Chapter 144: So You Guys Were Very Constrained When I Was Around?

The Governor of Qingzhou led his officials in a grand procession toward the Commoner Town, where he brought down his official seal, shattering the rules enveloping the town into invisible shards that gradually collapsed.

This was not his own power, but rather the authority granted by the Great Xia Dynasty, allowing him to mobilize a small portion of humanity's collective strength.

It was not the first time the cultivators had dealt with such an anomaly; with them taking action, rules like not looking the schoolmaster in the eye or the dangers of the thatched huts by day all became a laughingstock.

They apprehended the schoolmaster, dragged out the dark silhouettes hiding in the thatched huts, investigated how many were moving corpses and how many were the living, and studied whether those turned into black dogs could be restored... everything proceeded in an orderly and systematic manner.

The Immortal Fairy had never witnessed such a scene, for the ancient era lacked the concept of a state, and the systems built around clans lacked such clear division of labor and organized structure.

According to the Daoist Buyu, this was merely the strength of a single dynasty; if the dynasty ever mobilized alongside the five great immortal sects, they could sweep away ancient cultivators across the land.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou found the rescued innkeeper, who wept with joy upon seeing the two, never having expected them to truly solve the problem, and in such a short span of time.

He truly shouldn't have suspected them of being demonic cultivators before.

The Qingzhou officials also discovered evidence that the pharmacy owner was a hidden agent of the mayor and had harmed countless people; under the restriction of the rules, the pharmacy owner had seemed to speak the truth, but had actually withheld information, ruining many lives.

The pharmacy apprentice, the schoolmaster, the bailiffs, the steamed bun vendor... all were locked away, awaiting a thorough investigation before their ultimate fates were decided.

The Governor of Qingzhou drafted a memorial on the spot to report the trio's deeds to the imperial court, but he was stopped by the Daoist Buyu, who had him omit the names of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, though the due rewards remained intact.

The Daoist Buyu treated his two excellent juniors to a meal at the most prosperous restaurant in Qingzhou.

"Haha, the matter is finally resolved!"

"Though a slight mishap occurred during our travel plans, it was a minor thing after all. Once we have eaten and drunk our fill, I shall show you the prosperity of the southern continent."

"This time, taking advantage of your Eldest Senior Sister's absence, the three of us can play without restraint. Rest assured, if anything goes wrong, I will bear the brunt of it!"

The Daoist Buyu laughed heartily; with the government handling the aftermath, there was nothing left for him to do, and having finally managed to get out, he was naturally going to let himself loose.

"Oh? Is that so? It turns out you were all so restrained when I was around?"

A chilling voice brought the Daoist Buyu's laughter to an abrupt halt.

Only then did Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou notice that the restaurant, which should have been bustling with life, had fallen utterly silent; only their table had been laughing and talking, and now that the three of them were quiet, the entire establishment grew so still that one could hear a pin drop.

The patrons had noticed much earlier that an exquisitely beautiful woman had arrived, drawing everyone's gaze the moment she appeared; struck by her beauty and aura, people had subconsciously shut their mouths, not daring to breathe too loudly for fear of catching her attention.

The woman had chosen a table, sat down, and quietly watched the master and disciples letting themselves loose.

Unseen by anyone else, she held two chains in her hand, binding two spiritual bodies.

Finally, the woman spoke, and the master and disciples finally noticed her presence.

"S-So it's Xiao Yun. Come, come, sit down and eat with us," the Daoist Buyu squeezed out a smile.

"Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister," Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou greeted her, looking thoroughly honest and law-abiding.

The Daoist Buyu looked with some shock at the two chains in Yun Zhi's hand, recognizing that the ones bound were precisely the Fusion Stage cultivators who had escaped.

"Xiao Yun, when did you find us?"

"From the moment you first displayed the Myriad Swords from One and the Unity of Sword and Self."

Cold sweat poured down the Daoist Buyu's back; that was a day ago, no wonder Xiao Yun had managed to capture those two.

He thought back calmly and realized he hadn't spoken ill of Xiao Yun during the past day, which was a relief.

The captured Fusion Stage pair stared at Yun Zhi in horror; with just a light, distant palm strike, she had sent their souls flying from their bodies. What kind of cultivation realm allowed for such methods?

Why did they keep encountering such monsters one after another?!

What happened to the promised resurgence of the ancient era and opportunities everywhere? Where was the opportunity? It was clearly filled with danger at every turn!

"Originally, I was only worried that you wouldn't know the way, Master, and would lead the two astray. I didn't expect you to have such a grand time in my absence," Yun Zhi spoke flatly, sending shivers down the spines of the three.

Meng Jingzhou reacted the fastest, pointing at Lu Yang: "It was all Lu Yang. I didn't want to come originally, it was all Lu Yang who called me along."

Lu Yang countered by pointing at the Daoist Buyu: "It was all Master. Master said he wanted to fulfill his duties as a mentor and bring me out to see the world!"

The Daoist Buyu pointed at Meng Jingzhou: "It was this brat's grandfather who approached me and begged me to take care of his grandson, which is why I took them out to play!"

The Daoist Buyu's extensive experience in causing trouble told him that shifting the blame onto someone who wasn't present was always the wisest choice.

Yun Zhi's icy gaze swept across the three: "Master, you shall continue to spread the glorious deeds of our Wendao Sect outside. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, the two of you will return with me."

Yun Zhi worried that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou would learn their master's unseemly habits.

Before taking the two back, Yun Zhi said to the Daoist Buyu: "On your way, let the Governor of Qingzhou know that the perpetrators have been captured by me, so there is no need to remain so tense."

Yun Zhi intended to bring the two Fusion Stage captives back to see if she could extract any useful information.

On the way back, Lu Yang tried to claim credit from his Eldest Senior Sister, mentioning he had eliminated a Fusion Stage cultivator and asking if he could receive contribution points.

Yun Zhi looked puzzled: "Wasn't it Huang Doudou who killed the Fusion Stage cultivator?"

Hearing this, the Immortal Fairy didn't care about Yun Zhi addressing her by her real name and asked excitedly, "Then can I get contribution points?"

"You are not a member of my Wendao Sect, so naturally you cannot."

Without even thinking, the Immortal Fairy blurted out, "Then I shall join the Wendao Sect."

Lu Yang looked at the Immortal Fairy in astonishment; how could she just join like that? Where was her dignity as an immortal?

Yun Zhi nodded: "An immortal joining the Wendao Sect is naturally acceptable. I can specially approve you to become the first Guest Elder of the Wendao Sect, though your identity will only be known to me. Correspondingly, you will receive the contribution points for this instance and resources matching an elder. If you agree to these terms, then you may join."

"I join," the Immortal Fairy rather liked the atmosphere of the Wendao Sect, which was very similar to her own personality, a rare find indeed.

Yun Zhi brought up another matter, addressing Lu Yang: "A few days ago, the Palace Master of the Laurel Immortal Palace approached me, saying she wanted to marry you off to Lan Ting as compensation."

"I felt you had reached the age for marriage, and since the Wendao Sect and the Laurel Immortal Palace are of equal standing, I agreed to the match. Later, for some reason, the Palace Master of the Laurel Immortal Palace went back on her word. Do you have any inkling as to why? Did they deem you not excellent enough?"

Lu Yang listened, completely bewildered.

(End of Chapter)