Chapter 6889 Haughty Before Humble
More than ten elders showed up. The people who were still there stopped in their tracks and stared in shock.
During the northern region’s gathering of champions, Long Chen had fought the Flying Cloud Guards, and Yan Li had even killed some of them. This was a huge slap in the divine capital’s face.
Now that experts from the divine capital had arrived, people wondered if they were here to cause trouble for Long Chen. He had indeed said before that this battle was meant to strike fear into the hearts of the Zither Sect and the divine capital.
The Zither Sect’s people had already tucked their tails between their legs and fled, but the divine capital’s group stepped forward now. The spectators wanted to see what happened next.
All the elders looked refined and wise. Just by looking at them, you could tell they were shrewd. People like this often rose to high positions in any group.
Their leader stepped up to Long Chen and cupped his fists.
He introduced himself. “I am Elder Meng Zhaoyu from the divine capital’s Divine Assembly. I apologize for disturbing you, Dean Long Chen.”
“An Elder from the Divine Assembly?!” Startled cries rang out when this person reported his status.
“You are too polite, Senior. May I know what instructions you have for this junior?” Long Chen replied, also cupping his fists.
Meng Zhaoyu smiled flatteringly and said, “Dean Long Chen, with your status and power, who in the world would dare to give you instructions? I came here to apologize on behalf of those fools who disturbed you earlier. Squad leader Qin Ming did not conduct a proper investigation or follow protocol. By mobilizing the Flying Cloud Guards without the Divine Assembly’s approval, he offended Dean Long Chen.
“Once the Divine Assembly learned of this, we immediately stripped Qin Ming of his position, and upon realizing what had happened, we quickly came to find you. It seems, however, that we were still too slow. We missed an incredible battle! This is truly a regret.”
Long Chen secretly rolled his eyes.
He had sensed them hiding in the distance since the start of the battle. Now, they were making up stories without any shame. Long Chen felt embarrassed for them.
Meng Zhaoyu believed he had hidden himself far away and used formations to avoid being noticed. He didn’t think Long Chen could have found them, so he lied.
In reality, their group numbered in the hundreds and came to capture Long Chen. But after seeing how strong he was, Meng Zhaoyu quickly sent some of them away.
Instead, he brought elders with average cultivation levels to make it seem as though they never planned to fight Long Chen. They acted as if they were only here to apologize.
Since they were at least pretending to be humble, Long Chen didn’t call him out. He said, “I was also wrong that day. I was a bit heavy-handed.”
Seeing that Long Chen wasn’t pressing this matter, Meng Zhaoyu felt greatly relieved.
He quickly understood Long Chen’s intentions and said, “That group of young guys thought that their status as Flying Cloud Guards made them invincible. They didn’t realize how high the heavens are. Dean Long Chen’s lesson was good for them. Even if you killed them all, the divine capital wouldn’t object since you were the one who found the evil statue.
“You’ve earned great merit for the divine capital, yet those blind fools treated you like a criminal. They got what they deserved. Once I heard the whole story, I threw all those guys in prison. When you come to the divine capital, I’ll make sure they kowtow before you and apologize!”
Meng Zhaoyu sounded like he was on Long Chen’s side, speaking as if Long Chen had been wronged.
He continued, “Dean Long Chen, I am here on behalf of the divine capital to apologize to you. Qin Ming was acting entirely on his own, and he did not represent the divine capital.”
With that, Meng Zhaoyu made it seem like the rest of the divine capital was innocent. It looked like they wanted to make Qin Ming their sacrificial lamb.
But how could Qin Ming have dared to mobilize the Flying Cloud Guards when he didn’t have any grudge with Long Chen?
Long Chen didn’t believe for a second that no one had ordered Qin Ming. Still, he kept his expression the same.
“Also, about that evil statue, our investigation has found it’s a serious issue. The divine capital asks for your cooperation. If you come to the divine capital, you’ll be treated as our most respected guest. If it’s not convenient, we can send an envoy to meet you. So... what do you think?” Meng Zhaoyu paused and looked at Long Chen.
Seeing Meng Zhaoyu act so humbly before Long Chen showed that power really was everything.
The Flying Cloud Guards had been arrogant before, but now even an Assembly Elder was careful with Long Chen. That was the effect of true power.
The divine capital’s people had always been arrogant in the Heavenly Magnificence Divine Prefecture, looking down on everyone. No one had seen an Assembly Elder talking so respectfully to someone.
Long Chen had said he hoped Yan Sheng would be stronger, since that was the only way to intimidate both the Zither Sect and the divine capital. This time, Long Chen really succeeded.
From the beginning, this battle went just as Long Chen had predicted. The calm way he kept everything under control was truly impressive.
Long Chen thought for a moment and answered, “I’m also curious about that statue and want to know what your investigation found. But since I’m in the Heavenly Magnificence Divine Prefecture, I need to pay my respect to the Wine God Palace and the Tea Saint Dao Temple first. How about I come to the divine capital after that?”
The divine capital was actually in a rush. After all, who knew how long Long Chen would spend in the Wine God Palace and the Tea Saint Dao Temple.
With a forced smile, Meng Zhaoyu said, “That would be great. May I ask how long you think it will take? We want to prepare a feast for your arrival. As we are inviting the Dean of the High Firmament Academy, we don’t dare to be rude!”
Meng Zhaoyu was clever in how he gently tried to find out Long Chen’s plans. At the very least, he could give his superiors an answer. If he could report even a rough time for Long Chen’s arrival, he could avoid getting scolded.
“It shouldn’t take long. I will go to the Wine God Palace right now. I expect to arrive at the divine capital in one or two weeks,” Long Chen replied.
After all, he really wanted to know the secret of the evil statue.
When Meng Zhaoyu heard Long Chen would arrive in at most two weeks, he felt relieved. This time, he wasn’t pretending. Waiting half a month was no problem. Before, he had worried Long Chen would play around for half a year or more. In that case, he wouldn’t know what to do.
Meng Zhaoyu quickly handed over a violet tablet with both hands.
He explained, “Mister Long Chen, this is the Divine Assembly’s violet-gold tablet. Please take it. Honestly, with your reputation, you should have no trouble entering the divine capital. But you know there are always people who refuse to use their eyes. If some blind fellows dare to provoke you, just show them this tablet and it will open their eyes. If they don’t recognize it, feel free to deal with them as you wish. We’ll treat it as you helping us clean up our house. Every fool you get rid of saves us trouble.”
Meng Zhaoyu was not only skilled but also had a sense of humor. He managed to put everyone at ease. He also worried that something bad could happen when Long Chen arrived at the divine capital. If Long Chen forced his way in because the guards didn’t recognize him, the divine capital would lose face.
Long Chen smiled and accepted the tablet. Only then did Meng Zhaoyu apologize again and leave with his group.
Long Chen put the tablet away, feeling excited just thinking about the Wine God Palace.
“Let’s go. We’re off to the Wine God Palace!”