Chapter 80 – A Frog in a Well (1/2)
Wang Pushi’s expression was rather ugly. Qingyang also fell under his region of control, but how was he supposed to know what the Black Wind stronghold was?
Hua Chengzan said after thinking about it. “I think this place is on our list, but it’s just far too low. We haven’t had the time to handle it in all these years.”
Only in the distant future would Li Qingshan find out that the entire Hawkwolf Guard would possess a list, ranking people according to their strength, their crimes, their influence, and the benefits from their deaths. The Hawkwolf Guard would send powerful people to kill them one by one from the top to the bottom. This was the blacklist that the people of the jianghu feared deeply. If you could make it onto the blacklist, then it demonstrated you were powerful enough, but it also meant that you were close to dying. However, due to various figures constantly making it onto the list, a place like the Black Wind stronghold would basically never raise any attention.
“You talk too much,” Wang Pushi growled.
Feng Zhang saw how Li Qingshan had gotten on commander Wang’s bad side, so he thought the opportunity had presented itself. He mustered up his courage and said, “Commanders, this kid stole the spiritual ginseng and killed innocent people. He has slandered the might of our Hawkwolf Guard…”
“You’re lying to me?” Gu Yanying interrupted. She was not asking him, but exclaiming in surprise as if Feng Zhang had done something very unbelievable.
“No, I haven’t…” Feng Zhang wanted to quibble, but when Wang Pushi gazed over with a darkened expression, he immediately felt like he had been grabbed by the neck, unable to utter another word.
“Our Hawkwolf Guard may not be composed of kind-hearted people, but there’s no reason for us to stoop to such a low level, led around by the people of the jianghu and stringing up these lies.” Gu Yanying shook her head and no longer paid any more attention to Feng Zhang. Instead, she said to Wang Pushi, “Old Wang, have you brought a map?”
Feng Zhang’s expression basically seemed like he had been stabbed by a knife. He was sheet-white, without a shred of blood, as he sweated profusely. Anyone who had cultivated to his level would be able to control their own bodies, so his behaviour only demonstrated just how shaken up he was.
“I have!” Wang Pushi pulled out a large map from a pouch on his waist.
Li Qingshan’s eyes widened. A spatial pocket!
The thick map that was made from the leather of some animal was unfolded on the small table. Its surface shone as well, clearly not an ordinary map.
Gu Yanying said, “Inject spiritual qi into it and think of the two words, Qingyang city.”
Gu Yangying said, “Now think of the Clear River Prefecture.”
With another thought, over a hundred specks of light lit up simultaneously. They were like a galaxy. Every single speck was a city, while Qingyang city’s speck was basically the dimmest out of all of them. The brightest speck in the centre was the Clear River city.
A hundred and seventeen cities spanning a region of one thousand five hundred kilometers across; this was the Clear River prefecture.
Li Qingshan already knew that this world was vast, but he never expected it to be so big. He had heard stories from the elders of the village in the past, but he only treated them as exaggerated tales. He never thought they would actually be true.
He suddenly understood why the prefect would just casually give Ye Dachuan the position of district magistrate despite his ignorance and incompetence, as a small city like this was absolutely insignificant compared to the entire prefecture. Meanwhile, the Black Wind stronghold was even more insignificant. Unless the Black Wind stronghold directly raised a flag and decided to revolt, any news about them would struggle to reach the Clear River city that was over a thousand kilometers away.