The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

Dongfang Bubai didn't want to bring up these matters anymore, so he handed over the handkerchief he had embroidered.

"Take a look, see if you like it."

Yang Lianting took it and examined it carefully, then nodded: "Your skills are still as good as ever."

As he spoke, Yang Lianting put it back in his arms, and Dongfang Bubai smiled happily.

……

"Name."

"A soldier guarding the city of De'an Prefecture said lazily."

However, the man simply handed over a name card, and the city guard glanced at it and cursed, "What is this? I asked you your name, what kind of junk are you giving your grandpa?"

"Are you blind?"

The man shouted angrily, "This is the name card of Master Yue, the leader of the Huashan Sect. What? Hasn't the imperial edict reached De'an Prefecture yet? Or is it that the officials of De'an Prefecture are disobeying the imperial court?"

His words immediately jolted the lazy soldiers guarding the city awake. They hurriedly opened their name cards to check, and then looked at the man with a big smile on their faces.

"Sir, I am truly sorry, I was blind and did not notice."

The soldier repeatedly apologized to the man from the martial arts world.

"Humph!"

The man snorted coldly, but did not continue his attack. He asked, "Where is the Demon Extermination Division set up by your government?"

"Turn left at the end of the road ahead."

The soldiers dared not be negligent and repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

This江湖人士 (jianghu figure) walked into the city with his head held high.

"Have a safe journey, chivalrous one. Have a safe journey, chivalrous one."

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the martial arts figures walk away.

Meanwhile, the other onlookers had already started discussing the matter.

"Who is that person? And what's this 'calling card' thing he mentioned? Why is this soldier so scared after hearing it?"

"Haven't you heard? Master Yue, the leader of the prestigious Huashan Sect, has issued a proclamation to eradicate the demonic cult. The imperial court has also issued an imperial edict to suppress the demons, ordering local officials to immediately release the seals and name cards of sect leaders, or else they will be punished for dereliction of duty. The person just now was carrying the name card of Master Yue of the Huashan Sect."

"I know about the Huashan Sect. It's a prestigious sect."

"It's more than just big! Not long ago, I heard that Jiang Ning, a disciple of the Huashan Sect's Sect Leader Yue, subdued a tortoise and a snake as guardian beasts for the mountain. I heard that those two beasts are over ten zhang long!"

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, including many ordinary people. Now, both the martial arts world and the common folk knew about this demon-slaying operation. Especially after Yue Buqun's publicity efforts, the influence of the Huashan Sect was spreading at an extremely rapid pace.

……

Beijing.

"Oh? The tortoise-snake beast has submitted to Jiangning? Is this true?"

Zhu Houzhao, who had been waiting for news since the imperial edict was issued, was very surprised when he heard the news brought by Liu Jin.

"It's true, Your Majesty."

Liu Jin nodded repeatedly: "I heard that the two strange beasts traveled with the Huashan Sect this time, and many people saw them along the way."

Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up.

"This is truly a stroke of luck!"

Chapter 688: Building Momentum

what?

Liu Jin was puzzled. This was about Jiang Daxia, so how was it related to His Majesty?

Yes.

Jiang Daxia is helping His Majesty; what is beneficial to Jiang Daxia is also beneficial to His Majesty.

Liu Jin's mind raced, and he thought he understood Zhu Houzhao's meaning. He quickly smiled and said, "Yes, Master Jiang's martial arts are unparalleled, and now that a strange beast has surrendered, it naturally means that those demonic cultists have nowhere to escape. Master Jiang will surely help His Majesty destroy those demonic cult traitors!"

Zhu Houzhao smiled upon hearing this, but did not explain anything. Instead, he stood up and said, "Prepare the carriage, I am going to the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

Liu Jin was clearly taken aback. What was His Majesty doing at the Imperial Ancestral Temple at this time?

But Liu Jin didn't ask questions, he just did things, and quickly followed after them.

Zhu Houzhao's lips curled slightly.

He was going to see Emperor Taizong Wen.

……

Luzhou Prefecture.

The number of soldiers guarding the city has increased significantly in recent days, but all of them look worried.

"Alas, have you heard? Wuwei Prefecture has fallen."

There weren't many people entering or leaving the city gates today, and one of the soldiers guarding the city brought up the topic with his comrades.

As soon as the topic was brought up, the other soldiers also spoke up.

"I've heard about it before. Wuwei Prefecture is now under the control of those demons from the Demonic Sect, and even the prefect has been killed."

"Those sorcerers are truly arrogant! They actually dared to kill officials appointed by the imperial court. Aren't they afraid that the court will send troops to suppress them?"

"They dare to assassinate even His Majesty, so why wouldn't they dare to kill a mere prefect?"

"Now that Wuwei Prefecture is under the control of those demonic cultists, will they come to attack us?"

"What should we do if they attack?"

The soldiers guarding the city talked amongst themselves, their words revealing their anxiety about the future.

Now, not only are the soldiers and government officials guarding the city in Luzhou Prefecture in a state of panic, but the common people are also terrified. During this period, everyone rarely goes out, and the entire Luzhou Prefecture is much quieter.

At that moment, several ordinary people were sitting in a restaurant discussing this topic.

These people were dressed in different ways; some were scholars, some were peddlers, and others whose identities were unknown.

When will the imperial court send troops to suppress them?

One of the common people couldn't help but ask, looking very worried.

"Ugh."

Another person replied, "Didn't the imperial court issue an imperial edict some time ago? It didn't mention sending troops, so I don't think the court is planning to send troops this time."

The others, both shocked and frightened, asked, "Why isn't the imperial court sending troops for such a major incident? Are they just going to let those demonic cultists run rampant?"

A scholar sighed, "The imperial court has its own difficulties."

Another person retorted, "Even if the imperial court is facing difficulties, are we just going to stand by and watch these people rebel?"

"They've dared to assassinate the emperor and kill high-ranking officials. If we don't stop them, they'll rebel!"

The others didn't say anything, but they all shared the same thought.

Upon hearing this, the scholar said, "It's not that the imperial court is indifferent. Didn't they post a notice a while ago? Now, the righteous heroes of the martial world have begun to organize people to wipe out these demonic cult members. The imperial court has also ordered all prefectures to cooperate with the righteous sects to wipe out the demonic cult members, otherwise they will be punished for dereliction of duty."

"That's true, but I wonder when those heroes will arrive, and whether they can handle these demonic cultists."

These people were mostly from Luzhou Prefecture. People in other places might not know about the imperial proclamation, but almost everyone in Luzhou Prefecture knew about it. Very few people didn't.

Even though they knew this, they didn't have much confidence that the righteous people could deal with the demonic cult.

"Don't you all know? The leader this time is none other than Yue Buqun, the leader of the Weiyi Alliance. His disciple Jiang Ning is no ordinary person..."

The scholar began to recount Jiang Ning's life and deeds, describing each and every one of them in an extremely exaggerated manner, leaving the others dumbfounded.

"Is Jiang Ning really that powerful?"

One of the people stammered as he spoke.

"That's natural!"

The scholar spoke eloquently, his spittle flying everywhere.

"Not long ago, the great hero Jiang Ning heard that some strange beasts were harassing the nearby villagers. He ventured alone into the Qinling Mountains and fought two strange beasts for three days and three nights in the terrifying and silent depths of the Qinling Mountains. The battle was so fierce that the sky darkened and the sun and moon lost their light!"

The scholar's words made the group's eyes widen, and they couldn't help but look on with longing and urge him on.

"What happens next? What happens next?"

Seeing that the group's emotions had been heightened, the scholar didn't keep them in suspense any longer and said, "What happens next? Of course, it's the peerless martial arts of Hero Jiang! He subdued two strange beasts single-handedly!"

Even though they could guess the ending, everyone couldn't help but marvel.

"That Jiang the Hero is so amazing!"

"What kind of monsters were those two strange beasts he subdued?"

The scholar chuckled upon hearing this, "Those two strange beasts are a tortoise and a snake. The giant tortoise is enormous and possesses unparalleled strength, like a small mountain. The giant snake, in particular, is over ten zhang long, and is extremely terrifying!"

"what?"

The group was terrified upon hearing this.

Such a huge beast? How powerful must it be? Wouldn't it be even more impressive if Jiang Ning, the great hero, could subdue such a huge beast?

The scholar then said, "After subduing those two strange beasts, Master Jiang originally intended to kill them, but Heaven has a benevolent heart. Master Jiang considered that they had not harmed anyone and prepared to spare their lives, letting them return to the depths of the Qinling Mountains so that they would no longer disturb the people outside. However, those two strange beasts have become intelligent and understand human nature. They know that Master Jiang is a great hero who serves the country and the people, and are willing to follow Master Jiang."

From then on, those two strange beasts became the guardian spirit beasts of the Huashan Sect!

As soon as the scholar finished speaking, the common people looked surprised and shocked, and were unable to recover for a long time.

After a long while.

"So that means... if this Hero Jiang is so powerful, those demonic cultists are no match for him?"

One of the common people couldn't help but show a hopeful expression.

"That's natural!"