The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 63 Respect and Conferment of Titles

Li Zhenyue learned about the situation here when he returned to Chang'an to report on his duties. This elite force of theirs was originally there to quell any unrest around Chang'an. Although the monsters were not the core objective of this mission, they would still be dealt with if they encountered them.

Li Zhenyue ordered his adjutant to lead the wounded brothers back first.

He was not in a good mood, so he came personally to deal with these demons.

He just didn't expect to encounter Zhou Yan, who was accompanying Shen Cangming, at Ganquanyuan. Shen Cangming concealed his whereabouts, Zhou Yan dispersed his aura, and even Li Zhenyue concluded that this matter was a closed case.

However, the words "slaying demons and eliminating evil" brought Li Zhenyue and Zhou Yan together in this place. Zhou Yan was on guard, while Li Zhenyue's expression remained unchanged. He gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, his fingers pushing out an inch of the blade, and said, "...Fang Haoyue."

He finished his duties and then realized that he was all alone.

There were no comrades among them, no mutual supervision or orders.

In this situation, should we still fight?

Li Zhenyue looked at the young man, loosened his grip, and the knife slid back into its sheath. He then looked at the old man beside him, who said, "Greetings, Your Excellency. It seems that some bandits are causing trouble here. This young hero is the one who helped us drive them away."

Li Zhenyue recalled the scene of Zhou Yan killing the gambling den owner and performing a ritual to appease the souls of the dead.

Turn over and dismount.

Zhou Yan rested his right hand on his sword.

Li Zhenyue was not as tall as Shen Cangming, but he was still taller than most people. According to Zhou Yan's estimation, he was about 1.87 to 1.9 meters tall. He was not wearing armor, but only a blue round-necked robe and leather belt. There was a hideous knife scar on his face.

His whole being exuded a sharp and cold aura.

Li Zhenyue looked at Zhou Yan.

His face remained expressionless as he removed his right hand from the hilt of the knife.

He crossed his hands and said, "It is truly remarkable that you, sir, have slain demons and monsters."

Zhou Yan didn't know what this expressionless man was thinking, but for some reason, when Li Zhenyue was off duty and not carrying out military orders, this silent and solemn man had a similar temperament to Shen Cangming.

Zhou Yan returned the greeting and said, "It was just an act of righteous indignation."

Li Zhenyue asked the elder to take him to handle the matter. Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief and ran to tell Shen Cangming. Shen Cangming knew that Li Zhenyue had arrived. Without putting on armor or drawing his sword, he said, "Okay."

..............................

With the help of the seal, Hei Feng stabilized his soul and found a stable place before sunrise. Exhausted, he hid inside an old locust tree to avoid the sunlight. He did not notice that Zhu Zicheng was giving his treasure a faint glow.

Zhu Zicheng found out about everything that had happened.

He knew how much the Qingming Pavilion Master valued that man from the Anren Army.

Therefore, the treasure given to Black Wind, which was deliberately sent ahead, also had the ability to transmit images. However, Shen Cangming had already lost an arm, was blind, and lost his archery skills. As a lineage that emphasizes physical strength, his body and blood were incomplete, and his strength had greatly decreased.

Losing one's dominant hand will definitely lower one's martial arts skills by more than one level.

Shooting techniques are also not an option, as there are blind spots in the field of vision.

Yet it still managed to crush Black Wind's soul almost to pieces.

Whether it was the fact that Black Wind was hiding and was approached by a Xuan Guan who was not good at magic, or the brief confrontation, Zhu Zicheng was somewhat frightened. His own strength was stronger than Black Wind's, but it was only at this level.

Black Wind is a patrolling envoy who claims to be the Weaver Girl's adopted son, but he's merely a furnace cauldron.

With his arm severed, Shen Cangming theoretically has no advantage against them.

However, when it came to actual combat, they were no match for him.

Fighting is not just about skill, but also about fighting instincts, understanding and restraining the opponent's methods. Shen Cangming's combat experience seems to be enough to make up for all of this.

If they were to spar at the same level, Shen Cangming wouldn't necessarily be the one to win.

If it's a head-on confrontation, it's a life-or-death battle.

Shen Cangming will definitely survive.

Zhu Zicheng vaguely seemed to have an impression of such a person, but he couldn't remember. He was certain that he couldn't take it by force. Hei Feng didn't know, but he knew that Shen Cangming had a complete set of mountain-patterned armor.

Then he spat out something, white as jade; upon closer inspection, it was an insect egg.

His expression was slightly unpleasant.

These insect eggs were given to him by the Weaver Girl. They absorb blood and energy, and also grant him abilities. They are a blessing, but also a shackle.

The insect eggs light up and off at a fixed frequency. Once they light up completely, they will burst out from his abdomen and grow rapidly by feeding on his true form. In fact, this is the Weaver Girl's 'son'.

He was merely a breeding ground for this son.

Zhu Zicheng touched the insect egg with his folding fan, and a shimmering light appeared. The egg cracked open, and a butterfly flew out. The butterfly fluttered its wings, and the falling crystal powder reflected the light, transforming into a beautiful face.

The eyes are large, but the lips are relatively small, and the eyebrows are slightly curved with a wide gap between them.

Unlike the aloof and alluring Qingmingfangzhu, it possesses an innocent and languid beauty.

Zhu Zicheng said, "Mother." Weaver Girl smiled gently, "Did you call me here because of the Kunlun treasure? My child?" Zhu Zicheng felt a burning sensation in his lower abdomen. Although he was terrified, he couldn't control his body at all. The great demon of the insects was extremely good at emitting a special aura.

Even ordinary insects, when a female moth releases this power, can attract male moths from miles away. After becoming a demon, this characteristic will naturally be sublimated into a supernatural power.

That feeling of losing control of one's body is what truly causes fear.

Zhu Zicheng explained the situation and then used the powder from the fluttering of butterfly wings to conjure up Zhou Yan's appearance. Weaver Girl's eyes swept over the young man and she said, "His appearance can be considered above average, but this unique aura of a human knight-errant is like the cool fragrance of a cold pine tree in winter."

"Human, knight-errant, or mountain god?"

"It is a top-quality product that one must taste."

"You can also have your name added to my book of beauties."

"Heaven and Earth are of the Xuan level, but the man next to him has a powerful aura and is more worthy of the first rank."

Zhu Zicheng felt a sense of disgust, but he could only force a smile and say that Shen Cangming was too domineering. Zhi Niang chuckled and said, "I see. Fine, fine. I'll send you one of my sons to help you out."

She lightly tapped with her fair fingers.

As if passing through an illusion, it appeared next to Zhu Zicheng. This finger was fair and slender, especially graceful, like a fleshy bridge. A beam of light passed through, from the Weaver Girl, and came to Zhu Zicheng's front.

These great demons all possess extraordinary abilities, said the Weaver Girl.

"Be careful."

"The spirit of Zhongnan Mountain cannot be forcibly taken; otherwise, why would we have to go through all this trouble, slowly corrupting it and taking our time?"

Zhu Zicheng asked, "Is it the Louguan Taoist sect of Zhongnan Mountain?"

The Weaver Girl said calmly, "More than a thousand years ago, when Laozi left the pass, Yin Xi built a thatched hut to observe the stars and the qi. He saw the purple qi coming from the east, so he stopped Laozi, which is why the Tao Te Ching was passed down to this day."

"Originally, it was just a secluded sect that lived apart from the world."

"In the seventh year of the Wude era, Li Yuan honored Laozi as the Holy Ancestor Xuanyuan Emperor and ordered the construction of the Zongsheng Palace at Louguantai. As a result, Zhongnan Mountain became one of the two great sacred mountains of Taoism, along with Kunlun Mountain."

"Even the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain and the Shangqing Sect are no match for the Louguan Dao now."

"On the [lecture platform] in Louguan Daoli, there is a large stone wall, which is said to have fallen from Kunlun Mountain. Inside it is the list of mountain gods who are qualified to take the Kunlun treasures."

"The Louguan Sect is focused on this matter now, but if you make too much of a move and attract the pursuit of my direct lineage, I won't be able to protect you. You'd better watch yourself."

Zhu Zicheng felt a chill run down his spine.

But then the light gathered and fell, transforming into a woman. She wore a narrow-sleeved, cross-collared blouse, the color of sky blue after rain, and a long, high-waisted skirt that trailed on the ground. The edges of her clothes had delicate patterns.

Her expression was cold. She had a small, delicate oval face with clear contours, soft lines, a slender jaw, and skin that was almost transparent white. Two long swords were worn at her waist.

The Weaver Girl chuckled lazily, “It’s time for Bihen to be born. Zhu Zicheng, take her to see the world and bring back that mountain god.”

The dust dissipated, and the butterfly fluttered its wings, transforming back into an egg. The egg then flew into Zhu Zicheng's eye and merged into her body. Zhu Zicheng felt intense hatred, but dared not show it. She respectfully said, "Miss Bihen, please..."

Bihen's eyes were cold as she avoided Zhu Zicheng's outstretched hand.

Zhu Zicheng's smile faltered, and she walked up as if she didn't care.

"If we can't defeat them by force, we'll have to outsmart them."

………………

Li Zhenyue cleared away the evil miasma from Ganquanyuan.

His expression was cold and calm. After a moment of silence, he walked to the thatched hut under the ancient tree. There were no taverns or teahouses in this place, just two tables set up and a clay stove for cooking.

Shen Cangming sat there calmly.

Li Zhenyue sat down at the table behind Shen Cangming.

Both men had straight backs.

After finishing his meal, Li Zhenyue placed his palm on the table, where he had some Kaiyuan Tongbao coins, and said, "Bring me a pot of wine." They only had wine made from wild fruits grown on the plateau, so they brought over a pot.

Li Zhenyue got up and left, placing the wine pot in his hand on Shen Cangming's table.

He walked away step by step: "The next time, it won't be me."

He mounted his horse and said:
"To you."

"veteran."

With Li Zhenyue gone, Zhou Yan was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

On this day, on the Kunlun Jade Wall of Louguan Taoism in Zhongnan Mountain.

They were on the list of those qualified to obtain the Kunlun treasures.

It has a brand new name.

(End of this chapter)