The sky was dusk, and the clouds were like burning fire.
On Yunding Mountain, the gold gleamed with colors.
At the base of the mountain, outside a dark-toned hall of the Fusi Government Office, the armor was imposing, pairs of eyes sharp as knives watched this hall, as if the slightest movement within would prompt them to draw their blades and rush in, hacking those inside to pieces.
At this moment, three distinct figures were seated inside the hall.
One had their eyes closed, at ease, while another’s brows were raised, frowning incessantly.
A dull sound of palm slapping on the table echoed.
Only to see a pale-faced man in a purple four-clawed python pattern robe and a black patterned hat slap the table with impatience,
"This is outrageous!"
"Not only have I been kept waiting so long, but there’s not even a person to greet us. This is clearly meant to embarrass us."
The voice was sharp, like a mix of male and female, carrying an eerie quality.
The pale face without a beard, with a woman’s features, covered with a layer of powder, exuded a strange beauty. From the address, it was clear he was a eunuch from the Dragon Court.
As he finished speaking, the person sitting in the front, with closed eyes, slowly opened them.
This person was dressed in a crimson cloud-patterned robe, hair grayed, meticulously groomed, and exuded a unique charm, hinting at an otherworldly aura.
Looking over here, his tone was calm, even with a hint of a smile,
"Do not be impatient, lamp holder. This is not within the Divine Capital Domain."
"Look outside at the eyes of those armored soldiers. Don’t even mention serving tea; if you slapped the table any harder, they might just rush in."
The lamp holder referred to by this person was naturally the speaking eunuch. This was not an official title. It was just that this slightly "beautiful" eunuch held the lamp beside the current Emperor, earning this "elegant name."
Of course, there were many such people, but few could carry this name—they must possess some "unique" quality. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even qualify to accompany those from Taichang Temple.
"These reckless brutes rolling in the borderland mud, if His Majesty disregards them, they can only rot in this quagmire and breed maggots."
The lamp holder squinted with disdain, snorting coldly. He believed that with an oral decree, these mudlegs should show him some respect. After all, the decree he brought concerned their lives.
The middle-aged man at the head of the table flashed a hint of coldness in his eyes, his face bearing a forced smile,
"You’ll find this talk impressive if you say it to that Chen Longhu!"
"This one dared even to kill a Patrol Angel and slaughtered two Great Demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains. As you saw the array of armored soldiers outside, the moment your words are spoken, your head will probably be severed."
Saying this, he laughed,
"Who knows, there might be ears against the walls already hearing it!"
With this warning, the blanche-faced lamp holder’s face quickly flushed red, his mouth opened as if to speak, then bit back, turning away with a muffled response, letting the subject drop.
"Xu Shaoqing, from which True Monarch of the Martial Temple came the order that required you to personally enter Shu to meet this Dragon and Tiger!"
At this time, another person spoke, wearing a blue floral-patterned robe, a jade pendant hanging at his waist. Handsome and valiant, yet there was a hint of apprehension and probing in his brows.
He was from the Sky Patrol Department, tasked with accompanying this Vice Minister of the Taichang Temple, aiming to enter Shu and meet this Dragon and Tiger. But he only knew his task, the intentions of these two were unclear to him.
He didn’t know if he was here to make up numbers or to take the fall, so he probed without certainty, but throughout this journey, the two kept their lips sealed.
The lamp holder was from the Dragon Court, he from the Divine Capital Heavenly Patrol, Xu Shaoqing from Taichang Temple, backed by the Martial Temple.
The three parties sent people to form a team but didn’t communicate with each other, suggesting the situation seemed precarious.
The middle-aged man in the crimson cloud-patterned robe was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. He diverted his gaze to the other side, facing the question, with a complicated look, about to speak when suddenly, his eyebrows moved, and he looked straight at the main entrance.
Following his gaze, the other two also looked outside the door.
Soon, a figure descended from the sky directly at the main entrance.
Immediately, a voice followed.
"I am Gao Yu, Military of the Government Administrative Office!"
"Following the Nine Colonels order, I’m responsible for leading and inviting you esteemed guests into the hall!"
Gao Yu appeared at the main door of the hall, cupped his hands inside, showing no unusual demeanor towards the three coming from the Court, maintaining neither servility nor arrogance.
Seeing a Secondary Fifth Rank Military welcoming them, the faces of the three varied.
The eunuch’s face was somewhat unsightly, but recalling something, he refrained from acting out, while the Deputy Inspection Envoy from the Sky Patrol Department felt some anxiety, pondering the implications, and the leader from the Taichang Temple, Xu Shaoqing, remained as composed as before.
He slowly stood, with an inherent imposing presence, speaking to Gao Yu at the door:
"Then, please lead the way!"
Gao Yu withdrew his hands, "Please!"
He said, stepping and ascending into the air, Xu Shaoqing taking the lead as his body turned into a shadow and disappeared from the hall, the other two, one snorted coldly, a flick of the sleeve, their body like a swimming snake, the other with a sound like an air burst vanished instantly.
The three from the Divine Capital thus followed Gao Yu, rushing straight towards Cloud Peak.
Along the way, the three whistled past the mountain wind, seeing hills filled with blooming silver trees, feeling the increasingly dense Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, even condensing into mist—the spectacle surprising them, prompting extra glances.
They had been in Jingguan City for two days, their movements discreet, and the reason for not immediately visiting was, firstly, adhering to prudent principles, gathering intelligence, making preparations, fearing misjudgment of the situation; secondly, each harbored their own thoughts.