Chapter 433: I Learn Under Yun Zhi of the Dao Seeking Sect

The governor’s estate sat at the very heart of Hanshui City, the focal point of power in the Barren Province, a sprawling residence of seven courtyards enclosed within layer upon layer of protective arrays.

It served as both the governor's residence and his official headquarters; as Lu Yang traversed the estate, he caught sight of numerous officials in a frantic rush, taking flight and landing with documents cradled in their arms, entirely consumed by their duties.

This was no mere fleetness of foot; they were truly taking to the air.

Prior to their audience with the governor of the Barren Province, Officer An had already transmitted intelligence ahead, prompting the governor to welcome Qiu Jin'an and his companions with a warm, vigorous handshake the moment they arrived.

Officer An then excused himself to begin organizing a city-wide dragnet for True Monarch Meng Tian.

"Daoist Qiu, I have long anticipated this meeting! My surname is Lu, given name Ke, though most simply call me Old Lu." Governor Lu was a conversationalist by nature, and despite being run ragged by the recent spectral plague, he remained radiant with vitality, showing not a single trace of exhaustion.

"Greetings, Governor Lu," Qiu Jin'an replied with a polite smile, refraining from addressing him as Old Lu.

The last person to adopt such an immediate familiarity with him had been the Nine Disciples of the Daoist Sect, an encounter that had left an indelible impression.

Qiu Jin'an’s father had been the sect master of the Five Elements Sect in the previous generation, and during his youth, Qiu Jin'an had accompanied his father on a visit to the Daoist Sect, where he first encountered the exuberant Nine Disciples of the Daoist Sect.

Ignorant and naive at the time, he had lacked the discernment to see that the Nine Disciples of the Daoist Sect were a deeply malicious lot, with the elegant Sixth Elder being the sole exception—she was entirely out of place among them, though she never failed to participate whenever mischief was afoot.

Consequently, he maintained a profound wariness toward anyone who became overly familiar too quickly.

"To think the previous governor had nothing better to do than throw a birthday gala for his daughter, inviting so many guests; and if inviting them weren't enough, he accepted a mountain of gifts without ever notifying the imperial court—and look at him now, stripped of office and thrown into prison, along with several key officials and prominent figures from the great sects of the Barren Province," Governor Lu grumbled, venting his grievances.

This was precisely why things were so chaotic at present, with a severe shortage of manpower, crucial positions filled by temporary substitutes, and coordination rendered immensely difficult; even containing the spectral plague required relying on the assistance of the nearby Corpse-Driving Sect.

"Old Xu, who has been on extended leave—ah, the Minister of Justice, I mean—has finally rested enough and is currently dealing with their cases."

The Minister of Justice had publicly claimed that an old friend had passed away suddenly, requesting leave to pay his final respects.

"As a result of all this, His Majesty lost faith in the officials of the Barren Province and pulled me away from managing finances and grain to fill the void, forcing me to leave the Imperial City and rush to this barren place."

"Ah, but listen to me ramble on alone; I haven't even had the chance to ask, who are these young fellows?" Governor Lu suddenly realized, turning his attention to Lu Yang and the others.

"These three are disciples of the Daoist Sect, who can be considered my juniors, and I am looking after them; this one is Zhao Po, a disciple of the Great Elder of the Corpse-Driving Sect, who also witnessed the entirety of the battle just now."

Having learned that Governor Lu was an official from the capital, Qiu Jin'an refrained from mentioning that Lu Yang was the disciple of the Daoist of Silent Words.

"A solid foundation and a flawless Golden Core; they are indeed exceptional youths," Governor Lu remarked with a few words of praise and a nod. "Now, I must ask Daoist Qiu to recount the details of the engagement just now."

This was the most pressing matter at hand.

Qiu Jin'an provided a detailed narrative of how Lu Yang had encountered and defeated Huang Ming, how True Monarch Meng Tian had intervened, and how he himself had ultimately vanquished the True Monarch.

"So it appears True Monarch Meng Tian has been abducting malicious spirits from various regions only to unleash them upon our Hanshui City?" Governor Lu bellowed in fury, finally discovering the mastermind behind the day's frantic chaos.

No wonder there were so many malevolent spirits; it seemed as though every ghost in the Great Xia had been rounded up, with not even the specters of the Eastern Sea spared!

It would be a miracle if they could cleanse them all completely!

"The spectral plague in Hanshui City is likely beyond the capabilities of a single individual; I suspect he has accomplices," Qiu Jin'an observed.

"They are taking advantage of the fact that I have only recently assumed office and have not yet mastered the utilization of the State Destiny!" Governor Lu had previously known nothing regarding the power of the State Destiny, having only been informed of it by the Summer Emperor upon his recent appointment.

"Furthermore, we must also pay heed to that Huang Ming, who dispersed his cultivation to rebuild anew; in the past, we focused our gaze solely upon the ancient cultivators of the Unity Stage, overlooking the possibility that some among them might choose to disperse their power and start over!"

Governor Lu let out a sigh. "Even if we notice it, it is of little use; dispersing cultivation to rebuild is akin to a new birth, making it exceedingly difficult to trace their origins."

"No matter, I shall report the matter of rebuilding cultivation to the imperial court afterward; our immediate priority is to handle the spectral plague."

"Previously, I assumed the spectral plague was the handiwork of the Nine Nether Sect, given that they possess quite a few ghosts of their own; but now that it is confirmed to be the work of the cultivators of Great Yu, the situation grows far more grave. The cultivators of Great Yu do not rear ghosts, yet they went to great lengths to capture fierce spirits from all quarters to unleash them in Hanshui City—surely this is not a mere attempt to cause trouble, they must possess some deeper objective!"

Governor Lu’s expression turned grim, wishing nothing more than to tear those Great Yu cultivators into ten thousand pieces.

"Excuse me, but is it possible that they are constructing a formation?" Lu Yang raised his hand, offering his question with measured caution.

"A formation?" Governor Lu and Qiu Jin'an both froze momentarily, turning the words over in their minds as though struck by a sudden realization.

When Lu Yang had been in Yanjiang County, the leader of the Yanjiang Helm at the time, who also held the concurrent post of County Governor, had established a formation across the entire county in an attempt to drain the lifespan of the populace to elevate his own strength.

It was this memory that had prompted Lu Yang's question.

"It is indeed highly probable that they are establishing a formation!" Governor Lu slapped his thigh; in his state of exhaustion over the past few days, the thought had completely eluded him.

He stepped over to a massive sand table and clapped his hands lightly; the grains of sand shifted and churned like waves before settling into a precise representation of Hanshui City.

Reaching into his robes, he produced a handful of small flags and tossed them onto the sand table, each flag landing precisely where a spectral disturbance had occurred.

Above each flag, the type and grade of the spirit were explicitly noted.

"Hiss, looking at it this way, it truly does resemble a formation." Governor Lu was overjoyed to see that young Lu Yang’s hypothesis was very likely the correct answer.

"As expected of a disciple of the Daoist Sect, a distinguished master yields a brilliant pupil; might I ask which master you study under within the Daoist Sect, young friend?"

Lu Yang: "..."

Before speaking the truth, Lu Yang wished to know just how deep a grievance Governor Lu harbored against his actual master.

"This humble one studies under Cloud Iris of the Daoist Sect."

Lu Yang showed due respect to his true master, yet while traveling abroad, he dared not utter her actual title.

Meng Jingzhou stared at Lu Yang with undisguised disdain, marveling at his sheer shamelessness.

"Cloud Iris? That name sounds somewhat familiar," Governor Lu murmured, searching his memory, though he could not recall anyone named Cloud Iris among the elders of the Daoist Sect.

"My master rarely departs from the sect, so the world seldom hears of her."

"Ah, so that is how it is."

Governor Lu desisted from trying to recall who Cloud Iris was; neither he nor Qiu Jin'an possessed any expertise in formations, so he commanded his subordinates to summon the city's formation masters to analyze what manner of array the Great Yu cultivators were deploying.

Before long, several white-bearded elders were escorted into the room, arrayed around the sand table to observe and calculate.

Fortunately, all of these formation masters were male cultivators.

Working in tandem, the masters swiftly arrived at a preliminary conclusion; upon hearing their assessment, Governor Lu turned to Qiu Jin'an, his countenance visibly more relaxed than when they had first met. "Young Friend Lu's hypothesis was correct; the Great Yu cultivators are indeed deploying a formation, though it is an ancient array that has long been lost to time. It will require some time to deduce its exact function and method of unraveling; let us wait patiently for a moment."

Seeing that the timing was opportune, Qiu Jin'an cupped his hands and spoke, "Since we have a moment of leisure, would the Governor be willing to allow this boy and myself to make use of the State Destiny?"

(End of Chapter)