"Stop looking pitiful. Let's go."

Hou Wanshan put away his wandering thoughts and gave another prompt.

Lin Jingyi climbed onto the cloud with a deflated air, accepted the refined-steel sledgehammer his daughter-in-law held out, and let it hang loosely at his side.

After so many years in the safety of Lizhou, he'd nearly forgotten the last time he'd had to use force.

Well. Fate had apparently decided it was time for a trial.

He sighed, and was just about to lift off into the air—

When a flare of crimson filled everyone's line of sight.

A streak of red cloud came sweeping in from the distance like a bolt of light, arriving above the Implement Sect's mountain in an instant.

Riding a demon cloud this conspicuously within Great Qian's borders — Madam Lin had only ever seen one person do that.

She blinked, then called out in delighted relief, "No need to go! The Inspector's back!"

"Hah."

Like she needed to point it out — Lin Jingyi had already dropped his hammer, clambered off the cloud with rather more haste than grace, and was mopping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Thank the heavens above.

That wretched fox, at least it had had the sense not to push things past the point of no return.

However weakened, Great Qian still had a Spirit-Transformation cultivator holding things down.

A starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Better to resolve a feud than to carry it.

"Lucky you."

Hou Wanshan shot the old man a glance, then turned to look at the Red Cloud, clasping his hands behind his back and arranging his face into something approaching a smile.

A General technically fell under the Inspector's authority.

But with Lizhou as prosperous as it was — much of that his doing — he could claim a certain standing, and there was no need to be excessively deferential even toward a newly appointed Inspector.

And yet, under everyone's eyes, the red cloud didn't come toward the crowd.

It paused for a brief moment in the air.

Then Shen Yi's figure descended to…