Near Chizhou.
The Black Tortoise Cult's uprising had been completely suppressed.
But even with it suppressed, how could the already tottering Chizhou and the nearby cities responsible for disaster relief possibly bear the weight of this upheaval?
The Demon-Suppression Bureau and the Prefectural Office had begun full-scale patrols.
Anyone who dared commit an offense was now dealt with through expedited special proceedings, with heavy punishment, strict enforcement, and swift action.
Still, the displaced refugees had suffered the worst losses.
The grain consumption recently reported by the Prefectural Office handling disaster relief had already fallen considerably.
After very loyally passing the Black Tortoise Cult's orders on to his reliable subordinates, who never left a scrap of anything they ate, Li Zhong promptly grabbed Old Fox and went into hiding.
He had not run around everywhere, though.
Instead, he had chosen to lie low in the place he knew best-the small city where he had once been responsible for stirring up unrest.
First, the situation outside was unclear. Rather than running around blindly, he might as well settle down and see how things unfolded.
If the Black Tortoise Cult succeeded, he could still go back and claim a share of the spoils.
After all, he was only a squad leader. Strictly speaking, he was no core member, so no one would press him on exactly what he had been doing during the unrest.
If things failed... Li Zhong would stay hidden for now, find a suitable opportunity to slip away, and flee somewhere else.
In any case, running around outside was certainly no good option. After all, once the dust had settled, the Black Tortoise Kingdom's sect cultivators had begun sweeping the area.
Li Zhong certainly did not believe that none of the Black Tortoise Cult's underlings had been caught.
Nor would