The noon sun was dazzling and glaring,and it took Su Xin almost two months to arrive in Bashu.
He had long since abandoned the fiery horse.In places like the Bashu Road,with its many mountains and narrow paths,the fiery horse couldn't match Su Xin's speed.
The narrow paths,which could only accommodate three people walking side by side,were bustling with activity,while merchants from other roads,although aware of the difficulty of the Bashu Road,could not resist its substantial profits.
After all,the entire Bashu Road was difficult to traverse,and some of the goods needed on the Bashu Road had to be sold by merchants from the outside.
Moreover,some ordinary weapons forged by the sword masters on the Bashu Road also needed to be sold by these merchants.
At the end of the path was the largest prefecture on the Bashu Road,Jinyang Prefecture,and also the headquarters of the Six Gates of Bashu Road.
Just as Su Xin arrived at the gate of Jinyang Prefecture,he noticed that several people's eyes were fixed on him.
Su Xin smiled inwardly but did not enter Jinyang Prefecture.Instead,he headed directly west.
At this moment,the people at the gate of Jinyang Prefecture were dumbfounded.This person wasn't following the usual protocol.
They quickly walked up to Su Xin and respectfully said,"Greetings,Master Su.We are all constables of the Six Gates of Bashu Road.We have come to welcome you on behalf of Master Qiu.A banquet has been prepared in Jinyang Prefecture to welcome you and refresh you."
A faint smile appeared on Su Xin's face."I appreciate Master Qiu's kindness,but I am just an inspector responsible for overseeing various affairs of the Six Gates.So I understand Master Qiu's goodwill,but I would like to take a look around the entire Bashu Road.Therefore,there's no need for Master Qiu to trouble himself."
With that said,Su Xin took a step forward,and his figure appeared more than ten meters away.The constables could only watch Su Xin's figure helplessly,shaking their heads as they left to report to Qiu Baichuan.
Meanwhile,inside Jinyang Prefecture,Qiu Baichuan,known as the'Life and Death Ring',was waiting with a group of chief constables of the Six Gates of Bashu Road.
Although they said they were going to welcome Su Xin,there was no sign of a banquet here;instead,an atmosphere of solemnity pervaded.
Among the many chief constables of the Six Gates,Qiu Baichuan's reputation was significant.
Not only was he a close confidant of Liu Fengwu,but he was also an old member of the Six Gates,having joined at its inception.
Although he had failed several attempts to break through to the Fusion Realm due to his limited aptitude,he was still a rare expert in the Nascent Soul Realm.
However,because Qiu Baichuan seldom made moves on the Bashu Road,his reputation in the martial world was somewhat weak.
But those familiar with Qiu Baichuan knew that,in terms of strength,he was likely comparable to experts like Dong Buyi of the Nian Faction.
Qiu Baichuan seemed to be in his fifties,but he was actually nearing eighty this year.
When he joined the Six Gates over thirty years ago,he had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm.He had been in the position of chief constable of the Six Gates of Bashu Road for over twenty years.
Since there was no hope of breaking through to the Fusion Realm,he didn't aspire for much more.But as for the position of chief constable of the Six Gates of Bashu Road,he wouldn't allow others to take it from him!
As one of the Four Great Divine Constables,Liu Fengwu was his sworn brother.He naturally knew about Su Xin's arrival in the Bashu Road;it was simply retaliation from the Tie Family.
However,even knowing all this,Qiu Baichuan had no worries.It wasn't that he underestimated Su Xin;he was just confident in himself.
Qiu Baichuan had been operating in the Bashu Road for over twenty years.If he were to be usurped by such a junior as Su Xin right away,he might as well hang himself with a rope.
So,regarding Su Xin's arrival,Qiu Baichuan was fearless.Today,he was welcoming Su Xin with grandeur not just to show respect but also to assert dominance and let him know who really controlled the Bashu Road.
High above,the emperor might be far away,but Qiu Baichuan's display of dominance was still effective,albeit somewhat clichéd.
At least among the many chief constables and constables present,they didn't recognize the inspector from the headquarters of the Six Gates.They only recognized him as the chief constable of the Bashu Road.
There were a total of five vice chief constables on the Bashu Road,not too many and not too few.One of them,Chen Jiuyuan,flattered,"Sir,you don't have to worry.This time,the headquarters of the Six Gates sent a junior to cause trouble and seize power.It's a bit naive.This time,we must humiliate him thoroughly and let the people at the headquarters of the Six Gates know how formidable we are."
Throughout all the branches of the Six Gates in Dazhou,the situation in the Bashu Road Six Gates was particularly severe.Tie Zhan even said that the Bashu Road Six Gates had almost developed into an independent kingdom.
And now it seemed that it was indeed the case.The constables and chief constables within the Bashu Road Six Gates showed little respect for the headquarters of the Six Gates.
Qiu Baichuan snorted coldly and said,"Don't underestimate that junior;he's not just an ordinary person.With the strength of the Nascent Soul Realm,he serves as the chief constable of the Jiangnan Road and suppresses the entire Jiangnan Road,ranking first on the Promotion List.Now,at less than thirty years old,he has reached the Nascent Soul Realm.If such a person were useless,what would we be?"
Seeing that his flattery fell flat,Chen Jiuyuan felt embarrassed,while the other vice chief constables who competed with him secretly chuckled.
However,Qiu Baichuan continued,"But not underestimating Su Xin is one thing;we naturally won't fear him either.The Bashu Road was under my control over twenty years ago,and it will still be under my control in the future!"
Chen Jiuyuan quickly flattered,"You're right,sir.We won't let anyone else dictate terms in our Bashu Road."
But at this moment,the constables who went to meet Su Xin returned,and Qiu Baichuan frowned."Where is he?Didn't I ask you to meet Su Xin?Why did you come back on your own?"
As the constables relayed Su Xin's message,everyone looked at each other,not understanding what Su Xin meant.
Could it be that Su Xin was afraid and dared not come to the Bashu Road Six Gates?
But this didn't seem right.According to Qiu Baichuan,Su Xin was not a simple character.Since he dared to come to the Bashu Road to seize power,how could he retreat without even meeting them?
Everyone couldn't figure it out,and Qiu Baichuan was also puzzled,feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
As the"emperor"of the Bashu Road for over twenty years,he liked to control everything.But now,Su Xin was not following the usual script,and the first thing went out of his control.This made Qiu Baichuan's subsequent plans all go awry,leaving him feeling very frustrated.
However,Qiu Baichuan then snorted,"Have people from other prefectures keep an eye on him to see what he's up to."
Anyway,Qiu Baichuan was confident in himself.He believed that even if Su Xin wanted to play some tricks,he,as the"emperor"of the Bashu Road for over twenty years,could handle anything that came his way.
Meanwhile,Su Xin was on his way to Liyang Prefecture in the Bashu Road.
His deliberate avoidance of the headquarters of the Bashu Road Six Gates was intentional.
He had studied Qiu Baichuan's background.Qiu Baichuan was once sworn brothers with Liu Fengwu.
Liu Fengwu,a former bandit leader,was one of the leaders of the largest bandit group in the world,the Wutong Mountain.
At its peak,Wutong Mountain even dared to compete with the top bandit stronghold,Taihang Mountain.
However,Wutong Mountain was eventually suppressed by Taihang Mountain,and Liu Fengwu himself was almost killed by the experts of Taihang Mountain.He had no choice but to join the Six Gates to save his life.
Although Qiu Baichuan came from a different background,he was invited by the former leader of Wutong Mountain to join,indicating that he was not a simple person.Moreover,Qiu Baichuan had been the"emperor"of the Bashu Road for over twenty years,and his prestige was much greater than Su Xin's when he was in Jiangnan Road.
Facing such a figure,no matter what tricks Su Xin played,it would only be a disgrace to himself.So,fortunately for Su Xin,he took another approach,attacking the Bashu Road Six Gates directly from the outside.
The key to Su Xin's breakthrough lay in this Liyang Prefecture,the fief of one of the princes of Dazhou,Prince Ji Yanxiu.
The Emperor of Dazhou,Ji Haodian,had over a dozen sons,and Ji Yanxiu,whose name was similar to a woman's,was just the least conspicuous among them.Therefore,he was sent to his fief early on.
Ji Yanxiu's mother had a mediocre background,and he was just an average talent among the princes.His martial talent was not outstanding,not comparable to the Tai Prince Ji Yancheng,who had reached the Divine Palace Realm at twenty.His political acumen was also not as high as the Chu Prince Ji Yanhao,who had plotted against his own older brother before he was even ten years old,leading to his older brother's downfall.
So,when he came of age at eighteen,he was sent to the remote fief of the Bashu Road,far from the power center of Shengjing City.
And the key to Su Xin's plan lay with this Prince Ji Yanxiu of the Bashu Road.
