Dongling City.
At the city gates.
To enter Dongling City, all carriages and horses had to undergo inspection by the city guards, and all personnel were required to dismount and proceed on foot.
This was the rule in Dongling City and most major cities.
At this moment, everyone in the Su family's merchant caravan had stepped down from their carriages, moving forward slowly alongside their wagons to be inspected by the guards.
At the front of the caravan.
The Su family's heiress, the caravan's owner, frowned as she observed the long queue ahead.
She hadn't expected so many merchant caravans and travelers to be entering Dongling City now that the weather had just begun to warm.
The stench from the densely packed crowd, combined with the harsh winter sun beating down overhead, only deepened her irritation.
She glanced at Liu Guangqi beside her.
"Old Liu!"
"Young Mistress, your subordinate is here."
"Old Liu, I must say when traveling outside, you shouldn't be so soft-hearted!" The Su heiress spoke while casting a meaningful look toward the rear of the caravan.
However, her line of sight was blocked, and she saw nothing.
Liu Guangqi, noticing his mistress's gaze, immediately understood whom she was referring to.
He hadn't expected her to bring this up now. Instantly, he bowed with an apologetic smile.
"Young Mistress, this subordinate was at fault."
"Hmph!" The Su heiress nodded. "Good that you recognize it. Because of your misplaced kindness, our caravan had to pay dozens more taels of silver to cross Twin Sun Mountain."
She seized this moment while waiting in line to reprimand him further.
Then she added, "But given your years of service, I'll let it pass this time! Don't let it happen again!"
"Yes, Young Mistress!" Liu Guangqi continued to bow deferentially.
Seeing this, the Su heiress suddenly felt she might have been too harsh.
So she softened her tone slightly.
"Old Liu, it's not that I'm targeting you. The competition within the family is critical right now. I need every bit of silver to invite a powerful expert to serve as my guest elder and lend me their prestige. Not a single coin can be wasted!"
"Young Mistress, this subordinate understands!" Liu Guangqi forced an understanding smile.
"Good that you do." The Su heiress nodded, her irritation easing somewhat.
A short while later.
"Next caravan, step forward!"
"Yes, Officer!" Hearing the city guard's call, Liu Guangqi responded promptly under the Su heiress's signal.
With Liu Guangqi's extensive experience in navigating such situations, the inspection proceeded smoothly. One by one, the wagons were checked and allowed to pass through the gates.
Before long, half the caravan had already entered the city.
At this point, Jiang Ning and the others also dismounted from their carriage.
They waited for their turn to be inspected.
As another wagon passed through, the rear half of the caravan came into full view, clearing the line of sight.
It was then.
The two black-and-gold-uniformed officers from the Investigation Bureau, who had been waiting at the gates for some time, suddenly stiffened.
"Brother Xu, Brother Xu look! Isn't that Jiang Ning?" One of the men urgently elbowed his companion.
Hearing this, the other man referred to as "Brother Xu" snapped his gaze forward.
His eyes locked onto Jiang Ning's.
Instantly, his expression sharpened. "It's him! That's Jiang Ning!"
"Brother Xu!" The first man could barely contain his excitement, nudging his companion repeatedly. "Let's go! We're finally free!"
Their sudden movement caused a stir at the city gates.
After all, anyone with a bit of worldly knowledge recognized the distinctive uniforms of the Investigation Bureau.
These two were agents of the Bureau.
Nowadays, the Investigation Bureau has branches in every county and prefecture. It could be said that no town was without its presence.
After nearly half a year of rapid expansion, everyone knew the Bureau was the rising star of the Great Xia Dynasty, its influence reaching unprecedented heights.
Who dared to cross paths with them?
A single misstep could lead to accusations of rebellion with no chance to plead innocence.
They held the authority to execute first and report later. The dead couldn't speak how could they defend themselves?
As the two men strode away from the gates, the eyes of the crowd followed.
Even the city guards paused their inspections, curiosity piqued.
Since the previous day, they had noticed these two Bureau agents stationed at the gates.
They had whispered among themselves, wondering what business brought these men here.
When the agents had remained until the gates closed the night before, their curiosity had only grown.
It wasn't until this morning that they learned the two were waiting for an important outsider someone who, in their eyes, was undoubtedly a figure of significance.
Now, seeing the agents finally spring into action, everyone watched with rapt attention.
Just who was important enough to warrant two Bureau agents waiting at the gates for an entire day?
Under the crowd's gaze, the two agents marched straight toward Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning had already noticed their approach.
A flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes.
As far as public records went, his registered rank within the Bureau was only the eighth rank.
An eighth-rank official might have been considered significant in Luoshui County.
But in Dongling City? It was utterly unremarkable.
In the prefectural seat of Dongling, one could kick a random passerby and likely hit someone of equal or higher rank.
The eighth rank wasn't even worth being called a "minor official."
What reason could the Bureau have for sending agents to greet him at the gates?
Especially without prior notice or confirmation of his arrival.
How long had they been waiting?
With this question in mind, he watched as the two men stopped before him.
"Greetings, Lord Jiang!"
"Greetings, Lord Jiang!"
The two men immediately clasped their hands in salute.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning finally understood these two had come specifically for him, waiting at the city gates early to greet him.
Meanwhile,
Liu Guangqi's eyes widened in shock.
"Isn't he Scholar Jiang?!"
"Why are those two officials addressing him as 'my lord'?!"
Beside him, the Su family's eldest daughter was equally stunned.
"Old Liu, didn't you say he was just a scholar from a moderately wealthy family?"
"That's right!" Liu Guangqi stared blankly at the group conversing ahead.
He could see the deference the two men showed Jiang Ning just like the respect he showed his own master.
"Then what's going on here?" the Su family's daughter pressed.
"I… I don't know!" Liu Guangqi shook his head in bewilderment.
"Old Liu, didn't you say you were on good terms with him before?"
"At best, we were passing acquaintances. How could you call that 'good terms'?" Liu Guangqi laughed self-deprecatingly.
Seeing the way the two patrol officers treated Jiang Ning with such respect, he realized his earlier efforts had been completely unnecessary.
After all, even the weakest members of the patrol office were martial artists who had reached the lowest rank.
For them to show such deference, how could Jiang Ning just be an ordinary scholar?
He must have possessed formidable martial skills.
"Old Liu, why didn't I try to build a better relationship with him back then?" The Su family's daughter stared at the scene at the city gates, her eyes filled with regret.
She continued, "If I had befriended him, given his status enough to make even the Dongling City patrol officers bow to him I could have easily gained the upper hand in the family power struggles."
Hearing this, Liu Guangqi recalled how his young mistress had reprimanded him earlier and fell silent.
...
On the other side,
After a brief exchange with the two patrol officers from Dongling City, Jiang Ning learned the reason for their presence.
Hong Minghu had notified Dongling City.
And the reason Hong Minghu had contacted Dongling City's patrol office, asking them to relay a message to Jiang Ning,
was because something major had happened in Luoshui County something closely tied to Jiang Ning.
Wang Jin had been severely injured, his tendons and bones shattered.
Normally, such injuries would leave a person permanently disabled.
"Thank you both for delivering the message." Jiang Ning took a deep breath, suppressing the anger rising in his chest, and clasped his hands in gratitude.
"You flatter us, Lord Jiang!" The leader of the two returned the gesture and added, "Since the message has been delivered, we'll take our leave to report back."
"Of course. Safe travels."
As the two figures receded into the distance,
"Hurry, hurry! Move quickly!" The soldiers guarding the gates immediately stopped inspecting the carts ahead of Jiang Ning. They didn't even bother collecting the entrance fees, instead urging the vehicles to pass through swiftly so as not to block the way.
At the same time,
"Little Brother!" Jiang Li, who had been standing beside Jiang Ning the entire time, spoke up.
He had overheard the conversation between Jiang Ning and the two patrol officers and knew what had happened in Luoshui County.
"What is it, Eldest Brother?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Little Brother, are we going back now?" Jiang Li inquired.
"There's no need." Jiang Ning shook his head calmly.
Then, he glanced toward the city gates. The carts ahead had all entered, leaving the path clear.
"Let's go into the city first," he said again.
"Alright." Jiang Li nodded, then asked, "But what about your master?"
"I'll get you all settled first, then return alone. With my speed, the trip back won't take more than a few hours."
Hearing this, Jiang Li stared at his younger brother in astonishment.
Having traveled from Luoshui County, he knew exactly how long the journey had taken.
Though the carriage was slow, it had still taken a full five days.
Yet, in his brother's words, that same distance could now be covered in just a few hours.
"Just how strong is Little Brother?" The thought flashed through Jiang Li's mind.
He nodded slowly. "Alright, we'll follow your plan."
...
Even though the road ahead was now clear and carriages were still queuing behind them, the soldiers guarding the gates didn't dare urge Jiang Ning's group to hurry.
They had just witnessed how the two patrol officers treated the young man.
They also knew that those two officers had waited at the gates for nearly an entire day, just for Jiang Ning's arrival.
With such a grand display of importance, how could they dare offend such a figure?
"Let's go in." Jiang Ning looked at the open road ahead and spoke.
"Alright." Jiang Li nodded.
Soon,
The two carriages passed through the thick city walls.
As they traveled down the road, Jiang Ning fell into deep thought.
Wang Jin's accident had caught him off guard.
He hadn't expected that Yu Manyun would arrive in Luoshui County right after he left.
His speculation that the woman who injured Wang Jin was Yu Manyun wasn't without basis after all, Xiao Emei had tipped her off beforehand.
Among the potential enemies he had provoked, whether in terms of motive or likelihood, Yu Manyun was the only one who fit the description.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Relieved that Yu Manyun had arrived a few days late.
If she had come a few days earlier, when he was still in Luoshui Lake, and she had shown up at his doorstep while he was away, his elder brother, sister-in-law, and their family would have been in grave danger.
If she could be ruthless toward Wang Jin, she would undoubtedly show no mercy to his brother, sister-in-law, nephew, or niece.
Just the thought of it sent a chill down his spine.
This only strengthened his resolve.
Both the old turtle and Linglong needed to be properly nurtured and trained.
If they were developed well, even in his absence, there would still be enough power to protect his brother's family.
Passing through the city gates and stepping into Dongling City, Jiang Ning immediately spotted a highly conspicuous inn.
Riverside Pavilion.
"Little brother, how about we stay at this inn for now?"
Looking at the five-story Riverside Pavilion ahead, Jiang Ning thought for a moment and nodded.
"Alright!"
"Big brother and sister-in-law, find a place to settle in first. I'll take care of the rest!"
A short while later, after securing the rooms and settling everyone in, he left the old turtle and Linglong in his brother's room before stepping out of Riverside Pavilion.
He had already made up his mind.
He had to return to Luoshui County.
Wang Jin's injuries required immediate treatment otherwise, even if he recovered, there would be lasting damage. Given the severity of his wounds, he might never fully heal.
And in Dongling County, the best medical expertise aside from the Medicine King Valley was nonexistent.
But before heading back, he had to ensure everything was properly arranged.
If Yu Manyun came to Dongling City and found his brother's family, a mere inn would be powerless to protect its guests.
Even with the old turtle and Linglong, they might not be a match for Yu Manyun.
According to Xiao Emei, Yu Manyun was competing with her for the position of the next sect master of the Moonwater Sword Palace proof enough that Yu Manyun's strength was on par with Xiao Emei's.
After all, Xiao Qiushui and Xiao Mingyue both bore the surname Xiao, as did Xiao Emei.
That surname alone suggested that Xiao Emei's relationship with Xiao Qiushui wasn't simple there was room for speculation.
If Yu Manyun could compete with Xiao Emei, she undoubtedly had her capabilities.
The old turtle's strength was below that of a fifth-rank martial artist.
As for Linglong, her power was even weaker, with only a few decades of cultivation her combat ability was roughly equivalent to an eighth-rank martial artist.
So if they faced Yu Manyun, the best they could do was buy a little time. They wouldn't be able to ensure his brother's family's safety.
That was why, before leaving, he had to secure another safeguard.
Something that would ensure even if Yu Manyun found his brother's family in Dongling City, she wouldn't be able to harm them.
Soon, he followed the method Xiao Emei had left him and released a messenger bird from the city's aviary.
He was summoning Xiao Emei back from the Moonwater Sword Palace to serve as a protective talisman for Jiang Li's family.
Next, he acted on the arrangement Bai Luoyu had left before departing.
Before leaving Luoshui County, Bai Luoyu had invited him to meet up once he arrived in Dongling City, promising to host him properly over drinks.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be in a hurry to see Bai Luoyu.
But now was different.
In Dongling City, Bai Luoyu held an extraordinary status.
As the inspector of an entire commandery, his authority was immense.
Moreover, Bai Luoyu held a sixth-rank inspector position, meaning his martial prowess was undoubtedly formidable certainly no weaker than Yu Manyun's.
If Bai Luoyu agreed to help, his brother's family would truly be safe.
Only then could he set out for Luoshui County without worry.
His mentor had helped him in his time of need.
This was a debt he couldn't ignore.
Not to mention, Wang Jin had suffered this calamity because of him.
By reason and by duty, this was something he had to handle.
Wang Jin's injuries had to be treated, with every effort made to prevent lasting harm.
As for Yu Manyun if she was truly responsible this was a grudge he couldn't let slide.
Even if the Moonwater Sword Palace stood behind her, if it came to a life-or-death struggle, he wasn't necessarily afraid.
He already knew the location of the Moonwater Sword Palace an island in the middle of a lake.
Bodies of water were his domain, where he could unleash the full extent of his strength.
If he went all out now, even Xiao Qiushui, reputed as the strongest below the grandmaster level, was someone he dared to challenge.
But that wasn't the priority now.
The most urgent matters were ensuring his family's safety and taking Wang Jin to the Medicine King Valley for treatment.
Everything else would have to wait.
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