When they entered the city, there was no hustle and bustle like in the cities they had passed previously. People walked hurriedly on the road, and almost one third of the shops along the way were closed. Around corners and inside dark alleys, refugees begging or lying motionless could be seen everywhere. From time to time, patrolling soldiers drove them away in order to prevent the main street from becoming too unsightly.

This was the case on the main road, but it was even more difficult to say how the minor ones looked.

They searched for a long time before finding an inn that was open. It was quite large and had many guests, mostly travelers going from north to south.

When they asked about the price, the accommodations were fine, but the food was more than ten times more expensive than in the city next door.

Seeing the surprised expressions on the guests’ faces, the shopkeeper also said as usual, “Guests, we are the oldest inn here, we’re really not running a scam. The cost is high, but we can’t lose money, right? Both of you seem knowledgeable. You should know that our area is prone to disasters all year round, and the money and food provided for disaster relief is a drop in the bucket, leading to higher and higher prices in the city. Even the common people in the city can hardly afford to eat, and it’s already good that our shop can supply it now while other shops are closed.”

The shopkeeper complained with a knitted brow. It was obvious that with such high prices, sooner or later, their inn would no longer be able to stay open.

Huo Fenglie spoke little and simply paid.

The shopkeeper wouldn’t let them eat in the lobby, for fear of them being seen by the refugees walking near the door. They were very hungry, and would just rush in and grab the food. No one would be pleased with such a commotion, so he asked a waiter to deliver the food directly to the guest room.

When they arrived at the guest room, the entire street could be seen when the window was opened. The sight of the setting sun was beautiful, but the city looked lifeless under its glow.

Liu Zhenqing sat cross-legged on the windowsill, looking down expressionlessly. There was no telling what was on his mind.

He heard Huo Fenglie call out to him suddenly, and Liu Zhenqing turned his head to look over. He saw Huo Fenglie pointing at a decoration on the wall.

Upon closer inspection, it was the symbol of the Heaven’s Blessing Sect again, but this one was more delicate and looked like an ordinary decoration.

After a while, the waiter came with the food. In fact, it could not be considered as exquisite as in other cities, but Huo Fenglie still chose fish for Liu Zhenqing.

Seeing that the waiter delivering the food was quite thin, Liu Zhenqing asked curiously, “Waiter, do you usually not get enough to eat?”

The waiter was startled, and said quickly: “Guest, I didn’t steal your food. Our inn provides food for the waiters.”

Huo Fenglie naturally knew what Liu Zhenqing wanted to ask, so he said: “Your hands are unsteady, as if you haven’t eaten all day.”

The waiter suddenly looked embarrassed.

Liu Zhenqing thought this was a good starting point for the topic, so he cooperated with Huo Fenglie seamlessly and took two meat buns from the plate, handing them to the waiter: “We’ll treat you to a meal, and you can chat with us.”

The waiter was in disbelief. After all, two meat buns were worth several taels now. “Guest, what do you want me to talk about with you? These buns…..”

“I can’t make you waste your time in vain. Sit down and eat,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

The waiter sat down and wolfed one down, but held the other one in his hand.

Liu Zhenqing first asked him why he looked like he didn’t get enough to eat. Wasn’t this managed by the shop?

The waiter said helplessly: “In our family, only the youngest has a job. The others are farmers and were affected by the disaster. They don’t have enough to eat. The adults are fine, but the children and the elderly are having a hard time, so every time the innkeeper distributes food, I keep some to take home for everyone to share.”

“How is the local disaster relief situation?” Huo Fenglie asked.

“Ai, the government records the number of people who don’t have enough food, and they receive food either on odd or even days. It is equivalent to eating one day and being hungry one day, but there is only one meal. Our area is pretty good, and there are at least few cases of people starving to death. In some remote places, there is not even enough food to distribute, and people starve to death in one village after another.” The waiter shook his head as he spoke: “I’ve seen many people who escaped from there, and they were all as starving and crazy as living ghosts. You two guests are generous, but when you encounter those disaster refugees, you must not be kind and give them food, or something might happen to you. We must be kind-hearted, but not at the cost of harm to ourselves.”

Both Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie knew that the emergence of such refugees proved there was a serious problem of uneven distribution in the disaster relief process. It could be said that some places were simply abandoned by the government.

The situation turned out to be more troublesome than expected.

Liu Zhenqing feigned curiosity and pointed at the sigil on the wall, asking, “Waiter, what is this? We seem to have seen it several times since coming here.”

The waiter seemed pleased, and looked at the sigil piously. He said: “That is the symbol of the Heaven’s Blessing Sect. You two don’t know, but the Heaven’s Blessing Sect has been sent by the gods to save us. If they weren’t here, our lands would have fallen long ago. The government is useless, and the throne doesn’t care about us. We all suspect that the amount of funds allocated for disaster relief is not much at all, or was otherwise embezzled by officials. Speaking of which, the late treacherous Prime Minister Liu must also be mentioned.”

Liu Zhenqing sucked in a breath at once. Why was it him again?

The waiter spoke so agitatedly that he didn’t notice the change in Huo Fenglie’s expression. “Nine years ago, the situation was even worse here, and almost everyone was a disaster victim. The treacherous minister allowed corrupt officials to harm us. I still remember that what I ate those days could not be considered human food, but food for animals. There were a lot of complaints later, and although a few corrupt officials were finally dealt with, a bunch of them were left behind to continue to harm us, probably to make money for themselves. After that, the new emperor gradually sent new officials to take office, but everyone’s lives were still difficult. In the end, we were harmed by the treacherous minister. Our vitality and feng shui were damaged, and will never recover.”

“Cough, cough, cough. Talk about the Heaven’s Blessing Sect.” Seeing that Huo Fenglie’s expression was getting worse and worse, Liu Zhenqing wanted to avoid trouble, and interrupted directly.

As soon as he mentioned the Heaven’s Blessing Sect, the waiter was quick to say excitedly: “Thanks be to the Heaven’s Blessing Sect for coming to protect us. Many people who were about to starve to death due to the disasters this year are able to live well and send food to their families after joining. Unfortunately, I wasn’t selected, or I would have joined the Heaven’s Blessing Sect too.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but ask: “But you’re not starving to death now, and don’t you also send food to your family?”

The waiter was suddenly confused. “That…..that’s different. I’m so tired every day, and I still don’t have enough to eat.”

“Oh, it turns out that if you join the Heaven’s Blessing Sect, you can eat well and enjoy happiness every day without having to work hard?” Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows.

The waiter choked. He didn’t know whether those who entered the Heaven’s Blessing Sect would be tired or be able to eat their fill. In any case, they would have money and food to send home. Putting it this way, it seemed that there was really no difference between them and him, a part-time worker?

The waiter had originally held the firm belief that the Heaven’s Blessing Sect was a good place, but when someone questioned him at this moment, he couldn’t entirely grasp it. Finally, he seemed to think of something and said excitedly: “Right, tonight happens to be the Goddess Blessings Parade, which happens every three days. You will know how good the Heaven’s Blessing Sect is after seeing it.”

This was an important piece of information.

After night fell, the restlessness of the streets could be truly felt. Liu Zhenqing continued to sit on the windowsill, with Huo Fenglie standing behind him. Soon, the sound of music could be heard from afar, and the sacred sound seemed to welcome the arrival of the gods. People stood on both sides of the road, most of them refugees. Soldiers came at once to maintain order, forming formations similar to an official parade. With this scene, it was basically confirmed that the government had something to do with the Heaven’s Blessing Sect, or the government wouldn’t have lent them such manpower.

What was interesting was that people like the waiter believed solely in the Heaven’s Blessing Sect and were resistant to the government. They believed that the ones who could save them were the Heaven’s Blessing Sect, rather than the Great Zhou Dynasty. This good-guy-bad-guy routine was quite interesting.

Very soon, a contingent slowly approached with envoys in white in front and behind. Some played music, some carried baskets, some stood guard, and some carried platforms.

And the focus was naturally on the ten white-clothed women kneeling on the platforms.

Those women were dressed in holy white dresses and white veils. From their brows and eyes, a hint of youthfulness and beauty could be seen, and their figures also showed that they were all slim beauties.

They all sat quietly on the platforms, dignified and elegant, with their hands pressed together symbolically. They looked straight ahead like jade sculptures, as if they were truly performing some sacred blessing ceremony. As the rhythm of the music changed, the envoys in white holding baskets below would throw broken cakes and steamed buns toward the crowd.

The total amount of food thrown out was actually not much. It wasn’t enough for ten people, but hundreds tried frantically to grab it. Even so, they didn’t dare to disturb those platforms. Those who succeeded in grabbing some began to kneel down and kowtow, crying with gratitude.

This scene seemed sacred to those below, but from Liu Zhenqing’s point of view, it was extremely disgusting. The Heaven’s Blessing Sect was very good at controlling people’s hearts. Taking advantage of the common people’s dissatisfaction with the government’s arrangements, they used such small favors to win people’s hearts and make them feel grateful.

However, it was difficult to say whether this was a coordinated effort between the government and the Heaven’s Blessing Sect. What were they trying to do?

Were they just greedy for wealth, or did they have other motives?

Huo Fenglie had told Liu Zhenqing that he was here to investigate the disaster relief issue on behalf of the emperor, and to find out if there was any corruption or dereliction of duty on the part of officials. But now, it could be seen that it was not so simple. He didn’t know if Huo Fenglie had noticed, and hesitated over whether to warn him.

Suddenly, the person behind him said: “The women above have had their acupoints tapped by an expert.”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he immediately turned to look at Huo Fenglie and said, “You mean to say they’re being forced, and that’s why they don’t move?”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

“Putting it like this, at least the goddesses above are not there voluntarily. The Heaven’s Blessing Sect promotes itself so highly, yet still forces others to do things. It seems to have many secrets, ah,” Liu Zhenqing said with great interest.

“I must follow,” Huo Fenglie said suddenly, then lowered his head and looked at Liu Zhenqing with an intent gaze.

Liu Zhenqing blinked and said, “You go ahead, I’ll wait here.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t respond, continuing to look at him.

Liu Zhenqing said in surprise: “You don’t expect me to go with you, right? I don’t know martial arts, and I’ll be a burden if I go along. What if I accidentally alert the enemy?”

“I need someone to advise me,” Huo Fenglie said lightly. “I think you’re smarter than me.”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. His words were nonsensical, yet true.

However, hearing Huo Fenglie say that he was willing to risk taking him to do such an important thing, it was clear that he was gradually accepting and acclimating to the original “Liu Xiaozhu.”

Naturally, Liu Zhenqing was not qualified to refuse. He could only say: “If anything happens, General Huo can…..”

Huo Fenglie quickly interjected: “As long as you don’t leave my side, I won’t allow others to hurt you in the slightest.”

Liu Zhenqing knew Huo Fenglie meant that if the two of them acted together, then even if they faced many opponents, he would be protected. 

Seeing that the contingent was about to depart, the two of them followed directly without delay.

They initially mixed in with the crowd following them, but after circling the city for what seemed like forever, they began to leave. 

The city gates were opened specially for them at night, and of course, only their contingent could pass through, thus separating the following crowd from the Heaven’s Blessing Sect team.

Just when Liu Zhenqing was about to ask what they should do, Huo Fenglie whispered: “Hold tight.”

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled Liu Zhenqing into his arms before he could react, then leaped into the air. Liu Zhenqing took a sharp, frightened breath and raised his hands to hug Huo Fenglie’s neck tightly. He used too much force, which caused his nose to hit Huo Fenglie’s cheek so hard that it became sore.

It was truly a good thing that Huo Feihan often took him flying in the past, otherwise his screams would be echoing around the city gate right now.

In a few moments, the wildly blowing wind around them stopped, and the two of them landed outside the city wall.

Liu Zhenqing took a breath and said: “General Huo, warn me in advance next time. You really must not be afraid that I’ll scream in fear.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t let go of Liu Zhenqing, but whispered: “Okay. Hold tight, we’re about to fly.”

“Ah?”

In the next moment, Huo Fenglie lifted Liu Zhenqing and chased after the team using qinggong.

Liu Zhenqing gradually adapted to it, but felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable being carried by a grown man, but because he used to run around with Er-gou in his arms. Now that the child had really grown up and was able to fly with Liu Zhenqing in his arms, there was a strange feeling of abnormality that was difficult to describe.

Not long after leaving the city, there was fortunately a dense forest in the mountains where they could hide and avoid discovery. However, they noticed that something was wrong with the contingent. Some carriages had filed in behind them at some point. It was unknown whether they were outside the city gate or in the dense forest, but in short, they met up with the Heaven’s Blessing Sect contingent and entered the forest together.

Huo Fenglie carefully observed the team and then shuttled between the huge trees.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyesight was not as good as that of a martial artist, so he naturally couldn’t see that far. He cooperated by remaining still. When he got bored, he quietly gazed at Huo Fenglie’s profile, looking at the toughened contours of his face and carefully studying the angles of his nose, mouth, and eyebrows. The more he looked, the more good looking he became, and there was a sense of pride like that of a family member seeing their child all grown up.

Perhaps because his gaze was so intense, Huo Fenglie at last looked back at him uncomfortably, as if blaming him for disturbing him.

Liu Zhenqing blinked innocently, and they soon reached their destination.

There was an enormous courtyard hidden in the forested mountains. It was opulent and luxurious, with bright lights. People in white could be seen everywhere and there were many guards patrolling around, as if they were afraid of someone intruding. There was also a cave in the mountain behind the courtyard, which was also lit with lights. It was very strange.

And the whole area was much more vibrant than down the mountain.

Huo Fenglie observed their patterns for a while, and then sneaked in with Liu Zhenqing. After jumping over the roofs of several houses and approaching the central area, they suddenly heard a woman’s cry coming from a house below. It was a cry for help.

Naturally, they couldn’t ignore this situation. Once Huo Fenglie made sure there were no guards around, he jumped down with Liu Zhenqing and approached the door, only to find that it was locked from the outside. Huo Fenglie struck down with his sword and broke the chain. The door opened, and Huo Fenglie had Liu Zhenqing wait at the door while he rushed in first.

Liu Zhenqing also looked inside, and first smelled a faint fragrance. He frowned slightly. Why did this scent seem familiar? Presently, a man in his forties could be seen rushing toward a young red-eyed woman as if he was drunk.

And that young woman was dressed like the goddesses from before.

The woman ran away, crying frantically. When someone appeared, he immediately rushed over. “Save me!”

Huo Fenglie allowed the woman to hide behind him, and when he saw the man rushing toward her, he kicked him away. But immediately after taking action, he realized that the smell in the room was wrong and quickly raised his arm to cover his nose.

“There’s poison, get out!” Huo Fenglie said.

Liu Zhenqing also realized the problem and quickly called the woman out. The man was kicked so hard that he vomited blood, and rushed toward the goddess like crazy. Huo Fenglie was about to attack with the hilt of his sword, but when the woman saw him move, she thought he was going to kill him and quickly shouted: “Don’t do it, he’s a good official. He was drugged, he’s not a bad person!”

Presently, Huo Fenglie had already hit the man in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out. Huo Fenglie quickly took the man out by his collar.

“In here.” Liu Zhenqing found an empty room next door and called them all inside. Otherwise, they could be easily spotted wandering around the courtyard. As they went, he casually reattached the chain in the first room for a bit of deception.

When Liu Zhenqing finished up and went in, he saw that the woman was hiding in the corner shivering. The middle-aged man was unconscious, but was full of vitality and had a very painful look on his face.

It seemed self-evident what kind of drug was in that room just now.

Fortunately, Liu Zhenqing was carrying detoxification pills with him. Even if he didn’t take one, at least the poisonous smog was gone, and he had only been at the door, so it had almost no effect on him.

But something didn’t seem to be right about someone.

“Young Master, the incense in that room just now is an aphrodisiac. It’s very strong, and can make people lose their humanity. What should be done?” The woman asked Liu Zhenqing in fright. She didn’t dare to go out for fear of being caught, but didn’t seem to dare stay here either. Her eyes wandered tremblingly to the middle-aged man and finally landed on Huo Fenglie in terror, because he was the only one affected and still conscious.

Liu Zhenqing looked in amusement to where Huo Fenglie was sitting cross-legged in meditation. Just as he was about to take out the antidote pills for the other person, he saw Huo Fenglie suddenly open his eyes. They had turned dark red, and were full of aggression. 

Without waiting for them to react, Huo Fenglie suddenly stood up and rushed toward the two of them.

“Ya! Don’t…..” The woman got up awkwardly and tried to flee, for fear of becoming a lamb to be slaughtered.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately shielded the woman. He knew that if a man saw a beautiful woman in this sort of situation, he was more likely to lose his mind.  He blocked Huo Fenglie’s path and said to the woman, “You go out first.”

But the woman’s voice stopped abruptly in the next second, and she froze while opening the door. At the same time, a muffled masculine groan sounded in the room.

It wasn’t until his line of sight changed to the ceiling that Liu Zhenqing realized…..he had been jumped by Er-gou?

Feeling a strong, stiff body and an unusual situation, there was also a warm touch that suddenly fell on his neck. Liu Zhenqing was instantly itchy, irritated, frightened, and then amused.

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Chapter Thirty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Eight