Chapter Forty-One: Where Do You Go, My Lord?

Zhang Ning listened to Su Ye’s account, asked for more details, and couldn’t help but sigh—this was practically a grand drama of police and bandits chasing each other across the frontier! The sort that could fill an entire TV series.

People like Great Wei and Little Wei, before the world changed, were the kind of extraordinary figures he could never hope to meet. Of course, such talents in criminal investigation might be considered trivial in this world. Normally, the master of the Grand Freedom Demon Sect would determine which foreign tribe was behind the incident, then “inquire” and demand the culprits be handed over. The outcome would depend mostly on the strength of their stance and their martial prowess.

Zhang Ning asked curiously, “Can we bring them over?”

“Certainly, Your Highness! With just a command, they’ll send the people to you at once. The Martial Pill and Martial Stage cultivators are not irreplaceable.”

Zhang Ning realized his priorities differed entirely from those of the people of this world.

“Su Ye, you might consider what I mentioned last time—have them provide some reference opinions.”

Su Ye immediately caught on, “Your Highness refers to detective dramas?”

Zhang Ning half rose from his seat. “Yes, detective dramas have broad appeal; if well-made, they become classics—a ‘royal road’ of sorts.”

Su Ye replied, “As you will, Your Highness! Your will guides my direction!”

Zhang Ning felt slightly embarrassed. “Make preparations. Next, we’ll head to the next live broadcast location—the sooner we finish, the sooner we’re done.”

Su Ye grew anxious, advising, “Your Highness, you could rest a while longer. The clearing team hasn’t finished yet. If you go now…”

Zhang Ning replied without hesitation, “A little danger doesn’t matter. I’m not a hothouse flower.”

Besides, Zhang Ning always felt…

Zhang Ning couldn’t speak to Su Ye about it, nor to any of the people around him; sometimes he dreamed of those broken, unsettling fragments.

“We must make the most of our time. Whatever happens in the future, it’s always better to be prepared!”

Su Ye’s heart trembled, and he replied resolutely, at once ordering their route toward the Ten-Thousand Mountains.

Meng Family

“Miss, cancel everything? Our plan was so thorough…” A thin steward asked in confusion.

The girl addressed as Miss lashed out, delivering a whirlwind kick to the steward’s abdomen!

With a thud, the steward dropped to his knees, vomiting up everything in his stomach.

“Who gave you the right to speak? Drag him out!”

The servants were already used to the lady’s temper; deftly, they dragged the steward away, eyes full of sympathy—he must be new, caught out by someone’s scheming!

Returning to her room, Miss Meng packed her things, drove away all her servants and hidden protectors, and strode out alone.

There was only one reason: Meng Meng had grown increasingly furious these days. That scoundrel Zhang Ning had stolen Meng family technology and used it for his broadcast, gaining tremendous fame!

She had received intelligence that Zhang Ning had left the Grand Freedom Demon Sect alone for his broadcast, without any formidable experts at his side. She had crafted a four-layered, meticulous plan to ensure she could thrash Zhang Ning thoroughly and embarrass the Grand Freedom Demon Sect.

Others would be courting death by doing so, but she was Meng Qingchen’s daughter—the family head, and a Celestial Lord! There was nothing she didn’t dare, and she never considered consequences except for her only brother and father; no one else could restrain her. Besides, she hadn’t planned to assassinate Zhang Ning—just to teach him a harsh lesson.

But as her plan was about to unfold, Zhang Ning’s fame soared in a flash. Everyone around her started talking about his broadcast, and her anger burned even hotter.

She decided: others beating him wouldn’t satisfy her. She had to seize the chance to personally discipline that little bastard! She scrapped her entire plan and set out alone for the Ten-Thousand Mountains. Indeed, she had deduced Zhang Ning’s next move! As soon as her informant reported Zhang Ning’s general direction, Meng Meng figured it out!

Meng Meng believed Zhang Ning, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, was broadcasting to recruit new blood for the Grand Freedom Demon Sect. With so many exotic beasts and foreign tribes in the Ten-Thousand Mountains, a conflict would see Zhang Ning celebrated as a hero of humanity in no time—even though he hailed from the demonic path, he’d be praised for his righteousness. Disgusting, utterly disgusting!

And her rough deduction was accidentally spot-on. One wonders what her father, a master of divination and strategy, would think if he knew.

True Martial Mountain

Zhang Daozhou knelt in the ancestral hall, calmly watching the incense smoke curl upward, silent.

His grandfather, exuding the aura of a transcendent, stood beside him, likewise gazing at the ancestral tablets. But his glances at his stubborn grandson left him deeply troubled. He knew this child well—having raised him from birth. If Daozhou paused while eating, he knew it was to pick out the green peppers.

“Daozhou, are you dissatisfied with your punishment?”

Daozhou remained calm. “Your grandson harbors no dissatisfaction.”

From his demeanor alone, an outsider might be deceived.

His grandfather, however, grew anxious, scolding, “You spied upon the sect’s greatest secret, yet your only punishment is to train outside. Do you realize how lenient the sect has been?”

Daozhou replied, “I understand the elders’ deep concern for me.”

His eyes were clear and tranquil, his aura naturally harmonious from Daoist cultivation. Even now, though his words were sharp, he did not seem aggressive. “It seems I did not uncover the reason True Martial Mountain conceals its own profound inheritance, but rather glimpsed a secret that all the honored ones of the Azure Heaven Realm refuse to discuss! No wonder…the mountain lord has ordered me to retrieve our uncle’s remains from the Ten-Thousand Mountains, so I might weigh the cost of pursuing this secret further.”

“And the requirement is that I must rely on my own strength to bring back our uncle’s remains, even though he left instructions to be buried wherever. I know that the canyon and deep pool are extremely restrictive to our Daoist true energy flow. If I haven’t broken through to Martial Infant, I likely won’t escape! The calamity of the Azure Heaven Realm must be due in these next few years?”

Daozhou slowly rose to his feet. Though his words held questions, there was no accusation—only constant reverence, his gaze never leaving the ancestral tablets.

His grandfather, startled by Daozhou’s directness, grew flustered. “Daozhou…”

“You need not concern yourself with what I say today. I know my limits… Zhang Daozhou of True Martial Mountain, by order of the mountain lord, will depart at once for the Ten-Thousand Mountains!”