Return to Li City

"Ah!"

Liu Qiaolian was stunned, not expecting Xia Daoming to proactively offer to avenge her.

"This servant thanks master for his great kindness, this servant..."

After a while, Liu Qiaolian suddenly dismounted, knelt on the ground, and choked back tears, not knowing what words of gratitude to express.

"You silly woman, what are you doing? You are Master's Lian'er. If I didn't have the ability to avenge your great enemy, I wouldn't mention it. Now that I do, how can I ignore it?" Seeing this, Xia Daoming quickly dismounted, helped Liu Qiaolian up, and pulled her into his arms.

That day, the two couldn't reach the next market town before dark and had to spend the night in the wilderness.

That night, Liu Qiaolian proactively asked Xia Daoming to play cards wildly.

It seemed that besides this method, Liu Qiaolian didn't know how to repay this man's kindness or express her deep feelings for him.

Time quickly passed another half a month.

During this half-month, Xia Daoming noticeably slowed down his pace in purchasing new pills, focusing his energy mainly on acquiring potent medicines.

Because under normal circumstances, in a little over ten days, they would arrive at the prefectural capital of Mangzhou, which was also the largest and most prosperous city in Mangzhou—Yuan Cang City.

It was rumored that Yuan Cang City had several Martial Dao Grandmasters stationed there.

The medicinal herbs and pills sold there would definitely not be comparable to those in other cities.

Xia Daoming intended to save his money to use in Yuan Cang City.

One day, the two stood on a small hill, looking down at the winding road below, where groups of people moved like winding snakes, advancing slowly.

They carried large bags and supported each other as they moved. The crying of children, the shouting of adults, the neighing of horses, and the creaking of cartwheels rose and fell in succession.

It was a scene of fleeing refugees.

"Master, something is not right. Logically speaking, the closer we get to the prefectural capital, the denser the population should be, and the fewer refugees there should be.

But in the last few days, many fields in the areas we passed through have been abandoned, many houses are empty, and the number of refugees we've encountered is also increasing.

The situation today is even more unusual. Why are there so many people fleeing? Could there be some kind of battle?" Liu Qiaolian asked, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

"Indeed, something is not right. Let's go down and inquire," Xia Daoming nodded and urged his horse down the hill.

After some inquiries, Xia Daoming stood by the roadside, watching the fleeing crowd gradually disappear into the distance, his brows tightly knit, his expression somewhat grim.

This group of refugees came from the same place, Xin Family Village outside Yuan Cang City.

The village chief of Xin Family Village told him that Emperor Jian of Great Liang intended to weaken the feudal lords, which had led to rebellions by various princes.

Currently, Yan Yanfeng, the Great General under the King of Lingzhou, was leading troops to surround Yuan Cang City and was expected to launch an attack soon.

Outside the city, Yan Yanfeng's troops were conscripting men and engaging in looting and violence.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, the village chief of Xin Family Village decisively relocated his entire clan to the northwest.

That area was close to the Vast Mountain Range, with harsh environments, being far from the emperor's reach, and relatively poor in resources. The King of Lingzhou's army was unlikely to attack there, and even if they did, it wouldn't be so soon.

"Master, what do we do now?" Liu Qiaolian asked.

"Let's turn back!" Xia Daoming said helplessly.

With tens of thousands of troops clashing, let alone him, even a Martial Dao Grandmaster would be overwhelmed.

Not to mention, there would surely be powerful Martial Masters in the army, and the formidable soldiers and generals in the army were honed through battlefield combat, completely different from pampered young masters like Shi Yingdeng.

The journey back was much faster than the journey there.

The news of the King of Lingzhou's rebellion and the army attacking the prefectural capital had gradually spread.

Along the way, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian clearly felt that the atmosphere in the cities they passed was different from when they had arrived.

The people were in a state of panic, as if an invisible aura of malevolence loomed over the cities.

Bandits outside the city and gang forces within took the opportunity to loot and cause chaos.

The situation became even more chaotic.

Refugees and corpses were visible everywhere in the outskirts.

Houses and fields were abandoned in large swathes.

Along the way, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian encountered more robbers than on their way there.

This situation only began to improve as the two gradually moved away from the southeastern region.

The southern part of Mangzhou Prefecture was mountainous. The closer they got to the main artery of the Vast Mountain Range, the more numerous the mountains and the harsher the environment became.

The mountain roads were difficult to travel, and information was scarce.

News of the rebel army attacking the prefectural capital had not yet reached them quickly. Moreover, even if it did, judging from past war situations, the rebels would likely not be in a hurry to occupy remote cities near the Vast Mountain Range.

On their return journey, feeling the urgency of the war, Xia Daoming began to take potent medicines.

The medicinal effects of the 300-year-old Blazing Qilin Ginseng were indeed fierce. As the medicinal power surged and clashed within his meridians, even Xia Daoming, with his powerful meridians, felt a slight tearing pain.

However, the effect was also extremely significant.

Before taking the medicine, his third-level meridian reinforcement progress was at thirty-eight percent.

After taking a small portion each day for five days, consuming the three-hundred-year Blazing Qilin Ginseng, he had reached fifty percent of the fourth level of meridian strengthening.

The equivalent of one three-hundred-year Blazing Qilin Ginseng had helped him complete a level of meridian strengthening, with some left over.

On his journey back, he continued to consume the remaining potent medicines.

The hundred-year Ice-Cold Purple Ganoderma, the three-hundred-and-sixty-year Blazing Qilin Ginseng, and the three-hundred-year Crimson Flame Ganoderma were all consumed one by one by Xia Daoming.

It could be said that the later Blazing Qilin Ginseng was older and its medicinal potency was stronger. The medicinal potency of the three-hundred-year Crimson Flame Ganoderma was even stronger than the later Blazing Qilin Ginseng. However, the higher the level of meridian strengthening, the greater the requirements.

When Xia Daoming saw Li City a month later, his meridian strengthening progress in the Sixth-Rank realm finally stopped at ninety percent of the sixth level.

After three and a half months of travel, apart from the regret of not being able to reach the prefectural city, Xia Daoming was satisfied with everything else.

The significant change in his strength was what satisfied Xia Daoming the most.

He was now confident he could defeat a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master by a full level.

Even against an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master, if they had only recently advanced or were older, he was confident he could put up a fight.

The sun was setting, the afterglow like blood.

Three and a half months later, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian returned to Li City.

Before even entering the city gates, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian noticed that the atmosphere in Li City was somewhat different.

The official road outside the city was sparsely populated, and those who were there hurried along.

Occasionally, yamen runners were seen pulling carts filled with corpses out of the city, as if they were hauling goods.

A considerable number of those corpses bore the marks of fighting and killing.

Upon entering Li City, Xia Daoming and Liu Qiaolian found the atmosphere to be even more unsettling.

Previously, with the Xu Family and the three major powers in charge, the city was much more stable and orderly than the areas outside.

But upon their return this time, Xia Daoming noticed a significant increase in street gangs fighting over territory.

During his short journey to the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School, he encountered three group brawls.

However, the participants in the fights were mostly ordinary people, with the strongest being only Second or Third-Rank Martial Masters.

Not long after, the two arrived outside the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School.

The vermilion main gate of the martial arts school was actually shut.

Xia Daoming glanced back at the blood-red afterglow of the sun, which had not yet set, and his expression couldn't help but sink slightly.

It was still far from the time the martial arts school usually closed.

Xia Daoming took off his straw hat, stepped forward, grabbed the bronze knocker, and struck it heavily a few times.

"Creak!"

After a while, a young man in tight-fitting clothes opened the door.

"It's Instructor Xia!" Seeing that it was Xia Daoming, the young man clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Little Wei, why did you close so early today? Where is Instructor Yuchi?" Xia Daoming asked.

"They're all in the inner courtyard. The Pavilion Master is currently convening them for a meeting," the young man replied.

Xia Daoming secretly breathed a sigh of relief at this.

As long as his master and the others were still here, it was fine.

As for what they were discussing, Xia Daoming couldn't spare much thought at the moment.

"Qian'er, you wait in the front courtyard first. I'm going to the inner courtyard," Xia Daoming said, turning to instruct Liu Qiaolian.

"Yes, Master!" Liu Qiaolian curtsied and accepted the order.

"Little Wei, this Miss Liu is my person. Please entertain her for me," Xia Daoming added, specifically instructing Little Wei before leaving.

"Yes, Instructor Xia," Little Wei quickly responded and then led Liu Qiaolian towards the reception hall in the outer courtyard.

As Liu Qiaolian entered the reception hall and removed her straw hat, her delicate and alluring face was revealed, causing Little Wei to be momentarily stunned. He secretly admired how well Instructor Xia knew how to enjoy himself.

Xia He and the other three were already quite lovely, and he hadn't expected that Xia Daoming would have such a stunning beauty by his side.

Inner courtyard, assembly hall.

Liang Jingtang sat in the uppermost seat, with Yuchi Xiao, Zhuo Xingji, Jiao Yongbao, and Liu Xiaoqiang seated on his left and right sides respectively.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive.

"Master, you are old, and going alone is definitely not an option. If a disciple accompanies you, at least there will be someone to look after you," Yuchi Xiao said.

"I am old. Even if I escape this calamity, how many more years can I live? Now that Gu Ren can no longer be relied upon, this Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School depends on you. If you go and something happens, the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School will be completely without successors!" Liang Jingtang said.

"Master is right. This Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School will rely on Senior Brother in the future. I will accompany Master on this trip," Zhuo Xingji said after a long hesitation, gritting his teeth.

"No, your Zhuo family has a large business, and many mouths still depend on you. Moreover, you just had a gifted son the year before last. How could I bear to have you risk yourselves with me at my age!" Liang Jingtang waved his hand without thinking.

"It should be me, your disciple!"

As soon as Liang Jingtang finished speaking, Jiao Yongbao and Liu Xiaoqiang spoke almost simultaneously.

"Your strength is insufficient. The danger would be too great, and it would only distract me. Enough, none of you need to say anything more. I will go to the Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School alone!" Liang Jingtang slammed the table, his words leaving no room for argument.

Yuchi Xiao and the other three looked anxious and worried, yet they were at a loss.

"Where is Master going?" At that moment, a young voice sounded from outside the conference hall.

PS: I suddenly realized that the monthly ticket rankings are recalculated at the beginning of a new month. Although it hasn't been officially published yet, I still implore your support for monthly tickets to strive for a good ranking and attract more readers. Additionally, with everyone's strong support, this book has reached third place on the Xianxia New Book Signing list in the first round of trial recommendations. The two books ahead of me were released half a month earlier, so there's a good chance of reaching first place in the future. Let's go!

Today's update is complete.