Yefutidaolu

Chapter 389 Returning to Cangzhou
He paused, then said, word by word, "This Li Jun was actually promoted by you during your operation in Cangzhou! Gao Jian, tell me, what exactly happened? What is your relationship with this person?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jian's pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, a genuine look of surprise appeared on his face.

Li Jun?

That coolie on the streets of Cangzhou back then!

A tenth-realm Qilin? A ninth-realm Jiaolong? Controlling the Grand Canal? Stirring up the winds and clouds in Cangzhou?
This series of messages left even the most discerning person momentarily stunned.

A brief silence fell over the secret room, broken only by Li Zoufang's heavy breathing and the faint sound of wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner.

Gao Jian slowly raised his head to meet Li Zoufang's probing gaze, a complex and unfathomable light flashing in his eyes.

"It seems I have no choice but to go to Cangzhou."

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The airship broke through the clouds and sailed steadily and swiftly towards Cangzhou along the fixed 'circular straight road'.

Inside the cabin, Gao Jian sat cross-legged, with a detailed dossier provided by Li Zoufang detailing the events in Cangzhou spread out before him. His gaze swept over the lines of text, his brow furrowing slightly.

To be honest, he had experienced far too much in the past six months, from the bloodshed in Liangzhou to the unpredictable events in the East China Sea, and even the refinement of a terrestrial immortal. During this time, his mind was always on edge, like a fully drawn bow, dealing with one huge crisis after another.

Personal matters and past arrangements have long been relegated to the corners of his memory, leaving him no time to revisit them. He even hardened his heart and sent Dansha back to the East Sea, both for her safety and because he didn't want to be distracted by other things anymore.

However, fate is like a mischievous child who always likes to forcefully shove the threads of the past back into your hands just when you think you've turned the page.

“Li Jun…” Gao Jian murmured the name, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the file.

He never expected that during his absence, Cangzhou, a place he had just ruthlessly purged, would be so dramatically divided up by this very pawn he had laid out!
The dossier clearly records the current power balance in Cangzhou. Originally, the strongest person in Cangzhou was the reclusive tenth-realm Qi Refining patriarch of the Shui family.

But facing a Qilin of equal strength, a mythical beast, and exceptionally gifted? Gao Jian secretly shook his head; the Shui family patriarch's chances of victory were slim. Moreover, there was also a ninth-realm dragon assisting them. The absolute crushing power of their superior forces was enough to render any local aristocratic family powerless to resist.

If all the powerful families were to work together, they might still have a fighting chance, and it could even be said that... the outcome would be uncertain.

Unfortunately, the moral character of the aristocratic families was well known. After Li Jun appeared, some of them joined him, while others joined Li Zoufang to protect themselves, and still others joined other forces in the court. As a result, the remaining local forces were powerless to stop them, causing the situation in Cangzhou to become chaotic again. The forces that Li Zoufang originally controlled scattered, and the entire Cangzhou went from a stable takeover to an explosion everywhere.

"Sigh." Gao Jian sighed softly, closed the file, and turned his gaze to the sea of ​​clouds rushing past the window.

He thought the matter of Cangzhou was over with the downfall of the Zuo family and Li Zoufang's subsequent reorganization. But he never expected that before the dust had settled, an even greater variable would arrive, and this time it involved his "own people".

To be fair, Gao Jian promoted Li Jun because he saw that Li Jun was efficient and had worked his way up from the bottom for many years. He was familiar with the ways of the world in Cangzhou and was a useful informant and helper.

He offered some support and guidance. In his original plan, Li Jun's ability to stabilize some of the forces hidden in Cangzhou and make things easier for his possible return in the future would be the limit.

Unexpectedly… this person actually rose to prominence overnight! A fifth-realm cultivation might involve fortuitous encounters, but to subdue a tenth-realm Qilin and a ninth-realm Jiaolong? This can't be explained by mere luck; it's practically… a destiny ordained by heaven!?

"The chosen one, him?" Gao Jian couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. In this world, indeed, anything is possible.

His cultivation progressed so quickly; the others are no pushovers either.

While his thoughts were racing, Gao Jian did not waste any time.

He closed his eyes again and focused his mind. The qi and blood in his body, like a dormant dragon, began to circulate slowly.

The boundless vitality of a seventh-realm martial artist surged through his meridians, and the internal energy of martial arts subtly circulated beneath his skin. The surrounding air seemed to distort and warm slightly due to the condensed blood and energy. While mentally rehearsing the various situations he might encounter upon arriving in Cangzhou and formulating preliminary plans, he also raced against time to temper his physical body, guiding his blood and energy to impact those subtle acupoints.

Strength is always the foundation for survival, but one must also cultivate it.

The flying boat traveled day and night.

Ten days later, the familiar scenery began to appear outside the porthole—the unique, crisscrossing network of waterways and the somewhat rugged plains characteristic of Cangzhou.

"My lord, we have arrived at Cangzhou. You may disembark now," a maid in a flying boat uniform respectfully reported outside the cabin door.

Inside the cabin, Gao Jian was practicing boxing.

Although each punch and kick contained immense power, it was not unleashed but rather exhausted internally. It was as if he were punching himself, each strike was full of force, but none of them had any destructive power.

Gao Jian's control over power has reached an unbelievable level, to the point that even when he fully unleashes the blood and qi of the seventh realm, not a single drop leaks out. Outsiders who lack experience might mistake him for an ordinary person practicing martial arts.

Upon seeing the maid come to inform him, Gao Jian stopped, wiped his sweat, and the scorching heat around him instantly subsided. The martial arts internal energy flowing under his skin disappeared, and the slightly distorted air returned to calm.

He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of light appearing in them, like a long sword returning to its sheath. All the outward-emitting strange phenomena were absorbed into his body, and he returned to his normal appearance.

He stood up, straightened his rather simple robes, and pushed open the cabin door.

The moment I stepped onto the land of Cangzhou, the damp air, carrying a slightly earthy smell, rushed towards me, seemingly mixed with a subtle, new tension.

Gao Ji looked up.

Cangzhou, he's back.

Upon landing, he looked around. The place where the flying boat was docked was a private port within the inner city of Cangzhou. Gao Jian stepped down the gangway, and his gaze fell upon the familiar scenery of the inner city of Cangzhou.

Cangzhou is known as a water town, and its inner city takes this characteristic to the extreme.

A wide river has replaced the streets of an ordinary city, with clear, flowing water gurgling between the white marble banks, and stone bridges with carved railings and jade steps connecting the two banks. On both sides of the river are rows of pavilions and towers, with upturned eaves and exquisite details.

These buildings are mostly made of spirit wood and spirit jade, and are not only beautiful, but also engraved with various arrays that gather spirit, protect, and purify dust.

The air is thick with spiritual energy, far richer than outside, and the place is perpetually spring-like, free of dust. Occasionally, ornate painted boats or small spirit vessels pass by, carrying mostly elegantly dressed cultivators or scions of noble families. Everything here exudes a sense of privilege and refinement, secluded from the mundane world.

However, Gao Jian's mind was not on this comfortable haven.

He glanced at it briefly, then walked straight through the heavily guarded inner city gates and headed towards the outer city of Cangzhou, beyond the massive city wall that separated the two worlds.

The moment Gao Jian stepped into the outer city, he couldn't help but pause for a moment.

The scene before him was completely different from the outskirts he remembered, a place filled with sewage, messy shacks, poverty, and struggle!
On the surface, the outer city now even bears a resemblance to the inner city!
The streets have become wide and clean, paved with neatly cut bluestone slabs. Although they are just ordinary stones, the mud and garbage of the past are nowhere to be seen. The river channel has been widened and dredged, and the banks have been neatly constructed with orderly piles of stones. The houses are no longer low and dilapidated shacks, but have been uniformly built into simple yet sturdy brick and stone courtyards with white walls and gray tiles, arranged in an orderly manner. Overall, it even has a hint of the orderly and clean beginnings of the inner city.

But Gao Jian immediately saw the essential difference—this was merely "the form without substance".

The roads in the inner city are made of spiritual materials that can automatically repair themselves and gather spiritual energy; the roads here are just ordinary bluestone that is a bit harder. The houses in the inner city are made of spiritual wood and jade that can regulate temperature, keeping them warm in winter and cool in summer, and are inscribed with formations; the houses here are just brick and tile houses that provide shelter from the wind and rain.

As for the spiritual energy circulation pipes that are standard in the inner city and spread to every corner like blood vessels, as well as the readily available water gathering arrays, constant temperature arrays, and purification arrays... they are all completely absent here.

There is no ethereal atmosphere here, only mundane air; no eternal spring comfort, only the natural elements of wind, frost, rain, and snow.

but--

Gao Jian's gaze swept over the streets, simple yet clean and tidy; over the houses, ordinary yet perfectly habitable; and over the faces of the pedestrians, still simply dressed but now less numb and more vibrant...

"It's already...very good," Gao Jian thought to himself.

These few simple words encapsulate a change that many ordinary people once dared not even dream of.

He strolled to a canal that ran through the city. This canal had once been the "sewage ditch" of the outer city, a place where all kinds of filth gathered. The water was thick as ink and emitted a nauseating stench, a gathering place for disease and poverty.

Gao Jian squatted down, stretched out his right hand, and gently touched the river water with his fingertips.

It feels slightly cool and refreshing to the touch.

His pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously scooped up a handful of water.

The river water was actually crystal clear! Although it couldn't be called a sacred spring, it was truly clean, flowing, and alive water! There wasn't a trace of its former filth left!

“Li Jun…” Gao Jian murmured the name, a hint of genuine surprise and admiration flashing in his eyes, “You did a good job.”

Cleaning up the river and removing years of accumulated filth is no easy task; it requires a huge investment of manpower and resources, and a complete overhaul of the entire outer city's drainage system. Behind this lies strong organizational and execution capabilities, and... perhaps a genuine concern for the people's well-being.

Just then, a steady, mechanical sound came from the water. Gao Jian looked up and saw a flat-bottomed cargo ship, fully loaded with goods, slowly approaching on a relatively narrow section of the river. The waterways of Cangzhou were complex, and in some sections, external towing was still required.

However, the boatmen pulling the boats were no longer the bare-chested boatmen of my memory, their backs red from the ropes binding them, crawling laboriously on the muddy riverbank!

A simple yet sturdy wooden mechanical beast stood firmly on the stone base on the shore. It resembled a giant ape, with its arms connected to thick cables, the other ends of which were tied to the bow of the cargo ship.

As a "boat tracker" in uniform skillfully manipulated the talisman plate at the core of the mechanical beast, the beast emitted a deep hum, and with a exertion of its arms, the heavy cargo ship was easily pulled forward smoothly. The "boat tracker" was calm and composed, even having the leisure to observe the river conditions and adjust the force accordingly.

Gao Jian subtly extended his perception further, covering a wider area of ​​the outer city.

He observed that similar small mechanical beasts and simple, labor-saving structures had become widespread at docks, freight yards, and in places where heavy physical labor, which once required a large number of people to carry things by hand, was now commonplace.

The coolies and boatmen who used to fill these places did not disappear, but seemed to have turned to more skill-intensive jobs such as manipulation, maintenance, or others.

At the same time, they all had the aura of cultivation. Although they had not reached the first realm, they were already able to control this simplest mechanical beast.

The power brought about by spiritual practice is no longer merely a tool for practitioners to compete and pursue longevity, but is truly and on a large scale applied to improve people's livelihoods and replace the most arduous human labor.

Seeing this scene, Gao Jian felt invigorated, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart, a mixture of relief, excitement, and a sense of recognition that he had found like-minded people!
This is the true meaning of spiritual practice!
If a power that transcends the mundane cannot benefit the common people, how is it different from a wild beast that rules over its territory?
Li Jun's actions not only served the purpose of winning people's hearts and consolidating his power, but objectively, he did use this power to free tens of thousands of people from some of their heavy physical suffering and give them hope for improved lives.

Moreover, and most importantly, the powerful families did not interfere here; they 'acquiesced' to this situation.

"Li Jun, Li Jun—" Gao Jian gazed at the clear river water and the composed figure manipulating the mechanical beast, a resolute expression on his face. He had already made his decision. "Well done!"

No matter what happened to Li Jun, no matter how incredible his luck and power became, as long as he continues to do this kind of thing and walk this path—

So, this person's insight is truly remarkable!
With my mind made up, I will not delay any longer. Finding Li Jun and asking him about everything in person is the fastest and most direct way at present.

As for how to find this "newly rich" who is now famous in the outer city of Cangzhou and can even rival the powerful families in the inner city, it was a piece of cake for Gao Jian.

His gaze swept across the area and quickly spotted a man sitting on the stone steps, resting and wiping the sweat from his brow, beside the busy riverbank.

(End of this chapter)