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Zhang Weiyu questioned Chong Xuan Sheng, asking if he was willing to stake the Chong Xuan family’s reputation to vouch for Jiang Wang.

This question carried both the confidence in the potential harvest awaiting him in Qing Yang Town and a subtle warning to Chong Xuan Sheng: if Jiang Wang were truly involved in treason, would he be willing to drag the Chong Xuan family down with him?

It was a carefully aimed strike.

Chong Xuan Sheng, however, responded with unwavering resolve, declaring that his and Jiang Wang’s fates were intertwined. If Jiang Wang were accused of treason, he, Chong Xuan Sheng, would also be implicated.

At this point, Zhang Weiyu found himself actively seeking to disentangle them.

To cast Jiang Wang into the abyss was one matter, but to drag Chong Xuan Sheng down with him demanded a vastly different price. One could accuse Jiang Wang of treason, but accusing Chong Xuan Sheng was simply out of the question.

As Chen Fuchang had once said, no matter one’s position or actions, one must always understand the concept of “measure.”

Zhang Weiyu had etched this lesson into his heart. His objective was clear: to utterly defeat Jiang Wang and seize the position of North Yamen Duwei. For this, he was willing to clash with Chong Xuan Sheng. However, Chong Xuan Sheng’s fate was not his primary concern.

He was acutely aware of the chasm between himself and scions of aristocratic families like Chong Xuan Sheng. Such a gap would likely require generations of effort to bridge. The storms and tribulations that had befallen Jiang Wang, this nascent noble of the empire, would simply never touch individuals like Chong Xuan Sheng or Li Longchuan.

If Chong Xuan Sheng wished to follow, then so be it. He had no intention of resorting to further machinations and held no fear of anyone trailing him. The fruit of victory was already ripe; all he had to do was pluck it.

As Chong Xuan Sheng and Zhang Weiyu exchanged words, seemingly engrossed in conversation as if they were the closest of confidantes, each sentence a torrent of endless prattle, though upon closer inspection, it was merely a more refined version of a market shrew’s rant.

The Four-Pin Green Card Marshal, listening to this exchange, found his eyelids twitching, yet his face remained impassive, not uttering a single sound. The previous year, when Jiang Wang held the Green Card position, it was after his victory over Wang Yiwu in the same realm, a time when his name as a heaven’s favorite first began to shine. Even then, the Marshal had been willing to offer some convenience, recognizing Jiang Wang’s potential. But he could never have imagined that in such a short span, Jiang Wang would have grown to this extent.

Jiang Wang’s rise had completely surpassed his imagination and redefined his understanding of what a heaven’s favorite could be. Not only his personal strength and reputation but also the political resources he could mobilize were truly terrifying. Because of him, Linzi had nearly been thrown into utter chaos!

Now, with two divine beings locked in conflict, he could afford to offend neither. He simply rendered himself a mere decoration, wishing he could cease even breathing.

Of the three central figures, two were bickering, and one was feigning ignorance. The investigation team, enveloped in this peculiar atmosphere, proceeded towards Qing Yang Town.

Du Gu Xiao had been profoundly uneasy for the past two days. The business caravan of De Sheng Business Group had been halted for two days. As one of the best-developing newly established business groups in Qi, especially since Chong Xuan Sheng had opened a route to the nearby islands, each day the De Sheng caravan was delayed represented a colossal loss. Furthermore, Fan Qingqing, who had specifically left to use the Tai Xu Corner Tower in Tianfu City, had been politely but firmly turned back.

It was then that they understood: Qing Yang Town was under blockade.

What unsettled Du Gu Xiao wasn’t the blockade of Qing Yang Town itself, but the implications it carried – that Jiang Wang might truly be in trouble. Earlier, despite the burgeoning rumors, she had firmly believed that Jiang Wang could overcome any obstacle and that this sudden storm would eventually dissipate. She had also rigorously suppressed any dissenting voices within Qing Yang Town. At least within the town, she wouldn’t allow anyone to disrespect Jiang Wang.

But she couldn’t help but wonder, and she continued to wonder…

If Jiang Wang truly encountered difficulty, what should she do?

She had no answer. Just thinking about this problem made the sky feel as though it was collapsing.

“Xiao Xiao.” Inside the town hall, Fan Qingqing studied her with a discerning gaze: “You have followed Lord Jiang for the longest time. Tell me honestly, sister, does he truly have any contact with the Equality Country? This concerns the livelihood of our families, and the situation is already quite severe. You must be clear about this.”

“Ah?” Du Gu Xiao was startled awake from her panic, then dazed for a moment, before finally grasping the question. She shook her head: “Master is almost always cultivating. How could he have time to plot with those messy organizations?”

Her expression of panic and worry truly elicited pity. Fan Qingqing had been teaching her during this period, establishing a teacher-student relationship, and Du Gu Xiao served her well, fostering a degree of affection. Fan Qingqing couldn’t help but sigh: “It seems I was mistaken. Even if he truly had contact with the Equality Country, why would he let you know?”

“Matters that I am qualified to know, Master will let me know himself,” Du Gu Xiao lowered her head and said: “Sister Fan, please don’t say things like that. It doesn’t sound good to others. Master has no connection whatsoever with the Equality Country.”

“Heh.” Fan Qingqing shook her head: “Silly girl.” She sighed and said: “You still haven’t realized the severity of the problem. The fief has been blockaded, which means he has lost the trust of the upper echelons of Qi. This kind of heaven’s favorite, who rises like a shooting star, often falls like one as well, because too many eyes are fixed on him. Any small issue will be magnified, and he lacks the sufficient foundation to withstand it. This time is more ominous than auspicious…”

She trailed off, her voice laced with weariness: “Wait until this matter settles. Are you willing to follow me?”

Du Gu Xiao looked up at Fan Qingqing, somewhat surprised: “Go where?”

Fan Qingqing smiled and gently touched her head: “As superhuman cultivators, where can’t we go? It’s just that you’ve become accustomed to being a maid and only know how to be one! Sister will take you to enjoy life and show you what it means to be a superhuman cultivator.”

“I don’t want to go,” Du Gu Xiao said, biting her lip: “Master told me to manage things here, and I just want to protect this place well.”

“Your Master is having difficulty protecting himself,” Fan Qingqing glanced left and right, sighing: “Wait until this place becomes someone else’s fief, and you won’t even be able to guard it anymore.” During this period, she had also invested considerable effort in Qing Yang Town, and saying these words inevitably evoked some emotion.

“Not good, Manager Du Gu!” At this moment, a town guard rushed in, panicked: “A group of people suddenly arrived, claiming they want to search the town! And they have elite soldiers with them!”

Du Gu Xiao and Fan Qingqing exchanged glances, and Fan Qingqing slightly shook her head.

“There’s no need to panic. Lead the way, I’ll go see,” Du Gu Xiao said in a low voice: “This is the fief of Lord Jiang Wang, the First of the Inner Mansion in the World. Who dares to rashly search here?”

“Ha! What a grand tone!”

A harsh voice crashed into the town hall. Following closely behind was a sturdy man in official attire: “This official, Zhang Weiyu, Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel, is here by order to search Qing Yang Town! From this moment on, no one is permitted to move, no one is permitted to whisper. Any denial will be deemed an attempt to destroy evidence or collude, and will be executed on the spot!”

This chilling declaration silenced the entire hall. Town guards and minor officials who had rushed from various parts of the town hall, including Zhang Hai, the third strongest superhuman force in Qing Yang Town, all stopped in their tracks, daring not to move.

And Fan Qingqing, the most cultivated and worldly individual in Qing Yang Town, remained silent, maintaining a posture of complete cooperation.

At this moment.

Only Du Gu Xiao, instead of retreating, advanced, stepping directly in front of Zhang Weiyu.

“What evidence do you have to support your words?”

Under the oppressive aura of the man before her, her heart felt as though it would explode, yet she bit her lip and said: “If you have an order, show me! If you have a command, let me verify it! Otherwise, you are simply trespassing on a private fief without authorization, making an enemy of Jiang Wang, the Three-Pin Golden Melon Warrior, the Green Yang Child! I will resist with all my might!”

Her tone was so resolute that it reminded Zhang Hai, who stood outside the town hall door, not daring to move, of that youth who had initially rushed out of town to face the Jia City army!

Zhang Weiyu looked at the frail young girl before him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Though she was a mere trifle that he could crush with a single finger, and he had arrived today with the full might of official authority, she was attempting to block his path like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?