NOVPUBMutton fat jade is indeed a kind of extremely precious stone, even a small piece of jade pendant is worth a fortune.
Not to mention the pair of large lions of such size.
The mansion’s main gate was made of teak.
This kind of teak takes a thousand years to mature and is very rare.
Compared to the long-neglected city, the City Lord Mansion seemed somewhat out of place with its appearance alone.
This mansion was too opulent.
The jet-black plaque at the entrance bore the characters "City Lord Mansion" in big letters.
When Xu Zimei and his party arrived at the entrance of the City Lord Mansion, they were stopped by the guards on both sides.
This time, it wasn’t Huang Xing and the others’ turn to speak.
Lue Jin, who was being held aside, already began shouting.
"Are you all blind? Hurry up and call my father out, see if these villains dare to run wild in my Phoenix Hoaring City."
It was then that the guard noticed Lue Jin and hurriedly responded, rushing into the mansion in a fluster.
The group did not stand waiting at the entrance, but followed closely and entered the City Lord Mansion.
As soon as they entered the mansion, right in front of them was a pond.
Two paths split off on either side for people to walk.
Now in early summer, the lotuses in the pond were like a large canopy, standing unsullied from the mud.
Seaweed grew along both sides of the pond, the water was very clear, and colorful fish swam happily within.
Red bricks, green tiles, pavilions, and artificial mountains.
The decorations of the City Lord Mansion were rich and imposing.
Not long after several people entered, they saw a figure, moving as if walking on the wind, hurrying over from the distance.
This figure was clothed in a green robe and exuded a very formidable presence.
He had a thick beard, and on his forehead ran a narrow scar.
His eyebrows were also very thick.
When the man arrived in front of Huang Xing, seeing Lue Jin’s state, his eyebrows deeply furrowed.
"Who are you?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Dad, save me!
These people actually dared to capture me and beat me.
I want to grind their bones to dust and lock them up to torture them properly." Seeing his father arrive, Lue Jin’s courage grew, and he began to struggle.
"Shut up," the man in the green robe glared at Lue Jin.
In any case, Lue Jin was still in the hands of others.
If they really wanted to kill him, he wouldn’t be able to stop them.
What’s more important was that the man in the green robe felt that things were not so simple.
Since the other party dared to come to them, it indicated they were confident and fearless.
...
"Are you the City Lord of Phoenix Hoaring City?" Huang Xing asked.
The man in the green robe nodded slightly, watching Huang Xing and the others with an inexplicable gaze.
Then he saw Huang Xing take out a token and throw it to the man in the green robe.
The token was pure yellow, and it was unknown what material it was made of.
On it was drawn a single dragon, with the words "Sansi" inscribed.
Upon seeing this, the man in the green robe took a deep breath.
"Now that’s trouble."
His figure trembled slightly, for the Seven Emissaries were famous far and wide throughout the Phoenix Perching Empire.
This was not something that he, as a City Lord, could afford to provoke.
Thinking of his deeds in Phoenix Hoaring City over the years, if they were to be investigated, even dying a hundred times would not be too much.
The man in the green robe’s eyes darkened, and he nearly fell over.
He took a deep breath, forcibly calmed himself, and with great respect returned the token with both hands.
He then knelt to the ground and exclaimed, "City Lord of Phoenix Hoaring City, Lue Xiong, pays his respects to the venerable Sansi Emissary."
Huang Xing snorted coldly and directly threw Lue Jin out.
Now even the foolish Lue Jin realized something was amiss.
Seeing his father kneeling on the ground, he fell to the ground and decided to feign unconsciousness.
"Phoenix Hoaring City has really been shrouded in darkness," Huang Xing said with a cold snort.
"Your subordinate deserves to die," Lue Xiong did not try to defend himself, and simply confessed his guilt.
He knew that the things he had done would not withstand scrutiny.
"Then you should go die," said Huang Xing indifferently.
Lue Xiong’s expression froze for a moment; he hesitated, not expecting Huang Xing to say such a thing.
This was completely out of line with convention!
"All right, though we are the Sansi, since you are the lord of a city, we do not have the authority to punish you," stated Huang Ri from the side.
"You will come with us to the capital tomorrow.
When the time comes, you will await His Majesty’s decision!"
Lue Xiong nodded heavily, without saying much else.
"Bring your son with you when you come," Huang Xing instructed before leaving.
...
After Huang Xing finished speaking, the group left.
On the way, Xu Zimei was somewhat curious as he asked, "Aren’t you afraid he’ll run away if you don’t watch him?"
"It would be even better if he ran. Then we could issue a nationwide manhunt for them," Huang Xing said with a smile.
Xu Zimei shook his head slightly, not saying much.
He felt that Huang Xing and the others were too confident. Pushing a man to a dead end meant there was nothing in this world he wouldn’t dare to do.
Knowing that going to the capital was akin to death, how could Lue Xiong and his son possibly sit still and await their doom!
"Yue’er’s injuries are almost healed, so let’s leave first thing tomorrow morning," Huang Ri reminded.
Huang Yue nodded, not offering any objection.
After Xu Zimei and his group had left, Lue Xiong collapsed to the ground and sat in silence.
"Father, what’s wrong with you?" Lue Jin hurriedly approached and asked.
With a "smack,"
Lue Xiong struck his son’s face with a slap and angrily demanded, "How did you get involved with them?"
"I didn’t," said Lue Jin timidly.
"They came to me. I don’t know them at all!"
Hearing this, Lue Xiong sighed deeply, seeming to age considerably.
"Father, what should we do now?" Lue Jin asked in a panic.
"Do you think the Emperor will spare us if we go to the capital?"
"Do you think you can still live after all the things you’ve done over these years?" Lue Xiong looked at his son pitifully and retorted.
"Then what do we do, Father, save me.
I don’t want to die," Lue Jin quickly cried out.
"Enough, shut up.
Yelling doesn’t solve anything. Follow me somewhere tonight."
Lue Xiong said flatly.
His gaze was profound as he stared off into the distance for a long time before murmuring softly, "Since you won’t let me have peace, then let’s go to death together!"
...
The nights in Phoenix Hoaring City were especially quiet!
The townspeople had long returned to their homes to rest, and unknown crickets chirped from the corners.
The night was deep, a night with neither moon nor stars.
In Lue Xiong’s room within the City Lord Mansion, father and son had prepared early.
Lue Xiong lifted the carpet in the room and knocked thrice on a wooden panel.
A series of "clicking" noises came from below.
Soon enough, a secret passage appeared before the two of them.
"Father, you," Lue Jin looked at his father, somewhat surprised.
"After doing so much wrong, one always has to leave a way out for oneself," Lue Xiong said calmly.
The two entered the dark passage.
Once inside, Lue Jin discovered that the secret passage was more complex than he had imagined.
It had many pathways crisscrossing in all directions, with no clue as to where each led.
Under Lue Xiong’s guidance, after taking several turns, the father and son finally emerged from the secret passage.
