After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

At full speed, a day later, the location marked on the communication talisman was almost in sight.

The three landed at the entrance of a valley.

Jiang Yan looked up and saw that the valley was flat, with a temporary camp standing beside the stream.

Outside the tent was a rosewood table. Su Lian sat at the table, holding a cup of tea. His expression was gentle and his demeanor composed, as if he were entertaining a guest who had come from afar in his own academy.

Qingxiao stood by his side, his long robe fluttering slightly in the mountain breeze.

Behind her was a transparent array barrier, and Ruoshui was sitting inside it.

To be precise, it was sitting at a table laden with food.

The table was set with four dishes and a soup, complete with bowls and chopsticks, and even a plate of osmanthus cake.

She sat at the table, her fox ears trembling anxiously, and the food in front of her was clearly untouched.

Upon seeing the familiar figure at the entrance of the valley, he jumped up and opened his mouth as if to shout something, but his voice was blocked by the formation, and only his lips could be seen moving.

Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

They didn't seem to have suffered any injustice; in fact, they were treated quite well.

He nodded to Ruoshui, indicating that she could rest assured.

Seeing his expression, Ruoshui's anxious look eased slightly. She sat down again, but her eyes remained fixed on him.

Su Lian then stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the three of them.

Finally, his gaze fell on Jiang Yan, and he pointed to the empty seat opposite him: "Lord Jiang, I've heard so much about you."

He made a gesture of invitation.

But there was only one chair opposite the table.

The meaning is clear—only Jiang Yan is invited to sit.

Ao Tianxin didn't speak, but took a step back and stood behind Jiang Yan.

Cang Yao also released Jiang Yan's hand.

Su Lian smiled as he watched this scene.

For the Lord of the Dragon Court to serve as a follower is unprecedented in the Xuan Tian Realm, and probably will never happen again.

But he didn't say anything. He just sat down again, picked up the teapot, and filled the empty cup opposite him.

Jiang Yan sat down in the chair, looked at the refined-looking man in front of her, and frowned.

He couldn't understand what this Lord of the Vast Domain meant.

They used such radical methods to kidnap Ruoshui, forcing me to come, yet they treated me with such courtesy.

Ruoshui was unharmed, fine tea was laid out on the table, and she greeted him with a bow, even her gesture of inviting him to sit was impeccable.

Su Lian personally poured Jiang Yan a cup of tea and pushed it in front of him.

"Lord Jiang." He paused, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "No, perhaps I should call you—Prime Minister Lin?"

Jiang Yan's fingers stopped on the rim of the cup.

Behind her, Cang Yao's peach blossom eyes suddenly narrowed.

Ao Tianxin's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Su Lian took in the reactions of the three people, smiled, and said, "I've investigated a lot about you during this time, and I've discovered some very interesting things."

"Many, many years ago, the human race established a rule that before the demon race could travel by river or sea, officials with accomplished cultivation from the dynasties within the territory had to intercept and kill them."

"However, there was a time when this happened. A prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the Vast Domain paved the way for a koi carp demon to cross the river in his mortal form."

Su Lian raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Yan.

"Prime Minister Lin dedicated his life to road construction, water management, reform, disaster relief, and epidemic control. He was a man of immeasurable merit and won the hearts of the people."

"Countless shrines were spontaneously built by ordinary people, receiving incense offerings from thousands of households."

He spoke with a touch of emotion as he said these things.

"On the day he left the river, he used his luck to drive his official skills and defeated Old Man Chi Lei."

"Although that old man Chi Lei wasn't a Mahayana Integration cultivator, he was still considered quite good among Void Refinement cultivators. The fact that he was killed by a mortal using official techniques was widely known in the Vast Domain at the time."

Su Lian paused for a moment.

"And then there's you, Lord Jiang. The Dragon Court unconditionally sided with you without any prior contact." He glanced at Cang Yao. "And that demon who fled the river back then was this Lady Jiang, wasn't she?"

"Coincidentally, City Lord Jiang also uses official techniques," Su Lian continued. "And the bow you used a while ago, if I'm not mistaken, should be Chi Lei's Soul-Chasing Bow, right?"

Jiang Yan did not deny it.

This domain lord has investigated himself thoroughly.

"All of that is fine; it's just investigating someone's past life," Su Lian said calmly. "But some things that happened later were quite unexpected."

He raised his hand and drew a minimalist rune in the air with his fingertips.

The runes dispersed, transforming into a light screen. Images appeared on the screen: the entrance to an underground cave, its walls carved with countless niches, each containing a small clay statue.

The portrait depicts a young scholar, dressed in a blue robe with black hair and gentle features.

"These are things I have discovered in various places within the Great Zhou territory over the past few days. After you helped the demon race cross the river, the next emperor of the Great Zhou could not withstand the pressure from all sides and erased all your achievements during your lifetime. He destroyed your shrine, erased your signature, and even punished people who privately possessed your portrait."

"These were secretly hidden by the people in underground caves, in dark and sunless places, and were kept hidden for generations, passed down from generation to generation, and worshipped by generation to generation. Even before my people discovered them, some people still lit incense for them."

Su Lian waved his hand to disperse the light barrier.

"The signatures of 'Yunzhou Zhilue' and 'Jingzhou Zhishui Yaoshu' have been erased."

"Your portrait is banned, your name is banned, there isn't even a grave for you, but those who survived seem not to have forgotten you."

"Prime Minister Lin, your achievements recorded in history books alone are enough to inspire admiration." Su Lian looked into Jiang Yan's eyes. "What is even more admirable is that although your deeds have been completely erased from the written record, there are still people in this world who remember them, and have remembered them for eight hundred years."

Jiang Yan's fingers tightened slightly as she held the teacup.

He never imagined that more than eight hundred years had passed, and the people who had once lived under his rule were long gone, but their descendants were still continuing the traditions of the past.

Su Lian leaned back in her chair, a hint of envy in her eyes, and then sighed.

"I have heard about Prime Minister Lin's achievements during the Great Zhou Dynasty. His works, 'The Governance of Yunzhou' and 'The Essential Techniques for Water Management in Jingzhou,' are widely circulated in the Haoran Domain. I myself have studied them repeatedly."

"Those strategies for water management, tax reform, and rectification of officialdom are still relevant even today."

"Moreover—to establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, and to secure a destiny for the people. Such words are not something just anyone can utter."

Jiang Yan suppressed her chaotic thoughts and raised her head again.

His gaze swept over the pale golden array light screen surrounding Ruoshui, and then landed on Su Lian's refined and gentle face.

"You've done so much research and gone to such lengths to invite me here; surely you didn't just want to have tea and catch up?"

Jiang Yan's voice was neither humble nor arrogant, neither hurried nor slow.

Su Lian ignored his slightly sarcastic tone, a faint smile still playing on her lips, and spoke frankly.

"Since Lord Jiang has asked, I will not beat around the bush."

"Some time ago, Yu Sheng from Suspended Mountain came to see me."