The clatter of hoofbeats rang urgently through the dark night.
After a wait of nearly half an incense stick, the Wu Family's men finally arrived.
They were slightly later than Chen Shi'an had expected.
Perhaps Chen Shi'an's earlier saber strike had put Wu Dongchuang and the Wu Family's experts on their guard, making them much more cautious along the way.
Wu Dongchuang rode at the front, closely followed by two old men, one in black robes and the other in white.
The dozen or so other Wu Family experts followed behind the two old men.
Wu Dongchuang stopped roughly thirty paces in front of Chen Shi'an. Looking at the Chu Family estate, which had already become a sea of flames, he knitted his brows tightly.
Then he turned his gaze toward Chen Shi'an and said coldly, "Jing Yuan, your Earth Pill Sect has some nerve, daring to strike at a family under our Wu Family's protection!"
Chen Shi'an raised his head slightly and looked Wu Dongchuang straight in the eye. His voice was not quiet, but his response was calm. "I heard that Chu Tianshu of the Chu Family abducted your concubine, Military Judge, and committed an outrage against her.
"After such beastly conduct, how could the Chu Family still claim to regard the Wu Family as its master?
"The Chu Family was a nest of snakes and rats. Anyone had the right to put them to death. Though our Earth Pill Sect is weak, we have both the great ambition and the responsibility to uphold justice.
"I knew that the relationship between your two families made it inconvenient for Military Judge Wu to act, so tonight I volunteered my services and rid our Desolate Suppression City of this scourge.
"My failure to notify Military Judge Wu beforehand left me