Night fell.
At the end of the main street in the center of Qingniu Market, within a cluster of hastily built sheds, the bright light of a bonfire gathered, illuminating the vast white snow outside.
The flurries that had fallen for several days had finally started to accumulate.
The weather grew colder and colder.
Under the eaves of the outermost shed, Gu Zheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing down the long street as snowflakes drifted by. His eyes were fixed on the area with the two inns.
'Noble youths...'
'These people have gathered in Qingniu Market... for Great Dragon Mountain?'
'Is there some treasure on Great Dragon Mountain that they covet?'
'Has this treasure not been unearthed yet? Or is there more than one?'
'A treasure that can even tempt the Hidden Clans...'
Gu Zheng looked up in the direction of Great Dragon Mountain, lost in thought.
"Chief."
Han Ming walked over from behind and reported, "Chief, everything's been arranged. No one died. Four are severely injured, and the rest only have minor wounds. As for the collapsed houses, the village chief has already mobilized a group to clear the rubble overnight. Once they're done, they'll start rebuilding on the same spots..."
"There's no rush to rebuild."
Gu Zheng said calmly, "With this snow, they should wait to clear it too. If someone gets hurt, we'll just have another casualty on our hands."
"...Yes, sir." Han Ming nodded in agreement. "I'll go tell them to stop right now."
With that, he turned into the snow and quickly departed.
Gu Zheng watched his retreating figure and thought to himself.
'The situation on Great Dragon Mountain is still unknown.'
'There's really no need to rebuild the houses right now.'
'For all I know, the Demon Fiends could charge in before the foundations are even laid.'
"Chief Gu!"
As he was pondering, a group of people strode down the street.
CLANK, CLANK. The sound of their iron armor plates rubbing together was especially clear in the night.
"Chief Gu, my sincerest apologies. I only just heard the news."
Guan Ai approached Gu Zheng with a forced smile, clasped his fist in a salute, and said apologetically, "I had just finished setting up camp when I heard that many houses on the street had collapsed. I rushed over immediately, but I didn't expect to be late. Oh, right, I brought some food. Chief Gu, where should we put it?"
With that, he waved a hand behind him. A cart loaded with several bags of provisions was immediately pulled forward by a soldier, stopping in front of Gu Zheng.
"...Just give it to the village chief," Gu Zheng said calmly.
"Alrighty~" Guan Ai waved his hand. "Take it inside and give it to the village chief."
"Yes, my lord," the soldier replied, pulling the cart toward the sheds.
"Chief Gu, before we left, the Captain gave us orders to follow your command. So, what should we do next?" Guan Ai turned back, asking with a sycophantic smile.
"Take a headcount of all the residents in the market town and prepare for evacuation," Gu Zheng ordered directly, not standing on ceremony. "In addition to the town residents, the people in the villages below must also be notified and prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice."
"Right away!"
Guan Ai agreed readily. "I'll arrange for my men to get on it immediately."
He acted as if Gu Zheng were truly his commanding officer, carrying out his orders with heartfelt dedication.
Gu Zheng watched him leave, his expression remaining calm the entire time.
That afternoon, he had stopped the fight between Yuan Qianjun and his opponent, revealing a strength that surpassed even that of a Grandmaster.
How could Guan Ai dare to remain arrogant?
Bringing his men over to apologize and deliver provisions was merely a response to the circumstances.
And asking Gu Zheng to take command was a way to shirk responsibility.
This way, if something major were to happen in Qingniu Market later, Gu Zheng would be the one held primarily responsible.
Gu Zheng was perfectly aware of this.
The reason he didn't call him out on it was that Guan Ai and his men were still useful.
...
「The next day.」
Early in the morning, a bit of life returned to Qingniu Market.
It turned out to be market day.
Villagers from the surrounding area came to set up stalls and sell their goods, or to make purchases.
Although there weren't many people, most of the shoppers were there to buy grain.
The climatic anomalies caused by the Celestial Change had resulted in disastrous losses for farmers, so the prices of all kinds of grain had naturally risen.
Furthermore, the tremors from Great Dragon Mountain had turned the area within a five-li radius into a forbidden zone—anyone who entered would die.
This only made the common people more panicked and fearful.
They didn't know what was happening, but they knew it was never a mistake to buy extra grain and store it away.
This was something Gu Zheng couldn't control.
He could only have Han Ming and his men maintain order and, while they were at it, keep an eye on the grain prices.
Perhaps it was because Gu Zheng's actions the day before had quelled the unrest, preventing Qingniu Market from descending into chaos.
The grain shops in the market hadn't raised their prices much.
As Gu Zheng was returning from his patrol, he ran into Yuan Qianjun, Dongfang He, and the others.
"Chief Gu, are you free at the moment? If so, why don't we sit down and have a chat?" Yuan Qianjun asked with a smile.
'They want to talk to me?'
"...Alright." A dozen thoughts flashed through Gu Zheng's mind as he agreed.
He then followed them to the inn.
Upon entering the main hall, he saw that quite a few people were already seated inside, including Jiang Mingjiu and Nangong Yaoyue.
"Elder Jiang!"
Gu Zheng clasped his fist in a salute to Jiang Mingjiu.
"...Gu, it's been a while." Jiang Mingjiu forced a smile and returned the salute.
Then, he introduced Nangong Yaoyue. "This is my mistress, Miss Nangong."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Nangong."
Gu Zheng turned slightly and offered her a fist-clasp salute.
"Chief Gu, there's no need for such formality. This is actually the second time we've met," Nangong Yaoyue said with a smile. "Last time, we didn't get a chance to sit down for a proper conversation. I'm glad we finally have the opportunity today."
"You're too kind," Gu Zheng said softly. "I am but a humble constable. I dare not aspire to be in your esteemed company."
"Haha, you're too modest, Chief Gu. You possess a Divine Wondrous power and the 'Bronze Arm.' That alone is enough for you to be our equal," Yuan Qianjun said with a laugh. "There is one thing I'd like to ask you, Chief Gu. Are you of the 'Qing King's Body'?"
"No." Gu Zheng shook his head. "I don't have any 'Qing King's Body'."
"Then is your Qing King bloodline newly awakened?" Dongfang He couldn't help but ask. "The Soul Capturing Technique you used last time—who taught it to you?"
At this, Gu Zheng glanced at him and said calmly, "I'm sorry, but I cannot answer that question."
"You..."
"That's enough," Nangong Yaoyue cut in before Dongfang He could continue. "If Gu has his reasons for not speaking, why should we press him?"
"Of course, please rest assured, Gu. We mean no harm. In fact, my Nangong Family, as well as the Dongfang, Yuan, Liangqiu, and Hong Families... all have quite a good relationship with the Qing King's bloodline."
"Your master may not have told you these things, but you can simply ask him the next time you see him."
Nangong Yaoyue looked at Gu Zheng, her face wreathed in smiles.
Gu Zheng remained silent.
'Master?'
'Ask him?'
'Since when did I have a master that I myself don't know about?'
Outwardly, Gu Zheng's expression didn't change, but inwardly, he was amused.
After hearing Nangong Yaoyue's words, he finally understood what was going on.
So, this whole time, they had mistaken him for a member of a Hidden Clan!
'Qing King's Body, Qing King's bloodline...'
'Judging from those two words, "Qing King," his supposed background is quite formidable.'
'In reality, though, this whole "Royal Blood" thing was just a misunderstanding caused by his Bronze Elephant Body.'
For the current Gu Zheng, this misunderstanding had more advantages than disadvantages.
Of course, he couldn't admit it out loud.
"I am not of the Qing King's bloodline."
Gu Zheng looked at Nangong Yaoyue, Dongfang He, Yuan Qianjun, and the others with a serious expression. "You have the wrong person."