"Tzuyu, why did you come just now?"

Gu Yiwu stood up from his chair to greet him, his tone like a resentful woman who had been abandoned by a heartless man.

Zhao Qian'er squinted at him, took a step forward, and blocked Zhao Rong's right side.

To prevent someone she suspected of having a strange sexual orientation from getting close to Brother Rong'er.

Gu Yiwu paused and looked at Zhao Qianer with an awkward smile.

Why is this little fairy Zhao always on guard against him, as if he were a thief?

Speaking of which, didn’t I say I would give Brother Ziyu a new maid when we first met in Duyou City?

Zhao Rong smiled and shook his head, patted the back of the little girl's hand, and took a step forward, "I'm sorry to have kept Brother Yiwu waiting for a long time. Something happened on the way and delayed me for a while."

He bowed apologetically to Gu Yiwu Jin and the students of Justice Hall behind him.

Gu Yiwu waved his hand when he heard this, "If you are dealing with other things, then it's fine. I thought it was you, Ziyu, who forgot about us."

Zhao Rong's expression became serious. "How is that possible? I have been in a hurry to come to you. I have been running non-stop all the way."

The other students of the Hall of Justice followed suit.

"I told you that Mr. Zhao was busy with something else and didn't forget about us, but you didn't believe me and kept rushing to find him. Isn't this delaying Mr. Zhao's important business and causing more trouble?"

"That's right. We are too stupid to help with the details of the Fengshan ceremony. It all falls on Mr. Zhao. So please don't bother him from time to time."

"Ahem, why don't we believe it? We are just worried about Mr. Zhao."

"Well, we just listened to him and sat here in Zuixianlou, saying that we were gathering information and waiting quietly. Isn't that just eating more delicious food and drinking more spicy drinks? How can we feel good about this? If Mr. Zhao has any problems, we can also go and help him. Don't you think so, Brother Gu?"

Gu Yiwu turned around and glared at them: "Alright, alright, stop arguing, little monkey, go get Ziyu a cup of tea."

Zhao Rong, who was traveling non-stop on the road, looked calm when he heard this.

Zhao Qian'er glanced sideways at Brother Rong'er.

Zhao Rong reached out to take the tea, but Zhao Qian'er got there first.

"Thank you. I'll come."

She lowered her eyes to look at the teacup, blew a few puffs of air gently, then held it in front of Zhao Rong with both hands and fed him.

Gu Yiwu and others looked at each other when they saw this, but they were not surprised.

All the way to Xingzi Town, Fairy Zhao took great care of Ziyu's daily life and food.

I did almost everything I could, except actually warming Tzuyu's bed.

Anyway, these days, the most talked-about topic among the students of Justice Hall is "how many times did Fairy Zhao fix Mr. Zhao's collar today?" or "how many times did she blow the tea?"

Many students sighed with envy.

It’s not that they don’t have obedient maids, but the one next to Mr. Zhao is the sword-cultivating fairy from Taiqing Xiaoyao Mansion. She is willing to be a well-behaved and considerate maid. I’ve never seen such a thing before...

Zhao Rong thanked them, took a sip of the tea that Zhao Qianer brought him helplessly, and smiled at her.

He then slowly spoke:

"Brother Yiwu, tell me what news you have gathered in the past few days. Also, what is the current situation of Zuixianlou?"

Gu Yiwu nodded.

"Tzuyu, the place you chose to stay in, Xingzi Town, is a very particular location."

Zhao Rong smiled but said nothing.

Gu Yiwu paced and said:

"Right now, Dali is not as simple as we thought before. As for the specific situation of the Dali court, we have not yet arrived at the Dali capital, Hanjing. We don't know whether the young emperor of Dali and the Empress Dowager Dugu, who is ruling from behind the curtain, are puppets or not."

"However, some of the apparent situations and major conflicts have become tacitly accepted by the people of Dali. The cultivators in Xingzi Town are even more aware of this. After all, this Nanxing County... is located between the two largest forces."

Gu Yiwu paused, looked at Zhao Rong who was listening attentively, and continued:

"The general named Zhou Dufu mentioned by Yunniang before is in charge of the Western Border Army of Dali. The seven counties and dozens of border towns are all under the control of the Western Army. This force is located to the west of Nanxing County."

"The other faction is the wise king of Dali named Li Mingyi. Well, he is now the regent of the Dali court. However, after the young emperor ascended the throne, his fiefdom was moved to the west of the heartland of Dali, that is, the large county on the east side of Nanxing County. There are also many imperial guards stationed there."

"However, they are still inferior to the Western Army. Zhou Dufu and Li Mingyi, one is a veteran who followed the rise of Li Xiu, the former emperor of Dali, in Jiangzuo, and the other is the younger brother of the former emperor of Dali. They are the two strongest forces among the military generals and royal relatives respectively."

Gu Yiwu shook his head and said with some regret:

"It was fine when the previous emperor of Dali was in power. After all, he was in his prime and was the founding emperor. The country's fortune and power were at their peak, and the people supported him. The army also followed him all the way and obeyed his orders loyally."

"So whether it's Zhou Dufu, who has a high prestige in the army, or Li Mingyi, who is famous for his virtue, they are all loyal ministers who have never committed any crime and are loyal and dedicated, trying their best to expand the territory for Dali."

"For example, the old general Zhou Dufu, who was once known as the military god of Dali, destroyed countless small countries in the southwest and overthrew two old dynasties. He was really amazing. Now the public opinion in Dali has begun to imitate other examples in history books and call for him to be slaughtered. Haha, Ziyu, someone is starting to deal with him."

Zhao Rong looked to the west and nodded slightly.

Gu Yiwu said with a smile:

"That Li Mingyi is similar. He has a high prestige in Dali and is called the God of War by the army. If it were in an ordinary dynasty, he would be considered too powerful to be the emperor. However, it was not the case in the past in Dali, because there was an emperor who was more radical than them. The former emperor of Dali led many expeditions in person, which was quite interesting. Alas, it is a pity that it is rarely seen now..."

"In short, the current undercurrents and unstable political situation in Dali all started after the death of the previous emperor of Dali. Before his death, he was originally planning to send more troops to the western vassal states and expand the army, in order to go to war with a great dynasty to the west called Dakang."

"So the Western Army alone has 400,000 heavy cavalry, plus other troops. Zhou Dufu is in charge of the Western Army and has more than a million soldiers under his command, which is nearly half of Dali's elite troops. The result."

"The previous emperor of Dali passed away. In fact, this also shows that his death was indeed sudden. The old emperor took over the new emperor, and the military power was not taken back in time. The million-strong Western Army is still in the hands of Zhou Dufu. Now that Li Mingyi's fiefdom has been transferred, he has dispatched the imperial army to block the Western Army and the Dali capital Hanjing. The reason is obvious."

Zhao Rong suddenly asked, "Are these two warriors? What are their ranks?"

Gu Yiwu's expression was slightly solemn.

"I was just about to say that Dali is indeed different from other great dynasties. The country is prosperous, and the two warriors who are currently standing at the pinnacle of power in Dali are both of high rank."

The burly student, who was still unable to hold up his clothes despite being in the academy's largest-sized Qingjin, raised his right hand and held up three fingers.

Zhao Rong frowned slightly, "A fourth or fifth rank warrior?"

After Fuyao, Wu Xiu and other cultivators went their separate ways.

Below the seventh realm, there are four and a half realms for Taoist and sword practitioners.

Haoran, Tianzhi, Jindan, Half-step Yuanying, Yuanying.

Among them, the Half-Step Nascent Soul is considered a transitional half realm in the mountain.

Below the seventh realm, there are also nine grades of martial arts practitioners.

From low to high, starting from the ninth grade, every two grades correspond to a realm above, and the ninth grade corresponds to a total of four and a half realms.

Therefore, Zhao Rong made a somewhat conservative estimate that the third realm of the Golden Elixir after the Taoist and sword cultivators had reached Fuyao corresponded to the fourth and fifth martial arts grades, which were the martial arts grades of Zhou Dufu and Li Mingyi.

As for a higher rank, that is the top-grade warrior who can enjoy fame on the Wangquezhou Mountain.

On par with the great Nascent Soul monks.

The great immortal family that can have a Nascent Soul cultivator in charge can be considered a powerful force on the Wangquezhou Mountain.

A family of immortal cultivators that possesses the combat power of the Nascent Soul Realm can become one of the top powerful clans in Duyou City.

Among them, the top few rankings may have stronger foundations.

Going further up, there are two huge monsters standing on the northern mountains of Wangquezhou, Weiwei Mountain and Xinran Sect.

Over the past six months, Zhao Rong has gradually come to understand the situation on Wangquezhou Mountain. He has always suspected that the two major sects, Weiwei Mountain and Xinran Sect, may be hiding the existence of the seventh realm.

However, these two families are enemies, with a feud that has been passed down from generation to generation.

The conflicts and contradictions between each generation of disciples are always the topics that the monks on the mountain talk about with great relish after dinner.

I even joked that the two families might produce a pair of Taoist lovers who would elope and put aside their grudges. Well, that's what it says in the book.

It’s a pity that we haven’t had any contact over the years, and we still get jealous when we meet.

Weiwei Mountain and Xinran Sect each have a supreme ancestor who is in seclusion.

From time to time, there are rumors that some old ancestors who have been in seclusion have entered the seventh realm, but it is hard to say for sure.

And the seventh-level powerful man who is recognized and familiar in Wangquezhou.

Almost all of them are in the several transcendent forces on Wangquezhou Mountain.

For example, Linlu Academy, Taiqing Four Mansions, and Tianya Sword Pavilion.

Especially the Tianya Jiange, which is aloof from the world and built in the North Sea.

In the Sikou Mansion in Jian Ge, which is in charge of supervising punishments on the mountain of Wangque Continent, there is a seventh-level sword immortal who silences the entire continent, the Great Sikou.

Well, the old Master Zhu from the Linlu Academy where Zhao Rong is is also a great Confucian scholar of the seventh level who is famous in Wangquezhou.

A few years ago, when Master Zhu had just taken office as the principal of Linlu Academy, it was said that he "explained a lot of truths" to the people on Wangquezhou Mountain, which made the immortals and powerful people on Wangquezhou Mountain "benefited a lot and suddenly realized."

However, in recent years, the dean has been somewhat silent and absent-minded, and even the scholars in Linlu Academy have rarely seen him. It may be that he was influenced by the fine traditions and customs of Linlu Academy throughout the ages, and wanted to give more responsibilities to the younger generations of the academy.

Well, just like the chief priest who fishes every day and appreciates the talents of the country...

At this time, facing Zhao Rong's answer, Gu Yiwu nodded, then shook his head.

"It is unknown what the situation is like now. It was said a long time ago on Mount Dali that they were fifth-level warriors on par with Jindan cultivators."

He seemed to know martial artists very well and knew them like the back of his hand.

"For a high-ranking warrior to break his rank, talent, hard work, and luck are all necessary. It is extremely difficult to break the mirror. However, over the years, Zhou Dufu and Li Mingyi have been in charge of the Dali Heroic Army, fighting in the south and the north. They are similar to the hundred cultivators who entered the world to support the dragon. They assisted the previous emperor of Dali and took advantage of the national fortune of Dali, which was the most prosperous continent. They may have taken one or two steps, or even three steps."

Zhao Rong nodded, "It's time, it's fate. Maybe he's already a third-grade warrior who is comparable to a half-step Yuanying. Well, his cultivation is higher than many of the masters in our academy."

In fact, he was thinking of Zhu Yourong, who was a Confucian and Taoist practitioner who was half a step away from the Nascent Soul stage.

According to what Zhu Yourong whispered to Zhao Rong while they were drinking tea one day, ever since she 'deviated from the orthodoxy', she has been stuck in the Half-Step Nascent Soul stage, with her golden elixir in a state of being about to break but not yet broken, and she has been unable to 'break free' from it and produce a pure Nascent Soul that manifests the Great Way of the Mind.

So she didn't know what kind of Nascent Soul was nurtured in the golden elixir.

The famous female teacher in the academy took a sip of tea and gave Zhao Rong a clever remark.

No matter what, if the golden elixir is not broken, you will not know what the Nascent Soul will be like. And it is precisely because you don’t know what the Nascent Soul manifested by your own mind is like that the golden elixir will not be broken and the Nascent Soul will not be born.

I remember that Zhu Yourong complained to him worriedly, "It's so slow, why haven't you reached the Nascent Soul stage yet? It's been several years... Ziyu, you have to write more words to comfort me, sir..."

Zhao Rong, who was drinking tea at that time, had a huge shadow in his heart.

He almost sprayed the tea in her face, but luckily he held it back and let the tea in his mouth escape.

I haven’t even reached the Fuyao realm yet, so what’s the point of consoling you by saying I’m half a step into the Nascent Soul realm?

Zhao Rong felt that a certain arrogant and sharp-tongued sword spirit was very suitable for chatting with Zhu Yourong, and they would definitely get along well.

At this time, facing Zhao Rong's sigh, Gu Yiwu nodded.

"But at the moment, the ranks of the two warriors should be similar, so this confrontation has formed. Now everyone in Dali, as long as they are not fools, knows that Zhou Dufu and Li Mingyi are not on good terms."

"Zhou Dufu has been reluctant to hand over the military power and tiger seal, and is still waving the banner of the late emperor of Dali, saying that he is obeying the late emperor's decree and commanding the Western Army to station at the border. Well, that means he is not listening to the orders of the new emperor of Dali, and does not recognize the newly formed Dali court, so he has come into conflict with Li Mingyi, the regent."

Gu Yiwu glanced at Zhao Rong and asked in a puzzled tone:

"Zi Yu, why did we choose to stay here? Nanxing County is now located between these two forces. It is a buffer zone. The situation is complicated. What is the point of us coming here?"

Zhao Rong heard this and the corners of his mouth twitched...