Minglong

Chapter 410 Thank you, little friend?

The venue was crowded with people, and countless tourists who had come from afar craned their necks to watch the grand spectacle on the vast grassland.

Lu Yan dressed as a wandering Taoist priest, stroking his beard as he looked at the commoners from the grasslands from various tribes. Now that he had stepped into the Five Realms and become the sect leader, he felt a sense of transcendence, like a hermit master hiding in the world.

After all, the top-tier individuals are all leaders of their respective states. Although their status and position are not low, they exist in every region. Ultimately, they are figures between the secular world and the path of cultivation, neither the best nor the worst.

The Five Realms Masters are true immortals from the mountain peaks; most ordinary people have only ever heard their names in their entire lives.

In the stories told by storytellers and those of immortals and heroes, the lucky ones who encounter reclusive masters or accidentally enter immortal caves and find small rings, bottles, etc., are usually the kind of sect leaders or patriarchs.

Although he may currently be the weakest sect leader in the world, and even unable to defeat Chen Chi of the Zhuji Sect who used to be at the bottom of the rankings, a phoenix is ​​still a phoenix. Now that he has climbed to this position, he must do what a hermit master should do, such as finding a righteous young man, giving him some pointers and opportunities as a golden finger, etc.

This act may seem like charity, but today's cause is tomorrow's effect. Xie Jinhuan's achievements today are inseparable from the various adventures he had in his childhood.

As long as he does one good deed a day and has a decent eye for people, some of the outstanding talents who emerge decades later will naturally be his direct descendants.

As Lü Yan silently pondered this, his gaze searched among the children by the roadside, but instead of finding any promising talents, he was patted on the shoulder.

?

Lu Yan frowned, turned around, and saw a tribal youth wearing a round-necked guard's robe and with his hair in a braid...

"hiss……"

Lu Yan suddenly caught sight of the familiar eyes of Han Quan, and was so startled that he took half a step back, instinctively forming a hand seal:
"Young...friend Xie?"

Xie Jinhuan slightly raised his hand to signal that everyone should remain calm:
"Elder Lü Yan... what brings you here?"

Lu Yan came to the grasslands, naturally to seek that sliver of opportunity for immortality, to do what the sect leader should do. He even consulted a divination before leaving:
There is great fortune hidden within misfortune!
Therefore, he was very careful on this trip, constantly pondering how the divination would come true, when he suddenly bumped into Xie Jinhuan.

From Xie Jinhuan's perspective, it doesn't seem like auspicious at all.
So this is a sign of impending doom...

When Lü Yan saw Xie Jinhuan, he knew this trip was going to be a disaster. Even if he didn't lose money, he would still lose face. His eyes were full of disdain.

"There are frequent disturbances on the grassland. As the leader of the Northern Dynasty, I have come to monitor the movements of the demons. You are from the Southern Dynasty and are too young to know the depths of the mountain peaks. You are no match for Yang Huaxian. Go back soon, otherwise, if something goes wrong, I will not have the strength to save you."

Seeing that old man Lü Yan was so arrogant, Xie Jinhuan looked around and asked in a low voice:

"Is Master Huang Lin also nearby?"

Lü Yan was actually one of Huang Lin Zhenren's men placed in the public eye, serving the same purpose as Xie Jinhuan and Chao Chitai. How could he possibly reveal the secrets of his ancestor to outsiders? He directly responded:

"Having cultivated for sixty years, do you still need elders to protect you when you go out to subdue demons? Did you come with Master Qixia?"

Seeing that old man Lü Yan's tone was a bit aggressive, Xie Jinhuan stopped being polite:

"Just came by for a stroll. I was so grateful to Elder Lü for escorting me last time, so I'm naturally too embarrassed to ask for those two immortal herbs again. But I haven't paid the bill for the Azure Sword Manor yet, and Elder Lü hasn't sent any word back..."

?

Upon hearing about the debt collection, Lü Yan's imposing manner immediately crumbled, and he shrugged slightly.
"I've only been back for a few days. There are only so many medicinal herbs for breaking through to the next level in a year. It would take several months just to collect them. Are you afraid that I'll renege on my debt?"

"Alas, how could I not trust Elder Lü's character? It's just that the Azure Sword Manor was the main force, and they didn't receive their payment. I was caught in the middle, and it took a lot of effort and favors for me to vouch for Elder Lü..."

Then I should thank you, right?
Lu Yan opened his mouth, but that was indeed the case, so he gritted his teeth and bowed.

"Thank you. Please explain to Master Ye that the reward will be settled by Lü Yan within a year. Also, if you insist on traveling in this dangerous place and encounter any trouble, you can inform me. However, cultivation is not easy, and you should understand the rules."

Xie Jinhuan nodded slightly: "Of course. If Elder Lü encounters any danger on this trip, he can also inform me. We are acquaintances, and I can offer him a 20% discount."

"..."

Lu Yan wanted to kill someone upon hearing these ominous words, but Xie Jinhuan had one redeeming quality: he actually did his job once he took the money. Therefore, he didn't say anything definitive and just flicked his sleeve and snorted lightly.

After the two exchanged a few more nonsensical words, a bugle call suddenly sounded from the other end of the hall:

"Waaaaah~~~~——"

Xie Jinhuan looked up and saw that all the activities on the grassland had stopped. In the distance, the soldiers lined up to the left and right, and behind them appeared a ceremonial guard carrying flags. In front of them were more than a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen, with several people carrying brass horns on the left and right, and in the center was a large chariot drawn by four horses.

The carriage had only railings and no roof. On top of it was a bearskin wooden couch, where a man dressed in a round-necked gold robe sat. He wore a round hat with a brim and looked quite robust. Next to the carriage was an old man in sacrificial robes who drove the horse slowly.

Lu Yan glanced at it briefly and explained:

"This is Chitai of the Northern Dynasty, and the one next to him is Dugu Yue. Chitai is extremely obsequious to our dynasty and is deeply loved by the court officials, but he is far from a benevolent ruler. Not only does he impose heavy taxes to exploit the common people, but he is also licentious and indulgent. It is said that he even dares to have sex with his mother-in-law, niece, and concubine. He enjoys three or four concubines every time he has sex with someone. He is simply morally corrupt..."

?

Xie Jinhuan, who had been carefully observing, frowned upon hearing this, thinking to himself:

You old geezer, are you trying to insult me ​​indirectly?
However, he hadn't gone as far as Chao Chitai, and family matters couldn't be discussed openly, so he simply inquired:
"Master Lü is planning to get rid of this person?" Lü Yan was an old-school Taoist who valued the rules of the righteous path. According to the principles of the righteous path, when encountering a tyrannical ruler or corrupt official who oppresses the lower class, and when the law is ineffective, righteous people should act on behalf of Heaven.

But the righteous path knows no borders, and cultivators certainly exist.

Chao Chitai is a very special person. He fawns over the Northern Zhou and the chaotic and barren grasslands make the Northern Zhou feel more at ease than the monolithic Northern Kingdom.

Therefore, the Northern Zhou court had no reason to eliminate Chaochitai. Lord Huo Yi did not seek help from the Northern Zhou, but instead recruited wandering knights as assassins on his own. This showed that he understood that the Northern Zhou would not eliminate the scourge for the grasslands. However, Huo Yi did not expect that Jiang Xiaobiao was also a member of the Yanjing Criminal Arrest Bureau.

As a righteous patriarch, Lü Yan certainly wanted to eliminate this grassland king who preyed on the people, but the imperial court would not approve this idea. The divination faction, acting on its own initiative and interfering in the affairs of another country, would ultimately be disliked by both sides. Therefore, the response was as follows:
"The path of cultivation does not interfere in politics. As long as the Chaochitai is not involved in evil matters, or engages in tricks such as human sacrifice, extermination of clans and massacre of cities, no matter how strict the governance is, it is an internal affair of the grasslands and should be handled by the grasslands themselves."

Xie Jinhuan nodded, and was at this moment observing which experts Chao Chitai had under his command when he saw that the landlady on the Changhe Division's seat looked a little shocked, as if she had seen something extraordinary, and she beckoned to him.

Upon seeing this scene, Xie Jinhuan knew that there was a serious problem at Chaochitai, so he immediately took his leave and quickly returned to his seat...

……

"Woo-"

Amidst the resounding horns, Chao Chitai ascended the throne, surrounded by tribal members cheering, but most of the lords wore furrowed brows.

Chao Chitai was not surprised by this reaction. After all, with the Immortal Ancestor's actions, even a tyrannical ruler would know that he was becoming disloyal and that he wouldn't be the King of the Northern Territory for long. Therefore, he cherished the feeling of being above all others.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the people of each tribe, Chao Chitai settled on the throne to watch the contest between the warriors of each tribe. His gaze lingered on the Changhe tribe, and he inquired:

"How many men did Huo Yi bring to deal with me?"

Dugu Yue stood to her side, her hands tucked into her sleeves, observing out of the corner of her eye:

"There are quite a few people around, but they are all disguised. It is impossible to tell where Xie Jinhuan and the others are, but they are most likely in the group."

Chao Chitai tapped the armrest of his chair and looked around. He noticed that Huo Yi, with his round face and thick beard, was still humbly offering a toast from afar, so he smiled and returned the toast.

"How are things going with tax revenue and manpower?"

"Although the various departments resisted, they have still managed to hand over 30% in total, some of which was converted into cash, and the remainder was secretly refined into Blood Essence. As for manpower, Liu Dangui came to the grasslands, and I secretly contacted him and offered him materials, asking him to serve as a guard against assassins. The Northern Zhou court has no reason to let you be assassinated, and Liu Dangui agreed. However, you cannot reveal the secrets of the demonic path, otherwise Liu Dangui may very well be uninvolved."

Liu Dangui is the leader of the Northern Jianghu Alliance, and his strength is definitely not bad. However, he acts in a very unruly manner and values ​​personal interests. He participated in the coup in Yanjing to support the Prince of Andong because he received various promises from the Prince of Andong.

Although they are only taking sides for personal gain and have not yet crossed the line of righteousness, such people are usually regarded as 'opportunists' like Shang Lianbi. The righteous path fears their betrayal, and the evil path also fears their betrayal. Therefore, they can only rely on them and dare not expect them to truly risk their lives for them.

Seeing that preparations were nearly complete, Chao Chitai gave the following instructions:

"Now that Huo Yi is here, if he continues to secretly refine his Blood Essence, he will only be caught red-handed and put on the defensive. Pass on a message that I will host a banquet tonight and invite Huo Yi to the hunting grounds outside the city. I will give them a chance to make trouble. The rest is up to the Immortal Ancestor and the righteous path to fight and see who is more powerful."

……

at the same time.

Xie Jinhuan stood among the many guards, looking towards the throne, but did not notice anything unusual about the two of them.

Zhao Ling, standing beside him, had a solemn expression.

After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, the throne is only occupied by the King of the North and the Grand Tutor. But with the blessing of the Qilin Heavenly Eye, Zhao Ling clearly saw a robust phantom with ram's horns on its head and blood-red light all over its body, which was enveloped by a human-shaped outline, like a demon god sleeping in a mortal body.

Beside him stood the Imperial Preceptor, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his body shrouded in black mist, resembling a malevolent demon.

Looking up from below, it's as if two colossal demons and elephants stand atop a throne, looking down upon the common people below.

"This Grand Preceptor must be a ghost cultivator with very high cultivation; as for Chao Chitai, he seems to be similar to Xiao Dezi, being the Sheep in the Chinese zodiac, but even more powerful."

When Xie Jinhuan went to Northern Zhou last time, he saw that the two groups of demonic cultivators, the Immortal Transformation Sect and the Underworld God Sect, had formed an alliance and were exchanging intelligence with each other. He was not very surprised by this result, but he was indeed surprised by the wealth of the demonic cultivators.

From the very beginning, he had already encountered 'chicken, snake, pig, tiger, dog, rat', and now there's the Goat and Zhao De's Monkey.

As expected, the Underworld Cult still has four pawns—Dragon, Horse, Rabbit, and Ox—that haven't shown themselves yet. Given the characteristics of artificial half-demon, the Bull Demon King and Rabbit Spirit are not to be feared, but the Dragon is probably a bit scary.

Fortunately, this kind of transformation surgery is highly dependent on the strength of the bloodline. Cultivating high-level cultivators is also very resource-intensive. There are also cases like Zhao De, who have both bloodline and resources, but just can't be helped to succeed.

Otherwise, if the evil Taoist creates hundreds of black-winged roc spirits, he would be killed even if he transformed into a dragon king, let alone a little dragon.

Seeing that Chao Chitai was already a half-demon, and there was no need to investigate his background, Xie Jinhuan naturally didn't say anything more. He turned around and gave the outstanding landlady a kiss on the lips:

"Let's go back and discuss how to get rid of these two demons."

Zhao Ling blushed, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then followed behind, secretly pinching Xie Jinhuan's butt. She acted like a noble princess teasing her male favorite, declaring who was the queen and who was the male favorite...

(End of this chapter)