I Grind to Martial Saint

The Cangshui County Government Office.

All the major powers in the city had gathered.

Bai, Cui, Lu, Lai, and Huang.

The patriarchs of the Five Great Noble Families had all arrived, seated in a row of armchairs on the right.

Across from them were Nie Jing and Du Qiuxu of the Observatory, as well as Chief Constable Zhao Junshan.

Seated in the main chair of the hall was a man in red official robes, with refined features and a goatee.

This was none other than the Prefect of Cangshui County, Wen Zhiyuan.

This Prefect had come from another region and had served diligently for several years.

However, every trade and industry in the city had long since been infiltrated by the Five Great Noble Families. Even most of the officials in the Government Office were their people. He was powerless against this and had never managed to achieve anything of note.

But regardless, Wen Zhiyuan was still the highest-ranking official in Cangshui County Town.

"Why isn’t General Li here yet?"

Wen Zhiyuan said with a frown.

According to the recruitment and stationing systems of the Great Ling Dynasty, each county was required to maintain five thousand County Soldiers, and the one who commanded them was the General.

However, on normal days, unless there was a major incident, the County Soldiers were stationed in the barracks outside the city and were forbidden from entering it.

This time, the rebellion by the Wuyun Bandits of Sheep Head Mountain was so egregious that deploying the County Soldiers was a natural necessity.

"My lord, I sent someone to notify him an hour ago."

"General Li might have run into some trouble on the way."

Zhao Junshan said in a low voice.

"Hahaha."

"Chief Constable Zhao is right."

"Something came up at the barracks just now, which caused a slight delay."

"My apologies."

Along with a hearty laugh, a burly and rugged figure strode into the hall.

This was Li Jin, known in the Martial World as the Double Spear General. He had coarse features, dark skin, and was clad in armor, exuding an exceptionally fierce aura.

"General Li, you jest."

"Please, have a seat."

Wen Zhiyuan was not the least bit angry about Li Jin’s tardiness, his face wreathed in smiles.

Li Jin nodded and casually found a chair to sit on.

"I’ve called everyone here today, of course, to discuss the matter of suppressing the bandits."

"According to intelligence from the Observatory’s Flying Eagle Guard, Heilin County has been completely overrun by the Wuyun Bandits."

"The county seat was sacked and burned, with heavy casualties, and the nearby towns and villages did not escape their cruel hands either."

"Such actions are a blatant provocation against our Great Ling Official’s Mansion."

"Eliminating the Wuyun Bandits of Sheep Head Mountain is a matter of utmost urgency!"

Wen Zhiyuan exclaimed in a solemn voice.

Tongming County Town had only just been conquered by the Wangling Sect last night.

The very next day, the Wuyun Bandits had taken action, invading Helin County Town.

They were clearly imitating the Wangling Sect, just on a smaller scale.

"Prefect Wen is right."

"Lately, more and more bandits have been gathering on Sheep Head Mountain."

"There are over a dozen criminals from the Black List alone, and several thousand ordinary bandits."

"If we don’t eliminate them quickly, I fear they will become a disaster."

Du Qiuxu added in agreement.

But after the two of them had spoken, no one else said a word.

Even Li Jin remained silent, and it was unclear what he was plotting.

Seeing this, Wen Zhiyuan sighed inwardly.

He knew that among all the people present, only those from the Observatory could be trusted.

The rest were all nursing their own ulterior motives, each calculating their own gains.

Wen Zhiyuan had no choice but to speak again.

"Gentlemen, I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying."

"When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain unbroken?"

"If Cangshui County Town descends into chaos, it will do none of you any good."

At that moment, Cui Jiushan finally spoke up. "Prefect Wen, rest assured, we understand this principle."

"For this bandit suppression campaign, whether it’s money or men, our Cui Family is willing to provide its full support!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the other patriarchs flickered.

Previously, the one who had most vehemently opposed suppressing the bandits was Cui Jiushan.

For his attitude to change so drastically today, he had clearly been strong-armed by the Observatory.

But since Cui Jiushan had changed his tune, the others also spoke up one after another, voicing their support.

As for Li Jin, suppressing bandits was his duty as the Cangshui General; it wasn’t something he could refuse.

Seeing that the Five Great Noble Families had all spoken, he too said in a deep voice, "My five thousand County Soldiers are ready and waiting. We just need your order, Prefect Wen!"

"Good!" Wen Zhiyuan nodded, then announced loudly, "Then this bandit suppression campaign shall be led by General Li, with the Observatory providing assistance."

"The Five Great Noble Families will each dispatch three hundred Guards, along with an unspecified amount of money and provisions."

"What do you all think?"

Nie Jing was the first to respond. "The Observatory naturally has no problem with this."

"The Cui Family has no problem."

"The Huang Family is the same."

"The Bai Family..."

Everyone agreed one after another.

Li Jin also stood up, cupped his fist to Wen Zhiyuan, and said, "This subordinate accepts his orders!"

...

Just like that, news that the Government Office was about to head to Sheep Head Mountain to suppress the bandits quickly spread throughout Cangshui County Town.

The trend set by the Wuyun Bandits could not be allowed to grow; a heavy-handed response was necessary.

Otherwise, public order in Cangshui County would descend into even greater chaos.

Most of the common people in the city were quite optimistic about this campaign.

After all, with a battle-hardened veteran like Li Jin in command of the main force, their combat strength was guaranteed.

Furthermore, Nie Jing would be providing support with the experts from the Observatory.

The Five Great Noble Families were also contributing both money and manpower.

Although Sheep Head Mountain’s terrain was treacherous, making it easy to defend and hard to attack, in the face of absolute strength, all of that was as fleeting as a cloud.

They would likely be able to take it down in just a few days.

And Han Yuan knew all of this.

After all, he hadn’t officially entered seclusion yet; he was merely comprehending the Innate Great Demon Skill and familiarizing himself with the circulation pathways of his Inner Qi.

When he heard that the Wangling Sect had conquered Tongming County last night and the Wuyun Bandits had invaded Helin County Town today, a sense of urgency rose in his heart.

He knew.

An age of great turmoil was likely about to begin.

After all, though the world had been somewhat chaotic before, the rule of the Great Ling Dynasty was deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people, and on the surface, the Great Ling Royal Family was still revered.

But now, the Wangling Sect had shattered this fragile balance.

No one could guess where the situation would go from here.

But Han Yuan could almost foresee it: the Government Office’s authority would grow ever weaker, and more and more ambitious figures would emerge.

The Wangling Sect’s conquest of Tongming County would definitely not be the last.

In the future, more and more rebel armies would rise, seeking to bury the nearly thousand-year foundation of the Great Ling Dynasty, or even replace it entirely.

To survive in a chaotic world, one naturally needed immense strength.

’This bandit suppression campaign is a good opportunity to rack up Contribution Points, but I can’t go.’

’I have to stay here and only come out of seclusion after breaking through to the True Qi Realm.’

Han Yuan made up his mind.

Before long, Du Qiuxu indeed sent someone to find him.

"Lord Han, Supervisor Du wishes to ask if you are willing to go to Sheep Head Mountain to suppress the bandits."

a Guard asked earnestly.

"I’ve felt a stirring in my heart lately and was planning to enter seclusion for a while, so I won’t be going."

Han Yuan said, shaking his head.

The Guard didn’t ask any more questions, simply cupping his fist and taking his leave.

After learning of Han Yuan’s intentions, Du Qiuxu didn’t press the issue.

Han Yuan’s strength wouldn’t be missed on this trip to Sheep Head Mountain.

After all, besides Nie Jing and Li Jin, the Five Great Noble Families would also each be sending a True Qi Martial Artist.

With such a powerful lineup, Han Yuan’s presence was dispensable.

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