Chapter 668: Bintie City

Chapter 668: The Blade Iron City

The wheel, wrapped in iron plating, rolled slowly along, leaving two deep ruts in the slightly withered yellow grass.

Li Huowang, seated atop the carriage, gazed at the meadow before him, his mind drifting back to his last visit to this place.

He knew little of Qingqiu—beyond knowing that most of its inhabitants were nomadic tribes and that they were all lean, dark-skinned people—his knowledge was otherwise limited.

Ah yes, he also remembered two particularly distinctive sects in Qingqiu: the Middle Yin Temple, dedicated to honoring the dead, and the peculiar Lion Dance Palace.

“The grass in Qingqiu is really turning yellow. Could this be a sign of something?” Li Huowang slightly leaned to the left, his fingers tracing through the yellowed grass.

Then he recalled the recent celestial disaster—the one that robbed people of their sense of taste and smell, which had lasted only three short days.

This was not something to celebrate. This disaster was trivial, but what if the next one was far more severe?

Li Huowang longed to understand what was happening, but unless he went to Baiyujing right now, no one could know what was transpiring in the heavens beyond.

Just then, his keen eyes caught a small black dot on the distant yellow horizon.

As the carriage drew closer, the dot grew larger, eventually revealing the silhouette of a city, expanding as they approached.

“This must be the Blade Iron City of Qingqiu,” Li Huowang murmured to himself.

Before coming here, he had done some preparation. This was the only city in all of Qingqiu, and also its capital.

In a land without wood or stone, building a town was nearly impossible—but not for the Blade Iron City. It had risen from an empty expanse, defying all odds.

The Great Khan who ruled Qingqiu resided within it, and the Celestial Observing Bureau of Qingqiu was also located there.

Since the Later Shu was currently at war with the Law Sect, charging headlong into their territory and slaughtering the Law Sect members would be unwise.

It wouldn’t be efficient, and it might alert them, leaving only common folk dead while sparing the core members of the sect.

Better to first make contact with Qingqiu’s Celestial Observing Bureau and see if they could gather more intelligence.

Moreover, the Grand Preceptor had mentioned that the Celestial Observing Bureau of Great Liang and the one from Siqi should also be here.

While Li Huowang pondered these thoughts, the distinct scent of sheep and horse dung gradually filled his nostrils.

Perhaps because Qingqiu was suitable for livestock farming, the entire perimeter of the Blade Iron City was littered with cow and horse dung. The grass, trampled into a soft mess, lay scattered in clumps—some from animals, others from humans.

When the carriage’s wheels rolled over a fresh pile of cow dung, clinging to the rim with a sticky, dark greenish mass, Bai Lingmiao couldn’t help but frown. “This place is truly filthy—it rivals An Ci An.”

“Just bear with it. There’s clearly no sewer system here,” Li Huowang said, gently tugging the reins. The carriage quickened its pace toward the city gates.

Among the herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, they finally squeezed through the gate. Compared to the countryside, the inside of the city wasn’t much better.

Buildings of every kind lined the streets—tents, wooden houses, stone dwellings, all haphazardly arranged with no order.

Underfoot, the dung from animals and people had compacted into a thick black carpet, spreading across the roads like the stone bricks of Liangcheng.

The streets were packed with people, shoulder to shoulder. If you counted only humans, there weren’t many, but in this city, almost everyone had at least one animal nearby. That’s why it felt so crowded.

The stench was unbearable—just look at the bare-bottomed child squatting by the roadside to relieve himself, and you’d know.

“Come on, let’s go deeper! The inner city should be better!”

The caravan slowly moved inward. The grim expressions on their faces gradually lightened as time passed.

Not because the environment improved, but because their noses had grown accustomed to it.

“Father, what’s that?” Li Sui pointed to a grand white structure built against the city wall.

It was enormous, perhaps the largest building in the entire Blade Iron City, yet it clearly wasn’t royal architecture.

From here, Li Huowang deduced that the so-called Great Khan of Qingqiu was not the highest authority. Some individuals held even greater status.

“That looks like a temple,” Li Huowang guessed, noting the tall spire. In Qingqiu, temples were rare, and the Middle Yin Temple came to mind.

His gaze swept around, catching sight of several monks draped in black sheepskin, wearing chicken-crown hats.

All of them were old men, frail and withered, their skin spotted with dark patches like eczema covering their bodies.

Noticing the bone ornaments adorning their necks, Li Huowang tightened his grip on the reins and gave a slight tug, urging the horses forward faster.

Though the capital was dirty, its defenses were none the less tight.

Before they could approach the imperial city, a group of light cavalrymen—bowmen and swordsmen, with falcons perched on their shoulders and guard dogs trotting beside their horses—surrounded them.

Li Huowang didn’t bother with pleasantries. To avoid language barriers, he tossed his Celestial Observing Bureau badge. “Is Xuan Pin here? Tell her I’ve arrived!”

He was not taken to meet Xuan Pin, but instead led through a tunnel into the underground.

Though the Blade Iron City looked filthy on the surface, no one could imagine that beneath its grime lay a clean inner city. For some reason, all the Celestial Observing Bureaus were located underground.

Oil lamps hung on the walls flickered and crackled. Li Huowang stared silently at a strange woman before him.

He couldn’t identify her origins. He had seen many odd people, but never anyone with white powder smeared across their face, and red patterns drawn on top of it. It was entirely new to him.

Even more striking was how revealing her clothing was. Only the necessary parts were covered, while the rest was exposed, adorned with intricate and complex designs.

Behind her stood a row of figures wearing large conical hats that completely obscured their bodies, leaving only their legs visible.

Silent and motionless, they added an eerie atmosphere to the dimly lit space.

"Why are you seeking the Celestial Observing Bureau of Great Liang?" the woman asked coldly.

"Send someone qualified. You’re not qualified."

Li Huowang, unwilling to waste time, cut straight to the point.

But her response surprised him. “I am the Celestial Observing Bureau of Qingqiu. Am I qualified now?”

(End of Chapter)