Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Great Zhou, capital city.
It was very early in the morning.
The morning sun spread its rays and lit up the world beneath it.
The large and imposing gates of the city capital made a heavy, echoing sound as they slowly opened.
The ground shook beneath the galloping horses, and the sound could be heard outside the city gates.
On the dusty main road were three hundred armored horsemen.
Among the horsemen were four prison carts. The prisoners trembled as the horses swiftly galloped toward the city gates.
When the gates opened, the three hundred horsemen and four carts entered the city.
These three hundred horsemen were the troop Lu Changkong, Beiluo City’s City Master, had sent from Beiluo City before the break of dawn.
The troop slowed down as it entered the city.
Both sides of the capital’s main street had been cleared by the capital’s troops, and the various hawkers and pedestrians were all kept to the side. They looked curiously at the horsemen and prison carts slowly coming down the street, thinking they would see something new today.
Beside Luo Yue stood the leader of the palace guards. They had their hands on their swords as they waited in silence.
They were waiting for Lu Changkong to enter the city.
When they saw him, Luo Yue and the leader of the guards immediately whipped their horses and galloped over to him.
“City Master Lu, this way, please.” The leader of the guards made way and bowed slightly on his horse, a respectful expression on his face.
Luo Yue quietly followed behind them.
Lu Changkong was in full armor, and his face was stern. He returned the guard leader’s bow, then brought the three hundred armored horsemen to the Great Zhou palace.
Lu Changkong’s troops stopped outside the palace gate, then dismounted their horses.
The four prison carts also stopped.
Lu Changkong had started this journey on horseback before daybreak, and he managed to make it to the palace before daily morning court began.
The main palace gate had three arches. The middle one was the highest at thirty feet, while the other two were smaller and stood less than seven feet tall.
Beyond the palace gate was a extremely large plaza filled with white pebbles. This was the royal plaza, and at the end of it was the main hall of the palace, the Harmony Hall, which had large, thick pillars. Ten marble steps led up to the hall, and they were carved with exquisite drawings.
There was a lion carved from white marble on either side of the entrance, and they looked strong and powerful.
There were also vermilion doors on either side of the hall, and they all led to hundreds of rooms. It was an impressive sight, like a long, red-scaled dragon protecting the innermost part of the palace.
Lu Changkong walked inside and removed his helmet, his long hair cascading down his shoulders.
Luo Yue quietly followed behind him.
There were several important Great Zhou officials on the stone steps of the palace. All of them had come out of the palace and were headed to the hall. They all stepped over over the high step at the door and entered the main hall.
Many of these high-ranking officials spotted Lu Changkong,
The news that Lu Changkong had held the fort at Beiluo City and forced Tantai Xuan’s fifty thousand troops to retreat had already reached the capital city.
The citizens of Great Zhou had barely been able to breathe after hearing of the attack of the twelve counties, so this was good news.
Lu Changkong’s face was grim as he stiffly entered the main hall. <vs. straight back
The officials split up and stood on either side of the hall. In the middle of the hall, the emperor was seated on the dragon throne and wore a robe with a golden five-clawed dragon embroidered on it. He was young, but he had extraordinary charisma.
Yu Wenxiu spotted Lu Changkong, and a smile slowly spread across his face.
Morning court itself wasn’t all that important. It was just a formality. What was important was the message it sent to the rest of the world.
The prisoners were made up of three Grandmaster martial arts practitioners and a Grandmaster who served under Tantai Xuan. along with who? did he serve too?
After the morning court was over, they were beheaded outside the palace.
The people watched, and the guards of several major families stood <in all directions> along the main street.
All four Grandmasters’ heads rolled to the ground.
…
Lu Changkong held his helmet in one hand as he walked out of the palace.
Outside the palace, a dapper scholar greeted him from afar. “City Master Lu, my teacher would like to have a word with you,” he smiled.
Lu Changkong looked at him, but his expression didn’t change. “There are many things to be done in Beiluo City, and I have to hurry back. Otherwise, <<<<these matters will pile up and will be difficult to deal with.>>>>> Please tell the Imperial Advisor that I will come back another time and personally visit him to apologize,” Lu Changkong replied.
He then put on his helmet and called Luo Yue, who was behind him, to follow him and quickly leave the palace.
“City Master Lu, my teacher has instructed me that you are to go to the study for a chat. My teacher <<<<has gained some enlightenment and happens to be doing some research into medical science.>>>> So, if you would like, he could possibly treat Young Master Lu’s legs,” he said while maintaining the gentle expression on his face.
Lu Changkong stopped in his tracks, and his eyes narrowed.
He turned around to look at the dapper scholar, who still had a graceful smile on his face.
Since he had mentioned his son, it would be rude of him to refuse.
“All right, then, since the Imperial Advisor remembers my son, Ping’an. I’ll have to trouble you to lead the way,” Lu Changkong said as he smiled, his hands clasped together behind his back, and softened his expression.
…
Deep in the city, between the gleaming and glorious large palace buildings, stood a small two-storey building.
It wasn’t very ornate. In fact, it looked a little old.
It was a study, and inside it lived the most highly respected elderly man of Great Zhou. The teacher of the emperor, and the teacher of all the Confucianists…
The dapper scholar brought Lu Changkong to the entrance of the building and stopped.
Even though he had a high position, he wouldn’t dare to step into the study without the direction of the Imperial Advisor.
Lu Changkong walked into the minimalist courtyard by himself, as Luo Yue was stopped outside.
Since the dapper scholar couldn’t go in, he certainly couldn’t either.
Lu Changkong removed his armor and walked with his hands behind his back. The courtyard was very small, but there were several plants in it.
In front of the study door, someone was lying on a long bamboo bench, and they reeked of alcohol.
He was a middle-aged man. His hair was loose, and he was wearing the usual Confucianist robe, but the top was open.
He held a large flask of wine in his hands. His clothes were a mess, and he was clearly drunk. Occasionally, he belched a smelly burp.
He was also muttering some poem or article to himself.
Lu Changkong looked at him, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
“Sir, I am Lu Changkong, City Master of Beiluo City. I am here specially to see the Imperial Advisor.”
Lu Changkong politely clasped his hands together.
The messy-haired Confucianist scholar held onto his flask and drunkenly glanced at Lu Changkong.
He stuck out a finger and pointed it at Lu Changkong, and burst into loud laughter.
“I see! I predicted that Beiluo City was doomed for sure… But it looks like you, Lu Changkong, from a lowly farmer’s family, actually got lucky.”
The messy-haired scholar laughed uncontrollably, drinking from his flask at the same time.
Suddenly…
A gentle and elderly voice came from within the small study.
“Tianyu, don’t spout nonsense.” A white-haired elderly man in a simple robe and straw sandals came walking out of the room, holding a bamboo scroll.
The scholar with messy hair suddenly stopped laughing. He shut his mouth and turned his head aside.
Lu Changkong’s face had looked fairly nasty earlier, but after he saw the old man, his expression changed.
“Imperial Advisor,” Lu Changkong greeted him politely, his hands clasped together.
He couldn’t afford to be disrespectful to the man in front of him.
“No need to be so formal with me.” The Imperial Advisor gently waved his hand, his gaze landing on Lu Changkong.
He scanned him up and down.
Lu Changkong was at Grandmaster martial arts practitioner level, but he felt a tremendous pressure, as if a great mountain were pressing down on him, when faced with this old man who didn’t look like he could even withstand the wind. He felt as if the old man could see through him.
The Imperial Advisor looked at Lu Changkong, and his eyes slowly narrowed. There seemed to be a glint in his eyes.
“I see. Changkong, you’ve already found a way to cure Ping’an’s legs.” The Imperial Advisor held the bamboo scroll in his hands and smiled peaceably.
Then, he lifted the scroll and whacked the messy-haired scholar, who was secretly drinking wine out of his flask, on the head.
“Tianyu, prepare the carriage.”
The messy-haired scholar immediately sobered up, and looked puzzled. “Prepare the carriage? Were are we going?”
The Imperial Advisor looked at Lu Changkong meaningfully. “Go to Beiluo City on my behalf. Even though Changkong may have found a way to treat Ping’an’s legs, I think you’d better pay him a visit. If Ping’an’s legs still aren’t healed, I’ll try my way…”
“I’ve always heard about how gifted Ping’an is, but because his legs are crippled, it’s difficult for him to make the journey here. If Ping’an’s legs are all healed, then I’d like to see him.”
Lu Changkong shuddered when he heard what the Imperial Advisor said.
But the messy-haired scholar’s eyes lit up. “Does that mean you’re taking in a junior disciple? Oho… then that means I won’t have to guard this d*mned study anymore!”
…
In front of Drunk Dust Court, Lu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair. His hair was neatly combed back with a jade pin, and he was wearing a headpiece. His lips were red, and his teeth were white. He looked like an elegant and handsome young man. Ning Zhao was standing behind the wheelchair in a long dress, and her hair gently blew in the wind.
Nie Changqing held onto his butcher knife and stood beside Lu Fan.
Lu Fan had one hand under his chin, and his other hand was lightly tapping against the thin woolen throw on his lap. He was squinting his eyes at the system prompt in front of him.
[Side Quest 2: Create Supreme Power from nothing (Current quest progress: Selected Place “Drunk Dust Court” (Chances to rename: 1))]
Rename?
Lu Fan held his chin in his hand, and his eyes flashed.
Earlier, he had saved Nie Changqing, and the quest was considered complete. But now, even though he had selected the place to be Drunk Dust Court, the system didn’t consider the quest to be complete.
Quite obviously, in order to create Supreme Power, just selecting a place wasn’t enough. He might have to clean up and get rid of some other powers or something like that first.
Lu Fan lightly tapped his index finger against his chin.
What should he change its name to?
The name “Drunk Dust Court” wasn’t too bad, since the name faintly sounded poetic. But this couldn’t be the name of his branch of power since… it was the name of the most debauched place in Beiluo City.
Lu Fan narrowed his eyes and shifted his consciousness.
“White Jade City of the heavens, five castles and twelve buildings…”
The wind blew gently.
In front of Drunk Dust Court, there was suddenly the sound of faint laughter.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll rename the building ‘White Jade City.'”
A system prompt popped up in front of him and said:
[Congratulations to the host for successfully changing the name of the selected place. Supreme Power “White Jade City” created. Reward: Enlightenment Qi Movement Couplet.]
And then slowly faded out.
Lu Fan’s mind was now decided, and his eyes blazed like fire.
He lifted his head and looked at Drunk Dust Court’s signboard.
He lifted a hand and slowly rubbed the air in front of him, as if to wipe the words “Drunk Dust Court” away from the signboard.
“Wipe this name away so no one has to suffer seeing it. Starting now, white jade has come to this city. This building should’ve only belonged to the deities in the heavens, and it should’ve been rare for ordinary people to see it.”
Lu Fan smiled faintly, and Ning Zhao and Nie Changqing trembled behind him as they looked in amazement at Drunk Dust Court’s signboard.
The three words “Drunk Dust Court” were slowly wiped away by an eerie force.
And were replaced by three completely different words…
“White Jade City.”