Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

The next morning.

The lobby on the first floor of the inn was already filled with guests from all over the country.

Xu Min, accompanied by several garrison guards, occupied a large table and were having breakfast.

He had just stuffed a meat bun into his mouth and hadn't even chewed it twice when a group of people came down the stairs.

It was the group of young disciples from the Zhuxi Sect.

The one leading them was the female disciple who had followed Xie Tinglan yesterday.

Her name is Lin Qiao'er.

She spotted Xu Min sitting at the table immediately, along with his Zhenfuwei official uniform.

A hint of undisguised sarcasm curled at the corner of Lin Qiao'er's mouth.

She led her junior brothers and sisters straight to Xu Min's table, and without sitting down, she stood there looking down at them.

"Oh, isn't this Lord Zhenfuwei from Suining Prefecture?"

Lin Qiao'er's voice wasn't loud, but the strange, sarcastic tone of it made the entire hall quiet down.

Xu Min swallowed the bun in his mouth, frowned, and looked at the group of sect disciples, asking:

"What's up?"

"It's nothing." Lin Qiao'er smiled, holding her sword. "I just find it strange. Aren't the Zhenfu Guard supposed to be the elite of the Sky Patrol Division? Why did they send out such a bunch of misfits?"

One of her male disciples joined in the commotion.

"Indeed, the leader seems incompetent too. Doesn't your Sky Patrol Division have anyone else?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The disciples of Zhuxi Sect burst into laughter.

The guards behind Xu Min blushed and stood up abruptly, glaring at him angrily:

"What did you say?!"

"court death!"

Xu Min raised his hand and stopped them.

He looked at Lin Qiao'er, his eyes turning cold, and warned her bluntly, "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"I advise you to watch your mouth."

Lin Qiao'er's smile deepened. This was exactly what she wanted. The other party was weaker than her, which was a perfect opportunity to impress Elder Xie and then secure a good position for herself through the Trade Department.

"What? You got upset just because I said a few words to your parents?"

She took half a step forward, lowered her voice, and spoke in a volume that only people at their table could hear.

"A dog, but it's quite protective of its owner."

Snapped!

He snapped the chopsticks in Xu Min's hand.

He suddenly stood up, and the aura of his newly broken through to the True Qi Realm uncontrollably emanated outwards.

The dishes on the table jolted and jumped.

"Say it again."

Xu Min's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Lin Qiao'er was forced to take a half step back by his imposing aura, but there was no fear on her face. Instead, she became even more excited.

"I said, you are...?"

She didn't finish her sentence.

Xu Min, who was in front of her, moved. He didn't draw his sword, but simply threw a punch at Lin Qiao'er's face.

The fist whistled through the air, carrying the immense power of a True Qi Realm expert; its power was not to be underestimated.

But Lin Qiao'er was prepared. With a light step, her body floated backward like a willow catkin. At the same time, she flipped her wrist, and a soft sword popped out from her sleeve, its tip piercing straight into Xu Min's chest.

"Ding!"

The fist and the sword tip collided.

Xu Min's fist was covered with a thin layer of true qi, but since he had just broken through to the qi realm, it wasn't very strong.

Lin Qiao'er's sword is also a treasure-level weapon.

The two parted ways immediately upon touching.

Xu Min took a step back, leaving a white mark on his fist.

Using the force of the recoil, Lin Qiao'er floated backward several feet before landing steadily.

High judgment.

Although Xu Min was at the True Qi Realm, he had just broken through and his control over his power was still very rough. All his skills were in his wide-ranging, head-on clashes.

Lin Qiao'er is a disciple carefully trained by the Zhuxi Sect. She has exquisite skills, agile movements, and is most adept at using skill to overcome strength.

"Is that all you've got? You dare to make a move?"

Lin Qiao'er's face was full of contempt. With a flick of her wrist, her soft body emerged like a venomous snake, transforming into a sky full of sword shadows that enveloped Xu Min.

Xu Min roared, swung his fists, and unleashed his inner energy, forcefully carving a path through the sword shadows.

But Lin Qiao'er's swordsmanship was too exquisite; her sword shadows waxed and waned, always managing to strike from unexpected angles.

The clanging and clashing sounds of weapons clashing were incessant.

Although Xu Min was brave, he was forced to retreat repeatedly, and soon several bloody cuts appeared on his body.

"stop!"

Seeing this, the other guards could no longer restrain themselves and drew their swords, ready to step forward.

"Don't move!"

The disciples of Zhuxi Sect also drew their longswords in unison and blocked the Zhenfu Guards.

The two groups of people were on the verge of a confrontation in the lobby, their swords drawn.

"What's going on!"

Upon hearing the commotion, General He Ming and General He of the Xifeng Cavalry quickly came down from the second floor.

Behind them followed a sleepy-eyed Meng Kuo.

When they saw the scene in the lobby, both of their faces darkened.

"Stop right now!"

With a cold shout, He Ming unleashed a powerful aura of perfected True Qi, which swept across the entire hall like an invisible giant wave.

Xu Min and Lin Qiao'er, who were fighting, were both shaken by this power and their blood surged, so they each retreated.

Everyone in the hall felt a tightness in their chest. Those martial artists with weaker cultivation turned pale and could barely stand.

"We still have a long way to go today, who dares to delay our journey here!"

General He also released his own aura, which, together with He Ming's, suppressed everyone in the arena.

"Put away your weapons, everyone!"

Under the pressure of the two commanders of the Xifeng Cavalry, the people of Zhenfuwei and Zhuximen reluctantly withdrew their weapons.

But their eyes still clashed fiercely in mid-air.

Just then.

Two people slowly walked down the stairs on the second floor.

Yi Yang first came to the side of the Zhenfu Guard, and Xie Tinglan also came to the front of Zhuxi Gate.

Neither of them showed any particular expression.

Yi Yang's gaze swept over Xu Min's wounds, then looked at Lin Qiao'er across from him who was looking smug, and finally landed on Xie Tinglan's face.

Xie Tinglan's gaze was fixed coldly on Yi Yang.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Xie Tinglan didn't speak, but turned to her disciples and asked:

"Who gave you permission to do it?"

Lin Qiao'er opened her mouth, not expecting the elder to say that, and a wronged expression appeared on her face as she said:

"Uncle-Master, I'm doing this on your behalf—"

"For me?"

Xie Tinglan's voice turned cold. "What happened yesterday is already settled. Who gave you permission to act on your own?"

Lin Qiao'er's lips trembled, and she lowered her head, not daring to say anything more.

Xie Tinglan glanced around at the people in the lobby on the first floor, especially the two chief riders of the Xifeng Cavalry who were releasing their auras. She didn't say anything, but simply led her people upstairs.

He Ming, the commander of the Xifeng Cavalry, stood beside Yi Yang for a while and whispered:

"Getting on the road is the priority."

Yi Yang nodded and organized his team.

Two quarters of an hour later, Xi Feng escorted Yi Yang and the others away from Heyu County.

In the backyard of the inn, Xie Tinglan called Lin Qiao'er to her and asked in a cold voice:

"You think I'll praise you just because you stood up for me?"

Lin Qiao'er lowered her head and whispered:

"I simply can't stand them."

"Is it that you dislike the Zhenfu Guard, or are you trying to curry favor with me so I'll take care of you behind your back?"

Lin Qiao'er couldn't answer.

Xie Tinglan tossed the riding whip in her hand to her.

"My actions last night were my own business. This morning, you used my name to provoke the conscripts, which is a disgrace to the Zhuxi Clan."

"Go to the stables to fetch the horses. Until we reach Qingzhou, stay at the back of the group and don't speak again."

Lin Qiao'er caught the whip and turned to go to the stable.

Half an hour later, the Zhuxi Gate team also left Heyu County.

There is only one official road leading north to Qingzhou.

Several miles ahead, the dust kicked up by the Xifeng cavalry had not yet settled.

After leaving Heyu County, the group traveled on the official road for most of the day.

During a rest in the afternoon, Yi Yang carried his water bag to He Ming and Commander He's side, cupped his hands and said, "I am grateful to the two commanders for their intervention in dealing with the events of yesterday and this morning. I will remember this."

He Ming removed his face shield, revealing his chiseled face, and waved his hand, saying:

"Lord Yi, you are too kind. We, the Xifeng Cavalry, are ordered to escort the conscripts; it is our duty."

General He took a sip of water, wiped his mouth, and spoke in a much more casual tone than He Ming.

"Lord Yi, please don't take it to heart. Xie Tinglan of the Zhuxi Sect is indeed very arrogant in Yongzhou Prefecture. But a few years ago, she wouldn't have dared to draw her sword in front of our Xifeng Cavalry."

He Ming glanced at General He but didn't stop him.

Commander He hung the water bag back on the saddle and lowered his voice slightly.

"To be frank, the sects in Qingzhou City have become increasingly arrogant in recent years. In the past, they would give our Xifeng Cavalry some face when they encountered them. But now, even a disciple from a sect in Yongzhou Prefecture dares to bare his teeth at the recruits."

"In the end, it's all thanks to the support of those major sects in Qingzhou City."

He Ming took over the conversation, his tone calm but his attitude clear.

"The balance between the Sky Patrol Bureau and the sects has been tilting towards the sects in recent years. Disciples of sects feel superior wherever they go. Although our Qingzhou Army is not under the jurisdiction of the Sky Patrol Bureau, we are still paid by the imperial court, which makes us uncomfortable."

Commander He chuckled and continued, "This morning, that brat named Lin Qiao'er provoked the conscripts right in front of us. To put it bluntly, she didn't take our Xifeng Cavalry seriously. If we don't deal with this, once it gets back to Qingzhou, anyone can ride roughshod over us."

After listening, Yi Yang didn't say much, but just nodded.

The two commanders' words had a hidden meaning.

They stood up for themselves partly out of duty, and partly to use this incident to warn those arrogant sect disciples.

In the end, Xi Fengqi was also seething with anger.

Yi Yang carefully put away the water bag and silently made plans as he mounted his horse.

The water in Qingzhou was even muddier than he had imagined.

The power struggle between the Sky Patrol Bureau and the sects, the friction between the military and martial arts forces, and the game between the imperial court and local authorities.

I'm afraid my trip there won't be peaceful.

"Let's go." He Ming put on his face shield and waved his hand.

The team resumed their journey.

It takes seven days to travel from Heyu County to Qingzhou City.