Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

Longxing County, the Outer Market.

Compared to the past, the Outer Market had grown far more desolate. The impact of the autumn tax was becoming glaringly obvious, with more and more people no longer able to afford to do business.

How had life come to this?

Yet in stark contrast to the desolation outside, the city interior was boiling with noise. Throngs of people spilled onto the streets, gazing curiously down the main thoroughfare.

The wide avenue spanned the county seat, leading straight to the County Yamen. Dozens of bailiffs had formed a cordon, clearing the road and driving people back. But the greater the spectacle, the more it stoked the crowd's curiosity. Only when a prison cart slowly trundled out from the County Yamen did everyone realize what was happening.

"So they're parading a prisoner."

"Strange. There haven't been any major cases in the city lately. Who is this criminal to warrant such a grand display?"

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

Soon enough, someone recognized the disheveled prisoner inside the cage. "He looks familiar. Is that Lord Liu from the Red Phoenix Tower?"

The crowd steadily swelled.

Naturally, they all recognized Liu Ye. He was a local, a veteran of the County Yamen, and the man pulling the strings behind the Red Phoenix Tower.

Uproar quickly swept through the onlookers.

Those out of the loop pressed for details. "Why was Lord Liu arrested? Even if he committed a crime, does he really deserve a prison cart parade?"

"You haven't been in the city lately, have you?"

A man lowered his voice. "Haven't you noticed the County Yamen is missing more than half its black-clad thugs? They all died in the riots a few months ago."

"I was hiding in the shop next door and saw it with my own eyes. It was a bloodbath. Corpses were tossed out like garbage. Word is, a passing hero did it. He heard about the autumn tax, saw the injustice, and drew his blade to help. He even beat the Magistrate half to death."

"The autumn tax?"

The man asking the questions looked bewildered. "What does that have to do with us? They only bleed the black-headed commoners outside the city walls. Those mud-legs hardly even count as people."

"True enough."

"But thanks to that hero butchering so many bailiffs, the County Yamen was forced to recruit from us good citizens. My cousin just became a bailiff two days ago."

"If that hero hadn't pulled off that stunt, how else would we be striking it rich?"

"I see!"

The man suddenly understood. "Then he really is a hero. He might be a bit blind to right and wrong, but ultimately, he did us a favor."

Inside the prison cart, Liu Ye slowly raised his head.

"..."

Days without food or water had driven his body to the absolute brink. If not for the deep foundation of his External Arts Perfection, he would have passed away long ago.

The lingering agony of severe torture still wracked his flesh. Yet unexpectedly, his mind remained perfectly calm. He felt only a faint sense of regret.

'What a pity. Xiao Wang's good intentions were wasted on me.'

He had only himself to blame for this outcome. Instead of fleeing far away when he had the chance, his foolish nostalgia for his homeland had driven him to take a post in Changle Commandery.

Looking back, he had still been nursing a grudge. He felt that Magistrate Xu Bingzheng had drawn first blood by using wicked arts to manipulate his subordinates. By returning to Changle Commandery, he had secretly hoped to expose the man to the commandery office and seek justice. Unfortunately, he had been far too naive.

"Bureaucrats protect their own. They always protect their own..."

When that extraordinary person—Madam Su's good sister who had recommended him for the commandery post—was around, everything had been fine. But the moment she left, the commandery office struck.

Or rather, the powers backing Xu Bingzheng struck.

He was just a veteran bailiff who had barely set foot outside Longxing County his entire life. How could he possibly outmaneuver politicians who had spent decades scheming in the commandery office?

He had brought this fate upon himself.

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Liu Ye finally let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, he hadn't dragged anyone else down with him after his arrest.

Xu Bingzheng had gone to great lengths to drag him all the way back from Changle Commandery for one reason: to find out why an extraordinary person had suddenly intervened in Longxing County's affairs. Xu wanted to know who had ordered the Xuanjia Camp to garrison outside the city, and who was pulling the strings from the shadows.

'Too bad I don't know a damn thing.'

Liu Ye exhaled a bloody breath. It was the one thing he felt he had done right: choosing to remain completely blind and deaf to the truth.

That extraordinary person's background and identity? He didn't know.

Her reason for interfering? He didn't know.

The mastermind behind it all? He didn't know.

Because he knew absolutely nothing, he couldn't spit out a single word, no matter how much they tortured him. If he had known, he might have actually broken and confessed.

Thank the gods he knew nothing.

The prison cart rolled ever onward. Escorted by the County Yamen bailiffs, it finally reached the Outer Market, drawing the attention of the black-headed commoners huddled there.

"That's Lord Liu... why is it him?"

"Why wouldn't it be? That flayer Liu spent years squeezing the Outer Market for protection money and preying on the locals. It's only natural he finally got locked up."

"Give it a rest. Sure, Lord Liu collected his fees, but at least he actually did his job. After he left, the new guy the County Yamen sent over is ten times worse, and he doesn't do a damn thing..."

"But seriously, why was he arrested?"

"I heard from the city merchants that it's connected to the hero who slaughtered his way into the city a few months ago. That hero killed the former chief constable, too."

The chatter grew louder and more chaotic.

"The former chief constable? I remember him. He came to our village to collect taxes... that bastard!"

"What about the Front Village? Does anyone remember that?"

"Of course I remember, it was right near my house! The whole village was butchered. You can still smell the blood, and the dirt is still stained red... If you ask me, the hero did a great job killing him!"

The prison cart slowly approached.

Instantly, the indignant black-headed commoner had his mouth clamped shut by the surrounding onlookers. Dragging him back, they hissed a frantic warning:

"Shush! Do you have a death wish?"

"What hero? He was a White Lotus Sect rebel! The County Yamen already posted the official notices. Who dares call him a hero? Do you want to lose your stall in the Outer Market?"

Finally, the prison cart officially rolled into the Outer Market.

The two County Yamen bailiffs flanking the cart swept their arrogant, icy gazes over the crowd. Wherever they looked, the black-headed commoners involuntarily fell silent.

The whispers dwindled until the silence itself was deafening.

That was until some clever soul spoke up. "Actually, if you think about it... Lord Liu—bah, I mean, that thief Liu and the guy from a few months ago were definitely rebels."

At last, the chatter resumed, but the prevailing wind had sharply reversed course:

"Ever since the autumn tax, which family hasn't been cooking without oil, boiling water without rice, and living without salt? Life is hard enough, and we barely scrape by on the Outer Market."

"Because that thief Liu plunged the city into chaos, business here at the Outer Market has tanked."

"I don't even know where my family's next meal is coming from."

Of course, amidst the growing consensus, a few dissenting grumbles remained. "What does it have to do with them? At the end of the day, it's that damned autumn tax's fault..."

However, as the prison cart drew closer and the County Yamen bailiffs glared menacingly at the crowd, those dissenting voices were quickly drowned out by the mob.

Soon, people began hurling objects at the cart. A toxic sense of shared hatred swelled within the crowd. They lacked the courage to rebel against the County Yamen bailiffs, but they were perfectly willing to vent their rage on the helpless Liu Ye. After all... Liu Ye used to be a bailiff, too.

Throwing things at him was practically the same thing.

Curses soon dominated the air. Everyone was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of seeing a bailiff killed, loudly singing praises for it.

Seeing this, the two bailiffs flanking the cart looked highly satisfied.

Both men hailed from prominent "good citizen" households within the city walls. Raised on a steady diet of meat and rice, they had diligently practiced martial arts since childhood, which was why they had easily secured positions when the County Yamen recruited new blood.

They had come out today with a specific mission.

"Too many of these black-headed commoners have been dying lately, and they've started flocking toward the city. To prevent a riot, we need to let them blow off some steam."

"Brother Lin, would you do the honors?"

The bailiff chuckled. "I heard you personally requested this assignment to pacify the black-headed commoners from the Magistrate. You must have been planning this for a while."

"You flatter me, Brother Liu."

Lin Wenhai shook his head. "I wouldn't call it preparation. It's just a matter of parading the prisoner first, letting these black-headed commoners vent their pent-up frustrations."

"And then, we distribute grain for disaster relief."

"Oh? Distribute grain?" Liu Fuguan looked surprised. "You're going to feed these black-headed commoners real food?"

"Of course not."

Lin Wenhai shook his head. "Rice is for people. Feeding it to these black-headed commoners would be a despicable waste. Handing out a little livestock bran will do the trick."

A moment later, as the prison cart neared the end of the Outer Market, Lin Wenhai broke off the idle chatter. Striding to the front of the crowd, he circulated his qi and blood and bellowed the announcement for "disaster relief." Exactly as he predicted, cheers from the black-headed commoners instantly erupted across the Outer Market.

'Excellent. The situation is secured.'

Lin Wenhai nodded to himself. He knew that with this little stunt, the black-headed commoners would be appeased, and the county city's unrest would stabilize.

Of course, these black-headed commoners were going to die eventually anyway.

The only difference was whether they died all at once or dropped off in batches day by day. As far as he was concerned, the latter was far less of a headache.

A mass die-off would cause a panic. Starving to death slowly was much quieter.

He had solved a major crisis using nothing but animal feed. When he returned to report his success, the Magistrate would surely look upon him favorably.

'Oh, that's right. These black-headed commoners are starving. As time goes on, more and more will gather outside the city. My estate is almost out of human punching bags for martial arts practice, and fighting the weak ones doesn't build a martial artist's bloodlust. I should send someone out here to buy a few of the sturdier ones. I'll consider it an act of charity.'

Lost in thought, Lin Wenhai let his attention drift.

A sudden, icy prick on his neck brought him back to reality. He glanced up, realizing that heavy, dark clouds had stealthily blanketed the sky.

It looked like rain.

Lin Wenhai suddenly felt a chill. The surrounding commoners seemed to feel it too, and the once-boisterous crowd fell into a hushed silence for the second time.

The prison cart continued forward.

Before, the crowd had eagerly parted to make way for the cart. But this time, a lone figure moved against the tide of the mob, planting himself directly in the cart's path.

"Who goes there?"

Lin Wenhai frowned and instinctively rested a hand on the hilt of his saber. He scrutinized the handsome young man stepping out of the crowd, but he didn't immediately order an attack.

The reason was simple. Though dressed in plain clothes, the youth was tall, imposing, and clearly trained in the martial arts. Furthermore, he looked perfectly well-fed—definitely not a black-headed commoner. Chances were, he was a passing wandering hero. There was no need to make a dangerous enemy over a dead man walking.

It was better to ask for his background first.

With that in mind, Lin Wenhai cupped his fist. "Young hero, might I ask which sect you hail from? We are carrying out official business..."

Lin Wenhai felt his phrasing was perfectly polite and reasonable.

To his dismay, however, the young man completely ignored him. His gaze bypassed the bailiff entirely, locking onto Liu Ye inside the prison cart.

At the same time, Liu Ye froze. A violent shudder wracked his body. The young man standing before him was so achingly familiar, it was as if he had stepped straight out of his memories. For a second, Liu Ye thought his life was flashing before his eyes. Only after blinking several times did he realize this was no hallucination.

But a second later, he began shaking his head frantically. His hoarse voice bubbled with blood.

"Run! Get out of here!"

He had no idea how the youth had survived the inescapable death trap from that day. But since he had managed to survive against all odds, how could Liu Ye let him throw his life away now?

Yet the moment the words left his mouth, Liu Ye regretted them.

He wanted to take it back. He wanted to beg the youth to save him so they could escape together. But reason told him that dragging a piece of dead weight like him around would doom them both.

They would just die together.

If that was the case, it was better for him to die alone.

After all, he had brought this upon himself, and the youth had already saved him once.

Gritting his teeth, Liu Ye simply bowed his head. He hid his eyes from the youth, terrified that a single glance would shatter his resolve.

Pitter-patter.

Without anyone noticing, a misty drizzle had begun to fall from the sky.

Raindrops splattered against the dirt, making the biting chill in the air seep straight to the bone. A moment later, the young man finally spoke his first words since stepping out of the crowd.

"Don't worry, Master Liu. You don't have to hide."

Those simple words made Liu Ye look up in a daze. He was instantly transported back a few months to that unforgettable, rain-drenched night.

Back then, he had been hunting down a White Lotus Sect rebel, only to learn the youth had been caught up in the brawl. He had thought the young man was a goner. But when he finally rushed to the scene, all he found was the rebel's bisected corpse and the youth standing amidst the downpour, smiling faintly at him.

He had said the exact same thing then.

What was his next line again?

In that instant, the memory perfectly overlapped with reality. Liu Ye's eyes went wide. All he saw was the frosty white reflection of a drawn blade.

"The rain is heavy tonight. Perfect for washing my blade."

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