Chapter 125: The Silver Dragon

“Lead the way ahead,” Li Ju said to the Black Armor soldier. Then he turned to Baomu Er. “You should leave first. Later, I will send someone to the Leopard Tribe.”

“Your Excellency and the Sanyuan Sect will always be friends of the Leopard Tribe,” Baomu Er hurriedly expressed.

Not to mention Li Ju’s earlier act of voluntarily returning the sacred relics to the Leopard Tribe, his sheer strength alone was enough for them to seek friendship.

Li Ju nodded and strode toward the Black Armor soldiers.

“It's truly unexpected that such a strong figure has appeared within Caizhou,” Baomu Er sighed softly as he watched Li Ju’s retreating figure.

Compared to the land of Dayong, where strong warriors emerge one after another, their Snow Realm Sacred Court has indeed weakened.

Li Ju followed the Black Armor soldiers out of the valley and stopped not far outside the city walls of Shimen Commandery.

“Your Excellency Li Ju, please,” the soldier gestured politely. In the direction he indicated, Li Ju saw the towering city walls of Shimen Commandery.

Although it was not yet the usual bedtime, the city was still brightly lit. Compared to the suffering endured in Yangyuan County, the people of Shimen Commandery lived in peace and prosperity.

Ordinarily, they often stayed active in the city until midnight before returning home to sleep.

Apart from the dark sky and closed city gates, Shimen Commandery looked no different from daytime—if anything, it appeared even more bustling.

Standing on a small hill, Li Ju had a bird’s-eye view of the entire city, seeing thousands of lights flickering within and crowds flowing endlessly through the streets.

A few lanterns rose from the city—this was a custom of the residents. When facing difficulties, they would release lanterns to pray for safety and good fortune.

The lanterns floated upward, ascending higher and higher until they vanished from sight.

Suddenly, a silver wind stirred within the city, rising gently from the ground like moonlight cast upon the earth. It looked mystical, yet the people were oblivious to it, as if they could not see the silver wind at all.

The wind drifted upward, passing through streets, crowds, and lanterns, finally gathering slowly above Shimen Commandery.

Bone, flesh, skin, hair, claws—a vast silver dragon began to take shape. It coiled above the city, its body several times larger than Shimen Commandery itself. With the last breath of wind, the dragon’s eyes came alive with spirit.

At last, the mighty dragon was fully formed.

A roar echoed.

The silver dragon let out a thunderous roar toward the sky, shaking the air for miles around. Even the moonlight streaming down was disturbed, wavering and shifting.

The city’s residents seemed deaf to the roar, but they could feel the flickering moonlight. They looked up in surprise to see only the still-hanging bright moon and a shimmering silver screen formed by distorted moonlight.

In the distance, a figure cloaked in black heard the dragon’s cry, glanced toward Shimen Commandery, then stood quietly for a moment before dissolving into black smoke and vanishing.

Baomu Er, journeying through the mountains toward the north, looked toward Shimen Commandery with fear in his eyes. Without realizing it, he was already bleeding.

The silver dragon rested coiled upon the silver screen of moonlight, starlight cascading beside it, forming brilliant stars.

From afar, it looked like a divine dragon weaving through the celestial constellations.

Li Ju stood on the hill, facing the silver dragon and its majestic presence. His robe fluttered in the breeze, and his hair was lifted by an invisible current.

Suddenly, a white orb appeared between his brows. Pure white flames rose, forming behind Li Ju a blurred, formless giant.

The giant stood about a hundred meters tall, radiating a boiling aura. Mysterious ancient scripts floated from the void, forming a sword, a shield, and a set of armor that slowly circled the giant.

The armor assembled itself onto the giant’s body. The giant held the sword in its right hand and the shield in its left, facing the dragon without moving.

The dragon and the giant stood confronting each other—their intangible aura clashed, filling the surrounding hundred-mile region except for Shimen Commandery itself.

After a quarter of an hour, the dragon gave Li Ju a deep, lingering look, swished its tail, and vanished into the city.

The silver screen dissipated, the distorted moonlight returned to normal, and the fiery giant behind Li Ju slowly faded away.

Li Ju exhaled heavily, cold sweat covering his body.

“Yuan Wu’er, the Northern Spear King...”

From that night until the next morning, Li Ju did not set foot in Shimen Commandery again. The Black Armor soldiers escorted his family out of the city and handed them over to the Sanyuan Sect just outside the walls.

Along with Li Ju’s family, they carried ten thousand taels of silver, dozens of priceless treasures, and an official appointment document naming Li Ju as the governor of neighboring Quyang Commandery.

“Brother, what’s going on?” Li Yan hurried over to Li Ju, anxiously asking what had happened.

That morning, Black Armor soldiers had suddenly knocked on her family’s door and taken them away. The ordeal frightened them terribly. Only Li Yan, hardened by her escape from Yangyuan County, managed to keep calm. Had it been anyone else, they would have been paralyzed by fear.

“It’s nothing. Brother is to serve as governor of Quyang Commandery next door, so you must come with me,” Li Ju said, still standing on the hill where he had been the night before. He smiled and patted her head.

“Quyang Commandery... governor!” Li Yan exclaimed.

“Brother, are you sure? You’ve only been in Shimen Commandery a short time—how could you be appointed governor of an entire commandery?” Li Yan looked at Li Ju in disbelief. Even Old Carpenter Li beside her was stunned.

They had escaped Yangyuan County less than a year ago. Li Ju’s actions since arriving in Shimen Commandery had already amazed them, but now he had become governor of a commandery!

A county magistrate was already a grand official in their eyes; a commandery governor was like a figure greater than the heavens.

Li Yan and Old Carpenter Li felt as if they were dreaming.

“Don’t worry, it’s not a mistake. Brother’s appointment document is right here, along with the official seal,” Li Ju said, producing the great seal of Quyang Commandery given to him by the Black Armor soldiers.

“This... this is real?” Li Yan took the seal, trembling as she touched it.

“But... to be appointed governor of a commandery, doesn’t that require imperial approval and a lengthy review? How could it happen so quickly?” Li Yan asked, having learned some of the proper procedures during her time in Shimen Commandery.

“Brother has already obtained the imperial court’s consent,” Li Ju said with a smile.

Among the northern provinces, the Black Armor army itself represented the imperial court.