Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 142 (1): Dongfang Order

"Is that a Celestial Heart Jade pendant?" Old Man Shen exclaimed. "I can't believe such a precious gift is coming from a stingy miser like you! Make sure to keep this pendant safe, Fang Che. You can wear it during cultivation to ward off inner demons, and it'll automatically cleanse your body of lingering pill impurities! I've never seen a piece this big before! You truly are a great man, Deputy Chief Supervisor An! I knew from the first time I met you that we'd be sure get along! Here's to you!"

Old Man Shen raised his cup to An Ruoxing before downing its contents in one go, and An Ruoxing could reciprocate the toast with a wry smile.

The present had already been given, and there were so many witnesses present, so it wasn't like he could take it back.

The pendant had been left behind by his late sister. It had been favorite possession, and apparently, it had been given to her by Yin Shengong.

An Ruoxing heaved an internal sigh as he downed his cup of wine.

So be it. It's always been a huge eyesore anyway.

That night, after returning home, An Ruoxing opened the cabinet and stood in front of it for quite some time, staring in a daze at the vacant spot previously occupied by the jade box.

In the end, he heaved a long sigh as a look of burning resentment surfaced in his eyes.

He drew his sword from its scabbard before gently wiping down its blade, and the fury in his eyes only burned stronger as Yin Shengong's face surfaced in his mind.

***

After retiring to their room, Fang Che and Ye Meng immediately exchanged a curious glance with each other.

Fang Che pulled out the jade pendant from An Ruoxing, while Ye Meng pulled out her necklace from beneath her collar. The two were crafted from the same material, and they clearly formed a set.

This can't just be a coincidence. I have to report this matter to my higher-ups, Ye Meng thought to herself. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Meanwhile, Fang Che was also lost in his own thoughts.

No wonder Yin Shengong reacted so strangely after I mentioned An Ruoxing to him last time. Looks like there's definitely some history between the two...

Ye Meng tucked her necklace back under her collar, then found a length of string, using which she fashioned the jade pendant into a necklace for Fang Che.

"There. Now we match."

A hint of warm affection welled up in Fang Che's heart, and that immediately turned into a flame of desire as he asked, "Has your period passed yet?"

Ye Meng began frantically shaking her head as she replied, "No, and even if it has, we can't do it here! We still have to travel to the Guardian headquarters tomorrow!"

Ye Meng didn't feel safe outside of home, so she vehemently refused Fang Che's advanced, and in the end, he had to resign himself to a night of meditation to suppress his primal urges.

The next morning, Li Changkong returned to White Cloud Warrior Academy with all of the academy's students, while Old Man Shen remained with Fang Che and Ye Meng.

There were three southeastern representatives set to travel to the Guardian headquarters, one each for the Warlord, King, and Emperor tiers, and the other two representatives were frequently sneaking curious and admiring glances at Fang Che, wondering how he had managed to become such a formidable warrior at such a young age.

Zhao Shanhe and An Ruoxing emerged from the southeastern headquarters, and the former's expression instantly darkened at the sight of Fang Che and Old Man Shen.

He gave a disgruntled harrumph to express his displeasure, and Old Man Shen immediately grabbed onto the hilt of his sword as he snapped, "The hell are you harrumphing for? You got a problem?"

"I was just clearing my throat! Is that not allowed?" Zhao Shanhe protested.

"What's wrong with your throat? Did someone ram something down it last night?"

Zhao Shanhe was furious, drawing his sword as he yelled, "You think I'm scared of you, Shen Zhixuan? Your cultivation base is far below mine!"

"So you can oppress your disciples as you please just because you possess a superior cultivation base?"

An Ruoxing hurriedly stepped in as mediator before the altercation could escalate any further.

"Both of you, settle down! We're going to Guardian headquarters today! If you keep this up, I'm going to report both of you to Master Nine!"

The two men instantly fell silent.

Old Man Shen was very pleased with himself, having managed to get the last word in, while Zhao Shanhe was fuming.

The atmosphere was rather tense as the group of seven set off for the Guardian headquarters, but Fang Che and Ye Meng didn't seem to have had their moods soured at all.

They were completely absorbed in their own blissful world, looking as if they were on their honeymoon, much to the envy of the other two representatives.

The trip to the Guardian headquarters proved to be a safe and uneventful one.

It was already spring, and the air was teeming with an exuberant fragrance of vitality.

***

"Up ahead is Three Rivers City. Beyond that is Rocky City, home of the Guardian headquarters," An Ruoxing introduced as he pointed into the distance, where the outlines of a huge city could be just barely made out.

It was a resplendent supercity that was practically glowing under the light of the sun.

Ye Meng was astonished. She had thought that the city up ahead surely had to have been Rocky City, but she was mistaken.

Fang Che was just as surprised as she was.

Throughout his two lifetimes, he had never been to the Guardian headquarters even once.

He had spent the entirety of his previous adult life fighting on the front lines in the wilderness, a complete hillbilly from beginning to end.

"The closer you go to the Guardian headquarters, the larger the cities become," Old Man Shen said. "These super cities are filled with wealthy and powerful people, as well as countless formidable warriors and clans, but you'll see very few troublemakers and people using their status and power to oppress others."

This was clearly a barbed remark aimed at Zhao Shanhe.

At this point, Zhao Shanhe's strategy was simply to stoically ignore Old Man Shen, and he suggested, "Let's go have a meal in Three Rivers City. There's still quite a distance to go before we reach Rocky City."

The seven-man group resumed their journey, making their way toward the city gates, but all of a sudden, they heard the sound of pounding horse hooves in the distance.

What's going on? It sounds like those horses are traveling very quickly. Is there some trouble afoot?

A stampede of ten pristine white horses galloped out through the city gates at full speed.

The riders of the horses were all dressed in vibrant and luxurious clothing, and there was a large group of guards trailing along behind them.

The pedestrians on the streets hurriedly ducked for cover. A woman carrying a child in her arms was a little too slow to get out of the way, and she was struck by a whip to the face, sending her flying to the side. A deep gash was left on her cheek, but she gritted her teeth and didn't dare to protest.

Old Man Shen's expression instantly darkened.

He had just declared that there were no troublemakers so close to the Guardian headquarters, yet they hadn't even entered the city yet and he had already been proven wrong.

***

The stampede of horses was rapidly drawing closer, and the young man who was leading the pack quickly caught sight of Ye Meng.

His eyes instantly lit up as he tugged forcefully on his reins, bringing his steed to an abrupt halt as it neighed in distress while rearing up onto its hind legs.

Six others in the group of ten did the same thing, coming to a stop behind him, and the seven young men collectively dismounted their steeds before approaching Fang Che's group in a graceful fashion.

It was very clear that their target was Ye Meng.

Zhao Shanhe, An Ruoxing, and Old Man Shen's expressions instantly darkened.

The intentions of the young men couldn't have been any more clearly telegraphed.

"I suppose there's always going to be a bit of scum, even at the bottom of the cleanest pond," Fang Che remarked with a faint smile, his voice already dripping with killing intent.

It was clear from the demeanors and attire of the seven young men that they came from very wealthy clans, but that served as no deterrent to Fang Che.

In terms of background, Fang Che couldn't even begin to compare with these people, but at the moment, he was a cherished generational prodigy for both the Guardians and the Church of the Self-Righteous!

Anyone who dared to mess with him would be incurring the wrath of both the forces of good and evil!

The young man at the forefront of the group had eyes only for Ye Meng, and he didn't even bother to spare a glance for anyone else.

He had never seen such a stunning beauty before, and it was really no wonder that this was the case.

Ye Meng possessed exceptional looks to begin with, and thanks to all of the natural treasures and pills that she had consumed, as well as the effects of the Celestial Heart Jade necklace, her body was almost completely devoid of impurities.

As a result, she was practically scintillating with health and exuberance, and that wasn't even to mention all of the "nourishment" that Fang Che had been providing her with through his Boundless Mantra and the Dual Cultivation Fruit that she had consumed.

Even in Rocky City, she would've been near unmatched in her beauty, and standing among other women, she truly resembled a celestial maiden among mortal wenches.

"Hello, young lady. May I ask your name? I am Zhou Qiyun from the Zhou Clan of Three Rivers City, and I'd love to take you out for a drink sometime."

Ye Meng ignored the young man with a frosty look on her face.

Fang Che's hands were clasped behind his back as a dangerous smile appeared on his face, and he said, "You're speaking to my wife, Young Master Zhu."