71: Chapter 71 Remember to Think of the Consequences Before You Boast

Xie Feng lay in the inn for two days, as Elder Qin told him to rest.

The matter of the forbidden art had been reported upward, and the evacuation plan had begun to be implemented; the Third Princess's flying boat and the Tianque Sect's transport flying boats were carrying the city's commoners out trip after trip.

The furnaces in the blacksmith shops went out one by one, and the clanging sounds of forging on the streets became sparser day by day.

The innkeeper had also left, but before leaving, he shoved the kitchen key into Tu Ziguan's hands, saying that there was still half a basket of sesame flatbreads left on the stove for them to heat up themselves.

Tu Ziguan was so moved that he almost knelt and kowtowed to him.

"Brother Feng, do you think this counts as a blessing in disguise? Half a basket of sesame flatbreads is enough for me to eat until the evacuation ends."

Tu Ziguan broke off a piece and handed it to Xie Feng.

Things were still going quite well until the fourth day, when waves of spiritual power fluctuations came from the sky.

Dense figures pressed over from the direction of the eastern city wall.

Xie Feng's spiritual awareness spread out, and the first Cultivator he touched was in the Fifth Realm.

The second was also in the Fifth Realm.

The third was in the Sixth Realm.

Without scanning for a fourth, Xie Feng propped his blind cane against the ground, stood up, and pushed open the door.

Tu Ziguan was already in the corridor.

He was pinching half a cold sesame flatbread in his hand, his mouth hanging open, and bread crumbs had fallen all over his lapel.

"Brother Feng. Fifth Realm. Six. No, seven. Another Sixth Realm is coming from over there!"

Mo Tang poked half her body out of her room, her hair as messy as a bird's nest, the charcoal ash on her face still unwashed, clutching half a rune detection board in her hand; she took one look and shrank back inside.

"How many people came?" Tu Ziguan asked.

"They're all major Cultivators." Even Gu Jian was a bit excited; such a scene was rarely seen.

Xie Feng's spiritual awareness was still spreading toward the city gate.

Flying boats landed one after another: the dark black imperial flying boat, the dark brown Tianque Sect flying boat, and the green-curtained wooden-shelled Qingyun Sect flying boat.

The Cultivators leaping down from the gunwales wore casual clothes of different colors—dark brown, dark black, and dark gray—but their cultivations were all above the Fourth Realm, with Fifth Realm Cultivators running amok everywhere.

The Tianque Sect's Artifact Hall, Penal Hall, and Merit Transmission Hall—everyone above the rank of steward had come.

The Imperial Guards commander of the royal family had come, and the imperial court's honored guests had also come.

Aside from Qin Tianzong, the Qingyun Sect had sent another Sixth Realm deacon surnamed Sun; Xie Feng had seen this name on Penal Hall dispatches.

Outside the main hall, a line had already formed spontaneously.

Those in the Fourth Realm stood towards the outside, those in the Fifth Realm squeezed inward, and only those in the Sixth Realm entered the main hall.

Unless they were professional repair personnel, anyone below the Fourth Realm had to stand outside and catch the wind.

When Xie Feng walked to the entrance of the main hall leaning on his blind cane, everyone outside looked at him.

Xie Feng tapped his blind cane against the ground: "Pardon me, show some care for the disabled and make way."

Qin Tianzong stood in front of the forging platform with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, talking with several Elders of the Tianque Sect.

The Third Princess stood at the head of the long table with her back straight.

Next to her stood an old man Xie Feng had never seen before, wearing a dark black robe with dark red fire patterns inlaid at the cuffs instead of gold borders, and his spiritual power fluctuations were as deep as an ancient well of a hundred years.

The Centurion to the side had already stepped back.

Beside the Third Princess was an Imperial Guards commander, estimated to be at least in the Seventh Realm.

Elder Han stood opposite, followed by several Tianque Sect Elders, their expressions gloomier than the last.

When Xie Feng walked into the main hall leaning on his blind cane, the gazes of all the high-level Cultivators in the main hall turned toward him simultaneously.

He felt like a winter melon in a vegetable market being surrounded and pinched by a group of aunties.

Fourth Realm, Fifth Realm, Sixth Realm, Seventh Realm—dozens of spiritual awareness scans swept over him simultaneously, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

Walking beside Qin Tianzong, Elder Qin turned his head to look at him, the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly in an expression that wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it.

"Weren't you quite daring at the meeting before?" Qin Tianzong lowered his voice, "Slamming tables with Elder Han and bargaining with the Third Princess, how come your shoulders are shrinking in now?"

"Elder Qin." Xie Feng slammed his blind cane against the ground, his voice dropping even lower than the other's, "Last time there were only our three parties below. Now outside is a dark sea of heads; just look at how many people are standing in this main hall? They're all Elders and deacons. That Sixth Realm person next to me has looked at me three times, with a gaze like a blacksmith appraising scrap metal. I'm a bit scared."

People are just like that; of course they wouldn't think so much when bragging, but whether they regret it afterward is a completely different matter.

"You coward!" Qin Tianzong tightly pressed down the corners of his mouth: "You've only just realized how important Ranhuo City is?"

"Half the province's Artifact Refining raw materials come out of this city. Half of the Directorate of Military Weapons' annual quota of copper ingots relies on Ranhuo City. This isn't just a matter of one city."

"If Ranhuo City stops, the military equipment supply of the surrounding prefectures will all be cut off."

"The imperial court's bottom line is that the supply of copper ingots cannot be cut off; if the Tianque Sect cannot deliver the goods, another Sect must fill this hole."

"But now the matter of the forbidden art has been poked upward, and the imperial court and royal family are not here to discuss whether to withdraw—they are here to ensure that Ranhuo City definitely cannot blow up."

"Damn it!"

In the center of the main hall, the Third Princess placed a jade plaque on the long table.

The surface of the jade plaque was carved with the Zhou royal family's Phoenix emblem, with extremely fine golden runes embedded in the grooves.

"The royal honored guests have arrived in full today. The Directorate of Military Weapons, the Ministry of War, and the Imperial Guards commander will coordinate and dispatch. The Tianque Sect's Artifact Hall is responsible for the final confirmation of the Seal reinforcement plan. The Qingyun Sect is responsible for perimeter vigilance and forbidden art monitoring."

As she said this, her gaze turned to Xie Feng, pausing for a moment.

"Forbidden art monitoring shall be guided by Qingyun Sect Disciple Xie Feng. All personnel entering the bottom layer of the Seal shall follow the guide's route instructions."

Her royal sister-like voice suppressed a tone that allowed no one to ask any further questions.

All the gazes present converged on Xie Feng, who was merely in the First Realm.

Damn it!!!

Before Xie Feng had time to speak, a Tianque Sect Elder wearing a dark brown robe stepped forward.

"Your Highness. Forgive this old man for speaking bluntly. This child only has First Realm cultivation. Entrusting such a vital forbidden art path to an Inner Sect Disciple of the Qingyun Sect..."

"Entrusting it to him is this palace's decision." The Third Princess didn't let him finish, "Your Sect's Elder Han has worked with Xie Feng in the upper layer of the Seal. He delayed the fiery uncanny fragments in the dome for well over an hour."

"Which of you present can determine that the essence of the earthly fire anomaly is not uncanny? Which of you can rely solely on your own strength to attract all the earthly fire's attention when the city-sealing grand array lights up? This palace only wants results, not cultivation."

After speaking, she pressed her hand against the edge of the table and began spreading out the map without even raising her head.

That Tianque Sect Elder stopped speaking and retreated.

Xie Feng felt his teeth starting to ache faintly again; it seemed as though he had stepped one foot into a whirlpool whose scale he couldn't even describe.

Elder Qin's mouth corners were twitching so hard next to him that he could barely suppress them; this major Cultivator hadn't smiled much since arriving in Ranhuo City, but now he was happy to watch the excitement without fear of it being too big.

Tu Ziguan had slipped behind Xie Feng at some point, leaning over and lowering his voice: "Brother Feng, you've been used as a signboard for someone again. This time it's even officially certified by the royal family."

"Go eat your flatbread, okay?"

"I brought it, I brought it." Tu Ziguan patted his backpack, "I even saved half a cold piece for you."

Xie Feng tapped his blind cane against the top of Tu Ziguan's foot, and Tu Ziguan let out an "ow" and jumped away.

The commotion was too big, and a few Imperial Guards turned their heads to look.

Gu Jian leaned against a pillar, the corners of that stone-like face twitching ever so slightly.

Mo Tang squatted in a corner clutching her wooden box, her shoulders shaking rhythmically.

Qin Tianzong looked at him and let out a laugh.

"Alright, prepare to set out. Today, lead people down to the bottom layer of the Seal first to thoroughly inspect the rune structure of the forbidden art, and you take the lead."

Xie Feng gritted his teeth and nodded, lifting his blind cane to walk outside the main hall.

Following behind him was a long string of high-level Cultivators from the Tianque Sect, the royal family, and the Qingyun Sect, marching imposingly toward the direction of the western slope of the mine pit, while Xie Feng felt the heavy spiritual power fluctuations behind his back.

Having a blind man like me act as a tour guide for this kind of elderly tour group—let's just wait to die.