Behind the Left Guard's office, on another street separated by a long street, a horse-drawn carriage silently stopped in a narrow alley on the side of the street. Inside the spacious carriage that did not seem like a horse carriage, two people sat facing each other. One person was shrouded in a black robe, making their face indiscernible. The other person was the man in blue robes who had appeared in the nunnery outside the city.
A small wooden table was placed between them, with a small stove on it, and an iron kettle on the stove, currently brewing tea.
Rising white vapor blocked in front of the two of them. It was like a barrier, preventing both parties from being honest and open with each other.
The man in blue robes reached out to carry the iron kettle, pouring the hot tea into two intricately carved tea cups. This craftsmanship was unique to the White Deer Kiln in the White Deer Prefecture of the Great Liang Dynasty. In the previous dynasty, it was an imperial tribute, something ordinary people could never privately own. However, since the current dynasty, the founding emperor had no interest in such porcelain. As a result, products by the White Deer Kiln had entered the hands of the common people. Although the price remained high, as long as one had the money, they could own a piece.
"I have been to the nunnery outside the city. That woman's mouth wasn't that stubborn."
The man in blue robes put down the iron kettle, picked up a teacup, and placed it at his lips to take a sip. Then, he smiled and said, "I didn't quite understand before why the previous dynasty's imperial family preferred tea soup over tea drinking. The feeling of swallowing the tea soup, full of debris, is like eating a mouthful of soil. I don't know what's nice about it."
The person hidden beneath the black robe extended a hand, revealing a fair and delicate hand. They lifted the teacup, placing it at their lips, which also happened to be concealed in the shadows.
"The current dynasty is vastly different from the previous one. The previous dynasty was superstitious about ghosts and deities, constructing countless mountain temples within the borders. Yet, didn't the demons still ravage, treating people like pigs and dogs? The current dynasty doesn't believe in ghosts and deities, but instead, things have become much better."
The man in blue robes smiled and said, "That's because they know they can't control the matters within the borders. When demons want to devour people, they are well aware that the best solution is to kill those man-eaters. However, they lack the capability, so they can only conjure up some ghosts and deities to make the common people believe. It's just some simple tricks to befuddle the masses... Forget it, it's not even worthy of being called befuddle. It's just giving those people living in dire straits a reason to deceive themselves into continuing to live."
The person beneath the black robe chuckled and said, "Willingness to deceive oneself into living implies it's not that difficult. If there comes a day when even deceiving oneself into survival is impossible, then it's truly too difficult, and there's simply no way."
The man in blue robes said calmly, "In these past dozen over years, the people of Great Liang should be living relatively well, at least better than the previous two hundred years."
"Of course, during the previous two hundred years, the situation of the people in Great Liang was better than the people of all the previous eras."
The man beneath the black robe said with vicissitudes of emotion, "Yet, even so, there are still many people in the world who are dissatisfied, and there are still many who want to overthrow this dynasty, to overthrow the ruler."
"No one is perfect; that's probably the idea?"
The man in blue robes smiled and said straightforwardly, "I believe you must be targeting more than just the Left Guard, right? What about the Right Guard? Has it long come under your control?"
The person beneath the black robe remained silent and just said, "You guys offered Lin Shan irresistible benefits, making him dare to resist surrendering the official seal. Of course, the prerequisite is that the Lord Warden Commander isn't in the Divine Capital. By the way, how did you all manage to make him leave the Divine Capital and not appear until now?"
"Just some small trick."
The man in blue robes said indifferently, "The Great Liang Dynasty seems harmonious inside and out, but the hidden undercurrents are far from the calm surface suggests. The appearance of everything running smoothly without issues is because there is that sea-anchoring divine needle keeping this world in check. However, if that sea-anchoring divine needle were to topple, then all the problems would erupt together at this moment. A towering high-rise, currently teetering on the verge of collapse. Can you imagine what comes next?"
"However, the current issue is, I want to see if that young man can grasp the Left Guard in his hands. To be honest, after he returned from the South, he chose to immediately come to the Left Guard. I really didn't expect him to seize authority in such a manner, his resolve is rather impressive."
The man in blue robes smiled, "He has the courage and insight, but does he have the capability?"
The person beneath the black robe, upon hearing this, said, "They are both in the Bitter Sea Realm, why would one be inferior to the other?"
……
……
Within the Left Guard's office, a great battle quietly unfolded.
After Chen Chao drew his saber, a saber light instantly swept up, carving a long gash in the ground, and slashing toward Lin Shan. Lin Shan sneered and produced a stainless steel pike seemingly out of nowhere. Everyone in the Left Guard knew that this Deputy Commander Lin had once been a warden somewhere in the North. He was an existence who relied on his pike to kill the local demons until they trembled in fear when hearing his name. Later, through fortuitous circumstances, he entered the Divine Capital and became a member of the Left Guard. In the Left Guard, he was unmatched when it came to wielding a pike.
Even Song Lian also lauded this subordinate with praises unceasingly.
Now, as the two clashed, Lin Shan who was cautious by nature had already employed his ultimate technique. The pike in his hand moved like an agile snake, dancing in a way that left no openings. Chen Chao found it challenging to get close.
Chen Chao was fighting with Lin Shan, but his mind was somewhat drifting. He had interacted too many times with the foreign cultivators. The dazzling techniques by those cultivators had left him overwhelmed, and crying bitterness without ceasing. But at this moment, he was fighting with another martial artist again.
Chen Chao inexplicably felt at ease.
At least there were not any flashy techniques. Even though Lin Shan had stepped into the Bitter Sea Realm earlier than him, Chen Chao did not find it challenging. In the Bitter Sea realm, he did not believe there was another martial artist who could make him cower in fear!
Knocking away the pike thrust that Lin Shan stabbed out with a single slash, Chen Chao closed the distance, quickly arriving in front of Lin Shan. He then bent his elbow and struck at Lin Shan's temple. However, Lin Shan merely tilted his head slightly backward, allowing the tip of the long pike to stab into the ground. The pike held his body up. A pike and a spear were different; one was solid while the other was extremely flexible.
At the same time, Lin Shan kicked towards Chen Chao's chest.
Chen Chao did not evade or dodge. The young martial artist did not seem to care about the powerful kick from his opponent.
Lin Shan furrowed his brows slightly. He saw it too, but he could not understand why Chen Chao acted this way. But he did not think too much and still kicked out, stomping heavily onto Chen Chao's chest.
He originally thought that Chen Chao would be sent flying several dozen feet because of his kick, but no one would have expected that Chen Chao's body just wobbled slightly, but his entire person did not budge an inch.
It was as stable as Mt. Tai.
Lin Shan's expression changed slightly. He had just kicked, and he knew the force feedback. Why didn't Chen Chao react as expected?
Just how tough was the body of this young martial artist in front of him?
Was he still a Bitter Sea Realm martial artist?
For the first time, Lin Shan felt like he seemed to have underestimated the young martial artist before him.
The qi within his body surged, and in an instant, he released his hands, causing his whole body to fall backward. However, the shaft of the long pike exposed itself, perfectly meeting Chen Chao's chest.
A tinge of regret flashed in Lin Shan's eyes. If only the tip had been pointing upwards at this moment.
Perhaps the outcome would have been different.
But soon, a streak of saber light came crashing down.
Chen Chao who wielded a broken saber in his hand laughed coldly and said, "Don't think too much, I WILL kill you!"
