What Must Come Will Come

After learning the full story, Zhou Baishan frowned slightly.

Yang Feng and the other three had fled before the battle.

That was no minor offense.

They would not stupidly wait for someone to report them and have them punished.

He glanced at Liu Zheng and the others again, a thought stirring in his mind.

"Looks like you've thought of it too." Zhou Baishan sighed softly.

Zhao Hong shrugged helplessly.

I'm not an idiot. How could I not think of it?

He might have saved those people's lives.

But why were the children of great families considered children of great families?

Was it not because they possessed immense wealth, resources, and numerous powerful experts?

Under threats and bribes,

how many people could withstand it?

"Leave this matter to me."

"Li Tai was secretly summoned here as well, and he's been holding in a bellyful of anger."

"There are also several Golden Bell Guards."

After carefully weighing the matter, Zhou Baishan felt there would not be much of a problem.

The main reason was that this situation was anything but ordinary.

Most people could still be trusted. They had survived life-and-death trials and had nearly been killed by Yang Feng and the others. Did those men really think that offering some benefits to make them change their testimony would let them sleep soundly?

Moreover, it was most appropriate for him to step forward.

Zhao Hong had only just arrived, after all.

"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Zhou." Zhao Hong cupped his fists in salute.

"I'm not doing this just for you."

Zhou Baishan patted Zhao Hong on the shoulder and walked straight toward Liu Zheng and the others.

Before long,

Zhao Hong saw Li Tai walk over as well.

The group gathered and discussed matters in low voices.

With Zhou Baishan handling things, Zhao Hong relaxed somewhat.

"Clean up the battlefield."

"You three, take men and guard the surrounding area."

The Red-Robed Inspector shouted.

The three Golden Bell Guards he pointed out hurriedly led the uninjured Silver Bell Guards and Copper Bell Guards out in all directions.

The rest began clearing the battlefield.

Zhou Baishan soon returned and said quietly, "It's more or less settled."

"Once we return, don't go out. I'll have everyone gather together as well, so those bastards can't pull any tricks."

Zhao Hong nodded slightly.

Two hours later,

everyone gathered at the garrison to rest and recover.

The losses were considerable.

Fortunately, the Red-Robed Inspector had arrived in time.

Only a little over twenty Copper Bell Guards and a dozen or so Silver Bell Guards had been lost.

"A Profound Embryo demon's possessions truly are impressive."

Zhao Hong sorted through his gains in his room.

He had already learned what several kinds of pills left behind by that Profound Embryo demon were.

The five earth-yellow pills were called Profound Earth Pills. Used by Profound Embryo martial artists, they were refined from various precious medicines and the energy of the earth veins, capable of increasing the spirituality and profundity of one's Profound Embryo.

Five of them were worth several thousand taels.

The sole remaining green healing pill was called a Jade Spring Pill.

As for the few pitch-black pills stamped with blood patterns, even Zhou Baishan did not recognize them. He could only guess that they were meant to drive martial artists fused with Evil Skin into madness.

Besides that, there were over two thousand taels in banknotes.

Though more than two thousand taels seemed like a lot, Zhao Hong shook his head inwardly after considering it.

It really was not much.

Now that his cultivation had broken through to the middle stage of Blood Aura and his combat strength truly rivaled a Profound Embryo martial artist,

the resources he needed were extraordinary, no less than those required by a Profound Embryo martial artist.

A single pill or precious herb could easily cost several hundred or even a thousand taels.

"With five Profound Earth Pills and four bottles of precious blood, reaching the peak of Blood Aura shouldn't be a problem."

With his current strength, enduring the medicinal force of the Profound Earth Pills would not be difficult.

With nothing else to do, Zhao Hong took out a jade bottle, carefully poured out a drop of tiger demon precious blood, and entered cultivation.

At the same time,

several people gathered in a room within the garrison.

Yang Feng and the other three were among them.

Besides them, there were Golden Bell Guards Yang Erhe, Chen Chuan, and Wang Dong.

Of Yang Feng's group of four, two were from the Yang Family, one from the Chen Family, and one from the Wang Family.

However, the Chen Family and Wang Family were both minor families in the prefectural city, far inferior to the Yang Family.

After hearing Yang Feng's account, the expressions of the three Golden Bell Guards turned extremely ugly.

"Idiots."

"Trash."

A flash of anger passed through Yang Erhe's eyes.

Fleeing before battle was truly contemptible.

Even though he found Yang Feng unpleasant,

Yang Feng's father still held some standing in the Yang Family.

He had no choice but to protect him.

Chen Chuan and Wang Dong exchanged glances before both looking at Yang Erhe.

"Brother Yang, we have to protect them."

"Otherwise, the reputations of all of us here will be utterly disgraced."

Yang Erhe frowned deeply. "There are too many witnesses, especially Zhou Baishan. That man has also broken through to the Profound Embryo realm. And he was the one who reported the matter of the Evil Skin Cult demons, so he has already caught the attention of those above. The merit he earned this time is no small matter."

"There's also that Zhao Hong. He just entered Blood Aura, yet he can kill a Profound Embryo martial artist. You all saw it clearly outside earlier. He and Zhou Baishan are the main obstacles, and the hardest ones to deal with."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan and Wang Dong's expressions changed at once.

That lord had praised him as "not bad."

He had even caught the Red-Robed Inspector's eye.

This would not be easy to handle.

The atmosphere in the room froze.

Yang Feng's face was deathly pale as he looked pleadingly at Yang Erhe. "Brother Erhe, you have to save me."

"As long as you can save me, everything can be discussed with my father."

A ripple passed through Yang Erhe's eyes.

Yang Feng's father was an Innate expert. His standing in the Yang Family might not be particularly high, but it was far greater than Yang Erhe's.

If he failed to save Yang Feng, there was no guarantee his father would not bear a grudge. But if he did save him, it would be a tremendous favor.

If the charge of fleeing before battle was confirmed, Yang Feng could forget about remaining in the Judge's Office.

He would also be unable to avoid punishment, enough for Yang Feng to remember for the rest of his life.

"I'll do my best."

Yang Erhe nodded slightly at Chen Chuan and Wang Dong.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Hong had already absorbed one bottle of precious blood.

This speed was undoubtedly much slower than taking ordinary pills.

But the power contained within the precious blood was astonishing. The improvement brought by one bottle was comparable to more than a month of arduous cultivation.

During that time,

Zhou Baishan also came by once.

Yang Feng and the others had indeed not been idle.

They were secretly approaching Silver Bell Guards and Copper Bell Guards such as Liu Zheng and Wang Yunshan, hoping to make them change their testimony.

But unfortunately,

Zhou Baishan had long since made preparations. Together with Li Tai and several other Golden Bell Guards, he took the lead in making promises to them.

Furthermore, those men had nearly died, had been humiliated by Yang Feng and the others, and were full of pent-up fury. How could they be so easily swayed?

In addition,

the inspector from the Judge's Office who was coming to assess merit and distribute rewards was already on the road.

At the earliest, he could arrive tomorrow.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll earn at least three major merits."

"With my current strength, I can already be promoted to Golden Bell Guard."

His strength was sufficient.

As for merit, promotion to Golden Bell Guard required three major merits.

Merit could be exchanged for resources and other things.

However, the merit needed for promotion merely had to have been earned; it was not consumed like merit used to exchange for resources.

"Zhao Hong, come out and meet me."

The voice that suddenly came from outside made Zhao Hong's pupils constrict.

That was Yang Erhe?

Why didn't anyone notify me?

Zhao Hong frowned and slowly rose to open the door.

The person outside was indeed Yang Erhe.

Yet apart from him, there was no one else in the courtyard.

Yang Erhe smiled faintly. "No need to look. Everyone else has been called away."

"But what use are a bunch of Silver Bell Guards and Copper Bell Guards here?"

"Would they dare defy a Golden Bell Guard?"

Those who came with goodwill did not speak this way.

Zhao Hong cupped his fists in salute. "May I ask what Lord Yang wants with me?"

Yang Erhe said, "Two of those four are from my Yang Family, while the Chen Family and Wang Family each have one."

"My Yang Family has been established in the prefectural city for several hundred years. We may not be among the very best, but we are still ranked near the forefront. Setting aside the Innate realm, we even have powerful experts in the Radiant Haze and Imperishable realms."

"The Chen Family and Wang Family are much weaker, but they also possess Radiant Haze experts."

"Offending all three of our families at once is not a wise move!"