Those minor martial school masters who had originally watched from the sidelines, harboring ulterior motives, now utterly gave up hope. One after another, they came forward with their rosters, bowed their heads in submission, and no longer dared entertain the slightest thought of overstepping their bounds.
The remaining forces of the Gao, Ye, and Huang Three Great Families, which had once crushed the entire city beneath their weight, were completely annihilated.
The Incense God Cult, which had wreaked havoc across the region, was uprooted root and branch. The traitors were brought to justice, and the chaos was wiped clean.
In the span of a single day, battered and wavering Gaoye City was utterly transformed.
Once everything was done, evening drew near. The setting sun spilled over the city walls, dyeing the bricks and tiles of the largely repaired ramparts red.
Zheng Shan led his disciples in setting the Fist Academy in order, resettling the refugees, and reorganizing the city defenses.
Order throughout the city proceeded methodically, and life steadily returned.
Wang Yuan stood alone amid the evening wind atop the city walls, overlooking the streets and alleys below as cooking smoke gradually rose.
The city's people stepped out of their homes, clearing away the wreckage and helping their neighbors.
The long-lost peace and warmth of daily life once more spread across their homeland.
Soft footsteps sounded behind him. Liu Canglan, dressed in black robes, stood with a respectful bow.
"Young Master, every hidden remnant within the city has been purged. Thirty dead warriors have been stationed in secret throughout the city. Should anything unusual occur, it can be suppressed in an instant."
"Mm."
Wang Yuan nodded faintly.
Gaoye City's crisis had finally come to a complete end.
From this day onward, Liu Canglan of the Viscera Refining Realm would guard