Zijing's face turned pale, and she exclaimed in shock, "We...we just spent the night in this godforsaken place?"

"Nonsense," Ye Feng said irritably.

"No wonder I was so cold last night. Even though the doors and windows were closed properly, the wind was still howling into the room. It would be a miracle if this shabby house could even keep out the wind!" Zijing shouted.

Just then, Jiang Wei finally arrived.

As soon as Jiang Wei arrived in front of Ye Feng, he said angrily, "Ancestor, I've discovered an underground hall. That place... that place is like hell!"

“I know, I can imagine, are there still living people?” Night Wind asked.

“There are still some, but not many,” Jiang Wei said, clenching his fist.

"Let's make proper arrangements," Night Wind said.

All night long, Ye Feng and Jiang Wei were busy handling the aftermath.

Zijing followed them around, but didn't help much at all, yet she seemed very busy.

It wasn't until dawn that Ye Feng and Jiang Wei finally had a chance to catch their breath.

However, they didn't rest for long before all the prominent figures in Huasheng City arrived.

After what happened in the Huasheng City Lord's Mansion became public, it caused panic throughout Huasheng City, and these people were naturally not much better off.

However, with Ye Feng and Jiang Wei reassuring them, the situation finally stabilized.

A middle-aged man, who looked like a portly merchant, said, "Your Highness, I really can't believe that our city lord of Huasheng City died thirty years ago. All these years, the person who has been managing this place has turned out to be just... a fraud..."

"Get to the point," Night Breeze reminded him.

The merchant then hurriedly said, "Your Highness Prince Nanling, our Huasheng City is currently leaderless and without anyone to manage it. Therefore, I hope that Your Highness Prince Nanling can replace City Lord Li and manage our city."

"You mean you want me to be the new city lord?" Night Wind asked with a smile.

“That’s exactly what I mean. I think you’re the most suitable person. You have enough status, enough position, enough ability and qualifications. I really can’t find a more suitable candidate than you right now,” the businessman said earnestly.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone else in the room nodded in agreement.

"I think so too."

"I agree with Mr. Wang's suggestion!"

“Your Excellency King of Nanling, you were the vassal king of our entire southern territory seven hundred years ago. In that case, it is most appropriate for you to govern Huasheng City now.”

The people gathered in this dilapidated hall chatted amongst themselves, all casting intense glances at Ye Feng.

Ye Feng shook his head and said, "This is not appropriate. If I interfere in the affairs of Huasheng City, it will inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction, or even suspicion and fear, of the other city lords in the Southern Territory. Moreover, it will become a stain on my reputation."

Hearing Ye Feng say that, Zi Jing jumped up and down in a panic, while Jiang Wei had a completely matter-of-fact expression on his face.

Ye Feng then said, "Please go back, everyone. I believe the royal family will soon send someone here to decide on the new city lord of Huasheng City. The current chaos will not last long."

Since Ye Feng had said so, these people had no choice but to leave.

As soon as they left, Zijing shouted, "Old Deng, are you crazy? Those people recommended you to be the new city lord of Huasheng City. Why don't you just accept it? That way, you'll not only be the city lord of our Xinluo City, but also the city lord of Huasheng City, holding multiple positions. Isn't that great?"

“It’s actually quite normal for our ancestor to make this decision,” Jiang Wei said.

Ye Feng laughed and said, "Zijing, look, Jiang Wei sees things much more clearly than you do."

Zijing immediately glared at Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei smiled and explained, "Zijing, there is nothing wrong with what the ancestor did. Although the ancestor resolved the crisis of the Huasheng City Lord's Mansion and saved the entire Huasheng City, the ancestor's actions were righteous. The prominent figures in Huasheng City support the ancestor and recommend him to become the new Huasheng City Lord precisely because they know this."

"But the city lords of other cities in the southern region see it differently."

"In their view, the Ancestor brought us to Huasheng City to visit the City Lord, then the City Lord died, and then the Ancestor transformed into the new City Lord of Huasheng City. What do you think the attitude of those City Lords would be? They would probably immediately unite to fight against the Ancestor and our Xinluo City."

Zijing frowned, looking very puzzled, and asked, "Why is that?"

"Because they were already very wary of the ancestor and harbored a strong sense of vigilance," Jiang Wei said.

After a pause, Jiang Wei added, "The entire Southern Territory used to be the territory of our Luo family, and the King of Nanling was the vassal king of the Southern Territory. However, since the turmoil a hundred years ago, the title of King of Nanling was stripped by the royal family, and the territory that originally belonged to the Luo family was divided into pieces and handed over to those city lords for management."

"Now that the Ancestor has suddenly appeared out of nowhere and returned from seven hundred years ago, those city lords are naturally very worried that the Ancestor will take back the territory that originally belonged to him. So if you were one of those city lords, you would also think that the Ancestor found an excuse to kill the city lord of Huasheng City and take Huasheng City back to his own name."

Zijing finally understood. She muttered, "You people are all too complicated. Luckily, I'm not an official, so I don't play with you."

“Who said you’re not an official now? You’re the Director of the Censorate of our Xinluo City.” Jiang Wei chuckled.

"I'm just a figurehead as the Director of the Inspection Department; I don't actually have any power at all," Zijing said, frowning as if complaining.

Jiang Wei smiled without saying a word.

Zijing, the director of the supervisory department, seems to be a figurehead with no real power.

But that's not actually the case!

Zijing basically stayed by Yefeng's side, inseparable from him. The commoners and serfs of Xinluo City even said in private that Zijing was one of the hands of Lord Yefeng, the city lord, and gave her the nickname "the hand of the city lord".

Therefore, Zijing actually possesses considerable power, in some respects even greater than that of Luo Lin and Luo Qing!

However, the power that Zijing possesses cannot be easily noticed by others, nor will it be casually revealed.

Zijing herself couldn't feel it, but everyone else knew it very well!

Ye Feng laughed and said, "Do you think that just because I rejected those people's proposals, I can't manage Huasheng City?"

Zijing asked curiously, "Since you've refused to be the city lord of Huasheng City, how will you manage it?"

Ye Feng explained, "I only rejected the merchants' proposal, but the royal family will definitely entrust Huasheng City to my management. I resolved the crisis in Huasheng City, and Huasheng City is located in the southern region, so close to our Xinluo City. Moreover, I am a peak Saint Realm martial artist."