Morning arrived the next day.
A rare, heavy snowfall had completely blanketed Qinggang County that morning. Eaves, streets, bare trees-everything in sight lay beneath thick white snow. Whether it had anything to do with the Spiritblood True God's failed descent yesterday was anyone's guess.
But the commotion at the Blood Pool altar last night had already alarmed the entire town. A disturbance that thunderous could hardly have gone unnoticed.
After last night, both the Nine Evil Sect, which bewitched the populace, and the local gentry, who ordinarily lorded it over everyone, had fallen silent overnight.
After the utmost clamor came an even deeper, utter stillness.
The ordinary people of Qinggang County barricaded their doors and windows, hiding inside their homes, afraid even to breathe too loudly.
The vacuum of power had brought this county town, already devastated by the winter disaster, to a complete standstill.
Inside the temporary stronghold at the inn, Yi Yang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. A night of regulating his breathing had restored most of his depleted true qi and Divine Sense.
He opened his eyes. The exhaustion in them vanished, leaving only his customary composure. He had not returned to his original appearance, still wearing the plain-faced disguise of a man in his early forties.
In a place like this, another layer of disguise meant another measure of safety.
Knock, knock.
Just then, someone tapped lightly on the door.
"Come in."
With permission granted, Xu Min pushed the door open and entered. He had yet to change out of his ragged clothes, and soot still stained his face, but his eyes were sharp, without a trace of weariness.
Yi Yang looked at him and asked evenly, "Have you located the lairs of all those factions in town?"
Without wasting words, Xu Min took a