Two days later, hundreds of miles away, in Donglai County.
Ji Yunzhang and Wen Shiheng stood side by side in the archery tower atop the city wall, each clutching a secret letter delivered from the Prefectural City by falcon.
Pei Zongyue had written the letters himself. His wording was concise, but the contents were anything but simple:
The Nine Evil Sect's century-old stronghold on Clearwind Ridge had been destroyed.
Five Incense Masters had been slain, including Wu Jiu, the Wu Family patriarch.
Ding Xiang, the former Commander of the Pacification Guard, had been the Nine Evil Sect's Incense Master "Blood Trace."
Deputy Commander Ning Xiong had fallen in the line of duty.
Yi Yang, Commander of the Pacification Guard, had led the operation.
A line in smaller writing had been appended at the end: the Chief Inspector had ordered that all remaining matters concerning the Wu Family be placed under Yi Yang's sole authority.
Ji Yunzhang folded the letter and tucked it into his sleeve.
The Deputy Chief Inspector of the Evil-Breaking Office was around fifty, with a tall, lean frame and a gaunt face. He gazed at the charred battlefield below the walls and remained silent for more than ten breaths before speaking:
"Yi Yang is no ordinary man."
Beside him, Wen Shiheng spoke with a somewhat helpless smile:
"Back at the Grand Celebration tournament, I thought he was merely relying on a Spirit Weapon and saber techniques to gain an edge." Wen Shiheng shook his head. "Who would have thought? We've been away from the Prefectural City for less than a month..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but Ji Yunzhang clearly understood what he meant.
Less than a month after his promotion, Yi Yang had gone from a newly appointed Commander to a man who stirred the winds