Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Ouyang was an extremely formidable figure, a Class A wanted criminal on the most notorious wanted list. Words like "extremely vicious" and "heinous crimes" were insufficient to describe his ferocity; he was the most ruthless of all bandits.

As soon as they started fighting, he knew he couldn't win.

If you can't win, then run away.

If there's no escape, then self-destruct and perish together with others.

"In my name, I will seize all things in heaven and earth!" Ouyang roared, gripping the twin crescent blades. He twisted his body and swung the blades in place, the surging purple magical power rapidly forming a terrifying purple tornado as the blades spun.

This purple wasn't pure purple; it was an extremely morbid and insane dirty purple, almost black.

The tornado, dark purple in color, contained a large amount of power of robbery rules and exuded an aura of death, filth, evil, and malice, frantically plundering everything tangible and intangible around it.

"Retreat quickly!" Bi Muge felt his magic power, lifespan, flesh and blood, supernatural abilities, memories, and everything else being plundered. He cried out in terror and decisively flew into the air, leading his subordinates to retreat.

Suddenly, the weather changed dramatically, with dark clouds gathering, lightning flashing, and thunder roaring.

A massive tornado, like the wrath of a god, swept across the entire land in an instant.

The center of the tornado resembled a gigantic purple pillar piercing the sky, seemingly connecting heaven and earth. All around, howling winds carried sand, gravel, and mud, forming a swirling wall of storm.

Trees were uprooted, boulders were thrown into the air, and everything solid seemed fragile in the face of this force. As the tornado spread, the earth began to tremble, and the mountains seemed to shake as well.

The old cripple, leaning on his cane, stood firmly in place, unmoved by the storm's onslaught. He squinted, gazing indifferently at Ouyang, who was hidden in the purple storm.

Ouyang had no intention of fighting the old cripple. He knew he was no match for him after the first exchange. Releasing his ultimate move was just a way to buy himself a chance to escape. He suddenly looked up and transformed into a streak of light, fleeing straight into the sky.

In an instant, the escape light triggered a series of sonic booms, turning everything in its path into a vacuum, and it fled at a terrifying speed of eight hundred times the speed of sound.

Such astonishing speed instantly attracted the attention of the great demon hovering in the void. Few cultivators in the entire Five Turbid World dared to be so arrogant, because being targeted by a great demon meant almost certain death.

Ouyang's actions were utterly reckless, betting that the old cripple wouldn't dare to chase him, and betting on his own good luck.

However, just as Ouyang broke through the clouds and made a sharp ninety-degree turn to escape to his right, the old cripple suddenly appeared and blocked Ouyang's path. He calmly raised his head, clenched his fist, and swung his arm, throwing out a simple straight punch: "Break!"

Ouyang's escape light was instantly dispersed by the fist wind. He stood in the air, dumbfounded, staring at the fist that was only an inch away from his nose. Before Ouyang could react, the fist wind passed through Ouyang's face and attacked directly behind him. A flying centipede demon that was ten thousand feet long had already attacked silently.

The fist struck the flying centipede demon's face, tearing the great demon to shreds like scraps of paper.

The enormous body transformed into countless drops of blood and flesh, piercing through the clouds and falling to the ground.

However, the aftershocks of the punch had not yet stopped, and it continued to rush forward at high speed. All the demons it encountered were torn apart by the invisible punch, and the thick clouds along the way, which stretched for millions of miles, were completely ripped open with a terrifying gash.

Blood and bone fragments rained down from the crack, as if the sky itself was bleeding.

Ouyang stood there dumbfounded, his mind completely blank, his whole body numb.

The old cripple slowly withdrew his fist, gripped his cane, and resumed his harmless and unassuming appearance. With a calm expression and indifferent tone, he asked, "Young man, you haven't answered me yet. How do you want to die?"

Ouyang swallowed hard: "Senior, I want to go back to the Sword Tower to die."

Upon hearing this, the old cripple grabbed Ouyang's shoulder and lifted him to the ground like a chick. Ouyang had completely lost the courage to fight back, but he still did not give up on survival.

Although he has been captured now, he has been captured quite a few times in the past hundred years. Being captured does not mean that he will definitely die. As long as he is alive, he can still find a chance to escape.

However, this was merely wishful thinking on his part, his last fantasy before his death.

"Mr. Liao is indeed a reclusive master. He captured Ouyang alive with a single move." Seeing that the battle had subsided, Bi Muge rushed over with his men. He then respectfully bowed to the old cripple to express his gratitude, personally took out the Poison-grade Old Shackles and put them on Ouyang, before entrusting Ouyang to his men for safekeeping.

The old cripple said calmly, "The Sword Tower is full of experts, many of whom are stronger than me. I don't deserve the title of a reclusive master. I am at most a cripple. Master Bi is too kind."

Upon hearing this, Bi Muge respectfully said, "Mr. Liao, it's getting late. We need to return to the city to report. Please..."

"Hmm." The old cripple nodded slightly.

Two flowers bloom, each telling its own story. Thanks to Zhou Qingfeng's prior arrangements, Yan Wenjiu, who attempted to escape, was captured and brought back, as was Ouyang, a Class A wanted criminal. Meanwhile, Zhou Qingfeng was busy with disaster relief and rescue efforts.

After a day of intensive care, initial results have been achieved.

The affected city residents have no shortage of basic living supplies, and warm clothing and temporary housing have been arranged. Thanks to the all-out efforts to treat the injured, those who were seriously injured and on the verge of death have survived, and those with minor injuries are able to take care of themselves.

Officials in charge of their respective duties all came to Zhou Qingfeng to report the latest situation.

Jiang Hongla, the chief official of the Ever-Normal Granary, said: "Commander, the casualties have been tallied. The total number of dead is 7112, and the total number of injured is 43255. Among the injured, there are 32255 unregistered persons."

Zhou Qingfeng listened to the report, nodded frequently, and adjusted the rescue strategy in a timely manner according to the current situation.

The biggest problem right now is that there are too many unregistered people among the wounded, which is taking up and consuming the city lord's manpower, material resources and financial resources, and is also delaying the treatment of the citizens of Sword Tower. This matter must be resolved immediately.

Zhou Qingfeng did not ask these officials for their suggestions on how to handle the situation. Time was tight, the task was heavy, and the scene was chaotic. Given the nature of these seasoned officials, if they were asked to hold a meeting to discuss the matter, they would pass the buck and shirk responsibility, dragging out the meeting for ten days or half a month, which could probably drive tens of thousands of disaster victims to riot.

Therefore, he could only take what he considered to be the optimal solution based on the situation on site.

Should we prioritize the safety of urban residents and abandon unregistered residents?

There is a major problem with doing this: it will polarize public opinion.

Although he would gain the unanimous support of all the legal citizens of Sword Tower, he would also offend all the unregistered residents of Sword Tower, whose numbers were several times greater than those of the legal citizens.

Either treat everyone equally, rescue both undocumented immigrants and city residents, and continue to demand various supplies and medical support from the city lord's mansion. Sword Tower can afford this financial expenditure, and it can afford to pay even if the number of injured is ten or a hundred times greater.

But who pays for the food, clothing, shelter, medical treatment, and other human, material, and financial resources spent on the tens of thousands of unregistered residents?

The citizens of the city pay taxes legally and support the city lord. Each one of them is a precious asset of the Sword Tower City Lord. The Sword Tower will naturally protect their safety and lives, and the cost of rescuing them can be attributed to the First City Lord.

But what right do unregistered residents have?

They neither paid taxes to support the city lord, nor did they compete with the city's residents for jobs.

Who will bear the cost of saving them every penny?

The city lord certainly wouldn't want to take that responsibility.

It's like you sneaking into my territory to make a living, secretly stealing work from my people, and then not only doing the work but also not paying me tribute. In the end, you get injured and I have to take care of your food, clothing, shelter, and medical treatment. Who would want that?

If I rashly decide to help them, it would be like using the money and supplies provided by the City Lord's Mansion to put on a show, gain my own reputation, and damage the interests of the City Lord's Mansion. This could easily displease my mother.

However, reporting this matter to my mother for a decision is tantamount to passing the problem on to her.

What could I do? I was definitely unwilling, but I couldn't say it out loud. On the surface, I still had to show the benevolence and compassion of a city lord, so as not to tarnish the reputation of the first family and the city lord.

Then, I'll definitely get criticized. It's not that I'll fall out of favor, but my mother will definitely think I'm immature, incompetent, and irresponsible when it comes to important matters. She'll think I'm not even willing to take the blame.

This matter has gone awry, and it will truly affect my ability to gain more and greater power.

Zhou Qingfeng sat calmly in his chair, his fingers rubbing together hidden in his sleeves. About twenty officials stood in two rows before him, waiting for his orders. The temporary disaster relief command camp fell into a long silence.

"Jin Wei, I want to drink lychee black tea." Zhou Qingfeng was lost in thought and called out subconsciously.

The room fell silent. They exchanged glances but no one spoke.

Seeing this, Zhiqi took out a cup of lychee black tea from his storage ring, quickly stepped forward and offered it with both hands, respectfully replying, "Commander, Jin Wei has already gone to Winter City to find the Word Demon Spirit on your orders."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng snapped out of his reverie, smiled, and reached out to take the lychee black tea, taking a sip: "I was so engrossed in thinking that I forgot about this. It's quite rare for you to remember what I like to drink and carry it with you."

He held his weapon and clasped his hands in a salute: "Commander, I also enjoy drinking lychee black tea, so I prepared some."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, held the lychee black tea and sipped it, analyzing the current situation and weighing the pros and cons.

First, protect urban residents and abandon unregistered residents.

Secondly, treat everyone equally and take full responsibility.

Third, report to the city lord and await orders.

With three options available, Zhou Qingfeng is finding it difficult to decide which one to choose.

If you're unsure what to do, try casting a divination using coins!

Deep within his consciousness, Zhou Qingfeng summoned the scarlet divination bucket and silently chanted: Shake the divination sticks!

Three divination sticks flew out of the divination bucket, wobbling precariously.

[China-Kyrgyzstan visa policy protects city residents, abandons unregistered residents, Kyrgyzstan]

[Neutral draw, treating everyone equally, taking full responsibility, neutral]

[A very bad omen. Report to the city lord and await orders. Ominous.]

The three types of divination slips represent three different choices and outcomes.

Upon seeing the fortune slip, Zhou Qingfeng followed the principle of choosing the auspicious slip if available, and choosing the neutral slip if not, and decisively chose the medium-auspicious slip.

The divination slips are divided into five types: very bad, medium, medium auspicious, very auspicious, and very good.

The probability of getting the best or the best is incredibly low.

These two types of fortune slips can be counted on one hand.

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled lightly, not thinking any further, and gently tapped the table: "Knock knock."

In the temporary disaster relief command camp, about twenty officials immediately snapped out of their daze, bowing their heads and bending over with focused attention. They knew that the highest-ranking commander on site was about to issue the latest instructions, and even if they had to pretend, they had to put on a show of listening.

Zhou Qingfeng calmly surveyed the officials on both sides and said, "Resources are limited. From now on, we will prioritize the safety of the citizens of Sword Tower City. For those without household registration, those with minor injuries will be allowed to leave and go wherever they want. For those with serious injuries, we will provide conservative treatment, give them some life-sustaining medicine, and send them away. We will just let them drag on with their injuries so that they don't die for the time being."

The pupils of the twenty or so officials on both sides immediately contracted slightly. They never expected Zhou Qingfeng to be so vicious and cruel. Wasn't it rumored that Zhou Silang was known for his benevolence? Seeing him today, it was truly different from the rumors.

Zhou Qingfeng said coldly, "I know what you're thinking. You're probably cursing me as a hypocritical villain in your hearts."

"Your humble servants dare not." The twenty or so officials clasped their hands in unison and repeatedly said they dared not.

Zhou Qingfeng slowly stood up, stood sideways, one hand behind his back and the other holding a cup of lychee black tea. His face was expressionless, his eyes sharp, and he glanced at Zhou Qingfeng sideways: "This is my order. Execute it."

He has earned a reputation for benevolence over the years to use it for his own purposes, but he will never be burdened by it. When his reputation becomes an obstacle to his pursuit of power, he will still discard it without hesitation.

He took the blame for his mother's misdeeds willingly.

It's nothing more than being cursed at by unregistered residents. Just let them curse; it won't cost them a penny.

Perhaps they will change their stance the day they become legal citizens.

Even if he loses the support of the unregistered population, he can win the support of the city residents and be highly regarded by his mother, who will entrust him with more important responsibilities in the future. After all, a son who cannot take the blame is not a good son, and a subordinate who cannot take the blame is not a good subordinate. If he doesn't even dare to take the blame, what can he be expected of?

"We respectfully obey the Commander's orders and will take our leave." The twenty or so officials clasped their hands in a fist salute and retreated from the temporary disaster relief command camp, then carried out Zhou Qingfeng's orders.

While some of them felt that Zhou Qingfeng's actions were somewhat cruel and cold-blooded, others thought that Zhou Qingfeng had done nothing wrong. After all, in the face of a major disaster, the interests of the city's residents should be prioritized; otherwise, why would the city's residents pay taxes year after year?

Jiang Hongla walked several dozen steps, then turned back to look at the tall figure standing in the temporary disaster relief command camp. His eyes gleamed with admiration: "He is measured in his choices, decisive in his actions, and not burdened by fame. He truly has the qualities of a hero."

The sea cucumber quipped, "Master Jiang, you're already married. Even if you're interested in him, it's hopeless."

Jiang Hongla chuckled lightly: "I can't control a ruthless figure like him, but I can make a bet. A marriage alliance is a good choice, and it may bring rich returns in the future."

Sea Cucumber raised an eyebrow: "Save your breath. Let's not worry about his marriage. As the fourth adopted son of the city lord, according to past practice, Young Master Ma and Young Master Mao were all married off by the city lord. The same applies to him. His future wife will definitely be a duke from the first family or a princess from the royal family. It's not our place to interfere."

Jiang Hongla smiled and said, "I dare not hope for the title of principal wife, but what's wrong with being a concubine?"

The sea cucumber said, "Manager Jiang, don't think too much about it. Let's deal with the immediate problem first."

Jiang Hongla snapped out of her reverie and nodded, "That's true."