Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 426: External Affairs Office

The night was deep, and the autumn wind blew desolately.

Su Ming had already returned beneath the towering city walls of the Great Xing capital before dawn.

This time, he didn't pause for a moment, heading straight for the Eastern City.

Following Elder Qingquan's guidance, he navigated through a maze of intricate alleyways and finally stopped before an unremarkable courtyard gate.

The gate wasn't large; it was even somewhat worn, and a weathered wooden sign hung above it, bearing four characters painted in faded black lacquer—"Four Seas Trading Company."

There wasn't a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation here. It looked like a general store on the verge of bankruptcy, blending in with the noisy civilian residences around it, utterly unremarkable. Without Elder Qingquan's explicit directions, no one could have imagined this place was the Cloud Hidden Sect's intelligence hub in this mortal imperial capital.

Su Ming adjusted the bamboo hat on his head, smoothed out his slightly travel-worn robes, and pushed the door open, stepping inside.

The shop's interior was small, the lighting dim, and the air carried a stale smell of dust and assorted goods. The shelves held a sparse collection of local products from all corners of the land—from Southern Frontier spices to Northern furs, everything imaginable—but all were covered in a thin layer of dust, clearly indicating business wasn't thriving.

Behind the counter stood only an elderly man with white hair and a beard, hunched over, wiping a dusty clay pot with a grimy rag, moving slowly and lazily.

Su Ming's divine sense swept over him lightly, and his heart stirred slightly.This old man was unmistakably a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Though he had restrained his aura to the extreme, making him almost indistinguishable from a mortal, the unique, time-honed aura of a cultivator couldn't fool Su Ming, who was also at Foundation Establishment.

"Customer, looking to buy something?"

The old man seemed to sense someone enter, looked up, and revealed a face covered in wrinkles. His eyes were cloudy, making him appear like a completely ordinary, dying mortal elder.

Su Ming didn't speak.

He walked to the counter, reached into his robe, and took out his True Disciple token, placing it gently on the counter.

It was a token made from ten-thousand-year Soul-Nourishing Wood. On its front was carved the Cloud Hidden Sect's auspicious cloud emblem, and on the back was an archaic character, "Xuan," representing his apprenticeship under Xuanheng Zhenren. Though the token itself had no spiritual energy fluctuation, its unique material and craftsmanship were impossible to counterfeit.

The moment the old man's cloudy eyes saw the token, they suddenly erupted with a dazzling, brilliant light!

The rag and clay pot in his hands clattered to the floor, but he didn't even notice. His hunched back instantly straightened, and his entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. The heavy, mountain-like aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator flashed briefly, then was forcibly suppressed.

A mix of shock, excitement, and extreme reverence surged across the old man's face.

behind the counter and bowed deeply, deeply

Tong, External Affairs Office Capital Station junior clerk, pays respects to the

extremely low, but it trembled

for such formality." Su Ming retrieved his token and

"Please, follow me, Milord!"

He quickly led the way, guiding Su Ming into a secret chamber in

walls were built from thick Blue Granite, faintly inscribed with soundproofing

respectfully, "This old man has been stationed here for

full of doubt—why would a highly esteemed True Disciple

character "Ming" and the secret letter recording

Zhou, take a

he briefly recounted his discoveries at Black Wind Mountain, including the invulnerable Corpse Puppet Cavalry, the black-robed cultivator controlling them from behind, and the evidence obtained

"Elder Qingquan has personally gone to the Northern Barbarian to investigate and ordered me to deliver these items to you immediately, instructing you to report to

token and secret letter. The more he

his wrinkled old face turned instantly pale, drained of all

holding the letter trembled slightly. "These lingering demonic remnants refuse to disperse and have set their sights on the mortal people of both nations! Refining a Ten Thousand Soul Banner with one hundred thousand living souls... What an audacious scheme!

his eyes full of fear and gratitude: "Milord, this matter is of grave importance! If you hadn't discovered and killed that fiend in time, once the Ten Thousand Soul Banner was successfully refined, not only Great Xing and the Northern Barbarian, but even the area within a thousand li of our

report this to the sect using the highest-level 'Azure Bird

spoke, Zhou Tong turned to activate

Su Ming

puzzled: "Does Milord have further

paused for a moment, as

Zhou, Su Ming... has

it, I'll die

fell on the secret letter, and his eyes

pieces of evidence, while being reported to the sect, could the External Affairs Office... find a way to also forward them to the current

intention. "Milord, this is a conflict between us cultivators. The

a cold

isn't for him to intervene

then spoke each

military commander of Great Xing, secretly colludes with evil cultivators, using the corpses of fallen soldiers as materials to refine Corpse Puppets, intending to overturn

the enemy! I need the External Affairs Office to turn this ironclad

constricted sharply. With his keen mind, he immediately