"B-Bureau Chief?"
Huang Weiming froze.
Looking at the young man and woman not far away, a flash of awe swept through his eyes.
He could be considered a man of modest status himself. He had attended plenty of social gatherings and seen his fair share of handsome men and beautiful women.
Yet not a single one could compare to the two before him.
Not merely in looks, but in their presence and demeanor.
What astonished Huang Weiming most was that the brick which had struck his head just moments ago was now resting plainly in the young man's hand.
He felt as if he had just drifted through a dream, as though everything that had happened was an illusion.
"I'm... not a bureau chief," he answered subconsciously.
Brick in hand, Qi Yuan's face fell in disappointment.
"They really were lying. How could throwing a brick at random in the Imperial Capital hit a bureau chief?"
A smile lit up Canary's bright, lively eyes. "If you want him to be, he can be a bureau chief."
"Cheating takes all the fun out of it."
The bizarre exchange between the young man and woman left Huang Weiming completely bewildered.
A brick?
Hitting someone?
A bureau chief?
So it hadn't been an illusion after all?
He wanted to say something more, only to find that the pair had vanished entirely from his sight.
He quickly looked around, yet there was no trace of either of them.
He searched every direction in a panic, but the young man and woman were nowhere to be found.
If they were human... there was no way they could have slipped out of his sight so quickly.
Could they be... ghosts?
Huang Weiming gave a bitter smile.
The mental stress was getting to him, wearing his nerves thin to the point where he was having visual hallucinations.
A heavy brick dropping on him, followed by a man asking about a bureau chief...
The very thought was utterly absurd.
Tossing the incident aside, he dragged his exhausted body home with a scowl of despair.
"Sigh... life is so hard... it'd be better if everything were just destroyed."
Huang Weiming felt a profound sense of helplessness.
He had even thought about staking his life in a desperate act of vengeance—a commoner's wrath spilling blood within five paces.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
For one, he had a family, ties and responsibilities he could not abandon.
For another, the Mu family was of the Seven Martial Stars. Their descendants were protected by nanobots; he wouldn't be able to spill a drop of their blood even within five paces.
"Must I... really just accept my fate?"
Bitterness burned in his heart.
Right then, his phone screen suddenly lit up.
A message flashed before his eyes.
Seeing the dense block of text, he assumed it was spam and moved to delete it.
Then he paused, stunned.
"A vote?
What is this?"
He stared in disbelief.
*Dear Mr. Huang Weiming, you are of legal age and a lawful citizen of the Qinyuan Kingdom.*
*You are cordially invited to cast your vote on the following matters...*
"The Mu family? The Seven Martial Stars? Treason?
Evidence listed for a public vote?"
As the information flooded into Huang Weiming's mind, he grew dizzy, his thoughts tangling in confusion.
Was someone playing a prank on him?
A trial for a family of the Seven Martial Stars?
What a joke!
Who didn't know that the Seven Martial Stars were the true emperors of the Qinyuan Kingdom?
Millennium-old clans standing unshakable—who could possibly put them on trial?
Even so, he promptly tapped the link provided in the text.
When he saw the contents on the page, his mind went blank for a second.
"If this is a prank... isn't the workload absurdly high?"
Tapping on any individual's name brought up their entire life story.
The profiles were extraordinarily thorough, documenting everything the person had ever done, both good and bad.
Every character dossier even featured legal explanations from robotic attorneys detailing what penalties should apply under Qinyuan Kingdom law.
Such an immense volume of information, professional breakdowns, and granular records could never be explained away as a mere prank.
"This is... Mu Kong?"
When he saw that familiar name, he was utterly dumbfounded.
The one seizing his assets was none other than this Mu Kong.
He, too, was among those on trial.
Huang Weiming felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.
He kept reading.
*Homicide... rape... currently suspected of scheming to seize the assets of a merchant surnamed Huang...*
Huang Weiming's heart pounded violently.
Wasn't this talking about him?
Surging with intense agitation, torn between shock and disbelief, he quickly opened his social media apps to see what was going on.
Sure enough, across major platforms, discussions about the "vote" had erupted into a viral sensation.
"A vote? What's going on?"
"What is this Mu family?"
"A public vote?"
"Who started this?!"
"*Hiss*... Could the Mu family have offended the other Seven Martial Stars families all at once?"
"Impossible! Even if the Mu family fell, the other Seven Martial Stars would never permit a public vote. The waters run way too deep..."
"Could it be... a divine revelation?"
...
The moonlight hung hazy and dim.
With his arm around Canary, Qi Yuan looked at the Seventh Prince standing nearby.
He waved a hand dismissively. "I'm busy and don't feel like meeting idle people. Send them back. Tell them not to disturb me or spoil my mood, or else... we'll just have to hold a vote on them too."
Hearing this, the Seventh Prince felt his chest tighten.
The word "vote" sent a jolt of terror through his strung-up nerves.
Granted, not every family among the Seven Martial Stars had a rotten moral foundation, but none of them could truly withstand a public vote.
"Understood, Mr. Qi!" the Seventh Prince answered immediately.
"I can't be bothered to meddle in whatever comes next, so I'll leave it to you authorities. After all... I'm just an ordinary person who can only offer suggestions. Off you go, I need some sleep. I have to head back to Longtai tomorrow, and in a few days... I need to compete in the Martial Arts Tournament!"
At the mention of the tournament, Qi Yuan's expression grew solemn.
*This* was the truly crucial matter.
Compared to the tournament, the Seven Martial Stars families didn't amount to a fart.
Cold sweat broke out across the Seventh Prince's back.
*A suggestion? Your words carry more weight than an imperial decree!*
In the Qinyuan Kingdom today, who would be foolish enough to provoke Qi Yuan?
Even the remaining families of the Seven Martial Stars treated him like an ancestral god to be venerated.
After bowing respectfully, the Seventh Prince walked out of the hotel.
In the lobby outside stood a gathering of elderly men, waiting with utmost deference.
The youngest among them was well past sixty.
Yet here they were, standing respectfully outside the hotel, not even daring to take a seat.
Because they were here to see Qi Yuan, they hadn't dared to claim their usual privileges. They hadn't cordoned off the roads or barred anyone from entering.
As a result, passersby occasionally glanced at the cluster of old men with curious expressions.
Some even snapped photos.
No matter how hard anyone tried, they could never guess that these old men were the most powerful figures in the entire Qinyuan Kingdom—the patriarchs of the Seven Martial Stars families and the King of the Qinyuan royal family.
Seeing the Seventh Prince emerge, the elders hurried forward.
Old Patriarch Fang asked, "Mr. Qi... what did he say?"
A tremor ran through Old Patriarch Fang's voice.
Having lived for the better part of a century, he had never walked on eggshells like this before.
"Mr. Qi does not wish to see you," the Seventh Prince replied honestly.
"What?"
"Mr. Qi refuses to see us..."
"Could it be..."
The old men looked as if they had lost their own parents, terrified that Qi Yuan was enraged and intended to deal with them next.
"Mr. Qi said that he's very busy and can't be bothered to see you..." The Seventh Prince had a sharp memory and faithfully relayed Qi Yuan's exact words.
Hearing that, the elders let out a collective breath of relief.
"We shall take Mr. Qi's words to heart and obey without fail!" Old Patriarch Fang declared.
The other patriarchs chimed in agreement.
Whether not seeing Qi Yuan was a blessing or a curse was hard to say.
In truth, some of them had been deeply anxious: what if Mr. Qi grew displeased and killed them on a whim? What could they do?
In a sense, not seeing him was a relief.
"From now on, we shall strictly abide by the law and be good citizens. We will also discipline our clansmen rigorously and ensure we never disturb Mr. Qi!" Old Patriarch Fang added.
The other elders nodded along eagerly, looking like Young Pioneers taking an oath, lacking only red scarves around their necks.
A few young men and women walking nearby paused to take photos of the spectacle.
"That's hilarious. Are they filming a video?"
"So creative! Hiring a bunch of old men to film a public service video about obeying the law—it'll definitely go viral."
"This 'Mr. Qi' must be a huge influencer. We're in the Imperial Capital, not the countryside; giving them an egg each probably wouldn't cut it."
"Ten eggs at least!"
...
Two days later.
Longtai.
Breathing in the fresh air, Qi Yuan looked up at the azure sky and couldn't help remarking, "Throwing a brick at random hitting a bureau chief might be a myth, but the air quality in the Imperial Capital being terrible... that's definitely true."
Canary took a deep breath as well and nodded in agreement.
"The only regret about this trip to the capital is... those old geezers were too poor. Age-wise, they met my criteria for a white moonlight, but their hardware and software were far too lacking. They couldn't even serve as substitutes."
Back then, Qi Yuan hadn't met with the old men in person.
However, he had always been an old-man killer; his favorite people were old men.
After all, old men had the highest probability of turning out to be his white moonlight.
At the time, he had climbed to a vantage point to gaze out from afar, checking whether any of them matched his taste.
Alas, reality was cruel.
Those old men were far too subpar, not even fit to be substitutes.
"I scouted around a bit over the past few days... people who could qualify as your white moonlight here... are probably very rare," Canary said considerately.
Having spent so much time with Qi Yuan, she had grown accustomed to his way of speaking.
"I suppose it all comes down to fate," Qi Yuan sighed wistfully.
While talking, the two arrived once more before the branch building of the Martial Arts Alliance.
The tournament matches would begin tomorrow.
Today, all competitors had to undergo physical examinations before being assigned their accommodations.
Just then, a tour bus pulled up, and a group of young men and women stepped out.
Xing Yu's eyes shone with excitement. "So this is Longtai? It really looks way more bustling than Tianyue!"
"So many martial artists! Are they all here for the tournament?" Wang Shiqiao's eyes sparkled.
This time, Xu Tiehua had delivered a stunning performance in the municipal qualifiers and shone brilliantly in the provincial rounds, earning a spot in the national tournament.
For their dojo, this was a momentous event.
Five or six members from the dojo had accompanied Xu Tiehua to Longtai.
As the visual anchors among the dojo's female disciples, Wang Shiqiao and Xing Yu had naturally come along to cheer him on.
In any case, all expenses were covered by the dojo master.
"Brother Xu, you have to break into the top hundred in this tournament!" Xing Yu encouraged him.
Xu Tiehua shook his head. "It's too difficult. I'm just here to broaden my horizons. As for next time... who knows if there will even be a next time? Too much has been happening lately."
At his words, Xing Yu and Wang Shiqiao felt the weight of the situation as well.
Especially the nationwide vote from two days ago—voting on the legendary Seven Martial Stars families, no less.
Even with Xu Tiehua's status as a figure of modest influence locally, he was nowhere near qualified to interact with members of the Seven Martial Stars.
Yet now, ordinary citizens had been given the power to decide their life and death through a vote.
This had stirred up massive waves across the Qinyuan Kingdom, triggering endless debate.
Opinions varied wildly, with no consensus in sight.
However, everyone agreed on one thing: the world was about to change, poised to face an unprecedented upheaval.
"Some say immortal cultivators have appeared in this world, and that martial arts... will soon become obsolete. Sigh," Xu Tiehua murmured wistfully.
He had practiced martial arts for so many years; if the path was truly phased out, he wouldn't know where to turn.
"Shiqiao, do you think immortal cultivators really exist?" Xing Yu asked Wang Shiqiao.
Wang Shiqiao froze for an instant.
Her memory drifted back to that severed human head.
When she had received that gruesome gift, she had spent days living in terror.
Later, after learning about the incident at Guiran Military Camp and watching the leaked video footage, a chilling thought had taken root in her mind.
Could it be...
Do immortal cultivators truly exist?
Could Qi Yuan... be an immortal cultivator?
But if he was, why would an immortal cultivator practice martial arts? Why send her a severed head just to earn a million from her?
An immortal cultivator certainly wouldn't lack a mere million.
Could it be... that he had a secret crush on her?
While her thoughts ran wild, a familiar voice suddenly called out.
"What a coincidence! You guys are here for the National Martial Arts Tournament too?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Tiehua and the others quickly turned to look.
When they saw who it was, surprise washed over their faces, followed immediately by awe.
"Qi Yuan, what are you doing here?" Xu Tiehua asked involuntarily.
Xing Yu, meanwhile, was lost in thought.
She found Qi Yuan utterly bizarre.
Back at the dojo, a celebrity like An Qi had been chauffeuring him every single day.
Now in Longtai, an indescribably gorgeous woman was walking by his side.
"I'm here to compete in the National Martial Arts Tournament. This is my fiancée, Ning Tao, though she also goes by Canary. Isn't she beautiful? Wouldn't you say she's the number one beauty on Arch Star?" Qi Yuan took Canary's slender hand, a warm affection gleaming in his eyes.
Back when Canary had been so vain and proud, she had suffered under the curse of the Gate of Myriad Demons and endured so much.
Toward Canary, Qi Yuan still harbored no small amount of guilt.
She wasn't just the greatest beauty of Mount Jiupan; she had always been beautiful.
"Fiancée? Where did you meet her?" Xing Yu marveled, bewitched by her appearance. "In the past, if anyone claimed someone was the greatest beauty in the world or a once-in-five-millennia beauty, I'd never believe it. But today, I acknowledge her!"
Indeed, Ning Tao's beauty was something Xing Yu found impossible to put into words.
"See that, Canary? You're not just the number one beauty of Mount Jiupan, you're the star-flower of Arch Star," Qi Yuan teased lightly.
"Hmph. Back when I asked you to walk around telling everyone I was Mount Jiupan's greatest beauty, you were so reluctant," Canary scoffed with a pout, looking thoroughly endearing.
Qi Yuan's thoughts seemed to drift back to Mount Jiupan as a hint of nostalgia passed through his eyes, and he tightened his grip on Canary's hand.
"The past was the past; the present is the present."
"Hey, stop flirting, you two, it's making my teeth ache! Quickly, tell us how you managed to qualify for the tournament. I don't remember you even participating in the municipal qualifiers, did you?" Xing Yu asked.
Wang Shiqiao, usually the chatty one, had fallen completely quiet, seemingly intimidated by Qi Yuan.
"I took a special channel," Qi Yuan answered earnestly.
"A special channel?" Xu Tiehua blinked in surprise, his gaze toward Qi Yuan shifting slightly.
Right then, a public announcement rang out through the building's loudspeakers.
"Attention, all competitors. In the spirit of 'promoting civility and fostering new norms,' participants in this tournament are strictly forbidden from using foul language, threatening, or taunting opponents in any form.
Violators will face immediate disqualification, and..."
The broadcast echoed clearly in the ears of everyone present.
The martial artists looked around with thoroughly bizarre expressions.
"What's going on? What does 'promoting civility and fostering new norms' even mean? We never had rules like this before!"
"No taunting opponents? Where's the fun in that?"
"Can we still flip them the bird?"
Chapter 329