Scapegoat King

Leaving aside Duàn Yì's progress for the moment, Heyin County had undergone earth-shaking changes over the past few days, and the situation had grown quite tense.

First, in broad daylight, members of the White Lotus Sect had thrown the head of Xia Shu, the Heir Apparent of Prince Duan, before the gates of the county office.

The bloody head looked like a piece of rotten wood. Its eyes, still wide open in death, sent chills through the guarding soldiers' hearts.

This scene utterly enraged Prince Duan. He flew into a furious rage and dispatched more than ten thousand elite soldiers to scour Heyin County for the White Lotus Sect's fiends. He also imposed harsh policies throughout the county, leaving the people miserable and their lives severely disrupted.

The impact did not stop with the common people at the bottom. Even most of the prominent powers within the county city were affected. Two Lineages were ordered exterminated by Prince Duan merely because they had briefly come into contact with the White Lotus Sect, leaving everyone in fear for their own safety.

Second was the matter of the Marriage by Combat in Hundred Flowers Valley announced earlier by Yan Yunxiao. It drew young heroes and masters of the martial world into Heyin County one after another, stirring up no small amount of conflict. Several young experts were killed, and the culprits were identified as vicious members of the White Lotus Sect.

Then there was the failed assassination attempt against Xia Hong, King of Zhenbei. It was said that the assailant had also been a White Lotus Sect expert.

There was another account of the matter: the assassin had merely borrowed the White Lotus Sect's name, while the true culprit was someone else entirely.

Finally, Hundred Flowers Valley had been wiped out overnight.