Yefutidaolu

Chapter 276 The Turbulent Times in Liangzhou
In Liangzhou City, Gao Jian happened to see a group of people committing slow slicing themselves.

In an instant, Yang Ling, the official in charge who had come to receive Gao Jian, rushed forward as if he had seen something extraordinary, seemingly trying to stop them.

Gao Jian wanted to go over and take a look, but Yang Ling's deputy blocked his way, so he could only stand there and look into the distance.

Yang Ling then made a move, knocking the people to the ground in a few moves. It seemed he wanted to drive them away, but those people were not afraid of death, so why would they be afraid of being driven away?
Thus, the two sides became entangled, and Yang Ling, not one to tolerate such behavior, knocked these people to the ground again, bound them with magic, and summoned some constables to detain them and take them away from the place.

After finishing these matters, Yang Ling rushed back in a hurry: "I'm sorry to have troubled you to wait, sir..."

"What do these people do?" Gao Jian asked, pointing to the spot where the assets had just been seized.

Yang Ling wiped his sweat and said, "They're a bunch of thieves who always incite ordinary people to commit suicide, trying to pollute the inner city with their resentment. They've failed several times, but they tried again this time and I chased them away."

"Incite ordinary people to commit suicide?" Gao Jian's expression was quite interesting when he heard this.

Is there such a thing?
Yang Ling immediately lowered his head and said, "Yes, this group of thieves calls themselves 'Star Clan,' and they do things like bewitching people and instigating rebellion. In fact, it is somewhat related to your mission, sir."

"It's related to my mission... Oh, these people are spreading rumors and hoping to leave, right?" Takami's mind raced, and he immediately guessed the reason.

Yang Ling, who had been fawning over him all along, suddenly revealed a stern expression, which he immediately replaced with an even more respectful one: "Your Excellency is astute, your guess was absolutely right!"

As expected of a student of the Imperial Academy, none of them are easy to deal with. Just from hearing him say one sentence, I could already guess what these people had done. They are not in the same league as those good-for-nothings in Liangzhou City.

"You're practically saying outright, what's so great about it?" Gao Jian shook his head. "Let's leave it at that for now. How much longer until we reach the Liangzhou government office?"

"My lord, we'll be there soon. The prefect has prepared wine and food and is just waiting for you. You're here as an imperial envoy, and even the Taotie tribe has sent people, which shows how important this is to you," Yang Ling said to Gao Jian as he led the way.

“The Taotie tribe, the Star Clan, the officials in the government office, the local families, the people of Youming Land… Hmm, the situation here is quite complicated. Yang Ling, which faction are you on?” Gao Jian muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"You flatter me, sir. I am naturally a member of the government; what other faction could I possibly belong to?" Yang Ling lowered his head, appearing very humble.

"There are so many people in the yamen, how many factions must there be... But I won't make things difficult for you, we've arrived at the place." Gao Jian said as he arrived at the yamen.

Looking inside, you can see a smiling fat man sitting there with a group of officials and some non-Han people, their expressions not very good.

The people from the Taotie tribe, as well as the local government officials of Liangzhou.

Tsk tsk tsk, that's really interesting.

Gao Jian then bypassed Yang Ling and went directly into the courtyard.

The fat man, presumably the prefect of the area, immediately bowed and said, "It is an honor to have the Imperial Envoy grace our humble land with his presence. The food and wine are simple and the welcome is inadequate. We hope that Your Excellency will not take offense at us for being outsiders and will allow us to take our seats! I am Jin Dafu, the Prefect of Liangzhou and the head of the Jin family!"

This fat man acted as if he were some kind of lackey, placing himself in an extremely lowly position.

However, Gao Jian's eyes sharpened upon hearing this.

The local Jin family patriarch, although his name sounds rather vulgar, is a genuine ninth-realm expert, and is said to be currently attempting to break through two levels. The fact that he is adopting this posture at the moment suggests that he is aware of Gao Jian's situation.

From the other party's words, Gao Jian could tell that the other party was introducing the Taotie tribe, and directly said, "I hope that Your Excellency will not blame the aliens," which shows that they wanted Gao Jian to reconcile with the Taotie tribe.

It is extremely rare for a ninth-realm expert to personally bow his head in such a manner.

You should know that even if an ordinary student of the Imperial Academy graduates, it's uncertain whether they will ever reach the Ninth Realm in their lifetime, so it's not enough to warrant this attitude from the other party.

It must be because they knew that Gao Jian was no ordinary student; his future potential and current situation were thoroughly understood.

Those people of different ethnicities next to them should be the Taotie tribe.

On the Taotie side, a burly Hu man, dressed in the attire of the Divine Dynasty, stood up and said politely, "We only learned of the news a few days ago, and our hasty meeting has left us with nothing to offer as a congratulatory gift. This is a piece of Taotie-patterned skin left behind by my son, which we offer as a congratulatory gift and an apology. We hope the Imperial Envoy will not take offense."

As they spoke, a burly man stepped out from among these people of different ethnicities, holding a human skin with Taotie patterns on it. The skin had been tanned and turned pitch black, but the Taotie patterns on it were still vivid and seemed to be moving. A fierce aura emanated from it, and the whole skin seemed to be writhing.

Even someone as composed as Gao Jian was somewhat bewildered by this scene.

His scalp was numb.

In that instant, that piercing gaze, that 'cold stare' he had felt in the capital, seemed to reappear on his back, making him break out in a cold sweat and leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to react.

No, this is... Helensabao's skin?
They skinned Helensabao, made his hide into sacred materials, and presented them to Gao Jian.

Is this... the mission of the Imperial Academy students? Is it a mission set up by the Divine Dynasty to test 'loyalty'?
Gao Jian originally thought he was there to outwit and outmaneuver others, but upon closer inspection, he realized that there seemed to be nothing to outwit or outmaneuver.

This mission was just a formality; for the students of the Imperial Academy, as long as they followed the advice, they could easily complete it and then return to report.

The difficulty lies in 'accepting good advice,' which means... you have to be like the Taotie tribe...

Even if it means personally peeling off the skin of his son Helensabao, the father must yield.

Even as the head of a prestigious family, a dignified ninth realm cultivator, one must bow one's head when faced with superior insight.

It's not for any other reason than 'being willing to follow good advice'.

The wise counsel should be guided by good intentions, and the Taotie tribe and the Liangzhou government are the embodiment of 'goodness'. They need to demonstrate a cooperative and respectful attitude towards the wise counsel.

A brilliant insight must be accompanied by corresponding magnanimity.

Just as Gao Jian had felt that cold gaze before, the Taotie tribe and the Liangzhou government should also be able to feel it.

Even those who reach this position cannot resist; they must obey! Faced with the most terrifying oppression in the world, no matter what kind of gluttonous tribe, what kind of patriarch, what kind of peerless genius, they must all put on a smiling face and complete the play prescribed for them by the Divine Dynasty. No one can improvise; everything is within the arrangement of the Divine Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Gao Jian held the hide of Helensabao in his hands and said, "This thing... is very good."

Then, Gao Jian looked at the crowd in front of him, cupped his hands and said, "I am grateful for the gifts from you all, and I am thankful that you seniors have taken time out of your busy schedules to spare me face. I am deeply ashamed. Today, thanks to the imperial edict from the Imperial Academy, I have been able to see the true face of Liangzhou. I hope that you seniors will forgive any shortcomings in my etiquette."

Upon hearing Gao Jian's words, the atmosphere immediately relaxed. The prefect in charge, Jin Dafu, straightened up and said, "Hahaha, what is there to pardon? We are all here to serve the country. We have prepared a small banquet inside, and we hope that the Imperial Envoy will do us the honor of joining us for drinks!"

“How can we refuse a banquet hosted by a senior?” Gao Jian nodded immediately.

The Taotie tribe members immediately made way, and the government officials led the way. Then, the leader of the Taotie tribe stepped forward and said, "I am the leader of the Taotie tribe. I apologize for my mistake and greet Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy."

"I'm hardly an imperial envoy; I'm just here to make a formality. I hope you two won't take offense at my absurd and outrageous behavior," Gao Jian said.

"Hey, what's there to blame?" The leader of the Taotie tribe smiled and said, "Don't worry about the past. Just look at today. The Imperial Envoy has come to our rescue. We're so grateful!"

"Hahahaha!" Gao Jian held the skin of the other party's son in his hands and laughed uncontrollably.

Jin Dafu also burst into laughter.

Jin Dafu smiled, and Yinmiao, the leader of the Taotie tribe, also smiled.

The three men laughed, and then they saw that the group of foreigners and government officials behind them were also laughing.

In an instant, the government office was filled with a joyful atmosphere. Everyone laughed and chatted as they took their seats at the banquet. Soon, guests mingled, music played, wine flowed, and cups were raised in toasts.

The banquet consisted mainly of snacks, such as dried bean curd, melon seeds, small fruit dishes, shortbread, spring rolls, crystal cakes, and dumplings—all appetizers to accompany the drinks. It was clearly not a formal meal, but rather a welcoming feast.

Another group of dancers came forward, their faces beautiful and their figures alluring, singing and dancing.

Gao Jian blended into the atmosphere, and everyone happily drank and made merry, creating a harmonious and joyful scene.

----------

Yang Ling, the official who initially came to welcome Gao Jian, had already left the area.

To be honest, Yang Ling didn't really like this occasion, but thankfully... his rank wasn't high enough to qualify him for a banquet of this caliber.

Sometimes, not being at a high enough level is a good thing.

Therefore, when the banquet began, Yang Ling left with his deputy.

At this moment, the deputy, who hadn't said much along the way, suddenly spoke up: "Brother, are we just leaving like this? He's a student of the Imperial Academy."

"What's wrong with the Imperial Academy students? Aren't they all the same? You can't count on these people to achieve great things. I used to think that maybe the Imperial Academy students would improve a bit and become more capable, but now it seems they're all just average." Yang Ling said as he walked down the street.

His face was full of disdain, making Gao Jian look like a weakling with no ability.

"That can't be right. I think he's incredibly powerful. Look, he was only at the sixth realm before, but with the help of a secret technique, he killed that seventh-realm Blood Sea Lord with a single strike. Such skill is truly worthy of someone from the Imperial Academy. He's no ordinary person!" Yang Ling's deputy hurriedly said, immediately stating something astonishing.

They... actually knew that Gao Jian had killed Xue Haijun before?

It should be noted that Yang Ling, the head of the prefectural government, was able to restore the Taoist priest Wang Huanglong's health and enable him to send messages only after Gao Jian obtained some elixirs from Xue Haijun's collection.

"Shut up, watch your mouth." Yang Ling quickly covered the other person's mouth: "Do you want to die? Since you know all this, don't you know they might have tricks up their sleeves?"

"Ugh! Ugh!" The deputy quickly waved his hand to signal.

Yang Ling then lowered her hand, glared at him fiercely, but did not impose any other punishment.

However, the deputy didn't seem to care much. He immediately said, "What's there to be afraid of... Brother has been blessed with good fortune all this time. He has the protection of the heavens in everything he does. Even the fortune teller couldn't find any trace of him. Why should we be afraid of a mere student from the Imperial Academy? How old is he? He probably doesn't even suspect us!"

Yang Ling gave his deputy a hard flick on the forehead, sending him bouncing to the ground and causing him to crouch down, clutching his head.

Then, Yang Ling whispered, "He has no real skill but a big mouth. When I say he's nothing special, I mean that although he has superb skills, he's still a dog and slave to the Divine Dynasty and has no great ambitions! No matter how high his cultivation is, he can't achieve anything great. I'm not saying that he's not good enough."

"As you've seen, with this person's cultivation and talent, there's probably no one in the entire Liangzhou who can match him. Within the sixth realm, he's rarely matched. Perhaps only in a place like the Divine Capital could one find someone who could rival him. His killing power is terrifying beyond imagination. If this kind of person is used by the Divine Dynasty, he is our formidable enemy. But if he is used by us, he is a sharp knife." Yang Ling said, glancing back at the location of the government office, his eyes seemingly gleaming.

"Big brother, do you want to subdue him?"

"Yes, if we subdue this person, we will have another pillar to lean on when we plan our great undertakings in the future!"

"He comes from the Imperial Academy and has been to the capital. I've heard that the place is extremely prosperous and grand. His status is definitely not low. He's a man who has seen it all. He's also arrogant and conceited. The two of us... we can't beat him in a fight. As for money, even if we add up our money dozens of times, we still might not be able to match a hair of his. How can we subdue him?" The deputy clicked his tongue, somewhat incredulous.

Although he had just belittled Gao Jian and boasted about his elder brother, both he and Yang Ling actually knew the true identity of this outstanding individual.

So, you can say whatever you want when you're talking, but you can't do things recklessly when you're doing them, after all... he's doing things that could cost him his head.

Faced with his deputy's question, Yang Ling smiled and said, "In the past, when a fugitive was escorted to a county, with just a few words, the magistrate of the county abandoned his post and family, gave money, and fled with him. Today, I may follow suit."

"Then we'll see what kind of character he is as an imperial envoy. If he's cruel and inhumane, worse than a pig or a dog, then we'll find a way to bury him in Liangzhou."

“If there’s still hope, then we might as well give it a try. Judging from the way he faced those people in the sea of ​​blood, and the look of intent he displayed when facing the Blood Sea Lord, he might not actually be that bad inside,” Yang Ling said.

As he spoke, he had already left Liangzhou City and arrived in the outskirts.

(End of this chapter)