Xiaoxiao.

The origin of Xiubei Town contains a legendary past!

Legend has it that in ancient times, the Yellow Emperor's tribe in the Central Plains coveted the wealth of the south and constantly put pressure on the Chi You tribe in the south.

Chi You, fearing the power of the Yellow Emperor's tribe, initially sought to exchange wealth for peace. However, once the torrent of desire is unleashed, it cannot be easily contained.

Peace cannot be achieved through mere compromise and forbearance; excessive concessions will only be seen as weakness and incompetence!

Seeing that Chi You was making concessions step by step, the Yellow Emperor's tribe made increasingly unreasonable demands.

Ultimately, they even attempted to directly annex the entire Chiyou tribe.

This was something that could not be agreed to under any circumstances. Driven to the brink of despair, Chi You and his people had no choice but to rise up and fight back!

The Chiyou tribe was located in the south, where the climate was pleasant and the land was rich in resources, so they had no worries about food and clothing.

Abundant material resources have promoted the progress of spiritual civilization. People no longer pick up lost items on the road, and no one locks their doors at night.

Within the tribe, wise men abounded, and sages were as numerous as clouds. Under Chi You's meticulous governance, the tribe reached its zenith.

In contrast, the Yellow Emperor's tribe in the north was located in a barren wasteland with infertile land.

In addition, the recent famines have led to consecutive years of poor harvests.

As people went hungry, discontent among the tribe grew daily.

In order to resolve internal conflicts, it is actually to solve internal problems.

The Yellow Emperor turned his attention to a large, wealthy tribe in the south that had always been lax in its military preparedness.

With the demon of desire unleashed, war becomes inevitable.

After consulting the gods and asking for divination, the Yellow Emperor's tribe embarked on a southward conquest.

Although the Chiyou tribe never valued military preparedness, war was never a simple contest of brute force, but a contest of overall strength.

This made the outcome of the first phase far exceed everyone's expectations.

Because of their strong economic strength and the fact that everyone was fighting to protect their homeland, the Chiyou tribe demonstrated formidable fighting power in the first phase of the battle.

The Yellow Emperor's tribe, which had a distinguished military record, suffered repeated defeats, to the point that for a considerable period of time, battles raged into the territory ruled by the Yellow Emperor's tribe.

However, without long-term military preparation, it is impossible to maintain sustained combat capability.

The brave warriors of the south were gradually worn down in battle after battle. In particular, after the tribal leader Chi You was captured and dismembered by the Yellow Emperor's tribe, the decline of the Chi You tribe in the south became inevitable.

As the saying goes, a defeated army collapses like a landslide, and the Yellow Emperor's tribe quickly occupied almost all of the territory of the Chi You tribe.

Only one branch remains, and they are the only direct descendants of their leader, Chi You.

They refused to surrender and vowed to restore the tribe's former glory.

To escape the Yellow Emperor's tribe, they began a long migration, constantly heading towards high mountains and great rivers.

They eventually settled in the area where Xiubei County was located, and named the place "Xiubei." The name "Xiubei" is meant to remind future generations to diligently improve their military preparedness, never forget the glory of their ancestors, and never forget the shame of defeat!

Of course, this is just a beautiful legend.

Kuang Zheng overheard the entire scheme behind him, but he paid it no mind. These worthless scoundrels held no interest for him whatsoever.

The seriously injured Yao Changqing was treated by someone else; he was one of their own. His father, Yao Shuanglin, was among the local gentry who came to greet him, so there was no need to worry about his safety.

Even if they had just left him by the roadside, nothing would have happened, because someone would definitely have gone to check on him. That way, they would have found the seriously injured Yao Changqing. But Kuang Zheng, seeing how Yao Changqing had risked his life to protect his friend, felt a pang of pity.

Night fell quickly, and Wu Ren silently slipped into the yamen. Looking at the two men sitting upright under the lamplight, Wu Ren was momentarily lost in thought.

"What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?" Yingyue asked.

"Uh...did I disturb you?" Wu Ren said with a smug look on his face.

"What are you thinking about? Can't you think of anything else? It's only night, who would do that so early?" Ying Yue said.

"Hehe...you're right, you're right. It has to be the big sister, it's not time yet! Hehe..." Wu Ren laughed.

"Have you driven enough? We're talking business!" Kuang Zheng said helplessly.

"Let's get down to business," Wu Ren said.

"Any progress?" Yingyue asked.

"We're starting to see some progress," Wu Ren said.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kuang Zheng asked curiously.

"It seems that Xiubei County is not as simple as it appears on the surface. There is an organization called Penglou that is quite powerful here."

They are well hidden, and there are many skilled individuals among them.

The person guarding the magical artifact was a rare master of ancient martial arts; I wasn't paying attention at the time and almost got discovered by him.

The object wasn't one of those rare and precious materials we'd seen before, but rather a statue.

"The statues, resembling deities, are carved too abstractly; it's impossible to discern what they actually represent," Wu Ren said.

"Oh? This Penglou must have a close relationship with Zhang Zhen and the others, right?" Kuang Zheng said thoughtfully.

"To be precise, Zhang Zhen and his gang were just Penglou's henchmen, and even then, they were just peripheral members," Wu Ren said.

"Is this Penglou so powerful? Their influence must extend far beyond the small Xiubei County, right?" Ying Yue said.

"Due to time constraints, there is no further information at the moment, but I have arranged for people to continue to follow up, and I believe there will be results soon," Wu Ren said.

"So it seems that Xiubei County's desire to break free from the Empire's control is not entirely unfounded," Kuang Zheng said.

“I think Penglou has quite a grand scheme in mind. Their hierarchy is very strict, and they often communicate using code words. Although they are not subordinate to each other, they are very united in the face of outsiders. Their personnel are rigorously trained, and their ideology is also very extreme,” Wu Ren said.

"Such a massive organization, why is there no news from the Empire? That's a bit too unbelievable," Ying Yue said.

"That's why I said they have grand ambitions," Wu said.

"I see... huh? Noisy!" Kuang Zheng was about to speak when he suddenly sensed more than a dozen people sneaking in from outside the door and angrily shouted.

It was already late at night, and the main gate should have been lit up.

But by this time, not only were the lamps gone, but even the guards on duty had vanished without a trace.

The streets were pitch black, with no pedestrians and everything silent.

The night took away the daytime hustle and bustle, and the entire county town fell into silence.

Occasionally, gusts of cold wind would swirl up fallen leaves, and the slight rustling sound was all the more distinct.

This made the dark night seem even more lonely and cold.

Just then, a group of men in black suddenly darted out from the street corner. They were all covered up, with leggings and waistbands, dressed in tight-fitting clothes.

The long swords in their hands gleamed coldly, and they walked as swiftly as cats, not even disturbing the dogs of the houses along the street.

This alone shows that this group of strongmen is far more formidable than the deserters from the border army at the city gate.

The group seemed to be strolling leisurely, but in the blink of an eye they arrived at the entrance of the government office.

The leader of the group in black made a gesture, and the group immediately stood against the wall.

Immediately, three people stepped out of the line and leaped over the 12-foot-high wall of the yamen.

In the blink of an eye, they entered the government office. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the three of them reappeared at the entrance of the government office.

“Reporting to the leader, the information inside matches what they provided. All the officers have been transferred, and only the magistrate's room is lit. We can faintly hear conversations, but we didn't alert them,” one of them said.

"Better safe than sorry. We're in a business where we risk our lives. Trust yourself more than anyone else. Alright, let's get started." With that, the man led the group inside.

The group was clearly very familiar with the government office, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the door where Kuang Zheng was.

Just then, they heard a soft humming sound from inside the room.

Just as the man was about to make his move, everything went black before his eyes, and then he knew nothing more.

It turned out that Kuang Zheng picked up the calligraphy brush on the table with a soft hum, and then gave it a slight shake.

The wolf hair at the tip of the brush exploded instantly, transforming into countless steel needles.

A terrifying gust of wind swept through the door, and before the group outside could react, they were all gone to meet the King of Hell.

The "Evil Demon Eighteen" was a murderer in Xiubei County who killed countless people and caused countless injustices.

Zhang Zhen's strongest gang of thugs died quietly and without a trace.

"Hehe... Zhang Zhen is heartbroken now. His strongest fighter is gone just like that, hehe..." Wu Ren laughed.

"These beasts got off too easily. If I were to take action, I would make them wish they were dead," Ying Yue said.

“What the boss says is true. These people prey on the people, committing all sorts of evil deeds such as rape and plunder. It would be too good for them to die like this,” Wu Ren said.

"Alright, let's get down to business first!" Kuang Zheng said.

“Okay, I’ll take these people with me when I leave,” Wu Ren said.

"No need, just leave them here, don't touch them," Kuang Zheng said.

"Hmm?" Wu Ren was a little puzzled.

"Does Zheng-ge mean to make an example of Zhang Zhen? To give him a warning?" Ying Yue said.

“What kind of tiger is Zhang Zhen? At most, he’s just making an example of someone,” Kuang Zheng said.

After they finished speaking, they returned to their room, finalized some details, and then dispersed.

Ying Yue naturally didn't sleep in the same bed with Kuang Zheng, since they weren't married yet, and the emperor's face still needed to be considered.

The most important thing is that life is not even guaranteed, so who can have much "sexual interest" in that kind of thing?

The night passed quickly, and things were a bit strange at the yamen today. The yamen runners and officials seemed to have made a pact to be late for their roll call.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Zhang Zhen finally arrived, and Li Gui, who always followed behind, was also there.

Zhang Zhen's expression was rather grim. "Evil Ghost Eighteen" hadn't returned all night, and there hadn't been any signal from the yamen as agreed. This inexplicably instilled a sense of fear in the usually arrogant man.

It's important to know that the "Evil Ghosts Eighteen" are not ordinary petty thieves; they are assassins trained by Penglou. Ordinary people are no match for them, and even ordinary ancient martial arts cultivators are no match for them.

But even such elite troops disappeared without a trace after entering the yamen last night. How could Zhang Zhen not be afraid?

He now suspects that Kuang Zheng must have a powerful backer protecting him, otherwise what ability could a mere kid like him have?

A master who can make all eighteen "evil spirits" disappear is indeed terrifying.

It was precisely because of this fear that Zhang Zhen kept a dark expression on his face throughout.

Upon arriving at the yamen gate, Zhang Zhen gave a single glance.

Li Gui glanced fearfully into the room, then swallowed hard and shakily walked in.

Before a pipeful of tobacco could be smoked, Li Gui screamed in agony, “Dead! Dead! They’re all dead! Lord Zhang, they’re all dead! Waaah…” Li Gui was so frightened that he was almost incoherent.

Zhang Zhen's heart skipped a beat; his worst fears had come true.

He hurriedly entered the yamen and saw eighteen people lying neatly on the ground. Although their heads and faces were covered, he could tell from their physiques that they were the "Evil Ghosts Eighteen" that he knew all too well.

Although no wounds were visible, the stiff, upright bodies alone indicated that these people were dead beyond dead; their corpses were already hardened.

"M-Sir..." Li Gui stammered, unable to speak coherently.

Just then, Kuang Zheng pushed open the door, came out, and stretched.

"Hmm...! Eh? Why are so many men in black sleeping here? Did you two capture some bandits?" Kuang Zheng said.

“No…” Li Gui was about to deny it.

Zhang Zhen, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up. "Yes, sir. Last night, I discovered that this group of people were the 'Evil Ghosts Eighteen,' who had been causing trouble in this area for a long time. The attack at the city gate yesterday was orchestrated by these bandits. So I led my men to wipe them out overnight, and I have come today to report back."

Although Li Gui looked completely puzzled, he didn't say anything.

"Not bad, not bad. Lord Zhang is quite efficient. It's just a pity about this 'Evil Ghost Eighteen'! Hehehe..."

The sentence was cryptic, but Zhang Zhen knew that the magistrate must already know that "Evil Ghost Eighteen" was one of his men.

But for some reason, the other party didn't delve deeper, and instead only touched on the topic briefly.

Seeing Zhang Zhen's reaction, the others in the yamen who arrived late had very different feelings.

It was an open secret in the county government that the "Evil Ghosts Eighteen" were Zhang Zhen's staunch henchmen. It could be said that Zhang Zhen's current authority and power were inseparable from the secret assistance of the "Evil Ghosts Eighteen".

Without these people risking their lives to help him eliminate all hostile forces, where would he be today?

But those who risked their lives for him and made countless contributions were all executed today just to give the new magistrate an explanation.

So ruthless and cold-blooded.

Who would dare to get close to him in the future? Who would dare to believe his words?

One sentence was enough to shatter the spirits of Zhangzhen!

He may not be completely abandoned by his family and friends, but those who weren't closely connected to him are already thinking about cutting ties.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhang Zhen knew things were going badly.

But it was too late to explain now; only now did he realize the power of the "master" behind the correction.

With a simple move, he not only severed his strongest martial force, but more terrifyingly, he also shattered the hearts of the people.

If morale is low, it's very difficult to lead a team!

What a great way to kill two birds with one stone!

Little did he know that the so-called master was none other than the young man he had always looked down upon.

Little did he know that Kuang Zheng had never taken him seriously from the beginning.

All he did was to lure out Penglou, and also to make an example of him.

The difference is that they killed Zhang Zhen, the "chicken," to warn Peng Lou, the "monkey."

Entering the world to purify one's heart is certainly important, but right now the most important thing is to find one's spiritual roots.

The spirit statue in Penglou was the ultimate goal of this trip, but unfortunately, the other party liked to hide.

Since that's the case, we'll just have to lure them out. The bait has been laid; now we'll see how they react.

He wanted to see what this seemingly unassuming Penglou was really up to...