Chapter 209: Yan Jing's Vision

Yan Jing's voice faded. Naturally, no one answered.

Smoothly, Yan Jing slipped the gun back into his sleeve.

He walked toward the old man nearby, his body swaying as he nearly collapsed. Right now, he was truly oil exhausted and lamp dried. Let alone a trace of weird energy, not a single drop remained.

Fortunately, the old man reacted quickly and caught him.

"Don't let them see it, Master Liu,"

he whispered into the old man's ear.

"Understood, Young Master."

The old man nodded, steadily supporting Yan Jing's arm.

Liu Ye and Bi Jie walked over.

Neither of them looked to be in much better shape.

One was in tatters, limping on a leg blown apart by silver.

The other's face was bruised and swollen, an arm ruined from the Painting Spirit's beating.

In this small courtyard, not a single person was left unscathed.

"Was that man really that strong?"

the old man asked, looking curiously at Bi Jie.

"He doesn't cultivate our path at all,"

Bi Jie said, grimacing.

The man they were referring to was, of course, the one Tang Lian had painted.

A look of shock flashed across the old man's eyes.

"Then what path is it? The Imperial Dao? Or the Secular Path?"

The two paths the old man mentioned had once been mainstream in Minhu, but they had long since declined over time.

"The Imperial Dao."

Bi Jie's face darkened.

"Ever since the previous emperor abdicated, the number of people who can cultivate the Imperial Dao to such a degree can be counted on one hand."

"It truly is rare," the old man said. "Now that your Inspectorate Department has discovered a high-tier Imperial Dao cultivator, you should report this, right?"

"Right."

Bi Jie nodded. "I will report it as soon as I get back."

"Don't worry too much about it. It might just be a fictional figure that woman dreamed up, or a dead man," the old man said.

"What do we do next?"

Liu Ye, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke up.

The old man said nothing, looking toward Yan Jing instead.

Yan Jing smiled.

"You two lords should be able to go back and report the truth now. County Magistrate Lin staunchly refused to bow to power and was determined to investigate Bai Qiu. Unexpectedly, Bai Qiu lashed out, killed him, and then absconded with Tang Lian to escape punishment."

"Good. This is good."

Bi Jie waved his functional arm and readily agreed, terrified of further complications.

But Liu Ye's eyes flickered.

"Bai Qiu can't escape. The trains heading to the Lake have stopped."

"Then what does Inspector Liu propose?"

Yan Jing asked with a smile.

"Bai Qiu is guilty of countless crimes. He actually dared to touch the live human trade. He should be arrested and brought to justice—"

"Stop! Stop!! Stop!!!"

Bi Jie immediately cut Liu Ye off, pleading earnestly. "We aren't the only Fourth Tier cultivators in Bianliu County! Bai Qiu still has unplayed trump cards. For some things, it's enough that we just know about them!"

"..."

Seeing Liu Ye's wavering gaze, Bi Jie continued to persuade him. "Such a massive batch of Ancient Relics! Who can swallow all of that? Even Young Master Luo can't! Young Master Luo, it's not that we covet these Ancient Relics. You must understand that some things are nothing more than death warrants."

"If Bai Qiu has them, you can use the Ancient Relics to threaten him. If you have them, Bai Qiu can naturally use them to threaten you. It's better to take a portion and let us go back to report."

"A portion?" Yan Jing laughed. "I'll give you two lords ninety percent! Take whatever catches your eye!"

Bi Jie wasn't entirely wrong. Ninety-nine percent of this massive pile of Ancient Relics were flashy but useless trinkets. Holding onto them was pointless if they couldn't be exchanged for silver.

This was exactly why Lin Changgui had hooked up with Bai Qiu in the first place.

To Yan Jing, the Ancient Relics weren't important. His relationship with Liu Ye and Bi Jie, on the other hand, was crucial. It might play a significant role in the upcoming Super-Large Dungeon.

Taking a step back, Bi Jie and Liu Ye were Fourth Tier cultivators. Asking for his opinion was merely giving him face.

This was also why he was so desperate to obtain rewards in the upcoming Super-Large Dungeon. Once he broke through to the Third Tier, things would be completely different.

Hearing Yan Jing's offer, Bi Jie spoke with excitement. "See? What did I tell you? Young Master Luo is a man of great wisdom. Isn't this settled now?"

"Inspector Liu, you get the promotion you wanted! You get the Ancient Relics! And the stain on your record is gone!"

"Next, we just report this up the chain! That Bai Qiu is a dead man! Jing Huan will definitely make him take the fall for this!"

Hearing Bi Jie's words, Liu Ye's eyes showed a hint of hesitation.

Just as he was about to give in, a terrifying explosion ripped through the sky in the distance.

Everyone present widened their eyes, staring in shock at the sky above the train station.

A horrifying mushroom cloud plumed upward. Grayish-cyan smoke stained the Firmament, pressing down on everyone's hearts like a deadly curse seal.

"Blowing up the railway!!!"

Bi Jie was the first to react. Stomping his feet in panic, he cursed furiously. "This Bai Qiu is crazy! He's out of his mind!!! He's going to break every taboo in Minhu!!!"

"Is there anything he won't dare to do?!!"

He stiffened his neck, his entire body trembling slightly. This wasn't just out of anger, but also partially from fear of the unknown future.

Right now, it was impossible to tell if only the outbound railway had been destroyed or if both the inbound and outbound tracks were gone. Regardless, Bianliu County had already become an isolated dead zone cut off from the outside world.

They naturally had items on hand that could transmit brief messages back, but the amount of information they could send was limited. Furthermore, even if the message got through, how long it would take to send personnel—and how long the repairs would take once they arrived—remained entirely unknown.

What would happen in the short term was anyone's guess.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy once again.

"I have to head back and send a message right now!"

Liu Ye said, turning to leave.

"I need to leave as well!"

Bi Jie said, cupping his hands in farewell.

In an instant, only the old man and Yan Jing remained in the courtyard.

Oh, no. There was also Fei Yu, who had been hiding in the shadows all this time. She finally hopped out from the corner.

"Are you satisfied now!"

Fei Yu looked at Yan Jing. Her oval face showed neither happiness nor displeasure. She simply stepped forward, taking over from the old man to support Yan Jing, and reached out to gently dust off his clothes.

"The man who fought for the position two magistrates ago was besieged and killed the same day. The magistrate before the last one fell into a coma the day he took office and died on the third. The last magistrate died the very day he took office, serving for only a few hours total. Now, this magistrate position is like a death warrant. No one will compete with you for it."

A pale smile appeared on Yan Jing's bloodless face.

"That was them!"

"Yes, yes, yes. Who could possibly compare to you, Grand Magistrate Luo."

Fei Yu pursed her lips and gently pulled Yan Jing closer against her to support his weight. She found a room and helped him inside to sit down.

"You've always been stubborn. Once you make a decision, you never change it. I thought you had turned over a new leaf this time—"

"Xiao Yu, you look really ugly when you cry,"

Yan Jing suddenly said.

"..."

Fei Yu slapped Yan Jing's forehead in exasperation. "I'm going to brew some tea. You can chat with Master Liu."

"Where's Huzi?"

Yan Jing called out loudly.

"He was screaming about going to save you and Master Liu, so I knocked him out!"

Fei Yu replied loudly.

"Good hit!"

Yan Jing nodded.

"Young Master."

Old Master Liu stepped forward.

"I didn't expect you to come this time."

He let out a long sigh.

"That kid Yi Ji even kept it from me. Was this your idea, or..."

"Mine."

Yan Jing smiled. "Mr. Yi went to handle a major matter for me. If I, Luo Sheng, am going to be the county magistrate, I naturally have to come in person."

"Master Liu, once I'm the magistrate, you'll be the magistrate's steward. Your status won't be the same as before, will it?"

He looked at the sorrowful old man, smiled, and pointed out the window toward the endless expanse of fields.

"This is our land. Starting right beneath our feet, it spreads out for tens of thousands of li, and it will only grow from here. Master Liu, who doesn't want to conquer an empire? If I let you charge forward on the front lines all alone, how could I ever sit back and relax?"

The old man shook his head, disagreeing with Yan Jing's logic.

"Out of all the emperors in history, which of them didn't send their generals to charge the front lines while they sat in the imperial court, waiting for news of victory?"

"That's exactly why I can't be an emperor, Master Liu."

Yan Jing said softly, "I told you before that there are some things you need to know, things that can't just remain with me."

"Now I'm telling you, Master Liu: you and Xiao Yu treat me as your Young Master, but I have never treated either of you as servants."

"You want to conquer an empire for me, but I only want to conquer it alongside you and Xiao Yu. The world is unpredictable. Who can say for sure who lives today and dies tomorrow?"

"Did Lin Changgui think he would die today? Did Wei Nantian think he would die that day?"

At this moment, Yan Jing wasn't just speaking on behalf of his Luo Sheng role; this was exactly how he truly felt in his heart.

In truth, he often just enjoyed the time spent with these friends he had made.

There was no special reason for it. It was simply that, compared to his past life, this feeling made him believe that every extra second he lived was purely a gain.

Whether it was Mantou, Chen Nian, Tiger, or even An Ze and Rose... and Shen Youran back in the Surface World, it was the same for all of them.

"I have to keep living on..." he murmured softly.

[You are gradually approaching Luo Sheng's long-cherished wish.]

The system notification chimed in his ear, plunging Yan Jing into deep thought.

Last time, he had assumed the system notification triggered because of the live human trade Wei Nantian mentioned. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case. The notification hadn't appeared after that issue was resolved; instead, it appeared right now.

What was the overlap between these two incidents... where was it...

"Young Master, hearing you say that, I think I understand."

Old Master Liu nodded.

[Loyalty Level +5]

"Young Master, I'm going out to catch some air."

"Alright."

Yan Jing nodded.

The old man stepped outside, grabbed a stool, and sat in the courtyard, staring blankly at the shattered, messy ground.

Not far away, Fei Yu was fanning the tea stove. Seeing the old man in this state, she glanced over and teased, "Do you really understand?"

"..."

The old man reached out and wiped his face with both hands. "To be honest, I don't fully understand."

"What don't you understand?"

"I'm worried that something will happen to the Young Master."

"Aren't you worried that something might happen to your friends?"

"I'm worried about that too."

"If you ask me, you're not just worried about the Young Master. You really have gotten old."

Fei Yu fetched the tea leaves and began picking through them meticulously. "When you get older, you stop wanting anything bad to happen to the people around you. It's perfectly normal."

"But do you know why the Young Master insists on being with you?"

"Why?" The old man paused and turned to look at Fei Yu.

"Because in his heart, you aren't old yet," Fei Yu said softly.

"He sees you as a peer from his own generation. Neither a servant nor an old man."

"That's why he wants to keep moving forward with you. You can't just refuse to give him face on this."

"..."

The old man stared blankly as he listened to Fei Yu's words. A moment later, he nodded heavily.

"I understand."

"You really understand this time?" Fei Yu lifted the teapot and slowly poured the tea into a cup.

"I really understand."

The old man stood up and strode energetically back toward the inner room.

"Young Master, listen to me! We need to strike down the other factions in Bianliu County before Bai Qiu even has a chance to catch his breath..."