The Turmoil Had Arrived!

Hu Li had no idea how long she had been crying at the entrance to the Martial Academy. She had nearly cried herself dry, and even her sobs had grown hoarse.

At last, she slowly raised her head and carelessly wiped the tear tracks from her face with her sleeve.

She tried to stand, wanting to lift the stretcher by herself and take her younger brother home.

But how could her slender frame bear the weight of a grown man?

The stretcher had barely left the ground before it sank back down. She staggered and nearly fell, looking so wretched that no one could bear to watch.

Just then, someone hurried over, silently bent down, and helped her lift the other end of the stretcher.

"Let me help."

It was Shi Lei.

"Th... thank you..."

Hu Li's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. She could only nod again and again, her eyes reddening once more.

Liu Qingshi walked over and handed her a bag of silver pieces.

Hu Li stared at the bag, overcome with shame.

Her younger brother had betrayed the Martial Academy, yet at their most difficult hour, Liu Qingshi was still willing to help.

Hu Li refused to accept the money, no matter what.

"These are hard times. Take it."

Liu Qingshi sighed softly, glanced at Hu Tian, who lay limp as a puddle of mud, and said quietly, "You'll need to buy quite a lot of medicine from now on."

Hu Li froze for a moment.

She looked down at her unconscious younger brother on the stretcher, then raised her head to look at Liu Qingshi's calm yet weary face.

After a long silence, Hu Li ignored Liu Qingshi's attempts to stop her and knelt down, kowtowing to him several times with loud thumps. She promised again and again that she would repay the money... only then did she take the bag.

In the end, with Shi Lei's help, she carried Hu Tian home.

Anxi County, in a quiet courtyard.

County Magistrate Gao He sat alone on a stone bench, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

His gaze kept drifting toward the study deep in the courtyard, its doors and windows firmly shut. His fingers tapped unconsciously against the stone table, making a faint "tok, tok" sound.

About half an hour later.

Boom!

A muffled roar suddenly came from the direction of the study, like a gale bursting forth, or thunder rolling beneath the earth.

The plants around it shuddered, and fallen leaves flew everywhere.

A moment later, everything fell quiet again.

The study door slowly opened, and a burly figure clad in black armor strode out.

With every step he took, the ground seemed to tremble faintly. A fearsome aura radiated from him, like a ferocious beast roused from sleep.

Seeing him, Gao He immediately stood and bowed his head respectfully. "Commander Wang, have you finished your training?"

The middle-aged man in black armor was none other than Wang Ling, the commander who controlled Anxi County's military forces.

In the Zhou Kingdom, ordinary people always assumed that the county magistrate was the ruler of a county.

In truth, that had changed long ago.

The Zhou Kingdom had nine provinces. Apart from Jing Province, the imperial family had long since lost control of the others.

The current order was one in which the imperial family and the sects ruled the realm together.

Within a county, the county magistrate was merely its nominal head. The ones who truly held the reins of power were the commanders appointed personally by the sects.

And the Azure Sky Sect behind Wang Ling held sway over all eighteen counties in the Prefecture City.

"Mm." Wang Ling strolled over to the stone table and sat down. He looked up at Gao He. "You came in such a hurry. What happened?"

Gao He took a deep breath, his expression grave. "Commander Wang, I just received a secret report—Lushan County... has fallen."

He paused, his voice dropping involuntarily.

"Apparently, things there are... utterly horrific..."

"Fewer than three out of every ten people in the entire county may have survived..."

"It's a tragedy... a true tragedy..."

At this, Wang Ling raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The remnants of the Seven Kill Cult have acted with such utter disregard for human life. Heaven itself will punish them!"

"Commander Wang, the most pressing problem now is that, with Lushan County fallen, we may be their next target... I wonder if you've already..."

Gao He voiced his greatest concern.

"Don't worry. I sent a request for reinforcements to the sect several days ago. Their reply said the reinforcements are already on their way."

Wang Ling said gravely, "By my reckoning, they should arrive within the next day or two."

Hearing this, Gao He looked somewhat relieved at last. He let out a long breath. "Good, good. Since the Azure Sky Sect has sent reinforcements, I can rest easy."

"By the way." Wang Ling changed the subject, his gaze settling on Gao He's face, grave once more. "There's something else you must watch out for."

"Please, go ahead, Commander Wang!"

Gao He answered gravely.

"I also received a secret report. The remnants of the Seven Kill Cult were able to attack Lushan County so easily because they had help from an inside man."

Wang Ling spoke casually.

"An inside man?!"

A look of surprise crossed Gao He's face, but he quickly grew serious. "Rest assured, Commander Wang. I'll investigate thoroughly from now on and make sure Anxi County doesn't suffer the same fate."

"Mm. Handle it as you see fit."

Commander Wang nodded slightly and said nothing more.

The next day, just after daybreak.

News that Lushan County had fallen swept through all of Anxi County like a plague.

Nine out of ten homes stood empty.

Rivers of blood.

A scene of utter carnage.

Every word was like a dull knife, cutting into the heart of everyone who heard the news.

Panic seeped out like an invisible black fog from every street and every crack beneath every door, spreading through every corner of the county.

Inside the Martial Academy, the usually boisterous Martial Practice Field lay deathly still.

The Outer Courtyard disciples had no heart for practice. They huddled together, whispering with frightened faces.

The Inner Courtyard disciples had lost their usual confidence, too. One by one, they furrowed their brows and darted anxious glances around, as if disaster might strike at any moment.

An unprecedented oppression weighed on everyone's hearts.

That afternoon, Liu Qingshi summoned all the disciples and said only a few words.

"Starting today, the Martial Academy is closed. All disciples, return to your homes and be careful."

The disciples gradually dispersed, and the Martial Academy slowly emptied.

Night fell.

Jiang Ye sat cross-legged inside the gatehouse, without lighting a lamp.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance drifted over.

Then came the sound of extremely light footsteps outside the door.

"Elder Jiang."

A cool female voice rang out from outside.

It was Liu Yiyi.

"My father sent me to invite you. There's something important to discuss."

The girl's clear voice rang out again.