Chapter 156: A person may fall, but the heart must not
As word spread that the West Depot Eunuch had led his men to suppress Snowmoon City, then gone to Shaolin Temple, killed hundreds of monks, and emerged alive from a battle with Shaolin's Heavenly Being, the entire Jianghu of southern Ming lowered its banners and stilled its drums. No one dared oppose the Imperial Court again.
Not only did crime among the common people fall sharply, but the Jianghu was also affected. The Imperial Court's prestige was unrivaled for a time.
Even so, the Imperial Court had no intention of stopping there.
The Depot Guards of the Eastern and Western Depots and the Embroidered Uniform Guard came knocking at the doors of factions that had opposed the Imperial Court or committed crimes. Those who deserved arrest were arrested, and those who deserved death were killed, without the slightest mercy.
For a time, another storm of blood and carnage swept across the south.
Meanwhile.
On an official road several miles outside the Capital, a procession of roughly a thousand people was slowly making its way toward the city.
The Depot Guards of the Eastern and Western Depots mostly wore Python Robes and Bullfighting Uniforms, while the Embroidered Uniform Guards all wore Flying Fish Uniforms. Every man possessed powerful blood and qi and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. Their hands rested constantly on the scabbards at their waists, ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice. Orderly and solemn, they made an impressive sight.
Inside a sedan chair guarded at the center of the many Depot Guards and Embroidered Uniform Guards, Yu Huatian had changed into a fresh Python Robe. He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, circulating his energy to heal his injuries.
Nearly all the Chief