Guangning Prefecture.

At this moment, the large government office was silent.

Outside, only the sound of wind and snow, and the rustling against the window lattice, as well as the crackling of the charcoal fire.

At this moment.

Knock, knock, knock—

Shen Wenyan, dressed in a black and gold robe, sat in the main seat, his knuckles tapping on the sandalwood armrest.

Beside him, in the secondary seat, sat a middle-aged man with a composed face.

This man wore a blue official uniform, adorned with cloud patterns and the image of a cloud goose.

His identity was clear: Residence Master of Guangning Prefecture, a court official of Fourth Grade, Zhu Huaijin.

Were it not for Shen Wenyan having a marquis title, his position as the head of the Inspection Office would not entitle him to be seated higher than Zhu Huaijin.

"Marquis, a decision must be made!" The quiet was broken by the local envoy, Liu Teng, who spoke first.

As the local envoy and a military officer, all troops were at his discretion for deployment and command.

In this place, his status was second only to Shen Wenyan and Magistrate Zhu Huaijin.

Before Shen Wenyan could open his mouth, Zhu Huaijin shook his head.

"Acting now means a direct clash with the Cross Immortal Gate."

"Now, with Ji Mingzhou leading the Cross Immortal Gate in this snowy weather, his power rivals Martial Arts First Grade, and with Li Sixiang on their side, they have two Second Grade Great Grandmasters! According to secret information, the Five Mountains Prefecture’s Xu Qing of Taihua Mountain, who has been missing for a long time, has surfaced at the Cross Immortal Gate, and people from Yunmeng Prefecture’s Nine Witch Sect and Hundred Rivers Prefecture’s Thunder Shock Gang have also been spotted at the Yingtian Alliance."

"At this moment, the Yingtian Alliance has at least four Great Grandmasters holding the fort, if not more. Making a move now is like hitting a stone with an egg! It would ruin the entire situation in Guangning Prefecture."

Hearing this, Liu Teng suddenly stood up.

"Sir!!" He spoke with emphasis: "If we do nothing, are we to watch the Zhuge family be wiped out here? Tomorrow will be the last ultimatum given by Ji Mingzhou; if we do not rush to their aid, tomorrow the 732 members of the Zhuge family must either kneel in surrender and defect to the Yingtian Alliance or face complete annihilation!"

"Either outcome means we lose all the support we have fought for."

At this moment.

Shen Wenyan stopped his hand from tapping on the armrest.

"Envoy Liu!" His voice was low but carried undeniable authority: "Sit down!"

Liu Teng gritted his teeth, his chest heaving a few times before he sat heavily.

"What Envoy Liu said is not without reason. The Zhuge family has steadfastly stood by our government for a century. If we allow the Yingtian Alliance to pressure them into submission, we will completely lose public support. In the future, the sects and local forces in Guangning Prefecture will be unified under the Yingtian Alliance."

Saying this, Shen Wenyan paused.

Then he continued: "But what Mr. Zhu said is also true! The Yingtian Alliance is strong, beyond what we can contend with. Currently, Guangning Prefecture has only one Great Grandmaster."

At this point, he looked toward the silent middle-aged woman beside him.

"Have you invited the Nine River Dragon, Mr. Wang Wenzong?"

"I did!" The middle-aged woman nodded and said, "But Mr. Wang Wenzong said he does not wish to interfere anymore. The favors of the past have been repaid. He only wants to spend his later years in peace, protecting Guangning City is his limit."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wenyan shook his head.

"What a pity! If Wang Wenzong took action, Ji Mingyuan might not be his match, for he ranked third among the Eighteen Dragon Heads back in the day."

After contemplating for a moment.

The entire government office fell silent once more.

Then, Shen Wenyan looked up and slowly stood.

"I will personally go to invite Mr. Wang Wenzong to come out of retirement! Without his help, as Mr. Zhu said, going to the Zhuge family now is like hitting a stone with an egg."

"Marquis, has anyone been sent from above?" Ye Zhengqi, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"No need to worry about that. Those above will not stand idly by, someone will come, sooner or later!"

Having said this to reassure the others, he headed toward the outside of the government office.

Just as he reached the door, he turned back to Ye Zhengqi.

"Lord Ye, come with me to visit the Nine River Dragon, Mr. Wang Wenzong."

"Yes, Marquis!!" Ye Zhengqi responded immediately.

Then he caught up with Shen Wenyan, and the two disappeared into the vast snow, vanishing from the sight of those within the government office.

At this moment.

The middle-aged woman who had been conversing with Shen Wenyan also stood up.

"Mr. Zhu, I will take my leave now!"

"Master Bai, take care!" Zhu Huaijin said politely.

He wouldn’t underestimate her just because she was a woman.

Because he knew her identity, the Deputy Mansion Master of the Inspection Office here, already a Heavenly Person Grandmaster.

Although her official rank was below his, her strength far exceeded what he could match.

In Guangning Prefecture, he could still rely on the special influence of a court official to not fear her.

But beyond the confines of Guangning Prefecture, he was merely a common scholar, while she was a true Third Grade Heavenly Person Grandmaster.

She would have a place anywhere in the world.

Subsequently, the Deputy Mansion Master of the Guangning Inspection Office also exited the office, disappearing from everyone’s view.

The previously crowded government office now had only four people left.

Magistrate Zhu Huaijin, the local envoy Liu Teng, along with the Assistant Governor and the Assistant Magistrate.

Just moments ago, even the Second Elderly Lord, the Assistant Governor, and the Third Elderly Lord, the Assistant Magistrate did not seem to have the right to speak.

Only now did Zhu Huaijin sigh softly after the departure of Shen Wenyan and the others.

"Why do you sigh, Sir?" asked the Second Elderly Lord.

"I do not know what the future holds. For outside help, the Marquis has to humble himself and personally invite the Nine River Dragon, Mr. Wang Wenzong." Zhu Huaijin said.