Chapter Seventy-Five: Watching the Flames

Just now, the sound had clearly come from thirty meters away!

In the blink of an eye, it was right behind him...

If the other party had tried to attack him a moment ago...

"Greetings, Elder Shi!" Zhou Wuzhi, seeing one of his sect's elders appear, immediately dropped to his knees in elation.

He hadn't expected that this time, the sect would actually send an elder!

This proved just how seriously the sect regarded this operation.

"Rise."

"Yes," Zhou Wuming stood up obediently.

"So, young friend from the Golden Alliance, what do you think of my earlier proposal?" Elder Shi smiled as he looked at Wu Yulong.

"Of course I am willing!" Wu Yulong nodded quickly, though his heart was filled with shock. The person before him was definitely an innate master!

When under someone else's roof, one has no choice but to bow!

As for that Qin Feng, just searching for him alone would yield little chance of encounter.

It seemed all he could do was wait to settle accounts another day!

What frustrated him most was that his wife was still missing, neither alive nor dead, which drove him nearly mad.

"Very well, then rest here for a while, and wait for tonight's action," Elder Shi said, then turned to Zhou Wuzhi, "Zhou, come in for a moment."

"Yes."

...

Inside the room.

"Zhou, how have you arranged tonight's operation?"

"Reporting, Elder Shi, tonight's operation..." Zhou Wuzhi detailed his plan.

"Not bad. With these five hundred heavy infantry, you can form a heavy-armored legion. The city garrison will be no trouble. Tonight, you attack the city guard, while I and the other three elders will deal with the high-ranking officials at the prefectural office," Elder Shi said calmly.

"What... you're saying there are three other elders?" Zhou Wuzhi's heart pounded.

That made four innate elders in total!

In the Scarlet Sect, only those with innate cultivation could hold the position of elder!

Seeing Zhou Wuzhi's astonished expression, Elder Shi smiled, "This time, seizing Jiangning Prefecture is crucial. The neighboring Nanyang Prefecture has already been mostly overtaken by the Yellow Turban Sect. Our Scarlet Sect cannot fall behind! In the future, we will not limit ourselves to just one prefecture."

"Elder Shi, your ambition is inspiring!" Zhou Wuzhi offered a small compliment.

...

Outside the city.

Qin Yi did not have much baggage, merely a wad of silver notes and several sets of clothes tied in a bundle.

He gazed at the towering walls of Jiangning Prefecture and sighed, "In these troubled times, even Jiangning Prefecture is no place for a secure life."

With that thought, he kept his head down and made his way toward the Fangxian Daoist Sect.

By afternoon, Qin Yi finally arrived at the sect and met with his father.

"Fourth son, I thought something had happened to you. You said you'd be gone ten days or half a month, but now it's been more than that," Qin Zumin said, finally relieved as he saw Qin Yi.

"Father, I made you worry."

"That's nothing, as long as you're safe. So, is your trouble resolved? Can we return to the city?" Qin Zumin asked.

"It's resolved, but I don't intend to stay in Jiangning Prefecture. The rebels in those seven counties—the situation could escalate at any time. I plan to move to the provincial capital in Xiangzhou," Qin Yi explained.

"Leave again?"

Seeing his father's expression, Qin Yi knew well that his father was reluctant to leave. After all, no one wishes for a life of upheaval and exile.

But in these times...

Seeing his son silent, Qin Zumin sighed softly, "Xiangzhou is not a bad choice. At least the capital is still free of rebels, so it should be quite safe there."

Since his father was willing to go, Qin Yi smiled.

In reality, he had his reasons for choosing Xiangzhou's capital. Without the support of literary cultivation, he dared not recklessly advance his martial arts further.

So, he intended to seek out new scholarly methods!

There were three branches of the Daoist sect in all of Xiangzhou: the Qingwei Daoist Palace in Jinyuan County, the Fangxian Daoist Sect near Jiangning Prefecture, and the Quanzhen Daoist Temple in Jiangbei Prefecture.

Nanyang Prefecture was to the east of Xiangzhou, Jiangning to the south, and Jiangbei right to the north. To reach Jiangbei, one had to pass through the provincial capital.

The capital of Xiangzhou lay at the junction of the three prefectures!

"Alright," Qin Yi noted the time—it was already past four in the afternoon.

"We'll set out early tomorrow. Tonight, we can stay at the Fangxian Daoist Sect."

...

Inside Jiangning Prefecture.

Night had just fallen.

Over a thousand men surged forth from several districts in the north of the city.

At the front marched a five-hundred-strong heavy-armored legion!

Each man clad in heavy armor was at least a first-rank fighter.

The column moved in a mighty procession toward the city guard's barracks.

They had just left a district when they ran into a twenty-man patrol of city guards.

"Who goes there!"

Hearing the commotion ahead, the patrol hurried to investigate. As they turned the corner, they were confronted with the sight of densely packed, pitch-black armor gleaming in the night, sending chills down their spines!

"A heavy-armored legion?"

"How can there be a heavy-armored legion in the city?"

"Attack!"

Boom, boom, boom...

"They're rebels! Send a signal!"

Whoosh—

Fireworks exploded in the sky.

The battle began.

...

Elder Shi and the other three elders, bringing several dozen elite fighters, arrived outside the prefectural office.

"Charge in!" Elder Shi led the way.

"Find and kill the Prefect first!"

Their party streamed inside.

"How dare you break into the prefectural office!"

Splat!

A head soared into the air.

Then the massacre began.

Chaos erupted throughout Jiangning Prefecture.

Shouts and screams, flashes of swords and spears, billowing black smoke...

Inside the prefectural office.

A long cry rang out.

"So, you remnants of the Scarlet Sect really dare to strike at Jiangning Prefecture! Today, I will destroy you!"

"Heh, so it's a bastard from the Liuli Sect! The northern front is in crisis, and yet you still have forces here in Xiangzhou. Quite unexpected," Elder Shi sneered.

"Hmph! A rabble! Five hundred years ago, my Liuli Sect drove you out, and we can do it again!"

"You alone, an innate master? Ha! We have four. Come forth, Elder Wu, Elder Zhao, Elder Li!"

"Heh heh heh, surround and kill him!"

In an instant, both sides clashed fiercely!

...

Within the city, the city guards and the Scarlet Sect's army had already met in battle.

With five hundred heavy-armored soldiers at the vanguard, the city guards were steadily forced back!

"Use fire! Use fire!"

At that moment, a long cry rang out:

"Your Prefect has already been killed by us—surrender now!"

"Your Deputy Prefect has also been slain—those who surrender will be spared!"

"What? The Prefect is dead?"

"Impossible!"

"Don't surrender! Even if we do, they'll kill us—fight to the death!"