Shen Bing and Zhu Yan had just walked into the hall when they saw Li Mugui sitting upright in the main seat.
Dressed in a green robe with a jade ring on his belt, his handsome face made him look like a gentle and elegant young master.
But one glance at his sharp, sword-like eyes was enough to dispel any illusions.
He was no gentle master, but a peerless swordsman!
Shen Bing had seen Li Mugui's aura before and managed to keep her composure.
She marveled at how much his martial arts had improved in just a month.
His talent was truly astonishing.
But Zhu Yan felt her legs go weak.
Although she had heard that Li Mugui practiced the sword path and had achieved a high level of mastery, she had not expected his aura to be so sharp.
It was as if he could cut off her head with just a wave of his hand, even without lifting a finger!
"Greetings, City Lord," Zhang Ji bowed first.
"Shen Bing greets Lord Li!"
"Chief Clerk Zhu Yan greets Lord Li!" Shen Bing and Zhu Yan quickly followed suit.
"Hmm," Li Mugui nodded slightly. "Please take a seat."
Hearing this, Shen Bing calmly took her seat. Zhang Ji, as a servant, stood below the main seat instead of sitting.
But Zhu Yan did not dare to sit.
She had originally thought of Li Mugui as an ordinary third-realm martial artist, but now she realized how wrong she had been.
Such a sharp aura could not belong to an ordinary person!
It seemed that she had made the right choice by choosing the City Lord's mansion over the Liu family.
Taking a deep breath, Zhu Yan walked to the center of the hall and knelt down without hesitation. "Lord Li, Chief Clerk Zhu Yan has sinned," she said.
"When Liu Yu caused trouble before, I failed to stop him in time. I committed the crime of neglect of duty. Please punish me, Lord Li!"
Li Mugui raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea from a servant. He was somewhat surprised that he had already intimidated Zhu Yan without even using his full aura.
It seemed that as his cultivation improved, even the lowest level of his aura had become extraordinary.
Sipping his tea, Li Mugui did not rush to speak. Instead, he pondered how to deal with Zhu Yan in his mind.
After all, she was the only remaining head of a major family who had stayed loyal to the end.
And since she had come with Shen Bing, it seemed that they had some sort of relationship.
So, Li Mugui did not intend to harm her.
But what kind of treatment she would receive depended on her sincerity.
"To make amends for my mistake, I have brought a small gift," Zhu Yan said, seeing that Li Mugui remained silent.
She took out a sandalwood box from her body and carefully openeded it, releasing a strange aura that spread slowly in all directions.
Li Mugui looked down from his high seat and saw clearly the item inside the box.
It was an oval-shaped jade stone, glowing with a greenish luster and with faint golden veins flowing through it.
"This is a Tongyuan Lingyu. I hope Lord Li will accept it," Zhu Yan said respectfully, without lifting her head.
Li Mugui felt a slight tremor in his heart and stared intently at the jade stone.
Even Zhang Ji gasped in surprise.
What a generous gift from the Zhu family!
The so-called Tongyuan Lingyu was a jade stone that had absorbed a vast amount of heaven and earth energy.
The energy inside had undergone high compression and turned into Tongyuan Ling Sui.
Absorbing the Tongyuan Ling Sui could not only greatly enhance one's cultivation speed but also purify and strengthen one's body!
Its value was comparable to, or even surpassed, the Dragon Blood Herb that Tian Rong had previously offered.
These major families really had deep reserves!
Li Mugui pondered for a moment before speaking. "The duty of the Chief Clerk is to manage documents and assist in affairs. When I first took office, your absence for several days was indeed a dereliction of duty."
"As punishment, I will deduct one month's salary."
"I hope you will take this as a lesson and not make the same mistake again in the future."
"As for the matter of Liu Yu's rebellion, it is not part of your job responsibilities, so I cannot blame you for that."
Hearing Li Mugui's words, Zhu Yan heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for your leniency, Lord Li. I will remember this lesson," she said, bowing her head.
Li Mugui nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Then he turned his gaze to Shen Bing and asked, "Miss Shen, have you made any progress on the matter we discussed earlier?"
Shen Bing nodded. "After reporting your matter to the guild, the council members decided to send a representative to confirm the situation."
"If everything checks out, the Qianzhu Guild's establishment here will be a smooth process."
"I owe a debt of gratitude to Miss Shen for her assistance in this matter. If there's anything I can do in the future, please don't hesitate to ask!" Li Mugui said, bowing to Shen Bing.
"Lord Li, you are too kind. This matter is mutually beneficial," Shen Bing said with a slight smile.
She felt a sense of accomplishment for bringing such a rising star to the guild.
This would surely silence those who claimed that she only held her position in the Liang'an Guild due to her family background.
After some more polite exchanges, Shen Bing prepared to take her leave.
Li Mugui did not try to detain her, as he was eager to test the effects of the Tongyuan Lingyu that Zhu Yan had brought.
Just as Shen Bing was about to leave, Zhu Yan spoke up. "Lord Li, there is one more matter I would like to report."
"Oh? What is it?" Li Mugui raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress his impatience.
"Lord Li, I have heard that former Chief Liu Yu has been sending invitation cards to various families in the city these past few days. Apparently, he is holding a banquet to welcome a powerful guest."
"It is said that this guest is also a third-realm martial artist."
"I suspect... he may be plotting something again."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji immediately became angry.
He stepped forward and knelt down, pleading, "Lord Li, you showed great mercy by sparing Liu Yu's life earlier. But now he has not learned his lesson and is still scheming against you!"
"He is even trying to collude with outsiders and stir up trouble in the city. This is truly outrageous!"
"I beg you to execute Liu Yu immediately to set an example!"
Zhu Yan also nodded in agreement. Now that she had chosen to side with the City Lord's mansion, she needed to consider things from Li Mugui's perspective.
Liu Yu had already shown his disloyalty before, and now he was brazenly colluding with others and causing trouble in the city.
This was indeed unforgivable.
However, Li Mugui did not agree with their suggestion. Instead, he tapped the armrest of his seat a few times.
"It doesn't matter. Let him continue to stir up trouble for a few more days," he said calmly.
"After all, he's just a clown. I'm curious to see how many sword strokes this so-called powerful guest of his can withstand!"
As he spoke, a hint of ruthlessness flashed through Li Mugui's eyes.
A powerful aura surged out from his body, sweeping through the hall!
Suddenly, a ray of cold light rose up, like a beam of sunlight breaking through the clouds. It was accompanied by the sounds of dragons roaring, tigers growling, and eagles screeching. A three-foot-long sword appeared in his hand!
And beyond the imagery of this sword, there seemed to be countless scenes flowing and changing.
Zhang Ji and Zhu Yan felt their legs go weak, and only Shen Bing managed to remain standing, although her eyes were filled with disbelief.
Because the countless scenes flowing within the sword's imagery indicated that Li Mugui had reached the mid-level of the Wanxiang Realm!