Fires of War Erupt

"Xianyuan, it's been a long time since I've seen you take such an interest in a disciple."

Lu Xianyuan's expression remained calm.

"In this life, a man must leave something behind in this world. I once thought my successor was her, but she played a cruel joke on me instead. Wangchuan is cautious in his actions, bold yet meticulous, gifted with intelligence and driven to improve—I don't want a pearl to be buried in the dust. Besides, the Limitless Sword Dao of our ancestors cannot be broken off in my generation."

The Old Hall Master let out a long sigh, speaking with deep emotion:

"We're both old now. In the blink of an eye, you've been at the hall for ten years. All this time, have you ever thought of returning to the Divine Water Sect for a visit?"

"Back then, I drifted to Jianghai City and was taken in by you, Hall Master. A decade has passed in a flash. Now that the hall is in danger, if you tell me to flee, wouldn't that make me an unjust man?"

The Old Hall Master chuckled softly.

"The Imperial Court is corrupt, the Emperor is blind and foolish, and corrupt officials run rampant. I have no desire to stay and die either, but the Court would never let someone like me go. Yet my clan numbers over two thousand souls—they cannot die with me. Do me this favor: take them back to our ancestral lands in Yi Zhou and preserve an ember for my bloodline. Can you do that?"

Lu Xianyuan was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"No problem. But I need to borrow several tens of thousands of silver taels."

The Old Hall Master looked somewhat surprised.

"What's gotten you interested in silver all of a sudden?"

"That boy lacks a good sword!"

The Old Hall Master: "..."

"Xianyuan, listen to me—a strict master produces outstanding disciples. A good disciple isn't spoiled into being; he's beaten into shape. The kinder you are to him, the more he'll think the sky's the limit."

After Lu Wangchuan returned home, he continued brewing Spirit Elixir and training, repeating the same monotonous routine day after day.

The situation in the outside world changed every day.

A month later, the Black Lotus Society indeed rose again. The various factions gathered in Qing Zhou, swore a blood oath, and reestablished the Rebel Army. In no time, flames of war erupted everywhere, and this time, their momentum was even greater, their territory more vast.

War left the people displaced and homeless. Countless refugees scrambled to flee. To maintain order within the city, Jianghai City strictly controlled entry and exit, leaving over a million people stranded outside the walls. Those who starved to death were too many to count. The practice of swapping children for food had already stopped—because the children had all been eaten. Then came the corpses. Later, it was said that even the dead disappeared, and the living began to vanish as well.

Though Lu Wangchuan never left his home, Xiao Wu and Xiao Yue went out on errands every day and always picked up bits of gossip.

The words were somewhat exaggerated, but the cannibalism was certainly real.

As the old saying goes: when the trough is empty, pigs fight pigs; when the spoils are uneven, dogs tear dogs. When profit is at stake, men eat men. When people can't get enough to eat and are on the verge of starving to death, all notions of propriety, honor, and human decency become two words—bullshit!

The city wasn't much better. Fresh corpses appeared on the streets every day, and plenty of people took advantage of the chaos to grab what they could. They looted gold, silver, and jewels, then, once the war moved on, fled to peaceful cities, bought mansions and land, and lived lives of luxury.

The government also began large-scale conscription to expand its forces. Of course, "conscription" was just a word—hardly anyone volunteered. The Imperial Court had lost the people's hearts, and most were simply seized and forced into labor.

Lu Wangchuan's strength placed him at the top of the city's hierarchy, but he made no move. When a dynasty rots from within, rebellion is a natural course of history. Even if he had the power to crush the Black Lotus Society, he wouldn't act! Defeat one Black Lotus Society, and a thousand more would rise in its place. He wasn't the Emperor. As long as he could look after himself, why bother with the rest?

Besides, he had indeed encountered what Lu Xianyuan had described. After breaking through to the Dantian Realm, his cultivation had stalled. Though his blood and qi still grew at the same pace, his spiritual power made no progress!

Joining a Immortal Sect was now an absolute necessity!

But before he left, he needed to make some plans. The Dantian Realm was already top-tier in the Mortal World—he could take a general's head from amidst ten thousand troops as easily as reaching into his pocket. But Xiao Wu and Xiao Yue were just ordinary people!

He decided to send them away first. That day, he told them to pack their things and brought them directly to the Longtai Merchant Guild.

The Longtai Merchant Guild was also in the middle of moving. Over a dozen horse-drawn carts were loaded up, and several martial artists had been hired as guards. Among them, Lu Wangchuan recognized a few—former classmates from the Dragon Tiger Martial Hall. With the situation so dire, they no longer went to the hall but had chosen to work as bodyguards, selling their hard-earned martial skills for a good price.

Lu Wangchuan found Shopkeeper Tan, who was directing the workers as they loaded goods.

"Lao Tan."

"Young Master Lu, what brings you here?"

"I need to ask a favor of you. Take these two servants of mine out of the city and drop them off in Chu Zhou. My elder sister is there—have them go to her. Once you deliver them, ask my sister for a thousand-tael Silver Note and tell her I said so."

Though they were servants, after following Lu Wangchuan for so long, he already regarded them as family.

As for the debt of gratitude he owed his sister, it was already deep enough. A thousand taels more wouldn't make a difference—he'd repay it all together someday.

Shopkeeper Tan's eyes lit up.

"Alright, no problem. As long as I'm alive, I'll make sure they get there."

"Thank you."

When Xiao Wu and Xiao Yue heard Lu Wangchuan's words, they burst into tears of panic.

"Young master, aren't you coming with us?"

"I have other matters to attend to."

"But we can't bear to part with you."

"Mountains and seas will eventually reunite; wind and snow will always meet again. As long as you live well, the day will come when we see each other once more."

Lu Wangchuan took a banknote from his bosom, along with the Mountain Splitting Fist manual and the Eight Section Brocade technique, and handed them to Xiao Wu and the other.

"Though these two techniques are only basic entry-level, once you learn them, you'll have some martial skill. They'll be enough to handle ordinary refugees. Remember, no matter what happens, you must survive."

Then he pulled out a family letter and asked Xiao Wu to deliver it to his sister, telling her not to worry about him—that all was well—before he left.

"Young master!"

The two wept like rain-soaked figures, kowtowing in farewell toward the direction Lu Wangchuan had gone.

Lu Wangchuan quickly arrived at the Dragon Tiger Martial Hall.

The martial artists inside had all donned their armor and begun training, the air thick with a far more oppressive atmosphere than usual.

Lu Xianyuan, as always, sat in his armchair basking in the sun, his expression still calm and composed, utterly out of step with the city's tension.

"You're here."

Though his eyes were closed, he could clearly distinguish Lu Wangchuan's footsteps and aura.

Lu Wangchuan cupped his hands in salute:

"Greetings, Instructor Lu."

"Starting tomorrow, don't come anymore."

Lu Wangchuan was startled.

"Instructor, are you leaving too?"

Lu Xianyuan nodded.

"The hall master has entrusted over two thousand clansmen to me. I must escort them back to our ancestral home in Yi Zhou."

"Instructor, you have taught me with the grace of passing on your skills. This disciple is willing to accompany you on the escort journey."

Lu Xianyuan smiled, pulled a chopstick from the table, flicked it with his finger, and the chopstick buried itself deep into the wall over ten meters away.

"I am a Dantian Realm Peak master. A casual strike of mine carries several thousand jin of force. If even I cannot handle an enemy, what use would you be staying behind?"

Lu Wangchuan's lips moved as if to say something, but he swallowed the words back.

"There is no battle here for you. Do not trouble yourself with the affairs of the Mortal World.

You are a genius, so young. The stars and the sea are your battlefield; above the Immortal Sects is your future; the pursuit of martial longevity is your goal!"

This city the protagonist definitely won't protect—it's not his family, and no one here has been good to him. It would be insane for him to protect it!

If we keep discussing a hopeless world, it's really unnecessary, because by common sense, with the Imperial Court corrupt, the Black Lotus Society opposing it is just a factor that should exist in the course of history!

Isn't the fall of a corrupt court a normal historical process? Should the protagonist step in to help?

I hate sanctimonious types the most. Even if the protagonist could turn the tide, I wouldn't let him act. That's all, thank you.