After he decided to go to Big Dawn County, Huang Xiaolong requested Fei Hou to send people to monitor the movements of Prime Minister Wu Feng, Duke Wei Bi, and the other ministers' related to Clear Cloud Pavilion.
Fei Hou noted Huang Xiaolong's instructions respectfully.
After Fei Hou left the main hall, his parents Huang Peng and Su Yan walked in.
"Xiaolong, I heard there were some problems with the Commerce at Big Dawn County's branch?" Huang Peng asked as he took a seat, whereas Su Yan looked at Huang Xiaolong with a worried expression.
Both of them came in search of Huang Xiaolong after hearing there were people causing troubles for the Nine Tripod Commerce, feeling concerned.
Huang Xiaolong reassured them: "Just some small issues. Due to the Commerce's rapid expansion, some people became jealous. The fact that they're causing troubles for us are within expectations. It is very normal. Father, Mother, don't worry about this. Tomorrow, Fei Hou and I will travel there and resolve this matter."
Both of them nodded.
"Xiaolong, you must pay attention to your own safety." Su Yan said: "Maybe, their goal was to lure you over."
Su Yan's reminder struck a chord in Huang Xiaolong. If the Clear Cloud Pavilion was making trouble in such a blatant manner, could there really be a hidden plot?
"Very well, Mother, I will pay attention." Huang Xiaolong nodded.
After talking with their son for a while, Huang Peng and Su Yan left the main hall.
Huang Xiaolong remained in the main hall alone, pondering the words his Mother had just said.
If the Clear Cloud Pavilion has a hidden plot against him, then, what would they do? Lure him over and then kill him? A sharp, cold glint flitted across Huang Xiaolong's eyes.
It was a beautiful night tonight.
Huang Xiaolong activated the God Binding Ring and entered the ancient battlefield. After swallowing a Fire Dragon Pearl, he commenced his practice.
Even while rushing back and forth performing the class advancement task, Huang Xiaolong did not relax his cultivation. Five months had passed and Huang Xiaolong had already broken through to mid-Tenth Order, just half a step away from peak mid-Tenth Order.
Not long from now, he could break through to the peak mid-Tenth Order.
But, he was still quite far off from reaching late-Tenth Order.
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the ancient battlefield, Huang Xiaolong ran the Asura Tactics repeatedly while the twin dragons, one black and one blue, devoured the netherworld spiritual aura gushing down from the void.
The netherworld battle qi coursed along his meridians and surged in his Qi Sea.
Due to the continuous enhancement from the Fire Dragon Pearls he had consumed, the battle qi in running along his meridians and Qi Sea had completely turned ink black with a hint of a purple glow.
Despite that, Huang Xiaolong could not confirm if his netherworld battle qi had transformed into another type of battle qi altogether. The one point he was sure of though, was the fact that the current netherworld battle qi was at least a grade higher than before he started practicing using the Fire Dragon Pearls.
Because the power he felt from them were on different levels.
As Huang Xiaolong continued running Asura Tactics, the battle and killing intent lingering in the ancient battlefield tempered his soul and will. It was close to a year since he refined the God Binding Ring, and he had been practicing in this ancient battlefield every single day. The benefits were obvious.
The carnage qi intertwined within the spiritual energy in the ancient battlefield not only sped up Huang Xiaolong's cultivation, but it also strengthened his soul and toughened his will. Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou both said it was difficult to step into the Xiantian realm. Not only did one need one's battle qi to be strong enough to break the Xiantian barrier, it required the support of a tough soul and will to be successful.
If the soul and will were weak and the attempt of breakthrough failed, the battle qi in the meridians and Qi Sea would inversely flow, damaging one's cultivation.
The night passed.
Huang Xiaolong stopped running the Asura Tactics technique, stood up, then began practicing the God Binding Palm.
One of the things Huang Xiaolong noticed was that while practicing the God Binding Palm in the ancient battlefield, it required half the effort yet provided twice the result.
Only after spending some time practicing the God Binding Palm did Huang Xiaolong exit the ancient battlefield space.
When he appeared in the main hall, Fei Hou was already waiting for him.
Marshal Haotian was present too.
Seeing Huang Xiaolong arrive, Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou walked up to greet him.
Permitting both of them to rise, Huang Xiaolong said to Marshal Haotian, "Haotian, you're going to come with us to Big Dawn County."
"Me too?" Not only was Marshal Haotian surprised by Huang Xiaolong's command, Fei Hou was too.
With these small matters, Fei Hou alone was more than sufficient to handle them. Now, not only was the Sovereign coming along, but he even told Marshal Haotian to go as well?
"I feel this Clear Cloud Pavilion's matter is not as simple as it seems to be on the surface." Huang Xiaolong asserted.
"Not so simple?" Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou exchanged a look between them.
"Sovereign, you're saying the Clear Cloud Pavilion acted deliberately with the aim of baiting you over to Big Dawn County?" Haotian asked in a solemn voice.
Huang Xiaolong nodded: "Although I can't confirm this, it is better that we act with caution. However, on the way, Fei Hou and I will move in the open while Haotian, you stay hidden in the dark."
"Yes, Sovereign!" Both of them acknowledged respectfully.
Then, two silhouettes were seen leaving Tianxuan Mansion in the direction of Big Dawn County.
Traveling from Luo Tong Royal City, the Big Dawn County was not far, separated only by one other county in between.
Five days later, Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou arrived in the Big Dawn's County City.
Big Dawn County was one of the several bigger counties of the Luo Tong Kingdom, and it boasted the best growth amongst them. The Big Dawn's County City was bustling and prosperous, almost at a level comparable to the Luo Tong Royal City.
The streets of Big Dawn County City were filled with an endless stream of people.
Entering the city, Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou headed straight to the Nine Tripod Commerce shop.
An hour later, the two of them appeared at the front entrance of the Nine Tripod Commerce.
The entrance of the Nine Tripod Commerce Big Dawn County branch was a two-floor structure built in the shape of an arch, and the architecture was similar to old European buildings. The design was specifically requested by Huang Xiaolong.
Every Nine Tripod Commerce branch located throughout the Luo Tong Kingdom was constructed in the same style.
The people of the Nine Tripod Commerce branch weren't informed of Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou's visit. Therefore, no one came out to welcome Huang Xiaolong's arrival.
When Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou entered the hall, the sight of a Nine Tripod Commerce disciple sitting on a chair with a forlorn expression entered their eyes. Moreover, his right arm was wrapped in a bandage, evidence of his injury.
Noticing that there were people entering, this Nine Tripod Commerce disciple raised his head listlessly and when he saw it was Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou, his dispirited expression was replaced with surprise. He quickly stood up from the chair and rushed up to Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou: "Young Lord, Steward Fei Hou!"
All the Nine Tripod Commerce disciples could recognize Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou.
Huang Xiaolong allowed this disciple to rise and speak.
"Where is Li Bin?" Huang Xiaolong asked.
Li Bin was the overseer for Nine Tripod Commerce Big Dawn County.
"Supervisor Li Bin is healing inside the inner hall. This subordinate will go inform the Supervisor and the others immediately!" That disciple replied respectfully.
Seeing Huang Xiaolong nodding his head, that disciple saluted and quickly ran into the inner hall to inform Supervisor Li Bin and the others. A short while later, that disciple returned with a big group of people. Leading them was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and broad shoulders. This was Li Bin. However, when Li Bin came out, he was leaning on a wooden crutch and limping weakly, whereas the other disciples behind him were mostly wounded and bandaged.
Limping over, Li Bin and the rest of the disciples walked out with their eyes shining after seeing Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou in front of them.
"Greetings Young Lord, Big Steward Fei Hou!"
All of them knelt down in salute before Huang Xiaolong and Fei Hou.
Huang Xiaolong looked at these people who were injured, yet still kneeling before him in greeting, and a cold light glinted in his eyes. Before he arrived, he had no idea that Li Bin's and these disciples' injuries were so severe.