Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 215 Exposing Cultivation Level

Zhu Ge led his team around the Misty Marsh and continued south.

The journey was surprisingly peaceful.

There were no third-realm monsters blocking the way, no large-scale beast tides, and even second-realm monsters were rare.

Those lesser demons from the first realm, upon seeing this vast and imposing procession from afar, had long since vanished without a trace.

"Something's not right." Liu Jianjian frowned. "It's too quiet. There should be demonic beasts in the Misty Swamp, so why haven't we encountered a single one at the third realm?"

"Perhaps it has been cleaned up," Zhu Ge said thoughtfully.

"Who has such great ability? There are at least three or four third-realm demonic beasts in the Misty Swamp. To be able to wipe them all out in one go, one must be at least a top expert in the third realm."

Zhu Ge didn't speak, but simply quickened the pace of the march.

He suddenly realized that Yan Liyuan and Guan Julang would probably need to pass through Lüchun City on their way south, right?

"arrive."

Singing a blessing song while gazing into the distance.

Green Spring City!

The city looks like a huge tree from the outside, with lush branches and leaves.

However, upon closer inspection, it is clear that the brown bark is made of some kind of stone bricks.

"It's breathtakingly beautiful." Zhu Ge exclaimed, "If only there were no wars in the world, I would definitely travel around the world and see all the beautiful scenery."

So beautiful!

I wonder if these cities in Honghe Prefecture were designed by the same master craftsman. They are all very distinctive in style, and each one is a perfect whole.

If you have the chance, you should really appreciate these landscapes instead of struggling to make a living.

But to Zhu Ge's surprise, when she arrived in Lvchun City, the city gates were wide open.

It wasn't the kind of wide-open opening that had been breached, but rather an open space where people were coming and going.

"Reinforcements are here! Reinforcements are here!" Several soldiers at the city gate shouted excitedly when they saw Zhu Ge's troops.

Zhu Ge immediately spurred his horse forward and asked, "What's the situation inside the city? What about the besieging monsters?"

An old soldier ran over, his face beaming with joy: "The besieging monsters have been driven away by a gentleman! That gentleman is incredibly powerful; he single-handedly killed several third-realm monsters and even subdued a mighty king monkey. He's currently having tea in the city lord's mansion!"

really!

It must be someone from the Three Realms who was passing by!

Zhu Ge and Liu Jianjian exchanged a glance.

"Mighty King Monkey?" To everyone's surprise, Liu Jianjian, who was staring at Zhu Ge, didn't understand what he meant at all. Instead, her eyes widened: "What's wrong with my Mighty King Monkey?"

"Yours?" The old soldier was taken aback. "Young lady, that Mighty Monkey King is a powerful demon of the third realm. It was that gentleman who subdued it. How did it become yours?"

Liu Jianjian asked in surprise, "Huh?"

Zhu Ge waved her hand, signaling her to calm down: "What did that gentleman look like?"

"He had a handsome face, wore a blue robe, held a ruler in his hand, and spoke with gentle and refined manners. He was clearly an important person." The old soldier's face was full of admiration.

Zhu Ge understood perfectly.

Yan Liyuan!

It seems to be an old friend.

But thinking about it, it makes sense.

Only someone like Yan Liyuan is fond of meddling in other people's business; most of the other three realms that Zhu Ge has come into contact with are indifferent to matters that don't concern them.

"Let's go into town!"

Inside the city lord's mansion, Yan Liyuan was sitting in the guest seat, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

Opposite him was an elderly man with white hair, wearing a blue robe and holding a bamboo cane.

The two were talking, and the atmosphere was pleasant.

Beside him, the mighty monkey shrunk to the size of an ordinary monkey, squatted at Yan Liyuan's feet, holding a bunch of grapes in its hand, eating them with a pitiful expression.

The first thing Zhu Ge saw upon entering was the Mighty Monkey King, followed by Yan Liyuan and the city lord of Green Spring City.

"So it's you, Brother Yan." Zhu Ge strode in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "City Lord."

Yan Liyuan put down his teacup, stood up, and exclaimed in shock, "Brother Zhu, it's you?!"

Zhu Ge was also somewhat surprised at this moment.

He didn't know that the person here was Yan Liyuan, so his second-realm aura was immediately exposed.

"You, with your cultivation at the second realm, actually possess such strength?" Yan Liyuan's expression was one of utter shock.

It should be noted that when Zhu Ge wore the [Hidden] item before, he had already dealt with several prodigies of the third realm.

The gap between a third-realm prodigy and another third-realm prodigy is greater than the gap between a third-realm prodigy and a first-realm prodigy.

"So you concealed your cultivation level for the sake of—" A realization flashed in Yan Liyuan's eyes.

"Please, Brother Yan, help me keep this a secret." Zhu Ge clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I do not wish to be a tree that stands out in the forest."

"Understood!" Yan Liyuan nodded, then said to the city lord beside him, "This is Mr. Chunzhi, the city lord of Green Spring City, a scholar of the third realm of Confucianism and Taoism."

"This is Zhu Ge."

Yan Liyuan introduced the two individuals separately.

Zhu Ge and Mr. Chunzhi exchanged greetings.

"Please have a seat, Your Highness." Mr. Chunzhi gently gestured to the seat next to him.

Zhu Ge didn't refuse, thanked him, and sat down directly, asking Yan Liyuan, "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by." Yan Liyuan regained his composure and sat down, saying calmly, "When I was on my way to the Southern Yue and Myanmar Wilderness, I passed through Lvchun City and saw that the city was surrounded by monsters. So I took action to clear them out. That mighty king monkey was quite clever; it surrendered when it saw that things were not going well."

Zhu Ge looked at the Mighty Monkey.

The mighty monkey shrank his neck, not daring to look at him, then looked at Liu Jianjian, his eyes full of grievance.

"It's a monster I tamed," Liu Jianjian said angrily as she came in with Zhu Ge.

"Oh?" Yan Liyuan raised an eyebrow. "Then I was being presumptuous. However, I didn't use any special methods to subdue it. You can simply take it back, young lady."

"Okay, thank you!" Liu Jianjian bowed, then waved her hand and put the mighty monkey into her hair.

Yan Liyuan was not annoyed by this, but simply smiled and shook his head: "I didn't expect that this monkey and the young lady would be so destined for each other."

"It was originally tamed by my master," Liu Jianjian said proudly, raising her chin. "It was just that Mr. Yan intercepted it halfway through."

Zhu Ge waved his hand, signaling Liu Jianjian to step back, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yan Liyuan, saying, "Brother Yan, this monkey is indeed under my command. Thank you for your kindness."

"It's alright." Yan Liyuan picked up his teacup and took a sip. "It's just a third-realm demon beast. I acquired it on a whim, so returning it to its rightful owner is only right."

Mr. Chunzhi watched the two of them from the side, his eyes full of admiration.

"Both of you are outstanding individuals, and it is truly my honor to have you gathered in my Green Spring City today." He stood up and personally poured tea for Zhu Ge and Yan Liyuan: "Palace Master Zhu, I have long heard of your leadership in lifting the sieges of several cities. Seeing you today, I can see that heroes indeed emerge from among the young."

"Mr. Chunzhi, you flatter me," Zhu Ge said modestly. "The defense of Lüchun City is all thanks to Brother Yan's intervention. I was simply late."

"It's not too late, it's not too late." Mr. Chunzhi waved his hand repeatedly: "As long as you come, it's not too late."

The three chatted for a few more minutes, and Zhu Ge asked about the situation in the city.

Mr. Chunzhi sighed, his expression somber: "Lvchun City has been besieged for five months, its food supplies are running out, and more than half of its people have died or been injured. If it weren't for Mr. Yan's intervention, the city would probably have fallen and everyone would have perished in another half month."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Although the monsters outside the city have retreated, the city's vitality has been severely damaged, and it will probably take three to five years to recover."

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