“Miss Jiang, Huangsha and Yongxiang are one, after all, so you don’t need to be so polite.” Zuoqiu Hongyuan laughed out loud, then he zoomed toward the city. Wu Hanning and the others found it funny because Zuoqiu Hongyuang was being cunning. He clearly meant something else when he said that the two counties were considered as one. Having said that, judging from Jiang Jiumei’s silence, she seemed to have not noticed the hidden meaning. When Ou Yangming and his companions thought about how Zuoqiu Hongyuan was winking to the blind, they could not help but want to chuckle. Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s reputation in Huangsha and Yongxiang was higher than in Feiya City. As such, the gate was quickly opened, then several riders headed toward him in a flash.
However, the fine horses stopped when they were roughly 340 meters away from where Ou Yangming and his companions were. No matter how the riders urged their horses to move, they either spun on the spot fearfully or proned on the ground as they dared not take another step forward.
This was because they sensed Multi-armed King Kong’s aura. The king kong had done its best to suppress its aura, such that Ou Yangming and the others could not really sense it anymore. That said, walking beasts could still sense the king kong’s aura due to their nature.
The fine horses were too lowly ranked, thus they could not accept the aura right away and ended up losing control as they were frightened.
While the riders reproached the horses, nothing could be done. They looked at each other and decided to abandon their horses and the carriages, then they ran toward Zuoqiu Hongyuan.
Following that, Zuoqiu Hongyuan led over ten different elders and middle-aged men toward his companions. Ou Yangming noticed that the people were all Supreme Great Ancestors, which was evident that the most powerful figures from Yongxiang City had come. If they were suddenly wiped out altogether, the city would surely be doomed.
As soon as they arrived, two elders went forward at the same time. They could not help but glance at Multi-armed King Kong in shock.
Anyone that saw the enormous creature for the first time would probably react the same way.
The elder quickly looked away and bowed at Wu Hanning. “I’m Yu Jinshuang, Yongxiang City’s governor.”
“I’m Lao Boyi, Yongxiang City’s commanding general.”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
The two of them were the governor and the military master assigned by the imperial family to Yongxiang County, respectively. Without a doubt, they were loyal subjects. As for the other people that came, they introduced themselves one after another as well. They were important figures in the city, but they humbled themselves in front of Wu Hanning without showing the arrogant bearing of a Supreme Great Ancestor.
This was due to Wu Hanning’s status as the princess, but what truly made the great ancestors stoop down was the three fearsome creatures behind.
Big Yellow had a threatening aura, but it was not enough to scare the great ancestors. On the other hand, the goshawk and Multi-armed King Kong were terrifying, especially the latter, whose gigantic build spoke volumes.
Wu Hanning nodded and remarked, “You’ve worked hard to protect the city.” The men immediately expressed that it was their responsibility to do so. Of course, while they answered politely, they knew the city pursued the imperial family’s ruling by name but was actually managed by the local influential families.
Ou Yangming turned to ask Jiang Jiumei, “Jiumei, where’s your master and the others?”
There was a considerable dissimilarity between Yongxiang City and the other cities. Those that could communicate with the upper realm from the other cities were inherited aristocratic families. This was because the people from those families had bloodlines that allowed them to borrow certain pieces of equipment, which gave them the ability to interact with the upper realm.
This was also a restraint to protect a clan’s inheritance. One must be inherited with the bloodline to be able to connect with the upper realm, and it could also help a clan last longer.
Nonetheless, Yongxiang City was different. It was said that the ones that could communicate with the upper realm were not from a family clan but a sect.
It was the Mysterious Mirror Sect.
The sect was incredibly old, making it on par with the imperial family. Even so, they never got involved in disputes among the people nor did they care about worldly powers. They focused on nurturing elites for the Humans.
Without the shackles of an inherited bloodline, the sect was able to recruit talents from the capital and the eight counties into their sect.
Other than the imperial family’s greatest powerhouse, who had surpassed the Extreme Grade, a great ancestor at the peak of Extreme Grade was considered the mightiest powerhouse.
Legend had it that it was not the imperial family that had the most Supreme Great Ancestors at the peak, but the Mysterious Mirror Sect.
Furthermore, instead of the influential clans, the Mysterious Mirror Sect had the greatest power of discourse in Yongxiang City.
However, none of the people that welcomed Her Highness was from the Mysterious Mirror Sect. Regardless of the reason, it did not seem to be a good sign.
“Elder Brother, you mustn’t misunderstand us. The Mysterious Mirror Sect has a rule; the disciples mustn’t initiate contacts with officials and aren’t allowed to take up official posts.” Jiang Jiumei grinned and whispered to the young fellow, “My master and the others aren’t here because they want to avoid arousing suspicion.” Ou Yangming nodded. He seemed to be indifferent, but he respected the Mysterious Mirror Sect’s decision.
Wu Hanning stepped forward. She was already used to such situations, so she dealt with it easily and made the people from Yongxiang City feel the attention and warmth from the imperial family. Not to mention the governor and the general, who were already depending on the imperial family, even the other Supreme Great Ancestors treated the princess with respect.
Seeing as Wu Hanning handled everything like an expert, Ou Yangming could not help but lament.
Sure enough, the legendary talented young lady, who was given all the resources from the imperial family since young, was different from ordinary ladies.
Before long, they all found their paths back to the city.
Given Wu Hanning’s identity, Yu Jinshuang and Lao Boyi had obviously arranged the grandest carriage to welcome her into the city.
In spite of that, none of the horses could stay within 34 meters from Multi-armed King Kong. As a result, the governor and the general could only walk anxiously with Wu Hanning, and they secretly prayed that she would not bear a grudge against them because of this.
Once Ou Yangming waved his hand, Multi-armed King Kong and the goshawk stopped following them. The two humongous creatures looked at each other, then the goshawk soared into the sky.
It fixed its gaze on Ou Yangming wherever it went, and it could see everything as long as no buildings were in the way.
At last, Yu Jinshuang and his people sighed breaths of relief when they were more than 340 meters away from the king kong.
Even though they had intentionally avoided asking about the king kong’s background and neglected the uncontrollable factor, they were still very worried. They were afraid that the gigantic creature would suddenly rage and harm them.
They would be fine if they were the ones hurt, but they would end up in an even more miserable state if Her Highness was harmed instead.
“Your Highness, please.” After guiding Wu Hanning into the carriage, Lao Boyi turned to look at Multi-armed King Kong, then he quietly approached Ou Yangming and asked, “Master Ou, did you really subdue it?”
Ou Yangming smiled. Seeing as Zuoqiu Hongyuan nodded at him from a distance away, he knew the young man had told the others about him and the king kong. “General Lao, King Kong is my pet beast indeed,” he answered.
“Ah! H-how did you do it?” Lao Boyi asked the young fellow eagerly. “Uhm…” Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and thought, ‘How would I know? Who ex
actly is that hidden Almighty Being?’
Lao Boyi quickly explained himself when he noticed the look on Ou Yangming’s face, “Master Ou, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to find out about your secret; } only want to ask for a favor.”
Ou Yangming relaxed and questioned, “What is it?”
He would not decline the general if he asked for a magic tool.
Lao Boyi was the city’s commanding general, after all, and was closely connected with the imperial family. Even if it was for the sake of Wu Hanning, Ou Yangming would not reject the general. Who knew, Lao Boyi stopped and bowed at him. “Master Ou, since you’re able to conquer two spirit beasts, please do the same to the one in Yongxiang County!”
Chapter 440 - Qinmiao Daoren
Ou Yangming almost staggered and fell. Although he had seen much of the world already, he could not help but want to curse when Lao Boyi made such a ridiculous request.
‘Did you just ask me to subdue the Insects’ spirit beast too?
‘What are you talking about? Do you think the Insects are my pet and that I can control them whenever I want to?’
When the goshawk previously devoured the lizard’s head, it told Ou Yangming that the Insects had evil intentions toward him and had reported his existence to the upper realm. Even though the young fellow did not know how the Insects from the upper realm would react to a human from the lower realm, he knew it was not good news.
Perhaps it would be best if they did not care about him at all, but if they sent a powerful insect here…
Now, Lau Boyi was asking Ou Yangming to conquer the spirit insect here too.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath and responded, “General Lao, there’s a reason I could subdue the king kong and the goshawk. As for the spirit insect in Yongxiang County, I can only help to kill it; you better not count on me to become its master.”
“Master Ou, why is that?” Lao Boyi asked in shock and continued after a pause, ‘The Insects might not seem as big as the Beasts and the Birds, but they’re useful too.”
“General Lao, why wouldn’t I control more spirit beasts if I could? Some things just can’t be forced.” Ou Yangming sighed.
Lao Boyi was slightly stunned, then he fell silent.
At last, everyone made their way into the city. Nonetheless, instead of the governor’s residence, they headed straight to a luxurious courtyard.
Ou Yangming immediately noticed a smile on Jiang Jiumei’s face, so he knew the courtyard was definitely the Mysterious Mirror Sect’s property. Nevertheless, he was quite surprised that the governor brought Wu Hanning here. Was he not afraid that Her Highness would be displeased?
The convoy slowly stopped. Yu Jinshuang welcomed Wu Hanning with respect and said, “Your Highness, this is the Mysterious Mirroi Sect’s station in the city. Be careful.”
Following that, the luxurious resident’s gate was opened, and a middle-aged woman, who had a slim figure and a pretty face, walked out. She carried a faint aura, but it felt it felt unordinary to Ou Yangming and his companions.
The woman’s martial art cultivation base was fearsome.
Ou Yangming noticed at one glance that even the Supreme Great Ancestors from Yongxiang City were unusually respectful toward the lady.
It was evident from their attitudes. The fact that they reacted like that even when they were Supreme Great Ancestors could only mean one thing.
The dignified and beautiful middle-aged woman was a Supreme Great Ancestor at the peak.
“Master…”
Before Yu Jinshuang could introduce the guests, Jiang Jiumei had approached the woman.
The woman looked at her lovingly but soon had a strange look on her face when she took a good look at her disciple.
Jiang Jiumei was wearing different pieces of equipment. It was a magic suit carefully smithed by Ou Yangming, and it was a priceless treasure to those who knew its worth.
Despite that, the woman did not ask Jiang Jiumei about it. She looked meaningfully at her disciple and asked, “You’re back. What’s the situation out there?”
“I encountered a lizard from the upper realm but throughout our fight, the king kong outside showed up and ate it…” Jiang Jiumei answered.
The other people were stunned, especially the powerhouses from Yongxiang City, who were rather taken aback. Nobody introduced the king kong to them, but they knew what it was. After all, the humongous creature could not be ignored at all.
However, the king kong ate a powerhouse from the Insects.
It ate the lizard…
‘Why does it sound so odd!’ The people wondered.
The woman was slightly surprised too, but she turned and nodded at Wu Hanning. “Greetings, Your Highness. I’m Qinmiao Daoren from the Mysterious Mirror Sect.”
Wu Hanning bowed at the woman. She had met countless Supreme Great Ancestors in her life, but she rarely bowed at them.
While Qinmiao Daoren returned the princess’s salutation, she glanced at Ou Yangming at the back.
Ou Yangming tensed up a little because he somehow sensed something familiar about the woman. It was as though he had met her or sensed or aura before, but even when he racked his brain, he could not figure it out.
Qinmiao Daoren smiled and greeted him, “Master Ou, nice to see you again.”
The young fellow laughed and thought hard. He had probably lost numerous brain cells at this moment, but he could not recall anything at all. Even so, he could only pretend to be confident in front of the others.
As if she noticed the expression on his face, Qinmiao Daoren chuckled. “Master Ou, I happened to have met you after you learned the spear technique from Chen Dishou.
Ou Yangming was struck dumb. Before long, he was shocked as a thought crossed his mind. “It was you that day, senior!”
Back when Ou Yangming was done learning the Chen family’s spear technique from Chen Dishou, someone had secretly approached him. He noticed it because of the integration of Heaven and man, as well as the thoroughly meticulous state. When the young fellow tried to attack, Qinmiao Daoren disintegrated his attack with ease. Knowing that he could not defeat his opponent, he quickly used the Blood Flight Technique to escape.
After Ou Yangming had greater achievements in martial arts, he had wanted to redeem himself but could only give up the idea because he did not know who it was.
Now that he knew that person’s identity, he did not want to fight her at all. Even if it was for the sake of Jiang Jiumei, he dared not think about it anymore.
Qinmiao Daoren nodded and asked, “How is… Chen Dishou?”
Ou Yangming answered with a bitter smile while he scratched his head, “Senior Chen disappeared after he taught me his spear technique. I asked around in the capital but even the Chen family’s disciples have no idea where he went. That said, based on his martial art boundary, I suppose he’ll be fine even if he faced trouble.”
“I hope so.” Qinmiao Daoren sighed. She glanced at Jiang Jiumei and suddenly asked, “Did Chen Dishou mention anything when he taught you his spear technique?”
“Senior Chen hoped that I’ll represent him to exchange blows with someone once I master his spear technique,” Ou Yangming replied to her after some thought. “Exchange blows?” Qinmiao Daoren could not help but laugh. “Okay, let’s fulfill the promise since you’re here.”
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows and had a weird look on his face.
“Senior, did he really mean you?”
Qinmiao Daoren grinned and asked, “Why? Do you not believe it?”
Ou Yangming instantly waved his hand and smiled bitterly.
He recalled Chen Dishou’s expression back then, thus when he studied the look on Qinmiao Daoren’s face at the moment, he knew there was something between them. Moreover, he figured that it was likely related to the relationship between a man and a woman.
The young fellow felt a tingling sensation on his scalp when he thought about this.
He secretly complained, “Sen
ior Chen, you didn’t settle your problem and ended up getting me involved. I’m speechless…’
Nonetheless, he eventually became dispirited when he looked at Ni Yinghong, Wu Hanning, and Bai Shixue.
‘Even I didn’t handle my relationship problems well. How can I judge someone else?’
Qinmiao Daoren patted Jiang Jiumei and said, “Jiumei, this is the junior of an old friend of mine. I promised him that we’ll let our apprentices battle each other in the future to see who’s more superior. Now, the time has come.”
Jiang Jiumei widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Master, how can I… How can I exchange blows with him?”
Qinmiao Daoren smiled. “I’m aware of the affection between you, but a promise is a promise. If he doesn’t want to do it, then I’ll call it off.”
Ou Yangming sighed. “Jiumei, I must do it since I promised Senior Chen. It’s just a battle; it’s nothing much.”
He would obviously go all-out if he were to exchange blows with a stranger. In fact, he would even ask Multi-armed King Kong and the goshawk to assist him.
On the other hand, he would exchange blows with Jiang Jiumei properly.
Jiang Jiumei was undecided for some time, but she finally nodded.
Wu Hanning and the Supreme Great Ancestors in the city exchanged glances, but they could not butt in. Nevertheless, most of them were not as worried because Ou Yangming’s opponent was Jiang Jiumei.
They would only fight because they wanted to settle the matter, and it would be impossible for them to be serious about it.
With that, Qinmiao Daoren led them to a spacious courtyard.
Ou Yangming and Jiang Jiumei entered a martial arts field there. The young fellow shook his hand and retrieved a spear from his interspatial bag.
“An interspatial bag.” Qinmiao Daoren’s eyes lit up. It was an extremely practical treasure, after all, but the Mysterious Mirror Sect only had one.
Jiang Jiumei gestured to Ou Yangming respectfully. “Please.”
“Okay, be careful,” Ou Yangming uttered.
Before his voice died away, the tip of his spear turned into a dazzling light that was aimed at Jiang Jiumei.
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