45: Chapter 45 Fang Beile, the Invincible Eighth-Rank Person of the Jin Kingdom

City Lord Liu had a deep connection with Qianqiu Mountain; in his youth, he had cultivated there.

City Lord Liu still showed enough respect to the Senior Sister of this generation from Qianqiu Mountain.

Even though she was a junior, City Lord Liu had made time to see her.

Upon meeting, City Lord Liu began with some pleasantries.

However, this Ruan Xingqiao was not very tactful.

Or rather, when it came to matters involving Meng Guidu, Ruan Xingqiao was not easy to communicate with.

Facing City Lord Liu, she even displayed a bit of assertiveness.

Seeing this, City Lord Liu's expression became somewhat impatient.

"Xingqiao, it is impossible for our Yingyang Pass Military Camp to hand over a soldier just for a traitor. Taking a step back, even if he were related to Meng Guidu's death, so what? If I, as the City Lord, hand him over, what authority would I have left in the army?"

Seeing that she couldn't reason with him, Ruan Xingqiao hesitated before taking her leave for the time being.

It was just past noon on the second day.

Ruan Xingqiao came to the City Lord's mansion once again, and this time, she brought a middle-aged woman with her.

City Lord Liu originally did not want to see her, but upon hearing the name Yu Jin, he immediately had someone arrange a meeting.

The three met in the reception hall, and upon seeing City Lord Liu, Yu Jin hurriedly greeted him with a smile.

"Senior Brother, you have been stationed at the border for many years, guarding the region for the citizens; this spirit is admirable. Fortunately, the wind and frost have not marred your handsome appearance. You still look like you did back then."

Yu Jin was truly good with words; with just a few sentences, she had City Lord Liu beaming with smiles.

"Junior Sister, stop teasing me. I know full well what this old face of mine has become."

City Lord Liu replied with a smile, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Ruan Xingqiao at the side.

At this moment, Yu Jin began to explain her relationship with Ruan Xingqiao.

She was Ruan Xingqiao's aunt; in other words, Ruan Xingqiao's mother was her older sister.

"Oh, oh, so in that case, is Elder Yu this child's maternal grandfather?"

Yu Jin nodded helplessly.

After a few more pleasantries, she began to discuss the real matter for which they had come to seek help.

"Senior Brother, I know that you are in a very difficult position. But this child, Xingqiao, has been greatly affected during this time. They say that while heaven is ruthless, people have feelings; Meng Guidu did indeed commit unforgivable acts. But in the end, there was some camaraderie between them as fellow disciples. She just wants to get to the bottom of things and understand what exactly happened that day. This child has been worried about this matter, and her own cultivation has been affected..."

Hearing Yu Jin's words, City Lord Liu was still somewhat hesitant.

Seeing this, Yu Jin continued to explain: "Xingqiao, like Weihe, is a young person whom Qianqiu Mountain is fully cultivating in this generation. Her state of mind has already been affected by this matter. If these young people are affected, it is a loss for Qianqiu Mountain, and even more so for our Da Shun! Senior Brother, is it worth it to let Da Shun suffer a loss for the sake of a minor corpse-collecting soldier?"

Yu Jin raised the stakes of this matter directly.

In her words, this matter concerned the interests of Da Shun.

"Senior Brother, I know that I generally do not ask others for favors, but please, let this matter slide. As long as that child named Li Yuan confesses honestly, we will not make things difficult for him."

When Yu Jin said this, Ruan Xingqiao wanted to retort and add something.

She harbored hatred toward Li Yuan, and Meng Guidu's death was definitely related to him. Furthermore, Li Yuan resembled Meng Guidu in some ways. After asking for the information she wanted, she was unwilling to let Li Yuan live. In her eyes, Meng Guidu was unique. How could she tolerate someone imitating him like this and continuing to live?

But Yu Jin did not let her speak.

At a time like this, revealing the truth would only make things more difficult for City Lord Liu. After capturing Li Yuan, she could do whatever she wanted; she could just act first and report later. She should not throw such a difficult problem out at this moment.

"Junior Sister..." City Lord Liu frowned, looking as if he still wanted to refuse.

But at this moment, Yu Jin rushed to speak again: "Senior Brother, we will not make things difficult for you. Just pretend you don't know about this matter; we will find a way to find that soldier ourselves. Coming to see you is more out of my respect for you. I would not dare to act recklessly in matters concerning you."

With Yu Jin speaking to this extent, City Lord Liu ultimately acquiesced.

His precious son was still cultivating at Qianqiu Mountain. Since others were asking him for a favor, didn't he need Yu Jin to help take care of his son?

What was quite unexpected was that he had not anticipated Ruan Xingqiao's identity. City Lord Liu only learned today that Ruan Xingqiao was actually Elder Yu's granddaughter.

This matter was settled in the tacit understanding between the two.

A small character, even if they completed their task very well, was merely a bargaining chip in the eyes of those in power. Although City Lord Liu was unwilling, his final choice was to abandon Li Yuan...

At this moment, Li Yuan was still waiting and resting in that secluded spot. Waiting for Prince Fang, that Eighth-Grade Martial Artist who was invincible in the Jin Kingdom, to arrive.

Outside the borders of the Jin Kingdom, a camp was set up in the mountains and forests. This camp was the Xuanmi Camp at the border of the Jin Kingdom's Yingyang Pass.

The Xuanmi Camp was directly under the jurisdiction of the Jin Kingdom's imperial court and did not have much contact with the Military Camps at the border. In normal times, the Xuanmi Camp was responsible for supervising the border troops. If the troops showed any tendency toward mutiny or rebellion, they would immediately report it to the imperial court.

In special times, such as the present, when the army encountered big trouble and even an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist had perished, the Xuanmi Camp, after discussion by the imperial court, decided to send out a powerful expert to stop the trend from continuing to expand.

"Prince, the Yi-rank squad sent out has all perished. However, Yi-rank Number One ignited the Divine Flame before dying. We will definitely be able to track the whereabouts of the person who attacked."

Hearing the report from his subordinate, this Prince Fang nodded slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he asked a question: "Do you think this person who attacked is that mysterious expert from the Shun Kingdom?"

The Xuanmi Camp was full of elites. But hearing this question, they still did not dare to be certain and couldn't help but shake their heads.

Hearing this, Prince Fang stood up from his chair. He stretched his limbs.

"Since we can't figure it out, I will go and see for myself. Regardless of whether it is that mysterious expert or not, they are certainly not on the side of our Jin Kingdom."

Having said this, Prince Fang set off with his men.

Being marked by the Jin Kingdom's Divine Flame gave them a basis for tracking. Using a Magic Treasure specially made by the Jin Kingdom, they could clearly see the path taken after being stained with the Divine Flame.

This Prince Fang had a casual and laid-back expression on his face.

Within the Jin Kingdom, the number of Eighth-Grade Martial Artists who had fought him exceeded one hundred. In over a hundred battles, Prince Fang had never been defeated. In fact, every victory was a crushing one. In the Jin Kingdom, he was even known as the gatekeeper before the Ninth Grade. To surpass Prince Fang was to surely enter the Ninth Grade. Among the Eighth Grade, he was invincible. Inside the Jin Kingdom, there were countless people full of anticipation for Prince Fang. They looked forward to the day he could enter the Ninth Grade. If someone so invincible in the Eighth-Grade Realm were to enter the Ninth Grade, what kind of level would that be?