"I didn't expect such powerful beasts to appear outside. It seems that since the revival of spiritual energy, the world has changed faster than we anticipated."
The old doctor said with a somewhat solemn expression.
"That's right, and it's just as those two uncles said."
"Those two strange beasts were clearly very intelligent, and their wisdom was no less than that of ordinary people," Lu Qing said.
"I wonder how many of these strange beasts have appeared in the world, and how many of them are benevolent."
The old doctor said with some concern.
He had also heard about the white wolf that the merchant had mentioned earlier.
The fact that the white wolf was driving a pack of wolves to attack the city clearly shows that it was not friendly to humans.
If these newly emerged intelligent beasts are all hostile to the human race.
Then the people of the world are likely to have a hard time from now on.
"Given the general trend, the balance of power in the world is bound to change."
In the ancient era of cultivation, it was not only our human race that was dominant; there were other races as well.
Therefore, Master, this is an inevitable trend, and we don't need to worry too much.
Lu Qing noticed his master's worry and comforted him.
"Yes, I know." The old doctor nodded.
In the past two days, he has already read the jade slips that Lu Qing had engraved.
He also knows a lot about the ancient times of cultivating immortality.
It is understood that the awakening of exotic beasts and the revival of various races under the revival of spiritual energy are also an inevitable trend and the direction of Heaven.
"The city gate is about to open!"
Just then, someone shouted.
Above the city gate, someone was waving a yellow flag.
That was the signal that the city gate was about to open, and the crowds and caravans waiting outside sprang into action and began to queue.
Lu Qing and his group, leading their carriages, lined up behind a caravan.
Just as the people outside had lined up, a commotion was heard coming from the city gate.
The two massive city gates began to slowly recede to either side.
"Sister Hu, you can go home now!"
Xiao Yan happily said to Hu Zezhi.
"Mm." Hu Zezhi nodded slightly.
His expression was complex, a mixture of joy and trepidation.
With a tremendous commotion, and amidst the waiting crowd, the city gate was fully opened.
First, a large number of merchants and pedestrians poured out of the city, and then Lu Qing and the others who were waiting outside began to enter the city.
Entering the city naturally required paying an entrance fee, and Magu took his money bag to pay it.
The one collecting the city fees was still that tall, imposing man from Weiwu, just like last time.
Having learned from his previous experience, Magu didn't try to be clever this time and stuff more money into his purse.
Honestly, pay the silver according to the actual cost of the number of people entering the city.
The imposing man calmly accepted the silver and recorded it in his account.
But when he looked up at Magu again, he let out a soft "hmm".
“I recognize you. It seems you just entered the country last month, right?”
Magu was taken aback for a moment, then put on a fawning smile and said, "Sir, you have a good memory. That's right, we only entered the pass last month."
The imposing man looked up and saw Lu Qing behind him, and was slightly taken aback.
However, he quickly suppressed this strange expression, his face returned to calm, and he smiled.
"You're back quite quickly. Did you have a good time sightseeing in Zhongzhou?"
"Thanks to your kindness, we had a smooth journey and saw many beautiful sights, which broadened our horizons."
"That's good. Alright, the entrance fee is fine, you can go in now."
As Lu Qing and the others disappeared into the city, the burly man's smile gradually faded, and he became serious.
He took out a scroll from a drawer under the table and gently unrolled it.
On the scroll was a young man, holding a battle sword, full of vigor and spirit, whose face was very similar to Lu Qing's.
Upon seeing the figures in the picture, the imposing man couldn't help but gasp.
"It really is this person, but didn't we receive a message saying that he just left the Holy City three days ago? How come he's back so quickly?"
Recalling the city lord's instructions from two days ago, the imposing man dared not neglect them.
He called over his deputy and asked him to collect the city fees on his behalf.
He then took the painting and hurriedly left.
"Young Master Lu, did that city garrison commander recognize you?"
Walking down the street, Hu Zezhi asked.
"Oh, what makes you say that?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow.
“I noticed that the city lord’s expression changed noticeably when he saw you; he seemed quite surprised. He must know you.”
Hu Zezhi said with certainty.
Lu Qing was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected Hu Zezhi to be able to observe this.
He said dismissively, "Maybe, but that's none of our business, we don't need to worry about it."
"oh."
Seeing that Lu Qing and the old doctor all looked normal.
Hu Zezhi knew that they didn't take it to heart, so she felt relieved as well.
Lu Qing smiled.
He naturally noticed the burly man's unusual behavior; the man's eyes clearly indicated that he knew him.
However, as one of the key passes guarding the Central Plains, Qinglong City must have a close relationship with the Holy City.
It wouldn't be surprising if they had some special means of communication.
It's perfectly normal to know what he looks like.
After all, after that battle in the Holy City, information about him must have spread to all the major sects and forces.
As long as they don't bother him, Lu Qing doesn't mind.
“Young Master Lu, where do you plan to stay tonight? I grew up in this city and know it very well. I can take you there,” Hu Zezhi said.
"It's still early, so we won't stay in the city. We'll set off after we take you home," Lu Qing said with a smile.
"Are you leaving so soon?"
Hu Zezhi was startled and looked at Lu Qing with some confusion.
She hadn't heard Lu Qing and the others mention this in the morning.
“That’s right. We’ve been away from home for quite a while now, and we don’t know how things are back home. We want to go back as soon as possible...”
Hu Zezhi didn't quite hear what Lu Qing said next; her mind was a complete mess, and she stood there dumbfounded.
"Miss Hu?"
Knowing that Lu Qing noticed something was wrong with her, he gently called her name a few times, and Hu Zezhi finally came to her senses.
"Oh, it's nothing, what's wrong?" Hu Zezhi asked, somewhat bewildered.
"Miss Hu, there are two forks in the road ahead. Which way should you go to get home?"
"Um... go to the left."
Hu Zezhi looked around somewhat frantically before pointing out a direction.
And in order to hide his inner turmoil, he rushed forward.
Seeing Hu Zezhi's somewhat flustered steps, Lu Qing shook his head and didn't say anything, just followed behind.
As for the old doctor, he simply smiled and remained noncommittal when it came to such sentimental matters.
Hu Zezhi's mind was in turmoil, but this turmoil began to dissipate as she slowly approached her home.
What remains is a mix of excitement and trepidation about going home.
Finally, when she saw that incredibly familiar doorway, her emotions reached their peak.
Unable to hold back any longer, I ran forward.
The gate to the courtyard of her house was open, which puzzled Hu Zezhi.
But there was no time to think about any of that at that moment; he excitedly ran inside.
He called out, "Dad, I'm back..."
However, the next moment, her eyes suddenly widened.
Who are you people?! Let go of my father!
Hu Zezhi's eyes showed surprise.
In the courtyard, a group of fierce-looking men stood, while her father, Hu Laosan, had blood on his chest.
He was pinned to the ground by a richly dressed, effeminate-looking young man, unable to move.
"Xiao Lian, you're back. Are you alright?"
The moment Hu Laosan saw Hu Zezhi, an expression of unbelievable joy appeared in his eyes.
But soon, the joy on his face turned into anxiety, and he shouted urgently, "Run! These are all bad people!"
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The young man's face lit up with surprise when he saw Hu Zezhi.
Without him even giving a signal, two people leaped out from behind him and grabbed at Hu Zezhi.
"You dare!"
Seeing his daughter about to fall into the clutches of evil, Hu Laosan's eyes were bloodshot and he struggled violently.
But he was already seriously injured, and the effeminate young man's cultivation was far superior to his. He didn't even look at him, but just put a little force on his feet, and Hu Laosan spat out a mouthful of blood, his breath became weak, and he was unable to struggle anymore.
The effeminate-looking young man's gaze remained fixed on Hu Zezhi.
He smiled slightly when he saw his servants about to capture Hu Zezhi.
But the next moment, his smile froze on his face.
He saw his two servants, who were quite skilled and whose cultivation had reached the Bone and Tendon Realm.
Just as they were about to touch Hu Zezhi's body, a long black stick appeared from behind him and struck the chests of the two servants.
Boom!
With a burst of powerful force, the two servants coughed up blood and flew backward, crashing to the ground and knocking over many items in the courtyard.
When they finally stopped, he had already passed out.
"What?!"
This sudden turn of events caught everyone in the courtyard completely off guard and took them all by surprise.
The effeminate-looking young man narrowed his eyes, looking at the iron rod that had emerged from behind Hu Zezhi.
No, more precisely, it was the owner of the iron rod, Wei Zi'an.
"Who are you, sir, that you dare to interfere in the affairs of the Qi family?"
The effeminate-looking young man looked coldly at Wei Zian, his tone somber.
However, Wei Zian ignored him and looked at Hu Zezhi, asking with concern, "Sister Hu, are you alright?"
“I’m fine.” Hu Zezhi shook her head, her face anxious. “But my father has been captured by them.”
"How dare you ignore me?"
The effeminate-looking young man's expression grew even colder when he saw Wei Zian talking to Hu Zezhi as if no one else was around, showing no regard for him whatsoever.
He twitched his fingers slightly, and the next moment, two more figures pounced out from behind him.
The two who rushed out this time were much more powerful than the previous two.
A powerful surge of qi and blood erupted, causing the air in the courtyard to become somewhat hot and dry.
They were actually two martial arts masters with incredibly strong qi and blood, who had already reached the internal organ realm.
Facing the lunges of two martial arts masters, Wei Zian remained fearless.
He didn't even move, just held the stick with both hands and watched the scene with a sarcastic expression.
"Is this kid out of his mind?"
Just as a strange thought arose in the mind of the effeminate young man, the next moment, a scene that surprised him appeared.
Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Wei Zian.
Then, a flash of light appeared, and before the two Inner Strength Realm guards he had brought could react, they were struck by the light and sent flying backward.
Thud! Thud!
After the two Inner Strength Realm guards managed to steady themselves and land on the ground.
Two deep, bone-revealing knife wounds had appeared on their chests.
Looking at the horrific scars on their chests, the two guards were horrified, and a deep chill ran through them.
The look in his eyes as he looked at Magu was filled with dread.
If they hadn't been wearing armor, they probably would have been cut in half by the enemy.
Where did this master swordsman come from? His swordsmanship is so strange that even they couldn't withstand it in the slightest.
"And who are you?"
This time, even the effeminate-looking young man could no longer remain calm.
With a single move, he severely injured two of his own Inner Strength Realm guards.
Magu's strength is at least that of a powerful expert at the Great Perfection of the Inner Vessel Realm.
Such a powerful individual could be considered a master even within the entire Azure Dragon City.
They were no longer someone he could underestimate.
However, to the lithe young man's ashen face, Magu also did not answer his question.
Instead, he looked at Hu Laosan at his feet and said calmly, "Release him."
"Good, very good!"
Faced with Magu's attitude, the effeminate-looking young man laughed in anger.
He was always the one giving orders; no one had ever dared to speak to him in such a tone.
In a fit of rage, the effeminate-looking young man didn't think twice. His blood surged under his feet, and he wanted to crush Hu Laosan's chest.
However, just as he was about to exert force with his foot, he felt his foot slip into the air.
The next moment, an unbearable pain struck, causing him to let out a wail and roll to the ground.
It was at this moment that he saw that his lower leg had been broken off and was lying to the side.
"My feet, my feet!"
The effeminate-looking young man stared in disbelief at his severed leg and screamed wildly.
"Young master! Young master!"
The servants and guards who had been standing aside were now in complete disarray.
Some wanted to help the effeminate-looking young man stop the bleeding, while others blocked him from being hurt further.
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
Under the intense pain, coupled with the loss of a leg, the effeminate young man's rationality had completely vanished.
They screamed hysterically.
However, after witnessing Magu's swordsmanship, the remaining guards dared not step forward.
He just stood there, hesitant and afraid to move.
Upon seeing this, the effeminate-looking young man went even more insane.
"Get up there now! If you don't, I'll have my father kill your whole family!"
Upon hearing this, the faces of all the guards and servants changed drastically.
No longer caring about fear, he gritted his teeth, his eyes red, and was about to rush towards Ma Gu and Wei Zi'an.
Even the two guards who were already seriously injured gritted their teeth, drew their weapons, and ran forward.
However, at that moment, an invisible pressure suddenly descended upon the courtyard.
All the guards and servants were immediately suppressed on the spot and could no longer move an inch.
Even the expression on his face froze, out of control.
"Innate pressure?! Which Innate Realm expert dares to make a move in the city!"
The moment this oppressive aura appeared, a figure sitting cross-legged in a nearby magnificent mansion was immediately startled.
