Xiao Yunlong was naturally unaware of the schemes and games in the imperial capital. Of course, for him now, especially after cultivating the Three Thousand Divine Kingdom Arts, he had long since seen through many things.
Or rather, Xiao Yunlong's vision and perspective had greatly improved. The position of Grand General of the Dragon Country's Celestial Strategy Bureau no longer held the same attraction for him as before.
Vaguely, Xiao Yunlong sensed that this world might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface!
As for not returning to the northern border immediately, or entering the imperial capital, it wasn't that Xiao Yunlong dared not, but rather that the time was not yet right. For now, he would let events unfold naturally and wait for the situation to become clearer.
Moreover, Xiao Yunlong felt that he could actually do more things with greater freedom while among the common people.
Take the Eastern Domain, for example. If he hadn't arrived, the Eastern Domain would inevitably have fallen into chaos and paralysis in the future.
Furthermore, although the Southern Border appeared stable on the surface, due to the five regional lords acting independently and the Southern Border King being weak and unable to control the situation, this hidden danger, if not removed early, would inevitably cause turmoil in the future, and even allow the southern kingdoms an opportunity to take advantage.
Now that Xiao Yunlong had arrived in the Southern Border, he could not stand idly by.
Upon returning to the Sichuan City Grand Hotel, Xiao Yunlong pondered for a moment and then said to Tang Bowen, "Big Cousin, Sichuan City is stable now. Why don't you call Grandpa and Uncle and have them return to Sichuan City? The industries of the Baili and Ouyang families need someone to take over, and Grandpa is getting old and needs to return to his roots."
Tang Bowen immediately nodded and said, "Okay, I'll make the call. Grandpa should be fine. As for my parents, since there are many industries in Sichuan City that need to be taken over, I believe they will agree!"
Saying this, he took out his phone and walked out onto the balcony to make the call.
Xiao Yunlong smiled at this and said nothing more. Regarding his maternal grandfather and uncle's family, he would help as much as he could to make amends for his past mistakes.
However, if they took over the industries of the Baili and Ouyang families, it was believed that in a short period, the Tang family would likely become the foremost family in Sichuan City.
"How is it? Did they agree?" Xiao Yunlong asked, sitting on the sofa.
"They agreed, but moving the whole family back might not be so quick, as there are still industries to handle over there. Grandpa and my parents plan to come back to take a look tomorrow!"
Tang Bowen said with a slight smile.
Xiao Yunlong nodded and suddenly remembered something, so he asked, "By the way, Big Cousin, there's something I want to discuss with you."
"What is it, Master? Please tell me!" Tang Bowen said with a smile.
"I want you to serve as the Commander of the Sichuan City Governor's Mansion Guards. The original Deputy Governor will take over the position of Governor. Of course, he is old now and will retire in about seven or eight years. With your talent and intelligence, there shouldn't be much problem for you to take over as Governor in the future. What do you think?"
After speaking, Xiao Yunlong looked up at his cousin, waiting for his reply.
Tang Bowen, however, fell into thought. After a moment of serious consideration, he said, "Thank you for your recommendation, Yunlong. But honestly, compared to the future position of Sichuan City Governor, I would prefer to continue following you, if you allow me to."
After saying this, he also looked up at Xiao Yunlong quietly.
In fact, with Tang Bowen's intelligence, it was not difficult for him to realize that if he stayed, he would naturally be able to serve as the Sichuan City Governor in the future, and his family would inevitably become the foremost noble family in Sichuan City, and perhaps even a regional lord in the future.
But if he truly chose this path, then his life would be predictable. Conversely, if he continued to follow Xiao Yunlong, his future prospects would be limitless.
Of course, more importantly, he preferred a life of constantly exploring the unknown and striving, a life that, although full of hardship and danger, was exciting enough.
Xiao Yunlong saw a different kind of brilliance in his eyes and naturally knew that his cousin's pursuit was not merely that of the Sichuan City Governor.
He nodded slightly and said, "Alright, you will continue to follow me. As for the position of Guard Commander and Deputy Governor, I will find other suitable candidates!"
"Thank you, Master, for your understanding!" Tang Bowen said solemnly, cupping his hands in a bow.
Xiao Yunlong did not appear for the subsequent aftermath. Instead, he let Zhuge Wushuang and Tang Bowen assist Lu Zhenghan in handling the matters, while he himself stayed in the hotel, secluded.
For two consecutive days, Xiao Yunlong remained in his room, practicing the Three Thousand Divine Kingdom Arts in seclusion. However, to his frustration, after two days of cultivation, there was still no progress. The number of divine kingdoms he had opened remained at fifty-five.
This not only frustrated Xiao Yunlong, but also during these two days of cultivation, he had repeatedly tried to break through by circulating the techniques, but the divine kingdoms within his body remained motionless, and he was unable to open them at all.
"It seems I've reached a bottleneck. Simply absorbing the energy of heaven and earth is no longer effective. I must find another way!"
Xiao Yunlong lamented inwardly. However, what troubled him was that, as of now, he was still completely clueless. There were no other corresponding methods in the arts, and he could only explore it himself.
"Forget it, I'll go out for a walk first!" Xiao Yunlong shook his head and smiled, then after a simple wash, he went out with Jun Bufan.
As the Tang family was returning to Sichuan City from Jiangdong today, everyone else was busy with affairs, leaving only Jun Bufan to guard the hotel in case their master needed anything at any time.
"By the way, Bufan, have the Tang family members been settled down?" Xiao Yunlong asked as he got into the car.
"Reporting to Master, they have all been settled. There is a private villa in the suburbs that originally belonged to Qi Dengxian. It has just been renovated and has not yet been occupied. The Tang family is currently living there."
Jun Bufan paused for a moment and then immediately asked, "By the way, Master, should we go there now?"
Xiao Yunlong shook his head and said, "Not for now. Let's just wander around. I want to look around everywhere."
"Yes, Brother!" Jun Bufan said no more, as he could tell that his master seemed to have something on his mind and wanted to look at old scenes to reminisce about the past.
The car then slowly drove out of the grand hotel. Jun Bufan deliberately slowed down the speed, and the car aimlessly wandered the streets.
Soon, three hours passed, and they had almost toured half of Sichuan City. The car happened to arrive at the antique street in the old district of the West City.
Xiao Yunlong's heart suddenly stirred, and he said, "Park the car at the entrance of the street, and we'll go in for a walk!"
Jun Bufan naturally complied. After parking the car, the two of them walked into the antique street.
Perhaps it was the weekend, but the entire antique street was exceptionally lively. Moreover, as it was an old street, and adjacent to a food street, it was particularly bustling. Ordinary tourists would often visit this place.
Of course, precisely because it was an old street, many traces of the past were preserved here, which was probably why Xiao Yunlong wanted to come down and walk around.
The two of them walked aimlessly down the street. Xiao Yunlong did not speak, and the follower Jun Bufan naturally did not speak either.
The shops on both sides of the antique street were filled with various jade items, such as jewelry, necklaces, and earrings. Of course, most of these items were fakes. After all, with prices in the tens or hundreds of yuan, buyers were mostly seeking exquisite and beautiful items.
Of course, many large shops also had many inferior products that were not entirely genuine, but some contained gold and silver. These were expensive and not affordable for ordinary tourists. People would just come to look for the excitement.
Xiao Yunlong walked aimlessly and chose a seemingly decent antique shop to enter.
This shop was also considered a long-standing establishment. He had even visited it with his mother to buy jewelry when he was young. Although the shop's decoration and layout had undergone some changes, it still maintained its original main appearance.
Xiao Yunlong quietly browsed, hoping to find some memories of his mother. Unconsciously, he reached the end of a corner.
This was where old goods were sold. It was cluttered and filled an entire corner. There were indeed many people who came here to hunt for treasures, but this required considerable discernment and skill, as one could easily be fooled if not careful.
Xiao Yunlong was not particularly interested at first. He was just here to look, not to actually buy anything.
However, as soon as he arrived here, his heart suddenly stirred. To be precise, the divine kingdom, which had remained undisturbed by his cultivation and attempts to break through, suddenly showed signs of loosening.
"Hmm? What's going on?"
Xiao Yunlong raised his sword-like eyebrows and focused his gaze on an old, broken jade pendant on a stall.