The sound of hoofbeats gradually approached. At the front was Miao Yi and Charcoal, followed by Qian'Er and Xue'Er on their Black-Scaled Drake Beasts, and closing the rear was Yan Xiu.
As the group turned around the corner, they immediately noticed Luo Ping and Lin Pingping waving to them from the side of the road. Miao Yi slowly raised his hand, and all four riders gradually slowed down before making a complete stop.
Lin Pingping naturally knew what Miao Yi looked like. She cast a quick glance at the two ladies behind him and was able to immediately guess who they were, despite having never seen them before. She had already been notified beforehand of their numbers as well as the identities of the people coming. She quickly stepped forward, then cupped her fists and bowed. "Your subordinate Lin Pingping respectfully greets you, my lord. I also respectfully greet Elder Auntie and Little Auntie!"
Miao Yi straightened his back and received her bow. At the same time, he quickly examined Lin Pingping, noticing that this woman had changed quite a lot.
She wore a beautiful violet dress that was tightly wound around the waist, bringing out the alluring features of her body. Her hair was tied up neatly without even the tiniest strand out of place, and her skin had also become fairer. The impression of a 'vagrant'—teetering from place to place for the sake of survival—that Miao Yi had of her during their first meeting was no more. In its place was a graceful poise that had finally revealed itself, an innate trait that Lin Pingping had originally possessed from her background as a member of an affluent family. Not to mention, she wasn't bad-looking to begin with. Her beauty had only been weathered down by all the hardship she endured. After going through 'recovery' these past few years, it was safe to say that she now gave off an impression that was quite pleasing to the eye.
Lin Pingping was also secretly examining Miao Yi, realizing that the latter had an even stronger air of composure about him than before. She didn't know if it was because she was feeling nervous, but she could feel a bit of pressure at seeing Miao Yi again.
Miao Yi lightly nodded with a smile, while Qian'Er and Xue'Er were curiously staring at Lin Pingping—the two of them had heard of what happened to her.
"Brother Miao!" Luo Ping cupped his fists and smiled.
"How could I have troubled Brother Luo to come receive me personally?" Miao Yi returned the gesture.
"Haha. Brother Miao has returned triumphantly after experiencing a decade of perils. It's only right that I come to congratulate you!" Luo Ping cast a sidelong glance at Qian'Er and Xue'Er's mounts, musing inwardly, 'Looks like he struck gold indeed. Even his handmaidens have such rare spiritual beasts as mounts.'
After both parties exchanged pleasantries, they continued on their way back to the capital city, riding side by side as they chatted amicably. Lin Pingping accompanied the other three in a discussion of their own.
As the group crossed over the bridge leading into the city, what lay before them was a beautiful union of mountains and rivers. Various architectural structures stretched as far as the eye could see, and atop the seemingly countless serpentine water channels both big and small, were an endless line of ships and boats. The boundlessness of the capital city struck the first-time visitors in the group with awe, causing them to wonder just exactly how big the place was. Qian'Er and Xue'Er were completely beside themselves with excitement at the glorious splendor that stretched out before them. They had never seen such an extravagant sight before.
As it was his first time here, Yan Xiu also couldn't help sighing in awe. "As expected of the capital city!"
Meanwhile, Qian'Er and Xue'Er would ask Lin Pingping random questions from time to time, and Lin Pingping would also reply to their every inquiry, pointing to multiple places as she introduced the sights and sounds of the city to the two ladies.
"If only Master could oversee this place someday," Xue'Er suddenly commented carelessly.
Luo Ping immediately turned his head in shock, as Qian'Er hastily rebuked her in a low voice, "Little Sister, don't speak such nonsense!"
Xue'Er quickly realized her mistake. This was the capital city, and it was also the vassal city of the Overlord of the Fifth Earthly Branch. To oversee this place meant that Miao Yi would need to overthrow the current Overlord. The young lady immediately turned to Miao Yi nervously, afraid that she had caused trouble with her comment.
In contrast, Miao Yi didn't lose his calm and simply smiled at Luo Ping, "Sorry you had to see that, Brother Luo. The two of them have been stuck in a small place all this while and have never seen the world outside. They're a little excited by all the lavish sights they're seeing for the first time, and so ended up making such a rash comment. I hope Brother Luo will not take it to heart."
Luo Pin chuckled and said, "It was just a slip of the tongue. I won't take it seriously!"
Miao Yi then smiled to the two ladies and said, "There's still some time before the appointed day of the meeting with the Overlord. You two can have Lin Pingping take you around the capital city afterward. But for now, let's just settle down someplace first."
The two ladies nodded excitedly.
The group went straight to Jade Capital Peak. There, Lin Pingping took out a numbered plaque to show to the guard, and the group was granted passage up the mountain. As Lin Pingping led the group along the way, Miao Yi asked, "Did you reserve the two extra mansions as I requested?"
He had already promised Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei that they would meet here and had told them that he would have someone in the capital city make the necessary arrangements for them.
Lin Pingping immediately replied courteously, "Yes, my lord. It has already been prepared."
As they reached the mansion at the top of Jade Capital Peak, Qian'Er looked around the picturesque scenery that surrounded them and sighed in astonishment, "It's so pretty!" Xue'Er repeatedly nodded in agreement.
Even though the places they had stayed in previously also had nice sceneries, they were all situated in the middle of deep mountains and ancient forests, away from the mortal realm. No matter how beautiful a scenery was, one would eventually grow bored after having to see it day after day. In contrast, the lavish extravagance of the mortal realm was laid out at the doorstep of their divinely beautiful abode, and the various facets of mortal life could be found right underneath their feet. The delight that came from having such an exalted status was indescribable. It was only natural to sigh in astonishment.
Yan Xiu's reaction was much more composed compared to the two ladies. Women would always tend to be more exaggerated in their reactions toward beautiful things.
As Miao Yi and the others settled down in their lodgings, Luo Ping bid them farewell, saying that they should rest up after their long journey and that he would prepare a feast to welcome them in the evening.
Miao Yi called out to Luo Ping as he was about to leave, "Brother Luo, I'm not too familiar with the Manors that are within the Fifth Earthly Branch's domain. Can you tell me where I can find a suitable map?"
Luo Ping was slightly taken aback by the question, but he soon remembered that Miao Yi was going to choose the location of his new post soon, so it was obvious that he needed to understand the situation before doing so. Luo Ping smiled. "A trivial matter. The trade routes of the Chamber of Commerce extend throughout the entire Celestial Nation. We are not short of such things. I will get one for you after this."
Miao Yi cupped his fists as a show of thanks, and Luo Ping finally excused himself.
Now that his guest was gone, Miao Yi commanded all the servants that originally came with the mansion to leave them. He then sat himself down in the living room, looking at Lin Pingping as he said, "Lin Pingping, you have done well during the years of my absence. The two Aunties have given you much praise."
Lin Pingping immediately bowed and said, "I don't deserve such compliments, my lord. Had my lord not shown me kindness by taking me in, I would not be where I am today. It's only right that I do this much."
Miao Yi turned his head to the side and lightly nodded. Qian'Er then immediately brought forward a storage ring and handed it to Lin Pingping. "This is Master's reward for you."
Lin Pingping thanked Miao Yi. As she examined the storage ring, she couldn't help her surprise when she found a thousand low-grade Orbs of Will inside. She then immediately thanked him again.
"You deserve this. As long as you stay faithful to your task, I will reward you accordingly." Miao Yi waved his hand to gesture that she didn't need to be so polite. He then added solemnly, "You've worked alone in the capital city all this while. With the limited amount of resources you have, it must have been difficult to go around scouting information. Some expenditures are inevitable when working in the capital. After this, I will have Qian'Er set up an account in the Chamber of Commerce for you, and I'll give you the appropriate amount of resources. You can make withdrawals as you like, and to make it easier for you to scout for information, you are hereby authorized to spend the money as you see fit before reporting it to me. In addition, I will grant you five vacancies within the administration. You can recruit five reliable subordinates among the loose cultivators. They will all be assigned to you and will work in tandem with your operations within the capital city. Remember, quality before quantity. I would rather the positions remain vacant than to have someone incompetent fill their spots. The people you recruit must be reliable. Once you've made your choice, report to me. I will settle the issue concerning their status."
After coming back from the Sea of Constellations this time, Miao Yi had looked through all of Lin Pingping's reports over the years. He realized that she was quite knowledgeable and was able to do her job fairly well. As expected of a woman from an affluent family. She had never once caused any trouble. From this, Miao Yi could see her loyalty as well as her capabilities, and he was prepared to delegate even more authority to her. To make things more convenient for her was to do the same for himself as well.
Lin Pingping was overjoyed by Miao Yi's words and cupped her fists once more, "Thank you for having such faith in me, my lord. I will not betray your expectations."
Miao Yi nodded, then took out a jade archive and wrote down a few things before imprinting it with his transcendence seal. He handed it to Lin Pingping, saying, "I want you to find two loose cultivators immediately and have them wait by the entrance of the mountain. Once the two people listed on that jade archive arrive, bring them to me. The other two mansions were prepared specifically for them."
Lin Pingping received the jade archive and read it. Written on it were Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei's names.
'Weren't these two names on the list of the Subjugation Crusade returnees as well…' Lin Pingping mused to herself. After making sure that Miao Yi had no other instructions for her, she acknowledged the order and left.
"Yan Xiu!" Miao Yi called out. This time, he wasn't as polite as he was with Lin Pingping, casually tossing over a storage ring as he said, "This is for you."
Yan Xiu caught the storage ring and examined it and was shocked to find a full set of Second Grade Armor Artifacts inside as well as ten thousand low-grade Orbs of Will. This was a heavy reward indeed.
In his astonishment, Yan Xiu didn't even get to thank Miao Yi in time before the latter said the words 'bath', then rose to his feet and led Qian'Er and Xue'Er away.
As for the two ladies, they no longer needed any reward from Miao Yi. Given their cultivations, the number of cultivation resources currently in their possession was already more than enough to last them for a long time. As long as they stuck with Miao Yi, whatever he had, they wouldn't lack. This is what is meant by a trusted aide.
The two ladies need only serve Miao Yi with undying loyalty. Their fates were tied together—if Miao Yi was showered with glory, so would they; if he were to lose his standing, so would they. Even though their relationship was that of master and servant, that was only limited to when the two ladies were facing Miao Yi. When facing the other people in Miao Yi's territory, their status was akin to that of mistresses. It was something that many would be envious of.
Inside the bathroom. Clear waves arose from the tranquil waters. Two voluptuous bodies clung to Miao Yi's side, their private areas covered with but a piece of cloth. The scene was enough to make a man hot with excitement.
Perhaps due to it being their first time visiting the capital city, Qian'Er and Xue'Er felt a little excited from the unfamiliarity and were a little more clingy than usual. The arousal was apparent on their faces as they eagerly awaited Miao Yi's tender loving.
However, it seemed Miao Yi wasn't in the mood to fool around with them. Ever since he came back from the Sea of Constellations, he didn't touch the two ladies at all. Even now, as they were helping clean his body, he remained unperturbed and just sat there resting with his eyes closed. Qian'Er and Xue'Er couldn't help feeling disappointed over this.
After his bath, Miao Yi went back to cultivating.
As the sky began to darken, Luo Ping organized a celebratory banquet in a mountain pavilion right outside the mansion. The beautiful radiance of a thousand newly-lit lanterns could be seen at the foot of the mountain. It was a truly wonderful feeling to drink wine with such a magnificent sight before them. Qian'Er and Xue'Er would frequently sweep their gazes across the mountain, evidently excited.
At the banquet, both Yan Xiu and Lin Pingping had seats arranged for them, while Qian'Er and Xue'Er had to stand behind Miao Yi.
At the end of the day, the two ladies were still servants, whereas Yan Xiu and Lin Pingping were subordinates. It was normal for the latter to sit with their superiors. If Miao Yi wasn't around, everyone else would be asking the two ladies to take a seat instead. It was simply because their statuses were different. In public events like this, the two ladies still needed to maintain the proper decorum expected of a master-servant relationship. Outside of these situations, however, they could sit or even sleep together with Miao Yi, and no one would be able to say anything against it.
Meanwhile, Miao Yi sat in his seat, examining the map on the jade archive that Luo Ping had brought over. The map was a detailed one that contained the entire expanse of the Celestial Nation. However, Miao Yi didn't bother concerning himself with the other places and simply focused on the Fifth Earthly Branch. The respective domains of each Palace, Hall, and Manor were indicated very clearly on the map.
Luo Ping had spent quite a bit of an effort on this map. He had intentionally marked out which of the Manors were more lucrative than the others, as well as the main commodity of each Manor. This was clearly done to make it easier for Miao Yi to decide on which place to pick for his new appointment, and also so that Luo Ping could show his sincerity.