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Chapter 385: 198. Gu Tianyun's scream
Chapter 385: 198. Gu Tianyun's scream
Xuzhou consists of four roads and eleven prefectures. The four roads are Xingyuan Road, Jiangdong Path, Chenliu Road, and Nanping Road. Each road is guarded by a renowned Sword Chief, with the Sword Chief of Xingyuan Road being none other than Gu Tianyun of Xizhao.
Xingyuan Road has jurisdiction over Guangling, Junkang, and Lingyuan Prefectures. These three prefectures are roughly arranged in an inverted triangle, with Guangling to the northwest, Junkang to the northeast, and Lingyuan located below Junkang Prefecture.
The most famous among the three prefectures is Junkang Prefecture:
Junkang Prefecture is known throughout The World for producing Good Breed Horses, including one of the nine finest breeds in Shenzhou, known as White Evil, which originates from here. With such an exceptional natural advantage, Junkang naturally became the most important prefecture of the three in Xingyuan Road, where the residence of Gu Tianyun, the Sword Chief of Xizhao, is located.
The next in reputation is Lingyuan Prefecture:
Lingyuan takes its name from "A world adorned and embossed, a nation serene and refined," implying a place of utmost beauty. This is because, much like Yongzhou, the majority of Xuzhou's terrain is comprised of plains, with only a few exceptions, and Lingyuan Prefecture is one of them.
Lingyuan Prefecture's terrain is low-lying, and since it is traversed by tributaries of the Tongtian River, the prefecture is filled with numerous mountains, rivers, and lakes. As a result, its flora and fauna thrive, and the scenery is picturesque all year round, which is why it gained the name Lingyuan.
In today's era, there are not many places known for their scenery, and within the whole of Xuzhou, only Lingyuan Prefecture holds such a reputation, naturally making it somewhat renowned.
Relatively speaking, the least famous of the three prefectures is Guangling Prefecture.
Guangling Prefecture, located on the western frontier of Xuzhou, has seen massive emigration to the east due to its proximity to Yongzhou of the Demon Path. Of Xuzhou's eleven prefectures, ten each have populations well above thirty million, while only Guangling has just over twenty million.
Of course, a weaker reputation and smaller population don't necessarily mean lesser strength. After all, being situated on the western border of Xuzhou and bearing the responsibility of defending against the Rakshasa Demon Religion, the Wanjian Holy Sect has put a considerable amount of effort into the personnel appointments in Guangling Prefecture.
The head of the Sword Control Bureau in Guangling Prefecture, Sword Emissary Ren Tianxing, boasts cultivation at the level of a Great Grandmaster. He is respectfully known by the nickname "Founder of Swords" and comes in at number 98 on the Dragon List.
It isn't just his own reputable status; Ren Tianxing commands four three-realms Grandmaster-level Commandants, each leading forty thousand Silver Armored Soldiers stationed in the prefectural city, not to mention at least five or six high-ranking masters of the first two realms.
It's fair to say that within the entirety of Guangling Prefecture, no one's position compares to that of Ren Tianxing.
Such a highly positioned and influential person will naturally be the focus of everyone's attention with every move he makes.
New Yu Era 1322, the first day of September
In the Guangling Prefecture City, Ren Tianxing walked into the Yunxian Restaurant with a somber expression. Surrounded by a troop of followers, he ascended to the top floor without uttering a word, instantly sparking frenzied speculation among the patrons on the ground floor.
"Am I seeing things, or is that Ren Tianxing? He rarely comes to Yunxian Restaurant. What could have brought him here today?"
"Isn't it obvious? It must be the situation in Hexi. It's been ten straight days without any ships coming from the Tongtian River docks. No one knows what's happening in the three counties of Hexi!"
"But what's the battle in Hexi got to do with the restaurant?"
"Have you forgotten that representatives from Leiyin Temple, Bailu Academy, Great Yu Holy Dynasty, and Haoran Holy Sect have been staying here recently? With the Demon Sect's army coming on strong, the Sword Emissary must be seeking their assistance!"
"Those people aren't that benevolent, are they?"
"That's also true; it might be about making sure they don't cause any trouble..."
...
Ren Tianxing is 186 years old this year. Judging by the four hundred-year lifespan of a Great Grandmaster, he can certainly be considered young, and his looks are maintained at just over thirty. He has a stout physique, with a broadsword hanging at his waist, a boxy face covered with fine mustache bristles, keen eyes like torches, and an imposing manner as he moves with the air of a ruler.
"Master Yuan Kong, Daoist Moxuzi, Elder Lian Ningxue, Master Zhang Yuning, and Young Master Xiao Renfeng from Yangzhou—apart from these five, who else is there?"
As he made his way to the top floor, Ren Tianxing asked in an authoritative manner. A middle-aged man dressed as a general in armor hurriedly whispered back, "The main ones are these five. Apart from Young Master Xiao, Elder Lian, and Master Zhang, Daoist Moxuzi and Master Yuan Kong have each brought about a dozen people, likely to be Sect Members of Leiyin Temple and Ziqing Holy Sect. Among them, I only recognize three: Monk Buyu, the former Sect Master of the Great Luo Sect from Tongling County, Ding Buhai, and Zhao Qingxue following Daoist Moxuzi."
"Zhao… Qingxue, she must be that illegitimate daughter from Jizhou's Qinjian Villa!"
"Apart from Young Master Xiao, the other four have just returned from Hexi and witnessed the recent events in Tongling County. This time around, it was Xuzhou that broke the treaty first; the Demon Sect deploying their forces has a justified cause. My lord, do you think these people are willing to offer their support?"
"Those who wish to help won't require a request from me; those who don't wish to help will be fruitless to plead with. Leiyin Temple has had their eye on Yongzhou for a long time. They planted a covert piece that has been lying dormant for years and was just pitifully driven away by the Rakshasa Demon Sect. Without the support of our Wanjian Holy Sect, would Leiyin Temple dare to openly engage in battle with the Demon Sect! As for Young Master Xiao, he was elected as the First Holy Son by the joint academies of Yangzhou and Yanzhou. Rumor has it that he possesses Nine Apertures and reached Great Perfection in the Three Realms of Understanding Phenomena at the mere age of twenty-three, unmatched in aptitude among all the Confucian Scholars in The World, and carries the esteemed title of a Master's disciple. If Bailu Academy has sent him here, it's as good as a statement—this war will see their full support for Xuzhou."
Upon hearing this, the general nodded and said, "While Ji Yanzhi died at the hands of demons, it happened in Yongzhou, and the Demon Sect cannot escape blame. Although internally, Bailu Academy is divided into factions from Yangzhou and Yanzhou, they are united in their hostility towards this matter!"