Chapter 163 - 95: Entering the Commandery City, Meeting the Prefect!

Chapter 163: Chapter 95: Entering the Commandery City, Meeting the Prefect!

Since this was the case, Zheng Jun didn’t hesitate. After cupping his hands in salute to Cai Xun, he immediately returned to the manor to pack his bags and prepare for an immediate departure.

Seeing Zheng Jun in such a rush, Qingdai immediately asked, "Young Master, are you going on a long journey?"

"I’m taking a trip to the commandery capital. The itinerary is about two or three days... maybe a bit longer, but I’ll be back in four or five days at most," Zheng Jun said with a nod. "I don’t have time to inform my sister and brother-in-law. Qingdai, go tell Bai Zhi to let them know later."

"Understood."

Qingdai nodded slightly, then immediately stood up to prepare fresh clothes for his journey. At the same time, she whispered, "Young Master, traveling alone to the commandery capital... I’m a bit worried. Why don’t I go with you? That way, I can attend to you at any time."

"The journey is long. You want to come with me?" Zheng Jun looked at her in surprise.

"Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ve learned some Martial Arts and have my Blood Refining Cultivation. Although I’ve only completed the first stage of Blood Refining, I can protect myself on the official road! Besides, since it’s your first time in the commandery capital, I can help make arrangements and gather information for you in advance."

Qingdai raised her slender, swan-like neck, a gleam of confidence in her eyes. "On the path of Martial Arts, one must improve every single day without slacking off for even a moment! If I stay by your side, I can ensure you have a piping hot medicinal meal every day. Missing even one day means you lose a day’s worth of progress!"

Of course, she wasn’t planning on making arrangements and gathering information all by herself. Instead, she intended to use Jishi Hall’s branch in the Pingzhang Commandery capital to orchestrate everything.

Hearing this, Zheng Jun pondered for a moment before nodding. "In that case, I’ll have to trouble you, little Qingdai."

"Yes, Young Master." Qingdai was delighted, but a second later, she felt a bit flushed with embarrassment. "You really know how to tease people, Young Master. I’m already sixteen, only four months younger than you. I’m not a ’little’ Qingdai!"

A sixteen-year-old Blood Refining Martial Artist who had refined her blood once? In Black Mountain County, she would already be considered quite a genius.

Take Du Ding from the Ma Family Fist school, for example. He was also around sixteen when he first completed Blood Refining. Now, at twenty, he was only a Fourth-stage Blood Refining Martial Artist. Xu Zhilei, at twenty-four, was only at the sixth stage.

Looking at it this way, the strength of his current subordinates was indeed a bit too weak. The only Qi Storage Martial Artists serving under him in the Tongzhou Association were Xu Tianfang and Yuan Yaoyang. Furthermore, Yuan Yaoyang’s heart meridian was damaged, meaning he only had about three or four years left to live.

"I shouldn’t have slashed Yuan Yaoyang," Zheng Jun thought with a twinge of regret. "The repayment progress hasn’t increased much, and I have lost a useful pawn.

"Now that I have been promoted to Squad Commander, the Black Mountain Guard and the two newly established companies all need Captains. That is a shortage of three Qi Storage Martial Artists. Even after promoting Yang Jun to Captain, we are still short two Captains."

He felt a surge of helplessness. He had risen to power too early and simply hadn’t stockpiled enough strong subordinates.

Zheng Jun shook his head with a sigh. In the brief moment he was lost in thought, Qingdai had already packed all their luggage. She had also changed out of her plain long dress and slipped into a snug, unadorned martial arts outfit.

Dressed like this, Qingdai truly looked the part of a young Female Knight of the Jianghu. With her hair tied in a high ponytail and a green-sheathed longsword slung diagonally across her waist, her eyes sparkled brightly, giving her a valiant and heroic air.

Housekeeper Qingdai had evolved into Jianghu Qingdai! It was a complete change of form.

"Young Master, I’ll go ask the brothers at the Tongzhou Association to rent a carriage for you, and we’ll..." Despite her new look as a Female Knight, she still spoke to him with the dutiful tone of a housekeeper.

Zheng Jun immediately shook his head. "There’s no need. We’ll go straight to the Military Department. Big Brother has prepared a Cyan Mane Horse with a Half-demon bloodline for me."

Hearing this, Qingdai didn’t hesitate for a second. Shouldering her bags, she hurried to keep up with his pace. Before long, a carriage drove out of Black Mountain County, speeding toward Pingzhang Commandery.

Morning light illuminated the sky, and the morning mist drifted like ethereal white smoke.

On the official road of Pingzhang Commandery, a carriage rolled steadily along the spacious path. The carriage was extremely luxurious, its body crafted from golden-thread wood and carved with endearing small beast motifs that symbolized peace and auspiciousness.

The beast pulling it possessed long, powerful limbs and a reddish-black body. What was truly surprising, however, was its cyan mane! Its vertical, beast-like pupils exuded a fierce glint, and the billowing hot air blowing from its nostrils gave off a palpable aura of Demon Qi.

The driver of the carriage was none other than Cai Xun’s old servant, Cai Liu. Sitting upright, Cai Liu drove the carriage steadily toward the Pingzhang Commandery capital. For him, the entire situation felt surreal. It had only been three or four months.

The young junior who used to respectfully call him "Senior" with every breath had now grown into a towering tree. He was traveling with a beautiful companion, sitting comfortably inside the luxurious carriage, while Cai Liu himself was relegated to driving for this younger man.

Not that he had any complaints. Previously, Cai Liu had harbored a trace of jealousy toward Zheng Jun’s rapid progress. However, after Zheng Jun slashed Meng Xian and wiped out Yuan Yi, that sliver of jealousy vanished completely.

It was human nature to feel envious when someone close to you achieved sudden success. But if they flew too high, that envy would dissipate, entirely replaced by awe and reverence. Today, Cai Liu held Zheng Jun in the utmost awe.

He could feel a steady flow of True Qi being absorbed inside the carriage. Even while on the road, Zheng San never neglected his cultivation.