122: Chapter 122 Murong Nan's Recruitment

The City Lord's Mansion in Linyuan City.

The main building, which had been smashed to pieces, had undergone a brief renovation, barely managing to restore a hint of its former grandeur.

Murong Nan had specially arranged for a table of decent food and drinks to be prepared.

He was preparing to play a major move!

After this battle, the position of City Lord of Linyuan City would most likely fall to him.

But with town checkpoints to rebuild internally and the Nether race eyeing them like tigers from the outside...

Murong Nan had no capable subordinates; he was panicking!

The dishes on the table weren't complex—a few plates of Yao Beast meat paired with several jugs of strong liquor—but during this period where everything was waiting to be rebuilt, it was already a high-standard spread.

Murong Nan sat in the seat of honor but didn't touch his chopsticks; his rugged face was practically screaming the words, "I have a favor to ask."

He looked at Bai Qiuyue opposite him, then at the upright Zhao Qingge, and finally let his gaze fall on Lu Ming, who was trying his best to lower his presence. He rubbed his hands together and gave a dry chuckle.

"Director Bai, Sister Zhao, your old Murong is a blunt man, so I won't beat around the bush."

Murong Nan picked up the wine jug, filled the cups for the three of them first, and lowered his voice.

"Linyuan City is a mess right now. Although the City Lord position is tempting, I'm just a soldier who fights wars; I'm really no good at reconstruction or managing internal affairs.

Not to mention those Nether race bastards outside—there's no telling when they might make a comeback."

Bai Qiuyue picked up her wine cup, her fingertips lightly stroking the rim, her eyes clear. "Is General Murong looking to transfer people from the Night Watch Division?"

"The one who knows me best is Director Bai!"

Murong Nan slapped his thigh hard and grinned.

"But for these people, I don't want any common riffraff. What I want is the kind of... ruthless person who can charge through the Black Abyss seven times over and still hold down the fort."

At this point, Murong Nan's burning gaze locked directly onto Lu Ming.

"Brother Lu, I've heard all about the big things you did in the Black Abyss. I often tell the brothers under me that I admire heroic youths like you the most."

"Come, come, I'll drain this cup first, you all do as you please!"

Murong Nan tilted his head back and downed the spicy shaojiu in one go, wiped the wine stains from his beard, and a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.

"Brother Lu, Linyuan City is starting from scratch. Although the Nether race has retreated, the people's hearts aren't stable yet. If a young hero like you could stay and take a post, if nothing else, at least the citizens of this city could sleep soundly!"

Murong Nan finally showed his fox tail; the intent to recruit in his tone was no longer hidden.

Bai Qiuyue's heart tightened. "Is this brat some kind of incubus? Why is someone trying to snatch him everywhere he goes!"

She first glanced at the innocent-looking Lu Ming, and her embroidered shoe under the table ground down neither lightly nor heavily on his foot, as if warning him not to speak out of turn. Then, she slowly set down her wine cup and looked at Murong Nan.

"General Murong, trying to poach someone right from under the Night Watch Division's nose isn't very honorable."

A faint smile hung on the corner of Bai Qiuyue's mouth, but her tone carried an unquestionable decisiveness. "Lu Ming bears heavy responsibilities; the Magic City headquarters has even more important cases waiting for him to hand over.

Moreover, while helping me escape the Black Abyss, his Divine Soul was tainted by some evil Qi and urgently needs to return to headquarters to be treated with secret methods. Staying in a place of slaughter like Linyuan City might damage his Foundation."

"Oh, what's the problem with that! I have plenty of nourishing Yao Cores here!" Murong Nan waved his hand and shouted, clearly unwilling to give up.

Zhao Qingge, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. She picked up her wine cup, but her gaze scraped across Lu Ming's face like a knife.

"My brat is very weak; your Yao Cores won't be able to fix him."

"Weak?" Murong Nan was stunned, scratching the back of his head. "That can't be right. I saw his footwork when he entered the city just now; it was very steady."

Zhao Qingge sneered, looking at Bai Qiuyue with pointed meaning.

"That's just a front. Some losses are invisible—for instance, having one's Origin forcibly taken by some Essence Spirit in the Black Abyss; that's an injury that goes straight to the bone."

As soon as these words came out, Bai Qiuyue guiltily stole a glance at Zhao Qingge.

After all, having slept with her best friend's niece's fiancé, she couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.

Meanwhile, the pink-haired loli Luo Keke, who was buried in her meal and frantically stuffing Yao Beast meat into her mouth, suddenly froze.

She swallowed the meat in her mouth with difficulty, her large blue eyes widening.

Her gaze moved back and forth between the three faces, finally fixing on Lu Ming.

It was as if she had discovered a new world; a successful smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

The atmosphere at the table instantly became somewhat tense.

"Alright, General Murong."

Fearing Zhao Qingge might say something else earth-shattering, Bai Qiuyue hurried to smooth things over.

"As for the city defense construction of Linyuan City, the Night Watch Division will allocate a group of specialized Talisman Formation Masters to provide support. As for Lu Ming, he must return to Magic City with me."

"Sigh, since both sisters are unwilling to part with him, then I shouldn't take what others cherish." Murong Nan sighed with regret, then leaned in sneakily.

"However, even if I can't take the person, helping with a small favor should be fine, right?"

Saying this, Murong Nan dismissed the guards and personally set up several Formations at the door to block detection. His stubble-covered face was filled with unprecedented gravity.

"Director Bai, Director Zhao, and little brother Lu Ming, look at this."

Murong Nan took out several blue bricks he had picked up from the city wall.

Each blue brick was engraved with ancient and mysterious runes.

The runes on them were dim and lightless, but in the gaps between the runes, a strand of extremely thin, purple-gold, unusual Spiritual Qi was wandering.

Bai Qiuyue and Zhao Qingge took just one look, and their bodies swayed imperceptibly.

"The City Protection Array wasn't activated!"

Murong Nan's expression was grave as he pointed at the strand of purple-gold Spiritual Qi. "Correct, this is precisely the strangest part! Although the city walls were destroyed by the Nether race, the Dao Rhyme within the City Protection Array remains intact."

"This means that when the Nether race army pressed upon the borders, Linyuan City's defensive shield didn't even light up once."

He looked up, scanned everyone, and his tone was terrifyingly dark. "To be able to tamper with this 'Four Symbols Demon-Sealing Array' to make it look paralyzed on the outside while actually operating self-consistently on the inside—only four people in the world can do that."

"You mean..."

Bai Qiuyue's eyes narrowed. Her gentle aura instantly vanished, replaced by the sharpness of a Director.

"Exactly." Murong Nan nodded heavily.

"Unless one of them is a mole who used their authority to interfere with the manifestation of the array, this 'half-dead' state is simply inexplicable."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the secret room became heavy to the extreme.

There's a ghost in the house!

...