Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1326: Xingyin City Grand Event

People from all over the country, including peddlers and porters, all knew that the emperor would arrive in Xingyin City. For ordinary people, it was not important what the emperor or the officials looked like. What was important was the announcement from Xingyin City.

Water and Land Dharma Assembly - although most people have never heard of this name, it does not stop people from listening to a few scholars, storytellers, and scholars to help talk about it. Even if they don’t understand what is being said, they can understand that there is something exciting to watch here.

How long has it been since Da Wei had such a lively event?

What's more, in order to encourage people to participate, it seems that many awards have been designed. Those who rank top in the competition can even go to the palace to meet the emperor and even get an official position.

Word of mouth spread like this, and many people flocked to Xingyin City. Although the Wei Dynasty had household registration control, that was a thing in the early years. Nowadays, there are many refugees in the war, and even if someone leaves among the refugees, it is rare to be discovered.

For the locals of Xingyin City, it has become even more lively than when winter first arrived. They rarely see people everywhere in the streets and alleys. And with so many people pouring into Xingyin City, it has not caused any pressure on personnel. Xingyin City has taken them all in. Even some beggars that were often seen before are no longer to be found.

Lu Ning was walking on the street and bought a string of candied haws from a vendor. As she walked, she scanned the people on the street with her demonic eyes.

Tomorrow the Emperor will arrive.

She explored the boundary of "Severing Dragon", which was about 20 miles outside of Xingyin City. She didn't know whether the caster would stay in the range. Lu Ning didn't think that demons could be guessed by human common sense. In fact, there were many demons in history who rushed in and slaughtered people after using the Dragon Severing. After all, in terms of intelligence, the proportion of demons with brains was much lower than that of humans.

Lu Ning tried to look for Han Younian but couldn't find him. And of course it was impossible for Han Younian to leave. Since the Dragon Breaking Campaign had already started in the morning, he missed his last chance to leave.

As she thought about it, she strolled into a teahouse.

It was common to have a storyteller in a teahouse, but now when Lu Ning listened to the storyteller's ramblings, his perspective was completely different from when he first got to know this world.

She knew very well how true and false those so-called rumors were. As for ordinary thieves and bandits, Lu Ning basically didn't care about them now. The problem was how many people were good at unorthodox methods among the people?
Lu Ning drank tea while relaxing her overly tense nerves. Today was the last time she could relax. Starting tomorrow -

At this time, a man sat down next to her table.

"There's someone here..." Lu Ning looked up and saw Lou Lingzhu's slightly surprised expression.

"It's really you."

Lu Ning did not speak immediately, but looked behind Lou Lingzhu. Next to her stood two men and two women, all dressed like Lou Lingzhu and carrying a book basket on their backs. They were probably disciples from Zhixing Valley.

"Why are you here?"

"Such a grand event, Zhixinggu will naturally come and record it."

"Aren't you guys recording the happenings in the martial arts world?"

"First, Zhixing Valley only takes what it likes, and it is not necessarily the stories of the underworld that are worth recording. Second, how do you know that this place is not considered the underworld?"

"Could it be that……"

"That's right. When the emperor set out from the capital, the news had already spread throughout the Central Plains. If the major sects were interested, they would naturally send some people to see what was going on. If they didn't know the general situation in the world, they would be left behind when the martial arts world was hit by another bloody storm. The sects today are all smart. The four major gangs had already sold the news for a good price, and there were also many people in the martial arts world who wanted to serve as officials in the court and wash away the person from the green forest."

"So that's how it is." Lu Ning suddenly realized.

"You don't know." Lou Lingzhu shook his head slightly, "There are many people from the underworld in this teahouse alone. The monk over there is from Dingchan Temple; the people sitting at that table are disciples of the Yunhua Sect; those over there are from some famous gangs in the southwest, and you probably don't know the names of the gangs."

"You recognize them all?"

"Not all of them. You can see quite a few people are here." Lou Lingzhu called out to the people behind him, "These are my fellow apprentices. For such a grand event, I would be overwhelmed by myself, so I also found some helpers."

"Are you the only ones coming to Zhixing Valley? I don't think so." Lu Ning asked again.

"Several of my fellow disciples will also be here. If we can record this matter and take it back, it will be considered a success. But why are you here? I remember that you are from Huai Ling Lu family? With the New Year coming up soon, why don't you stay in Huai Ling, but come to Xingyin City instead?"

Lu Ning felt that Lou Lingzhu was much more active now, and was more lively than the lack of interest when he was at Zhenjian Villa.

Maybe there was really nothing worth recording at Zhenjian Villa, so she was so bored that she went to the empty attic to read.

And now...

"At the Water and Land Ceremony, you only watched and took notes? These people too? I have read the official documents of the competition, and they contain more content than the imperial examination. As long as you can win the first place in one of the items, you can enter the eyes of the royal family." Lu Ning asked.

"There are no female officials in the Wei Dynasty." Lou Lingzhu said, "Although I can enter some secret departments, I don't want to go."

The Demon Suppression Division? Lu Ning could understand Lou Lingzhu's idea. The social atmosphere in Wei basically maintained the traditional old style, but the Jianghu was more free and easy. However, Lu Ning glanced at the people behind Lou Lingzhu - it was obvious that these disciples did not think the same as Lou Lingzhu.

"Sit down." She pointed to the long benches stacked against the wall. Lou Lingzhu nodded, and the four people went to move the benches.

"Listen to a book? Although I'm afraid this is nothing new to you."

"The story begins in the marketplace, and marketplace rumors are endless." Lou Lingzhu said, taking out an unwritten booklet from the bookcase behind him and placing it on the table.

Just as the atmosphere in the teahouse was becoming quiet due to the storyteller's narration, someone suddenly stumbled into the teahouse.

"Give me some more..."

He was a man who looked quite well dressed. Judging from his clothes, his family should have quite a bit of assets. But now the flattering and begging expression on his face made everyone who saw him subconsciously stay away from him. Except for the person who was kneeling.

A pot-bellied man wearing an expensive coat made of silk and cotton, with a cunning smile on his fat face.

"Brother Wu, why do you have to perform such a grand ceremony? Look, it would be embarrassing for everyone to see you."

"Yes, yes!" The man hurriedly got up, bent down slightly, and took out a few silver bills and some papers that were obviously not silver bills but something else from his arms.

"Boss Jin, look, this is all the money I can raise. If you can..."

"Hahaha, sit down first, sit down first. Don't be anxious. Look, everyone is looking at us." Boss Jin patted the side of the table and motioned for him to sit down.

Lu Ning watched coldly and whispered, "There's something wrong with that guy."

"It's not uncommon for people to be deceived and lose all their family wealth," said Lou Lingzhu.

"No..." Lu Ning knocked his forehead. There was a flash of demonic aura in his eyes just when the man surnamed Wu broke in.

Is it the demon who appears to be the victim, or is it the perpetrator's own evil deeds that attract the demon?
In any case, she didn't see anything wrong with Mr. Jin. If he was indeed doing something illegal, it was not Lu Ning's job to punish him.

But she still felt something was wrong. Was the Demon Eye really trustworthy? Could this ability she had relied on for so long really see through all the demons? After she saw with her own eyes how the Demon Eye dragged a person's spirit into the abyss, she began to doubt it.

"There is indeed something unusual." Lou Lingzhu suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Lu Ning glanced at Lou Lingzhu and saw a wisp of green smoke coming out of the ring in her hand. This was not noticeable in the entire teahouse, but she knew that it was probably similar to something like the demon powder. When she was in Zhenjian Villa, Lou Lingzhu had a lot of these small items on her.

"This type of medicine is slightly better than the demon-revealing powder." Lou Lingzhu said, "I'm sorry I can't tell you the details, but in short, do you have any plans? If you don't want to get into trouble, it's best for us to leave as soon as possible."

"I thought you would stay and watch the fun?"

"Zhi Xing Gu doesn't avoid things, but he doesn't want to cause trouble either. He doesn't make a fuss about trivial matters, and he doesn't fall into the words in the book." Lou Lingzhu opened the page and lowered his eyes. "I was just about to take this opportunity to start compiling a book. If I stay here, I will become a person in the matter, and it is inevitable that I will lose my rationality."

"That makes sense." Lu Ning drank up the tea on the table. "Let's go. Let's—"

Before he finished speaking, he heard a loud gong outside. Someone was walking down the street beating a gong, shouting that everyone should come out tomorrow to welcome the emperor's arrival. Lu Ning didn't know why the governor of Xingyin wanted to notify everyone in this way. Wouldn't it be better to secretly ask some big families to gather some people?
"The governor of Xingyin doesn't have such ability." Lou Lingzhu also frowned and said, "Although I just arrived, I also know that Xingyin City had previously sealed off the city. These measures are all unnecessary. Originally, Xingyin only needed to spread the word as usual to welcome the emperor's arrival. In the past, emperors did not need such a grand ceremony."

"Hmm...oh?" Lu Ning didn't pay much attention to this matter at first.

She had long known the mediocrity of the Xingyin governor, and she naturally distrusted the thinking and wisdom of people in this social era. Combining the above two situations, even if the Xingyin governor made some stupid moves, it was normal in this era of the end of the dynasty.

But if even a local like Lou Lingzhu thinks there is a problem, then there is indeed a problem.

"It's really strange. I didn't hear any similar complaints or comments when I was in the city." Lu Ning narrowed her eyes and walked out of the door with Lou Lingzhu. "When Xingyin was blocked, no one said this, and when Xingyin was reopened, no one said this either. This makes me even think that this blockade with unclear intentions was just a stupid move made by the Xingyin governor in a panic when faced with the emperor's arrival here."

"This is impossible." Lou Lingzhu said.

"Yes, this...is not very likely." Lu Ning hesitated, because she herself had even become one of those who thought it was "normal", and the doubts that flashed through her mind were suppressed deep in her heart.

However, she, Lou Lingzhu, and even most people knew that in order for the emperor to arrive in Xingyin and live there normally, some senior officials set out in advance and arrived in Xingyin first. Even if the governor of Xingyin was stupid, those senior officials always knew what to do.

Demonic cults, demons, and possibly even some martial artists. When Lu Ning focused her attention on these forces that might stir up unrest in Xingyin City, some of which she had not even figured out, she overlooked a force that was clearly visible and should be considered the strongest force in the current situation.

There was infighting in the court.

Great Wei was indeed in decline, but it was still the largest and most powerful country on this land. The resources, talents, intelligence, and knowledge it possessed far exceeded any other power she knew. Whether it was the territories of demons or the so-called famous martial arts sects, most of them were under the sight of Great Wei.

When Lu Ning was reading briefings on ancient backgrounds at the distribution center, she could always see some instructions from the "old seniors".

Some newcomers may think that in ancient times when information, transportation and other means were not developed, having special abilities had unique advantages, and characters like the emperor with centralized power were nothing more than puppets manipulated at will by extraordinary beings.

However, the more centralized the background is, the forces that can eventually rule the world are those that possess the most extraordinary abilities. And in such a force, to be able to stand as a leader, one must have something unique.

She had not been particularly worried about the factional struggles in the court mentioned by Lu Qingxu because she felt that this matter was far away, and she thought it was just an ordinary political struggle, which had little overlap with the goals of the distribution center.

"Is it... Pei Yingfu, or Li Zhuoyu?" Lu Ning first thought of these two people.

Lou Lingzhu glanced at Lu Ning and asked, "Did Lord Lu tell you?"

"My father specifically mentioned the court."

"If you haven't been immersed in it for many years, you can't tell the difference between the forces in the court. Even Prime Minister Pei and Prime Minister Li would not openly form a clique for personal gain. How many of the people who seek shelter under them are sincere, how many are false, and how many have their own calculations, I'm afraid no one knows." Lou Lingzhu said, "If you want to count, there are still two or three people in the court now, who are likely to enter the Political Affairs Hall."

Lu Ning recalled Lu Qingxu's comment - there had never been anyone in the Political Affairs Hall who was capable of handling important tasks, which was why Yuan Weinong was still there at such an old age.

"It seems that there is no capable person..."

"He may not be a capable person, but he has power. In today's world, power can determine the situation. I don't know what happened in Xingyin, but I know that the methods of demons are mostly cruel and brutal, while the methods of power can kill people invisibly." Lou Lingzhu said.