The silver-haired man looked upon the majestic city before him, where a thousand riders surrounded a person under the escort of a sanguine Qilin Pattern battle flag that seemed to be unfurling from the sky, vast and spectacular.
Originally, the young Taoist fishing by the river, who wore a golden crown, somehow carried a trace of austere and overbearing majesty.
Sitting cross-legged, he could jovially drink and fish with strangers by the road as a Ranger, but when he raised his head to gaze upon the world, he was the most imposing hero of the past two decades.
The Marquis Qin Wu, who was granted his title at the age of sixteen.
Whale Hunter clicked his tongue, feeling he might not be able to look at him with the same eyes that saw a sixteen-year-old from the Five-layered Heaven, and then saw that Ling Pingyang had prepared an additional two horses.
Both were dragon horses that stood eight feet tall at the chest, and the elderly swordsman in green robes flicked his finger.
A burst of Inner Qi, which should have been capable of severing the most vigorous of lives with its chilling Sword Qi, was instead as gentle as a flowing breeze; the young girl in the long robes favored by Stargazers soared into the air and landed steadily upon the saddle of the battle horse.
At the front rode Marquis Qin Wu.
Behind him, flanking either side, were the white-haired swordsman and the silver-haired girl in a hood, and following them was the sanguine battle flag, held aloft by a twenty-foot-long halberd. The silver-haired girl spurred her horse forward, closing the distance between her and the young man.
Whale Hunter’s temple throbbed.
His steel teeth clenched as if they were about to shatter.
"It should have been me here, it was meant to be me!"
He was vexed that Murong Longtu, the aging swordsman, and his daughter had grown particularly close, grinding his teeth in anger, then turned to Old Si Ming beside him. Even though Si Ming was a naturally proud and uninhibited character, he also felt obliged to show his gratitude, treating the older man with respect and politeness.
Enraged yet still politely, he asked,
"Now that I’m here, I should be able to go over there, right?"
"I’ve been waiting for a whole month."
Old Si Ming looked at him puzzled, scratching his graying hair and said, "No one’s stopping you. I only said not to disturb the Sword Madman and Guan Yi on their last journey through the Martial World, but I never stopped you from going to see Shaking Light, that girl."
He looked confused, "Are you saying you don’t dare?"
Whale Hunter took a deep breath.
At this moment, he and his daughter felt the same.
Sometimes, he wasn’t sure if the old man did it on purpose or by accident.
If on purpose, how could someone live so carefreely at his age; if by accident, then why was it always tinged with subtle mockery?
Old Si Ming burst into laughter, paying no mind to the grinding teeth of Whale Hunter and Si Wei, as he flashed away in an instant, his movements as mysterious as the flow of the Mystic Turtle, vanishing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.
Whale Hunter glanced up and caught another immense presence.
Thus, he did not chase after Si Ming right away.
The Military School’s aura was severe and stern.
"The military god, Jiang Su."
"What does the old man want to say to me?"
Someone had already led Li Guan Yi and others to a luxurious house, where Qilin statues stood on both sides of the great gate, with rows of Battle Halberds erected, and the maids and servants in charge of the house stood softly and respectfully to greet them.
An official was waiting there, bowing respectfully and said,
"The adviser, Xu Yanzhong, at your service, Marquis Qin Wu."
"The Emperor is delighted to learn of Marquis Qin Wu’s arrival in the Imperial City and is joyous beyond measure. He has prepared a banquet to welcome and cleanse Marquis Qin Wu from his travels, and tomorrow..." Xu Yanzhong lifted his head to look at Marquis Qin Wu, who had just dismounted from his battle horse.
The iron riders behind him dismounted in unison, their presence menacing.
The young man’s robe fluttered, adorned with dark gold Cloud Patterns.
With just the simple act of dismounting, whatever slight disdain Xu Yanzhong had for the Marquis based on his age was shattered, his gaze dropped even lower, holding up the Imperial Decree. Li Guan Yi stretched out his hand and took it.
Most of the iron cavalry stayed outside the city, while the original Qilin Army riders had been arranged a stationing place. Only thirty-six riders accompanied him inside, yet every one of the thousand Colonel-ranked riders was at the peak of Second Layer Heaven.
At the third layer, one could be a general!
Xu Yanzhong said respectfully, "Have a good rest, Marquis, and someone will naturally come to guide you tomorrow. I shall take my leave now."
Marquis Qin Wu replied, "Please escort Mr. Xu."
Two Colonel-ranked officers of the Qilin Army, who had been through the battle at Zhenbei City, journeyed twenty thousand miles to pacify Jiangnan and fought in the battles of Ying Country, Chen Country, and the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, stood up. Their presence was stern and cold, yet not overly arrogant. They extended their hands and said, "If you would, sir."
Xu Yanzhong exited with a composed smile.
As he left, he glanced back at the doors of the house. The young man’s silhouette was sharp, and his gaze, falling upon him, was gentle as he nodded.
A cold sweat seemed to drench Xu Yanzhong’s back.
He left the house that was referred to as the Qin Palace, circled around to make sure no one noticed anything amiss, then immediately went to the Imperial Palace, subsequently to a side hall where he met the current Red Emperor of Central State, Ji Zichang.
Ji Zichang sat in the side hall with two books on the desk,
Remembering what he had seen that day, Xu Yanzhong replied, "A dragon and tiger among men."
"Today, I witnessed his Qilin Army, ominous and stern. Every rider looked upon him with solemn regard, and indeed, he behaved in a manner worthy of their elite status - so much so that amongst his young peers, none could match his imposing demeanor."
He wanted to say the younger generation, but that would inadvertently include the Emperor in his thirties.