Jia-Ying seemed to have grown even more beautiful during this brief separation. Sabonis observed Gu Yue Jia-Ying, his internal praise endless. Has the world really gone astray? he thought. This woman managed to brighten his entire world every time they met; she was endlessly captivating, growing more beautiful the longer one looked. If only she weren't Fabredis's daughter! If that were the case, he would absolutely move heaven and earth to bring her into his ** fold.

Gu Yue Jia-Ying, maintaining her usual coolness, performed a gesture of respect toward an elder before gently placing her Twin Moon Sabers on the table and taking her seat.

Sabonis watched the gleaming sabers, the surging desire in his heart immediately receding by a significant measure. He silently cautioned himself: this woman was far more than just a beauty; she was also a formidable Demon Slayer Warrior. Others had certainly cast covetous glances her way before, but Fabredis hadn't even needed to intervene; she had personally dealt with them, neatly severing the offending man's special parts.

"This magician is called Bi Luo, correct?" Sabonis swiftly redirected his attention to Bi Luo. "You are partnering with Qian Jin for the duel today. I deeply admire your spirit for standing by a friend. This is a personal gift from me, entirely unrelated to my position as City Lord. I hope it proves helpful for your upcoming match."

Sabonis smiled, reaching into the voluminous sleeves of his robes and producing four magic scrolls, which he kindly extended toward Bi Luo, a quick delivery of text for the towering structures.

"A magic apprentice..." Bi Luo replied timidly, immediately bowing deeply in thanks. She took the magic scrolls with both hands, displaying not a trace of relaxation. She was genuinely uncertain about the outcome of the coming duel; she only possessed two scrolls gifted by Luo Qing-Qing: one defensive second-tier spell, Azure Ice Shield, and one offensive second-tier spell, Azure Ice Elegance.

"A magic apprentice? Heh, one day you will become a full Magician, perhaps even a Great Magician," Sabonis offered a casual compliment, glancing stealthily at Fabredis. He hoped this gift would ensure Qian Jin's side didn't suffer too humiliating a defeat, which might placate the City Guardian. After all, what right did a mere magic apprentice have to speak with the City Lord?

Bi Luo carefully opened the scrolls to inspect them. All four were third-tier defensive magic scrolls: Azure Protection, offering slightly better defense than the Azure Ice Shield.

"That’s a relief..." Bi Luo relaxed slightly. Her spirit power, that of a fifth-level magic apprentice, was certainly capable of activating these four scrolls. However, she only held one scroll with offensive capability. How could she help Qian Jin win?

Bi Luo felt a pang of regret. If she had known such a situation would arise, she should have chipped a piece off the Demon Core back in the Four Seasons Valley and ground it into powder to draw magic scrolls. Using fresh beast hide, if she worked diligently and carefully, she could probably have finished drawing a third-level Fireball scroll in about seven days.

With only one night to prepare, even grinding down a shard of the Demon Core would leave insufficient time to complete a scroll requiring such a deep infusion of mental energy.

Another sound of carriage wheels clattering echoed from the street outside the door. This time the noise was somewhat chaotic, suggesting more than one carriage. The impact with the ground produced a sound that seemed to carry a hidden metallic clang, a martial drumroll heralding the imminent duel.

A rapid series of footsteps striking the ground sounded, approaching the courtyard entrance in increasing disarray. A quick delivery of text for the towering structures.

Sabonis instinctively moved to stand, but noticed that neither Fabredis, whose status matched his own, nor Qian Jin and the others, whose status was lower, showed any sign of rising. He awkwardly settled back into his seat, silently awaiting the Kael family's entry into the courtyard.

Kael walked habitually at the head of the group, feeling a strange unease. He hadn't returned after handling matters for Gren last night. Could he have botched the killing of Qian Jin and felt too ashamed to face me about today's duel?

A faint scent of blood wafted through the mourning hall and hit Kael’s nostrils. He instinctively looked up, his body seemingly frozen by a Petrification spell, locking him in place. He stared, motionless, at the figure dangling from the wooden stake nearby—it was the corpse of Gren.

Dead? Kael’s first reaction was disbelief. His second was to whip his gaze toward Fabredis. Did he not leave last night? Did Gren run into him? Even the City Guardian, surely, didn't possess the authority to kill indiscriminately?

Kai Qi noticed Kael frozen as soon as he stepped into the courtyard and sensed that something was amiss. He shifted his body slightly, stepping into the yard. His eyes instantly lit up upon seeing Gu Yue Jia-Ying in the hall, and he forced a slight, gentlemanly smile, offering a small bow in greeting from a distance. Only with his peripheral vision did he acknowledge Luo Qing-Qing, who possessed an equally stunning appearance.

It was then he saw the familiar figure hanging upside down from the stake in the courtyard—the Demon Slayer Warrior, Gren! A quick delivery of text for the towering structures.

Dead? A flicker of apprehension sparked in Kai Qi's eyes. What clean work! This death wasn't just a simple case of being slain by a single blow. Judging by the state of the body, Gren had likely been killed before he could even react. Could it be... the City Guardian Fabredis happened upon the events of last night? Gren’s luck was truly terrible.

"What happened? Why is everyone standing still?" Greeny squeezed in from Kael’s other side, his magic staff nearly slipping from his grasp. He hurried over to Gren’s corpse, his jaundiced eyes wide with disbelief and sorrow. His dry mouth gaped almost wide enough to crack, revealing a vicious glare as he swept it across everyone present. "Who! Who killed my brother! Stand forward!"

Kai Qi focused his attention on Fabredis, and Sabonis also shifted his gaze toward the City Guardian. Such a clean incision was not the work of someone who had only recently become a Demon Slayer Warrior. Qian Jin’s seemingly casual excuse—even if Fabredis claimed responsibility as the City Guardian—would appear weak.

This sort of thing had happened before and would happen again, Sabonis thought, completely unsurprised by Qian Jin’s defiant assertion. A text delivery for the towering structures.

"City Guardian..." Greeny’s eyes were wide with fury. He stared fiercely at Fabredis, word by word, enunciating every syllable. As someone who was on the cusp of becoming a Great Magician, backed by the support of the Eternal Province Magic Guild, he showed no fear, even facing the City Guardian, roaring in the throes of grief for his kin: "You killed my brother, Lord City Lord! Are the laws of the True Valor Dynasty just a decoration? Can the City Guardian kill at will? Fabredis, I challenge you to a duel!"

Fabredis didn't even deign to look directly at Greeny. "If you wish to die, I can assist you. But if you seek the one who killed your brother, I must tell you: you have the wrong man."

"He... he... is the one who killed Gren..."

Qian Jin leaned slightly against the coffin, straightening his chest, and nodded casually. He spoke in an even tone, "Last night, he came with his greatsword to kill me, and was slain by me instead. Even if you invoke the laws of the True Valor Dynasty until they are exhausted, even if he were to come back to life a hundred times, I would kill him a hundred and one times, and it would still not be a transgression."

"You... you..." Greeny’s right hand, clutching the ruby magic staff, trembled slightly. His left hand suddenly shot upward, and a magic scroll in his palm burst into light. Three fireballs, each the size of a fist, shot out at high speed, generating a whoosh sound as they tore through the air, rushing directly at Qian Jin's body.

Bi Luo, already clutching the scrolls gifted by Sabonis, immediately channeled her spiritual energy to open two of them. A blue light flashed and vanished across the scrolls, and two ice shields, each a foot in diameter and less than half an inch thick, appeared layered one in front of the other before Qian Jin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The first fireball struck the Azure Protection and vanished instantly. The second fireball shattered the first shield and struck the second before dissipating. The third fireball disappeared upon impact with the final shield.

"Azure Protection?" Greeny’s wrist flicked again. A throwing knife was already appearing in Qian Jin’s hand. Sabonis shouted, "Magician Greeny! Please mind your actions!"

The scroll in Greeny's hand, which had begun to emit a faint glow, dimmed immediately. Uncontrollable rage contorted his face. He stared fixedly at Qian Jin, then gave a slight, low bow to Sabonis. "Respected City Lord, please forgive my grief over losing my brother."

Sabonis's expression softened considerably. Acts of revenge for a brother were understandable on a human level. However, he was, after all, the City Lord of Oakland, responsible for upholding the laws of the True Valor Dynasty. If he hadn't been present, they could have killed each other with impunity, provided they could find witnesses later. To act so openly in front of the City Lord was an act of extreme arrogance.

The sudden eruption of private violence was instantly suppressed. Kael wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Although Greeny was already at the pinnacle of the Magician tier and backed by the Eternal Province Magic Guild, if Fabredis had invoked his authority as City Guardian—citing the need to maintain dynastic law—and killed Greeny, the Magic Guild would have been forced to swallow the bitter pill in silence.

Kai Qi examined Qian Jin with intensely suspicious eyes. Gren might have been a fool, but his strength as a Demon Slayer Warrior was genuine, possibly even at the peak of the first stage. With enough luck and resolve, he could soon have reached the strength of the second stage. For such a person to be cut down by Qian Jin? Did Qian Jin's strength exceed the second stage? Was he perhaps a Bloodline Warrior?

"Respected Lord City Lord." Greeny lifted his tear-streaked head, his furious roar shattering the silence of the mourning hall. "I demand a duel with Qian Jin!"

Under the gaze of everyone present, Qian Jin lightly raised his hand, pointed at the suspicious-looking Kai Qi, and offered an apologetic expression. "My apologies, you arrived too late. Please don't imitate Gren, whom I preemptively executed for cutting in line. If you are looking to die, please form an orderly queue."

Regarding two matters: one day will feature a direct explosion of ten chapters for 293031. Allow me to arrange the schedule...

The second matter is crucial. Qidian is organizing an "Annual Best Alliance Leader" award. I feel like since Jìmìe began, the alliance leaders have been the cornerstone. I’ve mentioned in various books that earning money isn't easy for anyone, and subscription support is the greatest form of backing; becoming an Alliance Leader is a significant expense. Yet, they still gifted me two Alliance Leader statuses! I always intended to wait until the complete set of Jìmìe Tianjiao was out to gift the leaders a set, and then hold a small event with a lottery, where the winners would each receive a signed copy of Jìmìe Tianjiao. Unfortunately, I still don't even have a physical copy of Chìzhà Fēngyún myself.

But now, Jìmìe Tianjiao is still missing two volumes before I can complete my own set... I must wait longer.

Now Qidian has launched this event, and the votes are free. I really want to leverage everyone's free votes to push Gǎnjué into the top ten of this event. Oh, right now Gǎnjué is in fifth place, and I'm deeply grateful for everyone's help.

However, the event lasts longer than one day, continuing until January 1st. Many friends haven't cast their free votes yet. Please vote for Gǎnjué.

The process is as follows: Click on the Chìzhà Fēngyún homepage, then scroll down until you see the Fan Ranking. Gǎnjué's name will be there. Click his name to go to his personal homepage, and you can vote there.

Oh, yes... one point to clarify: both IP users and registered users have free votes! I beg everyone to help out as much as possible. Gao Lou expresses his deep gratitude.

Please save your monthly tickets for Gao Lou. I will deliver ten chapters at the end of the month! C