One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

After a brief discussion at the tea stall, Chen Yulou and Sun Yao decided to return and raise gold and silver to support the Duan family father and son's northward journey to Zhili, while they would take the opportunity to take over the Huguang region. Of course, this matter was not yet finalized even with just his and Sun Yao's approval, as the Xieling family still had an old general who was like a pillar of strength.

However, after he relayed this news back to Xieling, the old leader Chen directly expressed his support, even saying that Xieling would selectively align itself with Sun Yao at any time and in any place. This was undoubtedly Xieling taking sides. For a force of tens of thousands of people like Xieling to side with Sun Yao, seemingly placing himself above him, was something even Sun Yao himself couldn't understand, let alone Chen Yulou. He had originally only wanted to establish a friendly cooperative relationship with Xieling, but now it seemed this old leader of Xieling wanted to act as an angel investor.

However, this didn't matter. If he wanted to be an angel investor, Sun Yao was confident he could guarantee him sufficient returns. Sun Yao was naturally happy to see this happen. After the matter was settled, both the Duan family and the Xieling clan began to take action.

It must be said that the Xieling faction ultimately possessed profound resources, and within three days they had already raised enough military funds to satisfy the appetites of the Duan family father and son.

The Duan family father and son also began to gradually recall their own troops from various parts of Huguang. On the day the Chen family's military pay arrived, the Duan family father and son directly telegraphed various parts of Huguang, announcing that Chen Yulou would become the next Governor-General of Huguang.

This news immediately caused a huge uproar in the Huguang region. After all, the Chen family, father and son, had a bad reputation. The Chen family of Changsheng Mountain, with tens of thousands of Xieling warriors, were notorious bandits. Now they had become a regular army, and one of the most powerful warlords in the land. This change in status was difficult for many to adapt to, but some adapted quickly, namely the warlords of Xiangyin.

The warlords of Xiangyin, such as Luo Laowai, all relied on the Chen family for their livelihood. They naturally accepted this change much faster than others. If anyone was happiest about Chen Yulou's appointment as Governor-General of Huguang, it would undoubtedly be them. They had instantly become the Governor-General's confidants, becoming among the top warlords in Xiangyin. With their relationship with the Chen family, they were destined to be the most powerful warlords in Huguang. As for the original top warlords, it was simply a matter of a new emperor bringing in a new court.

Of course, all of this is currently irrelevant to Sun Yao. After arranging the deal, he and Hong Guniang embarked on their journey north. They were alone when they arrived in Shacheng, and naturally, they were alone when they left as well. He chose to keep both Zhang Qishan and Zhang Rishan in Shacheng, even going so far as to help Zhang Qishan secure the position of Shacheng's defense officer. He hoped the plot wouldn't deviate too much from its original trajectory, as this was an advantage for him.

Of course, that's all in the future. He was already on the train to Beiping, only half a day away. He settled comfortably in his compartment to cultivate, with Miss Hong protecting him; he didn't need to worry about being disturbed.

During his battle against the monster that Zuo Qianzhi had transformed into, he also discovered his weakness: a deficiency in physical strength. If his physical strength were sufficient, he wouldn't need the Silver-Winged Arrow and the Thunder Pool Flying Sword to break through the defenses of the monster that Zuo Qianzhi had transformed into.

However, he hasn't yet figured out any way to improve his physical strength. He can only diligently practice the Golden Light Mantra to try and increase the efficiency of the golden light conversion. Besides that, he keeps practicing the Qi Refining Technique. If he can reach the third level of the peak of Qi Refining, even if his physical strength is insufficient, he can still forcefully break through the monster's body by relying on the strength of his spiritual energy.

By the time they arrived in Beiping, it was already getting dark. They had no choice but to find a hotel to stay in temporarily, since trains rarely ran at night at that time, let alone trains heading to the Northeast.

Whether out of a wicked sense of humor or for some other reason, Sun Yao personally chose a hotel to stay at: the Crescent Moon Hotel. At this time, the Crescent Moon Hotel was already quite famous in Beiping, frequented by high-ranking officials and wealthy merchants. However, when Hong Guniang presented the token of the Unloading Ridge faction, the staff at the Crescent Moon Hotel were quite sensible and arranged a superior room for them.

However, during his night's stay, Sun Yao didn't see Miss Yin Xinyue, nor did he see any of the servants or lackeys. It seemed that these servants and lackeys didn't usually appear. As for the young lady, that was understandable; after all, she was a young lady from a respectable family, and it wasn't appropriate for her to always be in the public eye.

Having failed to meet the person he wanted to see, Sun Yao felt the trip was rather dull. Early the next morning, he and Hong Guniang embarked on their journey north. Their first stop after leaving Beijing was Wen County. Wen County, located between Beijing and Tianjin, was a necessary stop on the way to Shanhaiguan.

When he arrived in Wen County, he happened to arrive just as the new garrison commander was taking office. Interestingly, this new garrison commander was named Gu Xuanwu. Yes, the Gu Xuanwu you're imagining. The garrison commander's adjutant was Zhang Xianzong. His greatest hobby was finding wives for his adjutant; all of Zhang Xianzong's numerous concubines were arranged by this commander himself, who later betrayed him.

Gu Xuanwu's appointment also piqued Sun Yao's interest, because with Gu Xuanwu's arrival, things in this place were about to become quite strange. An immortal old monk would come to this place, and he would also seal away a demon loli whose soul was immortal. Most interestingly, there was also a sleeping Pixiu on a nearby mountain.

So many extraordinary people and events have gathered in this small Wen County, not to mention the various demons and monsters, including fox spirits and snake spirits. This place is truly wondrous. After all, there's a saying that even the Five Immortals cannot cross the Shanhaiguan Pass. Could the fox spirits and snake spirits here be the Five Immortals from beyond the pass testing the dragon energy within? Does the immortal Wuxin truly lack magical power? Can his sealed memories still be retrieved? What exactly is the situation with Yue Qiluo's immortal soul? Is Yue Qiluo stronger than him? All these questions surfaced in Sun Yao's mind. Undoubtedly, his curiosity about these matters made Sun Yao halt his journey north.

After all, the ginseng from Changbai Mountain won't run away, but if these people miss it, they'll truly miss it. Especially Yue Qiluo, who cultivated evil abilities to make her soul immortal—that's something I've never heard of before. Sun Yao is particularly interested in her.