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Arch-Immortal Plumdark looked up at the floating capital city. Because the subsidiary sect was nowhere to be seen, they had no escort, and thus couldn’t go up to the city. That said, such a matter could be easily resolved by someone like Arch-Immortal Plumdark.

Off to the side, Master Fifth’s eyes glittered with grim light. The other disciples present also had similar looks, and many of them were glancing out of the corners of their eyes at Xu Qing and the Captain.

When Chen Tinghao and Sun Liying realized something unusual was going on, they inquired about the details. After hearing about the situation, Chen Tinghao said, “Senior Plumdark, Fellow Daoist Xu Qing, Fellow Daoist Erniu, I can make some inquiries and find out if something happened in your subsidiary sect. In the meantime, if all you need is an escort, we can help.”

He quickly took out a transmission jade slip.

As he did, Xu Qing and the Captain clasped hands and bowed thankfully.

Arch-Immortal Plumdark nodded. She would rather not call on her contacts in the city on the very first day, especially not for the sake of merely entering. Most importantly, the county capital was home to countless powerful experts. That meant that she couldn’t be as casual as she was back in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.

In this place, caution had to be maintained at all times. That was especially true when having just arrived. Therefore, the first order of business was to find out what exactly was going on with the Eight Sect Coalition’s subsidiary sect.

Thanks to Chen Tinghao, it didn’t take long before three beams of light shot down from the city above.

They resolved into three people, all wearing dark brown uniforms, with lightning circling around them. They didn’t seem like swordsages, and were clearly fellow members of Chen Tinghao’s sect. Chen Tinghao helped with the introductions, confirming that they were from the Supreme Ancient Lightning Order, and explaining that they were on patrol duty at the moment.

When the three newcomers learned that Xu Qing and the Captain were new swordsages, they became even more polite. Looking very respectful, they led the coalition delegation up into the city.

To the always-observant Xu Qing, this interaction gave him yet further understanding of the status of swordsages.

At the same time, he kept his eyes on the city, which drew closer and closer. It was roughly circular in layout, with huge walls around the edges, all of which glittered with countless magical symbols. As they got closer, the pressure radiating from the wall weighed down on them as their identities were confirmed.

With Chen Tinghao and the three Patrol cultivators there to vouch for them, there were no problems. In no time, they were inside the city.

Although the city was massive, everything was orderly. The streets and buildings alike were generally constructed from green jade bricks. Magenta rooftops were the most common. Every single building was impressive, from the big ones with huge outer courtyards, to the small ones that looked like single-room residences. Whether it was in terms of the size or style of the city, it was something the Eight Sect Coalition couldn’t compare to. There was just something fundamentally different about them. The place seemed magnificent, but at the same time, naturally solemn and serene. At the same time, thanks to the spirit trees that decorated the streets, the atmosphere was also elegant and refined. Every brick, tile, leaf, and plant emanated strong spirit energy that filled the city. There were both mortals and cultivators present, and the streets were bubbling and full of life.

There were two things about the city that Xu Qing found particularly surprising.

The first was that, because the city floated roughly at the level of the statue of Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity’s chest, when he looked up, he didn’t see the broken face of the god. Nor did he see the sun or moon. Instead, he saw the statue’s face. The statue seemed holy, with eyes that took in all living things. His expression seemed to be one of pity, as if he could look into the hearts of all the people in the city.

The second thing Xu Qing found surprising was that as soon as he was in the city, he could sense that he was at the apex of Sea-Sealing County. His body, his soul, and everything else about him seemed somehow connected to Sea-Sealing County. It was an inimitably strange feeling that was different from anything he had felt in any other city. What was more, he wasn’t even at the highest spot in the county.

“It’s the power of destiny aura,” Arch-Immortal Plumdark said quietly. “As a capital city, and the core of Sea-Sealing County, this place is a convergence spot for the destiny aura of the county. Some people think ‘destiny aura’ isn’t real, the fact of the matter is that it really exists. That said, it usually converges only for the most orthodox representations of a species. Normally speaking, ordinary sects can’t use it.”

Xu Qing listened thoughtfully.

As they proceeded on their way, Chen Tinghao explained a few more things. “The capital is divided into nine rings and seventy-seven districts. You’ll figure it all out pretty quickly, so I won’t go into detail.”

As they hurried on their way to the subsidiary sect, Chen Tinghao refrained from any further explanations. After confirming the location of the subsidiary sect, he led them in that direction as quickly as possible.

The Eight Sect Coalition’s subsidiary sect was located in the southwestern part of the county capital, in District 59. It was a somewhat remote location relatively far away from the city center. From the outside, it looked impressive, with a large courtyard filled with decorative rocks and flowing streams. That said, there were no disciples present, and the front gate was sealed with sealing strips of black paper. [1]

When the coalition disciples saw the sealing strips, their expressions turned unsightly. Arch-Immortal Plumdark looked at them, and without any change to her facial expression took out a jade slip to contact people she knew in the city.

Those sealing strips explained everything. Something had indeed gone wrong with the subsidiary sect.

Zhang Siyun? thought Xu Qing. He looked at the Captain, and the Captain looked back at him. Their eyes continued to narrow.

Both he and Xu Qing had started out in the Violent Crimes Division, and they had seen and used sealing strips on many occasions. Generally speaking, when a place was sealed by the authorities, it indicated that there was an ongoing investigation and no one was allowed inside. To encounter such a situation on their first day in the capital made it seem highly likely someone was targeting them. As for who it was... after some thought, Xu Qing came to the conclusion that Zhang Siyun definitely had the motive and power.

After all, the unusual way in which Zhang Siyun had been recruited went to show that he had powerful connections in the capital city.

Upon seeing the sealing strip, Chen Tinghao frowned and started sending messages with his jade slip. His three fellow disciples did the same.

The county capital was a massive place, such that most people only knew what was happening in their own administrative district. That said, big cities always had underworld figures who brokered information. Therefore, it didn’t take long for the details to come to light.

Eyebrows shooting up, Chen Tinghao said, “Seven days ago, the Justice Palace accused your subsidiary sect of the crime of ‘overstepping authority.’ They were all taken in for interrogation.”

A moment later, Arch-Immortal Plumdark got even more detailed information from her contacts. “The orders came down from Yao Yunhui, director of the Justice Palace’s Division 3. The charge of ‘overstepping authority’ is vague and can be applied in many situations. Obviously, they\'re doing this for a reason. Xu Qing, what’s the surname of the new swordsage from the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society?” [2]

“Zhang,” Xu Qing growled. “Zhang Siyun!”

“Is there friction between the two of you?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“He’s likely behind this. A good friend of mine looked into it and confirmed that Yao Yunhui is from the Yao Clan. The fact that she married someone from the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society caused a big stir a while back. Her daoist partner was named Zhang, and not too long ago the two of them had a son.” Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s eyes glittered with cold light.

Master Fifth spoke, her voice hoarse. “This accusation of overstepping authority isn’t about the subsidiary sect. It’s about Xu Qing!”

“It seems to me this whole thing was arranged in a rush,” the Captain said. “Seven days isn’t enough time for a thorough interrogation. Little Ah Qing, back when we were in Violent Crimes, how would we handle a situation like this?”

“Plan everything out in secret. Then attack with deadly force.”

“Exactly. With strength on our side, we didn’t need to make complicated schemes. We would just go in and arrest the culprit. The only reason someone would play things like this would be that they’re scared. Otherwise, it would make more sense to take things slow. Make more preparations and contingencies. Don’t beat the grass to startle the snake. Wait for the perfect moment to strike a mortal blow. Don’t give your opponent the chance to fight back. Rip them up by the roots.” The Captain licked his lips. “Given how anxious they seem, I bet their true purpose is good old mud-slinging. They arrest the first group and wait for the true target to arrive. Then they tell the true target that if they don’t submit to questioning they’ll be interfering with the investigation. They’ll act very domineering in the hopes that the target will get angry and resist arrest. Back in the Violent Crimes Division, we rarely resorted to such crude tactics.”

“Why go to all that trouble?” Wu Jianwu asked, looking confused.

Off to the side, Ning Yan rolled his eyes contemptuously.

“To get the target close and hopefully turn a minor matter into a big deal,” the Captain said. “By embellishing a bit, they can justify arresting the target. The only alternative is to take things slowly.” Voice turning cold, he looked at Xu Qing and said, “Little Ah Qing, how do you plan to handle this?”

“It’ll be simple,” Xu Qing said calmly.

“Right. Handling it won’t be complicated. The question is how to strike back.”

“How about a modified version of the Pilot Assistance Division event?” [3]

The Captain grinned. “Interesting. I can’t believe anyone would dare to plot against Violent Crimes veterans like you and me!”

Upon hearing their words, the surrounding disciples inhaled sharply. Chen Tinghao did the same, then cast a deep look at Xu Qing and the Captain. Meanwhile, Arch-Immortal Plumdark’s eyes shone with praise, and Master Fifth smiled.

“Zhang Siyun’s mother should be sending people here at any moment,” Xu Qing said. He looked off into the distance.

Sure enough, two people were rushing toward them from the nearby intersection. Before they even arrived, their somber aura settled over the area.

“Here they are,” the Captain said, his eyes shining.

The two new arrivals wore blue uniforms with black capes. They were obviously the uniforms of the Swordsage Palace, but were designed to make those wearing them look like officers of the law. Their expressions were grim as they completely ignored Arch-Immortal Plumdark and focused solely on Xu Qing.

“You’re Xu Qing?” said one.

“We’re officers from the Justice Palace,” the other continued, “in charge of interrogating the subsidiary sect of the Eight Sect Coalition. Xu Qing, you are suspected of being involved in the overstepping of authority, and we hereby serve you with a subpoena. You will come to the Justice Palace for questioning.”

“If you resist,” the first one went on, “we have the authority to use lethal force. If you refuse to answer our questions, we will bring the full weight of Justice Palace law against you. If anyone interferes with his matter, they will be crushed according to the law.”

Both of these people were in the Gold Core level with six heavenly palaces. And they were intentionally projecting their voices so all the passersby could hear.

However, after speaking, they didn’t immediately try to lay hands on Xu Qing. Instead, they looked around at the other coalition disciples, and especially Arch-Immortal Plumdark, as if waiting for them to react in some way.

Chen Tinghao and all the coalition disciples, meanwhile, were looking at Xu Qing and the Captain. As it turned out... things were playing out exactly as they had predicted.

Xu Qing had served in the Violent Crimes for three years. He had started out as an ordinary constable, then ended up as the director of the Seventh Peak’s Violent Crimes Division. He was therefore familiar with all the complicated formalities involved in a situation like this. The Captain had been in Violent Crimes for even longer.

Xu Qing turned to Arch-Immortal Plumdark and clasped hands. “Senior, I can handle this matter. Don’t worry.”

After then clasping hands to Master Fifth and Chen Tinghao, and casting a glance in the Captain’s direction, he walked toward the Justice Palace officers.

1. Using paper strips to seal doors is a common thing even nowadays in China. Usually the sealing papers have the Chinese character “seal” on them. It looks like this 封. At the company I worked at in China, the day before we went on vacation for the Spring Festival period (Chinese New Year), we would thoroughly clean the office and seal each room, and ultimately the entire office, with paper. Of course, sealing strips have a wide variety of other applications. For example, if a place is a crime scene, the police might seal the area that way. Any time someone wants to officially declare a place as “closed,” those strips can be placed onto the door to “prevent” it from opening. Here’s a picture. ☜

2. Yao Yunhui. This is the same Yao from the Yao Clan in the county capital. It’s #51 on the list of the 100 most common surnames, and also means “handsome, good-looking, etc.” Yun means “cloud” and Hui means “intelligent, rational, wisdom.” Yun is pronounced similar to “yoon” and Hui rhymes with way, with an H sound at the beginning. Hway. Madam Deathblade says this name sounds like a beautiful and intelligent woman. ☜

3. The Pilot Assistance event was in chapter 69. ☜