Chapter 2017: He Meets Again in a Foreign Land

When the Black Armored Army entered Mian City, and Guo Baiyu's head was displayed on a spear for all to see, overwhelming cheers erupted, and the common folk lined the streets to welcome them.

From facing certain death, experiencing a miraculous escape, to ultimately turning defeat into victory, Mian City was filled with jubilation, immersed in the joy of such an extreme reversal.

Upon entering the city, the Black Armored Army stood tall and straight.

No matter how many times they had been welcomed with such enthusiasm, this feeling was addictive, especially when the people's gratitude came from the bottom of their hearts.

The cheers, applause, and smiles on people's faces let them know that their battles and sacrifices had been worthwhile.

The Mian City defenders' eyes welled up with tears.

They had won. After enduring dozens of days and nights of hellish suffering, they had survived and awaited the reinforcements promised by the Dragon God.

Wanqiliang looked around, not seeing the local official. "Where is Magistrate Huang?" he asked.

"Magistrate Huang unfortunately died in the line of duty," Tushan Fang said, his face grim. "Hao County was breached by Guo Baiyu, and we took in over thirty thousand refugees from there. However, Yu An, the former county assistant, seized the opportunity to assassinate Magistrate Huang. He used a worm demon to control Magistrate Huang and shut down the city's guardian beast, which is why Mian City suffered this invasion today."

"Where is he?"

"Yu An tried to sneak out of the city, but we stopped him."

"Send someone to take me to him," Wanqiliang immediately instructed.

Post-war Mian City had countless matters to attend to. Wanqiliang was not a leader who needed constant accompaniment, so he let Tushan Fang go deal with official business first.

As expected, the moment Wanqiliang left, matters from both inside and outside the city administration came to Tushan Fang, giving him a massive headache.

He could barely manage the city's defense forces. As for the internal affairs of the city government, what could a rough man like him, who could barely read, do besides sign his name?

Hidden within the nearby crowd were five or six people, all plain-clothed. One of them was clearly a Green Guard under Qingyang, an inspector dispatched to Guo Baiyu's forces.

After Guo Baiyu was driven away, many people from Mian City went out to clear the battlefield and help the injured. Amidst the comings and goings, the inspector seized the opportunity to blend in.

He had a girl on his arm, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with an ordinary face, a bit dark and rough-skinned, indistinguishable from a local Mian City girl. She would easily disappear into a crowd.

The inspector asked the girl, "Do you know what you're supposed to do?"

She replied with unwavering resolve, "Yes!"

Just then, Fan Shuang and his son arrived, needing to declare a batch of supplies. Too many items had been collected from outside the city, some their own, some from the enemy.

Fan Shuang had only just exchanged a few words with Tushan Fang when he saw a man emerge from the Black Armored Army, with a plump monkey perched on his shoulder.

Finding him somewhat familiar, Fan Shuang immediately greeted him, "Oh, Mr. Wei!"

Wasn't this Wei Yishan, who was always with He Xiao? During He Xiao's stay in Tianshui City as a merchant from Yangshan, Wei Yishan was a long-term resident of Yongquan Villa. It was said he even had a private workshop. Fan Shuang was curious about his work, but no one in the villa could explain it clearly; they only knew that he would seclude himself for ten to twenty days, and then mysterious boxes of various sizes would enter and exit his room.

Furthermore, He Xiao treated him with exceptional courtesy.

As a regular guest at Yongquan Villa, Fan Shuang had seen Wei Yishan four or five times and had come to recognize him.

Meeting again in a foreign land felt like a lifetime ago.

"Fan Shuang?" Dong Rui was somewhat surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

What he really wanted to say was, "You're incredibly lucky." On the day Bai Tan launched his uprising, he slaughtered half of Tianshui City's high-ranking officials, yet the Fan family wasn't wiped out—especially given Fan Shuang's connection to He Xiao.

"Ah, it's a long story!" Fan Shuang shook his head with a bitter smile. "When Yao Kingdom fell, our whole family fled. We eventually settled in Mian City, and Brother Tu helped my son and me find jobs in the city administration."

He pointed to Tushan Fang, introducing the two. Tushan Fang immediately bowed to Dong Rui, saying, "Thank you, sir, for saving our lives!"

That bat-like monster had slaughtered countless people. After Dong Rui entered the city, Tushan Fang had just happened to see the small monster disappear into Dong Rui's sleeve, not to reappear.

Dong Rui looked bewildered. "What favor?"

"While I was fighting fiercely on the city wall, it was your demonic servant who killed the worm demon," Tushan Fang gestured. "A demon that looked like a bat..."

He hadn't been with He Lingchuan and Dong Rui, so he didn't know the creature was called a "demonic puppet."

"Oh, no big deal," Dong Rui said, quickly getting back to business. "Where are the remains of the worm demon?"

"They're still on the city wall, not yet cleaned up. I'll have them sent to you later." Tushan Fang then boldly asked, "Can your... your demonic servant breathe fire?"

He was referring to the small monkey on Dong Rui's shoulder.

Earlier, it had been killing people amidst the chaotic army, clearly very tall and mighty.

The monkey didn't even glance at him, simply raising its water skin to drink.

"Yes, why?"

"The feeding chute for the city's guardian beast was tampered with. It's still a solid block of ice, and ordinary fire can't melt it. I'm afraid that chiseling or hacking it might damage the mechanism."

"That's simple enough, isn't it?" Dong Rui readily said, gesturing with his chin towards the monkey on his shoulder. "Let it go."

At its master's command, the Ghost Ape merely rolled its eyes before following the city guards up the wall to melt the solid ice in the feeding chute.

Upon hearing the name "Mr. Wei," the Green Guard in the crowd scrutinized Dong Rui more closely, then asked the demon puppet master beside him:

"Is that him?"

"Yes, it's that shifty-eyed fellow!" the demon puppet master affirmed. "His monkey killed my Nine Rings, and it's covered in Nine Rings' fluid. I've been able to track it all along!"

"Good," the Green Guard said, recalling the palace lord's instructions. He glanced at the young girl beside him. "Activation will take time. Let's go set up."

"The palace lord said that this person is naturally solitary and won't stay in crowds indefinitely; there will surely be a time when he is alone."

The demon puppet master also nodded. "Those of us in this line of work usually don't like crowds."

The crowds in Mian City continued to throng around the advancing army. Fan Shuang was assigned to Dong Rui's side. With the city administration in chaos and short-staffed, he, who was responsible for inspections, now had to handle reception. Mr. Dong was no ordinary person, and since they were already somewhat acquainted, who else but Fan Shuang could be given this task?

Fan Shuang initially intended to arrange for Dong Rui to stay in the private residence behind the city hall, but Dong Rui found it too noisy, given the large number of people entering and leaving the city administration today. So, Fan Shuang found a garden estate near the east side of the city. Though not far from the city gate, the estate was vast, with the entrance far from the main house, offering a quiet retreat amidst the commotion. What pleased Dong Rui even more was that the owners had fled with their family before Guo Baiyu attacked Mian City, leaving the spacious house entirely to Dong Rui, ensuring peace and quiet.

After helping him settle in, Fan Shuang looked around. "Oh, your ape servant hasn't returned yet?"

"The solid ice on the city wall is probably proving difficult, as it's been transmuted by spiritual power," Dong Rui yawned. "It's fine, no need to clean up so meticulously. I'm only staying one night; I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

The Black Armored Army had numerous tasks. Now that Guo Baiyu had been defeated, Wanqiliang was scheduled to depart for other battlefields first thing tomorrow morning.