Fang Yang's voice came to an abrupt halt.
He stared blankly down at the blade that had pierced through his chest.
He had already resolved to follow Liang Hu away, but knowing how dangerous Lin Jiang Ward was, he had still risked turning back—because he had seen that Impermanence Banner Bearer.
He felt that his chance to earn merit had arrived. He had wanted the three of them to help him leave behind evidence that Impermanence had abandoned his post.
He had never imagined that this golden opportunity to earn merit would instead become the calamity that took his life.
His gaze grew unfocused. He raised his head, looking somewhat incredulous.
Why, when he had delivered them a chance to earn merit, had the other party not only refused to appreciate it, but stabbed him as well?
"Have you ever seen someone flee in the face of battle, then charge toward the most dangerous place with a blade?"
Xiao Hui's tone was cold as he slowly said, "He may have abandoned his post, but he returned to reinforce Lin Jiang Ward and drew his blade against the demons and evil spirits..."
He slowly twisted the blade and said in a deep voice, "Liang Hu abandoned Lin Jiang Ward, but this newly appointed Banner Bearer wants to save the lives of everyone in Lin Jiang Ward!"
With a wet pfft, the middle-aged man stepped forward and suddenly stabbed again, driving his blade into Fang Yang's lower abdomen.
"Xiao Hui is right..."
Then the middle-aged man with the missing ear and the young man named Xiao Hui both looked toward the other man.
The young man named Zheng Liu seemed to understand something. He immediately stepped forward and chopped off Fang Yang's head.
"This newly appointed Banner Bearer dared to face that Bear Demon. He really does seem stronger than Liang Hu."
Zheng Liu's expression was solemn as he said, "As long as he's still alive and sitting in the Banner Bearer's position tomorrow, Liang Hu will have no connection to Lin Jiang Ward anymore."
He kicked Fang Yang's head away, then said, "Now the three of us are all in the same boat."
"But the owner of this boat is Fifth Master."
The middle-aged man with the missing ear spoke in a deep voice. "Whether we can climb aboard his boat is still uncertain."
"We were already prepared to wait for death. Now that we've seen a chance to live, what is there to fear?"
Xiao Hui drew out his blade and kicked Fang Yang's corpse over. "If Fifth Master is willing to accept us, then our luck is good! If he isn't, can it possibly be worse than death?"
After saying this, he strode toward the street where the Bear Demon was.
The remaining two exchanged a glance, then followed close behind.
But before they could reach that street,
a gigantic head came rolling out across the ground.
Its body was covered in black fur, its eyes scarlet. Faintly, fear and disbelief still lingered in them.
It was the giant bear's head!
The three men trembled all over. Following the blood trail left by the rolling bear's head, they slowly looked ahead.
They saw a body covered in black fur, as sturdy as an iron tower, standing in the middle of the street.
Though it had lost its head, it remained so massive that it made their hearts tremble.
Its formidable aura and surging might caused the three men's bodies to stiffen involuntarily. Their eyes were filled with terror.
With a resounding boom,
it toppled backward, making half the street seem to shudder for an instant.
In the dead of night, it was like a thunderclap!
It jolted the three men awake!
"Quite impressive."
At that moment, a booming voice came from behind them. "To chop off this Bear Demon's head with a single stroke..."
The three men's hearts turned cold. They turned to look.
They saw a simple and honest-looking man with his head lowered, gazing at the Bear Demon's head.
Not far away, an elderly man leaning on a cane slowly approached with a young girl supporting him.
"Duke Lu."
The honest-looking man raised his head and praised, "This man's blade was incredibly fast, clean, and decisive... He moved like the wind as well. One slash sent the bear's head flying, and before the corpse had even fallen, he was already gone."
Duke Lu slowly walked forward and examined it for a moment.
"You didn't see his appearance clearly just now?"
"..." The honest-looking man was startled, then asked in a low voice, "Duke Lu, do you think I should have seen it clearly?"
"The man should have been nine feet tall, built like a bear, with knotted muscles and a face full of whiskers, shouldn't he?"
"That seems right."
The honest-looking man scratched his head, then looked toward the other three minor banners. "What do you think?"
The three men looked at one another.
In the end, the man with the missing ear, being the oldest and most experienced, bowed and said, "What we saw was exactly as the old gentleman described."
"Go home, all of you. There's no need for you here."
Duke Lu waved his hand and turned away, saying indifferently, "Since someone has already slain the Bear Demon, we should go home as well."
"..."
The man with the missing ear, Xiao Hui, and Zheng Liu exchanged glances.
Then Xiao Hui asked in a low voice, "Is this the old temple priest who returned from Phoenix Perch Prefecture City?"
"I heard long ago that Duke Lu was moving to the Outer City. I never thought he would settle in Lin Jiang Ward."
Zheng Liu spoke quietly. "As minor banners of Lin Jiang Ward, we didn't know anything beforehand."
"I think that bastard Liang Hu probably didn't know either. Otherwise, he wouldn't have abandoned Lin Jiang Ward outright."
After saying this, the man with the missing ear added, "Since Duke Lu has spoken, then tonight, we never saw the Impermanence Banner Bearer."
Xiao Hui seemed to realize it only now. His eyes brightened as he said, "Duke Lu is covering up this matter of abandoning his post for Fifth Master?"
"So Fifth Master has Duke Lu behind him?"
Zheng Liu's heart jolted. He said in a low voice, "If that's the case, then in terms of background, Fifth Master is even more powerful than Liang Hu!"
"And in terms of strength and courage, Liang Hu feared the Bear Demon, while Fifth Master went alone with a blade and cleaved the Bear Demon down on the spot."
"If that's the case, then if Fifth Master were to cleave Liang Hu down, wouldn't it also take only one stroke?"
The three fell silent for a moment and exchanged glances.
A single thought surfaced in all their hearts.
Where had Liang Hu found the courage to seize power from Fifth Master?
"During the day, we chose the wrong side."
The man with the missing ear suddenly said, "Tonight may be our chance to make amends."
--
The other end of the street.
The honest-looking man appeared somewhat astonished.
"This giant bear's true body was no weaker than a fierce tiger. After becoming a spirit and demon, it was comparable to the Essence Refining Realm."
"I originally thought that here in the southern area of the Outer City, apart from me, only Banner Commander Han Zheng could slay this Bear Demon!"
"I never imagined there would be someone else with such ability."
The honest-looking man sighed faintly, then added, "Duke Lu seems to already know who this person is. Why did you cover for him?"
"A tree that stands out in the forest will be toppled by the wind."
Duke Lu shook his head. "Being too outstanding easily invites disaster."
He recalled the peerless prodigies he had seen throughout his life.
Not one had ever possessed such astonishing brilliance.
"Duke Lu thinks this person is exceptionally outstanding."
The young girl suddenly spoke, her voice clear. "So outstanding that... Duke Lu would find it a great pity if he died."
"Such a rare prodigy is seldom seen in this world—more outstanding even than Li Shenzong."
Duke Lu sighed. "But not everyone can tolerate a peerless prodigy growing until he threatens their own position... This is the inferior root of human nature!"
"The reason I value Han Zheng is that he not only does not envy the capable, but can also promote them."
As he spoke, Duke Lu looked ahead and sighed. "Humans... have had it far too hard throughout these long years."
"Tonight's affair was magnificent in scale. Every division worked together to guard the city, slay demons and evil spirits, and drive away the wicked. It seemed to set one's blood boiling."
"But in this old man's eyes, it was ultimately somewhat pitiful."
After Duke Lu said this, the two beside him fell silent.
In truth, tonight's affair had simply been an offering of incense and fire, asking the demons and evil spirits to stay away.
It was like having a great bandit loitering outside one's door.
Yet Gao Liu City could only prepare a vast sum of money and spend it to avert disaster.
"Humans struggle to survive in this world, begging humbly for life."
Duke Lu sighed. "That is why the more talented people there are, the more hope there will be for future generations."
He looked at the young girl beside him and said, "You said one thing incorrectly just now."
"It isn't that I would find it a pity if he died."
"Rather, I believe that if he died, it would be a loss to humanity."
Before you continue