He originally thought the timely arrival of the Grand Tutor's decree was already ridiculous. What Lucas Reeve didn't expect was...
One second, Celestial Master Li, his eyes flashing with orange lightning, seemed to have a mortal hatred for the Divine Fragments and wanted to execute and suppress them. The next second, after confirming the Grand Tutor's handwriting, he left immediately without looking back. That hurried attitude...
It was as if he didn't want to stay here for even a second longer.
Lucas: "???"
Ah... isn't your retreat... a bit too fast?
This feeling... was like someone having a mortal hatred for you. They finally found a chance to kill you, and just as they were about to succeed, a bigger shot came and stopped them. Wouldn't a normal person... be furious? Why did you... just leave expressionlessly?.
It felt like he was at work one moment, and the next second it was time to clock off, so he immediately ran, not wanting to stay a second longer.
Tsk tsk...
As for Celestial Master Bai, he didn't leave in a hurry. He gave Lucas a deep look, then turned and left. The other Celestial Masters guarding Shangshu didn't know what happened either. Anyway, their boss left, so they clocked off and left too.
This confrontation.
No one suffered any losses. If one had to name a loss, it would probably be the Red Sleeve Court. After all, Celestial Master Li had blasted the wall.
Lin Qingyan let out a huge sigh of relief.
Luckily, the Grand Tutor's decree came just in time. Otherwise, Lucas and the others might not have been able to walk out of Shangshu. Although there were four Divine Fragments and two powerhouses of unknown origin, this was the heartland of Yan, filled with countless experts. Forget a few Divine Fragments; even an ordinary, complete god would have to take a serious beating before being able to leave.
After all these soldiers and Celestial Masters had left.
The person in charge of the Red Sleeve Court carefully walked up the stairs.
To be able to open a pleasure house like the Red Sleeve Court in a big city like Shangshu, they definitely had a strong background locally. It might not be huge, but they definitely had connections in both legitimate and illicit circles. However, such a background was nothing in front of a group of Celestial Masters. The good girls and scholars in the Red Sleeve Court had already been evacuated with the help of the local Constables.
"Are you the proprietor?" Lin Qingyan glanced at the somewhat portly middle-aged man behind her and asked casually.
This question scared the proprietor, who was usually a big shot in Shangshu, causing him to nod repeatedly.
"Yes! Yes!"
"Someone will deliver compensation money for the damage to this wall tomorrow, including some compensation for the mental distress of your staff."
"I'm leaving now. You all should leave Shangshu as soon as possible... Although you have the Grand Tutor's decree, but..."
Due to their differing positions, Lin Qingyan couldn't say much more to Lucas. She turned and left.
After Lin Qingyan left.
The private room fell silent once more.
The six of them didn't speak, all lost in thought. After a while, a gurgling sound came from Skadi's stomach.
She was hungry...
It made sense. Since the good girls at the pleasure house charged by the hour, the longer they were booked, the more they earned. Naturally, the speed at which food was served was ridiculously slow. Unless specifically urged, it might take over an hour for all the dishes to arrive.
And in all that time, the group had barely eaten anything before Lin Qingyan burst in. They hadn't chatted for long before the Yan Celestial Masters arrived, preventing them from eating much at all.
"So, what do we do now?"
Laurentina asked for Lucas's opinion. Skadi clutched her stomach and also looked at Lucas. Even Nian and Dusk looked at Lucas, as if he were the only leader here.
"?"
Don't look at me. This is Yan. Shouldn't you be asking the host, Miss Nian?
"But, I have a question."
Laurentina frowned slightly. "This... are you sure Victoria is the most powerful country on Terra?"
"Err..." Lucas also fell silent. "It... should be, right? I'm not sure either."
"But... those two Celestial Masters from Yan... they're so strong... I feel like even Second Captain might not be able to win a one-on-one fight against either of them... Don't tell me all the other Celestial Masters behind them are that strong too?"
Nian waved her hand. "How could that be?"
"Celestial Masters are also divided into ranks. Just like you are all Abyssal Hunters, but there are definitely strong and weak ones. It's the same for Celestial Masters. The name 'Celestial Master' is just a title, representing a status and position. Generally speaking, anyone who graduates from Tianshi Fu can be called a Celestial Master, but these people rarely call themselves that."
"The strongest in Yan is the Old Celestial Master who guards the border."
Laurentina: "How strong?"
Nian: "Err... anyway, very, very strong. His true strength is comparable to a true, complete god, and not a weak one at that."
"???"
"This Old Celestial Master is over four hundred years old, and his cultivation is terrifyingly profound... Even Sister Ling might not be his opponent. Even Big Brother might not be his match. Below the Old Celestial Master are the Celestial Masters you can count on one hand, who are over two hundred years old. The Old Celestial Master guards the northern border, and three of these other Celestial Masters guard the imperial capital. In terms of strength, they are much stronger than me and Dusk, but a bit weaker than Sister Ling."
"After them are those at the level of Lin Qingyan's Master, around a hundred-plus years old. They are the public ceiling of Yan's Celestial Masters. There are also no more than ten of them in all of Yan. Their strength is generally on par with me and Dusk, including Lin Qingyan's Master, and Celestial Master Li and Celestial Master Bai from just now."
"After that are the Imperial Guard-level, and then the core strength level, like Lin Qingyan."
Nian had been in Yan for over a thousand years, after all. She was all too clear about Yan's internal power structure.
One could only say, as expected of Yan. No wonder Yan had the ability to shatter Sui again, even if Sui were to fully revive.
However. Lucas was also concerned about another point.
Before leaving. Why did that Celestial Master Bai look at him...
Shouldn't he have been looking at Nian or Dusk? Or at his own Junior Niece? He didn't even know him. Why was this Celestial Master Bai looking at him?
And. Another point bothered Lucas.
That was... all thunder and no rain.
Although Celestial Master Li's entrance was extraordinarily domineering, changing the weather with a casual hand seal, and he looked at them as if he had a mortal enemy... he spent too much time posturing. He talked tough, and his entrance was intimidating, but he just wouldn't... attack. He held back.
And after the Grand Tutor's decree arrived, he ran away ridiculously fast.
This made Lucas suspicious... was he throwing the match?
Throwing the match?
Lucas suddenly discovered some blind spots in his mind. An act?
Thinking of this, Lucas felt it was somewhat possible. Otherwise, it didn't make sense.
Moreover. He knew Nian's and Dusk's personalities. They weren't troublemakers at all. One liked to film movies, the other liked to stay at home. Even he, who had only known them for less than a year, knew this. How could Yan, which had known them for thousands of years, not know?
How could Yan not know Nian's and Dusk's personalities? They knew they wouldn't intentionally cause destruction. That's why no one bothered Nian when she was filming movies in Lungmen, and only one ordinary Celestial Master was stationed near Mount Huiqi where Dusk was staying.
This familiar tactic... strongly resembled a method of managing people.
Give a slap, then offer a sweet date....
Was it possible.
That Nian and Dusk's unauthorized departure from Yan last time had angered the Yan officials, so they wanted to use this opportunity to reprimand them? And... it seemed the Grand Tutor had long anticipated that Nian and Dusk would come looking for their sister. After all, Nian's goal was obvious: to fight Sui. Lucas didn't believe Yan's Grand Tutor wouldn't know. And if they were fighting Sui, they would definitely seek out Ling.
However. Lucas also felt this seemed a bit... redundant.
Sigh... it's hard to guess the thoughts of these high-and-mighty figures.
But. Since there was a decree, it meant.
The Grand Tutor was allowing Nian and Dusk to see their sister, Ling.
In that case.. "Should we go find Ling now? Find her, and then leave immediately. [Stardust] is already on standby nearby; we can leave at any time."
Lucas stated his thoughts.
Regardless of the process, this Yan was, to be honest, a bit dangerous. It didn't make Lucas feel as safe as Columbia did. So... speed was key. Solve everything quickly, and leave quickly.
The others had no objections.
Since Yan's Grand Tutor had spoken, it meant he approved of their actions.
——————
"I have to say, it's truly beautiful."
Walking among the mountains of Shangshu, the scenery was endowed with nature's spiritual beauty, lush with vegetation.
There were dedicated stone steps on each peak, built for the people of Shangshu to climb. In the past, when Shangshu wasn't as developed, there were no mountain paths, and countless people died on their way up or down.
Laurentina looked around happily, saying with a grin.
"This magnificent view... I can only say, it's art! Such art! As expected of Yan. I'm a bit envious of the citizens of Shangshu, living among the mountains, it's simply..."
Laurentina took another deep breath.
"The air is so fresh, it's wonderful. Living in the mountains is really wonderful."
Laurentina was currently like a southerner seeing snow falling all over the ground for the first time in the north.
Laurentina grew up in Aegir.
Aegir, an underwater city. She had naturally seen plenty of water, but Laurentina had never seen mountains. And how could a country like Aegir, which valued efficiency and the collective, possibly waste money to build a imitation mountain? It would take up space and serve no purpose. So, she had only ever read about mountains in textbooks.
She never thought she'd be lucky enough to see one in her lifetime.
Laurentina was getting a little excited.
Skadi said faintly, "We're not here on vacation."
Laurentina waved her hand. "Don't be so serious."
Ling's mountain peak was the one that had "disappeared" from the "Three Mountains and Eighteen Peaks".
The group hadn't even eaten. They began climbing the mountain overnight. Halfway up, the path ended. Nian casually swiped her hand, and the space in front of them rippled like the surface of water. After a moment, a towering mountain peak appeared out of thin air before them.
Just as everyone was about to ascend.
A figure blocked their path.
It was a woman... a good-looking, black-haired Elafia lady in a red robe.
Her strength was considerable, but not as strong as those two Celestial Masters had appeared.
Before Lucas could speak, the woman spoke first.
"I am Ning Ciqiu, Left Vice-Minister of Yan's Ministry of Rites."
The woman bowed slightly, very politely.
Left Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Rites? That's a very high-ranking position, second-rank...
"This is a brocade pouch that Lord Grand Tutor asked me to pass on to you."
Ning Ciqiu accurately tossed a black brocade pouch in her hand to Lucas.
Lucas didn't dare believe it at first. He thought it was for Nian or Dusk. After all, only Nian or Dusk knew the Grand Tutor. However, when the black brocade pouch landed accurately in his hand, Lucas realized...
It was for him? The Grand Tutor... gave it to him?
Who was the Grand Tutor? Did he know him?
Lucas's mind became chaotic again. It felt just like that time at Raythean Medica, when Amiya called him Doctor. That same confusion.
"Excuse me... do I know the Grand Tutor?"
Ning Ciqiu shook her head and smiled slightly.
"No need to ask. You may understand when you open the pouch."
"The Grand Tutor said this pouch can only be opened when you are on the mountain, and the heavens and earth transform."
After speaking this riddle.
Ning Ciqiu said no more. Fanning herself, she passed by Lucas and turned to descend the mountain.
"???"
The group was bewildered.
Nian looked at Lucas, confused. "Say, do you know the Grand Tutor?"
Lucas quickly shook his head. "Of course not... at least, I have no memory of him."
Dusk interjected coolly, "Don't tell me you have amnesia again."
"Eh?"
Anyway, he couldn't remember, so he didn't dwell on it.
Lucas put the brocade pouch in his pocket, and the six of them ascended the mountain together.
When they reached the summit, a pavilion stood out. In the center of the pavilion, a pair of long, white legs swung back and forth.
A graceful and beautiful girl was lying drunk on the pavilion's wooden platform, fast asleep. Her sleeping posture was not at all elegant. She held a wine pot in her hand, the mouth of which was tilted down, and wine trickled slowly from it onto the ground.
"Sister Ling!"
Is this Ling?
Lucas and the others walked over, looking this girl with the long, white legs up and down.