Refining the Mountains and Rivers

"I, Zhou Chengtian, am here on the orders of His Majesty to question you. You cannot hide anything." The middle-aged man said.

Qin Yu nodded.

"Your name?"

"Ning Qin."

"Your identity?"

"A cultivator of the fragmented area."

"Your realm?"

"A Saint."

"What is your objective in returning to the capital?"

This was the first question that Qin Yu paused at. He hesitated, "I don't know."

Chengtian's expression relaxed, "With your cultivation, how were you not crushed by the Barbarian King in his tomb?

"Why did the lantern help you?"

Qin Yu shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Lord Chengtian thought about his answer. He suddenly ordered, "Release your aura!"

Qin Yu shivered slightly. Without having any control of his own body, his aura was forced out of him.

Roar -

There was a roar and a massive and scary-looking illusion appeared above his head.

The fierce roars did not stop and the bloodshot eyes of the illusion glared at Lord Chengtian with a deathly killing intent.

"Barbarian Clan!" Lord Chengtian's expression shifted and he suddenly looked stunned. Staring at the illusion above Qin Yu's head, he came to a realization.

No wonder he was so capable and could turn the situation around.

If this was some other situation, Zhou Chengtian may not have believed it. However, Qin Yu stopped the blood sacrifice and saved Zhou Chengshan.

He also caused the retaliation from the blood sacrifice that destroyed the imperial tomb and caused the death of the Barbarian King.

Zhou Chengtian would not believe that this was an act, because the price to pay for it was too high.

As Qin Yu's aura dissipated away, a confused Qin Yu was left behind. Zhou Chengtian stared at him as a flash of light crossed his eyes.

Qin Yu was worthy enough to know most of the secrets of the West Desolate, including the existence of the Later Ye Family.

Since the West Desolate could control the Later Ye Family, why couldn't they train up another? After all, the person who retrieved the treasure of the Barbarian Clan would be hugely rewarded.

He would report this matter to His Majesty. If he could achieve his goals, he would also be setting up a stage for himself.

The two Ye families controlled most of the military and although they balanced each other, if a third party entered, he could distribute the power better. His Majesty would be happy with this setup.

This was better for the Imperial Clan too in terms of its power control.

Of course, all of this was not as important as whether Qin Yu would be capable enough. Nonetheless, this did not stop Zhou Chengtian from devising this plan first.

A few moments later, Qin Yu walked out of the hall. Secret Guards of the palace escorted him out.

"Ning Qin, you have passed the test and you will be highly rewarded in the future. I congratulate you in advance!" At the gates of the palace, the leader of the Secret Guards smiled.

Qin Yu also revealed a kind expression and he cupped his hands together and replied, "Thank you."

He turned to leave. Tilting his head up to the sky, he smiled.

He passed!

However, Qin Yu did not know what arrangements the Imperial Palace would have for him in the future.

Qin Yu had some ideas regarding this. For instance, Li Zhouyi who had managed to redeem himself would be dedicated to helping Qin Yu.

Right at this moment, someone called out to him, "Fellow daoist Ning Qin?"

Qin Yu turned around and faced Border Cliff Saint who smiled brightly at him.

"It really is you. His Highness heard about everything and asked me to wait here for you. Let's head back to the palace in my carriage. His Highness has been waiting for a while."

Qin Yu smiled and jumped into the horse carriage. This was the kind of treatment that he had gained.

The horse carriage headed towards the palace.

……

In the Later Ye Family, there was a heavy atmosphere in Bohu Hall.

Ye Wangu was dead!

He was not only the most outstanding talent in the younger generation of the Ye Family, he was also the most beloved son of the current family head, Ye Bohu.

This was obviously a big event.

On the striped tiger seat, Ye Bohu frowned deeply and his expression was as stiff as a stone. He did not reveal any sadness or grievance.

However, everyone could feel the stiff, terrifying, suppressive aura in the air.

He looked up. His flat eyebrows were as sharp as knives. His cold voice boomed through the hall, "Investigate the real cause of Ye Wangu's death. I have a feeling that it isn't so simple."

"Yes."

The people in Bohu Hall shouted. As they stood up, their metallic armor clanged against each other.

……

The Eldest Princess' face had never been this cold. Ye Wangu was dead.

She was the one who persuaded Ye Bohu to send Ye Wangu into the Western Barbarian Land.

This was definitely not the outcome she wanted and she knew that she would have to shoulder the anger from the Later Ye Family.

As one of the two powerhouses in the military, the Later Ye Family was not a group she wanted to provoke.

As such, she had to quickly think of a way to fix their relationship.

One such example was to find the murderer of Ye Wangu!

Compared to the strong intuition of Ye Bohu, the Eldest Princess knew Ye Wangu well. He was a meticulous person and he would not have exposed his identity and been targeted by the Barbarian Clan.

There was something wrong here.

She had to kill the murderer as payment to the Later Ye Family. There was still a way out for her.

……

In the Imperial Palace of the West Desolate, Zhou Chengtian wore a respectful look as he informed the king, "Your Majesty, Ning Qin has passed the examination. There is nothing wrong with him."

He paused and his gaze swept over the curtain in front of the king. Sighing deeply, he continued, "I previously gave a suggestion on what the arrangements for him should be. Your Majesty, what do you think?"

There was a brief silence before the West Desolate king calmly replied, "The military situation is stable now. Aren't you afraid that they will oppose your actions?"

Zhou Chengtian heaved a sigh of relief and he felt much more at ease. The king did not oppose his idea.

Since he did not oppose it, it meant that he had the go ahead.

As for the reaction from the military…

Zhou Chengtian's voice deepened, "Your subjects have sworn their loyalty to you and the West Desolate…the military needs a voice from the Imperial Clan. I believe they will understand."

Behind the curtain, the king nodded, "Then let's give it a go."

……

Qin Yu arrived at Li Zhouyi's palace again. This time, he received the grandest welcome as the Sixth Prince personally came to greet him with a gleeful smile.

He had redeemed himself from a desperate situation and he no longer needed to hide in the darkness. From this day on, Li Zhouyi was once again in contention for the royal succession.

The Desolate King's decree had already been passed and Li Zhouyi could finally rest assure. As such, Li Zhouyi was very appreciative of Qin Yu when he saw him.

"Mister Ning Qin, please follow me into the palace. We have prepared a celebration for you!"

That day, a grand banquet was held in the Sixth Prince's palace. People feasted and drank with each other.

At the same time, there was a long line of horse carriages outside the palace. Many people came to express their congratulations.

This was a stark difference from the empty and desolated streets from not too long ago.

Li Zhouyi personally drank with Qin Yu and he sent Border Cliff Saint to receive the guests.

In ordinary circumstances, guests would be offended that a mere Saint was sent out to receive them.

However, they could only bear the humiliation this time!

It was their fault that they hopped sides so quickly last time. The Sixth Prince was offended and he needed to vent his anger.

Furthermore, Border Cliff Saint was the Sixth Prince's personal assistant. Now that Li Zhouyi had redeemed himself, Border Cliff Saint would also ride along on the same boat and reap benefits.

In the future, Border Cliff Saint could be considered the Sixth Prince's most trusted person in the capital.

As such, no one made a fuss. All the guests voluntarily stepped forward to establish a good relationship with Border Cliff Saint.

Border Cliff Saint's initial nervousness gradually faded away.

How times had changed. The ridiculous nickname he got of the Sixth Prince's 'Minister Right Arm' was gone and he was going to have a bright future!

Qin Yu's efforts could not be celebrated with a simple banquet. After the wild celebrations, he returned to a room with Li Zhouyi to carry on their conversation.

Li Zhouyi felt that he did not have a good foundation because he did not have many connections. As such, he wanted to make Qin Yu an official in the West Desolate.

He would find opportunities to have Qin Yu rise up the ranks so that he could tag along too and gain support from the outside world.

This was similar to what Qin Yu wanted. The capital of the West Desolate was extremely prosperous, but it was also full of high ranking people.

Qin Yu was not willing to stay here because he had other things to take care of. Even if he made great contributions, he could not rise up the ranks.

Leaving the capital and paving his own way by gaining others' support was the best foundation for his future endeavors.

The two people laughed together joyously.

Li Zhouyi thought that Qin Yu made his decision in order to suck up to Li Zhouyi.

This made him much more delighted. If he ascended to the throne in the future, he would definitely reward Qin Yu well and grant him a high position.

……

In the following days, Qin Yu remained in the palace and went by his peaceful days.

There was nothing much for him to do and he could relax and be carefree.

His two servants, Yun Qing and Yun Die, were seen by others to be outstandingly beautiful. Although they weren't really his servants, he felt at ease with them.

Li Zhouyi sent another dozen beauties to him. Each of them had delicate features and they were pretty in their own way.

From Li Zhouyi's perspective, Qin Yu must like beauties because he made a big fuss over Yun Qing in Seascape City.

However, Qin Yu turned them away. He gave the reason that his heart already belonged to someone else, and this made Li Zhouyi's eyes widen. He could only laugh bitterly to himself.

Li Zhouyi did not expect that the Darkness Ruler would be such a lovebird.

Nonetheless, such honest and truthful people were easier to control.

For instance, Yun Qing could be his weakness.

No one with the bloodline of the Imperial Family was truly kind. Li Zhouyi trusted Qin Yu and he wanted to nurture him.

Yet, he also wanted to ensure that he had control over Qin Yu.

If Qin Yu knew Li Zhouyi's thoughts now, he would burst out laughing.

Li Zhouyi must be dreaming!

A few days had passed without news from the Imperial Palace, but it was going to come soon.

This was obvious from the fact that Li Zhouyi was beaming with smiles.

On this day, Qin Yu was in his room. He was having a relaxing time as he sipped his tea.

With the bloodline of the Sky Cow, he had the Nine Nether Devouring Heaven and the clash with that clan was going to be unavoidable.

He was simply borrowing powers now…using the West Desolate, he was going to go against that clan.

It was simple to say this, but the fact of the matter was that it was going to be very dangerous. With his current cultivation level, Qin Yu would end up in deep trouble if he revealed anything.

He had to be extra careful.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Qin Yu frowned slightly and casted his thoughts aside, "Come in."

Yun Die walked in gingerly. She bowed, "Mister Ning Qin, there is someone who claims to be your friend outside."

Qin Yu informed them previously that his surname was Qin, but now he said that his name was Ning Qin. Yun Die did not question him, thinking that he had his reasons for purposely hiding his name in the past.

An old friend?

Qin Yu frowned. Then, his eyes flashed and he said, "I understand. Please invite the guest in. I will be there immediately."

The only person who knew him and could enter Li Zhouyi's palace without being stopped…Qin Yu guessed the person's identity through this.

When he arrived at the elegant, brightly lit palace, he peeked into the room through the window. Qin Yu broke into a smile; he had made a correct guess.

"Hundred Saint, long time no see."

The person sipping tea in the room was Hundred Saint. The two had deep entanglements and Hundred Saint was also the person who guided Qin Yu into the Desolate Area.

Hundred Saint placed his cup down. Smiling, he said, "Brother Ning Qin. Your contributions in the Western Barbarian Land are now widely known. You will have a bright future!"

He was sincere with his congratulations and he was also proud that he knew Qin Yu personally. Back then, Jiang Chengzi wanted him to leave Qin Yu alone. Facts had proven that he was wrong.

The Darkness Ruler, Ning Qin, was a worthy friend.

His uncle, Lord Chengtian, had already pointed this out.