Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 193 Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger
On the Qingyuan River, a multi-story ship sailed downstream and entered Qinghe County. It was surrounded by a spiritual light and was quite extraordinary.

"I didn't know until I investigated, and what I found was astonishing. This small Qinghe County is truly a place where dragons and tigers hide. Not only has it produced a sword cultivator like the Taoist of Taiping who has achieved the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, but it also has an anomaly like the magistrate of Qinghe County who has only a small spiritual aperture and has achieved the Lesser Perfection of Qi Refining."

On the ship, seeing the surging river, Prefect Qi Xiuning couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, he was fully aware of the situation in Qinghe County, and it was precisely because of this that he had many feelings.

"Now it seems that Gao Siyuan and the other two Qi cultivators from the Gao family most likely perished at the hands of the Taiping Daoist."

"The two sides have a long history of grudges. Gao Siyuan came to Qinghe County to vent his anger and wanted to destroy the Taiping Sect. Given the strength of the Taiping Daoist, it is not surprising that he killed Gao Siyuan when he was caught off guard."

"With both motive and strength, this matter should be largely accurate. The only thing that puzzles me is why the Taoist Master Taiping, who clearly possesses such strength, would choose to remain hidden in Qinghe County. Is there something in Qinghe County that attracts him, or is he a pawn placed there by someone? Could it be related to the Qingmu family?"

As his thoughts raced, Qi Xiuning gazed at the distant scenery, momentarily lost in thought.

As Jiang Chen revealed his strength, many of the previous mysteries dissipated. He knew that Jiang Chen was probably the mastermind he was looking for, and the real culprit who caused the Gao family's downfall. However, Jiang Chen himself was a huge enigma.

Now, he naturally doesn't believe that Jiang Chen has really only recently broken through to the Qi Refining stage. He can only say that the other party has been acting and hiding his true intentions. If that's really the case, then the other party must have some ulterior motive, and it might even be quite significant.

The reason for associating the Aoki family with this is that sword cultivators who have reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining are not easy to cultivate. In the four southern prefectures, only the Aoki family has the resources to do so. In addition, as the overlord of the south, it is normal for the Aoki family to have a foothold in Qingyuan Prefecture. Of course, this is just a conjecture without any evidence.

“No matter what the origins or purposes of the Taoist Taiping are, now that he has settled down in Qingyuan County, I, as the prefect, must meet him.”

"Also, we need to protect Liao Yonghuai. He only has a spiritual aperture of one inch, but he was able to advance to the minor completion of Qi Refining so quickly. This shows that the strange method he mentioned is not a lie. If that is the case, I may be able to glimpse a possible way to build a foundation for my Dao."

"Most importantly, he happened to have a feud with the Taoist priests, so he could only offer up his methods and seek refuge with me. In a way, this was also a kind of divine will."

As his wandering thoughts returned, Qi Xiuning's gaze returned to its clear state.

Pulling out a radish brings out the mud along with it; for him, Liao Yonghuai was actually an unexpected gain, only this unexpected gain was particularly significant.

After experiencing the Lu family's affairs and personally meeting a prince, he came to understand the chaos in the central government. He developed a desire to forge a foundation for his Dao, and at this moment, such an opportunity was presented to him. There was no reason for him not to accept it.

That's why he rushed to Qinghe County as quickly as possible to avoid any accidents.

"But I don't know what kind of person this Taoist Taiping is. There are very few sword cultivators in this vast Southern Jing Kingdom. Their cultivation is too fierce and they are most likely to perish halfway."

With a sudden thought, Qi Xiuning cast his gaze toward the distance, where Bewitching Bay was now in sight.

Meanwhile, inside the Fresh and Elegant Abode, Hongyu delivered the latest news to Jiang Chen.

“Young Master, the Qi Refining cultivator from the Prefectural Governor’s Office has already left Qinghe County Government Office, and Qi Xiuning’s magic boat has also approached Bewitching Bay. He should be going to meet him. As for Liao Yonghuai, he is still relying on the great formation to guard the county government office, seemingly afraid of encountering an accident if he leaves the county government office.” Hongyu spoke softly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen, who had been sitting upright under the peach wood, slowly opened his eyes.

"They arrived quite quickly. It seems our county magistrate has indeed brought something remarkable to impress Qi Xiuning."

"However, this is not too unexpected. Our magistrate was able to cultivate Qi Refining silently and possess remarkable skills, which must have been due to some fortuitous encounters. But it is precisely because of this that he was destined to die."

With an icy expression, Jiang Chen looked into the distance, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Not long ago, the envoy from the prefectural governor's office arrived in Qinghe County, checked into the county government office in a high-profile manner, and presented him with a letter, saying that the prefectural governor Qi Xiuning invited him to meet. By then, he had already determined that Liao Yonghuai was the person he was looking for. The reason he did not take action directly was simply to choose a suitable time.

Regardless, Liao Yonghuai is an official of the Southern Jing Dynasty, which is a shield in itself. Even if he wants to take action, he must do it cleanly so that no one can find any problems on the surface, otherwise there will be many troubles in the future. As of now, he has no intention of crossing the bottom line of the Southern Jing Kingdom.

Of course, no matter what, Liao Yonghuai was destined to die. He never showed mercy to his enemies, let alone an enemy like Liao Yonghuai who could hide and seemed to have had a miraculous encounter. He would never let the tiger return to the mountain, nor would he let Liao Yonghuai go just because of a word from the prefectural governor's office.

In fact, at this moment, although his true body is still on Muyu Island, the Mist Dragon has actually arrived near Qinghe County. In any case, he will deal with Liao Yonghuai before Qi Xiuning actually sees Liao Yonghuai.

From this perspective, Liao Yonghuai's choice was not wrong. Once he and Yu Jinshui left the county government office together, they would be intercepted and killed by the mist dragon. However, even if they stayed in hiding, it wouldn't change anything; it would just take a little more effort.

"Young Master, it seems the Prefect intends to protect Liao Yonghuai, and the county government office is protected by a powerful array. Forcing the issue might backfire..."

Sensing Jiang Chen's will, a look of worry appeared on Hongyu's face.

In Qingyuan County today, the most powerful force is the Prefectural Governor's Mansion. Although our young master has already achieved the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, if he were to actually confront the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, he would most likely suffer a loss. The most crucial point is that the Prefectural Governor's Mansion is backed by the Imperial Court. Even if our young master is fearless of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, he still has to consider the consequences afterward.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen shook his head.

"Don't worry too much, I know how to act."

"Since Qi Xiuning invited me to have tea and play chess, I'll just ask him to be my witness."

With a flick of his sleeve, Jiang Chen swept the leaves off the table and stood up to walk outside.

Hearing this and seeing Jiang Chen like this, Hongyu was still worried, but she didn't say anything more. At this moment, all she could do was pray that everything would go well for Jiang Chen.

(End of this chapter)