Yunlin County, eighty li outside the city.
A group of people rode hard, spurring their horses toward the city.
At their head were two men and a woman, all young.
They all wore uniforms of the same design: white martial attire patterned with flames.
"Senior Brother Bai Qing, what do you think the Blood Demon Sect is doing in some tiny county town?"
The woman with a high ponytail, an oval face, and faint freckles asked the leading man.
The man called Bai Qing had his long hair tied back, refined features, and a faint smile on his face.
He did not turn around, merely answering in a somewhat magnetic voice.
"Junior Sister Yu Xin, the intentions of a demonic sect are not something we can casually speculate about, but we certainly cannot leave them unchecked."
"Who cares! What formidable figures could possibly be stirring up trouble in a county town? Let's deal with them quickly and return to the sect."
The other man had long hair draped down both sides of his face, a high nose bridge, and an air of arrogance.
His tone was somewhat impatient. Clearly, he was not particularly satisfied with the sect's arrangements.
"Hehe, Junior Brother Qingshan is not wrong. The three of us are all Pill Embrace Realm martial artists.
"With the Great Xia Guard cooperating with us, this operation should be without incident and proceed smoothly."
Bai Qing spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, equally confident in their group.
Yunlin County's commandant, Zhang Ming, had suffered qi deviation and gone to Skycloud Prefecture for treatment. After several months of treatment, he had awakened three days ago.
The first words he spoke upon waking were, "The Blood Demon Sect has appeared in Yunlin County. He Miao is a spy."
Zhang Ming had once been a