83: Let's discuss Mr. Xie's handling of the situation in Chapter 83.

Qingzhou Prefectural Yamen

The main hall was in complete disarray.

Sect Master Shen Du sat on the right side of the long desk, the cuffs of his Sect Master robes still dusted with frost and dirt from his rush back from the Far North.

He had originally planned to travel abroad for ten years, but plans could never keep up with changes. An urgent message from Zuo Ciyuan pulled him back abruptly from the edge of Hyperborea. The message contained only a single sentence:

"Your Sect's Xie Feng summoned an Outer God in Ranhuo City. Return quickly." (Not the Outer Gods of Cthulhu, but gods from outside.)

Lv Xu, the Sect Master of Tianque Sect, sat opposite him with a face looking as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

Beside him sat two imperial officials wearing dark black Dragon robes; the Vice Ministers of both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice had arrived.

The Prefect of Qingzhou Prefecture sat below, constantly wiping sweat with his sleeves, while representatives from various major Sects were lined up on both sides all the way to the entrance of the main hall.

The faction advocating for execution was led by Lv Xu of Tianque Sect. The monsters Xie Feng summoned in Ranhuo City were simply too appalling; such a threat had to be completely eradicated right now, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

The faction advocating for a Seal was led by Grand Cultivator Helan Yan of Ziping Cave. This man harbored multiple malicious entities; he could not be killed rashly. If killing him caused those imprints to go out of control, who would take responsibility? He ought to be permanently sealed deep underground to eliminate future troubles once and for all.

The faction advocating for assimilation was represented by the imperial Ministry of War. Since Xie Feng could summon those existences, it meant he had a way to control or communicate with them. He should be enlisted into the ranks of imperial enforcers to serve the court. That way, they would have a means to analyze things like "malice" that Cultivators did not understand.

Only Qingyun Sect advocated for innocence. Sect Master Shen Du spread a scroll of silk paper on the table, which was filled with intelligence reports submitted by Xie Feng during the Cangyun City and Ranhuo City incidents.

"This person did not actively summon them from the start; Xie Feng was targeted by these things. He saved the entire city's population in Cangyun City, and in Ranhuo City, he held off the fire anomaly fragment for at least an hour."

Qingyun Sect did not believe its Disciple was guilty.

Arguments echoed alongside flying teacups. High-level Cultivators usually had excellent self-control and rarely acted like this, but Xie Feng was far too unique. It was as if everyone else was building their physical fitness through exercise, while Xie Feng was a child holding an AK-47 who might fire wildly at any moment.

Lv Xu pointed at the four characters for "Cthugha" and demanded to know what level of forbidden art this was from Sect Master Shen Du, to which Sect Master Shen Du replied that it was something Tianque Sect itself had sealed six hundred years ago. When the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War tried to change the subject, he was shut down by the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

The Qingzhou Prefect's sleeves were already soaked from wiping sweat.

"If this kid isn't killed, the public rage will not be appeased! To accept such a dangerous Cultivator, I see Qingyun Sect truly has no successors left." Lv Xu flicked his sleeves, his fingers tapping continuously on the tabletop. Tianque Sect, which had always advocated using anomalies, was ironically pushing for execution this time.

"Nonsense! It was precisely this kid who protected the vast majority of the people in Ranhuo City. As for the deaths of Cultivators, that was caused by the so-called Cthugha, which has now disappeared, hasn't it? It would be best to place Xie Feng under imperial supervision." The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War shook his head and waved his hand dismissively at Lv Xu.

"Impossible. This person is far too dangerous. To be safe, a Seal is the best course of action." Grand Cultivator Helan Yan interrupted the Ministry of War representative. In his eyes, Xie Feng could casually summon that powerfully formidable headless corpse; he was simply an unruly and dangerous figure.

"Without Xie Feng, your Ranhuo City would have turned into a festering ulcer of Qingzhou long ago! How do you have the nerve to advocate killing a Disciple of my Sect? You truly have no shame!" Sect Master Shen Du held nothing back. Right now, it was roughly a two-against-two split, two hardline factions and two conciliatory ones. He naturally had to stand firmly by his own person.

Meanwhile, the person at the center of it all, Xie Feng, was currently sitting in the room of Governor of Qingzhou Zuo Ciyuan, drinking tea.

Xie Feng sat by the low desk near the window, his cold crystal blind staff resting against his leg. He had changed into a spare set of Qingyun Sect robes; his dark green skin and the Cthugha imprint on his chest were both concealed beneath the fabric.

Zuo Ciyuan sat opposite him, the sleeves of his black gown draped over his knees, holding an utterly ordinary white porcelain teacup in his hand. Outside the window, the argument in the main hall was faintly audible, with Lv Xu's voice sounding particularly clear.

Zuo Ciyuan's expression remained completely unperturbed, as if he heard nothing at all.

Xie Feng raised his cup, took a sip, and his Adam's apple bobbed. He set the cup back on the low table. He tried to organize his thoughts several times, but they kept falling apart. In the end, he uttered only one sentence: "Thank you for saving my life, Senior."

Zuo Ciyuan did not look at him. The Ninth Realm Cultivator's gaze rested on the branches of the old locust tree outside the window: "Those things on you... if you stayed in Ranhuo City, you would die. Bringing them back here, you will also die. Do you know what those people outside are arguing about right now?"

"I know," Xie Feng answered truthfully.

"Are you afraid?"

"It would be a lie to say I'm not," Xie Feng paused before continuing, "but being afraid is useless. Being afraid won't stop them from looking for me. Once the fear passes, I still have to solve the problem."

Zuo Ciyuan remained silent for a breath before setting his teacup on the low table. "I have investigated your matters. You were not looking for trouble; trouble came looking for you. Shen Du said you are an otherworldly visitor, but whether you are from beyond this world or not is none of my concern. However, you recognize those things—every single one of them."

Zuo Ciyuan turned his head, his eyes extremely deep and calm. "I need to know why you recognize them."

Xie Feng rotated the teacup twice in his palm: "Has Senior heard of the places beyond the Far North? Not the Far North of the Nine Provinces, but further north. That is Hyperborea, a world independent of the Nine Provinces. There, I read many books that do not belong here. What is forbidden in the Nine Provinces was merely history there. Every entity I recognize is something I read about before. I never wanted to summon them; I have been running from them for a long time, but I couldn't escape."

Although he saved my life, he might not necessarily be on my side. He is the Governor of Qingzhou, after all, and I exploded with strange secrets on his turf. If I lay all my cards on the table and he decides to kill me after hearing all this Lovecraftian knowledge, wouldn't everything be ruined?

So Xie Feng exercised caution, revealing a little information while keeping it vague.

He then introduced a few simple concepts, such as Outer Gods, Great Old Ones, and the names of the imprints on his body.

Zuo Ciyuan picked up his cup again: "There is no need to tell another soul about these matters. As for the things on you now—the Outer Gods, the Great Old Ones, including that Nightgaunt—I won't ask why you have them. I will only ask you one thing: can you still control them?"

How the hell should I know?

"Yes. But it will take time," Xie Feng lied through his teeth.

Zuo Ciyuan offered a slight smile and did not press further.

The two shared a smile. Xie Feng knew this old fogey certainly didn't have good intentions—otherwise he wouldn't have exposed him in front of so many people—while Zuo Ciyuan was silently calculating in his mind.

"One day. In one day, I will give you an answer. If the people outside want to kill you, Seal you, or enlist you into the imperial enforcers, I won't agree. You are a Disciple of Qingyun Sect, not a prisoner of the imperial family, nor a bargaining chip for the various Sects. But you must do one thing for me, and we'll consider it your repayment for saving your life."

Zuo Ciyuan took a sip of tea.

"The thing inside the Third Princess—you must identify it for her. Although the deal between the two of you is likely off now that the so-called 'Master Huo' has departed, this is my requirement. What do you think?"

Xie Feng did not decline. "I will identify it. I'll identify as much as I can. For what I can't identify, I'll consult ancient texts. If I still can't identify it after consulting texts, I'll ask Sect Master Shen and Elder Wen."

However, if Xie Feng couldn't identify it, then eight or nine times out of ten, it had nothing to do with Cthulhu mythos anyway.

Zuo Ciyuan nodded. He stood up, his black gown falling to his feet. Stopping at the doorway, he asked without turning back, "Will that green color fade in the future?"

Xie Feng froze for a moment. "I don't know."

Zuo Ciyuan said no more and pushed the door open to leave. The shouting from the main hall fell silent the moment he stepped over the threshold, followed by the sound of chairs shifting and the rustle of clothes as everyone stood up simultaneously.

Xie Feng sat by the window and finished the last sip of tea in his cup.

The tea had gone cold. There was still one day left. One day later, regardless of what answer Zuo Ciyuan gave him, he would have to go back and face a room full of people who wanted to kill him, Seal him, or use him.

And right now, the thing he wanted to do most was drink another cup of tea.

This tea was really good.