I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Murong Qingxue slowly raised her head.

She looked at Zhao Zian.

"Okay, I'll go."

……

In the western part of the capital city, there is a general store.

The shop assistants were dozing off, while the shopkeeper behind the counter was fiddling with an abacus.

Zhao Zian walked into the shop.

He walked straight to the counter and placed the wooden plaque on the abacus.

The shopkeeper looked up, sized up Zhao Zian, then looked down at the wooden plaque, confirming the patterns and hidden marks on it.

He stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Zian.

"What are your orders, sir?"

Two things.

Zhao Zian's voice was also not loud.

"First, find a gossipy old woman and have her spread a rumor near the residence of General Li Mang."

"Take Miss Murong from the Ministry of Rites' residence, for example. She will go to the Ni Chang Fang to choose her wedding dress tomorrow at noon."

The shopkeeper nodded without asking why.

"The second thing."

Zhao Zian continued.

"Find a spy planted by the Duke of Anguo's mansion in the gambling den in the south of the city, and lose a sum of money to him."

"Then casually tell him that you have found Murong Qingxue's whereabouts and that she will appear at Ni Chang Fang at noon tomorrow."

The shopkeeper is a smart man.

He bowed again.

"I guarantee it will be done."

"very good."

Zhao Zian retrieved the wooden plaque and turned to leave.

The shopkeeper only straightened up after his figure had completely disappeared around the street corner.

A wind is about to rise in the capital.

……

The next day, at noon.

Zhuque Avenue was bustling with traffic.

Inside the Neon Fashion Gallery, there was a dazzling array of exquisite silks and brocades, with a subtle fragrance wafting through the air.

Murong Qingxue sat in a private room on the second floor, with seven or eight of the most fashionable fabrics laid out in front of her.

Several embroiderers stood by her side, listening to her choose a style.

She was wearing a light purple long dress.

With a light touch of makeup on her face, her fingertips brushed against a piece of brocade.

Countless gazes were cast over from downstairs and from the private rooms across the street.

She forced herself to focus all her attention on the fabric.

The second floor of the teahouse across the street, a window seat.

Zhao Zian sipped his tea.

The little fox was curled up on his shoulder.

It is also "watching".

In its view, the world looks completely different.

Ordinary people have a faint white aura.

Some people hidden in the crowd were surrounded by a faint aura of blood and malevolence.

That's a martial artist.

There were a few others who had faint magical energy fluctuations on their bodies; they were cultivators, but their cultivation level was pitifully low.

The fish have already started to enter the area.

"They're here."

Zhao Zian put down his teacup.

Almost simultaneously, two groups of people surrounded the Neon Fashion House from the east and west directions of Zhuque Street.

A group of people came from the east, all of them burly and strong.

Although they were dressed in civilian clothes, their military bearing was palpable even from a distance.

The leader was a burly man with a thick beard.

They were the personal guards of General Li Mang.

The group from the west, on the other hand, was much colder and more sinister.

They were few in number, only five or six, but they were all masters of internal martial arts.

There was another person, who bore traces of magical power; he was a retainer of the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

Two groups of people arrived at the entrance of the Neon Fashion Shop at the same time.

They glanced at each other.

"stop!"

The burly man with a thick beard reached out and blocked the group's path.

"Who are you? What brings you here?"

The head retainer of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, an old man with a goatee, spoke up.

"We are here on the orders of the Duke to bring back the runaway slaves from his manor."

"But you lot, with your thuggish military bearing, what are you trying to do, blocking my way?"

"Runaway slaves?"

The burly man with the bushy beard was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Bullshit!"

"Inside is our General Li's future wife, the eldest daughter of the Murong family!"

"Your Anguo Duke's mansion's influence is far too great!"

"General Li's wife?"

The goatee-bearded old man chuckled.

"Has the marriage agreement not yet been approved by His Majesty?"

"As for the marriage between our young master and Miss Murong, it was arranged by a matchmaker."

"In terms of precedence, it should be our Duke Anguo's mansion that is in the right."

The customers and staff at the clothing store had already sensed something was wrong and quickly hid in a corner.

The entire lobby instantly emptied out.

Murong Qingxue, who was in the private room, heard the arguing coming from downstairs.

They... have arrived.

The burly man with the bushy beard had little patience; he took a step forward.

"I don't care about first come, first served!"

"Today, we must take Miss Murong with us!"

"Anyone who dares to obstruct us is an enemy of our Valiant Cavalry!"

"What arrogance!"

A cold glint flashed in the goatee-bearded old man's eyes.

"A mere newly promoted general dares to be so arrogant in front of my Duke Anguo's mansion?"

"We're definitely getting this person today too!"

Before he finished speaking, he aimed his whisk straight at the face of the burly, bearded man.

The burly man with a bushy beard drew his sword from its sheath, the blade meeting the silver chain head-on.

Upon seeing this, the two groups instantly engaged in a chaotic battle.

The fluctuations of magical power and the surge of internal energy shook the surrounding tables, chairs, and benches to pieces.

Chaos spread instantly.

Pedestrians on Zhuque Avenue screamed and scattered in panic.

In the private room on the second floor, Murong Qingxue's fingertips gripped the edge of the table.

She listened to the sounds of fighting coming from downstairs, and her heart tightened.

She looked out the window at the teahouse across the street, but she couldn't see inside the window.

The second floor of the teahouse, a window seat.

Zhao Zian tapped the table lightly.

"It's almost done."

Zhao Zian slowly stood up.

He raised his hand, his slender fingertips lightly flicking the strings.

A talisman flew out of the window.

Then came the second one, the third one...

One talisman after another fell around the figures.

They dissolve into the void the moment they come into contact with the air.

The two groups of people in the midst of the melee were still roaring, swinging their swords, and striking with their palms.

Suddenly, a force surged forth and bound them tightly.

The blade froze in mid-air, and the fist stood frozen beside his face.

The magical power could only travel halfway through the meridians before it could advance any further.

Everyone's movements froze.

The noise came to an abrupt halt.

Murong Qingxue peeked out from the private room.

Zhao Zian walked out of the teahouse and stopped at the entrance of the Neon Clothing Shop.

With a wave of his hand, the talismans transformed into a net of light, trapping everyone inside.

Zhao Zian's gaze fell on the burly man with a bushy beard and the old man with a goatee.

"Murong Qingxue."

"I have personally taken protection of him."

"Any power."

He paused.

"No one should interfere with it anymore."

These words shocked everyone present.

The burly man with a thick beard stared wide-eyed.

This is no ordinary monk.

His heart sank instantly. He was doomed; he had bitten off more than he could chew.

Which is more important, the general's orders or those of such a sage?

The goatee-bearded old man trembled.

He originally thought the other party was just a young man with some cultivation.

I never expected that such a method could be used.

Who exactly is this young man?

He trembled as he tried to break free, but found himself unable to move.

"Your young master from the Duke of Anguo's mansion."

Zhao Zian's gaze shifted to the old man with the goatee.

"I intend to use Miss Murong as a furnace."

Furnace!

What these two words mean in the world of cultivators is something that ordinary people may not know.

However, the servants of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, as well as the burly man with the bushy beard, understood the meaning behind it.