C86 A True Master

"Shall we talk later?"

Qing Yangde and Lee Yu exchanged glances, feeling as though they were being asked to give up their seats in their own home. Yet, the request piqued Qing Yangde's caution, prompting him to actually come down and hear what the other had to say.

Observing Qing Yangde's compliance, Qing Gaoyang assumed his opponent was intimidated by the City Lord Palace's clout and swelled with arrogance.

He noticed Lee Yu remained seated atop the exotic beast, unfazed. Qing Gaoyang's brow furrowed, but he held his tongue.

"Explain to me, how exactly does the City Lord Palace have authority over the military?" Qing Yangde asked directly.

He was genuinely curious and treated the matter with utmost importance. Having fought on the frontier, he had never anticipated encountering such an issue in a location so close to the rear.

Both the military and local officials ostensibly answered to the Ming, but within Qingshan Prefecture, the Qing's family held unrivaled power, dictating all matters.

In Qingshan County, there was a clear delineation between civil and military officials. They cooperated but were forbidden from meddling in each other's affairs. Military gear was under strict control; aside from reserves, all decommissioned arms and armor were to be either destroyed, stored, or remelted for reuse.

Regardless, such items were strictly prohibited from being circulated!

Lee Yu watched from the sidelines, unaware of the intricacies, but Qing Yangde's gravity made him keen to observe the old man's smug demeanor.

'I'll probably meet a grim end if I just sit around,' he mused.

"It's simple - if they can control it, they do. Why all the questions?" Qing Gaoyang snapped, bristling with irritation. "Just look at the armor they're wearing. Isn't that evidence enough?"

Qing Yangde nodded, acknowledging that there indeed seemed to be a lapse in the system.

"Here's the deal," he continued, "the one in the back is the City Lord's only son. Release him, turn a blind eye, and you'll curry favor with the City Lord himself. You're after military honors? Take the others, but it's best to resolve this here and now."

As he spoke, Qing Yangde even made a throat-slitting gesture. His gaze turned icy when he looked at the bandits with whom he had shared drinks and laughter on more than one occasion.

These men were aware of their identities, which meant they couldn't be left alive. It was more convenient to hand them over to the youth before him, earning some favor and sparing himself the dirty work later on.

"You sure have a way with words, asking me to do this and that with the drop of a hat. With all the cities in Qingshan County, who could guess which one you're talking about?"

Qing Yangde simply shook his head, not bothering with more words.

"Tebbe City. Now do you realize which major city's lord you've befriended?"

"Tebbe City?"

Qing Yangde paused to reflect, a vague image of the city coming to mind. If he wasn't mistaken, the city's lord indeed had an only son, albeit one with less-than-stellar talent.

He sized up the middle-aged man before him, who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a cultivation level in the early Eighth Grade—a match for the description.

With this in mind, he turned to the young man who seemed bored by the conversation and inquired, "Lee Yu, who do you think is the lord of Tebbe City?"

Lee Yu, now somewhat familiar with Qing Yangde's vindictive streak, responded languidly, "Obviously, it's the Qing's. If you trace it back, it would be the County Duke's."

"So, it's my dad's territory, then."

Qing Yangde gave a mischievous wink, then swung himself back onto his beast. "Take them all! Bring them back with us!"

With those words, he steered the creature around, setting off with Lee Yu, leaving no echo of battle behind them.

The elder stood there, dumbfounded.

It had been a completely lopsided affair, with the opposition lacking any will to fight back.

Qing Yangde murmured to himself, "County Duke... Lee Yu..."

It wasn't until he was shackled that he fully grasped the situation... The name Lee Yu finally clicked. He recalled hearing it from the lips of the City Lord's wife, who had lamented her child's lack of talent compared to Lee Yu. She had even mentioned someone ascending to a privileged status simply by virtue of their lineage, prompting the city to collect thunder attribute spiritual plants for the Qing's.

"It's done... We've really stirred up a hornet's nest now," Qing Yangde whispered under his breath.

The two men, long departed from the scene, were oblivious to the aftermath. Both were Sixth Grade cultivators and could easily discern that the bandits' strongest were merely at the Eighth Grade. Meanwhile, the Azure Sun Army that had arrived were all formidable Eighth Grade Supreme Dao practitioners.

What chance did they have to turn the tide?

"You weren't involved in the whole operation, so you're not fully aware of the implications. But you might find yourself taking on a part of it in the future," Qing Yangde said with a chuckle to a somewhat perplexed Lee Yu.

As they left the village, they passed surviving villagers kneeling on the ground, guarded by soldiers of the Azure Sun Army. These were the people Qing Yangde had preemptively sent to rescue, which had also spooked the bandits into attempting to flee.

Amidst the scene, some villagers wept bitterly, others called out, and many more expressed their loud gratitude.

The pair did not linger, but the sight deeply moved Lee Yu, prompting a flood of reflection.

'Strength is everything. No matter where you are, strength is the fundamental basis for standing your ground.'

Without the system, he would have lacked the means to grow stronger, not to mention encountering the hidden forces of Blue Star. The same held true in the Otherworld—if he lacked talent, he might have met his end in Stone Village and never found a day of peace within the Qing's.

Both Stone Village and this nameless hamlet suffered because they lacked strength. Had there been even a Fifth or Seventh Grade cultivator present, such tragedies would have been averted.

Lee Yu's contemplation was brief; he soon regained his composure.

"Should we continue to deal with this issue?" Lee Yu inquired.

From the looks of it, this was no minor affair. Yet, they were also due to attend the Hundred Clans Assembly. In his view, getting entangled in this situation wasn't worth it.

At the very least, he wanted to confirm the presence of the Snow Fox Demonic Vine in the secret realm at the Assembly before giving this matter further thought.

"We don't need to concern ourselves with this. The Hundred Clans Assembly takes precedence," Qing Yangde assured Lee Yu with a smile, understanding his perspective. This issue weighed on his mind as well.

"We'll escalate this issue to the authorities, and they'll surely send someone to investigate, given its significance."

These were far from tranquil times. The territory was flanked on three sides by clans of no small standing, and the recent incessant skirmishes only heightened the tension. To have an outright violation of Qing's regulations come to light at such a critical juncture was alarming. A thorough investigation following the report would be warranted, to say the least!

Lee Yu gave a nod of understanding. "And what about those people?"

"They'll be taken care of, and there will be compensation. The Qing's have neglected their duties, after all."

Having returned to their military post, Qing Yangde and Lee Yu went their separate ways. Qing Yangde had much to attend to. He had initially thought the incident was a mere accidental coincidence, an opportunity to impart some miscellaneous lessons.

But now, a significant issue had surfaced, necessitating an urgent report to be penned that very night.

"Oh, what a headache!" Qing Yangde exclaimed, rubbing his temples.

This was a delicate situation involving the City Lord... He would need to tread carefully.