A Ray of Light Amid the Turmoil

"We're one family. There's no need for such formalities."

"Fellow Daoist, if you really want to thank someone, you should thank Qin Fei. If he hadn't notified me, I couldn't have gotten there so quickly."

Wang Hu answered modestly.

He was now a member of the merchant association himself, after all.

Since joining, he had made money, and the brothers under him no longer had any complaints.

The association had also promised to help him gather the resources needed for Foundation Establishment. What could be more enticing than that?

So after receiving Qin Fei's message, he had rushed over without stopping for a moment.

He knew this was the first time the association had asked him for help, and he meant to do a flawless job.

Qin Fei was delighted to see Wang Hu settling in, but he said little about it and asked about something else instead.

"Brother Tang, has Senior Caiyi been notified that the association is being targeted?"

"Yes. Senior Caiyi already knows, and she's sent two disciples from the Azure Wood Palace to investigate thoroughly and protect us in secret."

Tang Zhan nodded gently and described in detail how he had reported the matter to Senior Caiyi.

The merchant association belonged to Fairy Caiyi, after all, and she took the matter extremely seriously. It was said that both cultivators she had sent were experts at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

When he finished, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

A thief could strike whenever he pleased, but no one could guard against him for a thousand days.

Ever since they had been targeted, they had been under immense pressure. Even when they went out as usual, they had grown suspicious of every shadow, afraid a death-dealing ghost might leap out from somewhere.

"Brother Qin, we've also made preparations to sell the motorcycles. We're just waiting for your stock to arrive.

"The second batch of refugees will be here in another four or five days. That's a huge order-there should be seven or eight hundred thousand Rogue Cultivators.

"Once they arrive, we're planning to ride the motorcycles around to advertise them and open those country bumpkins' eyes."

Tiezhu excitedly described their plan.

"Did you come up with that?"

"Hehe, I'm not that clever. It was Brother Zhan and Meiniang's idea."

Understanding dawned on Qin Fei's face. Under normal circumstances, the advertising plan was quite good.

It would attract a little too much attention, but the association had already been marked for death on the Yama Pendant. Why should they care about that?

If they were going to do it, they might as well go big.

With Senior Caiyi backing them, most people really wouldn't dare do anything to them anyway.

But that was only under normal circumstances. At present, there was a problem.

Qin Fei pondered for a moment, then warned them:

"Judging by the timing, those refugees will arrive not long before or after the barbarians' next border raid. The two may happen at once, which could spell trouble."

At his words, everyone realized how serious the problem was.

Those seven or eight hundred thousand Rogue Cultivators were all fleeing back from defeat at Qinghe Market.

They were already birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. If the barbarians attacked them again, the scene would be as chaotic as could be.

If the chaos happened somewhere else, that would be one thing; it would have nothing to do with Qin Fei and the others.

But this was the outer city, where pulling one hair moved the whole body. No one could hope to stay out of it.

Under those circumstances, keeping themselves safe would be achievement enough, let alone advertising their products.

"Then what should we do? Put the plan on hold for now?"

Qin Fei didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Tang Zhan.

"Brother Tang, is there any news about the three sects joining forces against the Barbarian Tribe?"

"I've heard they've made some headway, but I'm only an inner disciple. I don't know the details."

Qin Fei fell into thought at his answer.

"At this point, all we can do is wait and see."

They chatted for a while longer before going their separate ways. As they were leaving, however, Old Zhang spoke up of his own accord:

"With what little strength I have, I'm afraid I won't survive out there. Does the association have a spare room where this old man can stay?"

"Of course!"

Tiezhu and the others were overjoyed. They had invited Old Zhang to join them long ago, but he had always refused. Now he had finally come around.

"What about you, Brother Qin?"

Tiezhu asked with concern. They all lived at the association now; only Qin Fei and Wang Hu lived elsewhere.

Wang Hu was a great cultivator at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, so naturally there was no need to worry about him.

But Qin Fei was only at the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer, and they really couldn't put their minds at ease about him.

"Brother Qin, why don't you come with us too? There are still plenty of empty rooms at the association."

Tang Zhan and his wife Xu Meiniang also tried to persuade him.

Qin Fei was somewhat tempted, but after thinking it over, he shook his head.

"I have my own plans. You don't need to worry."

He had too many secrets. He really couldn't let everyone see them.

There were too many eyes and ears at the association. If anything were to leak out, it would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Seeing how determined he was, they couldn't very well press him further.

They only told him to contact them by voice transmission talisman at the first sign of danger. They would definitely come to his aid as fast as they could.

Two days later.

The inner city's defensive array suddenly activated.

A vast dome of light rose from the four corners of the inner city, blotting out the sky and covering the entire city.

Everyone who had lived through a border raid knew what it meant: the barbarians were coming.

The refugees' advance party had already arrived. Those who kept to themselves had settled around the outer city's perimeter.

Those who didn't, however, had gone farther in and begun seizing territory.

Everyone knew that the farther in they were, the safer they would be. Those on the outside would be the barbarians' first targets.

"Brother Qin, these Rogue Cultivators from outside have gone too far."

Tiezhu stood beside Qin Fei, panting as he spoke.

He had been worried about Qin Fei and had come to help. In just half a day, the two of them had already beaten back three groups of cultivators trying to seize houses.

The association had also come under attack, even more fiercely than here.

With two great late-stage cultivators, Wang Hu and Tang Zhan, holding the fort, however, they were handling it with ease.

"It's fine. If a bone is too tough to gnaw through, they won't force it."

Qin Fei was quite calm. After the attack last time, he had gained a rough understanding of his own strength.

With the Black Tortoise Breath-Concealing Array and Tiezhu's help, he could deal with most enemies.

"Hmph, a bunch of cowards who only dare fight among themselves. Why haven't I seen them lift a finger against the barbarians?"

Tiezhu was indignant, his eyes full of disdain.

He looked down on these people.

Qin Fei, however, sighed softly, a trace of helplessness on his face.

The human race had been in decline for a long time, and nowhere was it felt more keenly than on the border.

The cultivators here had long since grown accustomed to the barbarians' strength; servility had taken root in their hearts.

They would rather attack human cultivators at the same realm than dare turn their blades on barbarians weaker than themselves.

The major powers on the border also lived cautiously under the Barbarian Tribe's oppressive might.

They dared not resist, for fear of angering the other side and suffering the same fate as Qinghe Market.

The backbone of the human race had long since bent.

Lately, however, Qin Fei had begun to feel that this border raid would be different.

From the three great immortal sects discussing cooperation against the barbarians to the Lin Household taking the initiative to recruit the Lu Household, these events seemed unrelated, but perhaps they weren't so simple.

The situation on the border might change.

In the blink of an eye, the turmoil brought by the Rogue Cultivators from outside had continued for two days.

The outer city was engulfed in thick smoke and raging flames. Broken walls and ruins lay everywhere, and wails and screams rang out without end.

Yet even under these circumstances, the Lin Household never intervened.

The main body of refugees from Qinghe Market finally arrived. Seven or eight hundred thousand Rogue Cultivators poured into Shangyu Market like a swarm of locusts.

Chaos piled upon chaos!

A carnival for Bandit Cultivators!

Then a deep horn sounded, and everyone panicked.

It was the Barbarian Tribe's charge horn, a sign that the slaughter was about to begin.

Barbarians covering the mountains and plains came charging in a vast tide, riding exotic beasts.

They meant to show the human race that the dignity of the strong could not be challenged.

A counterattack like the one at Qinghe Market could not be allowed to happen again.

The refugees cried out to heaven and earth. Some fled in all directions, while others stood frozen in place, all of them plunged into despair.

Just then, something happened that took everyone by surprise.

It was like a ray of light long buried away, shining on their faces.

The enormous dome of light covering the inner city suddenly vanished, and countless cultivators riding flying Law Artifacts shot out.

At their head were six middle-aged cultivators with an otherworldly bearing, each radiating a terrifying presence.

Six Foundation Establishment cultivators!

The Lin Household's ancestor stepped forward, drew the sword at his waist, and thrust it forcefully ahead.

His voice rang out like a decree from a heavenly immortal, reaching every corner:

"Sweep away the barbarian hordes and protect our human race!"