The author of this article

Chapter 280 We are Immortals

The rampant snowstorm continued to rage, plunging the sky into darkness.

Grain carts on the official road traveled through the wind and snow, stopping and starting, swaying left and right.

Fengzhou was already a disaster-stricken area, especially the northwest direction where the official road was located, where the snow was particularly deep.

This was actually a good thing, because the official road in Fengzhou had been repaired. However, once you left Fengzhou, the road conditions in the other four disaster-stricken prefectures were all over the place.

In the face of extreme cold, low visibility, and unpredictable road conditions, ordinary horsemen, who are usually the main force in transportation, are practically facing death.

But upon hearing that it was to save lives, some of the grooms still drove one after another without hesitation.

Meanwhile, He Zhang and Qiu Zhongzheng of Fengzhou Prefecture were sitting in the front hall of Jizhai, looking at the amount of grain needed and the amount of grain used, their expressions solemn.

"Even if the first batch of grain arrives smoothly, it will be difficult for those drivers to return empty-handed."

"Yes, the disaster area is too large, and it is indeed difficult to reach the required number of people relying solely on the transportation capacity of Fengzhou."

"If only the Northern Garrison were here, but the barbarians in the north have started making moves again. It's strange, though, that the frigid north hasn't seen snow this year, while the five states of Qingyun have..."

"What should we do now?"

"Let's load it onto the truck first. Once it's loaded, we can always find someone to help. If not, we old guys can take over."

"What about the ones outside?"

"Just do as you said, young master. No matter what they say, push all the blame onto him."

He Zhang and Qiu Zhong raised their heads, listened to the reprimands coming from the front hall, and walked out quietly.

In the front hall of Jizhai, scions of prominent families from all over the country sat there with angry expressions, exuding a murderous aura.

As Qiu Zhong appeared, a sharp sword was drawn with a clang, gleaming with a cold light, and slashed horizontally toward his neck without warning.

Just then, Pei Ruyi, who was in the front hall, reacted quickly and slashed horizontally with her sword.

The two swords clashed, and with a loud bang, the porcelain vase in the hall shattered instantly.

The cultivator who drew his sword twitched his eye and roared in fury, "Do you know that because all the spirit stones in Qingyun World have been cut off, my young master is waiting to break through to the next realm? If he loses this opportunity, who among you can bear the responsibility?!"

Pei Ruyi looked at him coldly: "This is Ji You's decision. He said he would bear all the consequences."

"Him? Heh, there are no cultivators in Fengzhou and he got lucky. Does he really think he's the ruler of Fengzhou? I advise you to quickly resume the spirit stone transportation, otherwise... the consequences will be something you can't bear."

"The road from the northern border to Fengzhou is closed due to deep snow, making it difficult to transport goods even if we wanted to."

The cultivator who drew his sword instantly sharpened his eyes: "If transporting spirit stones is difficult, then how do you transport your disaster relief supplies?"

Qiu Zhong lowered his head even further: "After the heavy snow, the Fengzhou road administration spent a whole day clearing the official roads of Fengzhou before the grain carts could leave..."

"Since there's a way, let's transport the spirit stones the same way we transport the grain!"

"Young Master said that food is life-saving, but spirit stones are not, so they will not be transported for the time being, no matter who comes. If any of you have a way, you can go to the Northern Territory to get them yourselves."

Qiu Zhong bowed and said in a hoarse voice, "We are just servants. If the young master does not change his mind, even if I give in, the Road Administration and the Imperial Observatory will not cooperate. Please be aware, Your Excellency."

The cultivator who drew his sword looked furious: "Are you saying that no one in the world can control him?"

“My young master is a disciple of the Heavenly Academy. Without the Heavenly Academy’s intervention, the aristocratic families naturally cannot control him.”

“I will report your words to the patriarch truthfully, but after this winter, the Ji family will cease to exist in Fengzhou.”

The other cultivators glanced at them with grim expressions before leaving Fengzhou Prefecture.

The demon race does not want money from the human race. Their snowy region is even more barren than Fengzhou, so what they need are firewood, rice, oil, salt, and hand tools.

This involved a massive accounting process, which had previously been handled jointly by Fengzhou and the Sixianjian, allowing the Snowfield Demon Stones to circulate smoothly.

Therefore, the transportation of demon stones is not simply a matter of roads.

In fact, most of Fengzhou's grain production was converted into silver coins through exchanges with demon stones.

However, due to Ji You's order, all government offices and the Imperial Observatory in Fengzhou are currently busy with disaster relief, and no one is dealing with this matter.

If the demons can't get the items, they naturally won't give the spirit stones to them; taking them for themselves is a joke.

Therefore, the simplest way to restore transportation is to first resolve that seasonal worry.

After discussing it, seeing that it was getting late, everyone decided to stay overnight at their respective families' manors in the area before going to report.

The cultivator who drew his sword was named Guo Liu, a member of the Guo family in Liangzhou. He had just arrived at the Wanshu Immortal Manor under the Guo family's tutelage, still cursing under his breath.

Among the people in Wanshu Xianzhuang were his cousins, Guo Zixing, Guo Ziyi, and Guo Pingrong. They would occasionally chuckle at his cursing, but then remain silent.

Guo Liu cursed for a long time until his throat felt dry and hoarse before he stopped. Then he looked at them and frowned, thinking to himself that staying in this remote and impoverished place had made him stupid.

Although Guo Liu's cultivation level was not high, only at the Condensation stage, he was still a member of the main family. Even though he was sent out on a mission, he received a grand reception from Wanshu Manor.

He ate and drank until the deep of night, then returned to his room to rest.

He slept soundly for a while, but in the middle of the night, he was awakened by the urge to urinate. As soon as he got out of bed, he heard a noise in the yard, so he looked out the window.

Under the hazy snowy night, his cousins ​​tiptoed out of the house like thieves.

It seemed that the group hadn't arranged to meet beforehand, and they were slightly taken aback when they met in the courtyard.

However, the group didn't say much afterward; they exchanged glances and then left the Immortal Manor.

Meanwhile, in a house on the west side of Fengzhou Prefecture.

Zhang Pingyang looked at his pregnant wife Lanlan, who was fast asleep, and quietly got out of bed, dressed, and went out.

He was a member of a collateral branch of the Zhang family in Liangzhou. He had only average talent since childhood and was still only at the Ninghua realm. After coming to Fengzhou, he cultivated for many years and finally married a commoner named Lanlan.

Since then, he has rarely left his wife, and he has not even returned to the Immortal Village. This is the first time he has decided to leave.

As he left the room, Lanlan, who was lying on the bed, gently opened her eyes and stared at the departing figure for a long time without saying a word.

Actually, she used to be very afraid of cultivators, and would tremble when she saw them, but after getting married, she felt that they were nothing special.

When he can't sleep, he looks preoccupied, not at all mysterious or enigmatic.

Under the snowy night, the cold was bone-chilling, and even the moonlight seemed to be frozen.

Zhang Pingyang walked along the road, passing the wall that read, "I was born between heaven and earth, and I must have stories for future generations to see."

From a distance, the grain wagons had already stopped at the threshing ground not far from the city gate, but when he got closer, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

He noticed that cultivators from other immortal manors had also arrived, some of whom had already boarded carriages. Upon seeing him, they all turned their heads with somewhat strange expressions.

"Brother Zixing, what brings you here? There are no spirit stones to be taken this time."

"I went in place of Brother Arong."

"Ah, the guy from the Northwest Village who took us hunting last time?"

“His wife is about to give birth. We are cultivators, after all, much stronger than mortals.”

"A sickle can be described as a crescent moon blade, and harvesting wheat can be seen as learning swordsmanship. It's not easy to hide being a groom. What will you say when you get back?"

"We agreed not to tell anyone, since... we're all in the same boat anyway."

Zhang Pingyang couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself that they had been deceiving themselves all along. He then climbed onto the carriage and grasped the reins.

Guo Zixing was also adjusting the reins when he saw this and couldn't help but glance at him: "By the way, when is Lanlan going to give birth?"

"Probably after the new yuan."

"You...don't plan to go back to the Zhang family in Liangzhou?"

Zhang Pingyang looked at the distant snow and chuckled softly: "Actually, when I was forced to come to Fengzhou back then, I knew in my heart that I could never go back."

After listening, Guo Zixing remained silent for a long time: "I lived to be sixteen in Zhongzhou and thirty-eight in Fengzhou. I really shouldn't be thinking about going back."

Zhang Pingyang gripped the reins tightly and wrapped them around his right wrist: "Let's see who can ride more steadily?"

"You lowly stable boy, how dare you speak to me, a celestial being, like that?!"

"Hey, we agreed not to tell anyone about the groom."

"Didn't you say you weren't coming home?"

"We'll have to go back for our parents' birthday celebrations eventually. If the people from the main family find out, we'll be laughed at to death..."

After muttering something, Guo Zixing turned to look at the back of the carriage, where some volunteer horsemen were harnessing the carts. He then mustered his courage and shouted, "You'll all follow behind us, we..."

Seeing him stop abruptly, Zhang Pingyang couldn't help but glance at him.

Guo Zixing pursed his dry lips: "We are immortals!"

Under the dark night sky, the official in charge of checking the quantities waved his hand.

Seeing this, Zhang Pingyang grabbed the reins and shouted "Giddy up!" The grain convoy rushed into the snowy night before dawn, his face filled with endless solemnity.

Yesterday, to ensure safety along the route, the official road administration offices along the way worked tirelessly throughout the day to finally send the first batch of grain carts away after great difficulty.

But after another heavy snowfall in the evening, the road ahead will likely be covered again.

When Fengzhou ordered the grain carts, they took into account the conditions of snowy roads, so they made the wheels extremely large.

Even so, the deep snow still posed a considerable challenge for the horses.

Sure enough, as the second batch of grain trucks drove out of Fengzhou Prefecture, the official road ahead was soon buried by deep snow.

Looking around, the vast expanse of white makes it impossible to discern the direction of the road.

However, just as everyone was feeling uneasy and worried about how long the horses could gallop across such thick snow, a strong aura suddenly swept across, whistling and buzzing in the snowy night.

In a daze, Guo Zixing caught a glimpse of a figure wearing a traditional Chinese jacket, standing with his hands behind his back, soaring straight up into the clouds.

With a hum, a powerful pressure descended from the sky.

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the deep snow on the road, cutting through the middle, and then the wind blew endless snowstorms to both sides.

In the instant of the explosion, snow waves rolled across thousands of miles, sweeping away the road surface.

Upon seeing this, Guo Zixing was stunned. Looking up again, he could only see dark clouds and no one in sight.

Just then, Zhang Pingyang's shout of "Hurry up!" jolted him awake, and a convoy of grain carts sped along the main road...

Snowstorms swept across the five continents, blanketing the sky in white.

In just five days, Qingyun Tianxia, ​​which had not received any new spirit stones, completely lost its supply.

Many cultivators who were about to break through to the next realm, those who had entered the Immortal Sect and were planning to advance to the inner courtyard, and those who were waiting for elixirs all stopped their cultivation, revealing expressions of disbelief.

They never expected that the transport of spirit stones would actually stop like this.

Seeing that every spirit stone shop had a "sold out" sign, those who came to the snow appreciation party, such as Liu Junchi and Peng Peng, began to nervously wait for the reaction of their families.

They knew the powerful families behind them and knew this would inevitably provoke anger.

Thinking of this, Liu Junchi felt a chill run down his spine, because once they put themselves in Ji You's shoes, it was as if they felt an overwhelming pressure.

Sure enough, not long after the supply of spirit stones was completely cut off, a palanquin flew through the air amidst the roar of spiritual energy.

An elder from the Zhang family of Liangzhou appeared with a sinister look in his eyes, landing menacingly as he entered.
On Yong'an Street, the snow that had not yet been cleared was blown into a snowstorm, mixing with the falling snowflakes.

The peddlers and laborers, who were constantly spewing white mist from their mouths, immediately stepped aside, put their hands in their pockets, and hurried past on both sides of the road with their heads down.

Subsequently, the Guo family of Liangzhou, the Long family of Qingzhou, the Hua family of Lingzhou, and the Zeng family.

Countless mysterious missions roared in from outside the city, accompanied by disciples who flew in and filed in through the wind and snow.

Following them were the Chu family of Yongzhou, the Lu family of Yuzhou...

As numerous important figures arrived in Shengjing, carriages adorned with magical artifacts for flying also entered through the west gate. The Yunzhou Spirit Stone Merchant Guild also arrived in Shengjing, gazing towards the Nishan Heavenly Academy...

Lu Qingqiu had just returned to the elegant courtyard of Biyue Lake and used her spiritual energy to ignite the charcoal stove in the room to ward off the cold air coming from all directions.

Ji You's disaster relief efforts caused Qingyun Tianxia to cut off its supply of spirit stones, so many people in the courtyard sent her invitations, asking if she had any spirit stones for sale.

In their eyes, Lu Qingqiu was the eldest daughter of the Lu family in Yunzhou, and she had grown up sleeping in a nest of spirit stones since she was a child.

However, because there were so many people here, the spirit stones in her hands were quickly snatched away and there were hardly any left.

She didn't continue selling the remaining ones, but instead went to the inner courtyard and gave them to her younger sister who was in seclusion breaking through to a higher realm.

Lu Hanyan used her spiritual energy to blow away the snow falling on her shoulders, changed her outer clothes, then took out the teapot and sat on the charcoal stove.

Just as the kettle began to hiss, Lu Qingqiu, who was about to make tea, heard a knock on the door. Then Wen Siyuan, the head of the academy, entered and handed her a letter.

Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but shake his head: "I don't have any spirit stones left. If any more invitations are sent, please ask Senior Brother to help me refuse them."

Upon hearing this, Wen Siyuan spoke up: "This isn't a request to buy spirit stones; this post comes from the head of the Lu family."

"My father?"

"The head of the Lu family arrived in Shengjing this morning and is currently in the city."

Lu Qingqiu felt somewhat surprised, not understanding why her father had come to Shengjing at this time.

She took the invitation and glanced at it. The invitation only listed the name of a restaurant and the name of the private room.

After pondering for a while, Miss Lu opened an umbrella and walked out of the snow-covered courtyard, following the snow-covered sacred path into the city of Shengjing.

After wandering around, she arrived at the restaurant mentioned in the post, brushed the snow off her paper umbrella, and stepped inside.

This restaurant is usually very busy and bustling every day. In the evenings, there are also singing and dancing performances, making it even more lively.

But today, the building was quiet, with a sense of impending doom hanging in the air.

Lu Qingqiu walked through the corridor and saw many important figures in the front hall, dressed in luxurious clothes and exuding a mysterious aura. He recognized some of them, and for those he didn't recognize, he could roughly guess their identities by the family crests on their clothes.

These family crests represent prominent clans that have risen to great heights, and those seated here are among their high-ranking members.

Some were elders, others were worshippers, all with solemn expressions. As she moved about, servants frequently went in and out of the building, delivering invitations and messages to be sent later.

Lu Qingqiu was slightly puzzled, but still politely greeted the few people she recognized before heading upstairs.

Upon seeing this, the people below couldn't help but exchange glances.

"The Lu family of Yunzhou really knows how to take advantage of opportunities. First they came uninvited, and now they've set their sights on the Guo family..."

"Merchants are all like this, so it's not surprising. Otherwise, would they want to marry their daughters to a dying man?"

"what?"

"After the Heavenly Dao Conference, the Lu family had some ideas, but fortunately, nothing was done yet."

At this moment, Lu Qingqiu had already stepped upstairs, arrived at the private room mentioned on the invitation, and pushed open the door to go inside.

There were five people in the room: the father, the mother, Ding Mao, the head of the Ding family in Yunzhou, and Ding Shaojie. In the main seat in the middle of the group sat a man.

This man wore a tall hat and jade belt, had a dignified face, and wore a brocade cloak, exuding a subtle air of superiority.

Seeing this, Lu Xiong stood up and said, "Daughter, come here, let me introduce you. This is Guo Ran, the young master of the Guo family in Liangzhou."

Lu Qingqiu gave a slight bow: "Greetings, Young Master Guo."

"Miss Lu, I have long heard of your name. It is an honor to meet you today. You are truly stunning."

"Young Master Guo, you flatter me."

Madam Lu gently grasped Lu Qingqiu's hand: "Young Master Guo is young and promising, with extremely strong talent in cultivation. He will soon reach the Fusion Realm, but because he is devoted to the Great Dao, he has not yet married."

Upon hearing this, Ding Shaojie, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but clench his fists.

He had been in love with Lu Qingqiu since childhood, and thought that after the news of Ji You's failure to break through the realm spread, Lu Qingqiu would be with him again. Unexpectedly, there was another one.

Lu Qingqiu actually understood her parents' meaning, knowing that they were once again considering choosing a husband for her.

In fact, ever since the news spread that Ji You had not broken through his cultivation level after leaving the sacred land of the sages, his parents' intentions had begun to emerge.

When her younger sister entered the inner courtyard, the family specially gave He Lingxiu a spirit core, partly so that she could take good care of her sister in the inner courtyard, and partly so that He Lingxiu could introduce some talented young men to her sister.

Lu Qingqiu didn't object to this, thinking it would be good to marry off this slutty girl who was always eager to be spanked by Ji You.

But what she didn't expect was that her younger sister had broken through to a higher level in seclusion, and after half a year without any news, her parents had set their sights on her again.

In fact, she had previously written to her father to tell him that Ji You's combat strength was not as simple as it seemed, but her father ignored it.

In fact, Lu Qingqiu could understand, because in thousands of years, there had never been a cultivator like Ji You, and even she did not know the exact level of Ji You's combat strength.

Merchants prioritize profit; all their decisions, including marrying off their daughters, are based on considerations of profit.

Friends today can turn against each other tomorrow because of interests, and friends yesterday can be drinking and laughing together today because of interests. Such things are not uncommon in the Ling Shi Chamber of Commerce.

Lu Qingqiu came to her senses and did not directly refute the scene. Instead, she said that she had not seen her mother for a long time and wanted to have some private words with Madam Lu, so she went to the next room.

After following her to the next room, Madam Lu couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Although Young Master Guo is already thirty-two years old, he has already entered the Path of Fusion, which makes him a true prodigy. What do you think?"

Lu Qingqiu slightly raised her eyes: "I have already given myself to Ji You."

Madam Lu's expression changed drastically: "What did you say?"

“Dual cultivation is not something that cultivators should be ashamed of, but my sister hasn’t done it yet, so she would be a good match.”

"Do you know that when Hanyan went into seclusion, she wrote a letter home saying the same thing as you?!"

"This little girl..."

Lu Qingqiu spat lightly, then looked at his mother: "If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do. I won't go there. Mother and Father, please don't worry about this so much in the future."

Madam Lu watched her turn and leave, and after a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, "Actually, I didn't want you to marry that Guo either."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but turn her head.

Madam Lu fixed her gaze: "The Guo family is one of the largest aristocratic families in Liangzhou, and Guo Ran's cultivation is extremely high. I'm afraid you'll suffer if you marry into that family. You can leave, but you absolutely cannot reveal that you gave yourself to Ji You."

Lu Qingqiu glanced at his mother, then turned and left, braving the wind and snow to return to the Heavenly Academy.

However, as she walked up the snow-covered mountain path to the mountain gate, she couldn't help but frown, and then looked back at the restaurant behind her.

She had only remembered the matter of fobbing off her in-laws, and only now did she recall the doubts she had had when she entered the room.

What are these people doing here?

The Guo family is a large clan, and with my father's connections, it's unlikely he could directly summon people to Shengjing for a meeting.

The key point is that there were other powerful immortal clans in that restaurant, and he even saw several families from Lingzhou.

Thinking of this, Lu Qingqiu paused slightly, her brows gradually furrowing.

These powerful families arrived in a massive, overwhelming manner because of Ji You's disruption of the spirit stone transportation...

In fact, Lu Qingqiu's guess was correct. Their Lu family was indeed too embarrassed to have so many well-known families from Kyushu attend their marriage proposal.

They came here for the spirit stones.

When Ji You established his powerful family in Fengzhou, he took away Fengzhou's share of tax revenue. These powerful families were already furious, but they couldn't do anything about it because of the rules of the immortals.

Now, he cut off the supply of spirit stones at will and went to deliver food to the disaster-stricken mortals, forcing the geniuses in their families who wanted to break through to higher realms to stop, which made them even more furious.

To the cultivators of Kyushu, Ji You was merely a transporter of spirit stones for Kyushu, yet he insisted that he controlled the spirit stones and could sever ties at will.

This action is a gross overreach.

With a suitable pretext, the Ji family could cease to exist.

They desperately needed a supply of spirit stones and decided not to keep this person. They also decided to take back the taxes of Fengzhou at this moment and restore everything in Fengzhou to its original state.

The Lu and Ding families also learned of this trend, which is why they rushed to Shengjing. In their view, if Fengzhou were to return to the ownership of the aristocratic immortal estate, the management of that road should naturally be taken over by them.

As for having his daughter come to meet Guo Ran, it was actually just as those people had been discussing earlier—a matter of going with the flow.

However, Ji You is ultimately a disciple of the Heavenly Academy, and his family is also established based on the Heavenly Academy. Therefore, if the family wants to hold him accountable, the most crucial step is to obtain the Heavenly Academy's approval.

This matter was not difficult for them, because they knew that there were already people in the Heavenly Academy who disliked him.

Moreover, someone who failed to break through even after entering the sacred land of the ancients is of little value to the Heavenly Academy.

The servants who came in and out just now were actually carrying letters from various families to the Chongwang Mansion. Through the Chongwang, they arranged to meet Elder Fang and put pressure on the head of the management office to ensure that Ji You would suffer eternal damnation.

Messengers came and went here from noon until dusk.

At the same time, powerful families from all directions gathered here, and a somber atmosphere, along with the sudden snow and cold wind, swept into the Heavenly Academy.

Thus, throughout the pure white Heavenly Academy, one could see disciples whispering among themselves, gazing towards Shengjing.

The gathering of powerful families from all over the land in Shengjing was indeed a grand affair.

If it were truly an ordinary disciple who had attracted so many people, they would probably be living in constant fear.

However, many things happened at Tian Shu Academy before the start of winter.

Xiang Fu was admitted to the inner courtyard, Peng Yu was forcibly removed from the courtyard and taken away, and Fang Jincheng was locked up in a mountain stream for seclusion.

The clues pointed to something, but in the end, there was no clear explanation, yet they were incredibly intriguing.

If the reasons for those events are really as rumored, they feel that these families have come for nothing.

The officials left behind at the Imperial Observatory, as well as the Prince Chong's Mansion and various prominent families in the capital, shared the same sentiments.

In this small imperial capital, countless people gathered around the hearth in silent anticipation, holding their breath as they waited.

From dusk to nightfall, and from nightfall to the snowfall intensified.

Inside the Chong Prince's mansion, the Chong Prince, dressed in a bright red robe, paced back and forth, while his daughter, who had brought him tea, did not drink it even after it had gone cold.

Until the morning of the next day, countless elders from various clans descended upon Mount Ni like a dark cloud.

Lu Xiong hadn't slept a wink all night because he had learned from his wife that both of his daughters had lost their virginity to Ji You. He got up early and came to the front hall.

Guo Huai, an elder of the Guo family, was about to get up when he saw Lu Xiong and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Will Patriarch Lu come with us today?"

"Elder Guo, well, I have something to say. I've been thinking about it for a long time yesterday, and I would like to ask everyone to listen."

"Oh?"

"You all just want the supply of spirit stones to be restored, not to stand against a holy sect like the Heavenly Academy. I have some friendship with Ji You, so I might as well go and persuade him."

Upon hearing this, Ding Mao, who was following behind him, changed his expression and turned to look at Lu Xiong.

As for the others, their expressions suddenly became somewhat strange, and then they looked at each other thoughtfully.

Yesterday, the eldest daughter of the Lu family came and left in a hurry, and then the esteemed eldest son of the Guo family left in a huff. They knew that the marriage proposal had not been reached.

The problem is that the important matter here is not this marriage alliance, but rather erasing that young man surnamed Ji and returning the matter of spirit stones and taxes to what it was four years ago.

This matter is of great benefit to their Yunzhou Ling Shi Chamber of Commerce, and as the president of the chamber, Lu Xiong has always been the most proactive.

Logically speaking, even if he hadn't formed a marriage alliance with the Guo family, he wouldn't have opposed anything that would benefit the foundation of the prominent families in Yunzhou. But now he has suddenly changed his mind.

It seems that the Lu family's daughter has already lost her virginity to that dying man.

Although Ding Shaojie was ignorant and incompetent, he was quick-witted. At this moment, he felt a sudden green tingling on his forehead.

The powerful figures from the various families present ignored his advice, turned around, and roared away into the wind and snow. Their majestic aura caused snow to burst frequently on the sacred path, pressing down on all directions.

Many prominent families have already gathered here from their respective restaurants and inns, making the area even more impressive with their arrival.

However, to the surprise of these aristocratic families, they were not the only ones who came here.

Not far away by the roadside, many officials from the capital were standing in the wind and snow, including people from the Imperial Observatory.

Then there were some disciples of the Heavenly Academy, who were also faintly visible behind the mountain gate.

However, they were clearly not there to cause trouble with them; instead, they looked at them with a scrutinizing and observing gaze.

Guo Huai, an elder of the Guo family, stood still in the wind and snow. After looking around, he frowned and asked, "Why are the Hua family and Zeng family from Lingzhou not here?"

At this moment, everyone suddenly noticed that neither the Hua family nor the Zeng family, who had gone berserk and thrown themselves into the thunder last night because they had no stones to use, had shown up.

"Could it be... that he/she overslept?"

"?"

Guo Huai pondered for a moment, then summoned a member of his household named Guo Yong and sent him to the inn where the prominent families of Lingzhou were staying to search for him.

So Guo Yong used his spiritual energy to propel himself forward and quickly disappeared into the swirling snow.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Guo Yong returned amidst the heavy snow, but he was still all alone.

Guo Huai frowned upon seeing this: "Where is he?"

Guo Yong bowed upon hearing this: "Reporting to the elder, the innkeeper said that two young ladies came to visit yesterday, and then several prominent families from Lingzhou left overnight."

Upon hearing this, Guo Huai was slightly taken aback: "Leave overnight?"

"Yes."

"Where did this girl come from?"

"I do not know either."

Lingzhou is not close to this place, and Lingzhou must have braved wind and snow to arrive on time.

But since they had already come all this way, why did they all suddenly leave overnight? This made the prominent families present frown slightly, feeling that something was amiss.

Those around them, their eyes filled with scrutiny, couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Just then, Zhang Ao, an elder of the Zhang family, stroked his long beard and looked at everyone: "He is just an arrogant disciple of the Heavenly Academy. Even if one or two families are missing, it will not affect the overall situation."

Guo Yong nodded, and just as he was about to calm himself down, he suddenly saw another figure running through the wind and snow and coming to them.

The man, dressed as a steward in black clothes and boots, bowed slightly as he walked through the deep snow and said, "Reporting to all the immortals, my lord fell seriously ill yesterday and is unable to get out of bed today."

"sick?"

"It's an emergency..."

"Then what about the message we write to Elder Fang?"

"My lord said that although he cannot come here today, he has still sent a message to all the immortals at the Heavenly Academy. Please wait for his response."

All the elders from various families in the room frowned, lost in thought amidst the wind and snow.

First, the powerful families of Lingzhou retreated overnight, and then Prince Chong claimed to be ill and did not come. It was inevitable that they felt a strange sense of unease.

Ding Mao and Lu Xiong, in particular, showed increasing confusion in their eyes.

King Chong holds shares in the Spirit Stone Chamber of Commerce. If he could obtain the transportation rights for the Snowfield Demon Stones, why would he bother to painstakingly reclaim the tax collection rights from the Immortal Supervisory Bureau?

He dared not be unenthusiastic about such a matter, let alone feign illness to avoid it.

Just as questions were swirling in, a figure suddenly swept through the snowstorm above the Heavenly Academy.

The man was wearing a gray Taoist robe, and his hair and beard were all white, which made everyone in the room straighten up instantly, and their expressions became more formal.

However, when he landed before the divine path, everyone realized that he was not Elder Fang, but Elder Peng from the Peng family.

Elder Peng stopped in the snowstorm and looked up at them: "Elder Fang said that we should let this matter go..."

"???"

(Seeking 7,000 monthly votes)

(End of this chapter)