"Inspector? He disappeared not long after he arrived. This is not the first time. In the old dynasty, the supervisory officials sent by the empire either wore the same pants as the city lord's mansion, or they went to work directly after a period of time. disappeared."
The owner of the wonton stall seemed to be talking about an ordinary thing, but in Li Mu's opinion, this was simply unbelievable. Setting up a black tax, embezzling taxes, coercing or even killing an imperial inspector, any of these are capital crimes. The death penalty is actually an open secret in this small town of Tailan. Who is this city lord and can act so boldly?
"Alas, everyone in Tailan City is only surnamed Zheng, never Huangfu."
This man didn't take what he said to heart. In his eyes, Li Mu was just a traveler passing through Tailan City, and he was just complaining. After he finished speaking, he continued to cook wontons.
But Li Mu didn't think so. Although he went out to practice alone this time, he would still take care of any injustices on the road. People who had experienced the defense battle of Qinglan City had a certain feeling for the new Cangyun Empire. Special feelings. As an imperial monk, how could Li Mu allow such a moth to ruin the peace that countless martyrs had sacrificed their lives for?
"Hmph, I would like to meet the local emperor of Tailan City for a while."
The owner of the wonton stall felt his eyes blurred. He looked up and found that the young foreigner from before had disappeared. Looking at the wonton money on the table, he couldn't help but scratch his head.
At this time, Li Mu had already put on a disguise bracelet. From his appearance to his aura, he had transformed into a middle-aged man in his forties. His cultivation had also been concealed to the level of the complete Dan Formation Realm. He could still move his hands and feet. There is a hint of special shrewdness and sophistication.
Along the central trail of Tailan City, he soon came to a magnificent building. The pure white jade was matched with gilt patterns. The six-story-high city lord's mansion made Li Mu feel like this again. The extravagant style of the city lord of Tailan City, even among the 108 city-level cities, rarely has such a magnificent city lord's mansion.
"Hmph, it seems that the Lord of the City really enjoys it, but I don't know if the money spent to build the City Lord's Mansion is fair and honest."
Li Mu took one step forward and walked towards the gate of the City Lord's Mansion, where two guards wearing golden armor were guarding him. When he saw a strange man approaching, he immediately stepped forward to stop him.
But at this time, Li Mu exuded a noble and powerful aura. The two guards could tell at a glance that he was a real monk. You must know that in a small place like Tailan City, monks are still extremely rare, so they Naturally, he didn’t dare to be too tough.
"Hu Lie, the manager of Jinfuxuan, would like to see the Lord of the City. Please tell me, two brothers, that I have something important to discuss with you."
Li Mu still used the identity he had used before in the imperial capital, a steward from Jinfuxuan headquarters. As a large-scale chamber of commerce across the fairy world, Jinfuxuan has not yet established a branch in Tailan City, but there are often The caravan passed by here, so the two guards became more respectful after seeing the token presented by Li Mu.
"Wait a moment, I'll go and report it right away."
Li Mu did not urge him, but nodded to the guard, and stood in front of the door with his hands folded, waiting for the result of the report. He had carefully considered his use of the identity of Jin Fuxuan's manager, so that it would not appear to be too abrupt, but could also arouse people's attention. The attention of the city lord of Tailan City is the best disguise.
Sure enough, after a while, the guard who went to report brought back the news. He welcomed Li Mu into the city lord's mansion with a more respectful attitude than before, and took him all the way to the living room on the top floor of the mansion.
Entering the hall, Li Mu noticed its extremely luxurious interior. Not to mention the expensive tables and chairs of which he could not tell what material they were made of, even the soft carpet under his feet gave off the smell of money. After sitting down, he was delicate and charming. The maid then brought some good tea, and the faint spiritual energy refreshed Li Mudu.
"This spiritual tea is almost as good as the one Sister Ruolan entertained me with that time. A cup of it is estimated to cost thousands of Cangyun coins, which is enough for an ordinary person's family to live for a lifetime."
In his heart, he lamented the extravagant life of the Lord of Tailan City, but on the surface he was expressionless, as if he was used to such scenes. As a senior steward of a chamber of commerce like Jin Fuxuan, Li Mu still knew the basic calmness and style. Extremely accurate.
"Haha, some are welcome from far away, and some are welcomed from far away. The Lord of Tailan City, Zheng Yao, and the famous Manager Hu of Jinfuxuan can come as guests. It really brings glory to this humble house."
The sound of footsteps came, and Li Mu knew that the real owner was here. He saw a middle-aged man with a round figure and a red face walking over. He was wearing a silk robe and his hands were full of gemstones and rings. He looked like a nouveau riche. , if he didn't say it, Li Mu would think that this was a wealthy businessman, not a city lord appointed by the empire.
"You're welcome, City Master Zheng. As the Lord of a city, you have a lot of things to do every day. It's a great honor for Hu to take the time to meet with me, a little steward."
Li Mu is no longer the young student he was back then, so he will naturally not be fooled by Zheng Yao's appearance. The two of them have never met before, and even his identity is fabricated. The other party can still pretend to have heard of it. This tact proves that the city lord is not a complete idiot.
"Oh, Mr. Hu, what you said is really offending me, Zheng. By the way, let's stop standing and sit down quickly. Someone, please bring out the snow lotus tea that I treasured from the year before last. I want to entertain the distinguished guests."
Li Mu and Zheng Yao both began to show their superb acting skills at the same time. They came and went as if they were old friends they hadn't seen for many years. They talked passionately for a whole stick of incense. Zheng Yao didn't even ask about Li Mu's purpose, but just didn't He stopped talking about how he felt like old friends at first sight, and invited Li Mu to stay and taste Tailan City's special delicacies.
Facing a master of such a level, Li Mu followed suit. As dishes were served that were so exquisite that he was a little surprised, the dinner party, which both parties had their own thoughts on, officially began.
Since it was a dinner party, drinking was a must. The wines Zheng Yao brought out were all of the best quality, reaching the level of spiritual wine. Moreover, the city lord had a huge capacity for drinking. He drank no less than a hundred glasses at the end of the banquet. If it weren't for Li Mu, If you quietly run the Tiansheng Jue to dissolve the alcohol, you might actually get drunk.
"Guanshi Hu, there is so much. I, Zheng, am not bragging. I have never been afraid of anyone when it comes to drinking. But when I see Guanshi Hu today, I can only accept defeat."
After three drinks and five dishes, Zheng Yao put down his wine glass and cupped his hand towards Li Mu, finally trying to get the topic on the right track.
