115: Control of Donglin City

In the courtyard, wisteria cascaded like a waterfall, its vines drooping to weave a natural curtain above the bamboo mat.

The bamboo mat exuded a cool chill, dispelling some of the summer heat. The Embroiderer moved with graceful steps, getting up to brew a pot of jasmine tea.

In the celadon cups, petals unfurled and drifted in the swaying tea, their elegant fragrance spreading with the rising steam to linger around everyone's noses.

Liu Xuaner's slender fingers skillfully rolled up the unfinished painting of a lady on the desk. Her fingertips were still stained with wet rouge, looking like a Hong Mei blossoming on the plain white Xuan paper.

She looked up, a trace of worry in her eyes.

“I heard Tu Xiong say the day before yesterday that the city hasn't been peaceful lately. People of unknown origin and impressive Cultivations have appeared in East Lin City.”

Situ Jun's long fingers took the tea cup. He took a small sip, and the sweet fragrance of the tea slid slowly down his throat.

He rubbed the rim of the cup, his gaze sweeping over everyone's serious expressions as he spoke calmly.

“I'll go find him later. It's time his Cultivation reached the Golden Core Stage. That way, I can feel more at ease leaving him here to protect you.”

“Bei Batian is no longer a concern; I will settle that matter properly when I return.”

“The unidentified figures appearing in East Lin City might be related to a Sect. Only a Sect can dispatch people with high cultivation to handle affairs, though I don't understand what business they have...”

Chen Yufei subconsciously clutched his sleeve. Her hands, once pampered and delicate, were now calloused—marks left by time and hardship.

Her voice carried a sense of unease.

“We have to open the shop and welcome customers every day. If we accidentally offend someone...”

Situ Jun saw her worry and gently pulled her into his arms, his voice firm.

“Don't be afraid. I will handle this matter before I leave.”

...The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the wisteria branches, casting dappled shadows and painting a flowing scroll on the ground.

In the breeze, the wisteria trellis swayed gently, the dappled shadows flickering in and out of view.

Situ Jun and Tu Xiong sat opposite each other. The fragrance rising from the tea cups intertwined with the scent of wisteria flowers in the air.

Tu Xiong's voice was low, and his brows were tightly furrowed like a mountain peak of concentrated worry.

“Master, these past few nights, I've felt several auras in the city no weaker than my own, searching for something. But every time I investigate closely, I can't track them.”

Situ Jun nodded slightly, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

“To be able to hide their aura so well that even you can't track them, they are definitely no ordinary characters. Do not let your guard down. From today on, strengthen security, especially when Xuaner and Yufei go out. You must stay by their side at all times.”

Tu Xiong nodded solemnly, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

Situ Jun's gaze was deep as he stared into the distance and spoke softly.

“Your cultivation has already reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. It seems your Aptitude is quite good. Today, I shall help you Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage!”

Hearing this, Tu Xiong's eyes widened. He trembled with excitement and stood up before kneeling with a 'thud'.

“Master...”

Situ Jun gestured for him to rise and casually tossed him a Storage Pouch.

“Inside are the gold condensing pill, Dust-Cleansing Pill, healing medicine, Advanced armor, and other Medicinal Pills and Spirit Medicines to increase the chances of a Breakthrough.”

Tu Xiong's hands shook as he took it, his voice choked with emotion.

“Thank you, Master!”

The man who usually looked full of Evil Qi and extreme ferocity was now filled with gratitude.

“Go and Cultivate. Once you Breakthrough, I can leave East Lin City with peace of mind.”

Situ Jun sighed softly. To help Tu Xiong Breakthrough, he had spent 1,500 heavenly luck value points to exchange for precious spirit plants from the System space.

Meanwhile, at the Northern Border Garrison, Bei Batian welcomed a group of special guests.

In the main hall.

Three figures with Golden Core cultivation were impressively present, making Bei Batian both excited and cautious.

An old man at the Late Golden Core Stage, with an ordinary face but eyes as deep as an abyss, spoke up.

“City Lord Bei, we have come with sincerity this time. As long as your Northern Border Region follows the orders of my Xuan Yin Sect from now on, my Xuan Yin Sect will guarantee you wealth and honor, and help your cultivation Breakthrough to the Late Golden Core Stage.”

Bei Batian looked troubled, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

If he followed the Xuan Yin Sect, neither the Imperial Court nor the Xihua Sect would let him off.

After deliberating for a long time, he finally spoke.

“I am aware of Senior's kind intentions, but this Junior belongs to the Tianqi Dynasty. If I rashly bypass the court to cooperate with Senior and am discovered, I will be severely punished.”

The old man smiled indifferently.

“City Lord Bei need not worry. We have many people in the Tianqi Dynasty as well; nothing will go wrong. Even if the Tianqi Dynasty finds out, would they dare to trouble a City Lord Bei with such powerful cultivation? At most, they would just ask you to leave the Tianqi Dynasty.”

Bei Batian was full of inner conflict. If it were just the Tianqi Dynasty, he wouldn't be too worried, but he had already submitted to Zhuang Xian. If he were to switch to the Xuan Yin Sect now, he couldn't bear the consequences.

But for the sake of increasing his cultivation, he gritted his teeth and said,

“Thank you for your favor, Senior. Please allow this Junior a few days to consider before giving a reply.”

The old man looked deeply at Bei Batian, then laughed loudly after a moment.

“City Lord Bei can take your time to consider. Even if you don't join our Xuan Yin Sect, we still have many areas for cooperation.”

...Late at night, Situ Jun put on night-walking clothes and quietly slipped into East Lin City to search for those with unusual Cultivations.

Under his powerful Late Golden Core Stage Spiritual Sense and with the help of the ‘Eye of Detection’, he actually caught a big fish.

An old man at the Mid Golden Core Stage, hailing from the Xuan Yin Sect.

Situ Jun was just worrying about not having powerful subordinates, and since the person before him was from the Xuan Yin Sect, he forcibly fed him a ‘servitude pill’.

In a great mood, Situ Jun sat down and looked at the old man with a beaming smile.

“Tell me exactly what you are doing here in East Lin City.”

The old man's expression was respectful, his tone low.

“To subdue and win over the Lord of East Lin City, Wang Cheng, to work for our Xuan Yin Sect.”

Situ Jun's expression turned sharp.

“Why choose East Lin City?”

The old man shook his head.

“Not just East Lin City; Sect members have also begun operations in the other three major cities. Master, you must be careful. The Sect has deployed quite a few people this time.”

Situ Jun was startled. If that was the case, Bei Batian might be bought off. Without the suppression of the massive Xihua Sect, he might no longer remain obedient.

After leaving the old man's residence, Situ Jun rushed back with a heavy heart.

The night was deep, and the streets were empty, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing in the silence.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he immediately changed direction, heading toward the residence of Wang Cheng, the Lord of East Lin City.

The East Lin City Lord's Mansion was brightly lit. With his high cultivation, Situ Jun quickly found Wang Cheng, who was frolicking with a concubine.

The concubine was beautiful, her eyes full of flirtatiousness.

Situ Jun's sudden appearance startled the two of them, their faces paling in shock.

Wang Cheng was shocked and furious.

“Who are you? How dare you break into the City Lord's Mansion!”

As he spoke, he tried to take out a sound transmission talisman, only to find it completely unusable.

Situ Jun smiled slightly.

“I have placed a Restriction here. Don't waste your energy.”

Wang Cheng suppressed the fear in his heart.

“Why has Your Excellency come here in the middle of the night? I do not know Your Excellency. Have I offended you in some way?”

Situ Jun shook his head.

“Who I am isn't important. What's important is that from now on, you are my subordinate.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Cheng struck first. A long sword flew out of his Storage Pouch, cold light flashing as it pierced toward Situ Jun's vitals.

Situ Jun quickly drew his sword to parry. Between the flashes of blades, sparks flew everywhere, and a powerful wave of Qi swept up surrounding debris and tiles, sending them flying through the air.

Seeing this, the guards in the mansion were horrified.

“Not good! The Lord is in danger!”

They turned to go and get reinforcements.

In just a few moments, Wang Cheng was defeated by Situ Jun. He collapsed on the ground clutching his chest, his face full of terror.

Situ Jun's expression was icy. He gave him a harsh slap across the face and forcibly fed him a servitude pill, then coldly looked at the trembling woman and the panicked soldiers in the distance.

“Control your woman's mouth; don't let her speak out of turn. Also, I will send someone to contact you later.”

With that, his figure flashed and vanished into the night.

Situ Jun still had to rush outside the city to act as a Protector for Tu Xiong's Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage.

By the time he arrived, Tu Xiong was already impacting the Bottleneck. The Breakthrough process was unexpectedly smooth, requiring no assistance from Situ Jun at all...