Martial Cultivator

Yu Qingfeng was more composed than He Liang. He soon broke the silence with a smile and said, "Since it's Master's instruction, I won't decline, Junior Brother He."

He Liang simply grinned widely.

The two then sat side by side under the eaves. Yu Qingfeng said, "Judging by Junior Brother's accent, you seem to be from Qingshan Prefecture. I'm from White Deer Prefecture."

He Liang nodded. "Senior Brother is really sharp."

Yu Qingfeng glanced inside the house and asked, "Did Master mention when he'd exit seclusion?"

He Liang shook his head.

Yu Qingfeng continued, "Many cultivators from the foreign lands have been arriving in the Divine Capital recently. Has Master said anything about it?"

He Liang shook his head again.

Yu Qingfeng frowned and said softly, "Master is the Left Guard Commander, he should show his face for matters like this."

Yu Qingfeng stared at this seemingly not-too-bright junior brother without saying more. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "Master told you to guide me in tempering the body?"

He Liang nodded and said seriously, "That's exactly what Master said."

Yu Qingfeng hummed in acknowledgment. He didn’t think much of it and instead smiled as he said, "Alright, let's get started."

……

……

Today was the day when many cultivators were to enter the palace to meet His Highness the Crown Prince. It also marked a full month since the Great Liang Emperor had left the Divine Capital.

The Ministry of Rites had prepared carriages early on, waiting by the courier station. The streets along the route to the imperial palace had already been cleared.

However, the Ministry of Rites officials in charge of this matter were trembling with unease, nervous and on edge.

After a long time, the cultivators boarded the carriages. Yet the Assistant Minister of Rites who was responsible for this arrangement kept glancing at the elegant little building nearby. The true big shot, that Daoist Zhenye from the Infatuation Daoist Temple, had not appeared yet.

If he was not here, they naturally could not set off.

No one knew how much time had passed before Daoist Zhenye finally showed up, arriving unhurriedly and late.

When Daoist Zhenye reached the carriage, he was prepared to step inside the carriage. But after taking a step, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the Assistant Minister of Rites in front of him, and asked with a smile, "Has the route been finalized?"

The Assistant Minister of Rites nodded. "From the courier station, it will take less than half an hour to reach the palace. His Highness the Crown Prince will be waiting at the palace gates to greet you, Daoist Master."

Daoist Zhenye smiled and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed very courteous. However, this penniless daoist heard that the Divine Capital is known for its delicacies. There's something called honey dates, which is supposedly quite tasty. This penniless daoist like to buy some."

The Assistant Minister of Rites replied with a slight smile, "If Daoist Master wishes, I'll send someone to buy them right away."

Daoist Zhenye shook his head. "How could I trouble you? I'll go myself. If it's not too inconvenient, might we take a detour, Your Excellency?"

"This..."

The Assistant Minister of Rites hesitated. The route to the palace had been arranged in advance, ensuring there would be no commoners along the way. But if they chose to take a detour now, they might actually encounter the citizens of the Divine Capital. Given the current unrest and grievances among the populace, running into them could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Daoist Zhenye said calmly, "Your Excellency, this penniless daoist isn't asking for your opinion."

The Assistant Minister of Rites felt his scalp tingle. He quickly forced a smile and said, "Since Daoist Master is so inclined, let's go."

Daoist Zhenye smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to board the carriage.

Before setting off, the Assistant Minister of Rites called over a subordinate and lowered his voice to instruct, “Go to the palace immediately and report this matter. Make sure His Highness the Crown Prince is informed as soon as possible.”

The official hurried away, and only then did the carriage begin to move slowly.

The sound of hooves striking the stone-paved road not longer sounded crisp to the ears of the Assistant Minister of Rites, he only felt irritation now.

……

……

The convoy deviated from its originally planned route, catching the Divine Capital's officials off guard. Consequently, a crowd of commoners quickly gathered on either side of the street. As they watched the carriages, the people soon realized who the passengers were, and countless gazes were instantly directed toward the convoy.

The emotions in those gazes were complex, but most carried a sense of disdain.

The officials of the Heavenly Imperial Institution tasked with security grew visibly tense.

For some reason, the responsibility for escorting these foreign cultivators had not fallen to the Left and Right Guards as usual but instead had been assigned to officials of the Heavenly Imperial Institution.

As the carriages passed through the first long street, they soon approached a shop that sold honey dates, with the street on either side already packed with onlookers.

At this point, dispersing the crowd was no longer feasible, so the officials could only hope that the people would not cause any trouble.

The carriage carrying Daoist Zhenye stopped in front of a honey date shop, and this daoist master of the Infatuation Daoist Temple stepped out, heading toward the shop.

The shopkeeper of the honey date shop was not around, leaving only a young clerk manning the store.

Daoist Zhenye stopped in front of the shop, and a Ministry of Rites official had already entered ahead, intending to purchase the honey dates on behalf of Daoist Zhenye.

The long street was very quiet.

Moments later, a voice broke the silence. "Not selling!"

The Ministry of Rites official frowned and said, "You're just selling honey dates, and I'm not shorting you on money. Why won't you sell?!"

The young shop assistant looked at the official and said, "Not selling! I'd rather feed them to dogs than sell them to you!"

The official was about to respond but was interrupted when the young shop assistant spat at him and cursed, "Lackey!"

Hearing this, the official whose face was still wet with spit, was about to call for someone. But Daoist Zhenye chuckled and said, "If he's not selling, then let it go. Let's head to the palace, we mustn't keep the Crown Prince waiting."

With that, the daoist turned to board the carriage.

At that moment, the young assistant suddenly rushed out of the shop and stood at its entrance, yelling, "You ox-nosed daoist! Get out of the Divine Capital already!"[1. I cannot explain ox-nose, I don't understand it either. It's the same as calling a monk 'bald donkey'.]

After the young shop assistant yelled out, the street fell silent for a brief moment before erupting with countless voices.

"Get out of the Divine Capital!

"This isn't a place for you! Get lost!

"Get out of the Divine Capital!"

"Aren't you supposed to be Liang people? Why are you doing these things?!"

……

……

The noise grew louder, and people burned with public indignation, looking as though they were about to rush forward.

The faces of the Heavenly Imperial Institution officials became ugly.

Daoist Zhenye turned to look at the young shop assistant, did not say anything, and just smiled faintly.

Suddenly, there was a deafening boom.

The honey date shop, which had stood for who knows how many years, collapsed abruptly. At the same moment, the young assistant's head exploded without warning, leaving the front of the street covered in blood.

Seeing this scene, the Ministry of Rites official froze in shock, and the surrounding commoners were also stupefied.

But Daoist Zhenye just smiled faintly as he turned to the Ministry of Rites official and said, “Your Excellency, let's go. His Highness the Crown Prince must be getting impatient.”

Beyond that, the long street was plunged into absolute silence.

Several accompanying officials clenched their fists tightly, their eyes instantly turning red as they lowered their heads in anger and frustration.

Meanwhile, the commoners seemed unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Yet the headless corpse lying there on the long street seemed to be telling the world something.

In the eyes of these high-and-mighty cultivators, their lives were no different from those of pigs or dogs.

Worthless.

No one cared about whether they lived or died.

Actually, this was not entirely true, there had always been someone who cared about their lives and even cared about how they could live better.

But sadly, that person was not here now.

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