Deep down, Lu Qingshan was unwilling to believe this possibility.
However, everything must be based on facts and cannot be judged emotionally.
The teleportation array of Qingcheng is built in the corner of Qingcheng.
Lu Qingshan looked around for a moment and then set off towards the prosperous area of ​​Qingcheng.
Qingcheng is huge, with wide and straight streets, crowded with people, and very lively.
Countless commercial stalls filled the originally spacious streets, filling them with the atmosphere of fireworks.
This is the case in any Daxia city, where the majority of the population is ordinary people with no cultivation.
On both sides of the road, in addition to the local people of Qingcheng wearing wide robes with big sleeves or short brown cloth shirts, you can also see some people from Beiqing who have come from afar, wearing shoulder cloths, strange clothes, and earrings, loudly selling their animal skins and ointments made from northern herbs in their poor Xia language.
There were also some people who came from some unknown place, wearing flowery fur hats and selling perfumes made from exotic flowers.
On both sides of the road, you can see a wide and clear river running straight through the city. Crops similar to banana trees are planted on both sides of the river, and there are cruise ships on the river.
This is Qingcheng.
It is as prosperous as Chang'an, but its atmosphere is much more lively than Chang'an.
After all, as the imperial capital of Daxia, Chang'an is undoubtedly more solemn than other cities.
If Lu Qingshan were to look at it, the difference between the two would be like the difference between the Demon City and the Capital in his previous life.
Just at this moment, a team of monks wearing standard Taoist armor passed through the streets of the city in an orderly manner.
This is Qingcheng’s patrolling monk, Qingwei, who is responsible for patrolling Qingcheng and maintaining law and order in the city.
However, the mortals in the city showed respect on their faces but did not show much fear when facing these Qing guards who could easily kill them.
Lu Qingshan looked at this scene, thoughtful.
This shows that Prince Qing's control over the monks under his command is extremely strict, which is the so-called "good military management", which is why this situation of respect without fear occurs.
After a moment's silence, Lu Qingshan glanced around and locked onto a man from Beiqing who was selling saffron powder on the roadside. He walked over.
The man from Beiqing stared at Lu Qingshan. Even though he didn't know Lu Qingshan's identity, he could feel that Lu Qingshan's temperament was completely different.
What's more, the saffron powder he sold was sold to common women who could not afford expensive perfumes as a substitute for perfume. It was impossible for such a handsome young man to come here for this.
As a small vendor, he was good at judging people and was very smart. He immediately nodded and bowed, pretending to be enthusiastic. "Sir, what can I do for you?"
Lu Qingshan nodded, glanced at it and asked casually: "Is this saffron native to Beiqing?"
The vendor continued to nod and bow, "Yes, it is definitely made in Beiqing, I wouldn't dare to fake it."
"Beiqing is not close to Qingcheng..." Lu Qingshan said.
The vendor scratched his head and explained with a simple smile, "We have to thank King Qing for this. After King Qing established Zhenbei City in Beiqing, he felt that the people of Beiqing were living in poverty, which was in stark contrast to the wealth of Nanqing. He took the lead in establishing the Beiqing Chamber of Commerce to help us transport Beiqing's specialties to Nanqing for sale."
As a great monk in the ninth realm, he actually cares about the suffering of the people?
Prince Qing might not really have good intentions, but at least from this aspect, Lu Qingshan could see that Prince Qing was definitely not the rude and violent man that people thought he was.
Of course, how could a physical cultivator who could cultivate to the level of Martial Emperor be a simple-minded person?
Lu Qingshan nodded slowly and asked, "Has there been any turmoil in Beiqing recently?"
"Disaster?" The vendor thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Young master, you are joking. Since the establishment of Zhenbei City, Beiqing has never had any disasters. Life has been getting better and better. How can it go back to the past?"
"It's a good thing that Qingzhou has King Qing. No one else would be like King Qing and consider people like us from the wild lands." When the vendor said this, he showed a look of reverence.
"You people in Beiqing respect King Qing very much?" Lu Qingshan looked calm.
"Of course," the small vendor from Beiqing looked at Lu Qingshan in surprise and said seriously, "People in Beiqing, even three-year-old children know that without King Qing, there would be no Beiqing today, and there would be no worry-free life today."
It was just as the master of Tianji Temple had seen, in Qingzhou, King Qing was a god-like figure... Lu Qingshan did not ask any more questions, nodded, and left silently.
Afterwards, Lu Qingshan took another walk in the prosperous Qingcheng.
Qingcheng is also divided into inner city and outer city.
The outer city is full of worldly atmosphere.
The inner city was built specifically for monks. The shops therein sell things related to cultivation, and all the people coming and going are monks.
A restaurant in the inner city.
Although they are all restaurants, they are different from ordinary restaurants. What they sell here are spiritual foods rich in spiritual energy.
These snacks are more or less beneficial to spiritual practice, but just like the weight loss meals in the previous life, there will be no noticeable effect if you eat them once or twice.
Lu Qingshan sat by the window on the third floor of the restaurant, his eyes casually scanning the bustling streets of the inner city through the window.
Like many big cities, cultivators are not allowed to fly in Qingcheng, so many cultivators can be seen walking on the streets of Qingcheng.
"Young Master, have you found anything?" Qin Yitian's voice sounded in Lu Qingshan's ears.
Lu Qingshan nodded and replied, "King Qing built Zhenbei City and the Northern Chamber of Commerce. During the ten thousand years he governed Qingzhou, seventy-three new cities were built in Qingzhou. He can be said to have single-handedly turned Qingzhou's original wild land into one of the largest states in Zhongtian Domain, and the overall strength of the cultivators has been raised by several levels. In addition, King Qing strictly controlled the situation of cultivators causing chaos in Qingzhou..."
"In short, King Qing is very attentive to Qingzhou, and the people of Qingzhou all respect him and regard him as the guardian of Qingzhou."
"So...if he wants to massacre Qingzhou, he shouldn't do it this way." Qin Yitian reacted quickly.
It's a very simple truth. If it were Lu Qingshan's previous life, if you were already preparing to resign, would you still spend your time and energy trying to build good relationships with your colleagues and establish a good image for yourself in the company?
"Moreover," Lu Qingshan continued, "I just asked around in the inner city and found that the prices of various cultivator items in Qingzhou are very favorable. And I asked those shops, this is also the credit of King Qing, and the prices in Qingzhou have not fluctuated too much for a long time."
"So, as the Tianji Temple Master said, the King of Qing is not planning to massacre in Qingzhou."
"Young Master, why is this happening?" Qin Yitian asked in confusion.
What does cheap prices mean?
She followed Lu Qingshan, and since Lu Qingshan did not specifically block her perception, she should have known as much as Lu Qingshan knew about the cause and process of the bloody massacre.
But why Lu Qingshan could see it but she couldn't, Qin Yitian couldn't understand.
Lu Qingshan explained: "If they really plan to carry out a bloody massacre in Qingzhou, such a large-scale action will definitely require a lot of preparation. Generally speaking, local prices will also fluctuate greatly and start to soar because supply cannot meet demand."
Just like before the war, food prices would quietly begin to soar.
"So ..." Lu Qingshan pointed it out, and Qin Yitian quickly figured out the truth, "The bloody massacre didn't actually happen?"
"No," Lu Qingshan did not change his mind because of this, "Blood Slaughter is definitely not an empty talk."
He stood up again.
"Where are you going next, sir?" Qin Yitian asked.
"Let's go to Beiqing," Lu Qingshan replied, "There are a few last things I need to confirm."
Gyeongju was so prosperous that the teleportation array was built very comprehensively. Even to go to North Gyeongju's border area, one only needed to transfer to two teleportation arrays.
Hujia City.
One of the seven cities of Beiqing.
Lu Qingshan walked out of the city's teleportation array, wandered around the city for a while, and finally stopped in front of a medium-sized shop called Hu Lai Pavilion.
As soon as Fang Fu stepped into the hall, a maid came up to greet him. Her vicious eyes seemed to see through Lu Qingshan - at first glance, he was just a rich young man.
Her attitude suddenly became enthusiastic.
Lu Qingshan waved his hand and said, "I'm looking for your shopkeeper Tong."
The maid suddenly showed an embarrassed expression.
Generally speaking, the shopkeeper will not easily meet outsiders. If every customer wants to see him, how can he handle it?
Lu Qingshan said in a deep voice: "I have a big business to discuss with your shopkeeper."
The maid hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth and said, "Sir, come with me."
This is against the rules, but a young man who is so handsome and has such an extraordinary demeanor, shouldn't he be a liar?
The maid took Lu Qingshan into the inner hall, stood quietly in front of a quiet room with a closed door, and knocked gently.
"What's the matter?" A dull voice came from inside.
"Boss, there is a guest who wants to see you."
After a moment of silence, "Bring him in."
The maid no longer hesitated, pushed open the door, and made a gesture of invitation, "Sir, please come in."
Lu Qingshan walked in and the maid tactfully closed the door.
The room was decorated very elegantly. Three of the four walls were lined with cabinets, with many objects neatly displayed. Behind the yellow wooden desk opposite, sat an old man with white hair and beard, looking at Lu Qingshan with a smile.
Lu Qingshan looked around and released his spiritual sense to check. After confirming that there was nothing abnormal, he said directly: "A stream of water has been beautiful for thousands of years."
This simple sentence caused the smiling old man in front of him to change his expression. He quickly stood up and said in panic, "The water of Sanhe River flows for thousands of years."
After hearing the secret code, Lu Qingshan did not doubt it and asked in a deep voice, "I have something to ask you."
The old man, who was apparently a shopkeeper but was actually an "outsider" cultivator of Tianji Temple, bowed respectfully and asked cautiously, "Sir, can I see your identity mark?"
Lu Qingshan nodded and threw a badge over.
There are complex patterns on the waist badge and a lotus is engraved on the back.
This was naturally given to him by the master of Shuiyue Temple. After knowing that he was going to come to Qingzhou to investigate the situation personally, the master of Shuiyue Temple gave Lu Qingshan a detailed list before he left Tianji Temple.
The list contains the names and information of all the "outside" monks of Tianji Temple in Qingzhou.
Logically speaking, this should be considered a secret of Tianji Temple.
Lu Qingshan also didn't understand why the master of Shuiyue Temple would pass on such a secret to him, an outer sect disciple, so easily.
But he did need intelligence support.
It is impossible for the Sword Sect to develop its intelligence network to such a detailed level.
Zhishou Tower is now totally untrustworthy. Besides, although Zhishou Tower is hidden in the dark, for a prince of Daxia like Prince Qing, there are actually no secrets at all.
With his power, even if he couldn't completely control Jisulou in Gyeongju, it wouldn't be a big problem for him to make Jisulou's intelligence network in Gyeongju useless.
Therefore, Lu Qingshan had no reason to reject the kindness of the Master of Shuiyue Temple.
Tianji Temple's "outside lines" are spread throughout the human realm, and it is precisely in this way that it can collect intelligence in all directions - the "outside lines" are responsible for collecting the huge, complex and trivial intelligence, while the Tianji Temple's supervisory disciples monitor the secrets.
There are no disciples of the Tianji Temple monitoring in Gyeongju, but there are "outside lines".
The shopkeeper Tong Zhan in front of him is one of the "outside lines".
Of course, as an "outsider", the intelligence he collected would not be confidential.
But for Lu Qingshan, it was enough.
"So you are the senior cultivator of Lotus Peak. I, Tong Yu, greet you, sir." Here, after checking the badge and confirming that the information was correct, Shopkeeper Tong said respectfully.
Lu Qingshan nodded slightly, "Has there been any strange phenomena in Beiqing recently, or a large number of foreign monks entering the country?"
Shopkeeper Tong frowned immediately, thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Sir, no."
Lu Qingshan thought for a moment and then asked, "Have the cultivators in Zhenbei City experienced any unusual movements?"
"No." Shopkeeper Tong was extremely sure this time.
All three possibilities were ruled out... The master of Tianji Temple also made a judgment that there are no ghosts in Gyeongju.
Lu Qingshan fell into deep thought.
Shopkeeper Tong stood there uncomfortably looking at Lu Qingshan who was lost in thought, wondering if this young cultivator from Lotus Peak was dissatisfied with his answer.
After a moment, Lu Qingshan came back to his senses, glanced at Shopkeeper Tong, and said, "Okay, I get it. Thank you for your hard work."
…
After leaving Hu Lai Pavilion, Lu Qingshan strolled on the streets of Hujia City.
"Young Master, what are you thinking about?" Qin Yitian asked curiously.
The clever sword spirit girl also realized that the matter had reached a stalemate.
"I was thinking, what I suspected before was how the King of Qing had managed to run Qingzhou for so many years and had a plan that could conceal his true intentions," Lu Qingshan's eyes gradually became sharper. "But now I have a new idea. Could it be that my thinking has reached a dead end..."
"What you mean, sir..."
"Yitian, think about it, once the bloody massacre is exposed, including you and me, the first place that will come to mind is Qingzhou. King Qing must also understand this."
"That's right." Qin Yitian agreed softly.
"Then why is he so confident that his arrangement can escape the eyes of the master of Tianji Temple?"
"If I were Prince Qing, my choice would be..."
Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment, put himself in the perspective of King Qing, and finally came up with an answer, "Openly repair the plank road, secretly attack Chencang, use Qingzhou, which everyone wants, as a cover to attract attention, and put the real bloody place in a place no one would expect."
"A place no one would expect?" Qin Yitian said softly, "Sir, do you know where it is?"
"Of course I haven't thought about it yet." Lu Qingshan said with a smile.
"Young Master!" Qin Yitian said angrily, feeling like he was being teased by Lu Qingshan.
"But I should be able to find out."
"Ah?" Qin Yitian was shocked.
"Because just now, I suddenly remembered something, something that I have ignored for a long time." Lu Qingshan's pupils shrank slightly and he said in a serious voice.
The version he experienced before coming to this world was called "Sword Opens the Sky Gate", and the last mission he was carrying out at that time was called "Battle of God Slaying", which was a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the launch of "Jiu Tian".
Mission content: One of the demon lords of the demon race, the Blood Demon Lord, is now trapped in the Black Abyss to perform a special mission. He calls on all players in the server to go to the Black Abyss to destroy the demons and fight for the practitioners of the human race.
At that time, all the players thought that this was just a small plot specially planned by the game officials to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the launch of the server, and it had nothing to do with the main storyline.
Lu Qingshan thought so too.
However, looking back on this mission again, Lu Qingshan suddenly discovered a very coincidental thing - the Heiyuan is located in Qingzhou.
The mystery of the bloody massacre of King Qing, the Black Abyss in Qingzhou, the Blood Demon Lord of the Demon Clan who appeared in the Black Abyss to perform a special mission...
Is this really just a coincidence?
Obviously not.
The plot of this tenth anniversary event may be a very critical part of the main storyline of the "Sword Opens the Sky Gate" version.
After many twists and turns, in the end, everything returned to the starting point.