Volume Three: Rising Renown Chapter Thirty-Two: Half a Check-In

The chief eunuch stood at the very front, side by side with Qing Yangde and Xiong Feng.

“You two are truly prodigies, rising to command an army at such a young age,” he said with a smile.

“Chief, you flatter us too much,” Qing Yangde replied, waving a hand with a look of modesty. “You would shame us into the ground.”

“No arrogance, no rashness! No wonder you’ve been entrusted with such important duties. You are indeed extraordinary!” As he spoke, the chief eunuch noticed a woman step down from a carriage in the procession behind them and walk straight toward a stall.

“Who is that?” he asked in confusion. “Is that Li Yu of the Qing clan?”

“This...” Qing Yangde turned around and saw the little maid the chief eunuch was pointing at. After a brief hesitation, he said, “No. To be honest, Li Yu was ambushed by assassins and is now severely injured. That is a maid temporarily attending to him.”

“That won’t do. The Hundred Schools Assembly is about to begin. I have some excellent healing elixirs on my side; I’ll have someone send them over shortly.” A gleam flashed in the chief eunuch’s eyes.

His cultivation was not weak; he stood at the very peak of the fifth rank of divine path, otherwise he would not have held the position of chief eunuch.

He had been watching closely all along. There was only one carriage in the military procession, and from any angle it was clearly carrying someone important. Combined with the imperial records, he had already concluded that the one inside must be the Thunderblood heir.

When the little maid stepped out and lifted the curtain, even if only for an instant, he had clearly seen within a lively and vigorous youth.

Moreover, he had long known that the Thunderblood heir was a young boy. He had merely pretended ignorance just now, intending to probe Qing Yangde’s intentions.

Trying to fool him? Was this not just because they feared the treasure would be poached, so they kept it hidden and refused to speak plainly? Hmph, childish tricks.

Still, claiming he was severely injured was rather clever. They were likely planning to use that excuse later to brush him off and prevent him from meeting the boy.

The chief eunuch understood the situation perfectly. The imperial household was also intensely interested in the Thunderblood heir, and he had come with orders of his own. He must, without fail, make contact with the youth.

The group did not speak much longer, and soon shifted to other topics, discussing this year’s Hundred Schools Assembly.

Inside the carriage, Li Yu opened his mouth and bit down several times, softening the sticky syrup into something he could chew. A sweet fragrance spread through his mouth.

“So delicious!”

Li Yu was moved to tears. The syrup also contained a trace of spiritual energy, though the grade was probably not high, so the flavor itself was what stood out most.

It tasted somewhat like rice candy, only even better.

So the young master likes this?

Little Cui quietly memorized it.

After a long while, Li Yu finally finished the assortment of snacks. He let out two satisfied burps and collapsed lazily against the cushioned seat of the carriage.

“Why has the carriage stopped?”

Li Yu was somewhat puzzled. He lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside.

Another towering city wall stood before him, and the convoy was currently being inspected there. Unlike the checks at the outer city, this inspection was not carried out by people, but by a massive formation carved into the ground.

Ahead of them, another clan happened to be entering.

The formation on the ground emitted a faint glow, neither harsh nor dazzling. As the people crossed over it, the glow scanned them from top to bottom.

Security screening...

Wasn’t this just like what one had to do before entering the waiting hall at an airport or train station?

The difference was that this was a formation. He had no idea what it was checking for. Surely not prohibited blades and weapons?

The line moved quickly, and soon it was the Qing clan’s turn.

Li Yu had originally thought he would need to get out of the carriage, but that was unnecessary. They simply passed through the formation, and just like that, they had entered the inner city.

“System, sign in!”

Li Yu silently thought the words.

Ding. Congratulations, host. Sign-in successful... The sign-in location is incomplete. Reward obtained: Shadow Mask. Claim reward?

Warning: this sign-in site is missing part of the required location. The Shadow Mask has side effects. The host must complete a second sign-in at another place to remove them.

Li Yu: ...

“Huh? There can be such a thing?”

Li Yu grew troubled, but he was not confused by what the system meant by an incomplete location. In fact, he already had an idea.

Although the Qing clan’s books and unofficial histories did not state it clearly, if the clues were connected, one conclusion could be drawn: the Great Imperial Capital was a weapon forged as a single whole.

After the fall of Great Qin, Great Ming established itself as a nation upon the former territory, and the imperial family was a collateral branch of Great Qin. Did that mean the Great Ming imperial household possessed part of the Great Imperial Capital?

Otherwise, why would they preserve the old dynastic name for the capital?

There had to be some connection.

Li Yu did not think further on it. Since this sign-in reward had no healing effect and came with a side effect, he might as well claim it after the Hundred Schools Assembly was over.

There was no rush.

The procession continued onward.

Merely the inner city alone was likely two or three times larger than the Qing clan’s residence. The soldiers moving back and forth all had formidable auras, every one of them at least at the eighth rank.

After a long while, the convoy finally came to a stop.

“This is the place. Are you both satisfied?” the chief eunuch asked.

Before them stood a vast estate by the lakeside, with many buildings within. It was more than enough to house over a hundred people. Adjacent to it was the lodging arranged for the Xiong clan.

It was clear that this place had been tidied up in advance. The surrounding area was silent, with not a soul in sight, likely having been set aside beforehand.

“Very good. You’ve gone to a great deal of trouble, Chief,” Qing Yangde and Xiong Feng both said with nods.

“There are maids nearby. If you need anything, you may call for them in advance. If you go out, the maids will also guide you.” The chief eunuch continued, “My task is also complete, so I shall go and report back first. His Majesty cannot be kept waiting.”

“Please go ahead, Chief!”

After a few more courteous exchanges, the three parted ways.

Only then did Li Yu get down from the carriage and follow Qing Yangde into the manor.

“Two of you to a group. Arrange the patrol duties,” Qing Yangde said with a wave of his hand, and the hundred soldiers of the Azure Sun Army dispersed on their own.

Li Yu asked curiously, “How many empty residences does the Great Ming imperial family have to prepare in order to house every clan?”

If every family were given such a large estate, surely no one would have that many vacant houses?

“Not every clan is qualified to live here. This is the ancestral land of the Ying clan,” Qing Yangde said with a smile. “If everyone were brought in, what if someone secretly caused trouble? I estimate that only nine families will be allowed to stay here this time. The others will be arranged together in the outer city.”

The Great Ming imperial family carried on the surname of the previous dynasty: Ying.

At that, Li Yu understood.

There are ranks among people, and the same is true of powers and factions. Naturally, not everyone could be treated equally.

Still, were there really eight other forces equal to the Qing clan?

Li Yu was at a loss for words. The Qing clan alone already controlled a whole prefecture, and yet there were so many forces of comparable scale. Being emperor in this country must be terribly difficult.

“Young master, the room has been arranged.”

Little Cui’s head poked out from inside a room as she called out in a clear voice.

“Fine. You go rest for a bit. I’m going to see how they’ve arranged things!” Qing Yangde said, patting his backside as he got up and left.