"I came here without informing you in advance. Please forgive me, Commander Fu and Deputy Commander Yue. This meal is my apology."
"No problem, no problem. It's just a pity that I've been busy with work recently. Otherwise, I would have shown you the city properly..."
"Deputy Yue, you are too polite..."
...
In the private room on the top floor of the *Clear Sand Pavilion*, Yun Tianchong and Yue Xuanming, sitting opposite at a mahogany round table, cupped their fists and exchanged pleasantries with each other for a while.Two of the three people at the table were *Deification* stage cultivators and one was a *Nascent Soul* cultivator. Therefore, Ye Anping followed the etiquette and sat at a tea table by the window of the private room. He sat there silently while gently stirring the tea leaves on the surface with the lid of the teacup.
He actually wanted to talk to Fu Xuan and Yue Xuanming about something, but after all, this meeting was set up by Yun Tianchong. If the guest stole the show, it would make him seem to look down on Yun Tianchong, which was not good.
Therefore, Ye Anping could only wait for Yun Tianchong and the others to finish their discussion.
However, he still greatly underestimated how boring the small talk between the two middle-aged men was.
"This place is completely different from when I was here three hundred years ago... I remember that this market was not so big before."
"Alas... After the ***Demon Clan*** occupied **Heavenly Gate City**, many cultivators from the **Central Region** came to the Great Wall to seek refuge. Hundreds of thousands of people suddenly appeared in this isolated border city. We can't let these hundreds of thousands of people without a place to live, right..."
...Yun Tianchong and Yue Xuanming chatted about all kinds of nonsense for an hour.
Ye Anping wanted to yawn beside them, but he didn't want to appear too anxious. Moreover, in terms of etiquette, he was considered a junior. It was not polite to interrupt their conversation, so he did not say anything.
Seeing that his teacup was empty again, Ye Anping picked up the teapot and wanted to pour himself a cup, only to find that the teapot was empty.
"Sigh..."
Just as he sighed, strands of golden hair brushed past his eyes. Yun Yiyi, who had just entered the room, carried a teapot and walked in front of him to fill his empty cup.
"Young Master Ye, allow me..."
Yun Yiyi seemed to have just put on some light makeup. Her lips were as rosy as cherry blossoms, moist, and she exuded a faint fragrance.
Ye Anping didn't pay attention to her, and he nodded. "Thank you."
Her pale green eyes kept glancing at Ye Anping's side profile, but Ye Anping had no intention of talking to her at all.
*Could it be that he really forgot about me?*
*No way! How could he forget such a thing...*
*Did he leave no place for me at all?*
*Or is he just playing me...*
*He is so bad...*
...
Yun Yiyi came out of her reverie with a sigh. "Ah..."
She looked up at her father and Yue Xuanming, who were discussing trivial matters amicably at the table, and noticed Ye Anping yawning. After a moment of thought, she stood up.
"Father."
Yue Xuanming and Yun Tianchong, who were chatting happily about sword and spear techniques, stopped talking and looked at her.
"Deputy Commander Yue is busy with official duties. Why are you wasting his time with trivial talks? Let's get to the point."
Yue Xuanming waved his hand and smiled politely: "It's okay..."
However, Yun Yiyi gave an opening, and Commander Fu Xuan, who had been silent since the beginning, finally spoke up. "Master Yun brought the disciples of the Sword Sect to the Eastern Wall after traveling thousands of miles. It shouldn't be because he wanted to chat with the *Justice Division* about everyday matters, right?"
"Ahaha... Of course, there's something serious to talk about."
Yun Tianchong smiled awkwardly. Then, he took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it to Commander Fu Xuan. "Ever since Nangong Cheng died, the *Justice Division* was forced to bring the remnants of the ***Imperial*** Sect to the devastated land of the Eastern Great Wall to establish there. Therefore, I want to invite Commander Fu Xuan to my ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect. I am offering you the position of Grand Elder and three mountain peaks in the **Southern Region**."
"Hmm..." Fu Xuan lowered her head and shook it as if she was joking. "So, Master Yun has taken a fancy to me? Do you want to bring me into your harem?"
?
"...Ah?"
Yun Tianchong was stunned. Perhaps out of habit, he looked at Commander Fu Xuan unconsciously and thought that she was indeed quite pretty...
Oh, no!!
He quickly came back to his senses and cupped his hands awkwardly. "Commander Fu, you must be joking. I didn't mean that, it's just..."
Fu Xuan interrupted him with a smile. "I have heard those rumors about Master Yun for a long time. It is said that whenever you see a beautiful girl, you want to take her home..."
Hearing this, Yun Yiyi, who was sitting beside Ye Anping, was speechless. She hurriedly took over the topic and defended the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect. "Commander Fu, you have misunderstood. My father has been castrated, so it can't be like you said."
?
Yun Tianchong slightly widened his eyes, as if asking, *Yiyi, how can you say this?*
Hearing this, Fu Xuan seemed to be interested. "Oh? So it's true? A few years ago, I heard that someone listed a pair of secondary golden pills of a *Deification* stage cultivator on the black market. I thought it was a fake story, but now it seems... Wow--"
？
Yun Tianchong was even more confused. "Ah? Black market... secondary golden pills? What?!"
Hearing the topic go in a strange direction, Ye Anping, who was carrying a secondary golden pill in his bag, felt awkward, but fortunately, Yun Yiyi steered the topic back. "Commander Fu, the *Justice Division* has lost the ***Imperial*** Sect's backing, and it is now unable to defend the three cities alone. Although our ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect no longer has the glory of the Immortal Yun Jian era, we are still considered a large sect in the **Southern Region**. With the Sword Sect as our support, the *Justice Division* can only benefit."
Hearing this, Fu Xuan looked at Yun Yiyi and smiled. "Master Yun, your daughter seems much more reliable than you. Why don't you give her the position of Sect Master earlier?"
Feeling embarrassed, Yun Tianchong didn't know how to respond.
"Uh..."
Even Ye Anping couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Yun Tianchong was simply an embarrassment to all *Deification* cultivators. Those with lower cultivation levels than him respected him because of this, but *Deification* cultivators-- at the same level as him, did not show him the slightest respect.
It's no wonder that when he took the sword from the Immortal Yun Jian, he was so upset with his son...
However, Yun Tianchong was lucky to have Yun Yiyi as the Young Lady. Although her cultivation aptitude was a little lacking, in terms of character, talent, and courage, she was much better than the young masters of many immortal sects.
Ye Anping didn't say anything. Instead, he took a sip from the teacup with a smile on his face. "Slurp~"
Seeing him smile, Yun Yiyi felt a little happy for some reason. Then, she frowned and cupped her hands again. "Commander Fu Xuan, the Sword Sect is willing..."
But before she could finish speaking, Fu Xuan smiled and shook her head to interrupt her. "Young Miss Yun, I'll answer you directly. I reject Sword Sect's offer."
"Commander Fu, you should consider it for a few more days..."
"No need to consider."
Fu Xuan looked a little tired. She patted Yue Xuanming, motioning for him to continue.
Yue Xuanming nodded and stood up. Cupping his hands, he said, "Master Yun, Young Miss Yun. We, the *Justice Division*, have the spirit of the Yellow Dragon, our founder. We are the watchdogs of the ***Imperial*** Sect and guard the thousands of miles of mountains and rivers in the **Central Region**. The *Justice Division* appreciates the good intentions of the Sword Sect, but we will definitely not become the servants of a second master by joining the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect."
"..."
"..."
Yun Yiyi and Yun Tianchong fell silent for a while.
After waiting for two breaths, Yue Xuanming bowed to them. "Since the matter has been cleared, we will take our leave now."
Seeing that they were finally done talking, Ye Anping let out a long breath, put down the teacup in his hand, and sighed. "Finally."
Hearing this, Yue Xuanming, who had already turned around and was about to leave, stopped in his tracks. He was actually quite puzzled as to why the Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect was also there. However, seeing that he did not say a word, he felt that it was possible that he and the ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect people just happened to run into each other.
But it seemed that...
"Young Master Ye, you want to say something?"
"If there was nothing I wanted to say, I would not have traveled thousands of miles of yellow sand all the way from the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect to this isolated city." Ye Anping cupped his hands. "I'll get right to the point. Deputy Yue, Commander Qu, please abandon the city and flee the **Central Region** immediately."
"Heh~"
Fu Xuan listened to this with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Seeing her expression, Yue Xuanming became serious and asked, "Young Master Ye, are you telling us to run for our lives?"
"Yes... and you need to follow the routes I'll give you. As for the reason, the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect gathered all of its disciples a few months ago. Led by their sect leader, Seven Ghost Tomb, nearly ten *Deification* stage cultivators are on their way here. They will most likely arrive in a few days."
"Young Master Ye, where did you get this information from?"
"A few days ago, when I was passing by **Heavenly Gate City**, I chanced upon a *Nascent Soul* stage Elder from the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect who was leading a team to pay the Demon King a visit. They kidnapped the Demon King's personal disciple and used it as a threat to stop the King from interfering in the matter of the three cities of the Eastern Wall... We set up an ambush on the road and managed to save the Demon King's personal disciple."
"..."
Ye Anping stared into Yue Xuanming's eyes and said calmly, "Master Yue, please listen to my advice. If you stay, you will be annihilated. The *Justice Division* alone cannot deal with the aggressive ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect."
Yue Xuanming fell silent upon hearing this. If it was really as Ye Anping had said, and the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect came with all their strength, the current *Justice Division* would not last long even if they relied on the ancient formations in the Great Wall.
If this situation happened in the past, Nangong Cheng would definitely come and take charge here.
But now...
Yue Xuanming looked at Commander Fu Xuan and saw that she was hinting at him with her eyes to make a decision on his own, so after pondering for a while, he cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you for your kind reminder, Master Ye, but the *Justice Division* will never go down without a fight."
"Sigh... why? Staying here is a dead end."
"Young Master Ye, don't bother with this." Yue Xuanming was silent for a moment before continuing, "The *Justice Division* was founded by the Yellow Dragon and was entrusted to guard the **Central Region**... Although the ***Demon Clan*** has occupied **Heavenly Gate City**, this **Central Region** is also the root of the *Justice Division*. We are defending the last three immortal cities that the Yellow Dragon belongs to."
"You can't defend them."
"Young Master Ye, the *Justice Division* is not some kind of gang. Besides, now that the ***Imperial*** Sect has been destroyed, we have nowhere to go. As I just said... the *Justice Division* will never serve two masters."
Ye Anping suddenly felt a little tired. With a sigh, he took out a blood-red seal from his storage bag. On the seal was engraved a phoenix with its head raised. "Master Yue, I am not saying that the *Justice Division* should subordinate itself to any sect. Have you forgotten that the Empress and the Second Princess are still alive?"
"..."
"Although Nangong Cheng is dead, the bloodline of the Nangong family has not been cut off. The Second Princess who escaped from the **Central Region** with the help of my elder brother Liang is now practicing sword in the ***Black Star*** Sect. I was entrusted by the Empress to bring the *Justice Division* back to the ***Black Star*** Sect to meet the future Empress."
Ye Anping lifted the jade seal he had received from Tong Zilan and sent his spiritual energy into it, then proclaimed. "Following the *Nine Dragons Heavenly Fate*, the Empress decreed that the twelve heads of the *Justice Division*, including Commander Qu Ruyun and Deputy Commander Yue Xuanming, should obey the order."
Waves of spiritual energy surged out of the jade seal, condensing into a long scroll of spiritual light embroidered with a golden phoenix in front of Ye Anping.
Seeing this, Yue Xuanming stood rooted to the spot for a long time without coming back to his senses. Why did the Empress give the imperial seal to this guy...
Commander Fu Xuan, however, had a smile on her face and didn't care about Yun Tianchong and Yun Yiyi. She lifted her skirt slightly and knelt on one knee. "*Justice Division*, Commander Qu Ruyun responds to the order..."
"Ah..." Yue Xuanming saw her kneeling down and quickly knelt down on one knee as well. "*Justice Division*, Deputy Commander Yue Xuanming complies with the decree..."
Ye Anping let out a long breath before frowning. "From the moment of receiving the decree, the twelve sections of the *Justice Division* will obey the orders of Ye Anping, the Young Master of the ***Hundred Lotus*** Sect, and go to the ***Black Star*** Sect to meet the Second Princess. This is the imperial decree!"
*Swoosh---*
The scroll slowly closed and then floated down to the top of Fu Xuan's head.
"Commander Qu, receive the decree."
"Commander Qu Ruyun accepts the decree."
Fu Xuan lowered her head, raised her hands, and took the imperial edict. Then, she put it into her storage bag and slowly stood up.
Then, as if in jest, she pouted. "Young Master Ye, you have some guts."
She should be referring to taking out the seal in front of an outsider like Yun Tianchong and making her kneel...
Ye Anping smiled awkwardly as he put the jade seal back into his storage bag and cupped his hands, apologizing. "...Well, you should be angry with Master Yue. If it weren't for his loyalty and unwillingness to leave the Eastern Wall, I wouldn't have used this ***Imperial*** sect's Phoenix Seal."
Qu Ruyun glanced at Yue Xuanming, and then asked, "Then, what are your orders?"
"I will trouble you to gather all the members of the *Justice Division* from the three cities of the Eastern Wall as soon as possible and divide them into four teams."
Ye Anping walked to the table, took out a map from his storage bag, spread it out, and pointed to one of the four routes drawn on it. "Cultivators above the *Nascent Soul* stage will form a team led by Commander Qu and head toward **Heavenly Gate City**.
---The *Core Formation* stage cultivators in the *Division* will be divided into another group, led by the ***Black Star*** Sect disciple, Feng Yu Die toward the **Sword Gate Pass**.
---The *Foundation Building* cultivators will be led by me and the Young Lady of the ***Black Star*** Sect, Xiao Yunluo, and will go to **Sword Gate Pass** via the *Seven Dragon Valley*.
---Finally, *Qi Refining* stage disciples and casual cultivators will follow my sister, entering the **Southern Region** via the *First River Mountain Range*."
Saying that, Ye Anping looked up at Fu Xuan and Yue Xuanming. "Any questions?"
Yue Xuanming looked at the four routes on Ye Anping's map, then asked, "Why did you arrange it like this? Wouldn't it be better to split the *Nascent Soul* cultivators among the four groups? Or is one of the teams acting as bait?"
Ye Anping asked him in return, "Master Yue, this is to divide the fighting power of the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect pursuers. If you were the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect Master, how would you arrange for the pursuers?"
"That must be..." Yue Xuanming seemed to have come to a realization. "Commander and I will lead all the cultivators above the *Nascent Soul* stage of the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect to **Heavenly Gate City**. Like this, the remaining three teams won't encounter demonic cultivators who are two or three levels higher than them..."
Ye Anping added, "That would naturally be the best-case scenario, but it might not happen like that, so I have a few backup plans."
"However, you asked the Commander to lead the *Justice Division*'s *Nascent Soul* cultivators to the **Heavenly Gate City**..."
"Well, I've gotten a pretty powerful helper for you. You'll probably run into them on your way to **Heavenly Gate City**."
Yue Xuanming sized Ye Anping up again. "I asked you last time, how old..."
Ye Anping answered immediately. "Eight years old."
"..."
Ye Anping smiled and bowed to Commander Fu Xuan and Yue Xuanming respectively. "Well, I'm leaving now. In a few days, I'll bring Young Lady Xiao and the others to visit the *Justice Division* to explain the rest."
