Chapter 56

"Long time no see."

Qingyao's figure was graceful as she smiled and walked forward to greet them.

"Only half a year."

Liu Ruyue smiled and subconsciously glanced at Zhao Yun.

For some reason, the moment she saw Zhao Yun, she felt an intense sense of familiarity, especially his eyes, which seemed to have been seen somewhere before.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yun was wearing a human skin mask, making it difficult to see his true appearance. She only knew that he was a True Spirit Realm cultivator, and from his aura, he should be at the first level of True Spirit.

Zhao Yun remained silent, then retracted his gaze and carried the ancient zither away.

To see Liu Ruyue here was quite unexpected for him. It turned out she was an old friend of the daughter of the City Lord of Qingfeng City, which he had never heard her mention before.

"Representing Wanggu City?" Zhao Yun muttered to himself.

In his view, Liu Ruyue's visit was not as simple as just seeing an old friend. It was mostly due to Lone Wolf, and she had likely heard the news and come here with a clear purpose: to recover the stolen wealth and, at the same time, punish Lone Wolf.

If so, other ancient cities would also send representatives, and their identities would not be simple. Representing a city was a matter of great prestige, just like Liu Ruyue. If it weren't for the involvement of the Heavenly Sect, the City Lord of Wanggu City would not have sent her.

"Who is he...?"

Liu Ruyue frowned slightly and looked at Qingyao.

"An old friend."

Qingyao smiled, a bit awkwardly. Today, Zhao Yun's coldness caught her off guard. After all, he was a disciple of the Heavenly Sect and her guest. At least he could have greeted her! Why did he just turn and leave?

"Miss, the young city lord of Canglang City has arrived."

Just as she spoke, another report came from the courtyard.

Before the words had even finished, a young man in white had already walked in, looking dignified and handsome. To enhance his aura, he held a folding fan, constantly showing off: "I am very handsome."

"Hello, Han Ming, how have you been?"

"Qingyao, have you missed me?" Han Ming smiled.

"Don't tease."

"Hey, Miss Liu is here too, what an honor today."

"How lively."

With a laugh, another person walked into the courtyard, a young man in a silver robe, clearly of noble status, the young city lord of Chiyang City: Yuwen Hao.

See? Zhao Yun's guess was indeed correct.

All the visitors were of great importance, and their visit to Qingyao was genuine, but their true purpose was Lone Wolf. Recovering the stolen wealth was secondary; the main goal was to retrieve a precious treasure.

"Please."

In the pavilion, Qingyao had already set up a small banquet.

The atmosphere at the banquet was not very harmonious.

By "not harmonious," it meant the tension between Han Ming and Yuwen Hao. They seemed to have a grudge, and since they sat down, their gazes towards each other were full of hostility.

In fact, both of them had a third purpose: to propose marriage.

Yes, to propose marriage. Coincidentally, they both had their eyes on Qingyao, or rather, their families had their eyes on her. A political marriage would be a beautiful thing.

In fact, Liu Ruyue was also very beautiful and a potential marriage candidate for their families. Unfortunately, she was a disciple of the Heavenly Sect, a high branch that was hard to reach. In comparison, Qingyao of Qingfeng City was the most suitable.

"Long time no see, how about a sparring match?"

Han Ming glanced at Yuwen Hao, seizing the opportunity to show off. There was a kind of anger that had been pent up in his heart for many years.

"Sure." Yuwen Hao smiled mockingly.

Then, the courtyard became lively, with clashing sounds and the sound of metal. One was like a chicken on steroids, the other like a man on drugs, fighting fiercely. Their cultivation levels were evenly matched, and the battle was intense.

Qingyao was already used to it.

These two young city lords always fought whenever they met.

"What a strange person."

She paid more attention to the pavilion where Zhao Yun was. She couldn't help but wonder, if it were someone else, seeing so many important people and two beautiful women, they would be eager to flatter them. But Zhao Yun, after entering the pavilion, didn't show up again. It seemed he didn't like the crowd. The two young city lords were fighting fiercely, and he didn't even come out to watch?

"So familiar."

Liu Ruyue muttered to herself, not paying much attention to the fight between Han Ming and Yuwen Hao. She was still thinking about Zhao Yun, and his eyes seemed more and more familiar the more she thought about them.

The scene was awkward.

This awkwardness referred to Han Ming and Yuwen Hao, who were fighting until their faces were red and their necks were swollen, trying to show off, but in fact, the two women weren't even watching.

What were they looking at?

Both were frustrated and occasionally glanced sideways during the fight.

Was there a treasure inside?

It was also their fault for arriving late. If they had come earlier, they wouldn't have this question.

This small pavilion, which seemed unremarkable, had completely overshadowed them. As young city lords, they deserved some respect, didn't they?

"What a stubborn mark."

In the pavilion, Zhao Yun sighed. He had already used lightning, but it couldn't move the mark on the ancient zither. It wasn't that it couldn't be erased, but it was extremely slow. It would take some time to refine it, not because the lightning was not powerful enough, but because his cultivation level was too low to use the true power of lightning.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Outside the pavilion, the sounds of the fight grew louder.

Zhao Yun glanced out the window and saw Han Ming and Yuwen Hao. As young city lords, they were not ordinary, and their cultivation levels were not below Qingyao's.

The sounds of the fight eventually subsided.

Looking at the two, one had blood at the corner of his mouth, the other had a bruised face. They had fought to a draw, both looking disheveled, but neither had defeated the other.

"Let's go again if you're not satisfied."

"I'm not afraid of you."

After three cups of wine, the two were at odds again.

"Enough."

Qingyao rubbed her forehead. Did they come to her house just to fight?

At this, the two finally stopped fighting.

Zhao Yun was still diligently refining the mark, planning to leave after he finished.

However, he underestimated the mark. It was too strong. It was not the mark itself that was strong, but its owner. Even after so many years, the mark was still unextinguished. It might belong to a Celestial Martial Realm cultivator.

There was still progress.

The heavenly lightning tore through the ancient zither, targeting the mark, and had refined some of it. It was just a matter of time, and he estimated it would take no more than two days.

The city was still bustling.

The once bustling streets were now somewhat desolate, with soldiers with swords checking everyone, causing panic. Even True Spirit Realm cultivators couldn't withstand this, let alone Xuan Yang Realm cultivators. No one dared to resist, for fear of angering the City Lord, who could send a Ground Zen Realm cultivator to deal with them.

One person, no matter how strong, could not stand against a thousand soldiers.

They understood this and were wise enough to cooperate.

As for Lone Wolf, he was still not caught.

The black-clothed man caught last night was clearly not Lone Wolf. The City Lord of Qingfeng City was not foolish; it was just a common thief who had stolen a few hundred taels.

Even if it wasn't Lone Wolf, he would not be let off easily. Stealing was a serious offense, and he would be imprisoned for a month to teach him a lesson.

"Search, continue searching."

The City Lord of Qingfeng City roared, angry at catching a fake.

The vast Qingfeng Ancient City remained sealed, with no one allowed to leave without his order, including the two visiting young city lords.

The City Lord was truly desperate.

It was clear that the pressure on him was immense.

Night fell quietly.

In the room, Zhao Yun was still diligently refining the mark. It was very draining on his mental energy, and he was still dizzy from the previous night's excessive use of explosive talismans. It was much harder than refining weapons, but he was resilient, and he had already refined most of the mark.

Creak!

The door opened, or rather, the window.

Before seeing anyone, the scent of a woman was detected. Qingyao had climbed in through the window.

"What's wrong with you?"

Zhao Yun's eyes were strange, though he didn't speak, his expression said it all. As the daughter of the City Lord, she had a certain status, yet she climbed through the window instead of using the door.

"You've worked hard."

Qingyao smiled softly, seeing the mark on the zither, which was mostly refined. She had found the right person; this young man's lightning was indeed extraordinary.

"I can't hold on much longer." Zhao Yun said.

"I've prepared it for you." Qingyao smiled and took out a small money bag, heavy with pills, not gold or silver, but pills to replenish mental energy, at least a hundred.

Zhao Yun was impressed. No wonder she was the City Lord's daughter; her family was rich in cultivation resources.

He didn't hesitate and grabbed a handful.

The sound of crunching was quite pleasant, and Qingyao couldn't help but smile. This young man was interesting; he ate pills so rudely?

"Can you take off your mask?"

Qingyao smiled, curious about what lay beneath the human skin mask.

"It's better to wear it, it's safer."

Zhao Yun said meaningfully. When traveling, one must be cautious. Since leaving Niujia Village, he had always worn the mask, not to show off, but to avoid causing trouble for the Zhao family. If he were alone, it wouldn't matter.

Qingyao smiled and didn't insist, taking one last look before climbing out the window, looking like a thief.

At that moment, Liu Ruyue, who was in the opposite pavilion, happened to see this and frowned. What was Qingyao doing?

Not only her, but Han Ming, who had just entered the courtyard, also saw it.

He had come to see Qingyao, holding a jade box as a gift, which looked quite valuable.

"Who is in the pavilion?"

Han Ming narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhao Yun's pavilion. The candlelight flickered inside, and he could see the silhouette of a young man, but he didn't know what he was doing.

That wasn't important.

What was important was that Qingyao had climbed out of the window.

A man and a woman, a secret rendezvous?

Han Ming's imagination ran wild, and he couldn't help but think the worst. Climbing through the window in the middle of the night, so secretly, anyone would think the same!

For a moment, Han Ming's face turned extremely dark.

It felt like his own wife had run off to see another man.

"Very well."

Han Ming snorted and stormed off.

Gifts? Forget it.

If it weren't for the City Lord's residence, he might have stormed in.

Not long after, Yuwen Hao arrived.

As young city lords, they did the same things. He also held a jade box, a gift for Qingyao, and he had chosen to come at night, clearly wanting to talk to her alone.

He was too late.

If he had seen the earlier scene, he would have been devastated.

Qingyao was already resting, or perhaps she didn't like him, as she didn't even let him in.