have the potential to become the leader of the Dao sects in Ying Prefecture. Ultimately, this is all because of Pei Zi Yun's sudden rise in power. The world is becoming more and more stable. According to my master's calculations, the Three Ye's and Two Guo's will be the main characters of this era.
This shouldn't be the case. I have to meet them. "The man walked forward, deep in thought. All of a sudden, he thought of something and stopped in his tracks. There was another variable in Ying Prefecture," No, there's still Holy Jail Sect. "
"According to my master's calculations, Holy Jail Sect and Ji Bei Hou will be the main characters of Ying Prefecture. They have been running amok for many years, and their destiny has been exhausted. According to Young Master's secret report, Holy Jail Sect doesn't seem like this."
This man did not pay attention to his surroundings. He walked to a door and knocked on it. A servant walked to the door and saw that it was a stranger. He then asked coldly, "Who are you, and why are you knocking on my door?"
When the man heard the servant's words, he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "I am a relative of your master. My surname is Shi, and I have received orders from my master to see him. This is a letter from my master."
The man surnamed Shi handed over the envelope.
The servant took the letter and entered the courtyard. After a while, a rough voice rang out, "Nephew Shi, you've finally arrived. Please come in."
A fatty came out and saw the man surnamed Shi, and his eyes lit up.
"Ah Feng, this is my nephew Shi, a relative from my hometown. In the future, when my nephew comes, don't stop him. Just bring him to see me. Do you hear me?"
When Fatty went inside, he thought of something and turned around to give an order.
The gatekeeper looked up at the man surnamed Shi and replied, "Yes, Master."
"Nephew Shi, please!" The fat man led the man with the surname Shi through the door. The man followed behind and didn't speak a word. When they reached the main hall, the decorations were considered elegant. The fat man sat on the main seat and shouted, "Quick, serve me some tea!"
The man smiled and said, "Master Li, there's no need for tea. There's something I need you to arrange."
"Young Master Shi Mu Zhong, please speak," the fat man said in a low voice.
"I've heard of Ying Prefecture's Ji Bei Hou's prowess and strength. I wish to see him from afar."
"As for Ying Prefecture's Top Scorer Pei Zi Yun, I wish to see him as well."
Hearing Shi Mu Zhong's words, Master Li hesitated, "Young Master Shi, many years ago, my father gave me pointers and told me that I had a life of riches and honor. He taught me how to do things. That's how I, a worthless butcher, managed to get to where I am today. But are you really only going to see him from afar, and not do anything else?"
Master Li's face was filled with hesitation as he looked at Shi Mu Zhong worriedly. He was afraid that Shi Mu Zhong might do something wrong. If that were to happen, it would be troublesome.
"Of course. If you're worried, you can arrange for someone to accompany me. If I do anything out of the ordinary, you can send someone to apprehend me." Shi Mu Zhong laughed, as he looked at Master Li with a hint of disdain.
Even though he had shown mercy to Master Li and changed his fate, these people were not puppets. They had their own thoughts and intentions. If Shi Mu Zhong's actions were to threaten Master Li's life and honor, he would apprehend him personally, or report him to the authorities.
"Aiya, Young Master Shi, what are you saying? Master Li has done me a great favor. Even if Young Master Shi has some ulterior motives, I will not report him." When Old Master Li heard Shi Mu Zhong's words, he gave a flattering smile and heaved a sigh of relief. Old Master Shi was a great benefactor to him, but he was even more eerie and fearful.
"I'll have to trouble Master Li to make arrangements for me. I shall stay here for the time being." Shi Mu Zhong smiled as he spoke. Just then, a serving girl came in with a cup of tea. Master Li looked at the serving girl and instructed, "Xiao Cui, call the housekeeper over. I have some instructions for him."
"Yes, Master." The serving girl, Cui Hua, acknowledged and left. Before long, a skinny housekeeper walked in and bowed respectfully to Master Li, "Master."
"Housekeeper Han, you're here. My nephew is here to stay for two days. Help me make the arrangements. He has never seen an official of the Imperial Court before. Help me find out about Master Hou's itinerary. Let my nephew see him from afar and gain some knowledge. When he returns to the village, he will be able to share his knowledge."
"Yes, Master!" The housekeeper retreated.
The next morning, before the sun had even risen, an ox-cart was already prepared. Two servants followed behind the man as they left the Yamen.
In front of the Yamen, the housekeeper led Shi Mu Zhong to a wine shop opposite. It looked like it was newly built, and had three floors. The housekeeper then said, "Young Master, we had invited someone to Fu Mansion to see Top Scorer Pei. Who knew that Top Scorer Pei had already left for the countryside, and we were unable to meet him. However, we managed to find out about Master Hou's itinerary. Master Hou is diligent, and would arrive at the Yamen every day.
The housekeeper then led Shi Mu Zhong up to the third floor, "Tonight, the entire third floor will be reserved by Master. Take a look around, we've already ordered lunch."
He then followed the housekeeper up the stairs, and noticed that there was a screen separating the two rooms. When he opened the window, he could see the streets below. Raindrops the size of beans were falling from the sky. A waiter had already brought out porridge, snacks, fried dough sticks, tea, peanuts and even some wine. The housekeeper then led Shi Mu Zhong to his room, and did not stay for long before leaving.
Shi Mu Zhong sighed, "This butcher is really meticulous."
He knew that although he had a master to guide him, if he didn't have a good temperament, then even if he was successful for the time being, he would still fall. He might even attract trouble and cause his family to be ruined.
Out of the hundreds of people he had guided, only thirty of them had become successful.
He then sat down leisurely and ate his breakfast before asking the waiter to leave. He then drank his tea and tasted his peanuts. At this point, there was a commotion in the distance. He saw two rows of armored soldiers surrounding a carriage.
Although there weren't many of them, one look and Pei Zi Yun could tell that they were all soldiers who had been through hundreds of battles.
Shi Mu Zhong walked closer to the window, and his eyes started to glow with a bright light. The light surrounded his pupils, and the hazy world around him started to become clearer.
The carriage opposite him looked like a ferocious tiger crawling on the ground. From afar, the Governor's office was surrounded by Imperial Qi.
A man stepped out of the carriage. In Shi Mu Zhong's eyes, he looked like a ferocious tiger. Not only did he not look dispirited, but the ferocious tiger's body was surrounded by the sound of the wind. If one looked closely, one could see that there was water vapor around the tiger.
'No, no, the wind comes from the tiger, and the clouds come from the dragon. Now that the tiger's body is surrounded by the clouds, there must be more to it than meets the eye. I have my master's powers, which allows me to peer into the secrets of the heavens. Now that I can't see what's going on, I can only rely on my Patriarch's powers to see what's going on.' Shi Mu Zhong thought to himself as he retrieved a jadestone that was as black as ink. An anchor could be seen within the jadestone. With a pinch of his hand, the jadestone shattered into pieces. In a flash, a black aura surged out from the jadestone and entered his field of vision.
'The ferocious tiger is red and yellow, and its body is surrounded by the wind. A trace of Imperial Qi is hidden within the tiger's body. Ji Bei Hou is surrounded by the wind and clouds, and the Imperial Qi converges.'
"Ao!" The sound of a ferocious tiger roaring could be heard. Ji Bei Hou had just stepped out of the carriage when he felt a sense of discomfort in his heart. He turned around to look.
"Ah!" Shi Mu Zhong screamed out in pain as tears of blood flowed from his eyes. He stretched out his sleeves and wiped the tears off his face. He then turned towards the door and shouted, "Let's go back. Master Hou's demeanor is extraordinary."
"This … Young Master Shi, what happened to you just now?" The servant entered the room and asked curiously.
"Oh, I accidentally knocked into the wall and cried out in pain." Shi Mu Zhong smiled, "Tell your master that I'm going to the monastery outside the city to pay my respects."
He then hired an ox-cart and left the prefecture. When he arrived at a small Daoist monastery, a Daoist priest came out and looked around before inviting Shi Mu Zhong into a room, "Master Shi, your room has been prepared."
"Good." Shi Mu Zhong smiled as he followed the servant.
The night grew darker. Within a monastery within Black Altar Sect, Xie Cheng Dong was meditating. The entire room was filled with a unique aura, as he cultivated.
All of a sudden, the communication talisman vibrated. All the other talismans had been removed, and only this talisman was connected to the blind Daoist. Xie Cheng Dong was taken aback and stopped his cultivation. He then took out the talisman and pointed it at the talisman. The image of Shi Mu Zhong appeared, and he bowed respectfully.
"Young Master, I only have Ji Bei Hou's luck. Pei Zi Yun has returned to his village, and I haven't been able to see him. However, I've found something. The heavenly change is indeed in Ying Prefecture." Shi Mu Zhong said.
"Oh? So there's a change? Tell me about it. "When Xie Cheng Dong heard these words, his eyes lit up as he stared at Shi Mu Zhong.
"Young Master, Ji Bei Hou's appearance is that of a tiger, and he carries the wind with him. That's normal. Most military leaders look like that. Unless I was prejudiced, I wouldn't have been able to tell that there's a trace of Imperial Qi within him."
"This Imperial Qi is as thin as a strand of hair, and has a weak foundation. It doesn't seem to be orthodox, but it's definitely Imperial Qi." Shi Mu Zhong reported softly, hiding the fact that he had the Patriarch's jade talisman.
"What?" Xie Cheng Dong sucked in a breath of cold air, "When the previous dynasty fell, the Imperial Qi started to rise. But when the new dynasty was established, the Imperial Qi had long been concentrated in the true dragon. Out of all the officials and generals, there's only official Qi. Even if there's an Imperial Qi, it's usually a tiger, a lion, or a leopard.
"Yes, Young Master. Even in the future …." Shi Mu Zhong swallowed his words before continuing, "It's hard to imagine. Furthermore, it's different from what the heavens have predicted. I'm afraid."
"Afraid what?" Xie Cheng Dong asked anxiously.
"I'm afraid it's a backlash from the heavens. That's what's scary." Shi Mu Zhong paused before saying, "The heavens cannot be blasphemed against. Ever since that incident, not only Master, even I can't see the Three Ye's and Two Guo's. It's as if they're purposely shielding us."
"From the looks of it, it's not just shielding us. I'm afraid there's a backlash from the heavens as well."
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