Chapter 276: Mu Qinghe

　　The lieutenant of Tianling Dynasty’s Black Guard, Mu Qinghe!

　　His face was rather dashing, but the scar that extended from his eyebrows to his cheekbones added a scary edge to him. Coupled with his cold and uninviting aura, it made him seem extra difficult to get close to.

　　This aura could only come from someone who had fought for survival on the battlefield!

　　Even though it had been more than a year, Chu Liuyue recognized Mu Qinghe at first sight.

　　Mu Qinghe was once one of her most trusted aides!

　　A tirade of emotions flashed across her heart when she saw that it was him.

　　Astonishment!

　　Confusion!

　　Doubt!

　　Everyone in Tianling Dynasty knew that Mu Qinghe—the Black Guard’s lieutenant—was the Heavenly Princess’s subordinate.

　　Mu Qinghe was of lowly birth, and he lived in exile until he followed Shangguan Yue at the age of 13. He later applied to join the Black Guard and headed to the most dangerous Dahuang Swamp, where he earned military honors and was promoted to lieutenant at the fastest possible speed.

　　The solidification of his position in the Black Guard coincided with the key period of Shangguan Yue gaining power. He held the military in his control, and he became a major pillar of support for Shangguan Yue.

　　Later… Shangguan Yue was trapped in the royal family’s ancestral hall, and all her requests for support received no reply. This included the ones she sent to Mu Qinghe.

　　Looking at the familiar face, Chu Liuyue felt a wave of emotions inside her. After she was reborn, she had thought of the previous situation countless times, but nothing seemed right.

　　Mu Qinghe always carried a communication device—which allowed her to contact him—with him, so he should’ve received the messages.

　　Even if he truly didn’t know, she was trapped in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights!

　　Given his usual prudence, Mu Qinghe definitely would’ve noticed that something was amiss! However, she never saw Mu Qinghe appear.

　　Things were strange, and Chu Liuyue did have her doubts. But in the end, Mu Qinghe was one of the people she trusted the most. He had been loyal to her in all the years that he followed her. She had even been worried that Jiang Yucheng and Shangguan Wan would lay their hands on him after she died.

　　But he now appeared here as the Tianling Dynasty’s representative!

　　This meant that he hadn’t been implicated in the year since she died!

　　Given Jiang Yucheng and Shangguan Wan’s ruthless character, how could they possibly let off anyone that was close to her? Unless…

　　…

　　Mu Qinghe’s sudden appearance stunned everyone—just the strong aura that emanated from him was a lot to take in!

　　Emperor Jiawen was the first one to react. “Lieutenant Mu.”

　　The person who came was actually Mu Qinghe!

　　Emperor Jiawen had seen Mu Qinghe before when he went to the Tianling Dynasty, and Mu Qinghe was still with the Heavenly Princess back then.

　　Now that the Heavenly Princess was no longer around, he had heard that the person in power was different. He had thought that Mu Qinghe would fall, but it now seemed like he was unaffected.

　　There was a streak of light beneath Mu Qinghe’s feet, and the longsword quickly disappeared.

　　He walked down from midair slowly and stably.

　　Chu Liuyue pursed her lips.

　　Mu Qinghe had been a stage-eight warrior a long time ago. Now that he was outside of Heaven’s Canopy, he seemed to have been repressed to stage six.

　　Even so, he was still the most powerful person here!

　　The strong aura from a top-tier cultivator made everyone feel a sense of respect and fear!

　　The broad square instantly seemed a lot more narrow.

　　Everyone quietened down; they were nervous and excited but also a little afraid.

　　A lot of people had even looked down, not daring to look at Mu Qinghe directly.

　　Mu Qinghe walked over to Emperor Jiawen.

　　The strong aura from him made Emperor Jiawen seem a lot smaller.

　　“Rong Xiao, it’s been a while,” Mu Qinghe said coldly. His voice was like the deep winter snow, cold to its core.

　　Emperor Jiawen shuddered uncontrollably, and he bowed slightly as he respectfully said, “Lieutenant Mu has traveled from afar. We’ve failed to welcome you properly, but I seek your understanding and forgiveness.”

　　The simple conversation between the pair caused waves.

　　This man called Lieutenant Mu actually called the Emperor by his given name!

　　But Emperor Jiawen was not upset. Instead, he became even more respectful!

　　It was clear then that this person’s status was even nobler than they had imagined!

　　“It’s okay. This trip was rather sudden in the first place,” Mu Qinghe said plainly. Despite his words, he was still expressionless and cold.

　　Emperor Jiawen was still nervous as he nervously asked, “Lieutenant Mu, would you like to get some rest elsewhere? Oh right, don’t worry! We’ve prepared your residence, and you can move in right away! It’s already rather so late, so shall we hold an official welcoming for you tomorrow?”

　　Mu Qinghe pondered for a moment before he nodded. “That works.”

　　Emperor Jiawen was relieved.

　　This person was trusted when he was the Heavenly Princess’s aide. It was rumored that he was hard to get along with, and he had been worried when he saw that the envoy was Mu Qinghe. However, things didn’t seem as bad now.

　　“Then, shall I bring you there? Lieutenant Mu, please…” Around Mu Qinghe, Emperor Jiawen didn’t even dare to use the honorific pronoun for emperors.

　　Mu Qinghe only glanced at everyone that was behind Emperor Jiawen.

　　Emperor Jiawen didn’t know what he was looking at, so he only waited patiently.

　　“The Qing Jiao Competition? It seems like not just Country Yao Chen, but the young talents from Country Xing Luo and Country Huai Cang are here too?” Mu Qinghe said suddenly.

　　Cheng Han—who was standing by the side—was elated, and he immediately stepped forward. “Greetings, Lieutenant Mu! I’m Cheng Han, the director of Country Xing Luo’s Tai Yan Academy. It’s my honor to be able to meet you!”

　　All these years, the Tianling Dynasty had always been a legendary existence.

　　This was the first time Cheng Han had met someone from the Tianling Dynasty, and it seemed like the person was rather high ranking.

　　If he could take the chance to make some connections… it would only be a matter of time before he could rise through the ranks!

　　Mu Qinghe looked at Cheng Han calmly.

　　Cheng Han suddenly felt like a mountain was pressing down on him! He felt intense pain, and his blood rushed through his body as his ears rang!

　　Cheng Han was stunned, and he tried to speak. However, he discovered that he couldn’t even open his mouth!

　　Most of the people didn’t notice this, but Fu Yunshan, Sun Zhongyan, and the others nearby were stunned.

　　No matter what, Cheng Han was a stage-five heavenly doctor and a stage-four warrior. Even if he wasn’t the best, he wasn’t exactly easy to deal with.

　　But this man, with a single strike… No! Mu Qinghe didn’t even move a finger, but he was able to suppress Cheng Han to this extent with just one glance!

　　The strength of his abilities couldn’t be estimated!

　　More importantly, this man seemed rather young. He was 20 years old at most, but he was already at this level!

　　After a while, Mu Qinghe retracted his gaze. It was only then that Cheng Han felt the oppressive force disappear.

　　The insides of his mouth were filled with the taste of blood!

　　Cheng Han stepped back fearfully, not daring to speak again.

　　Mu Qinghe turned and was about to leave when he felt a gaze on him. His eyes moved, and he turned…