Chapter 116 - 111: Then Let’s Turn This Capital City Upside Down

Chapter 116: Chapter 111: Then Let’s Turn This Capital City Upside Down

After Chen Sha acquired the carriage drawn by the four Smoke Cloud Mirrors, they truly lived up to their reputation as Thousand-Mile Horses. Even as the carriage galloped at top speed, sitting inside felt perfectly smooth without the slightest bump.

Having seen Chen Sha and his two disciples off, Liu Yichuan sighed. "I really don’t know about this sect my brother-in-law found for Qingqing..."

There were things he hadn’t said earlier, things he couldn’t say. He simply felt that Qingqing’s master was far too young. For such a person to serve as the Sect Leader of the number one major sect in the world was truly quite...

Just as he was about to return inside, a swift horse galloped over from the distance. The rider was a young man in brocade robes with a jade hairpin in his hair. Dismounting, he asked with pleasant surprise, "Father, I heard cousin Qingqing came to Jiangzhou. Where is she?"

The young man was Liu Yichuan’s only son, Liu Xiansheng. Seeing the eager expression on his son’s face, Liu Yichuan couldn’t help but shake his head. "You’re a step too late. Your cousin has already left."

"How could she leave so soon?" Liu Xiansheng asked, crestfallen. "In such a hurry?"

"Come inside first, then we’ll talk," Liu Yichuan said, calling his son into the house. "As you know, your cousin became a True Disciple under the Sect Leader of Dao Yi Mountain. She came down the mountain this time to follow her master to the Capital City for some business and stopped by our home to borrow a few fast horses. I temporarily lent them the carriage drawn by the four Smoke Cloud Mirrors that I had originally prepared for your uncle."

Liu Xiansheng asked, "My cousin’s master, the Dao Yi Sect Leader? Didn’t Chen Canxuan pass away a long time ago?"

Brought up by his son, Liu Yichuan sighed as well. "Yes, the new Dao Yi Sect Leader is a Daoist who isn’t even twenty years old yet. To me, he looks more like Qing’Er’s senior brother than her master. He is handsome and elegant, but a bit..."

Thinking of the stack of papers Chen Sha had left for him, he ultimately held his tongue.

As a prominent local noble, lending out the four Smoke Cloud Mirrors was nothing; even if Chen Sha hadn’t given a return gift, he wouldn’t have minded. However, the young Sect Leader had reciprocated with a martial art he claimed to have created himself, which left a sour taste in Liu Yichuan’s mouth. His four Smoke Cloud Mirrors were virtually priceless; such a return gift felt like a slight against him.

He failed to notice, however, that his son’s focus was entirely on Chen Sha’s age and appearance. Liu Xiansheng immediately panicked. "What? My cousin’s master is only a few years older than her, and they are riding in the same carriage? Father, how could you let them share the same carriage?"

Liu Yichuan finally caught on to his son’s train of thought and shook his head helplessly. "No matter what, that man is the Dao Yi Sect Leader. Don’t go looking for trouble."

Liu Xiansheng, however, retorted impatiently, "My master is a direct disciple under the Celestial Master of the Jade Emperor Sect! In terms of background, the Jade Emperor Sect is no worse than his Dao Yi Sect. Enough of this, I have to catch up to them!"

With that, he turned around, mounted his horse, and rode off.

Frowning, Liu Yichuan shouted after him, "They are riding Smoke Cloud Mirrors and have been gone for half a day! How could you possibly catch up?!"

But his son’s figure had already disappeared into the dust. Liu Yichuan let out a heavy sigh where he stood.

He had no choice but to return to the courtyard, hoping his son would come back soon after failing to catch up. He understood his son’s feelings perfectly. Having been childhood sweethearts with Qingqing, how could he not be anxious hearing that the young Sect Leader was only a few years older than her? Even Liu Yichuan himself felt this Dao Yi Sect Leader was a bit too green.

However, upon returning to the living room, Liu Yichuan couldn’t help but notice the stack of papers Chen Sha had left behind. Shaking his head with a chuckle, he intended to throw them away. Yet, when he casually picked them up and took a look, his expression instantly froze.

"Hmm?"

Although Liu Yichuan didn’t have profound Martial Arts Cultivation himself, it didn’t mean he lacked a discerning eye. Just glancing at the Qi Circulation Technique pathways on the first page made his fingers tremble uncontrollably. "This... how is this possible? This is actually a top-tier Martial Arts Secret Manual?"

His mind buzzed. He no longer had the bandwidth to ponder whether Chen Sha had truly created this himself. He hurriedly sat down in the living room, cradling the Secret Manual in his hands as if it were a priceless treasure. Once he started reading, he didn’t eat for an entire day and night.

It wasn’t until noon the next day, after the butler had brought food multiple times, that Liu Yichuan was jolted awake from his trance. He cried out, "What grand generosity! This Dao Yi Sect Leader, Chen Sha... he actually gifted me a Grandmaster-Level Martial Arts manual!"

"Dao Yi Sect Leader?" the butler asked from the side. "Is Master referring to the young Daoist who visited yesterday? This old servant seems to have heard some rumors about this Daoist today, coming from Chunzhou. They say this Daoist is in some First Grade Great Innate Realm and killed the abbot of the White Cloud Temple in Chunzhou with a single point of his finger! It’s truly unimaginable. That Zen Su Abbot seemed to be a local overlord, yet he actually died at the hands of such a young Daoist."

Liu Yichuan hurriedly looked at the butler. "What did you say? Sect Leader Chen is in the First Grade Great Innate Realm?!!"

Not understanding the significance, the butler simply stated the facts. "Yes, it’s news from Chunzhou. When this old servant went out to the horse ranch today, I heard many people talking about this."

Liu Yichuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Looking back at the Secret Manual in his hands, he muttered, "Does that mean... this really is a martial art created by the young Sect Leader himself?"

Right at that moment, Liu Yichuan suddenly remembered something and roared, "Quick, send someone to chase after the Young Master! You must not let him be disrespectful and act insolently in front of the Sect Leader!!"

Meanwhile.

Chen Sha had no idea that a hot-blooded young man was actually spurring a fast horse all the way from Jiangzhou in pursuit of them.

"These Thousand-Mile Horses are truly fast. By my calculations, a journey that would normally take ten days will only take us six or seven days to reach the Capital City." Sitting at the front of the carriage driving the horses, Qii Zhengyi sighed in admiration, "Junior Sister, your uncle is really generous."

Chen Sha sat cross-legged inside the spacious carriage. With his eyes closed, he told the two, "Your master will be meditating in the carriage for the next few days. The two of you will take turns driving. When resting, do not forget to cultivate. This is especially true for Zhengyi; you cannot slack off in the early stages of the Jade Emperor Tower technique I imparted to you. You must push through in one vigorous effort to see results."

Wielding the horse whip on the carriage shafts, Qii Zhengyi nodded heavily. "This disciple understands."

Hearing this, Chen Sha stayed inside the carriage, his consciousness entering behind the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Seven days.

That was enough time for him to break through a certain Great Innate checkpoint behind the Southern Heavenly Gate. Although he was traveling down the mountain, his cultivation could be accomplished while walking, sitting, or lying down. This was the advantage of practicing martial arts in his consciousness, and he was the only person in the world who could do it.

Just like that, while Chen Sha cultivated in seclusion within his Heart Spirit, his two disciples outside took turns driving the carriage.

In a flash, seven days passed, and they arrived at the Capital City.

At this moment, within the Capital City.

Yuu Miaolian, who had been running around for over half a month trying to find a way to deal with Zhang Liting being locked in the Celestial Prison, sat upright in front of a Divine Hunter from the Six Gates. She frowned and said, "Liting ended up in this situation because he was handling a case for your Six Gates, and you, Gan Tianshui, are his life-and-death friend. Yet at a time like this, you’re actually telling me you have no way to save him?"

Sitting across from Yuu Miaolian was a man in black robes with a mustache. He was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "Miss Yuu, I’ve told you many times. This matter has exceeded the scope of my authority. The ones who arrested him are the Ministry of Justice, and even our Six Gates have to listen to them.

"Of course, I know Liting was framed, but I warned him many times. The Capital City’s Flower Thief case is highly suspicious, and I advised him not to waste his energy on it and to pick a different case instead. He didn’t listen! He insisted on diving headfirst into it. Now look what happened. He spent half a year and indeed caught the culprit red-handed, cornering that ’Flower Thief’ right inside the girl’s boudoir. But so what?

"The Ministry of Justice got there even faster than we did. Not only did they release the culprit on the spot, but they also arrested Liting instead. By the time our Six Gates arrived, the story had been twisted into Liting being the one caught red-handed. Even the girl identified Zhang Liting as the Flower Thief..."

Even though Yuu Miaolian had heard these words dozens of times, her face still couldn’t help but turn pale. She asked furiously, "Is the imperial court of your Zhao Country truly this corrupt?"

A hint of helplessness appeared at the corner of Gan Tianshui’s mouth. "Under the heavens, where is there a clean officialdom in any country? This time, Liting pointed his blade at one of the most powerful figures in the imperial court. He dared to break ground over the Tai Sui’s head. How could that old lord tolerate his arrogance? Even if that young man is useless, the old lord would never willingly send his own kin to prison to be executed."

Unsuppressed fury blazed in Yuu Miaolian’s eyes. "Since you have no way to help me, then tell me where the Celestial Prison is! I will go save Liting myself!"

Gan Tianshui’s expression tightened, and he said in a deep voice, "Miss Yuu, I strongly advise you against doing that. Even though you might possess Grandmaster Cultivation, the Celestial Prison is the most taboo place in our Zhao Country. Not only is its location a strict secret unknown to the public, but it is also said to be guarded by an old man who suppresses the national destiny of the Zhao Country. Not to mention, within this Capital City, the Celestial Master Zhang lineage of the Jade Emperor Dao resides in the Yuanjing Temple... Setting aside the fact that I don’t know the Celestial Prison’s location, even if I did, I couldn’t tell you and let you march to your death."

The anxiety and rage in Yuu Miaolian’s eyes had nearly solidified. "Then am I supposed to just watch as they lock Liting up until he dies? Lock him up for the rest of his life?"

Gan Tianshui pondered for a moment. "Perhaps, I can point you toward someone. You can go find this old lord. He is political rivals with the other one in the court. Maybe..."

As he spoke, he dipped his finger in tea and wrote a name on the table for Yuu Miaolian. Upon seeing the name, Yuu Miaolian immediately stood up and walked out of the small courtyard in the Capital City.

Not long after, in the afternoon.

At the entrance of a certain important figure’s residence in the Capital City, a servant walked out and said to Yuu Miaolian, "I’m very sorry, but my master is not seeing any guests."

Yuu Miaolian said sternly, "Did you not tell him that I sought him out regarding leverage on Zuo Qiantang, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice?"

The servant continued to shake his head. "Say no more. I didn’t hear anything. My master will not get involved in this matter."

Rejected once again, Yuu Miaolian felt the world around her suddenly darken. At this moment, she finally understood the saying her master had once spoken: "Begging for help is like swallowing a three-foot sword; relying on others is like bearing the weight of nine mountains."

"A nest of vipers, a nest of vipers..." The most gentle and virtuous woman on Dao Yi Mountain gritted her teeth. "The entirety of Zhao Country is in cahoots! It is rotten to the core!"

She secretly clenched her fists, her inner energy sinking as she thought, "Sect Leader Junior Brother, I originally promised you that I would never casually use the Qi Stealing Technique, but looking at it now, unless I fight my way into Zuo Qiantang’s estate, capture him as the main culprit, and use him as a hostage to threaten the entire Government Office, there is absolutely no way to rescue Liting."

As a reigning Minister of the Ministry of Justice, his estate naturally would not lack expert retainers. Originally, Yuu Miaolian hadn’t wanted to use the Qi Stealing Technique, an Evil Skill that rendered its user practically invincible within the same realm, feeling it was too damaging to the harmony of nature. But now... she had spent half a month seeing exactly what kind of wretched things the people in this Capital City of Zhao Country were!

Hardening her resolve, Yuu Miaolian no longer cared whether it was broad daylight or what time it was, heading straight for the Minister’s Mansion. Over the past half a month, she had finally seen it clearly: no one here could be relied upon. Only by taking matters into her own hands and turning this Capital City upside down could she clear her dear junior brother’s name.

She didn’t know, however, that in response to the plea for help she had sent back to her sect, someone had already arrived at the Capital City.

Just as Yuu Miaolian headed straight for the Minister’s Mansion, a carriage drawn by four Thousand-Mile Smoke Cloud Clouds entered the Capital City’s Xuanwu Sect...