Citywide Crisis

The young man's brows twitched slightly. A strange ripple blossomed from between his brows, transforming into surging waves that spread in every direction.

In an instant, all the beautiful maidservants massaging his legs and shoulders froze stiff. Their eyes turned hollow, their mouths hanging slightly open as faint insect-like sounds escaped them, as though answering a summons.

As the ripples spread, every servant, attendant, patriarch, madam, young master, and young miss in the Zhou Family residence became Gu Human puppets.

The ripples surged out from the Zhou Family residence and spilled into the streets, spreading in all directions, covering every street, every alley, every person.

The once bustling South Commandery City seemed to have had its pause button pressed in an instant, abruptly falling silent.

Everyone in the streets and markets became Gu Humans with hollow eyes and savage expressions. They stiffly turned their heads in unison, fixing their empty, eerie gazes in one direction—the direction of the Pacification Office.

Pacification Office.

Tian Shu Pavilion.

Shen Yi had Li Shiping and Sun Siqi copy out the intelligence from the Southern Borderlands. A' Yue then packed it into bamboo tubes and sent carrier pigeons to relay South Commandery's situation to Pacification Offices throughout the land, with the greatest number sent to the Shangjing headquarters.

Relying solely on Heaven's Secret Pavilion for communication was not secure enough, which was why Shen Yi had come to the Pacification Office. Moreover, he signed every piece of intelligence with his own name.

Since the Empress had ascended the throne, Shen Yi's name had naturally long since been cleared within the Pacification Office. Qu Yunzhen had also ordered that wherever Shen Yi went, it was to be treated as though the Commander himself had arrived.

Only then could the intelligence being transmitted be assured of some