The once bustling Chang'an Streets were now filled with dust.
Brand new temples, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, rose from the ground.
Whether in the busy market of the city's south or the tranquil areas of the city's north, one could see the vermilion pillars and glazed tiles.
Such a commotion naturally drew the attention of all the city's residents.
Inside an old teahouse in the east of the city.
Several men gathered at a table, cracking melon seeds while pointing at the temples being vigorously constructed outside the window.
"Hey, Third Brother Liu, what do you think the imperial court is thinking?"
A man in a short brown tunic picked up a large, chipped tea bowl, took a sip, and wiped his mouth. "These days, taxes just eased up a bit, so why are they undertaking such massive construction again?"
The man called Third Brother Liu was burly and strong, his cultivation having reached the Ink Dot Realm, making him a notable figure in the Chang'an area.
Hearing this, he lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "You wouldn't know, would you? I heard His Majesty is building them specifically to pray for blessings for our Great Tang."
"Pray for blessings?"
Skinny Monkey, who was nearby, interjected, his face full of disbelief. "To pray for blessings, you have to worship gods, right? But look at that temple, it's empty, not even a clay statue. Which Immortal are they worshipping?"
"Exactly, normally we worship the Dragon King Lord for favorable weather, and the God of Wealth for daily riches. This empty temple... could it be for worshipping air?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Third Brother Liu glared at Skinny Monkey. "Go, go, go, what nonsense are you spouting! Be careful if the constables hear you, they'll charge you with a crime of great disrespect!"
With that, he glanced around, and seeing no one was paying attention, he leaned closer, lowering his voice even further.
"I have a distant cousin who works in the Ministry of Works. From what he said... these temples are being built for the Grand Princess Your Highness!"
"Grand Princess?"
Everyone was stunned, then exchanged glances.
"This... building a shrine for a living person? This will shorten her life..."
"Shh! Do you want to die?!"
Third Brother Liu quickly covered the man's mouth, his face filled with dread. "What kind of person is the Grand Princess? If it weren't for the Grand Princess, who, with a single person and a single blade, slaughtered the demons and monsters, saving our Great Tang... otherwise, how could you be sitting here talking now?"
Everyone listened, dumbfounded. Although they still had doubts, they dared not say more.
Although the matter of the temples caused a stir, it was ultimately an imperial decree, and the common people would discuss it for a bit and then let it go.
But these past few days, another strange thing has appeared in Chang'an City... on Vermilion Bird Street.
A middle-aged Daoist in a green robe walked leisurely in the middle of the road, hands behind his back.
He didn't make way for pedestrians.
If someone blocked his path, he would just lightly flick his sleeve.
The person blocking the way would be struck as if by lightning, flying backward and falling in a daze.
"Ow! My leg..."
An old man carrying a pole, unable to dodge, was hit squarely by the Daoist.
He and his pole fell to the ground, a basket of freshly picked green vegetables scattering everywhere.
The old man clutched his knee, cold sweat streaming down his face from the pain, and couldn't help but groan.
The Daoist, however, looked indifferent, his steps unbroken. He walked over the green vegetable leaves, directly stepping over the old man's body as if he had merely stepped over a piece of rotten wood blocking his path.
The surrounding common people, seeing this, were angry but dared not speak, retreating far away, fearing to provoke this unknown ominous star.
"Stop!"
A furious roar, like thunder from a clear sky.
From the second-floor window of the teahouse, a burly figure, enveloped in strong wind, crashed down into the middle of the long street.
"Boom—"
Amidst the flying dust, the man's figure emerged.
It was none other than Third Brother Liu, who had just been drinking tea upstairs.
He stood his ground, a saber at his side, blocking the Daoist's path, his dark purplish face flushed crimson, clearly enraged.
The Daoist's steps paused slightly.
He finally lifted his eyes, scanning the man blocking his way.
His brows furrowed slightly, and he said softly, "Move aside."
Third Brother Liu, however, paid no mind to such things. He pointed at the old man on the ground and sternly demanded, "Where are you from, Daoist? Committing such violence and harming people in broad daylight, do you have no regard for the law? Do you have no regard for the laws of my Great Tang?"
This was the second strange thing in Great Tang recently... for some unknown reason, many unfamiliar Cultivators and Martial Artists had appeared in Chang'an.
Each of them was arrogant and haughty, treating the common people like dirt.
Not making way when walking was the least of it.
Incidents of harming people at the slightest disagreement, and even killing people in the street, were not uncommon.
If it were in the past... even if they were from aristocratic families, the Demon Suppression Division would have already brought them in with swords.
But recently, things had become very strange.
Although the Demon Suppression Division did come to arrest people, these rascals would swagger out of the yamen just as quickly as they were brought in.
They ate and drank as they pleased, even more arrogant than before they went in.
The imperial court, surprisingly, adopted an attitude of laissez-faire towards this.
Although Third Brother Liu was just a Jianghu wanderer who had cultivated to the Ink Dot Realm through sheer determination.
His heart had long been displeased with this matter... even those aristocratic wastrels, though they might bully men and women, would at least find an excuse.
Unlike these outsiders, who were shameless and treated Chang'an City as their own wild playground?
Since he encountered this today.
If he could swallow this anger, his name would be written backward from now on!
Facing the interrogation.
The green-robed Daoist merely curled his lips, parting them to say grimly, "An ant blocking the way, if it's stepped on and killed, it's stepped on and killed. Why should I explain to a bunch of uncivilized barbarians?"
With that.
The wide sleeves of his Daoist robe billowed in the wind.
"What... do you want to try it too?"
Third Brother Liu's pupils contracted sharply.
What arrogant words!
What great might!
But... the veins on the back of his hand, gripping the saber hilt at his waist, bulged.
"Go to hell!"
Zheng—
The long saber was drawn half an inch from its sheath, a cold glint flashing.
The might of the Ink Dot Realm swept out entirely.
However, the next moment.
Third Brother Liu's expression froze, looking at his hand in disbelief.
"..."
The veins in his arm throbbed wildly.
Yet the saber seemed welded into its sheath, remaining motionless no matter how he urged his Qi and blood.
The green-robed Daoist watched this scene with a mocking, half-smile, sneering, "I thought it was some formidable figure, but with just this much ability, you try to act as a hero... go home and drink milk for a few more years before coming back."
With that.
His long sleeve violently swept out.
It seemed like a casual flick, but a dull thunderclap suddenly exploded in the air.
Bang—
It was impossible to see how the Daoist had struck.
Third Brother Liu was sent flying backward, violently smashing through the teahouse's wooden pillar, and collapsed weakly to the ground.
He weakly forced his eyes open slightly.
At this point, he finally understood the other party's confidence.
Guanshan Martial Venerable!
But even if they were Guanshan Martial Venerable... wasn't there a Lamp-Lighting Martial Saint overseeing the imperial court, not to mention a divine figure like the Grand Princess Your Highness?
Why would they condone these foreign scoundrels acting so brazenly within Chang'an City