Nangong Weiyang sat down, her actions extremely simple.

It seemed like she just felt like sitting there, so she did.

However, her casual sitting, in reality, for this entire world, carried historical meaning. This meant that Lin Xi accomplished something no one in this entire world, in the endless history past had -- establishing border trade with the cave barbarians, with Great Desolate Swamp.

All of this didn’t have anything to do with strength, didn’t have anything to do with Lin Xi who stood tall and saw further than everyone else in this world. It only had to do with a little girl who only wished to see what Great Desolate Swamp was like, to become friends with the cave barbarians, and then ultimately died under the assault of Yunqin Empire’s army.

Without this little girl, Chi Xiaoye wouldn’t have came to Great Desolate Swamp, becoming the deity who unified and led all of the cave barbarian tribes. There was no way Lin Xi would have been able to do this type of thing.

That was why while Lin Xi looked at Nangong Weiyang sitting on that great golden chair with a smile, he also couldn’t help but think about that little girl who he had never met, nor would he ever have a chance to, that girl who was just like him, had the heart of a tourist and wanted to explore this world.

…

The moment Nangong Weiyang sat down, this action could be considered unifying all of Yunqin eastern border’s bandits. In the distant empire’s central region, the world’s most majestic Central Continent City, three massive black golden carriages also had a historic meeting.

Yunqin was established through martial might. For the sake of preventing weapons from reflecting light, making them more beneficial for concealment or ambushes, most of Yunqin military’s weapons were customarily black. That was why black, in Yunqin, represented strength, represented bravery. Whenever the people of this world thought of black, they would immediately think of Yunqin.

These three carriages were made entirely of black and fine gold, even the shaft and wheels no exception, so they were exceptionally heavy. Even if eight strong steeds were used, the speed of movement would still be extremely slow.

Sometimes, slow meant more time to think, thus signified more prestige.

This was especially the case when the extremely heavy fine metal wheels crushed down on Yunqin Empire’s ancient golden bricks, releasing a heavy and crushing feeling, as if a giant wearing iron boots was slowly walking.

This was especially the case when the mysterious and profound true dragon golden embedded runes on these black carriages, under the faint radiance, flickered with blinding golden radiance that was even brighter than gold.

This was even more so the case when there were several dozen powerful cultivators following around the carriage.

These carriages were bestowed by Yunqin’s late emperor, only nine of them in total in this entire world.

In this world, only these nine carriages could enter Yunqin Imperial City’s palace gates, only the people within could enter the throne room’s side palace hall.

These nine carriages represented Yunqin Empire’s most powerful nine families, the nine senators who had the greatest power.

No one knew how much gratitude and grudges there were between these nine senators who were of vital use to Yunqin’s establishment, but everyone knew that these individuals, perhaps because they didn’t wish for others to see their age, or perhaps because they loathed seeing the others’ faces, even if it was in the royal court, they already remained behind layers of curtains. Normally, these people didn’t meet either. Right now, when these black gold carriages advanced, these nine senators were even more like nine parallel lines that would never intersect.

However today, these three carriages made an unprecedented encounter at an entrance in Central Continent Imperial City.

This entrance, because of these three carriages’ simultaneous arrival, suddenly seemed a bit crowded.

All three carriages’ attendants moved backwards like a continuously enlarging city wall. The center of this city wall became like a vacuum.

That was why even though they were on the main street and even though they weren’t far outside the Imperial City, no one in this world would hear the conversations of the people in these three carriages.

“Vice Principal Xia chose to enter seclusion.”

Within one of the carriages, an aged voice spoke first.

Another aged voice sounded. “It is because for Green Luan Academy, the true enemy is still to come.”

“It is the same for us.” The last elder’s voice sounded. “That is why I will also choose to enter seclusion.”

When this voice sounded, there were no more voices that sounded from the other two carriages. The attendants that dispersed like a tide also began to quickly return.

The heavy and oppressive wheel sounds could be heard again. This first official meeting between three black gold carriages since Yunqin was established ended, so they all began to leave separately.

…

Yunqin’s army and Great Mang Dynasty’s armies continued day by day.

For great figures who truly had the ability to influence some parts of this world, their sight would naturally be drawn to this battle that was unprecedented in history. Their eyes would also naturally mostly be placed on the bodies of those true opponents. That was why most of the people in all of Central Continent Imperial City didn’t notice that in Yunqin’s eastern border’s world of darkness, there was already a huge change that happened.

After the death of that Huang surnamed elder among the nine elders, Old Grand Secretary Wenren, because of Wenren Cangyue’s matters, had to submit to Imperial City’s will, with Leng Family and Wen Family officially grasping great authority, all of Central Continent City’s undercurrents began to stir powerfully as well.

Early morning.

In Yunqin Imperial City’s deepest and most remote depths, there was a great prison close to the foot of the mountain behind True Dragon Mountain. The innermost heavy iron prison gates were slowly opened.

Even though the heavy iron gates’ axis of rotation had grease applied and was also maintained well, so it didn’t release any unpleasant noises, the faint sounds that transmitted out from within sounded like ghosts wailing, as well as released that type of cold and damp aura that made the eyelids of Xiao Qin who was guarding this gate involuntarily twitch.

Xiao Qin had already held this Ghost Prison position for six years, but because he understood clearly what kind of scene there was in the innermost depths of this prison, even after all of these years, whenever this prison gate was opened, his heart still couldn’t help but feel extremely uncomfortable.

A young official dressed in slightly purple official robes walked out. Because of the lack of sunlight, his face seemed a bit pale. Four other gray robed Judicial Sector officials carried a wave of cold and wet decaying aura as they walked out.

The early morning sunlight made that young official walking at the very front narrow his eyes slightly.

However, apart from narrowing his eyes slightly, this young official’s face was extremely calm, not showing any out of sorts feeling, as if he was just observing a normal street. He nodded towards the respectfully bowing Xiao Qin, and then after this return of greeting, began to leave alone. Meanwhile, as for the four gray robed Judicial Sector officials, the instant they breathed in fresh air, their expressions suddenly became pale white. It was as if they suddenly changed worlds, finding it extremely hard to adapt.

These four Judicial Sector officials’ footsteps all slowed down. Because of the powerful out of sorts feeling, their foreheads immediately produced bean-sized droplets of sweat.

When Xiao Qin retracted his gaze from that young official whose figure was fading into the distance, he began to close the iron prison gates again, but couldn’t help but want to ask something. However, among the four Judicial Sector officials, one of them whose face was a bit dark, looked about forty something years of age, as well as another exceptionally fierce, grizzled haired judicial official who was only thirty something years of age suddenly hunched over, both of them continuously vomiting.

“What exactly happened?” As Xiao Qin looked at these two judicial officials who continuously vomited, his body suddenly turned a bit cold. The out of sorts feeling within him also became stronger and stronger. His breathing stopped slightly as he turned around to look towards a familiar wizened old judicial official and then asked, “What did Sir Xu do this time?”

The wizened old judicial official’s complexion became a bit uglier, but if he didn’t talk about it, he would feel even more uncomfortable, the more a powerful vomiting feeling would surge. He replied, “Sir Xu cut open that criminal’s stomach, hacked off some of that criminal’s internal organs, and then applied medicine, sealing that criminal’s stomach back up… Then, in front of that criminal, he chopped up his inner organs and cooked them piece by piece. That criminal finally couldn’t endure it anymore, ending up confessing…”

Xiao Qin’s face suddenly became incredibly pale.

He thought back to the sauteed liver and pig-gut noodles he ate this morning.

Xu Zhenyan vaguely heard the vomiting sounds of the two Judicial Sector officials. While walking on the stone path beneath the prison’s stone walls, his face didn’t display much out of sorts feeling, instead producing a hint of slight mockery.

For him, what did cutting off some of the other party’s flesh and internal organs and eating them count as? If it wasn’t for him being a Yunqin official, unable to publicly go against the law for the sake of making that person speak, he would even completely cook all of the people that he cared about, and then force that person to slowly eat them.

For him, as long as he treated himself as a human who was far up above, viewed these prisoners as lowly livestock, then none of this went too far.

For him, in order to climb up in this type of place, showing kindness to some people was precisely being cruel to himself.

Since the Imperial City didn’t allow some secrets to leave the Imperial City, even though this type of prison existed in the Imperial City, the glorious Imperial City didn’t want any bloodiness. As such, the officials who went in and out of the prison had to leave the Imperial City through the most remote alley.

Not long after Xu Zhenyan walked out from the Ghost Prison, a green clothed official walked over from the other end of the alley.

“Sir Xu.”

This white faced beardless minor sixth rank middle-aged official greeted Xu Zhenyan with a smile.

“Sir Chang.”

Xu Zhenyan respectfully returned the greeting, but a fierce glint of alarm and vigilance couldn’t help but flash past his eyes.

This individual who Xu Zhenyan called Sir Chang smiled, but didn’t say too much, only directly bringing out a red sandalwood wooden case before Xu Zhenyan.

Xu Zhenyan’s brows furrowed, his face naturally revealing a type of sinister and deep expression. “Sir Chang, what is the meaning of this?”

“This is a gift Grand Secretary Wen entrusted me with to give to you… When you returned from Jadefall City, he had already paid close attention to you, in great admiration towards your ability. There is a Monarch Facing Pill here that can greatly save Sir Xu cultivation time.” The middle-aged official’s smile didn’t change as he explained to Xu Zhenyan.

Xu Zhenyan’s brows furrowed even deeper. He knew that this type of pill medicine was the most precious cultivator pill medicine in the entire Imperial City. With this type of pill medicine, breaking through into the State Knight level before next spring wasn’t impossible. Only, when he heard this pill medicine’s name, his heart couldn’t help but pound uncontrollably, but he still didn’t reach out his hand to receive it.

He raised his head, breathing slowly, using a type of dry voice to ask the smiling middle-aged official. “What does Grand Secretary Wen want me to do?”

“It is quite simple.” The middle-aged official said with a smile, “You only need to report the things you need to report back to Jiang Family similarly to Grand Secretary Wen.”

Xu Zhenyan thought it over expressionlessly, calmly asking, “Does my father know about this matter?”

“He has previously already refused Grand Secretary Wen.” The middle-aged official was always smiling, but in this sinister stone alley, it was as if a spring breeze blew without any sunlight, making one feel cold.

Xu Zhenyan said, “Grand Secretary Wen not only wishes for me to betray Jiang Family, he even wants me to betray my own father?”

The middle-aged man said with a smile, “Grand Secretary Wen felt like he didn’t misjudge you… he believes you will make an appropriate choice. Sir Xu, you need to understand that by exploiting Jiang Family and obtaining Grand Secretary Wen’s help, you will obtain things you can never obtain right now.”

“No matter how outstanding your father is, there is no chance of him ever replacing Jiang Family’s position. However, you should understand Grand Secretary Wen’s authority right now.” The middle-aged official looked at Xu Zhenyan who suddenly raised his head, his expression now extremely sinister, continuing to say with a smile, “However, you have a chance. Grand Secretary Wen needs someone like you. You will allow Grand Secretary Wen to have greater authority, but similarly, this will also be Grand Secretary Wen’s promise for you.”

Xu Zhenyan stood silently

He thought back to the conversation he had with his father last year, thought back to the things that happened from Jadefall City until now. Without too much hesitation, he began to laugh coldly. He walked past that smiling middle-aged official, receiving that red sandalwood case from his hands.