"Huanggu Pavilion?" Qiu Ming frowned, "Within the borders of our country, there should only be branch temples. The strongest of this organization’s main temple seem to be Liang Shaoyi and Chen Xian, each practicing Tianpeng Blood Purple Art and Jade Spring Ascension Art respectively, both considered two-seal experts, not much different from us. They are rumored to be disciples of the Void Heng Boxing Institute which was mysteriously destroyed ninety years ago. Not easy to deal with..."
"The key point is the Huanggu Pavilion’s branch temples in our country have now pledged allegiance to the enemy nation, and your visit this ti might not end well," Yun Song added.
"In that case, I’ll accompany you," Qiu Ming said bluntly. "Tiancan Yunshan, you return and cooperate with Du Her defending the city, waiting for our teacher."
"Okay!"
"Alright."
Both nodded in agreent.
Although Tiancan greatly disliked Yun Song, compared to Li Chengyi, at this mont, he felt that Yun Song was perhaps not so detestable.
They could understand Qiu Ming’s thoughts too. A person with such a formidable talent as Wang Yichen, native to their city and from a good family—if anything happened to him on the way, it would be an enormous loss for Quling Mansion.
"So be it, thank you, Lord Qiu Ming!" Li Chengyi’s mind whirred, and in an instant, he also understood the other party’s intentions.
"There’s no ti to lose, shall we leave now?" Qiu Ming looked at Li Chengyi.
"Yes!"
Woosh!
In an instant, the two transford into shadows and disappeared into the distant plains.
Leaving only Tiancan and Yun Song.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Yun Song, even though wearing a porcelain jar over his head, seed as though he could see the miserable state of Tiancan.
"What are you clucking for! What, you think you could win if you fought?" Tiancan couldn’t help but burst into anger.
"No... I never intended to fight him in the first place," Yun Song laughed.
The two had been in open and secret competition for years, and this was the first ti he had seen Tiancan, the brainless, suffer such a big loss.
But in the end, their struggles were their struggles, all for the sake of their subordinates’ interests.
Actually, everyone under Yin God, all martial practitioners, whether from the Blood Essence Family or True Qi Martial Practitioners, all appeared as re reptiles in their eyes.
The lives and deaths of these people were like a ga.
Their subordinates’ interest groups fought to the death, but in the end, they might dine together, and with a laugh, all grievances would be forgiven, reverting to brotherly harmony among disciples.
As for those who defected under their command, dying was dying in vain.
Their grudges were lightly settled by the changing emotions between the two n.
Inside Quling Mansion, there were people who saw this truth clearly and chose to retire. But many more, even knowing the reasons, still desperately leaned in closer.
The Ouyang Family was exactly like this.
*
*
*
It took Li Chengyi more than a day to travel from Quling Mansion to Xinng Town originally.
But now...
In just half a day, he and Qiu Ming arrived at what used to be Xinng Town, which was also the first place he had stayed when he first ca here.
The cold wind blew across the town, and from a distance on Xinng Town’s not-so-large city walls, nurous gaps and destructions could be seen, being repaired by the laborers with so kind of black mud.
Rows of fully-ard patrols were constantly circling the town.
Among them, Li Chengyi also saw his forr subordinates from the county.
Clearly, these people had been sent here temporarily from Cangshi County to provide support.
He had no ti to greet them, maintaining his speed, leaping straight up, turning into an ash shadow, jumping over the city wall, and rushing towards the direction of the Wang Family.
In a few blinks, he had already arrived silently in front of the courtyard gate of the Wang Family, his body swiftly solidifying, standing still, looking at the dilapidated gate before him.
Woosh.
Qiu Ming materialized beside him.
"Is this your ho?"
"Mhm..." Li Chengyi nodded, stepped forward, and pushed the door to enter.
The courtyard gate was not locked at all. In Xinng Town now, almost every household hung a white silk banner; so families simply had been wiped out, nothing left.
The day Huanggu Pavilion breached the town walls, too many had died or were injured.
So much so that even bandits and thieves from around dared not co near, fearing that the Blood Creatures in the wilderness might attack again.
In the courtyard, stone slabs were shattered, with so areas turned over, revealing the black soil beneath.
Half of the houses had collapsed, cold and desolate, utterly lifeless.
Li Chengyi could not sense the presence of Wang Yiheng in the house, and the presence of Wang Yifeng and his wife was also gone.
Too many had died that day, and many bodies were said to have been torn to shreds, mixed together, impossible to identify. They could only be buried together, under the ground in front of the Town Guard Mansion, where a solitary monunt was erected.
Nothing gained.
Li Chengyi searched through his ho for a while, only to leave helplessly.
He then went to find his mad elder brother, and in his house, he found a body that had long since dried up.
With this, the Wang Family, apart from Wang Yiheng, may have no other survivors.
Li Chengyi and Qiu Ming left the Wang Family, strolling through the streets of Xinng Town, observing the current situation.
Most of the passersby on the street walked briskly, scarce in number. The shops they passed hung white silk, indicating they had lost family mbers.
Heart-wrenching cries could be heard from so of the houses from afar.
"This town is done for," Qiu Ming sighed, "With so few residents, I’m afraid it won’t be long before it’s rged and relocated."
"Huanggu Pavilion..." Li Chengyi’s face turned icy, despite having taken over Wang Yichen’s body, it was only a starting point, but the ti he spent with Wang Yifeng and Wang Yiheng had been real after all.
"With Quling Mansion’s ability, can they find where they’ve relocated to?" he asked in a low voice.
"They can, but the key is they must have already left the country," Qiu Ming shook his head. "If we pursue them across the border, the danger will be great."
Li Chengyi remained silent, just walking forward in silence.
He halted his steps suddenly as he passed a street corner.
Several n dressed as nial workers were punching and kicking a woman in the corner.
The woman was disheveled, reeking all over, curled up on the ground, suffering in silence without making a sound.
"That’s for stealing, you brat!"
"Stealing three tis in a row, you think our restaurant doesn’t have a temper, huh?! Causing us to get scolded by the manager!"
"You two hold her down, I’m going to break her hands! Let’s see how this wench steals after that!"
"Please, don’t... I beg you... my sister... she’s dying of sickness... we’re just short a little money... a little, then we can afford a physician..."
The woman finally struggled to cry out.
Her voice was hoarse, filled with intense fear and pleading.
Instances like this were common, just punishing a thief, nothing out of the ordinary.
But at this mont, when Li Chengyi heard the voice, he stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze toward that direction.
"What is it?" Qiu Ming asked from behind.
"It’s soone I know..."
Li Chengyi fell silent for a mont, then replied.
He stepped forward and stood firm behind the n who were beating the woman.
"How much money did she steal from you?" he asked.
The n were startled, and when they turned to see Li Chengyi and Qiu Ming’s extraordinary attire, their expressions quickly changed from fury to humble pleasantry.
"Three taels, sir, the kid stole a full three taels of silver coin!"
Li Chengyi carefully took out his purse, counted out three taels of silver, and handed them to one of the n.
"Go on, I’ve paid the money."
The three n looked at each other, grabbed the money and hurried off.
Clearly, they realized this was not a man to ss with; as long as they got the money, it was wise to run before he could change his mind.
Once they had gone, Li Chengyi did not approach the woman. He simply glanced at her briefly.
Without a greeting or inquiry, he turned and walked away silently with Qiu Ming, heading into the distance.
The woman sat curled up on the ground, leaning against the corner of the wall, clutching the stolen silver coins tightly. Only then did she slowly raise her head and watch the retreating figure of Li Chengyi.
Her exposed face was unmistakably that of Guo Yurong, who had once borrowed books from Wang Yichen in a bookstore.
Back then, she and Wang Yichen had almost agreed to an arranged marriage, but now...
After her father, the deputy town guard Guo Hu, died in battle, her family mbers were also consud by life in the ensuing chaos, leaving only her and her younger siblings to rely on each other.
She was still okay, but one of her brothers was crushed by sothing heavy and broke both legs. Now the injuries were infected, and his life hung by a thread... yet all their money had been burned in a fire...
Watching Wang Yichen’s departing figure, she noticed his delicate and fine attire, and the faintly discernible presence that was even more intimidating than her father’s.
She knew that the present Wang Yichen must have reached a level far beyond her imagination...
Thinking of her charred ho and her brother, who was on the brink of death...
She lowered her head to wipe away a tear, then suddenly made up her mind... She struggled to stand up and quickly followed after him.
Since he was still willing to extend a hand to help, perhaps... perhaps...
She chased him for hundreds of ters, and just when she was about to give up, Wang Yichen and the other person finally stopped.
Guo Yurong hurriedly approached them.
"Lord Wang Yichen..." she looked at his face, still clean and neat, and the words and pleas she wanted to express, suffused with sorrow, she could not utter a single word.
"Guo Yurong." Li Chengyi spoke softly, "Is there sothing you need?" He and she were neither kin nor close, and helping out this once already served as a response to their past encounter over the borrowed book.
"I..." Guo Yurong looked at his face, rembering the ti she had refused an arranged marriage with him...
For a mont, her cheeks burned with sha, and the following plea she found could not leave her lips.
"Is this enough?" Li Chengyi pulled out a bunch of broken silver, about a dozen or so taels in total, and stuffed it into her hands.
"I’ve heard about what happened to your family, the sa as mine... I’m looking for my second sister, have you seen her around?"
"She... she went with so fleeing people towards the county, I don’t know beyond that..." Guo Yurong replied in a low voice.
"Thank you." Li Chengyi turned and left with Qiu Ming.
"Please wait!!" Suddenly, Guo Yurong fell to her knees with a thud, her forehead knocking heavily on the ground.
"Lord Wang... I really have no other way..." she said, looking down, unable to face him. "Could I... could I follow you? I am willing to do anything, be it toiling like an ox or a horse! Just to... stay by your side!"
In the days since losing her parents, she was acutely aware of the potential fate that awaited her and her siblings.
Without a protector, the three of them were helpless, even lacking the ability to fend for themselves. In the soon-to-be food-scarce Xinng Town, being caught and sold into slavery would be the least of their worries.
Her own health was already failing. Her breathing made her want to cough, and every night, she suffered from severe abdominal pain, likely from sothing bad she had consud.
Her brother was not likely to last much longer, and her little sister was only nine years old – in the lack of food and clothing, her chances of survival were slim.
Therefore, at such a ti, the suddenly appeared Wang Yichen seed like the last straw to grasp, instantly giving her the only glimr of hope.
Li Chengyi shook his head slightly, ready to refuse. Naturally, he had no desire to take on several burdens for re survival.
But the words were just at his lips when Qiu Ming, standing beside him, let out a light exclamation, staring intently at Guo Yurong.
"What is it? Lord Qiu, have you discovered sothing?" Li Chengyi turned toward her.
"I’m just a bit surprised. I never expected to find soone with such a rare condition in this remote place, aside from a top-notch genius like you," Qiu Ming’s voice paused, his chin resting in his hand as he continued to gaze at Guo Yurong.
Making her heart race.
’Could it be that I’m also a genius! Could this esteed person before have discerned my true natural potential with just one glance??’ Guo Yurong’s eyes widened with hope.
"Lord Qiu, you might as well speak plainly," Li Chengyi frowned.
"Oh... it’s just... I never expected to see soone with such a rare terminal illness here," Qiu Ming said as if awakening from a dream, continuing.
"If she doesn’t get treatnt, she’ll live at most another year."
"..." The hope on Guo Yurong’s face instantly solidified.
"..." Li Chengyi too was sowhat at a loss for words. It seed Qiu Ming... also had a sowhat inexplicable taste for the macabre.
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