228: Extremely shocked

Dense hoofbeats came from afar. From an aerial view, a team of about a hundred people could be seen heading towards Lianbo City.

The leader, Shen Qianzhong, was clad in silver armor with a battle halberd on his back, his face filled with solemn dignity. If Lu Ming were here, he would recognize him immediately, as he had met him several times before.

With Chong Province in crisis, the Qingyang Royal Mansion was the first to act. Luo Chengxiong had deployed nearly half of the Government Soldiers within Yun Province along the Tongyun River to contain the Qi army.

In addition to troop movements, Luo Chengxiong also dispatched personnel from the Qingyang Royal Mansion to Lianbo City and two other cities to stabilize the situation there.

The group arrived at the foot of Lianbo City, and this time, Zhao Bufan, who had received news early, once again came out to greet them.

However, this time, there was no such grand display as before; it was just him, a Centurion, leading a few of his subordinate Centurions.

“Lord Shen, I have already arranged accommodation for everyone. Riding horses within the city is against the rules, so please dismount and come with me,” Zhao Bufan said politely.

Shen Qianzhong nodded slightly, immediately signaling everyone to dismount.

But at that moment, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from the team.

“How can such rules apply to everyone? We are from the Qingyang Royal Mansion, and we’ve been traveling tirelessly. Hurry and take us to our resting place, and don’t try to fob us off with poor accommodation. It must be the best in Lianbo City, though I suppose this backwater won’t have anything good.”

Hearing this, Zhao Bufan frowned slightly and looked to the side.

He saw a young man riding a tall horse, dressed in white robes, with an arrogant expression, showing no intention of dismounting. He was haughty and seemed to completely disregard Shen Qianzhong's command.

And he wasn't the only one; about a dozen others behind him also shared the same attitude, seemingly forming a subtle group with the white-robed young man as their leader.

“Xiao Cheng, this is not the place for your nonsense. Dismount!” Shen Qianzhong said with a stern face and a deep voice.

This time, the Qingyang Royal Mansion had dispatched two Limit Realm experts and nearly a hundred Royal Mansion attendants to Lianbo City. The overall leader of the team was Shen Qianzhong, the personal guard commander. However, along the way, Xiao Cheng, who was also in the Limit Realm, had been discontent and caused a lot of trouble.

Shen Qianzhong didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so he had ignored him, but he didn't expect the other party to become increasingly arrogant, seemingly taking advantage of his patience.

“You and I are both in the Limit Realm. Don’t think that just because you’re the leader this time, you can order me around,” Xiao Cheng snorted, unimpressed.

Considering the Qingyang Royal Mansion’s reputation, Shen Qianzhong had originally not wanted to react, but upon hearing these words and seeing the other party’s arrogant attitude, his grim face burned with even greater anger, and veins popped out on his forehead.

Just as he was about to say something, a series of neighs suddenly came from the warhorses. It seemed as if something terrifying was approaching, as they became restless and agitated, snorting turbid Qi from their nostrils and stomping and shaking frequently.

Ouch!

A scream rang out as a Martial Artist who hadn't followed orders accidentally fell directly from his horse. His hand, still clutching the reins, yanked sharply, and the warhorse, as if startled, suddenly reared its front hooves. If the Martial Artist hadn't reacted in time and narrowly dodged the descending hooves, that kick would have at least left him severely injured.

With terror in his eyes, he quickly got up, ignoring everything else, and swiftly moved away from the agitated horses.

Several others also fell from their horses, and even Xiao Cheng, who was leading, found it difficult to steady his warhorse. Helpless, he could only tumble off his warhorse in a rather disheveled manner.

“This…” All the warhorses were startled; this scene truly caught everyone by surprise.

It was known that these warhorses were carefully bred by the Qingyang Royal Mansion, and each possessed a trace of Demonic Bloodline.

Looking at the panicked and bewildered warhorses at this moment, a thought suddenly popped into Shen Qianzhong's mind: could it be that some more powerful Demonic Qi had startled these warhorses?

Suddenly, feeling a whistling sound from afar, he subconsciously turned his head and saw a dark shadow suddenly descend.

The first thing that caught his eye was a massive Demon Head. It was, after all, a Dao Realm Demon. Although only one head was brought back by Lu Ming, the fierce Demonic Qi it emitted was enough to make everyone feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

“Lu… Lu Ming!” Shen Qianzhong noticed the figure descending with the Demon Head, and his taut body finally relaxed.

Looking back, many people had retreated, their stance extremely tense.

Seeing the group gathered in front of the city gate, and then seeing Shen Qianzhong, Lu Ming knew that the personnel dispatched by the Qingyang Royal Mansion had arrived.

“Uncle Zhao, that Golden-Winged Roc has been slain by me. Arrange for a few people to hang up this Demon Head,” Lu Ming said.

Zhao Bufan only then reacted from his shock. Looking at the bloody Demon Head, he quickly nodded.

Afterward, Lu Ming's gaze finally turned to Shen Qianzhong.

“Brother Shen, I trouble you all, after settling into Lianbo City, to first communicate with my subordinates to determine the scope of each of your defenses,” Lu Ming said softly.

Shen Qianzhong showed a hint of embarrassment, as if he had something to say, looking hesitant.

Xiao Cheng, who was startled nearby, seeing this familiar face, seemed to recall the humiliation he suffered on Qingfeng Mountain back then.

However, under the deterrence of that blood-stained Dao Realm Demon Head, he dared not act rashly at this moment.

“We are not your subordinates, and the Qingyang Royal Mansion is not something your Demon Suppression Division can easily command,” Xiao Cheng said in a sarcastic tone.

“Cough, cough, Brother Lu, without Prince Qingyang’s instructions, we regretfully cannot comply,” Shen Qianzhong was much more tactful, after all, the other party had come to his rescue when he was being chased.

Lu Ming showed a look of understanding. He then displayed the token Luo Hongzhuang had given him earlier.

“Can you now?” Lu Ming said indifferently.

“It’s the Princess’s Token!” Shen Qianzhong looked shocked. He knew that Lu Ming and the Young Miss had an unusual relationship, but upon seeing this Princess’s Token, he realized that their relationship far exceeded his expectations.

Not to mention Shen Qianzhong, even the others showed surprised expressions. This Princess’s Token could not be faked, and furthermore, it contained a trace of Luo Hongzhuang's Qi. As Martial Artists under the Qingyang Royal Mansion, they naturally recognized it.

“Your subordinate Shen Qianzhong greets Lord Lu.” Seeing the Princess’s Token, Shen Qianzhong naturally had no reason to hesitate. He said in a deep voice, cupping his fists.

The rest of his subordinates also bowed in salute. Xiao Cheng, who was at the back, still seemed unable to accept all of this. His mouth twitched slightly, and he lowered his head to conceal his slightly ferocious expression.