7: In the name of righteousness

Aboard the flying boat.

At this moment, Jiang Hongyue was massaging Zhou Yan's shoulders, while two prospective Utility Disciples were brewing tea.

But all of this made Zhou Yan feel incredibly uneasy.

Those two Utility Disciples were originally from noble families and, having Four Spiritual Roots, had naturally been cultivated with great focus.

Although their Body Tempering cultivation was only at the third level, they had already completed the process of Drawing Qi into their bodies and possessed Mana bars; they were just one step away from a Breakthrough to the Qi Refining First Layer.

Not to mention Jiang Hongyue; to reach Foundation Establishment at such a young age, his Spiritual Root talent was at least that of a three-element root, if not a dual-element root Genius.

People of this caliber were individuals whom the commoners and even high-ranking officials of the Hanning Kingdom would only have a chance to see when a great Sect recruited Disciples.

If he were truly a Prodigy, it would be fine, but since his status as a Prodigy was fake, he felt rather guilty.

Jiang Hongyue looked at the somewhat uncomfortable Zhou Yan and assumed he was still worried about the two Families.

This was normal; someone from a small place could hardly imagine the power of a Sect, so they still held a certain level of awe for their Family and country.

By helping him solve it now, even if he didn't get a favor in return, simply making Zhou Yan have a better impression of the Sect would earn Jiang Hongyue plenty of rewards from the Sect.

Just now, he had already sent a message to the capital of the Hanning Kingdom via Sound Transmission; Zhou Yan's matter would soon be resolved.

And so, with no one speaking, the flight passed in a strange atmosphere.

Fortunately, the flying boat was indeed fast; otherwise, Zhou Yan would have suffered quite an ordeal.

They soon reached their destination. Zhou Yan, standing on the deck of the flying boat to get some fresh air, was shocked to see that the boat had landed directly at the entrance of a side hall in the imperial palace.

Then came something even more shocking: as the flying boat descended, groups of people swarmed out of the side hall.

The first group consisted of the Sovereign and the civil and military officials.

The second group included some Foundation Establishment Stage experts whose portraits Zhou Yan had seen, as well as others with extraordinary bearings whom he hadn't seen before.

The third group followed behind everyone else; though he didn't know who they were, they were likely extraordinary as well.

Jiang Hongyue was the first to disembark, using his Mana to guide Zhou Yan down as well. The other two could only rely on their Physical Body cultivation to jump down.

After they disembarked, the Sovereign led the crowd to surround them.

Sovereign: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, why have you arrived so late?"

Jiang Hongyue: "Do I have a habit of arriving early?"

"Let's talk inside the hall, let's talk inside," an official hurriedly smoothed things over, clearing a path and inviting everyone into the hall.

From beginning to end, Jiang Hongyue stayed behind Zhou Yan. After entering the hall, he even invited Zhou Yan to the main seat while he sat on the left.

The Sovereign and the ministers felt a bit awkward for a moment and immediately looked for a topic of conversation.

"I wonder what important matter Fellow Daoist Jiang mentioned wanting to discuss?"

Jiang Hongyue: "You're asking me? This person beside me is my future Inner Sect Senior Brother. He originally hailed from your Hanning Kingdom, which is a blessing for your entire nation."

"Who would have thought that a small Family in your kingdom would dare to practice demonic arts."

"It's one thing to practice demonic arts in secret, but to harm the loyal and righteous as well... How could you let a high-level Prodigy like my Senior Brother see blood?"

"You are simply lawless!" Jiang Hongyue slapped the armrest of his chair, and his Foundation Establishment Aura radiated outward.

At this, everyone was too terrified to move. Although they didn't dare provoke Disciples of top-tier Sects, those Disciples usually wouldn't easily strike them due to the Sect's reputation.

Thus, although Jiang Hongyue was an Outer Sect Disciple, he would usually just talk tough without actually doing anything to them.

But it was different now; the person beside him was a truly well-deserved Prodigy.

This person was from their own country and must have been encountered by Jiang Hongyue during the recent recruitment of new Disciples. What kind of talent must this boy have for Jiang Hongyue to be so respectful and state that he would become an Inner Sect Disciple? They simply couldn't imagine it.

Seeing that the intended effect had been achieved, Jiang Hongyue tossed out a Jade Tablet with pre-recorded information. A minister caught it and, sensing it with his Mana, immediately understood the whole story.

After leaving the Jade Tablet for everyone to pass around, he immediately took out a Communication Talisman to contact someone.

Zhou Yan had seen this kind of talisman before; it was something his original self had seen as a child.

Back then, a Foundation Establishment great demon had come to Nanshan Town. The Zhou Family Old Ancestor had personally taken out a transmission talisman to contact the provincial capital governing Nanshan Town, inviting a Foundation Establishment expert to suppress it before the matter was resolved.

He had heard that one such talisman was worth a thousand gold and was certainly no ordinary item. He hadn't expected the minister to use one so casually.

The talisman soon responded, and a voice came from it.

"This is the Yan City Office."

"Hello, I am the Minister of War from the capital. Connect me to the Prefect of Yan City."

Hearing that the transmission was from a high official in the capital, the person on the other side was startled. They stammered a quick reply and hurried to get the Prefect.

"Lord Minister, how may I be of service?" A deep male voice came from the other side, sounding slightly fawning.

"Service? I'll service your *! Extremely wicked Demonic Path villains have appeared in Nanshan Town under your jurisdiction. I now order you to gather all available forces and immediately arrest the demonic cultivator gangs of the Dong Family and Zhou Family in Nanshan Town."

"If anyone resists, kill them on sight. The relevant documents will be rushed to Nanshan Town after this talisman transmission ends. You must not let a single demonic remnant escape. Once captured, escort them directly to the capital without delay!"

Before the Minister of War could hang up, a large hand snatched the talisman away.

"I am the King of Hanning. Don't wait for any documents; I grant you the authority to act first and report later. My Decree will follow shortly."

Hanging up the talisman, the Sovereign switched to a smiling face and bowed to Zhou Yan.

"Fellow Daoist truly has an extraordinary bearing. It was indeed this humble King's fault for not recognizing you earlier."

"This humble King also did not expect such a wicked incident to occur. It is being handled urgently now, though it will take some time."

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist is willing to rest in the imperial palace for a while? This humble King will certainly give Fellow Daoist an explanation."

Ah?

Just like that... revenge?

A humble Sovereign and a criminal gang about to be arrested—everything seemed right, yet also seemed wrong.

Seeing everyone waiting for him to speak, Zhou Yan couldn't just sit there, so he had to force himself to say a few words.

"Ahem, this, uh, the issue of demonic cultivators is an issue; it must be taken seriously."

"And then, well, prevent demonic cultivator incidents from happening again, right?"

"As for how to prevent them, there needs to be a good contingency plan. With a plan, they can be prevented."

"As for the rest and the banquet, they can be prepared. I will stay for a while and wait for the results."

As soon as Zhou Yan finished speaking, applause immediately broke out in the hall.

"Heavens, is this the breadth of mind of a Prodigy!"

"Such insightful words! Truly, listening to your words is better than reading ten years' worth of books."

"Lord Prodigy, my humble daughter is eighteen this year."

"Old man, get lost! Your daughter looks like she's eighty."

Watching the people before him first applaud passionately, then wave their hands while weeping, and finally even try to introduce him to potential partners, he gained a new understanding of the status of a Prodigy.

"Fellow Daoist, they are putting you on a pedestal, trying to escape their guilt through this absurd behavior."

An ethereal voice reached his ears. Zhou Yan looked to his left; Jiang Hongyue was looking at him, but his mouth wasn't moving.

"Don't worry about them hearing; this is a Sound Transmission Technique. Fellow Daoist, do not worry either—even if you were to punish all of them, even the Sovereign, the Sect would back you up."

"Don't worry about being put on a pedestal by them, and don't underestimate the power of the Sect."

Zhou Yan looked at Jiang Hongyue and then at the people before him, eventually shaking his head at Jiang Hongyue.

The crowd caught a glimpse of this and let out a sigh of relief.