After settling that group of demon beasts in the Qiulin Ruins, Ye Lingyue left Hong Meng Heaven.

She had just opened her eyes when she heard someone pounding on the door, bang bang.

She opened the door and saw that brat Si Xiaochun rushing in, drenched in sweat.

He had just run halfway in when a foot suddenly stretched out and tripped him. Si Xiaochun let out a yelp and crashed to the floor.

"Brat, since when can you just barge into my wife’s boudoir whenever you feel like it."

Di Shen jumped down from the roof beam.

This guy had a perfectly good bed but wouldn’t sleep in it. While Ye Lingyue was in seclusion these past few days, he’d been sleeping on the beam outside her room, calling it playing the Flower Protector. In reality, everyone in the City Lord’s Mansion knew this guy was petty as hell, and was constantly on guard against Bo Qing coming to see Ye Lingyue.

Boudoir?

Ye Lingyue could only look helplessly at the room she was living in, which had been converted from a servant’s room in the City Lord’s Mansion, and curl her lip.

"Di Shen, you’re not allowed to bully Xiaochun."

Ye Lingyue scolded him.

"City Lord, you’re finally awake. Something bad’s happened—you’ve been impeached." Si Xiaochun didn’t mind. Before City Lord Si and her father left, they had specifically left him to Ye Lingyue.

Which meant that from now on, Ye Lingyue was his mistress.

Di Shen might very well be his master in the future too. If the master wanted him to fall, then he had to fall, right?

Ye Lingyue looked baffled, then suddenly noticed how Si Xiaochun had addressed her.

"Wait, what did you just call me?" 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"You’ve been jointly impeached by the City Lords of several Newbie Cities. They say you’re not qualified to be the City Lord of Huangquan City."

In Si Xiaochun’s hand he was waving a messenger Feng Xin crane. On the crane there was also the seal of the Jiu Provinces Alliance.

In the Ancient Nine Provinces, the City Lord of every city automatically fell under the jurisdiction of the Jiu Provinces Alliance.

This time, the Huangquan City Lord had privately abdicated and passed on the position. To the other Newbie Cities and Jiu Provinces City, it was an illegitimate and improper act.

"I’m not talking about that. You called me City Lord? I only promised City Lord Si that after I finished dealing with the Qiulin Ruins, I wouldn’t bother with Huangquan City’s affairs anymore. Where is she? I’ll go talk to her."

Ye Lingyue remembered clearly that Si Yun had agreed to that on the spot.

"Uh... the Old City Lord and the Old Old City Lord have already left. These are the City Lord Seal they left for you, and the keys to the City Lord’s Mansion." Si Xiaochun, uneasy, took out a small bundle.

Gone.

When Ye Lingyue heard that, she nearly jumped up.

She’d only gone into seclusion for a few days, how had the whole sky changed already?

They’d even handed over the City Seal; there was no way this could be fake.

"Xiaochun, why didn’t you tell me earlier?" If Ye Lingyue had known, she never would have chosen to go into seclusion at a time like this.

She hadn’t come to the Ancient Nine Provinces Continent to be some damn City Lord and inherit this mess that was Huangquan City.

She was here to help Di Shen retrieve the remaining Blood of Demon Ancestor and soul fragments. According to the plan, once she finished the newbie quest, she could obtain the Demon Hunter identity, leave Huangquan City, and freely go to other cities.

What’s more, she’d also promised Senior Sister Wan Yun that she’d start investigating Zhao Tianlang as soon as possible and figure out where exactly the Taixu Tomb Realm was.

"Ling Yue, I think you’ll make a good City Lord. In your hands, Huangquan City will definitely flourish. Even if you don’t do it for the Old City Lord and the Old Old City Lord, for the sake of the people of Huangquan City, you have to stay and be City Lord."

As he spoke, Si Xiaochun suddenly dropped to his knees and started kowtowing to Ye Lingyue.

Si Xiaochun had grown up in Huangquan City and had extremely deep feelings for it.

Ye Lingyue’s way of doing things blurred the line between good and evil, and sometimes she really could be a bit sharp-tongued and vicious, but she was proficient in medical skills and had outstanding leadership—precisely what Huangquan City was lacking right now.

"Xiaochun, just talk, don’t kneel. Get up first."

Ye Lingyue’s brows were already knit into a Sichuan character.

Si Xiaochun wouldn’t listen. He took the chance to shove the City Lord Seal, the keys to the City Lord’s Mansion, and the impeachment letter into Ye Lingyue’s hands all at once.

With no way to refuse, Ye Lingyue could only glance over the impeachment letter.

The contents were very simple: it stated that Ye Lingyue’s succession to the position of Huangquan City Lord was illegal, and demanded that within one month Ye Lingyue head to Shui City to attend the City Lord Meeting and undergo assessment by the other eight Newbie City Lords.

Assessment, Shui City?

Ye Lingyue thought back—wasn’t Shui City the very Newbie City that Hong Mingyue had gone to earlier?

"Wife, don’t worry. You still have me and Senior Sister Wan Yun for everything."

Di Shen saw this and immediately came up to massage Ye Lingyue’s brow, speaking in an overly caring and considerate tone.

Earlier, Di Shen had also been against Ye Lingyue becoming a City Lord, worried that his wife would overwork herself.

But once he saw that letter, Di Shen’s stubborn temper flared up too.

Those old fogies had actually all signed together to impeach his wife. The more they did that, the more he wanted to prove to those blind old geezers that there was nothing his wife couldn’t handle.

"Looks like we have to make a trip to Shui City. Xiaochun, go find Senior Sister Wan Yun for me. I want to discuss the matter of the Sky Wolf Stick with her."

Ye Lingyue’s words made Si Xiaochun so happy he practically flew out.

From Ye Lingyue’s tone, she had more or less tacitly agreed to take over the position of Huangquan City Lord.

Si Xiaochun was afraid that if he delayed even a moment, Ye Lingyue might change her mind, so he hurried off to find Senior Sister Wan Yun.

In no time, Senior Sister Wan Yun arrived with Qin Xiaochuan and Huang Jun.

"Senior Sister Wan Yun, this is the Sky Wolf Stick. I’m sorry, I almost lost it earlier. As for me taking over as City Lord, I’m sure you’ve all heard, but things have taken a new turn—I might need to make a trip to Shui City."

Ye Lingyue handed the Sky Wolf Stick to Senior Sister Wan Yun and roughly explained her impeachment.

After listening, Senior Sister Wan Yun didn’t take the Sky Wolf Stick.

"Ling Yue, I’ve also found some new clues about Tian Lang. My big brother just sent word that before Tian Lang met with trouble, he went to all eight of the other Newbie Cities besides Huangquan City, and the last city he reached was Yanmen City. I suspect the clues to the Taixu Tomb Realm are hidden in those eight Newbie Cities. Since you’re going to Shui City anyway, why don’t I go with you? On the way we can use the Transmission Arrays to pass through several Newbie Cities. Maybe we can use the Sky Wolf Stick to find clues." Senior Sister Wan Yun offered a new lead.

"Wherever my wife goes, of course I’m going too."

Di Shen said lazily.

"Hey, if you’re all going, then we have to go too. Ling Yue, there’s strength in numbers. We’ll go cheer you on together so you don’t get bullied by that bunch of old coots."

Qin Xiaochuan and Huang Jun spoke up in unison.

After some discussion, everyone decided to leave Huangquan City together and accompany Ye Lingyue to Shui City, stopping over at several other cities along the way in hopes of discovering more information about the Taixu Tomb Realm.