Patrol Captain

"Master, a letter has arrived from Third Junior Brother!"

Han Zhong was still pondering what had happened in the main hall, his steps unwavering, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"Don't speak yet, come in with me!"

As he spoke, the door in front of him opened automatically.

The rough-looking man quickly sensed that his master was in a bad mood. He frowned, followed him inside, closed the door, then turned around and tentatively called out.
"Master, is something the matter?"

When the group from the Northern Liang Prince's Palace arrived, he was on this peak and was unaware of what had just happened.

Han Zhong turned around with his hands behind his back, tilting his head to one side, a thoughtful expression on his face. He then asked:
"Which of you fellow disciples are still on the mountain?"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the rough-looking man straightened his expression and steadyed himself with his hand.
"Reporting to Master, it's just me and Seventh Junior Sister on the mountain now!"

"My eldest brother has been traveling for over a year. About a month ago, he sent a message saying that he was on the western border of Shu, exploring the Demon Kingdom with a friend."

"Fourth Junior Brother heard that the young master of Qingfeng Pavilion had obtained a sword manual, so he went to visit him."

"........."

"As for the third junior brother and the fifth junior sister, they haven't returned for two months since they escorted the youngest junior brother back to his hometown to visit his family. After they reported that he was safe and sound, the third junior brother wrote to us today, saying that the youngest junior brother really misses home, and they plan to stay there for a while and supervise his training on weekdays!"

As he spoke, the second senior brother raised the paper kite in his hand, and a flame rose from his palm, burning the paper kite to ashes. However, the small blue characters remained, clearly arranged.

Han Zhong glanced around and remembered his youngest disciple; his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

To be honest, it was purely by chance that he accepted this young disciple.

Two years ago, when he heard that the demons of the Hundred Thousand Mountains in Sichuan had broken free of their seal and that great demons had emerged one after another, breaking through the defenses and rampaging northward, he left his grotto in search of a breakthrough. He planned to try to hunt down a great demon and use unorthodox methods to appease it, thus breaking through the Dragon Tiger Pass that had imprisoned him for many years.

At that time, the cities occupied by the demons on the front line were heavily guarded. The great demons stationed in the cities were very cautious and did not know what had happened. They had set up a great formation and did not leave the city. Even though he tried to lure them, he had no chance.

Realizing something was amiss, he had no choice but to give up and turn back.

As a result, on the way back, when passing through a mountain forest in the southeast of Sichuan, they felt a chilling and eerie aura!
He cautiously explored the area and found that the forests there were completely destroyed, a shocking sight. The rocks were stained with dried blood and bits of flesh that had not been cleaned up.

There are also a considerable number of troops stationed near those mountains and forests!
He was somewhat frightened by the astonishing blood energy, and it wasn't hard to deduce that a great battle had taken place here, a great battle against demons.

Because the battlefield is filled with the blood energy of demons, including the residual blood energy of powerful demons!
For him, it was a turning point!
So he secluded himself in this blood-red land for half a month, trying to use unorthodox methods to break through the Dragon Tiger Pass by harnessing the evil energy of this place.

Unfortunately, the Dragon Tiger Pass was too difficult, and I ultimately failed!

But at least it wasn't a wasted trip; we gained something.

Before leaving, he made a point of visiting a nearby county town to see how it was doing and whether it had been affected, given the horrific battlefield nearby.

It turned out that the local people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and it seemed that there was no impact whatsoever; the people were unaware of the situation.

He met this young apprentice when he went out after washing off the dust at an inn. A group of children were jumping and playing on their way home from the private school, and one of the children bumped into him.

When Han Zhong helped the young boy up, he was surprised to find that the boy had extraordinary bones, a refined and intelligent appearance, and a vital energy far surpassing that of his peers.

So he decided to take on an apprentice and later went to the house in the alley.

After I explained my purpose, they were surprisingly cooperative, which led to a master-disciple relationship!
What he didn't know was that there were countless intricate connections between these events. When he went to the southern front, the demons in each city were on high alert because Chen Yuan had been captured from Qingshan County and taken to the Ten Thousand Mountains by a powerful demon, who was stirring up trouble there. As for the battlefield he later discovered, it was the place where Chen Yuan had mobilized tens of thousands of soldiers to fight against ten powerful demons.

The genius disciple he encountered was Tiger Cub, who had received Chen Yuan's empowerment before that great battle!
The cause and effect within are mysterious.

"Send a message to all the disciples who are away and call them back!" Han Zhong pondered for a moment, then his gaze fell on his second disciple.

The burly man's eyebrows twitched, his expression hardened, and with a flick of his hand, he dispersed the floating blue characters. He couldn't help but take two steps forward, "Master, what's going on?"

Han Zhong frowned and paced to the side with his hands behind his back. "Just now, someone from the Northern Liang Royal Palace came to Dongxuan Mountain and injured my mountain-guarding disciple. They seem to have ill intentions."

"Inside are several famous martial artists from the Northern Liang martial arts world. I don't know when they became retainers of the Northern Liang royal family. I had a match with them to rectify the sect, but it turns out there was a powerful expert hiding inside!"

The burly man's face darkened, and his brows furrowed. "Could he be even stronger than Master?"

Han Zhong paused, his eyes narrowing with a glint of shrewdness as he recalled the scene in the council hall, "Even the mountain lord couldn't force this person to reveal his true form!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man's rugged face showed surprise. The current master of Dongxuan Mountain was a top-level Dragon-Tiger Great Divine Power user, and was praised by the former master as someone who could ascend to the Martial Saint realm in the future.

Rumors say it's only a step away!
Even the mountain lord couldn't force out the true identity of this mysterious expert. Just who is he?

He asked quickly, his voice a little strained.
"What are those people doing at my Dongxuan Mountain? Master actually ordered all my fellow disciples to return to the mountain!"

"But what serious incident has occurred?"

Han Zhong waved his hand, his brows smoothing out, and stroked his beard to calm his apprentice down.
"Don't panic."

"These people came with an order from the King of Beiliang, inviting the mountain lord to bring people to the royal palace to attend a ceremony in four days."

"I heard that the previous heir of Northern Liang went to Shu and died in that forbidden place that terrified the world. The royal palace is preparing to establish a new heir, and the imperial court has sent a special envoy."

Upon hearing this, the burly man relaxed a little, his face showing confusion, "Then why did Master tell his fellow disciples to..."

"Be careful in everything, just in case!" Han Zhong's voice was firm, his gaze becoming somewhat profound, before he shook his head.
"The other party came with great force, which gave me a bad feeling. If it was really an invitation, why send a mysterious expert to put pressure on them?"

"Could it be that they're afraid we won't give them face?" the burly man guessed, his eyes darting around.

"I don't know, this matter is still under discussion."

"The mountain lord's intention is to wait and see how things develop, to observe the situation at other sects' blessed lands, and to instruct his disciples to be cautious. If everyone has received an invitation, there should be no problem."

Han Zhong, the elder of the Law Hall, pondered and analyzed the situation, hesitated for a moment, and then revised his statement.
"Don't think about it too much for now."

"Tell your fellow disciples who are away to come back if they can. If they can't come back in a short time, just tell them to be careful. Don't explain the reasons in too much detail, since it's just hearsay. Don't make a fuss."

"Yes!" The burly man nodded, feeling that his master was being overly cautious, but it was understandable. "This disciple will go out and send the message now."

Han Zhong nodded and waved his hand. He hoped he was overthinking things, but once you reach this position, there are many more things to consider, and it's always good to be cautious.

Just as the arrival of the Northern Liang royal family caused some ripples in Dongxuan Mountain, a majestic pass stood amidst the vast mountains at the border between Northern Liang and Shu. At noon that day, a silver-white pillar of light suddenly descended upon the inner city of Tianxiong Pass, the headquarters of the Sky Patrol Division!
Wei Zhong, a local general, was reviewing official documents in the backyard of the Zhonglang Palace when he felt the ground and table shake. He looked up in surprise and then immediately realized what was happening, so he stood up abruptly.

Before long, he flew to the square in front of the Zhonglang Hall, and a milky white beam of light descended from the sky.

Beneath this plaza lies an underground space containing a large, silvery-white tree, a branch of the Yinshan Sacred Tree, where a teleportation array has been set up.

This place, as the gateway to Shu, is connected to the Central Plains, Northern Liang, and the Western Regions, making it a strategic location fought over by military strategists. Chen Yuan set up a teleportation array here to facilitate his actions.

Soon, the silvery-white beam of light roared from the sky, rapidly thinning. Five or six breaths later, the beam struck down, and a figure in white robes appeared on the plaza.

Wei Zhong strode over and bowed to the newcomer.
"Greetings, Lord Chen!"

Chen Yuan, a smile playing on his lips, stepped forward, took Wei Zhong's arms, and helped him up.
"Brother Wei, it's been so long since we last met, we've almost forgotten each other!"

"You flatter me, sir." Wei Zhong slowly straightened up, not daring to be negligent. He couldn't yet maintain such a strong mentality as before, facing Chen Yuan, who had now broken through to Martial Saint. After all, even just standing next to Chen Yuan and enduring that faint aura required courage.

"There's no need for formalities between us. I just happened to be here today to discuss something with you." Chen Yuan put down his hand, his expression relaxed and genuine. Chen Yuan appreciated General Wei Zhong, after all, they had faced difficulties together before.

This man, who once stood with him under the banner of "rebellion," fought against the imperial army here. Although the imperial court later focused its firepower on Chen Yuan, the friendship remained.

When Wei Zhong heard that someone needed to see him, his expression immediately became serious.

"Lord Chen, please come inside and talk!"

After saying that, he waved to his subordinates who had been drawn by the commotion, "Go about your own business."

Then they invited Chen Yuan into the Zhonglang Hall.

However, going into the main hall was too formal, and it wasn't official business. The empty hall with only the two of them far apart was also boring, so Chen Yuan chose to talk in the backyard.

In the backyard, in a waterside pavilion, Wei Zhong and Chen Yuan sat facing each other.

Wei Zhong summoned his servants to serve wine and dishes, and then personally got up to pour the wine.

"A toast to Lord Chen!" The other party raised his glass and downed it in one gulp, looking quite pleased with himself.

He was always proud to have met Chen Yuan and always reminisced about the things they had done together.

Working with this guy meant you wouldn't suffer any hardship, and back then, it was a bloodbath.

Chen Yuan downed a cup, which made Wei Zhong extremely happy. Lord Chen hadn't changed and still thought highly of him.

"Lord Chen, tell me if there's anything I can do to help you with, just give the order!" Wei Zhong said, his eyes gleaming.

Chen Yuan put down his cup, the smile on his lips slowly fading, his eyes flashing with tiny golden light.

"Chen has come with a matter to discuss."

"Tianxiong Pass borders Beiliang Road, and communication between them is smooth. Does General Wei know if anything has happened in Beiliang Road recently?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhong's brows twitched, and he quickly came to a conclusion.

"There are two things that are the biggest events in Northern Liang recently."

"The first thing is that Xiao Zha, the heir of Beiliang, died unexpectedly. I heard that he died in that ancestral mountain. So many people died in that place, including many great supernatural beings, including this one."

When Chen Yuan heard that the heir of Beiliang was dead, he raised an eyebrow slightly, but quickly relaxed. He remembered that the heir of Beiliang had entered Zushan before he set up the trap. At that time, Beiliang sent one martial arts master after another to rescue him, but all their efforts came to nothing, and he himself had contributed to the effort.

He didn't care about the person's life or death; many people had died in that place, and he himself had almost not made it back.

At this point, Wei Zhong began to talk about the second matter.

"The second thing is that half a month ago, His Majesty sent a special envoy to the Prince of Liangzhou's residence to offer condolences to the heir."

The imperial court dispatched a special envoy to offer condolences?
Half a decade ago?
Chen Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly realized what was going on. Could this be the person Helian Shan had mentioned, the one the court had sent to investigate the forces behind the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion?

He was pretty close to guessing.

He recalled the scene he had witnessed through the incense-filled divine sense that he possessed on the messenger kite flying towards Dongxuan Mountain.

He originally just wanted to see if Dongxuan Mountain, where Huwa was located, was involved in any secrets, but he ended up discovering the scene described above!
Judging from the captured images and audio, people from the Northern Liang Royal Palace came to Dongxuan Mountain today, not long ago.

What a coincidence!
The two are now connected!
Moreover, the incense-filled golden eye that he possessed on the kite sensed something strange in the carriage among the people in the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion.

There's no one inside!
There were only three burning incense sticks in the carriage, the white smoke curling up and gathering without dissipating!
The aura flowing within seemed somewhat familiar to him, but because of the several layers of mediums separating them, he couldn't discern who was the person opposite the incense burner.

These are all points of suspicion.

And it felt like it was targeting him!
Chen Yuan naturally couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

So he came to this place and found Wei Zhong.

"Does Lord Chen have something to say?" Wei Zhong asked in a low voice when he saw Chen Yuan's thoughtful expression after hearing what he had said.

"You've been operating here for many years, so you should have some information channels in Beiliang. Inquire for me about what's happened in Beiliang these past few days. I might need to make a trip to the Beiliang Royal Palace soon, and I'd like to know more details," Chen Yuan said.

When Wei Zhong heard that this official was going to the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion, his expression tightened slightly.

"it is good!"

"Wei would immediately issue an order to his subordinates to help investigate."

"I will inform you immediately upon receiving any news, Lord Chen,"

"As for message transmission."

"It's alright, Chen came here simply."

Chen Yuan smiled as he spoke, a deep glint in his eyes. He wanted to go and see the Northern Liang Prince's residence. (End of Chapter)