There were many famous scenic spots near Ju Province. The most famous one was the "Giant Palace Rock" located on Rongjian Cliff in Hanshi County.
This rock was very unique. It was about three hundred meters long and wide. It was relatively square and its four corners were supported by four naturally formed stone pillars. This huge rock had appeared in many famous paintings in the past. Even those who had never been to the Ju Province had seen it indirectly.
After Zhang Yu brought Qing Xi and Qing Shu to this place, what they saw under the blue sky was an incomparably thick and majestic golden-colored boulder that was held up high by four thick pillars.
From afar, it looked like a giant's palace standing on top of a high cliff. Below it was a crystal clear half-tile lake. It was like a mirror that quietly reflected this miraculous scene for thousands of years.
Qing Xi could not help but exclaim softly. Her eyes widened as she looked at the strange scene in front of her. She was in a daze for a long time.
Zhang Yu looked at the huge rock for a while and ordered Qing Shu to bring an easel and paintbrush from the carriage.
Then, he placed the easel and nailed the canvas on top of it. Then, he used the brush to draw the huge rock in front of him.
As a famous scenic spot, the "Giant Palace Rock" was often visited by people for sightseeing. However, this place was in the countryside and the nearest town was half a day's journey away. Therefore, most people who came here had to take carriages. However, there were a small number of wealthy people who chose to come here directly. These people were either rich or respectable.
At this moment, there was a middle-aged man in exquisite and beautiful clothes standing in the distance. He was looking at the painting with great interest.
The more he looked at it, the more entranced he became. This was because Zhang Yu had completely captured the essence of the boulder and presented it on the canvas.
After looking at the painting, he felt that the huge rock originally had such a charm. It was just that ordinary people could not see the inside side.
At this moment, he had a feeling that if he wanted to truly understand the "Giant Palace Rock", he did not need to look at the original object. He only needed to look at the painting.
His expression of admiration fell into the eyes of his attendant, who suggested, "Sir, if you like it, why don't you buy this painting?"
The middle-aged man was tempted for a moment, but then he shook his head and said, "No, that person is not an ordinary person."
He could see that even though Zhang Yu was wearing a hat and his appearance couldn't be seen clearly, his bearing and elegance were there. Moreover, there were two creators on his left and right.
Those who could use creators as followers were all related to the military, so their status couldn't be too low.
If such a person directly went up and said that he would buy it with money, it would be an insult.
He looked into the distance, sighed, and said, "It's good to just take a look. Being able to see such beautiful scenery and such a painting on this trip, it's not a wasted trip."
At this moment, he heard a strange sound in the sky. He looked up and saw a long black flying boat flying over from the distance. After it came close, it slowly descended.
Although ordinary flying boats were half-living creatures, they were wrapped in a thick metal shell and could only land on a place like the boat's roof. However, this flying boat was more like a living creature. When it was about to reach the ground, pairs of centipede legs stretched out from both sides and landed steadily on the ground.
The long boat flashed with light, then cabin doors opened one after another. Soldiers in black robes with serious expressions and carrying swords on their backs walked out.
The attendant approached the middle-aged man and said, "Sir, it's people from the Inspection Department."
The middle-aged man was surprised and said, "Why are people from the Inspection Department here?"
He saw that after these people got off the flying boat, they went toward Zhang Yu and the others. He frowned and said, "Go and watch. If the Inspection Department's people act recklessly, help me stop them."
The attendant nodded. First, he called for the two guards behind him to protect the middle-aged man. Then, he walked forward.
Zhang Yu also sensed the arrival of the Inspection Department's people, but he was not distracted and continued to paint calmly.
Qing Shu and Qing Xi, on the other hand, turned around and vigilantly faced this group of people walking over. Qing Shu's hand was even placed on the sword beside him.
Zheng Jiu walked at the very front. At this moment, he also saw that Zhang Yu was painting. He didn't walk over but stood there instead. Everyone behind him also stopped.
Around half an hour later, Zhang Yu finished painting and placed the brush on a shelf at the side.
During this time, Zheng Jiu waited there and did not come over. He did not say anything and just stood there quietly. Even so, his group gave off a lot of pressure.
The middle-aged man's attendant also stood to the side and watched. If Zheng Jiu and the others did not do anything out of the ordinary, he did not need to go over. If it was not necessary, it was best not to provoke the Inspection Department's people.
Zheng Jiu cupped his fists from afar and said loudly, "Zhang Shijun, I am the Inspection Department's Inspector Zheng Jiu. I have some things to discuss with you. Is it convenient?"
Zhang Yu turned around and nodded, "Yes."
Zheng Jiu gestured and his subordinates immediately brought over a wide and long table. They put down two wooden stools one after the other and then set up a large curtain in the open space.
Zheng Jiu extended his hand in invitation.
Zhang Yu nodded and sat down on the wooden stool on his side.
Zheng Jiu also sat down with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Even so, his body was still straight.
Zhang Yu asked, "Inspector Zheng was a soldier?"
Zheng Jiu said, "Qingyang Upper Continent's Tiger Army's Vanguard Field Marshal. Later, he was transferred to the Inspection Department and took up the position of inspector until today. However, I feel that what I do is still the same. I eliminate enemies in the army and in the rear. "
Zhang Yu asked, "Could it be that in the eyes of the Inspection Department, everyone infected by the parasites is an enemy?"
Zheng Jiu said, "The Nightmares have been around for a long time. We know how dangerous they are. Sometimes, we have to think of things in the worst possible direction. There is no room for warmth or compassion. Because once we retreat once, it can appear many times. The citizens of Qingyang Upper Continent pay taxes to support us. Thus, we have the responsibility to protect them from harm."
He looked at Zhang Yu and said, "Between kindness and cruelty, we have to make a choice. The lessons of blood and tears of the past have taught us that kindness is useless except for comforting ourselves. Thus, we can only choose cruelty."
Zhang Yu asked, "Then, Inspector Zheng, why did you come to find me?"
Zheng Jiu directly expressed his thoughts, saying, "I'm here to cooperate with Zhang Shijun."
Zhang Yu didn't say anything.
Zheng Jiu looked at him and continued, "Zhang Shijun, I tried to understand you. After you returned, you didn't choose to join any Daoist sect. Instead, you joined Mizar Academy as a teacher. You're not like some Xuanxiu who doesn't care about anything other than cultivation. When you were in Luliang Town, you once used your name to help a youth. We checked that old horse after the incident and found that there were no problems."
He reached out and took a booklet from his assistant. He placed it on the table and pushed it towards Zhang Yu. "Luliang Town was lucky and didn't have any problems. However, that doesn't mean that there are no problems in other places. Zhang Shijun, why don't you take a look at this booklet?"
Zhang Yu extended his hand to pick up the small booklet and flipped through it. Inside it was a list of the Nightmare Parasites that had been discovered in the past twenty years, as well as the destruction they had caused. The rows and rows were simply shocking to the eye.
However, he noticed that the group of people who had the most problems were the cultivators.
Zheng Jiu said in a serious tone, "The ones who have been discovered are not the scariest. The scariest ones are those who haven't been discovered.
We still don't know how many Nightmare Parasites are still lurking in the Qingyang Upper Continent. If it's just an ordinary person, as long as they don't hold a key position, then it's not too difficult to find and control them. However, if it's a cultivator, then the problem is very complicated. However, about ninety percent of the people who have been infected by the Nightmares are cultivators.
Others may think that we're targeting cultivators, but that's not the case. We're only targeting those who have been infected the most. We're not hostile to cultivators, we're only hostile to those cultivators who aren't under our control. "
Zhang Yu looked at him and said, "Cultivators are only under the jurisdiction of Xuanfu. They've never been under your control."
Zheng Jiu immediately admitted that his words were inappropriate and corrected, "Perhaps there's a problem with my wording. What I meant was those cultivators who aren't willing or haven't been tested."
Zhang Yu said indifferently, "It seems that I'm not among those you trust."
Zheng Jiu said, "To be honest, even now, I still have doubts about your esteemed self. This is not just towards you, Zhang Shijun, but towards everyone who has not been inspected by the Disciplinary Bureau. However, Zhang Shijun, as a Xia Shi, and with your actions in this period of time, I am willing to let go of this doubt. However, I still have to ask, Zhang Shijun, have you been infected by the Nightmares? "
At this point, he stared at Zhang Yu's face under the hood.
Zhang Yu said naturally, "I've been doing visualization tests every day. So far, I haven't seen any Nightmares."
Zheng Jiu's sharp gaze softened and he said, "Two days ago, we caught a cultivator who was infected by the Nightmares. Normally, whenever a Nightmares appear, it's never an exception. I'm sure that the sect behind this cultivator definitely has other cultivators who have been infected by the Nightmares. If we're more pessimistic, the entire sect might be problematic.
However, the sect doesn't allow us to go in and investigate. I'll issue an inspection order to this sect. If they still aren't willing to cooperate, then I'll have to use force to suppress them. "
Zhang Yu said, "Xuan Shou won't allow it."
If it was so easy to take down a sect, then Qingyang Upper Continent wouldn't have a place for sects to survive. The first one that couldn't be avoided was Xuan Shou.
Perhaps he wouldn't care about trivial matters, but one had to admit that he was quite protective of the cultivators who were recorded in Xuanfu.
Zheng Jiu said, "Chief Zhu Xuan is a problem, but from this person's past behavior, no matter what kind of battle it is, as long as it's between cultivators, then no matter what side both sides stand on, he won't pay too much attention to it. The cooperation I mentioned just now is based on this."
He emphasized, "I want to ask Zhang Shijun to cooperate with us and assist us in investigating these sects that might have Nightmares."
…
…
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.
