142: Northern Frontier City Returns to Calm

In a study in the southern courtyard of the City Lord's Mansion, Zhu Changpo sat behind the desk, his brow furrowed. Before him were piles of dossiers regarding the reconstruction of Beijiang City, the appeasement of refugees, and the assessment of losses.

The candlelight flickered on his weary face, casting deep furrows between his eyebrows.

Just then, an icy and powerful aura appeared in the study without any warning.

Zhu Changpo looked up sharply, his heart nearly stopping.

Only when he saw clearly that it was Situ Jun did his tense nerves suddenly relax, followed by an even deeper sense of awe.

This master of his was elusive, and every appearance brought him a massive shock.

"City Lord!"

Zhu Changpo hurriedly rose and bowed in greeting.

Situ Jun nodded slightly and walked to the window, his gaze fixed on the deepest darkness before dawn. The darkness outside seemed to merge with him.

"Take note. Tomorrow, two 'guests' will come looking for you."

"Guests?"

Zhu Changpo was taken aback, alarm bells ringing in his heart. 'Guests' arriving at a time like this were surely not well-intentioned.

"One is called 'Night Owl,' an Imperial Dynasty Inspector; the other is called 'Shadow,' the leader of the Dynasty Shadow Guards. Unfortunately, the person in charge of the Xuan Yin Sect in Beijiang is missing."

Situ Jun's voice was flat and calm, as if he were discussing a few trivial matters, but the weight of his words sent a shock through Zhu Changpo's heart.

"Both of them are now my people. The Xihua Sect is as well, but I have already sent them back out of Beijiang."

"What?!"

Zhu Changpo cried out in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

An Imperial Dynasty Inspector and a leader of the Dynasty Shadow Guards... both were figures who could make Beijiang tremble with a stomp of their feet! In a single night, they had both been subdued by the City Lord?

But thinking of Situ Jun's power, Zhu Changpo felt relieved. His gaze toward Situ Jun became even more reverent, as if a fire of worship were burning within it.

"No need to be surprised."

Situ Jun turned around, his deep gaze falling on Zhu Changpo with a trace of imperceptible approval.

"You have done well to stabilize the situation in the city so quickly."

This simple affirmation caused a warm current and a massive sense of responsibility to surge in Zhu Changpo's heart, as if his entire body were filled with strength.

"It is my duty, subordinate! City Lord, you... what do you plan to do next?"

He asked.

"Just restore stability to Beijiang as quickly as possible. Put everything else aside for now."

Situ exhaled and continued,

"Night Owl is responsible for Imperial Dynasty intelligence. In the future, intelligence from the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty will be organized directly by you. Shadow is a Dynasty Shadow Guard; he holds many secrets within the Tianqi Dynasty. Have him regularly transmit valuable information to you, especially regarding the infiltration of other forces and intelligence that might threaten Beijiang. As for the Xuan Yin Sect..."

A cold light flashed in Situ Jun's eyes.

"They and the Western Regions Merchants have both vanished without a trace. They likely left Beijiang or are temporarily lying low; pay more attention to them. Also, in the future when I am not in Beijiang, you will be the Acting City Lord of Beijiang City. You are responsible for all matters."

Zhu Changpo listened with surging emotions, while also feeling the burden on his shoulders become as heavy as a mountain.

This meant that the City Lord was handing him an intelligence network and a portion of power that covered both the Imperial Dynasty and the Dynasty! What level of trust was this, and what an arduous task!

"Subordinate understands!"

Zhu Changpo took a deep breath and straightened his back, his eyes becoming incredibly determined. "Rest assured, City Lord. I will surely handle this matter properly and without any errors!"

"Good." Situ Jun nodded.

"Furthermore," Situ Jun added, "tell Shadow to take his people and leave Beijiang City in a few days to report back to the Dynasty. Let him make up his own reason, but it must be reasonable. Beijiang needs true peace; it doesn't need these flies buzzing around all day."

"Yes!"

Having finished his instructions, Situ Jun did not stay.

His figure flickered, blending into the night and disappearing silently from the study, leaving Zhu Changpo standing there for a long time.

Zhu Changpo stood in place, looking at the empty window. Only after a long while did he let out a long breath of turbid air.

The City Lord's methods were truly divine and unfathomable!

In a single night, with a turn of his hand, he had turned the hidden pieces of two great forces into his own pawns!

This level of boldness and strength... he dared not imagine what stage the City Lord's cultivation had reached. Nascent Soul? It was likely far beyond that!

He immediately collected his mind and suppressed his churning thoughts.

Since the City Lord had entrusted him with such an important task, he had to be fully focused.

He sat back behind the desk and began to quickly organize his thoughts, planning how to interface with those two 'subordinates' of sensitive and special status, and how to weave this invisible net without alerting any other forces.

The light in the study reflected his busy and focused figure until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon. The candlelight and morning light intertwined on his face, outlining a resolute profile... Situ Jun did not return to his own residence.

Like a true ghost, in the darkest moment before dawn, he appeared silently atop the highest tower of Beijiang City.

His black silk robe fluttered gently in the cool morning breeze, the snapping sound much weaker than the night before.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the thinning darkness toward the eastern horizon.

Below the tower, Beijiang City, which had been silent all night, began to wake up.

Scattered curls of cooking smoke rose, carrying the warm scent of firewood, like the breath of the earth, bringing warmth and vitality. On the streets, vendors began to appear for their early morning business, carefully pushing carts and setting up stalls.

Their cries drifted up to the city wall, thin and cautious, like startled birds testing their songs again, but they eventually rang out.

"Fresh... freshly steamed buns, piping hot..." The voice was shaky, lacking confidence.

"Salt... salt, high-quality green salt..." Another voice was kept even lower, as if afraid of disturbing something... A man carrying water walked with heavy steps, the wooden buckets clanking against the well rim with a dull echo.

A woman sweeping the street swung her broom with somewhat stiff movements, her gaze cautiously watching the passersby.

A shop Waiter let out a long yawn and pushed open the heavy door with a creak, poking his head out to look around before daring to open it fully.

Situ Jun quietly listened to and watched all of this.

His powerful Divine Sense was like the gentlest breeze, brushing over every street and every corner.

He could "hear" the commoners' low-voiced discussions, their lingering fear from last night's chaos, their worries about the future, and a hint of gratitude for the City Lord's Mansion's swift stabilization of the situation.

He could "see" the cautious yet hopeful resilience on the faces of those people working hard to restore their lives.

An extremely subtle, almost imperceptible ripple flickered in the depths of his eyes, which were as deep as a cold pool.

Beijiang City was his city, and it was also his home.

This was the first place he had stayed since coming to this world; he had to protect it well.

He didn't care about the Imperial Dynasty's ambitions, the Dynasty's schemes, or the Xuan Yin Sect's conspiracies. He only cared whether this land could operate according to his will and whether the living beings here could receive the order he provided—a cruel but real order protected by powerful strength.

Last night's suppression and subdual were thunderous methods, used to more quickly sever the black hands reaching toward this place, and to gain space for this fragile breath of life to recover and develop.

Zhu Changpo would handle those "tools," using them to gather information and balance the various parties.

And he only needed to stand at the highest point, overlooking the overall situation, controlling the direction, and when necessary, bringing down the lightning once more.

In the east, a magnificent bright color pierced the deep blue night sky, dyeing the clouds on the horizon with a faint golden-red. The morning light was faint, like a gentle hand softly touching this border city that had weathered so many hardships.

Below the tower, the flow of people grew denser, and the sounds of the market rose, carrying a cautious vitality of having survived a disaster.

The water-carrying man's steps seemed a bit lighter, and the vendor's cries had a bit more confidence. The sweeping woman straightened her back, looked at the clear sky, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Situ Jun's figure appeared increasingly tall and solitary in the gradually brightening daylight.