Calm Restored! Life and Death! Sobbing!

Moonlight spilled like water over the wilderness that had just witnessed a life-and-de-death struggle.

"Old sir, if you don't think watching over the Medicine Garden is suitable for you, there are other..."

Seeing the old man suddenly freeze before her, Wen Yueyao assumed he looked down on such an idle post and was about to suggest other duties.

"No, no!"

Jiang Ye waved his hands repeatedly. A rare smile appeared on his stern face, bunching his wrinkles together. "An idle post is good! At my age, this sort of easy work is just right for me. Give me anything else, and these old bones of mine won't be able to take it!"

"I'm glad you're willing, old sir." Wen Yueyao breathed a sigh of relief, her face breaking into a sincere smile.

She continued, "Although this kind of easy post doesn't earn much contribution each month, don't worry. Once you've settled into the sect, I'll transfer some of my contribution to you so you can save enough to exchange for the Qi Nourishing Method as soon as possible."

"Then I must thank you, young lady."

Jiang Ye smiled broadly and bowed to her solemnly.

"Old sir, please don't say that." Wen Yueyao's expression turned solemn, too. She spoke each word deliberately: "Compared to the life-saving favor you did me today, this little thing is nothing."

She meant every word. There wasn't a hint of insincerity in her voice.

To Wen Yueyao, Jiang Ye had done far more than simply save her life. If he hadn't stepped in when he did...

She might already have become Black Old Five's plaything, at his mercy.

She didn't dare think any further.

Just the image flashing through her mind made her shudder, as though she had fallen into an ice cave.

Only now did she truly understand the meaning of the words "worse than death."

She steadied herself, took an iron token from her robes, and handed it to Jiang Ye.

The token still carried the warmth of a young woman's body, and a faint, delicate fragrance lingered around it.

In the moonlight, the graceful character "Wen" was visible on the front, while three bold characters—"Azure Sky Sect"—were engraved on the back.

"Old sir, I still have an important matter to take care of, so I won't be able to return to the sect for a few days," Wen Yueyao explained. "This is my True Disciple Token. Keep it for now."

"You can head to Prefecture City first. Once you reach the Azure Sky Sect's mountain gate, show them the True Disciple Token, and someone will arrange a place for you to stay."

"When I return, I'll arrange a steward's position for you."

Jiang Ye took the token. It felt heavy in his hand, clearly made of no ordinary material.

He examined it carefully, then tucked it into his clothes, close to his body.

"All right, then I'll follow your arrangements and be on my way." He raised his head to look at Wen Yueyao and said in a deep voice:

"Be careful on the road!"

He wasn't a nosy person and didn't ask what else Wen Yueyao needed to do.

Since she was determined to see it through even in such a battered state, it must be extremely important.

There was no point in asking, so he kept quiet.

"You take care on the road, too, old sir." Wen Yueyao nodded slightly to Jiang Ye, her face blooming into a bright, open smile. "I'll see you at the Azure Sky Sect!"

Both of them were decisive people. Neither offered unnecessary pleasantries or small talk.

After saying their goodbyes, they turned and headed off in opposite directions.

Jiang Ye headed toward the Su Family's group.

He needed to catch up with them as quickly as possible and protect Liu Qingshi's family from the shadows.

Wen Yueyao headed toward Anxi County.

The moonlight stretched their shadows long: one going east, the other west. In the end, both disappeared into the vast night.

In Anxi County.

Deep inside a secluded house.

Candlelight flickered, casting mottled shadows from the objects in the room.

A man in black robes stood motionless by the window. Dark energy faintly swirled around him, writhing like a living thing.

The black energy hid his face, revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as ancient wells.

In his hand, he held a fist-sized crystal ball. A thread of dark-red blood floated inside it, slowly drifting as if searching for something.

After a long while, the blood thread stopped moving.

The Black-Robed Man shook his head slightly. His voice was hoarse and calm, as if speaking to himself.

"The blood sacrifice is complete, yet there's still no sign. It seems the secret cache isn't here either."

A moment later.

The sound of wind came from afar. Sensing something, the Black-Robed Man put away the crystal ball.

Before long, an old man with half-white hair and a long, narrow scar across his face swept into the room like a breeze.

His name was White Old Three. He was the very man who had sneaked into the Zhang Family's home at night and coerced Zhang He into acting as an inside agent.

Now, blood stained the corner of his mouth, his breathing was ragged, and he panted heavily. He had clearly been badly injured.

"Exalted Envoy, those brats from the Azure Sky Sect arrived very quickly."

White Old Three reported to the Black-Robed Man with a respectful expression.

"Since they've arrived, let's go."

The Black-Robed Man spoke without a hint of concern.

"Go?" White Old Three jerked his head up, disbelief flashing through his eyes. "Exalted Envoy, aren't we going to kill all those brats? With your strength..."

Before he could finish, a cold gaze fell upon him.

It wasn't especially fierce, yet it made his blood seem to freeze in his veins.

"Killing those little fish means nothing to me."

The Black-Robed Man let out a contemptuous laugh. His deep-set eyes fixed on White Old Three. "And since when do you get to question what I say? Don't tell me you really think you're one of the Seven Kill Cult."

"Glk..."

Under the Black-Robed Man's eerie gaze, the murderous White Old Three felt as if he had fallen into an ice pit. His hair stood on end, and he swallowed hard, unable to hide his fear.

He didn't dare look again and instinctively lowered his head.

Only after a long while did he force down his fear and raise his head with a tremble.

But the Black-Robed Man was already gone.

The atmosphere inside the county magistrate's residence was so tense it seemed the air might drip.

County magistrate Gao He sat uneasily in the guest seat, fidgeting as if needles were pricking his backside.

Every so often, he stole a glance at the young man in the main seat. With each glance, his anxiety grew.

The man wore the blue-green robes of a sect. He had handsome, refined features and looked no older than twenty.

Yet the noble arrogance between his brows left no room for anyone to underestimate him.

More astonishing still, his body seemed like a furnace, faintly radiating a fiery aura.

Even from half a meter away, Gao He could feel its scorching heat.

This man was none other than Zheng Feng, a True Disciple of Heavenly Sun Peak in the Azure Sky Sect.

"With Zheng True Disciple here, the unrest in Anxi County should be quelled very soon."

Gao He smiled obsequiously and ventured to speak, hoping to break the suffocating silence.

But Zheng Feng merely glanced at him and showed no intention of replying.

Just then, two disciples in Azure Sky Sect robes strode into the hall.

One of them was carrying a man as if he were a dead dog, and casually tossed him onto the ground.

"Senior Brother Zheng, we've found out why Anxi County's gates were breached so quickly. This man was the inside agent."

"When we found him, he was packing up to flee. We broke both his legs on the spot."

The man thrown to the ground was Zhang He, the head of the Zhang Family.

"Hah... hah..."

He had none of the bearing of a wealthy clan head now. His hair was disheveled, both legs were broken, and he panted in pain like a dying stray dog.

"Zhang He, you were the inside agent?!"

Gao He stared at Zhang He, who looked like a dead dog on the ground, and cried out in disbelief.

He had known there must be an inside agent in the county, but he had never imagined it would be the Zhang Family—the clan that had held sway in Anxi County for generations and had countless ties to the other families.

Zhang He struggled to raise his head. He looked at Gao He, then at the young man seated in the main seat. Beyond the fear and hatred in his eyes, there was also a trace of sorrow.

From the moment he agreed to act as an inside agent, he had known a day like this would come.

He just hadn't expected it to come so soon.

As he thought back over his life of endless misdeeds, a terrible thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Could this really be retribution?

Otherwise, with so many wealthy clans in the county, why hadn't those demons from the Seven Kill Cult chosen anyone else? Why had they picked him?

"Senior Brother Zheng, what should we do with him?"

One of the disciples looked toward Zheng Feng.

"What do you think?"

Zheng Feng finally spoke.

He stood up and took a single step, arriving before Zhang He.

The scorching aura around him suddenly surged, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

He raised his hand and brought it down lightly.

Boom!

A wave of searing heat burst through the hall.

The scorching air forced Gao He to stumble backward, nearly making him fall.

The two Azure Sky Sect disciples remained motionless, merely narrowing their eyes slightly.

"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream rang out as Zhang He became a living torch in an instant.

Crimson flames sprang from every inch of his skin, licking at his flesh, bones, and internal organs.

He struggled frantically, rolling across the ground. With both legs broken, he could only writhe and convulse, like a worm being burned alive.

His screams grew louder and sharper until, at last, they abruptly stopped.

The flames died out.

Only a charred mass, curled into a grotesque shape, remained on the ground, wisps of smoke still rising from it.

A charred stench spread through the air.

The corner of Gao He's eye twitched sharply twice. Seeing this old acquaintance truly become a "cooked acquaintance," he couldn't help sighing to himself.

"His family." Zheng Feng turned around, his voice as flat as if he were giving an ordinary instruction. "Leave not a single one alive!"

"Yes!" Gao He immediately bowed in reply, cold sweat pouring down his temples. "Rest assured, Zheng True Disciple. I'll see this through and make sure not a single one escapes!"

After tonight, the Zhang Family would no longer exist in Anxi County.

It wasn't until the sky began to brighten that the unrest in Anxi County gradually settled.

When the shouts of killing and screams slowly faded, the sounds heard across the county were mostly those of ordinary people weeping.

Although the Azure Sky Sect disciples had arrived in time to help, that night's turmoil had still torn countless families apart.

Countless people had lost their loved ones forever.

All the weeping seemed to lament the chaos and unrest of this world.

A figure stumbled as he ran and arrived at the entrance to the Bluestone Martial Academy.

It was none other than Shi Lei.

Last night, he and his mother had hidden in the cellar at home, listening to the shouts of killing, screams, and footsteps outside as they struggled through the entire night.

Only when dawn began to break and the noise outside gradually died down did he dare climb out.

The first thing he did was rush to the Martial Academy.

"I hope Master Liu and Old Man Jiang are both safe."

Shi Lei looked at the normally sturdy gates of the Martial Academy, now toppled to the ground, and felt his heart clench.

One was the master who had taught him; the other was the elder who had inspired him to revive his martial path.

He didn't want anything to happen to either of them.

He took a deep breath, stepped over the fallen gate, and entered the disordered courtyard.

On the Martial Practice Field, wooden training dummies lay toppled in every direction.

In the corridors, odds and ends were scattered across the floor.

Several doors stood wide open, their rooms ransacked and in disarray.

But, thankfully, he saw no corpses.

The stone that had hung over his heart all night finally sank a little.

Just then.

"Junior Brother Shi."

A voice called from behind him.

Shi Lei turned around and saw Zhao Gang, the Martial Academy's senior-most disciple, stumbling into the courtyard.

He had several wounds, and his clothes were stained with blood. Fortunately, none of the injuries were fatal, though his face was a little pale.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you're hurt!"

Shi Lei hurried over to support him.

"Just a small injury. It's nothing." Zhao Gang grinned, relief at having survived the ordeal showing through. "With things the way they were last night, just staying alive was lucky enough."

"That's true."

Shi Lei nodded firmly.

The two looked at each other, and saw the same feeling in each other's eyes—being alive was wonderful.

"Junior Brother Shi, the hall master and the others..." Zhao Gang paused, then said softly, "They went to Prefecture City."

"They went to Prefecture City?!"

Shi Lei was slightly taken aback.

"Before the hall master left, he told me that if fate allowed, we would meet again."

Zhao Gang gazed into the distance and said solemnly, "Once I break through to Transformation Strength, I'm going to Prefecture City too!"

Shi Lei followed Zhao Gang's gaze, a determined look appearing on his face. "Senior Brother Zhao, let's work hard together!"

Meanwhile, in the wilderness.

Jiang Ye finally caught up with the Su Family's party.