With Ruan Xiu having already parted ways and flown alone towards Asking Sword Gorge, clutching the knife-coin in his hand, Jiang Wang was suddenly reminded of a time long ago when Yu Bei Dou had also presented him with a knife-coin.

However, Yu Bei Dou’s knife-coin was one he had initially given away himself, which, after circulating, had returned to his hand, remarkably clean and bright as new.

The knife-coin originally intended for Ruan Xiu, taken directly from the warehouse official’s stores and casually tossed into a box, was still somewhat soiled, clearly having circulated in the market for a long time.

Yu Bei Dou, unconcerned with appearances, after a slight process, bestowed a new coin.

Ruan Xiu, with his elegant demeanor, on the other hand, presented an old one. Could it be that those who practiced divination were all so particular about money?

Perhaps next time it would be better not to directly offer yuan stones. Money, they said, could facilitate connection with deities. Offering a bit more might help with casting spells, though that seemed unlikely.

Thinking thus, the stinginess of Yu Bei Dou was a well-established fact, while Ruan Xiu’s playful nature he wasn’t quite brave enough to truly test yet; they were still not overly familiar.

This return to Sword Pavilion was uneventful.

Pavilion Master Si Yu An’s return was uncertain, Si Kong Jing Xiao was in seclusion, and that heartless Sword Master’s whereabouts were unknown. The other disciples in the Sword Pavilion carried themselves with sword-like bearing, neither rude nor overly welcoming.

Ning Shuang Rong accompanied them up the mountain, and again saw them off. On the plank road by the Heaven Gate, they simply exchanged a farewell of “See you in the martial world.”

And so, with the green robes ascending and the cyan robes departing, the heavenly wind swept through the long gorge.

Jiang someone collected Chu Yao and Xiang Qian, led the white ox, and conveniently brought along White Jade Xia. The group, riding in the ox cart, slowly distanced themselves within the narrow, long Asking Sword Gorge.

Regarding Jiang Wang’s trip to the Blood River Sect and back, Chu Yao and Xiang Qian had actually become quite familiar – after all, what child wouldn’t like an adult who let them play freely?

Considering Xiang Qian and White Jade Xia’s condition, the grand and mighty Marquis of Wu An of Great Qi personally drove the cart from the front of the warehouse, making the compartment available for the two individuals who had been hanging for several months to rest.

The young apprentice, nestled beside his master, asked various strange questions haphazardly. Was the Blood River Sect actually in a river? Why hadn’t the green-robed fairy sister returned to the southern border with them? Had his master already become the world’s number one?

Jiang Wang answered his questions just as haphazardly.

The cart curtains were rolled up.

White Jade Xia sat cross-legged, recuperating. He glanced at Xiang Qian, slumped against the compartment wall, his gaze fixed blankly outside the cart. His eyes seemed to trace the backs of the large and small figures, and perhaps more distant things… one couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

This sword guest, who lived by the principle of encountering and then lying down to faint and sleep, surprisingly seemed a little melancholic.

Looking closer, however, those dead fish eyes were already closed, his breathing had become steady, and he was rapidly entering a state of sleep.

Indeed, it was an illusion.

White Jade Xia shook his head, his eyes turning to the outside of the cart window. The experiences after leaving Yue Country were ones he had never had before. They broadened his life, allowing him to feel a sense of the new and strange.

Even now that he had regained his freedom, he didn’t want to return to Yue Country.

That kind of life, demanding constant striving, where every step and every goal hung before his eyes, wasn’t as comfortable as being suspended in the sky above Heaven Eye Peak.

As the saying goes, “When the thought of lying flat arises, suddenly the world feels vast.”

Aimlessly counting the sword marks on the cliff face, he too had learned to space out. The ox cart was already nearing the exit of Asking Sword Gorge, yet suddenly, he heard:

*Ding ding ding, clang clang clang clang* – a cacophony of sword cries!

Swords of various styles, of different weights and lights, echoed throughout Asking Sword Gorge, rising and falling with a unique rhythm, weaving into a grand and long song!

“Mama! Brother Ox, run faster!” Chu Yao screamed in fright, “They’re coming to chase and kill us!”

The white ox, already spooked within the Sword Pavilion, truly lifted a hoof, intending to accelerate.

Yet, Jiang Wang casually pressed it down.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Jiang Wang glared at Chu Yao.

But he too was somewhat puzzled by the scene before his eyes.

What was the Sword Pavilion doing with all this sword ringing for no reason?

It couldn’t be because he was about to leave and hadn’t come out to see Si Zhen Jun, so they were trying to make a point, could it? How could this happen again and again, and for the third time? One must know that there were times when enduring was impossible, and then “the day will surely come for revenge!”

“It’s the Ten Thousand Sword Song,” White Jade Xia, who had come back to his senses, said with a mix of surprise and envy, his expression complex. “According to the tradition of Heaven Eye Peak, when those who come to Ask Sword Sword Pavilion are unmatched, the Sword Pavilion ought to see them off with a sword song!”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Jiang Wang nodded casually, his expression serene, seemingly unfazed.

After all, he had just returned from the Evil Sea, witnessed a True Dao level grand battle, and even had vague contact with an existence at the absolute peak. What did this kind of minor scene count for? Hahahahaha.

He finally managed to suppress the grin that had been threatening to erupt.

“Uncle Xiang! Uncle Xiang! Quick, don’t sleep, do you hear?” Chu Yao waved his arms and stomped his feet excitedly. “My master is so imposing! Following my master, I’m also so imposing!”

He had easily accepted the setting where he was now claiming to be ‘Uncle Xiang,’ after all, he was truly much older than his own master.

Xiang Qian, slumped in the cart compartment, didn’t open his eyes, only grumbled, “What kind of song is this? I heard it many years ago. When my master brought me here, he was much more imposing than you!” Jiang Wang didn’t speak.

White Jade Xia didn’t either.

Only Chu Yao remained unconvinced, “Call out your master and compare him with my master!”

Jiang Wang conveniently gave him a flick on the forehead, “Compare what? It’s getting late, and all you do is cause trouble for your master!”

Chu Yao pouted aggrievedly.

Why did this master not understand good words from bad? He was standing on his father’s side!

The ox cart representing the Great Qi Marquis of Wu An slowly and leisurely exited Asking Sword Gorge, returning along the original route to the Southern Summer.

Xiang Qian snored loudly in the cart compartment, and White Jade Xia, after recuperating, also fell into a deep sleep.

The master and apprentice driving the cart were leisurely, as if on a suburban outing.

But with the ox cart’s journey south and return, the atmosphere in Jin’an County had quietly changed.

Leaving aside the sudden upheaval in the Evil Sea and the complex situation of the Blood River Sect, Jiang Wang’s objective in this southern trip had been fully achieved.

First, the Sword Pavilion had yielded. After its cultivators of the same generation were completely defeated by Jiang Wang, it indicated that it would not interfere in Jin’an County’s affairs.

As for the Blood River Sect, there was no longer any need for Jiang Wang to go asking for anything. The current situation of the Blood River Sect itself left it with no stance to take.

Although Ruan Xiu had said that the Blood River Sect’s True Monarch level combat power had never been broken, and that even though Huo Shi Ji had died in battle, it was still very possible that a True Monarch level combat power existed in some special form. But whether Huo Shi Ji existed or not still related to the Blood River Sect’s influence.

The now diminished Blood River Sect absolutely lacked the confidence to support Liang Country’s occupation of Jin’an County.

Su Guan Ying’s speed was extremely fast.

Jiang Wang had not yet left the Blood River Sect, but the Southern Summer Governor’s Residence had already, under the guise of apprehending the remnants of the Equal Country’s evil, heavily dispatched soldiers into Jin’an County, demanding that the Liang army guarding Jin’an County cooperate in arresting criminals.

Huang De Yi, Liang Country’s inner guard “Xiu Ping Fu,” was naturally unwilling.

But after Jiang Wang’s departure, the wind direction had already changed.

When Si Yu An took Jiang Wang to the Evil Sea, the Sword Pavilion disciples were just the first to leave “Xiu Ping Fu.” Before Jiang Wang’s ox cart drove out of Asking Sword Gorge, the Near Deity realm experts who had originally been stationed here by the Blood River Sect had also hurried away.

Relying solely on Liang Country, how could they dare refuse the demands of the Southern Summer Governor’s Residence? So when Jiang Wang rode the ox cart back here once more, he could already occasionally see several teams of Qi people patrol riders carrying portraits of Equal Country’s protectors of the Dao. Of course, they wouldn’t catch any Equal Country believers.

But the Qi people would arrest criminals today and search for thieves tomorrow. After several times, there was fundamentally no need to do anything else; “Xiu Ping Fu” would naturally become Jin’an County.

The Liang people were naturally unwilling and resentful, but doom was unavoidable. The great tide had turned, and it was not something anyone could pull back alone.

These patrol riders were all from the southern border’s frontier army. Those who could still remain on the military roster after the grand culling were all excellent among the excellent. Occasionally encountering the carriage of the Marquis of Wu An, they all actively followed behind, wanting to escort the Marquis back.

After entering the boundary of Jin’an County, they had not traveled even a few dozen li, and the patrol riders following behind the ox cart already exceeded three hundred people.

Jiang Wang did not put on any airs with them. He still personally drove the cart, and from time to time chatted with the gathered soldiers who had come to greet him. He asked about their current treatment, asked about how those retired brothers were doing, and whether they had been allocated land.

The old Summer nobles had been completely swept away, and the Qi court’s rule over the Summer land was primarily characterized by benevolence. Those few domestic nobles were unable to exploit the situation here. Those who had truly made merits in the Qi-Summer war had, more or less, divided some interests.

And the fertile land of the southern border was vast, extending for tens of thousands of li!

Great Qi’s national power was like the sun at noon, capable of giving the common people of the southern border a sufficient sense of security. Allocating tens of thousands of li of fertile land was enough to win the hearts of the people.

So, after a round of chatting, he learned that Governor Su was indeed doing very well, and most of the patrol riders were satisfied with the current situation. A minority were dissatisfied, but it was all focused on the military reduction. However, the military reduction was a major policy for the southern border, and even if the reason wasn’t understood, it had to be implemented.

Jiang Wang only warmly explained some reasons for recuperating and resting.

Even today, Jiang Wang thought back to all the impressions he had of Qi Country being strong. The most profound feeling was still that scene he witnessed when he first arrived in Qi Country: ordinary common people could casually go on suburban outings.

There were no fierce beasts, no evil spirits, the weather was sunny and bright. The shock at that time left a long-lasting impression.

If Maple Forest City still existed, he would hope even more that his hometown elders could also live this kind of life.

He hadn’t learned the art of governance, nor did he fully understand the relationship between a strong people and a strong country. But he thought that if the common people could all live well, the country couldn’t be weak anywhere.

Just as they were chatting idly, a branch of Liang Country’s cavalry galloped rapidly from afar. The horse hooves, as large as bowls, advanced with rhythmic sounds, pounding the official road like drums.

They approached in an instant.

Leading them was a young man, wearing leather armor, with a long bow on his back. A bright silver spear hung on the victory hook. He looked around with an air of elegance and charm.

His voice was also clear, and from afar he called out, “Is it the Marquis of Wu An of Great Qi before me?”

The Great Qi patrol riders who had always followed the ox cart had already surged forward on their own, blocking the approaching party a hundred paces away.

Although their numbers didn’t reach three hundred, and they weren’t a formal army, they were not particularly familiar with each other. But they proudly stood in front, not a single one flinching.

A few days ago, when they were still the Summer Country’s cavalry, they were just suppressing the Liang Country people, who dared not look north. If it weren’t for the Sword Pavilion crossing Asking Sword Gorge horizontally, they in Bian City wouldn’t know how many times they would have crossed over.

Today, having become the Qi army, they were even less likely to give way to these Liang Country soldiers and horses.

The patrol captain with the highest rank, a Captain, even spurred his horse forward and roared angrily, “Knowing that the Marquis of Wu An is here, you still dare to lead an army to block the road! Disturbing the Marquis’s carriage, what crime is that?”

The young man leading the Liang Country side had not yet spoken, but the person behind him, likely a deputy general, already pointed his halberd and roared back, “This is Xiu Ping Fu, Liang Country’s territory! The Marquis of Qi Country has no special rights here!”

“Is that so?” The patrol captain who was clearing the way only asked this one question, then *clang* he drew his sword, the tip pointing forward, “Today, I am escorting the Marquis back to the residence. Whoever dares to block the road, I will strike with the edge of my blade! You lot, will you yield or not?”

More than two hundred Qi soldiers simultaneously drew their swords and roared, “Yield or not!”

Although the opposing side had thousands of cavalry, they were instantly deterred!

It wasn’t that the Liang army was weak, fearing an opponent with a ratio of over three to one. But the backing countries of both sides provided different levels of confidence. If a military conflict were to truly break out, not a single one of them could bear the consequences!

Jiang Wang sat quietly in the driver’s seat of the ox cart, not speaking.

His silent presence here was itself a banner, giving the Qi army on the field immense courage.

With the Great Qi Marquis of Wu An here, what did they have to fear?

The Qi army on the field, with a number of less than three hundred patrol riders, took the initiative to advance and press forward!

The Liang army, based on this, also drew their swords one after another.

In this atmosphere of drawing swords and bending bows, the young man leading the Liang army shouted, “An old friend from the Terrace of Viewing Rivers, is the Marquis of Wu An not going to see me?”

This person was none other than Huang Su, the direct grandson of Huang De Yi, a first-class duke of Liang Country, and also a genuine prodigy who had obtained a positive quota for the Inner Mansion competition from the Huang River.

Hence the claim of being “old friends.”

With Jiang Wang’s eyesight, he had naturally recognized him early on, but he only said, “Let him through.”

The nearly three hundred angry and ready-to-strike patrol riders thus divided into two columns, watching this person with cold eyes as he rode alone towards the Marquis of Wu An’s carriage.

Huang Su’s momentum when he arrived was fierce, but as he stood on horseback amidst the forest of swords, his expression remained unchanged.

But as Jiang Wang’s calm face became clearer and clearer in his vision, even such a young talent couldn’t help but feel a surge of nervousness!

A person’s name precedes their reputation.

That year on the Terrace of Viewing Rivers, Jiang Wang was just the world’s number one Inner Mansion, his power surpassing all others in the same realm.

Years had passed since then. He was still polishing his Inner Mansion realm, striving to approach the perfection of the Near Deity realm. And his opponent’s fame already shook the heavens, like the sun at noon!

Even his grandfather, Huang De Yi, didn’t see himself as being on equal footing with this person.

He couldn’t help but ponder inwardly. Why had he come?

Was that burst of righteous indignation merely rashness? But no matter how he thought, the two sides were already close.

Since he had come, since he had blocked the road, he could not show timidity again. Otherwise, it would be Liang Country’s face that would be lost.

Jiang Wang leaned casually against the cart door, his expression calm, and asked, “Old friend from the Terrace of Viewing Rivers, why do you question me with drawn blades?”

Huang Su calmed his mood, one hand holding the reins, and said from horseback, “Huang Su has come not to raise blades. It was just during training when I heard the Marquis’s news and became momentarily excited, failing to dismiss the soldiers and horses.”

After this explanation, he continued, “Two years unseen, the gap between you and I is already like heaven and earth. Originally, I ought not to bother you. But Huang Su’s heart truly holds doubts that cannot be left unasked. And righteous indignation that cannot be left unresolved! I still hope the Marquis can forgive me!”

Jiang Wang, however, regardless of his doubts or righteous indignation, only spoke faintly, “When this Marquis first arrived here, the Liang army challenged me with drawn blades, but I disregarded it as part of the public Marquis ceremony. When this Marquis went to Asking Sword Gorge, a prince of yours named Kang Wen Hao led an army to block the road, and I also didn’t pursue the matter. The reason I didn’t pursue it, and the reason I didn’t pursue it again, is not because this Marquis is magnanimous, nor because this Marquis has a good temper.”

His voice rose slightly, like a sword revealing its edge, “It’s just that I’ve always been too lazy to bully the weak!”

A hint of doubt appeared on his youthful face, “Now this Marquis is returning to the Southern Summer, and you lot are leading an army to block the road again?”

This Marquis, who had established no great military merit in the Qi-Summer war, placed one hand on the hilt of his waist sword, leaned slightly forward, and asked in a flat, almost gentle voice, “Do the Liang people think being lazy is not beneficial?” His power descended like a mountain collapsing and the sea roaring!

In that instant, Huang Su felt himself enveloped by boundless killing intent, as if someone were strangling his neck. His chest felt suffocated, his blood flow uneven, and breathing became difficult. And the simple horse beneath him suddenly let out a mournful neigh, its four hooves dropping heavily to the ground!

Dust flew up!