Li Yu's extraordinary long-range precision strikes, and his formidable strength that seemed out of place for a refugee, still leave Shi Yue in disbelief.
Moreover, when Li Yu finally left Qingcheng, he took a lot of supplies and his most treasured "good stuff" from the Qingcheng warehouse, which made him feel heartbroken every time he thought about it.
Now, when he meets Li Yu, the former leader of the refugees, again, his feelings towards him are completely different!
That restrained sharpness, that terrifying power hidden beneath his calm gaze, made Shi Yue feel an inexplicable heavy pressure, leaving him in awe.
'It's a miracle that a vagrant could grow to such an unfathomable level in such a short time!'
At the same time, Shi Yue keenly noticed the admiring gazes of the Zhongzhou soldiers around him toward Li Yu.
The other powerful Awakened Ones also stood silently behind Li Yu. Even Chen Feng, an officer from Zhongzhou, was slightly behind Li Yu by half a step, with a respectful posture. Clearly, they all regarded Li Yu as their leader.
All these details allowed Shi Yue to make an accurate judgment in an instant.
It's likely that Li Yu has already made a name for himself in Zhongzhou, and his current status and position have reached new heights that are beyond his imagination.
Shi Yue dared not be negligent in the slightest. He immediately suppressed the slight excitement he had shown when facing Lu Fan, his expression becoming extremely serious and solemn. He turned to Li Yu, bowed slightly, and spoke in a steady voice:
"Lord Li Yu, it's been a long time."
Li Yu was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the people of Qingcheng would still remember him. He nodded in response but did not say anything more.
Shi Yue felt a little relieved. Li Yu's attitude was relatively calm, and it seemed that even though her identity had changed, her relationship with City Lord Lu Fan was still good, otherwise they wouldn't have appeared together on the Central Plains defense line.
He turned his gaze back to Lu Fan, his expression returning to that of a subordinate with utmost respect:
"Lord Lu Fan, all the people of Qingcheng have assembled. Please give instructions."
Shi Yue then stood ramrod straight, waiting for the former city lord to make crucial arrangements for the future of the people of Qingcheng.
At the same time, the people of Qingcheng behind them also noticed Lu Fan's sudden appearance, and a commotion instantly broke out in the ranks.
The newly elected high-ranking councilors, as well as several respected elders from Qingcheng, all came to look.
Upon seeing Lu Fan in person, their eyes instantly lit up with surprise and delight.
"It really is City Lord Lu Fan!"
"Great! The city lord is back! Now we Qingcheng people have hope."
Most of these people were witnesses or even participants in that power transition.
It was because of Lu Fan's great purge of Qingcheng that he was able to take his current position.
After Lu Fan left, the parliamentary system he left behind successfully maintained the operation of Qingcheng to a certain extent.
However, having lost its most powerful core leader and lacking a backbone, Qingcheng often struggles to make decisions and faces numerous obstacles when confronted with major crises and difficult choices.
Now, Qingcheng has been completely lost, and the entire city has been forced to embark on a migration journey with uncertain prospects.
They thought the road ahead was endless confusion and despair, but they never expected that they would miraculously reunite with their former city lord, Lu Fan, on the border of Zhongzhou!
The long-standing anxiety in the hearts of these Qingcheng leaders and elders was replaced by a tremendous hope.
In an instant, they seemed to have found a pillar of support and a backbone.
A long-lost sense of confidence and security rose in their hearts, and they thought that Lu Fan would definitely lead them to a new life!
Hearing the excited shouts of the leaders and elders for Lu Fan, the people of Qingcheng behind them also erupted in cheers.
"It's City Lord Lu Fan!"
"The city lord has finally returned! He didn't abandon us."
The crowd was excited; they didn't believe in such a coincidental encounter, only that Lu Fan had come to pick them up in person.
These shouts immediately attracted the attention of more young people, who craned their necks to look ahead, eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary city lord.
"Lord Lu Fan? Isn't Qingcheng always managed by councilors, without a lord?" a young man asked curiously, his eyes full of confusion.
“Yes, I’ve only heard of the councilors, I’ve never heard of a city lord.” Another young girl with a ponytail whispered to her companion, her eyes darting back and forth between Lu Fan.
After all, Lu Fan's reign as the new city lord after regaining control of Qingcheng was relatively short, and few people personally experienced the transition period when Lu Fan took charge of Qingcheng.
Only those who became leaders after Lu Fan's major reshuffle at the top knew exactly what Lu Fan had done.
Furthermore, not long after implementing his envisioned new policies, Lu Fan also bid farewell to Qingcheng in pursuit of greater personal power, drifting away and heading to Zhongzhou alone.
After Lu Fan left, all the new leaders tacitly avoided such issues. No one dared to mention the former city lord, nor did anyone promote the new city lord.
They deliberately downplayed Lu Fan's presence, allowing the concept of "co-governance by the parliament" to gradually take root in people's hearts.
Therefore, the younger ordinary people in Qingcheng do not even remember this earth-shattering coup, nor that Qingcheng once had such a young city lord.
Upon hearing the boy's question, a middle-aged councilor in uniform at the front of the crowd turned around with sharp eyes.
He deliberately raised his voice and began to elaborate in a serious tone, not only answering the young man but also announcing a long-buried fact to everyone present:
"Ignorant! Parliamentary governance was only established after City Lord Lu Fan cleared away the shadow of dictatorship for us and laid a new foundation."
He looked around, not only lecturing the young people, but also declaring to all those who harbored doubts:
"If it weren't for City Lord Lu Fan's swift and decisive actions to restore order and clean up the mess inside and outside the city, Qingcheng would have long since become a 'ruin' of dictatorial power! The fair order you enjoy now is all thanks to City Lord Lu Fan's reforms!"
“But… that’s not what the book says,” the boy retorted softly.
"The book needs revision! History needs to be rectified!" The middle-aged congressman said firmly.
"Stability is needed during this special period, and some truths have been temporarily concealed. Now that the city lord has returned, everything should be set right!"
After the middle-aged legislator finished speaking, he gave a warning look to his colleagues, who were also members of the powerful legislature.
The others immediately understood and chimed in agreement.
“That’s right, we should continue to follow City Lord Lu Fan.”
"Yes, the dictatorship was eliminated thanks to City Lord Lu Fan's iron-fisted leadership!"
The lawmakers' righteous and unquestionable conclusion immediately silenced any dissenting voices.
They characterized Lu Fan's encounter as the long-awaited "return of the king".
And at this crucial moment, they were eager to demonstrate their loyalty to Lu Fan, which led to their unified statements.
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