Secret News

The crowd of figures was stunned.

Li Mu's expression stiffened in an instant.

Qin Jiu seemed not to notice the anomaly, his expression calm as he said, "If you all have any information regarding the Demons, you might as well speak it now."

It was not that he failed to see the strange looks around him.

But Qin Jiu had come here for only two reasons: first, to see what the Li Family wanted by inviting him after the tragic state of the Fisher Gang, and second, to hear if these people truly had any information related to the Demons.

As for other matters, Qin Jiu did not care.

In fact.

If not for these two things.

These so-called personal disciples, young masters, and young ladies were not even qualified to meet him.

The levels of the two sides were different.

If the person before him were the head of the Li Family, the master of a martial arts hall, or a gang leader, that would be enough for him to treat them with seriousness; after all, when it came down to it, Qin Jiu was the head of the Qin Family, and his status and position were set there.

"Young Master Qin."

At this moment.

Han Qingyue frowned, her dark eyebrows knitting together as she spoke, "This banquet was organized by Young Master Li. You should not be sitting in the seat of honor. Furthermore, even in terms of martial arts cultivation, Young Master Li is not yet twenty and has already reached the Second Refining, surpassing us all. If you continue to sit there, it will only appear overly rude."

She shook her head after speaking.

Then she said no more.

"Martial artists respect strength above all else. If you want to put on airs, you have certainly come to the wrong place."

A voice filled with mockery followed immediately, saying, "A playboy is always a playboy; you never know what to do in what situation. If I were you, I wouldn't even step out the door, let alone do anything other than play with women."

The others heard this.

They could not help but reveal strange smiles.

At this moment, Qin Jiu's figure looked very thin, and his cheeks bore an unusual, lingering pallor, making him look as if he had indulged in excess.

He glanced at the person who had spoken.

It was the young leader of the Chai Gang, whom Li Mu had introduced earlier.

The latter was sneering with disdain.

Qin Jiu's expression remained as calm as an ancient well, and he only said indifferently, "Huang Jing, slap his mouth."

"Yes."

The two men who had been standing behind him.

Upon hearing the command, they immediately walked over.

"How bold!"

Seeing this, the man sneered and drew a long sword, a thick force of blood and energy vibrating from his body as he charged straight at them.

"Such thick blood and energy."

"Brother Meng is likely about to attempt the Second Refining."

"You and I might have already fallen behind him..."

The people around them saw this.

They all began to whisper and discuss.

Even the inner sect head disciple of the Canghai Martial Arts Hall could not help but open his eyes at this moment, looking at the young gang leader with surprise.

However...

The young gang leader was disarmed of his long sword in a single exchange.

Then Qin Xudong clamped down on his limbs, and Huang Jing raised a pair of thick, calloused palms, immediately striking left and right.

"Slap, slap, slap."

A continuous series of crisp slapping sounds.

Resounded endlessly throughout the hall.

This left everyone completely dumbfounded.

"Two Second Refining attendants... this man is becoming increasingly arrogant."

A young girl beside Han Qingyue.

Could not help but mutter upon seeing this.

And the young leader of the Chai Gang could not utter a single word until he fainted, at which point the two men tossed him onto the ground at will.

"Qin's time is somewhat tight."

At this moment.

Qin Jiu spoke.

He didn't even glance at the young gang leader, staring only at Li Mu as he said, "The reason I came here is because I heard from Brother Li that there was news of Demons to discuss, so I came to attend the banquet."

"If you continue to stall, this Qin will be taking his leave."

"However, if I do not hear a satisfactory piece of news, this Qin will consider it an attempt to trifle with the Qin Family."

Li Mu heard this.

His expression changed abruptly.

He had never expected Qin Jiu to be so overbearing; judging by his words, if he provided any trivial or irrelevant information, it was unlikely the matter would end well.

"Patriarch Qin, you speak too severely."

A strained smile appeared on Li Mu's face as he looked around at the others and said, "Since everyone has arrived, allow this Humble One to cast a brick to attract jade."

"Sinister Demons are born of coincidence."

"They are generally solitary, feeding on the blood essence of living beings. Now that such monsters have gathered in the county, there must be someone behind them pulling the strings."

"As for their purpose..."

"To be honest, my Li Family scouts have been investigating for half a month and have found nothing."

When Li Mu reached this point, his eyes flashed, and he added, "However, although my Li Family could not uncover information about the mastermind, we did obtain a shocking secret: the County Magistrate's expedition last night to eradicate the source of the chaos is destined to fail."

"Because that was a trap set specifically for the County Magistrate."

"A trap?"

The expressions of everyone present shifted.

Especially those whose families had Internal Strengthening elders following the expedition.

An anxious look appeared on their faces.

"Could your Li Family be mistaken?"

"Furthermore, if even you could find this out, wouldn't that make the experts at the County Office nothing but fools?"

"That is precisely the interesting point."

A meaningful, faint smile curled the corners of Li Mu's mouth. His gaze lingered briefly on Qin Jiu before sweeping across the crowd. "The County Magistrate is aware of this, yet he had no choice but to lead his men out, and could only lead them out."

"The Demons surround the county but do not attack."

"What do you all think is the reason for this?"

"Naturally, it is to force the County Magistrate to act. In fact, according to my Li Family's deductions, the reason the Demons outside the city have yet to make a move is that the two sides have not yet met head-on, or perhaps one side is unwilling to strike just yet. As for which side that is, you should all be able to guess, right?"

"Because once the two sides clash, the Demons outside the city will surely riot instantly."

"And charge into the county in unison."

By the time he finished, his tone was extremely certain.

Han Qingyue frowned deeply and asked, "Why would the Demons attack the county just because they make a move?"

"Why?"

Li Mu was stunned, then shook his head with a cryptic smile. "The County Magistrate's strength is unfathomable, and the one behind the Demons is wary of him; they will not strike rashly—that is the first reason. Secondly, the County Magistrate cares for the common people; at the very least, he is unwilling to let Demons wreak havoc in the county, otherwise, he would not have risked his own life to quell the demonic disaster."

"You guess what will happen once the Demons storm the county."

"What will the County Magistrate do?"

"That is why my Li Family concludes that within a few days, the Demons outside the city will certainly launch an attack on the county. And the day the Demons rise up will also signify that the County Magistrate and his men must engage with the mastermind behind the Demons, and to fight... is to die!"

Li Mu reached this point.

His expression became incomparably solemn.

"This is not merely a wishful deduction by my Li Family, but a shocking secret obtained from Ning'an Prefecture."

"As early as a month ago."

"The Prefecture began withdrawing its troops back within the passes."

"Do you all know what this means? It means the government has already abandoned the lands outside the passes, abandoned this vast prefecture. As for whether it is because of the Demons or other reasons, the Li Family cannot know. But one thing is certain: the one behind the Demons is waiting for the prefectural warriors assisting the County Magistrate to leave."

The final sentence.

Struck the crowd like a thunderbolt.

Qin Jiu's expression also shifted slightly.

Because he recalled the day he activated his Ghost Illumination talent and heard the mention of the Wei Army in the conversation between the County Magistrate and Fu Hanchuan. Combined with the County Magistrate's rigid attitude yesterday, it was clear the latter had been very anxious at the time, otherwise, he would not have hastily led his men out of the city that very night.