Huanglong Prefecture, Hundred Flavors Inn.

Hundred Flavors Inn was a genuine century-old establishment in Huanglong Prefecture. The old shopkeeper’s drunken goose, in particular, was a delicacy without parallel.

Unfortunately, only three of these geese were prepared each day, and only those with both wealth and power were qualified to purchase them.

A middle-aged man sat on the top floor of the Hundred Flavors Inn, a drunken goose resting on the table before him.

Beside him stood a sturdy man with a long saber at his waist, clearly a man of military bearing.

The sturdy man lowered his voice respectfully. "Lord General, His Majesty’s Holy Decree will soon arrive in Ling Province. We should be on our way."

"No rush."

The middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively.

He raised his chopsticks, picked up a slice of goose meat, and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly.

"It’s still not as good."

...

「Deep in the night.」

Flickering torchlights dotted the Shenfu Sect’s Main Peak—the patrolling soldiers of the Divine Mansion Army.

And through the deep darkness,

an old man was moving silently. His movements weren’t fast, but he was able to perfectly evade the gazes of the patrolling soldiers.

This was the power of Sensing.

This almost frightening perception allowed a Martial Artist of the Sensing realm to easily see through others’ thoughts and anticipate their actions.

The old man walked with his hands clasped behind his back, as if strolling through his own garden.

This elder was none other than the Celestial Profound Sect’s Elder, Cangsong Taoist.

He had come to kill Bai Yuan.

With a combat strength that could rival the top five on the Heavenly Ranking, killing a mere Little Sect Leader ranked ninth would be simplicity itself.

It was true that Bai Yuan had killed a Sensing Powerhouse before, but a Sensing cultivator like Yan Mo was a far cry from Cangsong Taoist. The difference was not just a little.

Since he had come, Bai Yuan’s death was a certainty.

This was his confidence as a powerhouse.

Cangsong Taoist soon spotted the majestic Sect Leader Hall. Just as he was about to reach the entrance, he saw a figure already standing there.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

His intuition told him the middle-aged man was there specifically to wait for him.

The intuition of a Sensing Martial Artist was always accurate, so he could be almost certain it was the truth.

Cangsong Taoist halted, facing the middle-aged man from a distance.

He frowned. He could feel an aura of danger emanating from the man. There was almost no one in Ling Province who could make him feel such a sense of crisis.

’Unless this person isn’t from Ling Province.’

"Who are you?"

Cangsong Taoist spoke slowly.

Though he knew it was unlikely he’d get an answer, he couldn’t help but ask.

As expected, the middle-aged man didn’t reply.

"Leave, or die."

Hearing these words, Cangsong Taoist’s eyes narrowed into slits.

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to speak to him like that. ’What arrogance.’ And yet, he truly didn’t dare to take another step forward.

His intuition told him that if he dared to step forward, he would most certainly die.

Cangsong Taoist gritted his teeth and, unable to accept it, spat out the three words again: "Who are you?"

To his surprise, the middle-aged man answered this time. "My surname is Dong."

Cangsong Taoist’s pupils widened abruptly.

There was only one Martial Artist in Ling Province with the surname Dong who possessed such an imposing aura.

The first on the Heavenly Ranking, Dong Wanjun!

He never would have imagined that Dong Wanjun had actually fought his way back from the Northern Plains!

...

KCHUNK!

The iron doors of the great hall were slowly pushed open from within.

Bai Yuan stepped out.

Outside the door, a figure stood with his back to him, appearing exceptionally tall under the moonlight.

Cangsong Taoist was long gone.

"Master?"

Bai Yuan asked tentatively.

With his inhuman hearing, he had long since noticed the commotion outside.

The middle-aged man turned around slowly. The moment Bai Yuan felt that familiar swagger, he recognized him at a glance. This was Old Dong, returned from the Northern Plains.

No one else could possibly imitate that particular flavor.

However, the Dong Wanjun of today could hardly be called an old man.

After breaking through to the Sensing realm, Dong Wanjun’s appearance had reverted to a younger state. He now looked to be in his early forties, still dressed in the same familiar gray robe.

Dong Wanjun looked at Bai Yuan. "Have you figured out where you went wrong?"

Old Dong was, of course, referring to how Cangsong Taoist had detected him and come to his door. If he hadn’t appeared tonight, Bai Yuan might have already been killed.

Bai Yuan sincerely requested instruction. "This disciple is dull-witted."

He had covered up the matter with Zhou Yun and Xu Hui so well. There was no reason for Cangsong Taoist to suspect him, which made him all the more puzzled.

Old Dong didn’t waste words. He tossed out a brand-new, blue-covered Cultivation Technique from his robes.

"You still haven’t learned enough."

"If you had practiced some divination techniques, you naturally would have been able to counter that old Daoist quack."

"!!!"

Bai Yuan was dumbfounded. He never thought that his science would ultimately lose to superstition.

Cangsong Taoist had suspected him based on divination. That was something he had not expected in the slightest.

After all, in the eyes of the world, divination was nothing more than a charlatan’s trick.

Bai Yuan looked down at the Cultivation Technique in his hand, titled the *Four-Nine Book*.

’It seems learning a few of these quack’s tricks is necessary after all.’

...

「The next day.」

A shocking piece of news spread through Ling Province.

The long-vacant position of Lingzhou General had finally been filled. The new General, unexpectedly, was a Martial Artist from the province itself.

But no one had expected it to be the long-disappeared Dong Wanjun.

That’s right, Dong Wanjun had returned from the Northern Plains.

It was said he had killed many masters from the Demon Sect in the Northern Plains, causing a huge commotion. If the Vice Sect Leader of the Demon Sect hadn’t intervened in the end, he probably would have kept killing for a long time.

After Dong Wanjun returned to the Northern Garrison Army,

the news quickly reached the Imperial Palace.

When Emperor Xuanyang heard the news, he was greatly pleased. Seeing Dong Wanjun as a man of talent, in his delight, he directly appointed him to the official post of Lingzhou General.

Originally, the officials in the Imperial Court thought that Dong Wanjun, as a confidant of the former Grand General of the North and current Minister of War, Xu Dingchun, would be recommended for further honors by Xu Dingchun, just like the previously demoted Prefect.

Unexpectedly, however, Xu Dingchun claimed illness and stayed home, not even attending the morning court session. His intention to avoid suspicion couldn’t have been more obvious.

For a time, everyone in Ling Province focused their attention on the new General and the new Prefect.

Everyone knew that in the Xuan Yang Dynasty, the Prefect and the General were never on good terms.

...

"Junior Brother Dong, you’ve returned."

Murong Tian felt a wave of emotion as he looked at Dong Wanjun, who now appeared as a middle-aged man.

Dong Wanjun had never returned to the Divine Mansion Sect after breaking through to the Sensing realm, so this was the first time Murong Tian had seen him like this.

’I remember teasing Dong Wanjun for turning into a decrepit old man, thinking I was still better off than in my youth. Now, our situations are reversed.’

’Today, my Junior Brother Dong is full of vigor, while I’m just a decrepit old man waiting to die.’

Dong Wanjun frowned as he looked at Murong Tian.

He had already learned from Bai Yuan what had happened at the Divine Mansion Sect.

’It’s a pity Lu Xiao is already dead, otherwise I’d make him die again.’

’As for that demoted Prefect, I have no intention of letting him go either.’

There were some things Bai Yuan couldn’t do, but he could.

Because he was strong enough. In the end, whatever a strong person does will be defined as right.

In Bai Yuan’s previous life, this was called "the victor becomes the king."

"I will find a way to cure you," Dong Wanjun said.

With his current medical skills, there was no way he could cure Murong Tian.

For someone who had burned their Qi and Blood, even a divine physician descended to the mortal world would be powerless to help.

Murong Tian smiled and shook his head; he had long since accepted his fate.

’Now that Dong Wanjun has returned, and with Bai Yuan here as well, the Divine Mansion Sect can prosper for at least another hundred years. By then, the Murong Family will surely have produced a new genius.’

’Whether I’m here or not makes little difference.’

Dong Wanjun sighed inwardly.

He could, of course, see that Murong Tian had already lost all hope.

As the two stood in silence, Ruan Xiuluan, Liu Donghai, Yu Hui, and the others arrived at the Supreme Elder Hall.

They looked at the middle-aged Dong Wanjun with complicated feelings.

This was especially true for Ruan Xiuluan and Situ Liuyun, who had targeted Dong Wanjun more than a few times back in the day.

Meeting again after such a great upheaval, their emotions were naturally a jumble of mixed feelings.

"Senior Brother Dong."

Ruan Xiuluan, Situ Liuyun, and the others all bowed respectfully.

Dong Wanjun waved his hand. "In a few days, Gu Hall and the others should be able to return."

Gu Hall was one of the several Peak Masters from the Divine Mansion Sect who had been sent to the Northern Garrison Army.

As subordinates of the Lingzhou General, those six Peak Masters had been reassigned back to Ling Province.

Hearing this, Ruan Xiuluan and the others were overjoyed.

With six more experts, the Divine Mansion Sect’s might was now nearly what it once was.

Ruan Xiuluan asked, "Senior Brother Dong, are you going to Ling Province?"

The news that Dong Wanjun was the new Lingzhou General had already spread throughout the province.

Old Dong grunted in affirmation.

Now that he had accepted an official title, he could no longer serve as a Peak Master of the Divine Mansion Sect. At most, he could hold the title of Honored Guest.

Once you joined the Imperial Family’s service, it was almost equivalent to severing ties with the Jianghu.

Otherwise, one would never withstand the censure of the old, white-haired traditionalists in the Xuan Yang Court.

A disappointed expression crossed Ruan Xiuluan’s face.

’Although Dong Wanjun is still in Ling Province, and his relationship with the Divine Mansion Sect will likely remain the same as ever, after a long time, we will ultimately no longer be walking the same path.’

’With Dong Wanjun’s genius, he would never stop at being a mere General of a small province in the Northern Lands.’

’Not to mention, he has a powerful backer in the court...’

’Fortunately, the Divine Mansion Sect still has Bai Yuan. Even if Dong Wanjun truly leaves one day, the sect will continue to be strong and prosperous.’

Just then, Ouyang Hua spoke with a fierce expression, "Senior Brother Dong, that old Daoist from Longevity Palace coveted the Divine Mansion and moved to ambush and kill Senior Brother Murong. This grudge must be avenged."

The Longevity Palace had played a significant role in Murong Tian’s downfall.

Dong Wanjun’s expression grew cold. "Naturally, it will be avenged."

’But now is not the time.’

’If I move against the Longevity Palace right after becoming the Lingzhou General, the entire Jianghu of Ling Province will think I’m no different from Lu Xiao.’

’More importantly, Xu Dingchun’s political enemies will definitely not pass up this opportunity to attack him.’

’But while I can’t kill Master Longevity directly, I can still make the Longevity Palace suffer.’

...

「Three days later.」

Another piece of news about the new Lingzhou General spread through Ling Province.

Dong Wanjun had gone alone to the Longevity Palace to "spar" with Master Longevity.

This contest between the first and second-ranked masters on Ling Province’s Heavenly Ranking naturally drew a great deal of attention.

No one knew the details of the fight. The world only knew the final result: Master Longevity announced that the Longevity Palace would close its gates for ten years to pursue secluded cultivation.

Any discerning person could see that the Longevity Palace had clearly been beaten into seclusion.

In an instant, Dong Wanjun’s position as the number one master in Ling Province was solidified.

Because it was just an ordinary Martial Dao spar, even the young officials of the Imperial Inspection Office could do nothing about it. Their few, inconsequential criticisms were intercepted before they could even reach the desk of His Majesty the Emperor.