Zhu Ge led his troops around the Mist Marsh and continued south.

The journey was surprisingly peaceful.

No Third Realm Demon Beasts blocked their path, there were no large-scale beast tides, and they rarely even saw Second Realm Demon Beasts.

The minor First Realm demons spotted the vast, imposing column of troops from afar and had long since vanished without a trace.

“Something’s not right.” Liu Jianjian frowned. “It’s too quiet. There should be Demon Beasts in the Mist Marsh. How have we not run into a single Third Realm one?”

“Perhaps someone already cleared them out,” Zhu Ge said thoughtfully.

“Who could be that powerful? There are at least three or four Third Realm Demon Beasts in the Mist Marsh. To clear them all out in one go, you’d have to be a top-tier expert among the Third Realm.”

Zhu Ge didn’t reply, merely increasing their marching speed.

He suddenly had a thought. ‘To get to the south, wouldn’t Yan Liyuan and Guan Julan also have to pass through Lvchun City?’

“We’re here.”

Zhu Ge gazed into the distance.

Lvchun City!

From the outside, the city looked like a colossal, leafy tree with lush branches.

But a closer look revealed that its brown bark was actually made of some kind of stone brick.

“Breathtakingly beautiful,” Zhu Ge mused. “If only there were no war in the world, I’d definitely spend my days exploring mountains and rivers, traveling everywhere.”

It was too beautiful!

He wondered if the cities of Red River Prefecture were all built by the same master craftsman; each possessed a unique style, yet all felt perfectly whole and integrated.

If he ever got the chance, he really ought to properly appreciate such landscapes instead of constantly struggling for survival.

But when they arrived at Lvchun City, Zhu Ge was surprised to find the city gates wide open.

Not thrown open as if they’d been breached, but simply open, with people coming and going.

“Reinforcements are here! Reinforcements are here!” a few Soldiers at the gate shouted excitedly when they saw Zhu Ge’s troops.

Zhu Ge immediately spurred his horse forward and asked, “What’s the situation in the city? Where are the Demon Beasts that were laying siege?”

An old Soldier ran over, his face beaming with joy.

“The besieging Demon Beasts have been driven off by a certain gentleman! He’s incredible! He killed several Third Realm Demon Beasts all by himself and even subjugated a Strong Monkey King. He’s in the City Lord’s Mansion having tea right now!”

‘Just as I thought!’

‘It must have been some passing Third Realm expert!’

Zhu Ge and Liu Jianjian exchanged a look.

“The Strong Monkey King?” But Liu Jianjian, who was looking at Zhu Ge, completely missed his meaning. Her eyes went wide. “What happened to my Strong Monkey King?”

“Yours?” The old Soldier paused in confusion. “Miss, that Strong Monkey King is a Third Realm Great Demon. The gentleman subjugated it. How did it become yours?”

Liu Jianjian was taken aback. “Huh?”

Zhu Ge waved his hand, signaling for her to calm down. “What does this gentleman look like?”

“He has a face as fair as jade, wears a green robe, and carries a discipline ruler. He speaks gently and elegantly. You can tell he’s an important figure at a glance,” the old Soldier said, his face full of admiration.

Zhu Ge understood at once.

‘Yan Liyuan!’

‘It seems it wasn’t a stranger, but an old friend after all.’

‘But then again, it makes sense.’

‘Only someone like Yan Liyuan would meddle in other people’s affairs. Most of the other Third Realm experts Zhu Ge had met were the type to stay aloof as long as it didn’t concern them.’

“Let’s go. Into the city!”

…

Inside the City Lord’s Mansion, Yan Liyuan was sitting in the guest’s seat, holding a cup of tea and sipping it slowly.

Across from him was a white-haired old man dressed in a green robe and holding a bamboo staff.

The two were chatting, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Nearby, the Strong Monkey King had shrunk to the size of a normal monkey and was squatting by Yan Liyuan’s feet, munching on a bunch of grapes with a wronged expression.

The first thing Zhu Ge saw upon entering was the Strong Monkey King, followed immediately by Yan Liyuan and the City Lord of Lvchun City.

“So it was you, Brother Yan.” Zhu Ge strode in and cupped his fist. “City Lord.”

Yan Liyuan put down his teacup and stood up, his face a mask of shock. “Brother Zhu, it’s you?!”

Zhu Ge was also a little surprised now.

He hadn’t known Yan Liyuan was here, so he had let his Second Realm aura show.

“You have such strength with only a Second Realm Cultivation?” Yan Liyuan’s shock was palpable.

After all, when Zhu Ge had worn the [Secret], he had contended with several Third Realm prodigies.

The gap between a Third Realm prodigy and an ordinary Third Realm expert was even greater than the gap between the Third Realm and the First Realm.

“So you hid your Cultivation in order to…” A flash of understanding appeared in Yan Liyuan’s eyes.

“I must ask Brother Yan to help me keep this a secret.” Zhu Ge cupped his fist. “I don’t wish to be the tree that stands out from the forest.”

“Understood!” Yan Liyuan nodded, then said to the City Lord beside him:

“This is the City Lord of Lvchun City, Mr. Chunzhi, a Third Realm Confucian Scholar Realm expert.”

“And this is Zhu Ge.”

Yan Liyuan introduced them to each other.

Zhu Ge and Mr. Chunzhi greeted each other with a bow.

“Palace Master Zhu, please have a seat.” Mr. Chunzhi gently gestured to a nearby seat.

Zhu Ge didn’t refuse. He offered his thanks and sat down, then asked Yan Liyuan, “What are you doing here?”

“Just passing through.” Yan Liyuan, having regained his usual composure, sat down and said lightly:

“I was passing through Lvchun City on my way to Nanyue Mianhuang when I saw the city besieged by Demon Beasts, so I stepped in to clean them up. That Strong Monkey King was a clever one; it surrendered the moment it saw the tide had turned.”

Zhu Ge looked at the Strong Monkey King.

The Strong Monkey King shrank back, not daring to look at him. It then glanced at Liu Jianjian, its eyes filled with a sense of grievance.

“That’s the Demon Beast I subjugated,” Liu Jianjian, who had entered with Zhu Ge, said with a pout.

“Oh?” Yan Liyuan raised an eyebrow. “Then it seems I was presumptuous. However, I didn’t use any special means to subjugate it. Miss, you may take it back…”

“Okay, thank you!” Liu Jianjian bowed, then beckoned with her hand, and the Strong Monkey King disappeared into her hair.

Yan Liyuan wasn’t annoyed by this. He just smiled and shook his head. “I didn’t expect this monkey to have such a fate with you, Miss.”

“My master subjugated it for me in the first place,” Liu Jianjian said, lifting her chin proudly. “Mr. Yan just happened to intercept it along the way.”

Zhu Ge waved his hand, signaling for Liu Jianjian to step back. He cupped his fist toward Yan Liyuan and said, “Brother Yan, this monkey is indeed under my command. Thank you for your magnanimity.”

“It’s nothing.” Yan Liyuan lifted his teacup and took a light sip. “It’s just one Third Realm Demon Beast. I only subdued it in passing. It’s only right that it be returned to its original owner.”

Mr. Chunzhi watched the two of them from the side, his eyes filled with appreciation.

“You are both dragons among men. To have you gathered in my Lvchun City today is truly this old man’s good fortune.” He stood up and personally refilled the tea for Zhu Ge and Yan Liyuan. “Palace Master Zhu, I have long heard of how you led your army to break the sieges of several cities. Seeing you today, it is true that heroes emerge from the young.”

“Mr. Chunzhi, you praise me too much,” Zhu Ge said humbly. “Lvchun City was able to hold out thanks to Brother Yan’s intervention. I merely arrived late.”

“Not late, not late at all.” Mr. Chunzhi waved his hands repeatedly. “As long as you came, you are not late.”

The three of them chatted for a while longer before Zhu Ge asked about the situation in the city.

Mr. Chunzhi sighed, his expression turning grim.

“Lvchun City was under siege for five months. Our provisions were nearly exhausted, and more than half of our people were dead or wounded. If Mr. Yan hadn’t stepped in, I’m afraid the city would have fallen and everyone would have perished in another half a month.”

He paused. “Although the Demon Beasts outside the city have now retreated, the city’s vitality has been grievously wounded. I fear it won’t recover for another three to five years.”

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