Refugee Riot

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the same cramped room, the Men in Black gathered once more.

"Elder Chen's reply has arrived. The decision is to begin the plan tonight. Make your preparations."

Once everyone had arrived, the Middle-aged Man seated in the main position spoke directly.

"Hall Master, these past few days, we've made inquiries all over Lin'an City, but we haven't found any trace of that expert hiding in the city."

"If he interferes while we act, could it affect our plan?"

One of the Men in Black standing at the front asked worriedly.

"No need to worry. Elder Chen's message also said that his affairs over there have been settled. He can leave Jin'an Prefecture and arrive in Lin'an City today. That is precisely why we chose tonight to act."

"At most, that person is only in the Qi and Blood Realm. Under Elder Chen's watchful eye, he won't be able to stir even a single wave."

From the Middle-aged Man's words, it was not difficult to see that they were members of the Yellow Heaven Cult that had been running rampant in Jin'an Prefecture. The Middle-aged Man was named Bai Yingfei, a Hall Master of the Yellow Heaven Cult who normally served under the Yellow Heaven Cult elder, Chen Pengtian.

"Excellent! Now nothing can possibly go wrong."

Bai Yingfei's subordinates all spoke up in succession.

One had to know that the prerequisite for becoming an elder in the Yellow Heaven Cult was possessing a True Qi Realm Cultivation Level, and Chen Pengtian's Cultivation Level ranked near the very top even among the elders.

Chen Pengfei was one of the Yellow Heaven Cult's few elders with a late-stage True Qi Realm Cultivation Level, and he even had hopes of breaking through into the Condensing Gang Realm.

Thus, it was not hard to understand why they looked as though victory was already in their grasp after learning that Chen Pengfei would personally come to Lin'an City.

"Don't celebrate too soon. Elder Chen is coming here in secret this time. He will only control the overall situation from the shadows and will not reveal himself or act personally unless absolutely necessary."

"Keep this news buried in your hearts as well. If anyone dares leak it, I will personally carry his severed head to the elder and beg forgiveness."

Seeing his men becoming somewhat lax, Bai Yingfei immediately rebuked them. Bai Yingfei was merely at the middle stage of the Qi and Blood Realm, and among the Hall Masters under Chen Pengfei, he could not be considered strong.

The reason Chen Pengfei had chosen him to command the Lin'an City plan was that he handled matters seriously and cautiously. Every time, he gave it his all and never acted carelessly.

Upon hearing Bai Yingfei's rebuke, his subordinates' expressions turned solemn. They knew a little of their Hall Master's temperament. The three leaders all took the initiative to assure Bai Yingfei that they would carry out the plan carefully and would not let carelessness take root in their hearts.

Bai Yingfei's subordinates had more or less expected that Chen Pengfei would not act directly. After all, with Chen Pengfei's Cultivation Level and strength, if he personally acted, Chen Pengfei alone could flatten all of Lin'an City countless times over. There would be no room for them to intervene at all.

"Enough. Go back and make your preparations. At the hour of the Rooster today, launch all our arrangements in Lin'an City on time and take Lin'an City in one stroke."

"You already know that Elder Chen will be watching us from the shadows. If you perform well, you may catch Elder Chen's eye. When that happens, there will certainly be no shortage of benefits."

"But if you botch this matter, I presume I need not say more about the outcome."

"Yes."

Bai Yingfei's subordinates answered in unison, then dispersed in different directions.

By evening, the sun was already about to set. Outside Lin'an City's gates,

the city guards had set up several large cauldrons, filled with thin porridge still steaming with heat. Great numbers of refugees stood in several long lines with bowls in hand, receiving relief porridge.

At that moment, an old man so thin that he was nothing but skin and bones reached the front of one line. The city guard responsible for ladling out porridge casually scooped a ladleful, then overturned it into the old man's bowl.

"Next."

Seeing that the bowl was not even half full, its thin porridge containing barely a few grains of rice, the old man humbly pleaded with the city guard.

"Sir soldier, could you give me a little more? I truly can't hold on much longer."

He truly had no other choice. The porridge rations had been reduced again and again lately, and he was already close to his limit. If he could not eat something to fill his stomach, he feared he would not survive the night.

"I said next. Didn't you hear me? Get lost, now."

The city guard ladling the porridge was utterly unmoved and directly drove him away.

"Please, sir soldier, just give me a little more."

The old man immediately dropped to his knees before the city guard and begged bitterly.

"I told you to get lost!"

Seeing that the old man still refused to leave, the city guard grew impatient. He stepped forward and heavily kicked the old man, who was kneeling on the ground, in the chest. The tremendous force sent the old man tumbling backward. His chest visibly caved in, and the half bowl of watery porridge in his hand spilled all over the ground.

The fallen old man convulsed a few times before drawing his last breath. He clearly had no chance of surviving.

"Next."

This did not affect the city guard in the slightest. Refugee lives were the cheapest of all; he even smiled smugly at this.

"Father, don't die!"

At that moment, a wail came from the rear of the refugee line. A gaunt middle-aged man ran over, picked up the old man's corpse, and burst into heart-rending sobs. Though the middle-aged man was thin, he could still be considered a normal person. Among these withered, skeletal refugees, he appeared somewhat out of place.

"It was you. You killed my father!"

After crying for a while, the middle-aged man angrily shouted at the city guard.

"I killed your father. So what can you do about it?"

The city guard did not fear the man's accusation in the slightest. Instead, he provocatively spoke up.

"Ahhh! I'll kill you and avenge my father!"

The gaunt man seemed to have been enraged out of his senses. He rose to his feet and charged at the city guard.

When he saw the gaunt man truly rushing toward him, the city guard was first taken aback. Then he drew the saber hanging at his waist, preparing to cleave the gaunt man to death with a single strike.

Unexpectedly, after the gaunt man reached the city guard, his left hand shot out and seized the city guard's right hand holding the saber. The strength in the gaunt man's hand was utterly mismatched with his build—astonishingly great—and the city guard's right hand could not move at all.

Then the gaunt man swiftly extended his right hand as well, snatched the saber from the city guard's grasp, and forcefully slashed it across the city guard's neck. A great spray of blood burst forth in an instant.

The city guard had actually been cleanly killed by this gaunt man.

This series of sudden changes stunned all the onlookers, including the other city guards who had originally only been watching for entertainment. Once they came to their senses, they all drew the sabers from their waists and surrounded the gaunt man.

The scene of the gaunt man cleanly and efficiently killing their colleague was still deeply etched in these city guards' minds. Looking at the blood-covered gaunt man, none of them dared truly step forward to attack him. They merely surrounded him while shouting:

"Hurry and report to the lords! Refugees are rioting!"