Three days? You can only live for three sentences at most.

Wang Wende stepped forward to salute, his voice three degrees lower than usual.

"Lord Lu, when the men were clearing the bodies, they found a token belonging to White Moon Villa on the Longevity Cult heretic, Lu Xuan."

"With both human and material evidence present, this matter of colluding with the Longevity Cult heretics... I fear it is not without foundation."

Lu Yuan let out a cold snort, the ferocity in his eyes even more intense than usual.

The Longevity Cult slaughters lives, and if White Moon Villa wants to join in the fun, then kill them!

"Surround White Moon Villa. The ringleaders must die, their accomplices will be cut at the waist, and those who knew but failed to report it will be exiled a thousand miles."

His tone was cold and hard, as if suppressing a monstrous rage.

Wang Wende's eyelids twitched, his head bowing low, intimidated by this display of ferocity.

"My Lord, isn't that a bit extreme? Why don't we go to White Moon Villa first, present the evidence, and confront Liao Shanhai face-to-face?"

After all, White Moon Villa was a major power in Linchuan County, and Liao Shanhai was a veteran of the Initial Realm with unfathomable cultivation; he was not someone who could be moved against on a whim.

What if there was some misunderstanding in all this...

"Confrontation?"

Lu Yuan's gaze was indifferent. "I never engage in confrontations. We arrest them directly; anyone who dares to resist will be executed on the spot."

His voice carried not a shred of emotion, leaving a chill running down Wang Wende's spine.

His heart skipped a beat, but he braced himself and said, "Lord Lu, please wait a moment, this subordinate will go mobilize the men—"

"I cannot wait even a moment."

Lu Yuan interrupted him. "You and Su Ding'an are to mobilize the County Office and the Garrison Station respectively, split into two routes, and surround White Moon Villa."

As his voice fell, he turned and walked outside.

Wang Wende and Su Ding'an exchanged a glance, both shocked by the ruthlessness Lu Yuan had displayed.

The two said nothing more, conferred briefly, and immediately set off to summon their men.

Linchuan County is not large, but in the early years, it was chaotic; mountain bandits, wandering outlaws, rogue cultivators, and fugitives all gathered here.

The County Office could not manage it all, and the Demon Suppression Bureau Garrison Station lacked the manpower.

Liao Shanhai was the one who fought his way out of that chaos.

With a pair of Canglan Palm techniques, he defeated the three largest factions in Linchuan County at the time, absorbed their territories and men, and single-handedly founded the White Moon Gang.

The White Moon Gang was the predecessor to White Moon Villa, starting out by collecting protection money and settling disputes for others.

Later, Liao Shanhai's cultivation grew higher and higher, breaking through from the Mortal Realm all the way to the Initial Realm, making a name for himself throughout Qing Province.

The White Moon Gang also grew from a small gang into a major power, acquiring properties and taking on disciples, slowly reaching its current scale.

Rising at the same time as White Moon Villa was the Brocade Workshop.

The Brocade Workshop did not engage in violent business, specializing instead in intelligence.

Xu Fengqing was a woman who could handle anyone, moving with ease among the various factions.

White Moon Villa ate the meat, and the Brocade Workshop drank the soup; the two sides kept to themselves, occasionally even exchanging favors.

But some things cannot be hidden.

A year ago, Lu Xuan approached White Moon Villa.

The Longevity Cult possessed an evil technique that used the essence and blood of living people to refine pills, which could break through shackles and forcibly advance one's cultivation in the Initial Realm.

Liao Shanhai's cultivation had been stuck at the late stage of the Initial Realm for many years, unable to take that final step.

To break through his realm, he helped the Longevity Cult slaughter lives and cover their tracks.

In exchange, Lu Xuan gave him the method for refining the pills.

As for those lives, Liao Shanhai did not care, because he had no other choice.

If he didn't find a way, his life would end right there.

White Moon Villa.

The doors and windows of the inner hall were tightly shut, and the air was filled with a thick scent of sandalwood, with a faint, lingering stench of blood beneath it.

Behind a landscape screen sat a middle-aged man in red Taoist robes, thin and gaunt with a sinister expression.

He was Huo Zhen, another protector of the Longevity Cult in Linchuan County, whose status was even higher than Lu Xuan's.

"Villa Master Liao, Lu Xuan is dead."

Huo Zhen's expression was very ugly; he clutched a string of black prayer beads, his voice revealing an irrepressible agitation.

"He was merely a protector; if he's dead, he's dead. It shouldn't be of much consequence to your Longevity Cult, right?"

Liao Shanhai blew the foam off his teacup and took a slow, unhurried sip.

"His death doesn't matter, but you once gifted him a token of White Moon Villa. If the people from the Demon Suppression Bureau find it—"

"So what if they find it? It's just a token; what does it prove? White Moon Villa has guest elders all over Linchuan County; it's common for a black sheep to appear. If Lu Xuan committed a crime, what does that have to do with me, Liao Shanhai?"

Huo Zhen stared at him for a moment, unable to fathom whether this man truly didn't care or was merely pretending, as he seemed not to realize how grave the situation had become.

"The Soul-Detention Jar has been shattered as well."

Liao Shanhai's expression shifted slightly.

Huo Zhen gritted his teeth and continued, "My junior brother is dead, the stage has been destroyed, and less than thirty percent of the followers we gathered over these years remain alive."

"To put it bluntly, everything the Longevity Cult has built in Linchuan County over the years is ruined."

Liao Shanhai paused his teacup, and the air in the inner hall stagnated for a heartbeat.

"Who did it?"

"The Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division sent a Demon Suppression Captain over, named Lu Yuan, known as the Blood-Clad Yama."

Huo Zhen's voice carried both hatred and a trace of hidden apprehension.

"Him?" Liao Shanhai let out a cold snort, sneering at the name.

"A wet-behind-the-ears brat dares to call himself a Yama?"

"Villa Master Liao, this man cannot be underestimated. He may already have his eyes on us. With him stationed in Linchuan, it won't be so easy for us to do anything from now on."

"So—"

Huo Zhen took a deep breath, "We must avoid his edge for now and wait until the storm passes."

Liao Shanhai did not answer; he stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and pushed it open.

In the distance, the silhouette of Linchuan County loomed in the morning mist, with wisps of cooking smoke rising and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoing.

He watched for a while, then suddenly laughed.

There was no warmth in his eyes, only the disdain of someone who had weathered great storms toward a younger generation.

He walked back to the table, picked up a small bronze tripod, and stared at the residual bloodstains inside, his eyes turning fanatical.

"My spirit pill is missing only a few final ingredients. Once I kill a few more people, the pill will be complete!"

"By then, I will step into the Mystic Realm, and the entire Linchuan County will be in my grasp."

"What is a Lu Yuan? I could crush him with one hand!"

Huo Zhen's brows knitted together, "Villa Master Liao, Lu Yuan is no pushover. He destroyed the Longevity Cult's years of hard work single-handedly, which means this man—"

"It means this man is lucky."

Liao Shanhai interrupted, his tone full of impatience.

"You people of the Longevity Cult spend your days hiding in the shadows doing shady business, and your courage has withered away."

"Lu Yuan? How much skill could a mere brat possibly have?"

"As long as he dares to come to White Moon Villa, I will make him walk in upright and be carried out horizontally! No one has ever survived my Canglan Palm!"

Liao Shanhai sat back down in the main seat, a look of condescending composure appearing on his face.

"Rest assured, once my spirit pill is complete, nothing will be a threat. If that Lu Yuan is sensible and gets out of Linchuan on his own, I won't hold it against him. But if he dares to jump around in front of me, I will ensure he never leaves!"

Huo Zhen was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, "I hope Villa Master Liao's words hold true."

"It is not a hope, it is a certainty."

Liao Shanhai set down the small bronze tripod, "Only a few more people are needed. Give me three more days—"

Before the words had even faded, the door to the inner hall suddenly exploded inward.

Lu Yuan burst in from outside, shouting coldly:

"Three days? Impossible! You only have enough time left to speak three sentences."