"Your Excellency, who exactly are you? If you have something to say, please state it."
In the City Lord's Mansion of Quanzhou City, a dozen people looked on with fear at the man seated on the throne. The leader, City Lord Zhou Bingyi, though also fearful, mustered his courage to speak.
There was no choice. The moment the man entered, he had punched away all the masters who stepped forward to confront him. Even Zhou Bingyi himself could not withstand a single blow from this man.
"You do not need to know who I am, nor do you need to worry that I will harm you. If I wanted to kill you, you would have died already. My purpose here is singular. Of course, you are free to refuse." The man rose and walked towards Zhou Bingyi and the others.
Seeing this, the crowd retreated several steps. Zhou Bingyi gritted his teeth, stood his ground, and looked at the man, "Please, speak directly."
The man looked at Zhou Bingyi with interest, "You have some courage, that is good. Hmm, I have taken notice of a junior from the Murong family, named Murong Yue. However, I heard she is not faring well within the clan. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Bingyi nodded immediately, a sense of relief washing over him. He was certainly aware of the Murong family. In Quanzhou City, they were merely a second-rate family. From the man's words, it seemed he merely wanted him to provide more care for Murong Yue.
"I know you are curious why I, with my strength, need to approach you. I don't mind telling you. I dislike bullying the weak. My actions earlier were because you initiated the conflict. I wish for her to grow up normally, and therefore, I do not wish to interfere excessively."
The man paused, then continued, "But if she is bullied, naturally someone must stand up for her. If I were to intervene directly, this Quanzhou City might not be spared. Thus, your City Lord's Mansion is a more balanced approach."
"I understand," Zhou Bingyi nodded.
"It is convenient to speak with intelligent people. Remember, minor squabbles are acceptable. But if it escalates to life-threatening danger or excessive oppression, I expect you to know when to intervene appropriately. Oh, and there is also a girl named Xiao Qi."
With that, a spiritual light flashed around the man, and he vanished from Zhou Bingyi's sight.
"This... this is an immortal!"
"My heavens, we actually dared to think of attacking an immortal!"
"Thank goodness this immortal is benevolent, otherwise, where would we find our lives?"
"..."
The man's display undoubtedly stunned everyone present. They all prostrated themselves, their faces filled with lingering fear. Even Zhou Bingyi's pupils contracted sharply. As the lord of a city, he had met a few spiritual masters.
But Zhou Bingyi knew that even those spiritual masters he had met could not achieve the divine ability of vanishing instantly like this man.
"From this moment on, pay close attention to Murong Yue of the Murong family. And, that girl named Xiao Qi." Zhou Bingyi immediately issued his orders.
"City Lord, should we offer the Murong family some convenience?" one man inquired.
Zhou Bingyi pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "No need. That person only mentioned Murong Yue and Xiao Qi. We must not act on our own initiative."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison, and then quickly departed.
"What kind of virtue does Murong Yue of the Murong family possess to have befriended such a terrifying being?" As everyone left, Zhou Bingyi murmured in astonishment. A moment later, he looked down at his hand.
A high-grade spirit stone lay in his palm.
Inside an inn, Li Xuan's figure slowly materialized.
"Little Master, don't you think what you've done is superfluous?" asked the Heavenly Dao Brush.
Li Xuan sighed helplessly, "Little Brush, how do you think I should have acted?"
The man in the City Lord's Mansion earlier was Li Xuan. Li Xuan's divine sense had scanned the entire Quanzhou City, and the strongest was none other than City Lord Zhou Bingyi. With his strength as an eighth-stage martial artist, it was sufficient.
"With your current strength, why not simply impart some of your knowledge to them? I dare not say more, but at least on this Nanyang Continent, they wouldn't encounter much trouble," the Heavenly Dao Brush immediately said.
Li Xuan smiled and replied, "Little Brush, you think too simply. Doing so would indeed repay the favor the fastest. But have you considered what if they change after obtaining great power? Even if they don't, what kind of achievements do you think they can attain on this Nanyang Continent?"
"Sometimes, ignorance is not a bad thing. If they do not know there is a world beyond their own, they can live happily their entire lives. In that case, why should I disrupt their lives? Moreover, every place has its own order and rules. If this order is broken, the consequences might be even more severe."
The Heavenly Dao Brush fell silent. Li Xuan did not rush to speak. Many things require one to process and understand them independently.
"Little Master, I was shallow-minded," the Heavenly Dao Brush said after a moment.
Li Xuan nodded with a smile, "To be able to protect them for their entire lives is the greatest extent of what I can do. Sometimes, living a peaceful life is also a pursuit and a form of happiness."
"Little Master, what are your plans next?" the Heavenly Dao Brush asked.
Li Xuan thought for a moment, "I will stay for three days to observe. After three days, I will leave here."
Time slipped away quietly, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
"Please inform them, I am looking for Miss Murong Yue." Outside the gates of the Murong Residence, Li Xuan said to two gatekeepers.
"Looking for Miss Yue? Who are you?" one of the gatekeepers asked Li Xuan.
"I..."
"Young Master Li Xuan!"
Just as Li Xuan was about to reply, a surprised cry came from behind him. Li Xuan turned to see Xiao Qi. Beside Xiao Qi, Murong Yue also alighted from her sedan.
"Young Master Li Xuan, have you encountered any trouble?" Murong Yue asked after arriving in front of Li Xuan.
Li Xuan smiled and shook his head, "No trouble. I have nearly finished my tour of Quanzhou City and it is time for me to leave. After much thought, I felt I should bid farewell to Miss Yue and Miss Xiao Qi."
"Young Master, are you going to continue your studies?" Xiao Qi asked.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, then took out two brocade boxes and presented them to Murong Yue and Xiao Qi. "For the life-saving grace you both bestowed upon me, I have no way to repay it adequately. These are my humble gifts. Please do not refuse them."
"This... Alright, thank you, Young Master." Murong Yue initially intended to refuse but then thought better of it and accepted. As the saying goes, scholars are proud, and Murong Yue did not wish to embarrass Li Xuan.
"Thank you, Young Master!" Xiao Qi readily accepted, and was about to open them when Li Xuan stopped her.
"Miss Xiao Qi, Miss Yue, it would be best to look at them after returning home," Li Xuan said with a smile.
"Okay." Xiao Qi could only nod, then looked at Murong Yue.
"Young Master, will you ever return to Quanzhou City in the future?" Murong Yue asked after some thought.
Li Xuan fell silent for a moment, then smiled, "If fate allows, I should. Two ladies, we shall meet again if fate permits."
Li Xuan bowed, then turned and left.
Murong Yue watched Li Xuan's retreating figure, then turned to Xiao Qi, "This Young Master Li Xuan seems different from other scholars."
"I also feel he is different," Xiao Qi agreed. Then, as if struck by an idea, she immediately opened the brocade box.
"Young Master Li Xuan truly is a scholar. Inside, it seems to be poetry?" Xiao Qi said, taking out the paper. But upon seeing it, she froze.
"This... this is the complete cultivation technique from the third stage of the Martial Practitioner realm onwards!" Murong Yue, unable to stop her, happened to glance over and her pupils contracted sharply.
When she looked back, the retreating figure was nowhere to be seen.
Murong Yue was silent for a long time, then slowly said, "He really is not a scholar."