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In the spacious hall of the city lord's mansion, a lively banquet was in full swing. Of course, Li Hong and Heavenly Torch were not qualified to attend; as "attendant warriors," they stood behind Xi Che, watching him speak humbly to Yun Ling, their brows slightly furrowed.
Yun Ling sat alone at the head table, flanked by two kneeling maidservants. His gaze lingered on Xi He, who was kneeling at a low table below, clearly more interested in her than in the wine. He listened to Xi Che's words with only half an ear. A slender and beautiful songstress was performing gracefully at the banquet, accompanied by a musician playing the guzheng nearby. Alongside Xi He were about ten of Yun Ling's subordinates, including warrior leaders and respectable stewards.
Amidst the melodious singing, Xi Che's voice gradually rose: "Only a thousand pounds of salt! Yun City Lord, we come once every ten years, traveling thousands of miles across the Desert, bringing thousands of strong young men and women along with tens of thousands of seeds, and you give us only a thousand pounds of salt! In previous years, it was always tens of thousands! How am I supposed to explain this to everyone?"
Only then did Yun Ling reluctantly pull his gaze away from Xi He and finally look directly at Xi Che, sneering: "Then you can choose not to take it! Don't think I don't know that your Sunrise City has been growing in population over the years and can no longer accommodate everyone; that's why you're being so generous! If it were any other year, I could easily give you more. But this time, our Xiaoyao City's Salt Pond has been producing less year after year, and our population is also increasing. Besides, we suddenly have over a thousand more mouths to feed. Why should I be obligated to trade with you? If you're unhappy about it, you can just take your people back! There's no point in prolonging this conversation; I won't entertain you any longer!" With that, he stood up and left without a backward glance at the stunned Xi Che.
The warrior leaders and stewards below quickly assessed the situation and all stood up. One shouted loudly: "Get lost! The Lord of the City has left; what are you still performing for? Get out!"
Ignoring Xi Che, who was left speechless, they grumbled under their breath as they rushed out the door.
In an instant, only the four of them remained in the hall.
Xi Che turned around and forced a smile at Li Hong: "Looks like I've messed things up!"
"Not necessarily. Xi Che, don't you understand? Someone is deliberately making things difficult for you. If you don't come up with a plan this time, you'll be the only one returning to Sunrise City," Li Hong said with a calm smile.
Xi Che nodded gloomily; he was clever enough to understand the underlying issues.
Xi He was furious and slammed her hand on the table: "You want me to marry him? In your dreams!"
"You're afraid it won't be up to you! You're just a woman; he is Yun Ling, the Lord of Xiaoyao City—he has power and influence. What do you intend to do? I advise you to comply," Li Hong said leisurely while rubbing his nose.
Even Heavenly Torch was surprised now; he stared wide-eyed at Li Hong: "Brother, are you out of your mind?" But he saw Li Hong wink at him. Heavenly Torch immediately understood that Li Hong had deeper intentions.
At this moment, Xi He calmed down as well; her exquisitely perfect honey-colored face showed signs of deep thought. Suddenly she raised her voice: "Come here!"
Indeed, there was a servant waiting nearby. Upon hearing Xi He's call, he immediately approached with his head bowed. Xi He instructed: "I want to rest. Where is the inn? Take us there now." The servant nodded respectfully as if already instructed and led Xi He and Xi Che toward the inn.
As they were leaving, Xi Che heard Li Hong whisper: "Your daughter did well; don't worry about anything else for now—just rest properly. By the way, don’t you have your own matters to attend to? You should take care of those in these next couple of days. Don’t actively engage with Yun Ling; let Xi He keep him guessing for a couple more days."
Xi Che nodded subtly without showing any emotion and quietly gestured three fingers at Li Hong, indicating they would stick to their original plan and delay for three more days before father and daughter disappeared down the long corridor.
Another Servant approached to take Li Hong and Heavenly Torch to a designated resting area for attendants.
Li Hong waved his hand and laughed, "No need for that, we still have to meet the Immortal Emperor! Let's go, old brother!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Hong and Heavenly Torch soared into the air. Amidst the Servant's startled cries, they deliberately flew in mid-air outside the City Lord's mansion, admiring and pointing out the scenery of Xiaoyao City.
The Servant shouted, "The two gentlemen are immortals, they are immortals!" and rushed inside to report.
The head of the warriors and the steward of the City Lord's mansion rushed out in a flurry. Upon seeing this scene, someone immediately went to inform Yun Ling. The remaining people knelt down one after another, some of whom had just spoken disrespectfully in the hall. They were now terrified, sweating profusely, their hands and feet unresponsive. They wiped their sweat as their heads drooped lower and lower, wishing they could hide in their pants.
In this place, immortals held absolute life-and-death power over mortals. Even if they were not from the Celestial Palace of Leisure but from Xu Yang Immortal Palace, they were still supreme beings in the eyes of these mortals. Thinking back to how the City Lord had treated these two immortals with such disrespect and had even embarrassed Xi Che and Xi He in front of them, those with quick wits were already so frightened that their legs felt weak.
Yun Ling rushed out breathlessly and knelt down with a thud, cupping his fists and calling out loudly, "I am blind to your greatness, I deserve to die! Please descend, esteemed immortals! We will reopen the banquet immediately to welcome you!"
Li Hong ignored him and continued discussing the scenery outside the city with Heavenly Torch. They casually remarked, "Xiaoyao City is nothing special. Not great at all. But over there, is that shining spot Salt Pond? Let's go take a look."
Upon hearing that they wanted to see Salt Pond, cold sweat broke out on Yun Ling's forehead. Just as he was about to gently dissuade them, he suddenly heard several strange and painful groans nearby. Turning around, he saw that those who had been disrespectful in the hall were clutching their chests, swaying unsteadily before collapsing to the ground, instantly turning into lifeless corpses.
Someone let out a startled cry and took off running; one by one they dashed into the City Lord's mansion like rabbits. In an instant, all of the relatives and trusted aides disappeared without a trace, leaving only Yun Ling kneeling at the entrance.
Yun Ling was both shocked and angry; he felt a tightness in his chest that he couldn't release. His plump face turned crimson as his mind went blank. After an unknown amount of time passed, he vaguely felt a hand supporting him and patting his back. When Yun Ling regained his senses and looked over, he saw a familiar face—Yuan Xiaotian, the forty-seventh steward of the City Lord's mansion—who usually kept quiet but stood beside him when everyone else was either fleeing or hiding.
Yun Ling felt a surge of emotion as if he had seen a family member.
Yuan Xiaotian whispered, "Lord of the City, the two immortal gentlemen have already left."
Only then did Yun Ling dare to look up at the sky.
Indeed, it was filled with a Crimson Glow; dusk was approaching. In mid-air, there was no trace of those two Xu Yang Immortal Palace immortals! Only a few corpses nearby reminded him that what had just happened was not a dream.
Yun Ling felt both anxious and angry; he understood that Li Hong Tian Zhu had given him a warning. Yet deep down he still felt resentful—why should Xu Yang Immortal Palace interfere in matters concerning Celestial Palace of Leisure? Hmph! But Salt Pond! Remembering what Li Hong had said before leaving made him gasp; Salt Pond was the lifeblood of all Xiaoyao City! He quickly instructed Yuan Xiaotian in a low voice: "In critical moments like this, you are invaluable! I will promote you to chief steward right now; keep a close watch on those two father and daughter. I will go seek help from the immortal gentlemen at Immortal Palace. Hmph! They dare cause trouble at our Celestial Palace of Leisure; I refuse to believe our immortal gentlemen will stand by idly!"
He turned to leave when Yuan Xiaotian grabbed his sleeve and gently advised him: "Lord of the City, when have immortal gentlemen ever cared about our mortal affairs? They only show up during year-end occasions; otherwise, they never appear outside the city. Lord of the City, I advise you not to go; those immortals hate it most when we mortals disturb them. They can kill on a whim—even you as Lord of the City might..."
He did not continue further; his meaning was clear. Yun Ling hesitated instantly; thinking about meeting those immortals made his heart pound with fear.
Yuan Xiaotian whispered, "Actually, as long as we keep an eye on Xi Che and Xi He, everything will be fine. Leave this to me; as long as they are safe, I believe those two immortals from Xu Yang Immortal Palace won't get angry."
"Alright, I'll leave this to you, but about Salt Pond..." Yun Ling's heart ached at the thought of Salt Pond.
"Since those two immortals are worried about the two mortals, they probably won't go too far. They will definitely leave us a way out. It's just a bit of salt; if we have to give it up, then so be it. Lord of the City, you can't catch a wolf without letting go of the child. They are immortals after all; even if they kill all the mortals in Xiaoyao City, what can they do? No one will speak up for us mortals. Lord of the City, let's just go inside and pretend nothing happened. No matter how much chaos those immortals cause, we should still enjoy ourselves. You haven't had dinner yet; why not go in, let me pour you some wine, and summon the Songstress?"
Yun Ling felt his spirits lift with these words, nodding frequently and patting Yuan Xiaotian's shoulder with gratitude. "True feelings show in times of trouble! From now on, you will be my first steward and my chief advisor! Those who only cared about saving themselves—hmph! I will settle the score with them slowly! But for now, let's not rush into dinner. You come with me to see Xi He; I have something to say to her."
"Yes." Yuan Xiaotian glanced at Yun Ling, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Meanwhile, Yun Ling had escaped a disaster and felt that Yuan Xiaotian was absolutely right—who cares what those immortals do? As long as he could continue being the lord of his city behind closed doors! His mind quickly shifted back to Xi He. Thinking of her long legs made him lose focus. The only problem now was how to embrace this long-legged girl as soon as possible. That seemed like a tough task! He looked at the obedient Yuan Xiaotian beside him, his eyes turning mischievous as he began to assert his authority. "I want to take Xi He for myself; you must come up with a good plan for me. Otherwise, when your position becomes high and powerful and attracts envy, don't blame me for not protecting you! If you handle this well, your position will be secure until I die. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Lord of the City. Give me a day to think it over." Yuan Xiaotian replied respectfully, though a flicker of something unusual passed through his eyes.
Yun Ling didn't notice at all and said dreamily, "A day is fine, but it can't exceed a day! Xi He! Just thinking about her makes me unable to wait even a single day!"
At that moment, Li Hong and Heavenly Torch had already flown over Salt Pond.
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