Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest-Chapter 969: First Arrival at the Imperial Capital

"Your graciousness, Shicheng will never forget for all eternity!"

Liang Shicheng knelt on the ground respectfully and gave Wang Chen a grand salute, "In this life the debt is too great to be repaid, in the next life I will pay it back with a ring of grass in my mouth!"

Behind him, a pretty young woman and a young child also knelt.

Wang Chen extended his hand and lifted him up from afar with a smile, "Once you return, stop wandering about. These are troubled times, so stay at home and keep your family company with peace in your heart."

Liang Shicheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with shame, "I shall engrave your teachings in my heart, and never forget them!"

Actually, Wang Chen didn’t need to remind him; after returning to his hometown this time, he had no plans of leaving ever again.

Otherwise, next time he might not be so lucky!

Wang Chen waved his hand, "Go on."

After he had destroyed the Qingfeng Bandits’ lair and appropriated these strongmen’s wealth accumulated over many years, he had brought Liang Shicheng and his wife and child down the mountain. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Wang Chen spared the Qingfeng Bandits’ elderly, weak, women, and children, and of course, wouldn’t harm an unlucky fellow like Liang Shicheng who had been forced into banditry.

With the mindset of doing a good deed thoroughly, he even accompanied Liang Shicheng and his family until they met a caravan headed south.

The Heavenly Road is an important passage connecting the north and south within the Great Liang territory, and there are many merchants and travelers coming and going, but for safety, they typically travel in large groups.

Under normal circumstances, caravans wouldn’t take in strangers on the way to prevent infiltration by thieves or spies.

But Wang Chen revealed his identity and gave the caravan leader a sum of silver to escort Liang Shicheng and his family to Ding State.

With that, the matter was satisfactorily resolved.

Mounting his Yellow Fatty Horse, Wang Chen continued his journey northward.

On the road ahead, he hurried day and night without stopping, only resting when his mount was tired.

During this time, Wang Chen did not encounter any obstacles or troubles, and after leaving the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, he passed through two large counties and finally arrived at the Capital Region.

There were three days left until his audience with the Emperor.

The Yellow Fatty Horse had lost more than a dozen pounds from the journey.

The Imperial Capital of Great Liang, Daye City, had been the capital for six ancient dynasties over three thousand years, with five dynasties establishing their capitals here, leaving behind countless legends and a huge city.

After Great Liang designated Daye as its capital, the city underwent expansion with four Guard Cities built, and the water from the Canglan River was diverted to create interconnected canals, forming a grand layout with the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird as a pattern for pilgrimages of the auspicious.

It is said that the entire Capital Region has one million seven hundred fifty thousand households with a population exceeding ten million, with more than a million households in Daye City itself. Whether in number or scale, looking across the entire Cangqing Domain, none could rival it.

Great Liang had been established for five hundred years, with seventy percent of its essence concentrated here, and the prosperity was self-evident!

On the road to Daye City, crisscrossing lanes bordered each side, with manors and villages densely scattered. Travelers and merchants on the road were as numerous as carps crossing a river, causing congestion.

Especially a few miles in front of the city gates, traffic was jammed to the point where Wang Chen could only lead the Yellow Fatty Horse forward slowly, and it took him a full two hours to pass through the gates and enter the city.

And the bustling scene inside Daye City was even more indescribable!

Wang Chen, while in local county offices, had seen the signs of a dynasty’s decline.

Corrupt officials, difficult civilian lives, demons causing chaos and discord among people.

However, upon arriving in Daye, the contrast was like heaven and earth, the prosperous fate blooming like flowers on brocade and oil in a blazing fire!

Moreover, Wang Chen felt that the moment he entered Daye City, his own vital energies formed an extremely subtle connection with the capital, and an imperceptible power blessed him.

According to protocol, Wang Chen first reported to the Yiluan Office.

The Yiluan Office is divided into the Inner Affairs Department and External Affairs Office; with Wang Chen’s current status, naturally, he did not qualify to enter the Imperial Palace Chief Guards’ headquarters.

He went to the External Affairs Office.

After a series of identity verifications, Wang Chen met with the Deputy Commander of the Yiluan External Affairs Office, Liu Chaozong!

Liu Chaozong, a man of about forty, had a majestic appearance and an air of solemnity. He received Wang Chen in the Council Hall, his demeanor towards the latter was warm, yet tinged with a touch of indifference and arrogance.

This Deputy Commander did not say much to Wang Chen, simply instructing him on what to pay attention to when meeting with the emperor, and then summoned a Head of the Hundred Households from the Blood Cloak Guard to accompany Wang Chen to rest at the post house.

After Wang Chen left, Liu Chaozong sat motionless in the Council Hall, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while, a man with a pale face and no beard, exuding a gentle and soft temperament, quietly appeared: "Lord Liu?"

Liu Chaozong suddenly came to his senses, stood up and said, "Eunuch Li."

Eunuch Li smiled: "Met that kid? What do you think?"

His voice was sharp and fine, which made one feel uncomfortable to hear.

Yet, Liu Chaozong’s reaction was somewhat strange - he hesitated before replying: "I can’t see through him."

"Hmm?"

Eunuch Li was very surprised: "Even you can’t see through such a green youngster?"

As the Deputy Commander of the Yiluan External Affairs Office, Liu Chaozong’s cultivation level was at the peak of the fifth tier of Martial Ancestor, making him one of the front runners of strength within the entire Blood Cloak Guard system. Many people believed he would break through to the sixth tier of the great realm within ten years!

What’s more important was that Liu Chaozong’s cultivation level wasn’t built upon Spirit Pills and miracle medicines - he was a true warrior seasoned through countless battles.

For someone like him to be unable to see through a teenager, that was indeed baffling!

"That’s right."

Liu Chaozong said with a wry smile: "His aura has reached the level of the fifth tier, but it cannot be explored or locked-on to. I suspect he is carrying some secret technique or a treasure that disrupted my Spiritual Sense."

"Interesting!"

Eunuch Li laughed: "If there’s a chance, I would also like to meet this youngster."

"That’s very simple."

Liu Chaozong said: "I will arrange it."

"No hurry."

Eunuch Li waved his sleeve: "Let’s wait until after he has been granted an audience with the emperor."

Liu Chaozong silently nodded.

Meanwhile, Wang Chen, who had already left the Yiluan External Affairs Office, was unaware of what had transpired after his departure. Accompanied by the Head of the Hundred Households, he checked into a nearby post house.

This post house was established by the Yiluan Office and was specifically meant to accommodate officials from the Blood Cloak Guard who came to Daye City. Not only was it favorably located, but the facilities inside were also very impressive.

Because he was both a Thousand Household and held the rank of Demon-subduing Chief Guard, Wang Chen occupied an entire small courtyard to himself, complete with maids and servants at his disposal.

But Wang Chen didn’t care much for these accommodations. After settling down, despite his travel weariness, he took a servant familiar with the surroundings of Daye City and first toured several of the most bustling streets.

The next day, Wang Chen began his frenzied shopping spree alone.

The major commercial firms in Daye City became the focus of Wang Chen’s patronage, as he spent a large amount of gold and silver to purchase various valuable medicinal materials, completely disregarding the price as long as the goods were of high quality!

In just two days, Wang Chen had become the number one customer of these commercial firms, and subsequently, his reputation quickly spread throughout the Imperial Capital’s business circles.

Many people knew that a big investor from outside the region had come, and he was only a teenager!

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