Beyond truly wanting Aqing to look after Qingzhou for a while, Shen Yi in fact carried a little something else in mind as well.

According to his plan —

the Xu family needed a refuge secure enough to dwell in, and Great Qian, as it happened, was stretched too thin by the sheer breadth of its territory to tend to it all.

The two were entirely capable of complementing each other.

Whatever else might be said of Aqing, her attainments in formations truly satisfied Shen Yi.

This counted, too, as a kind of trial.

Let her come to understand the plight Great Qian faced, and see whether she could draft up a preliminary series of plans.

If it proved workable, it could be swiftly extended to the other provinces.

If Great Qian could achieve true, steady stability, it would then have accumulated faith enough to sustain his own golden body.

"I've still got some matters to see to, so I won't stay." Shen Yi looked toward the crowd.

The several who knew him best reflexively parted their lips, but none spoke up to keep him.

Just like the scene before them.

A matter that had vexed the General to no end, to Shen Yi was nothing but something a casual palm-strike could resolve.

The man was now Great Qian's Inspector, no longer an existence who need only mind Qingzhou. What he set out to do was something their crowd couldn't take part in at all — couldn't even understand.

"You take care too — mind your safety."

Chen Qiankun gave a wry laugh, looking at this Linjiang Commandery Demon Suppression General he'd once personally chosen.

Beyond so thin and slight a line as that, there was, it turned out, no longer any means by which he could help the man at all.

"Don't worry."

Shen Yi inclined his head slightly, then rode the red cloud streaking off into the sky.

The Xu family's several members, after exchanging a few words with Aqing, likewise boarded the flying skiff and followed.

Great Qian seemed to have run into trouble, and here there'd…