Xie Hen went back and waited for most of the night, He Lie and Mu Yunyuan still hadn't returned. A sudden panic began, but she kept telling herself it was alright; something must have been holding them up.
He kept reassuring himself that they would be back soon, but when He Lie and Mu Yunyuan still hadn't appeared by dawn, Xie Hen couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly called for Tang Yilun to come.
As soon as Tang Yilun entered the council hall, he saw Xie Hen's haggard appearance and knew that something bad was going to happen. He had been dealing with the Martial Prohibition Hall's suppression of the White Saint Society for the past two days, so he hadn't inquired about it after giving Xie Hen the supplies he requested Xie Hen.
"Report to Master Yin later! Say that He Lie and Mu Yunyuan gone missing, possibly due to the influence of the Deity Summoning Society." After saying this, Xie Hen slumped weakly into his chair. He didn't know what fate awaited him. It might not be good, or it might be an opportunity to redeem himself. After all, now was a time when manpower was needed.
Thinking back to when he first arrived in Wind City, full of vigor and ambition, leading his four protectors, he established a stronghold of power in the Wind City, and no one dared to utter a word. Now, however, this is the end. He doesn't even know who the enemy is; the so-called "Deity Summoning Society" is just an excuse to appease his superiors.
"Yes, Master. Is there anything else?" Tang Yilun replied respectfully.
"Oh, right, when you report, hand in the guardian token of the Deity Summoning Society as well. Remember to explain to Master Yin that the Deity Summoning Society's influence in Wind City is not to be underestimated!" Xie Hen instructed repeatedly.
"Yes!" Tang Yilun replied and went out.
As Tang Yilun relayed the news to Yunzhou, the news of the disappearance of the two great protectors of the White Saint Society quickly spread throughout Wind City.
When the Wang Family received the news, Wang Yi and Wang Jian were stunned. So the lord had killed two protectors of the White Saint Society the night before last! Thinking of this, they were filled with even more hope of joining Jiang Liu.
When the Chen Family received the news, they were immediately relieved, feeling as if the mountain that had been pressing down on them had been lifted a little. They even wished that the two protectors of the White Saint Society would just die, so that only the ninth-rank Xie Hen and the eighth-rank Tang Yilun would remain, and they wouldn't be able to cause any major trouble.
When Li Fei received the message, he didn't react much. When his subordinates reported to Li Fei simply said "Oh" and then dismissed them with "I know."
Ni Kuang of the Sun Moon Sect was quite happy, because the Sun Moon Sect and the White Saint Society were always at odds, no matter where they were. Whenever the two sects clashed, it was a life-or-death war.
As for their peaceful coexistence in Wind City, it was entirely due to Ni Kuang's personal reasons. Now that the White Saint Society is in trouble, he doesn't mind watching the show with a spectator's mentality, and if given the chance, he'll definitely kick them while they're down.
The Moonfall Sect completely ignored these matters. Wei Yi only seemed to have heard about them occasionally when he got up from the bed of the most beautiful courtesan at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, and then he didn't pay any more attention to them.
The Feng Family and the Pang Family have never paid any attention to these matters, as if they have remained aloof from the moment the White Saint Society entered Wind City.
The Martial Prohibition Hall was a bit different. Luo Hui sat in the center, with the heads of the four major branches below him. Liu Changfeng spoke first, "Sir, the news has been confirmed. The two protectors of the White Saint Society have gone missing."
"This is a good thing! Why are you all looking so gloomy?" Shang Tianhe said nonchalantly.
Yan Jin said, "This may not be a good thing for us."
"Yes! The White Saint Society has lost two protectors this time, making it three in total. I'm afraid they'll bring even more people from Yunzhou, which will make things even more difficult for us," Li Qianfan said.
"Uh! I didn't expect that!" Shang Tianhe scratched his head sheepishly.
Luo Hui looked at Shang Tianhe helplessly. He liked this subordinate very much. He wasn't cunning and could handle anything he was asked to do well!
"Yes! Do you think we're afraid of the White Saint Society's forces in Wind City? We don't need many; just you and I could wipe them out. The reason we haven't acted is because we're afraid they'll bring in more people from Yunzhou," Liu Changfeng said helplessly.
Luo Hui stood up and said, "Alright, so be it. The White Saint Society dared to mobilize its forces, but our Yunzhou Martial Prohibition Hall is not to be trifled with. Although other forces in Yunzhou are also making small moves, the White Saint Society and the Deity Summoning Society the most outrageous right now. We can put the others aside for now."
"This time we'll strike while the iron is hot and continue to pressure the White Lotus Sect. Let's see if they dare to send people from Yunzhou. The White Saint Society has quite a few grandmasters in Yunzhou."
"Yan Jin, if you have verified the White Saint Society's crimes, behead those few as soon as possible. It will serve as a deterrent!"
"Although the death of three protectors of the White Saint Society is a good thing for us, we don't know which force was behind it. The people hiding in the shadows may not be a good thing for us."
"Therefore, everyone, we must closely monitor the movements of all forces. If there are any unusual actions, we can take action first!"
"Yes, sir!" the four replied in unison.
Luo Hui waved his hand, signaling them to go out and get to work.
Luo Hui then reported the situation here to Yunzhou via secret letter.
The next day, early in the morning
Jiang Liu woke up from his meditation, glanced at the Data Panel, and was very satisfied with the results of his cultivation last night. With the resources in place, the speed was fast. If it weren't for the difficulty in finding eighth and ninth grade Exotic Beast, he would have preferred to stay in the mountains until he reached the Grandmaster level before coming out.
However, with the support of the White Saint Society, his cultivation speed can still be incredibly fast. Jiang Liu has now tasted the benefits and is mentally assessing which other forces in Wind City are easier to target.
By the way, the Wang Family must have quite a few resources, right? Hmm! Once this batch is used up, we'll ask the Wang Family for assistance first.
Jiang Liu his residence, finished his breakfast, and headed towards the Hundred Craft Hall. He carried a low-grade top-quality sword on his back. He hadn't used it yet, having snatched it from Jia Caibao.
As soon as you enter the Hundred Craft Hall, Liu An greets you, "Welcome back again, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu immediately looked at him with new respect. He had only come once, yet the man remembered him. "Hello! Is Master Duan here?"
"You're looking for Master Duan? He's here right now, he just got back yesterday. I'll go in and let him know. Please wait a moment." After saying that, Liu An ran to the backyard to find Master Duan.
A short while later, Liu An came out and invited Jiang Liu inside.
Jiang Liu followed Liu An to the backyard, where the familiar sound of blacksmithing and the smell of rust filled the air.
Master Duan, shirtless, was hammering a piece of scorching hot iron. The rhythmic sway of his muscles as he swung the hammer was incredibly beautiful—that's the charm of a muscular man.
Jiang Liu followed Liu An in and waited for a while before Master Duan stopped and handed the iron block he had been hammering to his apprentice to continue hammering.
Afterwards, he wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel and said to Jiang Liu, "I was working on the solidification technique, so I couldn't stop. Please forgive me."
Jiang Liu quickly said, "It was I who was being presumptuous and disturbing you."
Master Duan said, "Alright, let's not stand on ceremony. Just say what you need to say!"
Jiang Liu didn't stand on ceremony and quickly asked, "I would like to ask Master Duan, is the top-quality Treasure Blade you forged before still around?"
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