An hour later.
Just as Xu Guang was making his plans, a sound came from outside the door.
To his surprise, Wang Ming had returned. He looked haggard and pale. Xu Guang’s older sister and mother hurriedly began to cook.
Wang Ming came to Xu Guang’s room.
"Ming, what have you been up to these past few days?"
"Something terrible has happened," Wang Ming said in a low voice. "A plague broke out on the opposite side of the Wei River, and the refugees have started rioting again. God knows how many people the Feiyun Guard and the Cold Blade Guard have slaughtered these past few days. Heads are rolling, and the Wei River has turned completely red."
Xu Guang’s expression changed slightly, and he fell silent. Too many people had died.
"Did you leave the city, Ming?"
Wang Ming nodded silently. "A massive battle broke out on the banks of Wei River, and food supplies are running short. The Government Office sent us to the surrounding villages to recruit a Servant Army."
A Servant Army was essentially a legion of human supply wagons dedicated to serving the military.
"Is the situation really that tense?" Xu Guang found it rather strange. The city’s three armies were meticulously trained by the three major factions and equipped with elite armor forged by the Qing State Military Equipment Bureau. How could it be so difficult to suppress a bunch of refugees?
Wang Ming nodded, looking grim. "Several Abnormal People emerged among the refugees. They call themselves the Yellow Heaven Sect, and their leader claims to be the Yellow Heaven Great Mage. They spread rumors, spouting nonsense like, ’The current rulers are unjust, so heaven sends down floods.’ And I don’t know what kind of Demon Technique they used, but those refugees actually gained the strength of bulls and fought without any fear of death. Even when impaled by a Long Spear, they remained as ferocious and vicious as ever."
Listening to Wang Ming’s words, Xu Guang suddenly remembered something. On one of his previous trips home, he seemed to have heard that very phrase: "The current rulers are unjust, so heaven sends down floods."
His expression changed drastically. If that was the case, the Yellow Heaven Sect had already begun laying out their schemes within the city long ago and could strike at any moment.
"Are you still going back out, Ming?"
"I won’t be leaving the city for now. It’s been chaotic inside the walls lately, too. There are always ambitious opportunists lurking around."
Xu Guang nodded and said no more.
That afternoon, the family shared a meal, which finally dispelled the gloom of Wang Ming’s days-long absence. Although Mrs. Xu didn’t say it aloud, it was obvious that the elderly woman still cared deeply for her son-in-law.
Soon, news of the refugees on the opposite bank forming the Yellow Heaven Sect spread, and the city was temporarily thrown into a state of panic. The already sparse number of pedestrians dwindled even further. Anyone who could stay at home absolutely refused to go out. Some people with a bit of wealth even began liquidating their assets, intending to flee Feiyun City with their families.
The price of grain soared even higher, to the point where it became priceless despite the demand. This inevitably affected Xu Guang’s family as well.
Xu Guang checked their food reserves at home; they only had twenty or thirty catties of grain left. Thanks to Xu Sanduo, they actually had quite a bit of meat—nearly fifty catties—but there was no telling how long the chaos outside the city would last, so he planned to go out and buy more grain.
An hour later.
Xu Guang stood in front of a closed grain shop with a conflicted look in his eyes. This was the fifth grain shop he had visited today, yet there was still no food to be found.
Ever since Wang Ming brought back the news, he had been wandering around grain shops of all sizes in Feiyun City, but absolutely no one was selling. He was quite speechless. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to buy more grain earlier; it was just that after the Inner City requisitioned grain a while ago, all the shops in the city began requiring a household register to purchase it. He had already bought all the grain he was allowed to.
"In that case... I have no other choice!" he thought.
[Search keywords: Inconspicuous food and daily necessities. Associated terms: Convenient, suitable, ample quantity. Search range: Ping’an Square, Feiyun City]
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He decided to search for some grain first and then gather information. If the Wei River couldn’t be held, his only option would be... to take his family and leave Feiyun City as soon as possible. Now that he had a plan, he wasn’t overly worried.
Moreover, he didn’t believe Feiyun City was guaranteed to fall. Although the Yellow Heaven Sect had swept up a million refugees, Feiyun City was a major metropolis after all, and the surrounding cities wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to leave his homeland, and he figured his mother wouldn’t want to either.
Xu Guang put away his grain sack and walked toward the Immortal Institute.
Today was the day Old Zhao held his classes. Although Xu Guang was confident in Bone Forging, listening to the old master’s teachings still had its benefits.
He spent the entire morning seeking guidance from Old Zhao. Aside from his penchant for showing off, Old Zhao held nothing back. Xu Guang benefited immensely, clearing up several bottlenecks in his understanding. He felt that after two more days of practice, he could attempt Introducing Qi and Blood into the Bone and begin true Bone Forging cultivation.
It was just past noon, but as it was early winter, everything was bleak and desolate. The trees in the courtyard had long lost their lushness. Only the shouts of the people training in the courtyard echoed in the air.
Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and Old Zhao ordered Xu Guang to go and open it.
Outside stood several figures. The leader was an old man, followed by a few young men in their twenties and thirties. Everyone, including the leading old man, was robust and muscular. Despite wearing thin clothing in the winter cold, it was obvious at a glance that they were seasoned Martial Artists.
Xu Guang was a bit puzzled. "And you are?"
"Are you new? No wonder you don’t recognize me. I am Cheng Shan, and these men behind me are my disciples. Is Old Zhao here?" the leading old man said arrogantly.
They were looking for Old Zhao? Xu Guang was somewhat surprised. He only knew that Old Zhao was deeply connected in Feiyun City and had ties to many families, but he had no idea who this person was. He excused himself and quickly went to inform Old Zhao.
But before he could even turn back, Cheng Shan shoved the door wide open and barged in.
"Old Zhao, you aren’t dead yet, are you?" Cheng Shan’s tone was incredibly blunt.
Old Zhao stood up and glared at Cheng Shan. "If you’re not dead yet, I’m still a long way from the grave."
Their exchange was entirely unceremonious, yet they still left a sliver of leeway for each other.
Xu Sanduo muttered softly to the side, "Why is this old guy here again?"
"Do you know this man, Sanduo?" Xu Guang asked in a low voice.
"Yeah. Feiyun City is very exclusive. People like our master aren’t allowed to establish their own factions when they come here. Later, he came up with the idea of cooperating with the families in the city to create a courtyard like an academy, which doesn’t count as a formal faction. This Master Cheng is an old rival of our master."
Xu Guang nodded silently. Wherever there were people, there was the Martial World. At Old Zhao’s advanced age, having a few enemies was perfectly normal.
Cheng Shan had come prepared this time; he brought his disciples to spar with Old Zhao’s disciples.
Xu Guang narrowed his eyes. According to Xu Sanduo, ever since Cheng Shan’s disciples suffered a crushing defeat a few years ago, he rarely visited. For him to show up today, he obviously felt confident. Curious, he quietly sized up the disciples behind Cheng Shan. Like ordinary Martial Artists, they looked very sturdy and varied in height. Nothing about them seemed particularly mysterious.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on the young man standing closest to Cheng Shan. This person was dark and skinny, bearing some resemblance to how Xu Guang used to look. He also appeared to be from an impoverished background. For some inexplicable reason, he felt that this young man was the source of Cheng Shan’s confidence.
"Old Zhao, bring out your top disciple and let him spar with my youngest disciple."
Old Zhao narrowed his eyes, sweeping his gaze over the disciples behind Cheng Shan, and sneered coldly. "After not seeing you for a few years, you’re still as useless as ever, Old Ghost Cheng. You only dared to come knocking on my door because you knew Jiang Wu wasn’t here."
Hearing this, Cheng Shan flew into a rage. "Bullshit! Who cares if Jiang Wu is here or not!"
He was highly dissatisfied. After spending the past few years painstakingly cultivating a satisfactory disciple, he had planned to defeat Jiang Wu and avenge his past humiliation. Little did he expect that Jiang Wu wouldn’t even be here. For a moment, he felt a bit stuck. If his disciple just beat up some random nobody, it wouldn’t exactly showcase his prestige.
A cold smile surfaced on Old Zhao’s face. "Since it’s your youngest disciple, I’ll just have my youngest disciple play with him. That way, we won’t ruin our friendly relations. Xu Guang, go play with him."
Xu Guang was instantly rendered speechless. However, in front of everyone, he still took a step forward and cupped his hands. "Please enlighten me."
Cheng Shan grew even angrier, glaring furiously at Xu Guang. Xu Guang was a few years younger than Pang Hong. He had originally intended to have the underdog triumph, but now it looked like the strong bullying the weak.
Behind him, a flash of ruthlessness crossed the dark, skinny young man Pang Hong’s face. He stepped forward. "Then I’ll teach you a few moves."
He had always been ruthless in his actions. In his eyes, it didn’t matter if Old Zhao refused to call out Jiang Wu. As long as he beat this Xu Guang to death right here and now, Old Zhao would naturally be forced to summon his prized disciple.
Cheng Shan, however, barked coldly, "Old Zhao, since Jiang Wu isn’t here, I’ll wait a few days and come back. It’s not like Jiang Wu is never returning, right?"
Ultimately, he felt that letting Pang Hong spar with Xu Guang was beneath them. His disciple possessed the potential of a Grandmaster; how could he stoop to fighting a nameless nobody like Xu Guang? With that, he huffed in anger and led his men out.
Hearing Cheng Shan’s order, a hint of gloom flashed through Pang Hong’s eyes. He glanced at Xu Guang but didn’t voice any objections. However, as he walked past Xu Guang, he muttered in a low voice, "Consider yourself lucky!"
Old Zhao didn’t move, simply letting them leave.
Xu Guang let out a faint sigh of relief and quietly retreated behind the crowd. If Old Zhao hadn’t singled him out, he truly wouldn’t have wanted to step forward. Pang Hong’s breathing was long and steady, and his footsteps were powerful. His Cultivation was significantly higher than his own, easily on par with the person he had encountered at the Lei Family Ancestral Mansion. If he couldn’t go all out with all his trump cards, he likely wouldn’t be a match.
"To think Pang Hong is Cheng Shan’s disciple. Rumor has it that he is an Abnormal Person. Why wouldn’t he join one of the Two Major Sects in the Inner City and instead become Cheng Shan’s disciple?" Susu looked bewildered as she whispered to Han Juan beside her.
Han Juan was taken aback. "An Abnormal Person? Susu, are you saying that Pang Hong is an Abnormal Person?"
Susu nodded affirmatively.
Standing behind the two women, Xu Guang’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
"An Abnormal Person..." he thought.
He still hadn’t tried using his Blood Eye to seize someone else’s Bloodline Power. After all, he was just a fundamentally kind-hearted teenager. He hadn’t been a desperate outlaw in his past life either, so he didn’t have such a ruthless mindset yet. He wondered what Pang Hong’s Bloodline Power was, and for some inexplicable reason, he found himself looking forward to the day the guy threatened to kill him.
"I hope he’s a man of his word," he thought. "Otherwise, it really wouldn’t be right to kill him just over a single comment."
Ultimately, he was still... not ruthless enough.