Shi Yue had consulted countless documents and knew that the attitude of the Central Plains government towards "autonomous forces" like Qingcheng had always been subtle.
Even if Zhongzhou's reaction wasn't hostile, it certainly wasn't friendly.
That is why Shi Yue chose to set up camp further away from the border entrance, sending out small teams to cautiously 'scout' and find the most suitable time to communicate, rather than rashly approaching.
Just today, Zhongzhou suddenly allowed everyone in Qingcheng to pass through the defense line.
Shi Yue was not surprised at first. Instead, he was worried that this was a trap set by the Central Plains against Qingcheng, which was intended to wipe out Qingcheng's last strength and completely annex it.
Shi Yue was skeptical and didn't want to take the risk, but the news brought back by the advance team he sent out was too astonishing.
They unexpectedly encountered the long-lost City Lord Lu Fan at the Central Plains defense line!
The news was both exciting and made him more suspicious.
What a coincidence!
Shi Yue repeatedly inquired and verified that the information was indeed correct and that the group had witnessed it themselves.
This forced him to believe that City Lord Lu Fan was currently waiting at the Central Plains defense line.
Immediately afterwards, another infiltrated squad, hidden among the refugees outside the defensive line, brought the same message.
Furthermore, when the team members added that Lu Fan was accompanied by a powerful expert from Zhongzhou who used a bow and arrow, Shi Yue's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately believed the information a bit more before the team set off.
As the main force of Qingcheng arrived outside the border.
Chen Feng, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately arranged for his soldiers to go out and assist in command, guiding the Qingcheng troops through the city gate in an orderly manner and successfully entering the Zhongzhou defense line.
While the soldiers were giving orders, Chen Feng quickly returned to the rest room and spoke to Lu Fan, who was resting with his eyes closed, to give him a reminder:
"Lord Lu Fan, the migration team from Qingcheng has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Lu Fan opened his eyes, nodded to Chen Feng, and quickly walked out.
Li Yu followed closely behind, a hint of barely perceptible curiosity flashing in her eyes.
After all, he had migrated all the way here and wanted to see the migration procession of Qingcheng with his own eyes.
Seeing Li Yu walk out of the lounge, Bai Ya hurriedly followed behind.
Leaving only Xiao Zhan behind, he naturally didn't linger any longer and followed them out.
The group went outside, where the main migration force from Qingcheng was already standing in the designated assembly area, lined up in an orderly fashion and waiting.
Lu Fan flashed and appeared directly in front of the Qingcheng migration team.
His gaze slowly swept across the crowd, and seeing those familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar faces, a complex emotion welled up in his heart.
Shi Yue, who was opposite, sensed a slight energy fluctuation and turned to look.
Lu Fan was already standing there calmly.
Upon seeing Lu Fan with his own eyes, Shi Yue's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and all his vigilance and unease finally dissipated.
He straightened his collar, which was a little disheveled from the migration, and jogged over to Lu Fan.
At this moment, Shi Yue could not hide his excitement and solemnly saluted Lu Fan with a standard military salute, bearing the strong style of the Central Plains Military Headquarters:
"Lord Lu Fan! Commander Shi Yue of the relocation department has safely brought all the people of Qingcheng to safety!"
His voice was loud and clear, full of energy, yet a sense of relief rose within him, followed by a sigh:
"What a coincidence! I didn't expect you to actually be here! With the City Lord here, everyone in Qingcheng can finally feel at ease!"
Lu Fan nodded slightly to him, his eyes showing approval, and his tone unusually warm: "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's no trouble at all!" Shi Yue immediately replied loudly, and then began to report:
"Everything is fine in Qingcheng! The new policies you left behind are being implemented smoothly, and the people are very united!"
After Shi Yue finished speaking, his gaze involuntarily turned to Li Yu, who was standing next to Lu Fan.
When Shi Yue saw Li Yu's face clearly and felt the terrifying aura that was still chilling even though it was deliberately concealed, his heart trembled violently!
It really was him!
Shi Yue certainly knew Li Yu!
Back then, Li Yu led a large group of refugees on a brief stay in Qingcheng and even helped Lu Fan severely injure the super-powered individual from Yancheng.
Li Yu's incredibly long attack range, which belied his powerful strength despite being a refugee, left a deep impression on him at the time.
Moreover, when Li Yu finally left Qingcheng, he took a lot of supplies and "good stuff" from the Qingcheng warehouse, which made him feel heartbroken every time he thought about it.
Now that they've met again, Li Yu gives him a completely different feeling!
That restrained sharpness, that terrifying power hidden beneath that calm gaze, made Shi Yue feel an inexplicable heavy pressure, leaving him in awe:
'It's a miracle that a former leader of refugees 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. Several other powerful figures were also standing behind Li Yu, and even the Zhongzhou officer Chen Feng was slightly behind Li Yu by half a step, clearly all of them taking Li Yu as their leader.
Shi Yue made an accurate judgment in an instant: Li Yu had probably already made a name for himself in Zhongzhou, and Li Yu's status and position had probably reached a new height that he could hardly imagine.
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, and nodded in response.
Shi Yue felt a little relieved. Li Yu's attitude was relatively calm, and it seemed that she had a good relationship with City Lord Lu Fan, 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:
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