Lu Zhao

An incense stick later, Gu Chang'an stepped forward and said softly to Madam Wu:

"Sister-in-law, please accept my condolences. The Director… he took great care of us during his life. If you need anything, I will do my best to help you."

The woman looked at Gu Chang'an with vacant eyes, nodded finally, and tears began to stream down her face again.

Li Hongye also stepped forward, bowed solemnly, and said in a low voice:

"Sister-in-law, my father said when he learned of this that if you need anything, you can come to Sky Wind Martial Hall to find me anytime."

Madam Wu kowtowed heavily but said nothing more.

After leaving the mourning hall, Gu Chang'an let out a long sigh.

Today, they were only here to pay their respects. Many things that should be said and done could not be convenient to mention right now. Wang Hao's body was barely cold, and his wife, son, and relatives were heartbroken. Any further plans would have to wait until things settled down in a few days.

The two walked out of the mourning hall side by side, preparing to leave, when they suddenly saw a familiar figure approaching gracefully ahead.

It was Shen Qingyan.

She was dressed in plain clothes, and there was still a hint of fatigue and paleness in her expression, but her eyes were clear. She was clearly forcing herself to stay strong. As soon as she saw Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye, her expression softened considerably.

"Sister Qingyan," Li Hongye quickly stepped forward and called out softly.

Shen Qingyan looked at them, her lips moving slightly, as if she wanted to smile but couldn't. "Hongye, Chang'an… it's so good that you both returned safely."

Her voice carried the lingering fear and relief.

Gu Chang'an took a step forward, "Brother Lin… how is he?"

Shen Qingyan sighed, "He survived. But he was too severely injured; even walking is difficult now… This time, his roots were damaged, and I fear there will be lasting repercussions."

Her tone was low, and a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes.

Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye exchanged a glance and fell silent, finally just sighing.

"What about the others?" Li Hongye asked, her voice low and cautious.

Shen Qingyan said slowly, "Jiang Yuan is also seriously injured, but he's a bit better than Lin Tai. He can still get out of bed. As for Cao Xiao… he encountered Daoist Chai fleeing in the back mountains and was killed on the spot, his heart meridian shattered by a palm strike."

As she spoke, Shen Qingyan's voice trembled slightly, her eyes reddened, but she forced herself to hold back her emotions and said no more.

Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye's faces immediately turned grim.

And after this Blood Pill incident, the entire Nanning County Martial Guard Division was almost crippled—

Director Wang was killed in battle. Of the five Head Constables, one was dead, two were seriously injured, leaving only two relatively intact.

As for the constables and officers below, countless were killed or wounded. The once vast division headquarters was now empty.

Gu Chang'an murmured, "This Martial Guard Division… I'm afraid it won't last."

Shen Qingyan nodded, a worried expression appearing on her face. "I heard that Guangling Commandery is sending people down. They want to thoroughly investigate the source of the Blood Pills and reorganize the Martial Guard Division. The new person coming is a powerful figure at the Seventh Rank who will take over as Director."

Gu Chang'an's brow twitched. "A new official always makes a big fuss. I wonder what this new Director will be like."

Shen Qingyan stood to the side and said softly, "After he arrives in Nanning County, the first thing he'll likely do is reorganize the Martial Guard Division, dismiss the injured, and select new core members. It's also said he will re-examine the events of that day."

Li Hongye's expression changed slightly. "Re-examine?"

"Yes," Shen Qingyan said in a low voice. "It's said that the forces behind Daoist Chai are not small. Guangling Commandery is worried that some officials in Nanning County might have taken bribes or colluded with the enemy, so the new Director has the authority to investigate anew."

Gu Chang'an frowned upon hearing this.

Although he and Li Hongye had escaped unscathed, the experience of that day—the Pill Hall, the Mad Demon, the corpses, the Blood Pills, the hidden treasures, the spoils of the dead…

There were too many secrets that were not suitable to be brought out into the open.

"So…," he began slowly, his voice low, "even if we are heroes, we might be questioned for not fitting the 'reported content'?"

Shen Qingyan did not answer, merely nodded silently.

"Don't worry, I know the limits.

"Although I don't know what you did after we left.

"But we will testify that you fought your way down the mountain and drew away the Mad Demon, and so on."

"But be careful—the new Director is named Lu Zhao. He is the personal disciple of the former Guangling Commandery Martial Guard Commander. This person comes from a prestigious family, is unpredictable, and has always been intolerant of wrongdoing."

"Lu Zhao…" Gu Chang'an silently noted the name, his voice hoarse. "I will be careful."

He wasn't afraid of enemies, but he feared superiors who wore the guise of justice and lacked human compassion.

Especially at a time like this, when the situation was unstable and people were panicking, they, the 'survivors,' were themselves potential targets.

The three fell silent for a moment.

Finally, Gu Chang'an looked up in the direction of the mourning hall, his tone softening slightly.

"For now, let's deal with what's in front of us. Director Wang's family still needs our help. As for when Lu Zhao arrives… we'll deal with it when he gets here."

"Mm," Shen Qingyan nodded. "I'll also come by frequently these few days. If there's any news, I'll notify you in advance."

After thanking Shen Qingyan, Gu Chang'an and Li Hongye quietly left the Wang family's mourning hall.

As they walked through the streets, they didn't say much, just walked side by side in silence.

The oppressive sorrow from the mourning hall had not yet dissipated, clinging to their hearts like a shadow.

But life had to go on. They had an important task today: purchasing medicinal ingredients.

The two walked through the main street of Nanning County and arrived at an old, reputable pharmacy in the east of the city – "Hundred Herbs Hall."

Gu Chang'an handed the shopkeeper a pre-written list of medicinal ingredients.

Before long, the medicine boy carried out bag after bag of fragrant herbs.

"Meridian Grass, Tiger Bone, Dragon Beard Ginseng, Blood Ganoderma, Gold Vein Vine, White Profound Flower, Iron Fire Sand..."

Li Hongye stood by, listening, her expression growing stranger with each item.

As Li Tianfeng's only daughter and a practitioner of the Complete Iron Cloth Shirt, she naturally knew these herbs were used for Eighth Rank Bone Tempering.

The shopkeeper finished calculating the cost and said with a smile, "That comes to forty-eight taels and three qian."

Gu Chang'an nodded, took out some broken silver from his sleeve, and paid in full.

The two carried the medicinal ingredients and walked out of the pharmacy.

After stepping outside and turning the corner, Li Hongye finally couldn't hold back. She turned her head to look at Gu Chang'an, her tone laced with surprise.

"Junior Brother, are you preparing to break through to Eighth Rank?"

Gu Chang'an nodded, his expression calm. "Yes."

Li Hongye was speechless, as if struck dumb by his casual remark.

"Your talent is truly terrifying..."

She sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile, her tone complex.

How long had it been since Gu Chang'an broke through to Ninth Rank?

In total, less than a month.

And herself? It had been a full three years since she broke through to Ninth Rank. For three years, she had cultivated diligently day after day, never slacking, and she lacked no cultivation resources.

However, she still needed some time to cultivate before breaking through.

Even with a batch of high-quality Body Tempering Pills, it would take another three to four months of cultivation to break through.

And now, Gu Chang'an was about to break through?

This talent was too monstrous.

Gu Chang'an saw her expression and felt a slight stir in his heart, but he merely smiled. "Perhaps this is the result of my diligent cultivation."

Li Hongye didn't press further, as if sensing something. She simply smiled gently and said, "Then break through soon. You're still young. If you successfully break through to Eighth Rank, you'll be able to handle danger with more ease in the future."

"Mm, I'll be as quick as I can," Gu Chang'an replied calmly.

He wanted to become stronger.

Only by becoming stronger could he survive and protect those he wished to protect.

Otherwise, he would end up like Wang Hao...

So he had to be fast, he had to be strong.

Without a moment's delay.