Chapter 2412: Meeting the City Lord

Lu Ye was unsure of the woman's strength, but he had just fought the deceased middle-aged man and knew perfectly well he was no match for him. Yet, such a powerful Dao Harmonization expert had died silently at this woman's hands, which clearly indicated her strength was far superior to the middle-aged man's.

Crucially, Lu Ye couldn't grasp her temperament. When they first met, she completely ignored him and didn't even stop him from leaving the Dao Harmonization city. Moments ago, that same middle-aged man had praised her kindness and compassion, only to be sent to the underworld in the blink of an eye. From this brief interaction, the woman left Lu Ye with the impression of being capricious and ruthless, someone not to be trifled with.

He had to find a way to leave this place!

"By the way, you won't go tell on me, will you?" The woman suddenly seemed to recall something, her gaze on Lu Ye deepening. Lu Ye instantly felt as though he was being watched by a sinister viper, his skin growing cold.

"No, I don't even know you, so I wouldn't know where to report!" Lu Ye shook his head decisively.

"That's true..." The woman touched her red lips with a delicate finger, her face showing hesitation as if she was considering how to deal with Lu Ye. For a moment, Lu Ye distinctly felt a deadly threat from her eyes, which made him very uneasy, putting him on high alert. Soon, the woman made up her mind, her eyes bright as she looked at Lu Ye: "I saved you, so from now on, you're mine!"

"Huh?" Lu Ye struggled to keep up with the woman's erratic thought process.

"Since you're mine, you can't do anything bad to me from now on!" The woman continued, talking to herself.

"Ah?"

"I'll put my mark on you!" The woman cheerfully raised her hand, and a red light shot out. Lu Ye instinctively wanted to resist, but then he reconsidered. Resisting now would only provoke her, and judging by her tone, this so-called mark shouldn't be anything fatal. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the red light imprinted on his forehead.

Lu Ye's head snapped back. When he recovered, he found something new in his Sea of Consciousness—the worm-like object that had emerged from the middle-aged man's ear earlier. It seemed like a dormant entity settled quietly in his Sea of Consciousness, but Lu Ye immediately recognized it as a means for the woman to restrain and control him. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If that was the case, he didn't need to worry. Later, when needed, he could use the power of the Talent Tree to burn away this "worm," thus freeing himself from the woman's control.

When he looked up, the woman was already standing in front of him; Lu Ye hadn't even noticed her approach. Her strength truly far surpassed his own. Keeping his expression as calm as possible, Lu Ye heard the woman ask with concern, "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Lu Ye slowly shook his head.

"That's good!" The woman seemed relieved and smiled as she surveyed Lu Ye from head to toe, looking very satisfied. "Follow me closely, and I'll take good care of you." Lu Ye didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What was with that tone, like she was coaxing a child? However, this made him even more certain of one thing: despite her powerful strength, the woman's mind seemed somewhat immature. Generally, there were only two possibilities for this: either her mental faculties were impaired, or she lacked life experience. He couldn't ascertain which situation applied to her and could only observe further. Regardless, his life and safety were currently secure.

"Call out," the woman said, looking at Lu Ye with some excitement. Lu Ye blinked, then tentatively asked, "Madam?" He didn't know which "Madam" she was, but the dead middle-aged man had called her that. Lu Ye immediately realized he had made a mistake, as "Madam's" expression visibly dropped. She must really dislike that title...

"Your Excellency?" Her fallen expression slowly softened. Lu Ye understood. He immediately clasped his fist and said firmly, "Greetings, Your Excellency!" The woman's face became even gentler. She reminded Lu Ye, "From now on, this will be my Dao Harmonization City!" Lu Ye's mind instantly sparked with an idea. "Your humble servant Lu Ye greets Your Excellency, the City Lord! From this day forward, I vow to follow Your Excellency and serve you with all my might. May Your Excellency one day unite all ages and spread your renown throughout the Star Abyss!"

The City Lord finally broke into a wide smile. "Lu Ye, hear my command! I hereby appoint you as the Grand Protector of Yuanxi City. I hope you will be diligent and responsible, sharing life and death, and advancing and retreating with Yuanxi City!" Was she playing house? Though he grumbled inwardly, Lu Ye maintained a stern expression. "Your humble servant obeys!" However, Lu Ye finally knew the woman's name. Since she named the Dao Harmonization City "Yuanxi," Yuanxi was naturally her name.

As the first Grand Protector of Yuanxi City, Lu Ye felt obligated to remind the City Lord. "Your Excellency, isn't the name of the Dao Harmonization City a bit inappropriate? If word gets out, won't your whereabouts be exposed?" Lu Ye expected her to seriously consider this, but to his surprise, Yuanxi waved her hand indifferently. "It doesn't matter. If it's exposed, it's exposed. It's no big deal." Who was it just now who wanted to be prepared for anything? How did it become "no big deal" in the blink of an eye? Lu Ye felt that the middle-aged man had died an utterly unjust death.

"The Dao Harmonization City is newly established, so for now, it will remain like this. You should cultivate well. If you need anything, tell me, and I, the City Lord, will work with you to expand and strengthen Yuanxi City. One day, Yuanxi City will stand at the pinnacle of the Inner Realm, revered by billions of Dao Harmonization cities." Yuanxi spoke with grand ambition. Lu Ye, of course, dared not pour cold water on her, verbally pledging his unwavering loyalty and commitment to advancing and retreating with the City Lord. Yuanxi went back to inspecting the Dao Harmonization City, while Lu Ye found a secluded spot to settle down.

Becoming the Grand Protector of a Dao Harmonization city was unexpected for Lu Ye. However, currently, the entire city only had two inhabitants: him, the Grand Protector, and the City Lord. Furthermore, it was a dilapidated city, making the title of Grand Protector essentially worthless. Yet, Yuanxi had the intention of expanding and strengthening this Dao Harmonization city, which had been abandoned for who knew how long. Lu Ye felt that the task was heavy and the road ahead long.

After their brief interactions, it was clear that Yuanxi held no malice towards him for the time being. This made Lu Ye less eager to leave. Not to mention whether he even had a chance to leave, even if he did, would other places be safer than Yuanxi City? If he stayed here, at least he had Yuanxi. While her mental state might be questionable, her strength was undeniably formidable. As for Yuanxi's grand ambitions, Lu Ye didn't take them seriously, believing they were merely a passing whim that she might soon grow tired of. Such things often happened in this world: initial beautiful visions ultimately couldn't withstand the harsh realities of life. Once all sharpness was worn away, dreams remained just dreams.

Lu Ye thoroughly examined the abnormality in his Sea of Consciousness and, determining it posed no threat to him, completely put his mind at ease. However, he had underestimated Yuanxi's determination! Because in the days that followed, the dilapidated Dao Harmonization city underwent immense changes daily. Yuanxi was actually rebuilding the entire city by herself.

Repairing damaged buildings was not difficult; the challenge lay in arranging the entire grand formation of the Dao Harmonization city. Yuanxi's mastery of formation arts was exceptionally high, as vast numbers of intricate and complex formation patterns appeared throughout the city every day. Lu Ye initially had no interest, but later, with nothing else to do, he decided to assist Yuanxi. Yuanxi, surprisingly, held nothing back. Whenever Lu Ye asked about formation arts, she would answer patiently, indicating that at times, her nature was quite simple. Of course, it was also possible that she genuinely considered Lu Ye one of her own. In a short time, Lu Ye's proficiency in formation arts significantly improved—an unexpected gain.

Yuanxi was busy for two full months without a moment's rest. After two months, the basic framework of the Dao Harmonization City's grand formation was complete. What remained was filling in various intricate details, which could not be accomplished quickly. To truly perfect all the details of the grand formation, Yuanxi alone would need at least ten to eight years, and the resources consumed would undoubtedly be enormous.

She finally took a break. Lu Ye stayed in his Grand Protector's Hall, and Yuanxi in the City Lord's Manor... Both the Grand Protector's Hall and the City Lord's Manor were, in fact, just simple, renovated buildings. Yet, Yuanxi seriously made two plaques, inscribed them with a few crooked characters, and hung them above the entrances of these two buildings, as if without them, nothing would be official.

Lu Ye let her have her way with such antics. After all, no matter how "official" it looked, there were only two living beings in the city, and no one else would see it.

One day, as Lu Ye was deep in cultivation, he looked up and was startled to find Yuanxi standing directly in front of him. Calming himself, Lu Ye quickly stood up. "Greetings, City Lord." Yuanxi was like a child with no other hobbies; simply hearing someone address her as "City Lord" a few times a day could make her especially happy. Over their recent time together, Lu Ye had come to understand her thoughts.

Yuanxi was indeed in a good mood, her eyes crinkling at the corners. She turned and said, "Follow me!" Lu Ye pondered briefly, then stepped forward to follow. Ever since Yuanxi arrived, she had not left the city. She had been busy setting up the basic framework of the city's grand formation, and only recently had a few days of leisure. Now, he didn't know what she planned to do. However, since it was a command from the City Lord, Lu Ye, as the Grand Protector, naturally could not refuse.

Soon, the two left Yuanxi City and soared into the distance. Some time ago, Lu Ye had tried to inquire about Yuanxi's origins, but he hadn't gathered much information. He initially thought Yuanxi was human, but later learned she was not. Yuanxi was from the Red Clan. Lu Ye had encountered this race during the Star Abyss Son competition. They were reportedly a race that had branched off from humanity in ancient times. Therefore, the Red Clan and humans were almost indistinguishable in appearance, but there were many differences internally.