Verdict
As He Jinglong was the lord of Eastern Desert City, Mu Yu wanted to let He Jinglong decide what to do with his citizens. If not even their lord was willing to save them, Mu Yu could not see any reason to go out of his way for them.
He Jinglong smiled helplessly. “That is quite the question. It would be unfair and uncalled for me to pretend I know what the elder was thinking.”
“You should not downplay yourself, Elder. In my opinion, you are the most admirable individual in this city. Why not give it a thought? What would you do if a group of cowards tried to sell you out when you are an Ascension Realm cultivator?”
“Is what I think so important? There is no guarantee our thoughts align as we are not the same person.”
“Perhaps your verdict is his verdict.”
“My verdict?” He Jinglong fixed his gaze on Tian Ziming and spitefully stated, “To be honest, I would not help them again if I was him.”
“You believe they deserve to die at the hands of the elemental demons?”
“Ungrateful cowards will never know gratitude no matter how many times you help them. All they will ever amount to is dead weight. Nevertheless… if what the elemental demons claim is true, I would save them even though they tried to lynch me because it was my presence that endangered them in the first place. They are two separate issues. I would not mind even if they died, but taking responsibility for bringing the elemental demons here is a must for me.”
“I see.”
“With that said, I will respect the elder’s decision whatever that may be.”
“Maybe that is what he wanted to hear.”
“I hope so. Why am I even talking about this? By the way, you have no answered my quest-, cough, cough.”
“Elder, you should focus on your recovery. We will join you once you have recovered. Fortunately, we managed to pick up some healing skills that might be of use to you.”
“The damage to the formation last night had a direct effect on me. Alchemist Zheng from Hundred Herbs Hall diagnosed me and supplied me with a pill, but I’m far from 100%. Don’t waste your energy on me.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Old Man,” remarked Xiaoshuai, smacking He Jinglong in the back.
“Who are you two?!” exclaimed He Jinglong, feeling the inconceivably pure spiritual qi coursing through his body from a child.
“Elder, you are better off focussing on using the energy to recover,” Mu Yu urged.
He Jinglong took the recommendation on board, closing his eyes and meditating.
Due to the bloodlust energy in Mu Yu’s body, his spiritual energy was imbued with a chilly sensation that would be an obstacle for people to refine. As such, Xiaoshuai had to act as the physician in his place.
“The spiritual qi will last him a while. I reckon three days will be enough for him to refine it,” notified Xiaoshuai, dusting his hands. “What’s next, executing Tian Ziming?”
“… Thinking of a strategy to save them.”
“You want to save them?!”
Mu Yu placed a couple of level six healing pills down next to He Jinglong. “I’m not the one who wants to save them. Lord He is.”
Mu Yu acknowledged that not all decisions he made when under the influence of bloodlust energy was correct. Hence, he believed he needed someone to guide him.
“I get the logic, but they rub me the wrong way,” Xiaoshuai sulked.
“Can’t argue with you there. I’ll off Tian Ziming somewhere that nobody sees me carry it out because he’s not one of the people I feel like saving.”
“Do you have a plan to save them?”
“The barrier isn’t just a defensive instrument; it can also be used as an offensive weapon.”
“Really?”
“Yep. By the same mechanism cultivators use their spiritual energy to trigger the defence system to absorb attacks, you can fire their attacks right back at them.”
“Whoa! How come I never knew about something so fun?! Why doesn’t the old man seem to know how to operate it?”
“He can’t use what isn’t working.”
“Don’t they maintain it?”
“I suspect foul play. The spiritual qi would be depleted if it hadn’t been maintained. There aren’t many people who can cut off the formation pattern.”
“Do we need the seal that Tian Ziming just pinched, then?”
Mu Yu cast an alarm formation on He Jinglong, then left.
***
“Thank you for your trust in me. I shall act as the provisional administrator since Lord He is currently injured. Our top priority is to arrest the individual the elemental demons are searching for to get out of this mess.”
While not every cultivator present supported the flawed logic Tian Ziming promoted, there were enough supporters for him to appear as a legitimate lord.
With Tian Ziming as the new headquarter, the cultivators headed off to search for the Ascension Realm cultivator, distracting He Jinglong. He Jinglong opened his eyes and asked, “May I ask where you two come from?”
He Jinglong furrowed his eyebrows in confusion owing to Mu Yu’s disappearance. He could not believe there were level six pills just sitting there. “D-did Damao and Xiaomao leave these behind?”
Mu Yu and Xiaoshuai were nowhere in He Jinglong’s estate or outside.
Who are they? Why would they help me? Wait… Don’t tell me the young man was the Ascension Realm adept. Maybe what I said was what he wanted to hear, he said? Does that mean he came to seek a consultation? I must be growing senile. Why would I believe their names were Damao and Xiaomao. No wonder why my offer didn’t seem a big deal to them. I must’ve looked comical to them. What… have they chosen to do?
Meanwhile, Tian Ziming already arrived at the city door to activate the city lord seal…
Previous Chapter l Next Chapter
