C19 The Head of the Pearls Gate Was Beheaded and the Sword Was Sealed

"Uncle Master, just ten more miles ahead and we'll reach the border of the Pearl Kingdom."

Exotic beasts were not permitted to enter human nations, as their presence could easily incite panic among the populace.

The disciple driving the carriage handed Yue Yang a parcel containing a jade butterfly to verify his identity, along with some money and a change of clothes.

The Skull Monster wasn't stingy about giving Yue Yang a storage ring; rather, it was a motivational tactic. Sects around the world kept a stockpile of commonly used resources, which disciples could obtain by exchanging their sect contribution points.

Yue Yang wasn't lacking in sect contribution points. In fact, his ability to assist Foundation Building cultivators in forming pills was so valuable that the sect didn't know how to properly account for his contributions, leading to a prolonged delay.

Yue Yang wasn't bothered by this. He wasn't one for formalities; with his belongings on his back, he set off in the direction the disciple had indicated.

Within a mere hour, Yue Yang had reached the checkpoint.

"Halt! Who are you, young Taoist?"

The soldier at the gate scrutinized Yue Yang, who was carrying his belongings and had a peculiar golden broadsword at his waist. Most curious was the beautiful woman following the young Taoist.

Yue Yang presented his jade butterfly, awaiting the soldier's permission to proceed.

At that moment, a beast-drawn carriage charged toward them from a distance. Though it appeared opulent, it was no match for Murong Xuan's Three Beasts of the Way.

Nonetheless, Yue Yang and An An stepped aside to let the carriage pass. The beast, seemingly agitated, was beyond the driver's control.

Lurching wildly, the carriage behind the beast swayed violently, toppling the goods of several merchants waiting to enter the city.

The merchants, though visibly upset by their losses, dared not voice their anger, resignedly accepting their misfortune.

Yue Yang, though disturbed by the scene, remained detached. He believed in the natural order of things and felt no impulse to intervene in worldly matters, unless violence unfolded before his eyes.

For some inexplicable reason, the strange beast charged straight at Ye Fan.

As the grotesque face of the beast loomed closer, Le Yang, with a sense of resignation, drew the golden blade from his waist.

Despite its menacing appearance, the beast wasn't adept at combat, having been domesticated by humans to serve as a mount. With a swift gleam from Le Yang's golden blade, the creature was cleaved in two.

Propelled by the force of the charge, the beast's carcass, still attached to the carriage, crashed into the city wall. Thankfully, the carriage was well-constructed, suffering only minor deformation without significant damage. The type of wood used in its construction remained a mystery.

The carriage driver appeared to have broken his leg, yet he was too shocked to cry out in pain, hurriedly opening the door of the toppled carriage.

"Young Master, are you alright? My negligence is unforgivable."

Le Yang watched as the servant, full of remorse, helped a young man with a faltering gait out of the carriage. This young man seemed to have been drained by indulgences in drink and pleasures, much like many of the sect's disciples, with dull eyes, dark circles, and a pale, bloated face. Yet, the sect disciples had their cultivation techniques to sustain them.

This young man, however, was barely clinging to life.

While Le Yang was still assessing how much life the dissolute young man had left, the latter's cold eyes turned towards Le Yang.

"Hey, you there with the knife, did you kill my beast?"

Le Yang's eyebrows lifted. It seemed he shouldn't have bothered assessing the young man's lifespan, a needless drain on his cultivation. "Yes, it was me."

Le Yang never denied his actions.

What was done was done, right or wrong determined in the aftermath.

"Boy, you seem quite bold. Do you have any idea who I am?" The young master stood on a nearby rock, thumb pointing arrogantly at his nose.

"Little Daoist, please don't provoke him. He's the Grand Tutor's favorite third son. Your intentions were good in saving someone, but don't let it backfire on you."

An elderly woman leaning on a cane beside Le Yang advised him.

"Hahaha, boy, if you're frightened, then kneel down and apologize to me at once. And hand over the blade that killed my beast. If you refuse, you'll meet an end without even knowing how it came."

Despite his brash appearance, the young man with a penchant for wine had a discerning eye. He was the third son of the Tutor, and though he spent his days indulging in wine and pleasure, he had developed an exceptional ability to recognize quality at a glance. He knew the knife in the hands of the young Daoist priest was no ordinary blade.

"If you want this knife, it's yours," Le Yang said, dragging the knife as he approached the young man.

The young man could hardly contain his glee. He had only been bluffing the Daoist priest, thinking it would take some effort to swindle the divine weapon from him. He hadn't anticipated how easily the priest could be fooled, clearly a naive country boy, inexperienced and timid.

Internally, the young man was already celebrating. With the divine weapon in his grasp, he could enjoy the company of every lady in the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion for a year. His father always berated him, calling him a good-for-nothing, but even as a lifelong Tutor, his father wouldn't earn as much as this weapon was worth.

"It's yours," Le Yang declared, his hand and knife moving swiftly. A golden glow flashed at the young man's neck.

"Spare his life!" The shout echoed from a distance, arriving alongside a figure who landed beside Le Yang, a long silver sword intercepting Le Yang's knife.

"Who are you?" Le Yang asked, sheathing his knife without sparing a glance for the young man who had narrowly escaped death. It seemed his fortune-telling was accurate; the young man would live at least another half year.

"The world is filled with injustice, and I am Feng Bu Ping," said the man with the silver sword, his sharp brows and bright eyes embodying the image of a young hero that storytellers adored and countless young women dreamt of.

"Feng Bu Ping, are you suggesting it's wrong for me to kill him?" Le Yang asked, genuinely pleased rather than annoyed at being interrupted. He had no fondness for killing; he simply believed in resolving matters swiftly and decisively.

"To take a life is indeed wrong," the young hero replied, his gaze firm and principled.

"What if that beast had killed me? Would you have sought justice on my behalf by killing this man?" Le Yang inquired, intrigued by the hero's sense of right and wrong. Had he not experienced his own extraordinary adventure atop the mountain, he might have become a wandering hero himself—if hunger hadn't claimed him first.

"I don't know, because you didn't get killed."

Feng Ying paused to consider his response, then spoke honestly. It was in his nature to be direct and truthful; he didn't have it in him to lie.

"You're quite the character. Are you headed into the city? Let's go together."

Le Yang extended the invitation to Feng Ying. Regardless of what kind of hero Feng Ying might be, Le Yang saw him as a man of integrity.

"You're quite the character yourself. I still don't know your name."

"I am Le Yangzi."

"Pretentious little Taoist priest."

Le Yang and Feng Ying proceeded together. The city guards inspected Le Yang's token and allowed them through.

"Scoundrels, both of you! If I don't kill you two, then I'm not my father's true son!"

The drunken young man was beyond reason. When Le Yang had swung his blade, the young man had thought his end was certain. He collapsed to the ground and it took a long while before he regained his senses.

"Young Master, perhaps we should return and change our clothes first."

His servant, limping, came over only to be knocked to the ground with a slap.

The young man's crotch area was inexplicably soaked.

"Laugh, I dare you! Anyone who laughs will be arrested on the spot!"

The young man glared menacingly at the onlookers. As he passed the city guards, he returned their scrutiny with a fierce stare.

"Little Daoist, what brings you to Jingdu? Could it be that you're here for the Imperial Edict?"

Le Yang and Feng Buping were walking together when Feng Buping posed the question.

"What Imperial Edict?"

"You're not aware? Given your impressive swordsmanship, I assumed you were here in the capital to help eliminate demons."

Feng Buping explained that there had long been rumors of demons in Jingdu, but it was only recently that these demons began harming people.

Initially, everyone in Jingdu, including the Emperor, believed that with the National Advisor present, a minor demon would be swiftly dealt with. However, after the National Advisor vanished without a trace following a grand battle with the demon at the altar, the demon's malevolence escalated. The number of people killed by the demon, their hearts and livers extracted, increased daily.

"I've heard that the Emperor has sought assistance from the Immortal Palace, though it's unclear which immortal master will be dispatched. In the meantime, before the immortal masters arrive, the Emperor has issued an Imperial Proclamation, calling upon all the remarkable talents across the land. Anyone who registers at the Recruitment Hall will receive a daily stipend of one or two silver taels."

Feng Buping glanced at Le Yang and the securely wrapped An An, who still managed to exude grace despite the layers.

"You don't strike me as a genuine Daoist. If you're at a loose end, I can take you to the Recruitment Hall to sign up. But you'll need to split the silver taels you earn with me."

Feng Buping gave Le Yang a conspiratorial wink.

"Why can't I just go on my own? Why should you get half of my silver?"

"You're clueless, aren't you? You think the Recruitment Hall will just take your word for being someone special? Even entering the city gates requires a guide, let alone the Recruitment Hall, which demands proof of identity."

Feng Buping spoke with an air of secrecy.

"There's no one here who can withstand my blade."

Le Yang wasn't boasting. Though he hadn't mastered the final three levels of the Water Dragon's Cry, his current understanding of the six levels of saber intent placed him on par with the world's top-tier masters.

"Always with the fighting and killing. What am I to do with you? We're here to make money, not to risk our necks. Are you seriously planning to take on that demon? Well, congratulations are in order. The Imperial Edict promises ten thousand gold taels and a third-grade official rank to whoever defeats the evil. And if you're unmarried, you can choose from the Emperor's three princesses, the prince's eighteen county princesses, or any eligible bachelorette at court."

Feng Buping licked his lips with anticipation.

"I've heard the youngest princess is both brilliant and stunningly beautiful. But never mind that. So, are you coming with me to the Recruitment Hall or not? I'll even take a smaller cut—sixty-forty in your favor. How about that?"

Just then, a rhythmic rumbling spread through the streets, prompting the crowd to scatter. Le Yang looked up to see a squadron of cavalry thundering by, resplendent in their attire, with helmets adorned with feathers as green as jade.

"Quick, to the side! It's the Emerald Feather Guards. They're tasked with safeguarding the royal family. What are they doing here? Could they be receiving some dignitary? Perhaps... an Immortal Master has arrived!"

Feng Buping's face lit up with excitement as he craned his neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Immortal Master.

"Do you really want to meet the Immortal Master that badly? Do you need his help with something?"

"Why all the questions? Who wouldn't want to meet the Immortal Master? If I get the chance and he accepts me as his disciple, my life would be complete."

Feng Buping noticed Le Yang standing still and urged him not to obstruct the Emerald Feather Guards' path. Otherwise, if he were to be killed on the spot, there would be no place to argue his case.

"However, Immortal Master Le Yang is present. I, Chu Xiong, am here by the Emperor's decree to request that the Immortal Master accompany me to the palace for an audience."

The squad of Emerald Feather Guards halted five yards before Le Yang, dismounted, and knelt to pay their respects. The leading general of the Emerald Feather Guards called out a loud greeting.

"Haha, they must have mistaken you for someone else. Seeing you in that Taoist robe, they think you're the Immortal Master. How could you be the Immortal Master? If you were the Immortal Master..."

Feng Buping burst into laughter, clearly delighted, but his laughter gradually subsided.

"Le Yang of the Order of Duality, at your service. I have been sent by my master to the Pearl Nation to vanquish the evil spirits. General, please show me the way."

Le Yang raised his hand in response and proceeded with measured steps. The citizens lining the streets bowed and cheered. In their hearts, the arrival of an Immortal Master meant the capital was saved, the evil spirits doomed, and their safety assured.

"What would you do if I were the Immortal Master?"

Before mounting the steed provided by the Emerald Feather Guards, Le Yang left them with a question, "What would you do if I truly were the Immortal Master?"

Feng Buping's mouth hung open wide enough to swallow an entire egg.