Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Chapter 96 I'm just telling the truth

Ye Xiao said calmly, "I don't feel that way—that's why I went up the tower. The cold air there is helpful for my martial arts practice."

The town magistrate pointed his finger at the table: "The cold air of the Cold Pool can indeed suppress the chaotic flow of qi and blood, but you're already healed. Don't put on an act for me."

The words were spoken softly, yet they revealed a corner of Ye Xiao's hidden facade.

Lu Xingzhou, standing beside him, immediately lowered his shoulders even further, softening the atmosphere as he spoke with a hint of reminder: "The lord has always had excellent judgment, which is why he has taken a liking to you. What others cannot see, the lord cannot hide."

The town magistrate ignored Lu Xingzhou and looked only at Ye Xiao: "Tell the truth, what do you want to do in the icy pool?"

Ye Xiao's voice was steady: "There are people watching me outside. The more I pretend, the bolder they become. I'm pretending for them, not for you."

He paused, then became more specific: "I'm telling the truth. I went into the icy pool for cultivation. The cold air there is useful to me."

The town magistrate's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Cultivation?"

"Yes," Ye Xiao said, "It's not a side effect of suppressing the burning blood. I need the cold air there to make my journey faster."

The town magistrate looked at him, his tone still indifferent: "Some people can use the cold air to train their bodies and martial arts. You don't seem like it—but whether you do or not is not important. I sealed that place not for people to practice martial arts."

Ye Xiao raised his eyes, his gaze direct: "I know you'll make a move against the Green Owl Gang sooner or later. I won't guess when or how. I just want to be able to withstand the trouble when it comes."

"I can handle it, and it'll save you trouble too."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Xingzhou's eyelids twitched. He didn't dare to look up, but he couldn't suppress the urge to smile, as if he were silently shouting "You're really daring!" in his heart.

The town magistrate didn't immediately respond, but merely raised his chin and said, "You certainly think you're all that."

"I just don't like going in circles," Ye Xiao said.

The town magistrate stared at him for a moment: "Is it really that particular icy pool that's the only option?"

Ye Xiao said directly, "I've looked elsewhere, and only this place is suitable."

The town magistrate picked up the tea on the table, took a sip, and said, "It's not that you can't go in—but since I've sealed you off, what guarantee do you have that it won't affect anything?"

Ye Xiao raised his eyes: "I won't touch the seals, the setup, or go into the water. I'll only go to the location you allow, and use the chilling energy I need. Once the objective is achieved, I'll immediately withdraw."

The town magistrate tapped his fingertip next to the seal: "You certainly know how to negotiate."

Ye Xiao's tone was neither humble nor arrogant: "I have made my bottom line clear. Whether you agree or not, I will accept it."

Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but add in a low voice, "What he meant was—if the adults don't allow it, he wouldn't dare to throw a tantrum on the spot. At most, he'll go back and try to figure out a solution himself, only to make things even more complicated for himself, and then we might have to clean up his mess."

The town magistrate said calmly, "Shut up."

Lu Xingzhou immediately replied, "Yes."

The town magistrate looked at Ye Xiao: "Since you said you wouldn't go into the water, then I'll make it clear. That water in the icy pool isn't for you to test your skills. You haven't even reached the third level of Blood Refinement yet; you wouldn't last a single breath in it. That's not martial arts training; that's suicide."

Ye Xiao nodded: "Absolutely not."

After a moment of contemplation, the town magistrate finally reached out to the side of the table.

She pulled out a narrow sheet of black paper, blank except for a thin crease. She placed the paper on the table, and the seal fell to the ground.

There was no sound.

But in that instant, the rules were established.

"Entry Permit," the town envoy said. "With this, you may enter the sealed area. Remember, you may only approach, but stop at the edge of the pool."

She paused, her tone still firm but now carrying a hint of bluntness, as if she was too lazy to explain further: "You're different from the others. I don't want another corpse there."

Lu Xingzhou's eyes twitched, and the slight sourness that had just surfaced was forcefully suppressed by him.

Ye Xiao was slightly taken aback, then accepted it cleanly: "Thank you, sir."

The garrison commander ignored the thanks and continued, "There's one more thing—you should keep your face completely covered. If someone recognizes that you're connected to the Garrison Command and it ruins the subsequent plans, I won't let you off the hook."

Ye Xiao put away the warrant: "Understood."

Lu Xingzhou muttered under his breath, as if trying to assert his presence: "Don't worry, sir, he's covered it up very well, better than the debts I owe."

The town magistrate didn't even lift his eyelids: "Say one more word, and I'll send you to guard the Cold Pool for three days."

Lu Xingzhou immediately stopped talking, and he did so very forcefully.

He had indeed been to that place; it was a desolate wasteland, and even getting close felt like having your blood and energy suppressed. He didn't want to suffer there again.

The town magistrate then looked up, his tone returning to that of someone in charge: "Since you've come to us, you should know the way. I won't send anyone to take you. Once you're outside the cordon, just show your warrant, and no one will dare stop you."

Ye Xiao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes."

He pulled his straw hat low, turned, and went out. The wind whistled past the tower wall outside.

The wooden door closed.

Ye Xiao descended the spiral staircase at a moderate pace, the light from the tower windows falling on the stone steps one by one.

Once outside the tower gate, the inner corridors of the town's administrative office remained deep and quiet.

People came and went in the office, but no one raised their voices or paid much attention.

He passed through the gate.

As soon as I stepped over the threshold, the atmosphere of the upper city rushed back.

The sounds of carriages and horses, the clatter of shops opening, and the faint fragrance in the morning breeze. There was liveliness, but not overwhelming; there were many people, but not crowded; everyone walked steadily.

Ye Xiao didn't linger and headed straight for the city gate.

The checkpoint was quiet, but the inspections were thorough.

When it was Ye Xiao's turn, the black-armored patrolman first brushed off his straw hat and face mask, frowned, and was about to question him as usual. There were many people coming and going at the checkpoint, and the gatekeepers couldn't remember everyone, especially since he was so well covered up.

Ye Xiao didn't speak, but raised his hand to reveal a corner of the town's guard token.

The patrolman's Adam's apple bobbed, he straightened his spear, and forced his voice down: "Sir, please take care."

Once you pass through the door, the light changes.

The inner city is bustling, but not noisy. There are more shops and more people. The aromas of spices, charcoal, and morning tea swirl in the wind, yet the streets remain clean.

Ye Xiao did not change his clothes on the street.

He turned into an inconspicuous side alley, where several small courtyards shared a back door. Dry firewood was piled up in the corner, and no one looked up to see his passing shadow. At the very back was an empty shed, usually used by the tea stall to store miscellaneous items.

Once inside, he removed his straw hat and face mask, flipped open his grey-blue outer robe, and changed back into his usual dark-colored short shirt.

He glanced at the sky, the token in his sleeve, and the glass bone was one step closer to him.

Waiting until tomorrow morning is too slow.

He decided to return to Xingchen Hall and immediately ordered Huanglang to prepare a carriage to leave the city.

The inner city's riverside streets had more vendors and pedestrians than the upper city, and the vendors' cries were more unrestrained.

But the rules still apply here: cars drive on the road, pedestrians walk on the sidewalk, and whoever blocks the way gets yelled at.

After walking two blocks, a commotion suddenly broke out ahead.

It's not arguing, it's being anxious.

The crowd instinctively parted to the sides, as if a stone had suddenly rolled across the street and no one wanted to be hit.

The next moment, a small, thin figure rushed out and stumbled into Ye Xiao's chest.

The child looked up, his face covered in wind-blown dust, but his eyes shone brightly, like a fire that refused to go out even when starving. He clutched a packet of medicine tightly to his chest, the smell of medicine faint.

Ye Xiao's gaze swept over the two words on the corner of the medicine paper, blurred by sweat: "Stop Asthma".

The fingertip lingered for a moment inside the cuff.

Many years ago, he also ran around carrying medicine like this.

He quickly suppressed his memories, simply shifting his body to the side to shield the child behind him.

The next moment, two people came running over quickly.

One wore a short jacket with a string of iron plates resembling an abacus hanging from his waist, making a clattering sound as he walked; the other carried a short stick with the tip covered in old mud, but his eyes were very skilled as he squeezed through the gaps in the crowd.

The man in the short jacket, without even panting, immediately yelled, "Run? You try running again!"

The child instinctively shrank behind Ye Xiao, his knuckles clenching the medicine paper until it turned white.

The man in the short jacket glanced sideways at Ye Xiao's clothes and posture, paused in his swearing, and put on a smiling face: "Oh, bumped into an important person? Important person, may I pass by and catch a little brat who owes money?"