The opening scene reveals the story of Yao Lao, alarming the Soul Emperor.

The carriage stopped outside the valley entrance.

Hunyu closed her eyes behind the curtain, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Explain clearly, what scale?"

Hunwu squatted on the carriage shaft, holding the reins with one arm, his eyes fixed on the outline of the small town thirty miles away.

"The city isn't big, maybe ten thousand people at most. But the flag at the city gate is newly hung, and the emblem of the Heavenly Gang Hall on the flag is made of solid gold and is not a replica of a local branch hall."

He swallowed hard.

"The official flag of the Heavenly Gang Palace means that there is at least one Heavenly Venerable-level person in charge of the city."

A few moments of silence followed behind the curtain.

"Did you see the colors of the flag?"

Dark red background with gold patterns.

"The dark red background with gold patterns is a welcoming flag, not a battle flag."

Hunyu lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing half of her pale face, and squinted at the small town in the distance.

"The Heavenly Gang Hall is waiting for us here, and it's not a killing trap, but a welcoming ceremony."

Hunwu turned and glanced at him. "Sir, do you mean that someone knew in advance that we would take this route?"

"Not only do we know which way to go," Hunyu tapped his fingers twice on the fan handle, "we also know when we'll arrive."

He calculated the itinerary.

The journey from the Northwest Branch Hall to the Valley of Despair was delayed by nearly two hours due to an ambush by three members of the Blood Fiend Sect.

At their normal travel speed, they should have already passed through the Valley of Despair and arrived at the territory of this small town by now.

In other words, if it weren't for that ambush, they would have arrived here at the scheduled time, just in time for the welcoming banquet at the Heavenly Gang Hall.

"Sir, should we take a detour?" Hunwu asked.

"What are you going around in circles for?"

Hunyu lowered the curtain.

"They've already put up their welcoming flags. If you take a detour, it's like slapping the Heavenly Gang Palace in the face. If we slap the Heavenly Gang Palace in the face, we'll be in jail before we even reach Zhongzhou."

Hunwu's lips moved, but he swallowed the rest of his words.

"past."

"But sir, your injury..."

"I'm asking you," Hunyu's voice drifted from behind the curtain, "Do you think the Heavenly Gang Palace is giving me face by hosting a welcoming banquet?"

The Soul Crow remained silent.

"no."

Hunyu chuckled softly from behind the curtain.

The laughter was so soft that Hunwu wasn't sure if he had heard it correctly.

"Once you're in the city, keep your mouth shut. No matter who you see or what kind of situation you're in, don't utter a single unnecessary word."

"Yes."

The whip lashed out.

The three-headed black-horned beast strode forward, galloping along the official road outside the valley towards the small town.

The Inkhorn Beast covered thirty miles at full speed, taking less than a quarter of an hour.

As they approached the city gate, Hunwu unconsciously tightened his grip on the reins.

Two rows of people stood at the city gate.

The twelve people in the left row were all dressed in dark red robes with black tokens hanging from their waists. Each of them had the aura of a Dou Huang, with the weakest being a three-star Dou Huang.

There are only three people in the right row.

But the combined aura of these three people made Hunwu's breathing catch in his throat.

Three Dou Zong.

They weren't like the Blood Fiend Sect, who were outlaws and unorthodox; they were regular Dou Zong-level guards from the Heavenly Gang Palace.

They were uniformly dressed, stood ramrod straight, and their murderous aura was contained perfectly.

The twenty-one people stood on both sides, leaving a passage three zhang wide in the middle.

A person stood at the end of the passage.

This person was different from the guards on either side.

He wasn't wearing the standard robe of the Heavenly Gang Hall, but rather a gray-white wide-sleeved Taoist robe. His hair was casually tied up with a wooden hairpin, and he wore a pair of cloth shoes.

He looks like an old man sunbathing at the city gate.

But the moment Hunwu saw him, his back was soaked with cold sweat.

This person exudes no intimidating aura.

It's not that the oppressive aura was restrained; there was simply no need to release it outwards.

Like a bottomless pool of water, the surface is calm, but the bottom is an abyss that no one can see.

The carriage stopped in front of the city gate.

The old man in the gray robe raised his eyelids.

Two cloudy eyes rolled around and landed on the Soul Crow in the driver's seat.

"A six-star Dou Zong driving a carriage? Quite the pompous display."

The sound was slow and leisurely.

Hunwu was about to speak.

The curtain was lifted from the inside.

Hunyu bent down and stepped out, standing on the carriage shaft.

He had changed into a clean white shirt. Although his face was pale, he didn't look too scary after being powdered by the night wind.

With a white feather fan draped over his shoulder, he steadily glanced at the two rows of guards before finally fixing his gaze on the gray-robed old man.

Deep within his eyes, a golden Bagua pattern flashed by.

The Divine Calculation Golden Eye has been activated.

Information about the gray-robed old man unfolded in his mind.

Hun Kui, Left Attendant of the Heavenly Gang Hall.

Cultivation level: Eight-star Dou Zong, half-step Dou Zun.

Function: The Heavenly Gang Hall's external reception envoys are specifically responsible for bringing back talents selected from various regions to the Central Plains.

Key personality traits: Slick, diplomatic, good at reading people, impartial in his own stance, and siding with whoever is in power.

Danger level: Moderate to high. While not particularly dangerous in terms of physical strength, this person's reports will be delivered directly to the desk of Hun Miesheng, the master of the Tiangang Hall.

Hun Yu withdrew his golden eyes and revealed a perfectly timed smile.

"Soul Deacon?"

The old man in the gray robe raised an eyebrow.

"You recognize me?"

"I don't recognize him. But for the Heavenly Gang Palace to send an Eight-Star Dou Zong to pick up a collateral descendant, that's quite a show of power."

Hun Kui paused for a moment, then chuckled.

"Young man, you're quite interesting. How did you know my cultivation level?"

"Just a guess."

"You guessed pretty accurately."

Hun Kui looked him up and down.

Their gaze lingered for a moment on his pale face and body devoid of any fighting spirit, before shifting to the white feather fan in his hand.

"So you're the one who killed a Dou Zun without using battle qi?"

"It's possible that someone else has the same name."

Hun Kui's smile deepened.

"Don't try to play tricks on me. The clan leader's decree clearly states that you are Hun Yu, a collateral disciple of the Northwest Branch Hall. There are quite a few people with the surname Hun in the entire Hun clan, but you are the only one named Hun Yu."

He stopped laughing, took a step back, and gestured for him to enter.

"Food and wine have been prepared in the city. The clan chief specifically instructed that since you have had a long journey, you should rest for the night and continue your journey tomorrow."

Soul Feather did not move.

He stood on the carriage shaft, his gaze passing over Hun Kui, and looking at the dark red welcoming flag with gold patterns above the city gate.

"Steward Hunkui, there is something I need to ask first."

"you say."

"When was this flag hoisted up?"

Hun Kui thought for a moment, "Three days ago."

"You knew I would take this path three days ago?"

"The clan chief's calculations."

"Did the clan chief make any other calculations?"

Hun Kui's smile faded slightly.

He stared at Hunyu for three breaths without answering the question.

"Kid, some things we can talk about in the city, some things we can talk about in Zhongzhou, and some things are best left unsaid for the rest of our lives."

"You need to figure out which questions you should ask and which you shouldn't."

Hunyu smiled too.

"Okay. Then I'll ask another question."

He raised his fan and pointed in the direction of the city.

"Besides food and drinks, what else awaits me at the welcome banquet?"

Hun Kui's eyelid twitched.

Then he burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the city gate.

"Interesting. Very interesting."

After he finished laughing, he turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the city.

After taking a few steps, he paused, then threw out a sentence without turning his head.

"The food and drinks are real. But you might not be able to accept the toast from the person offering you one."