93: Chapter 93 Imperial Edict Arrives

Prefect Yin Wuji, the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture, walked towards the estate gates.

His brow was still furrowed, his mind still revolving around the matters of Guanhai County.

Huang Zu's death—he had to personally drag out that fool who didn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth.

Just as he reached the front courtyard, a sudden rush of horse hooves and chaotic footsteps echoed from outside the gates.

Prefect Yin Wuji paused in his tracks, his brow furrowing even deeper.

Right then, a bailiff scrambled and crawled in from outside the gates, shouting as he ran.

"Your Honor! An imperial decree has arrived! The eunuch delivering the decree is already outside the gates!"

Prefect Yin Wuji's pupils suddenly constricted.

An imperial decree?

At this of all times?

Prefect Yin Wuji's mind raced.

Why would the Emperor of Daqian issue a decree at this moment?

Unable to make sense of it, he continued walking towards the gates.

Since an imperial decree had arrived, there was naturally no reason not to receive it.

The gates swung wide open.

Sunlight poured down, spilling over the bright yellow imperial carriage outside the gates and onto the eunuchs holding the imperial decree.

Behind the eunuchs were the Imperial Guards, riding tall horses with long sabers strapped to their waists.

Prefect Yin Wuji stepped out of the gates and stood on the steps, looking down at the decree-bearing procession.

He did not kneel, but merely bowed his waist slowly and said,

"Your servant, Prefect Yin Wuji, the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture, respectfully welcomes the imperial decree."

As he spoke, Prefect Yin Wuji looked down at the bright yellow scroll, noting the lifelike five-clawed golden dragon embroidered upon it.

Seeing that Prefect Yin Wuji had no intention of kneeling, the eunuch did not reprimand him, but silently began to read the decree.

"By Heaven's mandate, the Emperor decrees:"

"Prefect Yin Wuji, the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture, has been diligent in his public duties since taking office, apprehending bandits and pacifying the populace. His achievements are noteworthy, and We are deeply pleased."

"However, in times when the imperial court requires talent, officials must be deployed according to their abilities so that each may serve to their fullest potential."

"We hereby transfer Prefect Yin Wuji to serve as the Prefect of Anqing Prefecture. He shall set out immediately without delay."

"Respect this."

Prefect Yin Wuji stood there, a look of surprise flashing through his eyes.

Anqing Prefecture?

Of course he knew of Anqing Prefecture; it was half the size of Zhenhai Prefecture.

Transferring him from Zhenhai Prefecture to Anqing Prefecture looked like a lateral move, but was in truth a demotion in disguise.

Prefect Yin Wuji's expression instantly turned incredibly grim.

Having finished reading, the eunuch rolled up the scroll and held it out with both hands, presenting it to Prefect Yin Wuji.

Prefect Yin Wuji stared at the decree suspended before him, but made no move to take it.

"Transferring me to Anqing Prefecture? Then who is taking my place?"

Prefect Yin Wuji's face was filled with a fierce, murderous aura.

The eunuch showed fear upon seeing Prefect Yin Wuji's expression.

He turned his head and glanced behind him.

Outside the gates, a man stepped out from behind the Imperial Guards.

The man wore the official robes of the Daqian Dynasty. His rank patch was embroidered with the same skylark as Prefect Yin Wuji's, and he wore a black gauze cap on his head and a silver belt around his waist.

Conspicuously, the man's right sleeve hung empty at his side. He held his left hand on the hilt of the saber at his waist as he stepped forward.

The man walked up to Prefect Yin Wuji and said in a clear voice,

"I, Qilianshan, have received the imperial decree to take over as the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture."

"From this day forth, all matters of Zhenhai Prefecture shall be handled by me."

Prefect Yin Wuji looked down at Qilianshan before him, his hands hanging at his sides, clenched into fists.

Within the ranks of the Imperial Guards behind the eunuch, a figure quietly poked her head out.

Her helmet was pulled down low, revealing a pair of eyes that darted around.

Her gaze shifted from Prefect Yin Wuji to Qilianshan, and then back from Qilianshan to Prefect Yin Wuji.

The face beneath the helmet belonged to none other than Pei Se, the peak Third-Turn martial artist who had previously gone to Qin Family Village.

She was currently wearing the armor of the Imperial Guards.

The saber at her waist was also a standard-issue Imperial Guard blade.

Her eyes were fixed on Prefect Yin Wuji.

That man, built like a mountain, exuded a pressure that seemed to seep from his very bones.

Even from a dozen paces away, it made her feel somewhat suffocated.

Her eyes shifted back to Qilianshan.

He stood there, half a head shorter than Prefect Yin Wuji, with a slender build, his empty right sleeve fluttering slightly in the wind.

Qilianshan's back was perfectly straight, like an unsheathed saber.

His face was expressionless, his left hand merely gripping the hilt of his saber.

The sunlight fell between them, stretching their shadows long—one broad and thick, the other thin and narrow.

Prefect Yin Wuji lowered his head, his dark red pupils staring at Qilianshan's expressionless face.

"Heh."

A short, cold chuckle rumbled from his throat.

"Appointing a martial artist to be the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture?"

Prefect Yin Wuji shook his head in disdain and continued,

"I would like to see just how long you can hold this post."

Qilianshan did not speak, merely looking up at Prefect Yin Wuji.

There was not a ripple of emotion in his eyes.

Prefect Yin Wuji reached out, grabbed the bright yellow silk scroll, and yanked the decree directly from the eunuch's hands.

The eunuch was nearly pulled off balance, staggering a couple of steps before regaining his footing. His face was as pale as paper, yet he dared not utter a sound.

Prefect Yin Wuji stuffed the imperial decree into his sleeve, placing it together with Huang Zu's shattered jade tablet.

He patted his cuffs, then raised his head to look at the sun in the sky, half-obscured by clouds.

"I will go to Anqing Prefecture. However, before going there, I must make a trip to Guanhai County."

"Some matters must be finished first."

The corners of his mouth stretched open again, revealing a row of forest-white teeth.

With that, Prefect Yin Wuji turned around, bypassed the decree-bearing procession, and walked forward.

"Prefect Yin."

Qilianshan's voice came from behind him.

Prefect Yin Wuji paused in his tracks. He did not turn back, but merely stood there with his back to Qilianshan.

"The imperial decree states that you are to depart immediately to assume your post in Anqing Prefecture."

Qilianshan's voice remained unhurried, as if he were speaking of the most ordinary matter.

"Guanhai County is not on the way."

Prefect Yin Wuji's shoulders shifted slightly.

He slowly turned around, his face devoid of expression.

But his dark red eyes were frighteningly bright, like two burning blazes.

He stared at Qilianshan, staring at that bony left hand resting on the saber's hilt.

He laughed.

It was the kind of laughter that erupted from the depths of his throat when anger reached its absolute peak.

"Hahahahaha—"

The laughter echoed before the estate gates, as terrifying as rolling thunder.

The Imperial Guards outside the gates trembled all over, and the eunuchs slumped onto the ground.

Even the horses neighed, rearing up on their front hooves, trying to break free from their reins.

Only Qilianshan stood there, completely motionless. His face remained expressionless, his hand rested on the hilt of his saber, and his fingertips did not tremble in the slightest.

Prefect Yin Wuji's laughter stopped.

His body began to change.

His height ballooned from eight feet to over ten feet tall. His shoulders became as broad as a door, and his arms grew as thick as tree trunks.

His skin turned from white to green, and then from green to a dark, cold-gleaming teal.

Feathers sprouted from beneath his skin like countless sharp blades piercing outward from within his body, shredding his official robes into tatters that fluttered in the air.

Prefect Yin Wuji's face changed as well, morphing from a rugged-featured human face into an eagle-like face with a hooked beak and eyes as dark red as blood.