The other was a blue-robed Taoist with a complexion as clear as jade. His hair was crowned with a white jade crown, and his sleeves were embroidered with goldfish threads. He was none other than the elusive Overseer of Mountain-Edge City, Taoist Bai Feng.
Li Rongxian's courtesy name was Zhenyi, and his title was Dragon Mountain Hermit. At the same time, he was a master of calligraphy and a Rank Four Border-level official. The Li family behind him had deep connections in the prefectural city.
Entering the inner court and passing through the garden, the three of them met Mountain-Edge Prefect Li Rongxian in his prime at Pine Welcoming Hall.
In principle, he was not allowed to impart martial arts to anyone in the sect. But as long as he did not go overboard, he could still maintain the simplified version of Bear-Wrestling Hand at Level One.
'I wonder if my physical body can be upgraded by another level,' although he did not know how strong he was, he was certain that he had reached the level of Bind.
"External Head, She Lin Society's Deputy Society Head has gone missing. The prefect's yamen has invited you to attend the meeting. Also, the sect has sent someone to inform you that there will be a regular meeting. Lord Jade Lotus has already gone to the headquarters on your behalf, "The subordinate standing guard was a personal guard that Lu Sheng had Ning San form.
But the Noble Families and Scarlet District were not just at the level of Bind. With Zhen Family gone, to be fully prepared, they had to first consider all possible dangers.
His gaze swept across the crowd on both sides. Most of Crimson Whale Sect's strongest experts were here. Apart from a few External Affairs Emissaries who were out on missions, this was the sect's most elite force.
Jade Lotus glanced at him. "My lord is currently in seclusion. I'm afraid he won't have time to deal with this. This matter is urgent. Why don't you nominate someone else to investigate further?"
Chen Ying shook his head slightly.
"Alright, next. There's been a lot of unrest and trouble in the Northern Lands. The three cities in the north, including Yuanli City, have sent a request for help. Who's willing to go? "Hong Mingzi's tone was weak.
Although Lu Sheng had not made many moves, he had left a deep impression on everyone in the sect. His strength and ferocity had left a mark on everyone's hearts.
His subordinates quickly summoned Xu Chui and Ning San. Lu Sheng brought the two of them up the horse carriage and headed straight for the Prefectural Yamen, the most powerful organization in Mountain-Edge City.
Lu Sheng felt the special changes in his body. These changes seemed terrifying, but in reality, it was just an enhanced version of the Bone Shrinking Technique or the Muscle Changing Technique.
"Could it be that they've received some secret information?" Lu Sheng's heart trembled. If the matter of the Zhen Family were to spread, it would be hard to determine the attitude of the Imperial Court.
"What rank is this Mountain-Edge City's Prefectural Yamen?" He asked casually.
Everyone quietened down, but they suddenly thought of the same thing at the same time.
As the third strongest expert in the gang, Lu Sheng's name carried a lot of weight in everyone's hearts.
Everyone was thinking that as long as they didn't agree to it, the matter could only be resolved by Lu Sheng, who was in charge of Mountain-Edge City.
Hong Mingzi was mentally and physically exhausted. He let out a long sigh. The various things that had happened in succession in the past few days had caused him to be overwhelmed and unable to attend to all of them at once.
"What exactly is that …"
"What?! The higher-ups of She Lin Society have all gone missing??! "
"We must report this matter, right …?" an Internal Affairs Emissary whispered.
Back then, Ouyang Ningzhi and Elder Wang were the first people to meet Lu Sheng. Now that they were in trouble and she mentioned Lu Sheng, everyone's hearts tightened.
But now, to Crimson Whale Sect, which had Zhen Family as its backing, a fourth or fifth rank yamen was nothing. He wasn't qualified enough to be summoned to the meeting.
Not just him, Chen Ying beside him, as well as the other Internal Affairs Emissaries and Elders, were all silent and oppressive.
This man had a mustache and a solemn expression on his face. His skin was dark, and he sat on the main seat, fiddling with a green stone seal in his hand.
"Bai Feng of the Intelligence Agency …" Lu Sheng's eyes narrowed.
"Err …" the man who made the report was bewildered.
After a round of explanation, Lu Sheng quickly understood the relationship between the two. The Winged Honor Guard had also invited the higher-ups of Crimson Whale Sect to be their martial arts instructors many times. Both sides had once been on good terms.
Walking out of the sanctum, he pushed open the door to the courtyard and immediately saw his subordinates waiting outside.
"Is this an external skill similar to the Bone Shrinking Skill? After mastering the hard body skill and reaching its peak, one can control every inch of the body's muscles and bones freely. "
"She Lin Society … the Society Master is an expert at the pinnacle of Spirit Focus. How could he …" Chen Ying's eyes widened.
"We must find out if it's that kind of existence who's pressing us," Elder Ouyang said gravely. "Also, why don't I see External Head Lu? I heard he's in seclusion again? "
"Let's discuss this later," Hong Mingzi looked at the crowd before him, knowing that no one was willing to take on this thorny matter.
"Get Xu Chui and Ning San to come with me," he instructed.
Up until now, only a handful of people knew about Zhen Family's abnormality. Most of the others were still in the dark.
An Internal Affairs Emissary's face paled. He whispered, "Could it be that they're running away …"
"Oh …" Lu Sheng nodded. Nine Links City's Yamen was merely a Seventh Grade Yamen. Indeed, it couldn't compare to the officials here.
Inside the Crimson Whale, Hong Mingzi sprang to his feet, dumbfounded.
As for the others, they weren't worth his attention.
But what of it? Against Scarlet District, against ghosts and Anomalies, they were all like clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow.
Mountain-Edge City's Intelligence Bureau had always been inconspicuous. Now that they had taken the initiative to step forward, he was rather surprised.
Lu Sheng's name as External Head Lu was renowned throughout the entire Crimson Whale Sect and even the other sects in Mountain-Edge City.
"Replying to Sir, Mountain-Edge City is considered a First Grade Prefecture City according to the system. But it's not a major Prefecture City. Therefore, the Yamen here is equivalent to a Fourth Grade to Fifth Grade Yamen."
He represented Crimson Whale Sect, which was the head of the Northern Lands' Black and Gray Daos. Naturally, his position was not low. But it wouldn't be too high either. After all, he wasn't an official.
High-ranking officials like the Mountain-Edge Prefectural Magistrate would have to consult the experts of the Intelligence Bureau before they could come to a decision, such as dealing with demons, ghosts, or Noble Families.
Instead, it was the other guard who replied hurriedly.
On second thought, if Scarlet District were to launch an all-out attack, it would be difficult for him to attend to all matters at once. It wouldn't be a bad idea to attend this meeting and see the Imperial Court's attitude.
Back in his prime, he was about the same level as that Society Master She Lin. But now, this person had disappeared without a trace. Didn't this mean that if he were to encounter such a situation, he would also vanish without a trace?
The Intelligence Bureau was the department that supported the Imperial Court's true authority over the various major cities and provinces. It was also the department that specialized in investigating all sorts of bizarre and supernatural matters.
It was equivalent to forcefully compressing an originally massive body into its current state. Once it unleashed its full power, it would revert to its previous state in an instant.
"The Winged Honor Guard's Commandant Yuan Xu is a nominal Elder of our Crimson Whale Sect. He's just a nominal Elder, "Ning San explained.
There were two people seated next to him. One was Commandant Yuan Xu, a huge man with a square face, large ears, and eyes as large as copper bells. He was dressed in a military officer's robe and had a straight saber hanging from his waist. Even sitting in his seat, he looked rather imposing.
The previously oppressive and depressing atmosphere immediately heated up. Many people fought to be the first to sign up. None of them wanted to stay in the seemingly safe but actually extremely troublesome Mountain-Edge City.
Great Song's territorial system was divided into seven levels: Court, Prefecture, County, Township, and Village.
"Yes."
"The Prefectural Yamen?" Ever since Lu Sheng became External Head, he had never formally met with any officials. This was his first time.
In the silent chamber.
To be able to so easily dispose of the massive She Lin Society and even make a Spirit Focus expert disappear so easily, the level and power involved … other than those who stood against the Noble Families, what else could it be?
"External Head Lu is still in seclusion and didn't attend the regular meeting. But I'll relay the message on his behalf, "Jade Lotus, who was sitting in an inconspicuous corner, continued the conversation.
Although his cultivation method was simple, its effects were not bad. It could withstand a certain amount of sharp weapons. Coupled with a layer of leather armor, he could easily take on three to five ordinary people.
After killing the Deputy Sect Master and burning down the Song Residence, the Soaring Eagle Squad under his command was gaining more and more control over Mountain-Edge City. Many other forces were forced to retreat, and had no choice but to give up a portion of their original profits.
'The accumulation of hard body skills can increase my strength to an inhuman level. At the same time, it can also strengthen my physical body, making it difficult for sabers and swords to injure me and greatly increase my defense. But to truly kill ghosts and Anomalies, I still have to rely on inner force, 'Lu Sheng stood rooted to the spot, his eyes gleaming.
"Impossible!" Hong Mingzi shook his head. "That kid Zhang Yuandong is definitely not such a cowardly person."
"Scarlet District … what kind of faction is it? Know thyself and thy enemy, and you will emerge victorious in every battle. Looks like I'll have to gather intelligence at the same time. Before that, I've used up all my Yin Qi. I still have the Treasure Pillar Skill and the other two skills to cultivate. I'll go look for some Yin Qi first. "He immediately thought of the jade pendant in Chen Jiaorong's hand.
…
"The trouble this time is in the vicinity of Mountain-Edge City. Mountain-Edge City is also under External Head Lu's jurisdiction. Why don't we seek External Head Lu's opinion first before making any further plans," an external affairs emissary suggested. The meaning behind his words was clear. He wanted to push this matter to Lu Sheng for investigation and handling first.
The horse carriage soon arrived at the side entrance of the yamen. Lu Sheng and the other two alighted and were immediately ushered in by the reception counselor who had been waiting for them.
Lu Sheng strode into the main hall and sat down on an empty seat in the middle on the left.
"Mountain-Edge City is the third largest city in the entire Northern Province. That's why it's also of a high rank. Moreover, the powerful Winged Honor Guards are stationed here."
"I've heard of the famed Winged Honor Guards as well," Lu Sheng nodded.
These guards were provided with the best resources and treatment, and then given a simplified version of the Bear Wrestling Hand hard body skill. Lu Sheng divided it into two levels, and then passed the first level to the rest.
This was his team.
Mountain-Edge City and Nine Links City were both Prefectural Cities, with many counties under their jurisdiction. However, Prefectures were also divided into three levels: large, medium, and small. The large Prefecture was the only Prefecture City in the Northern Province. The medium Prefecture was a flourishing city like Mountain-Edge City. The small Prefecture was like Nine Links City. Each level was strictly divided.
In the horse carriage, Ning San was also briefing Lu Sheng on the information he knew about this matter.
"Oh, External Head Lu from Crimson Whale Sect has arrived," Prefectural Magistrate Li Zhenyi smiled. "Men, prepare a seat."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
