Chen Yuan silently watched An Ge and her child disappear into the vast night, standing in the whistling mountain wind for a long time.
When he turned around again and looked towards Jingguan City, his originally gentle gaze gradually became indifferent and ruthless.
Then, his figure blurred on the spot, seemingly dispersed by the mountain wind, disappearing without a trace.
Half a tea-time later, Chen Yuan’s figure appeared in front of the Heavenly Patrol Hall. Right now, he must always stand guard at Yunding Mountain, otherwise without a leader, calamity might arise.
He had too much to deal with!
Therefore, he could only escort An Ge a few dozen li outside the city.
The Armored Soldiers guarding the door kneeled on one knee to welcome him, one of them reported,
"My lord, Yun Piaoqi and two Military Advisers are waiting for you in the hall."
Chen Yuan nodded, having already seen the three figures inside the hall, he strode in.
Upon entering, he saw Yun Tiansheng, along with Gao Yu and Fan Chou, the two Record Officers, quickly stepping forward to pay their respects.
Chen Yuan waved his hand, "Dispense with the formalities."
Then, passing by the three of them, he strode to the seat at the head, sat down heroically, and turned his gaze to the two Military Advisers Gao Yu.
"How have you two been handling things?"
"Reporting to my lord, the rewards and casualty compensations for the Jiushan Troops in Jingguan City have been completed, with a total of five hundred and forty-nine commendations distributed. The Jiushan Troops in other prefectures are more complex, requiring coordination with each prefecture, and the dispatch of Troops is estimated to be completed in the next two days," the tall and dark Fan Chou stepped forward and reported with folded hands.
Chen Yuan nodded, "Make sure all these arrangements are in place, if there are any oversights, and my Jiushan Troops suffer any grievance, I will hold you accountable."
"Yes, sir!"
Chen Yuan then turned his gaze to Gao Yu, who immediately stepped forward, "Reporting to my lord, this subordinate went to announce rewards with Yun Piaoqi today and happened to catch four typical cases, informed the Garrison and arrested a few direct lineage members from several families."
As he spoke, Military Adviser Gao’s brow mildly raised, his tone lightening a bit, "Especially coming to ask for instructions from my lord, what should we do next?"
"What to do?" Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then his gaze fell on Yun Tiansheng, who unexpectedly appeared here.
Yun Tiansheng had already been here once today.
What was he doing at Yunding Mountain this late at night instead of staying with the Yun Family?
"Tiansheng, what brings you to see me at this hour?"
Upon hearing the question, Yun Tiansheng stepped forward, his expression stern, "General, that person from the Liu Family has already taken action!"
At this, Chen Yuan’s eyebrows raised, looking at his subordinate, "You’ve been watching that person?"
Yun Tiansheng nodded, "Yes, I didn’t feel at ease!"
"Well done."
He hadn’t asked Yun Tiansheng to keep watch, nor was it necessary, but he was willing to reward such behavior.
Chen Yuan looked outside the hall,
"A night of pitch-black wind, perfect for killing."
"It seems Liu Tianming has chosen the most direct method. Let’s see if I have misjudged?"
Inside the hall, the two Military Advisers Gao Yu and Fan Chou felt a chill in their spirits, exchanging glances.
A night of pitch-black wind, perfect for killing, Liu Tianming, that’s from the second branch of the Liu Family!
And at this time, in the dead of night, at the Liu Family on Crane Island in the heart of the lake, commonly known as Hemingzhou, located in the western part of the city: the water around the island was a vast darkness while the island itself bore pavilions and terraces, carved balustrades and marble steps, with a large aqua-colored array covering the entire island like an inverted giant bowl.
The Liu Family’s island protection array was suddenly activated in the middle of the night!
This array, glowing in the darkness, shone brightly like an immense blue Crystal Pearl submerged in the surface of the lake.
It immediately caught the attention of certain people around the great lake.
The Liu Family’s island protection array was generally only activated during important occasions.
Its sudden activation in the middle of the night sparked curiosity.
Thus, several figures tread on the waves and moved swiftly across them like arrows leaving the bowstring, cutting through the water and creating white foam, eager to see what was happening.
As they approached the island with still a few li to go, a stern voice was heard.
"This is the Liu Family’s Important Place, take half a step further, and you will be shown no mercy."
"A friend from the Liu Family, we are merely curious why this island protection array would be activated all of a sudden and wanted to check what happened?" one of the comers spoke out to explain.
"The Liu Family has no need to explain their actions to you all. Scram!"
Ho!
This was more like it!
As one of the dominant powers in West City, the Liu Family has always acted this way.
Those who came to spectate were scolded and retreating, not daring to provoke further, and soon the surface of the water became deserted once again.
However, in some places, individuals with extraordinary eyesight gazed into the night from afar, piercing through the array and seeing at the dock on the island, bodies were being thrown into the lake.
In the midst of the lake, there was a small black-awning boat, about seven or eight li away from Crane Island, carrying a sprite-like silver-haired girl sitting at the stern, resting her chin on her hands, admiring what appeared to be a massive blue moon rising from the lake, so stunning and magnificent.
In her homeland, there were similar sights, only the spread of water there was countless times wider.
Suddenly, her dark pupils contracted sharply when she saw bodies being thrown off the dock into the lake, not just one but many.
The girl’s face turned pale as she hurried from the stern to the bow, shaking a disheveled old man clad in tattered clothes, with hair as chaotic as ram’s horns, and a nose reddened from alcohol.
The old man was lying at the bow, one hand dangling in the river and the other clutching a wine gourd, snoring loudly.
"Drunk old man, drunk old man."
No matter how much she shook him, she couldn’t wake him up.
The girl, pouting angrily, pushed the old man towards the river, only to see him not waking up but sinking straight down, and soon thereafter, bubbles began to emerge. Along with it, several fish floated to the surface,
As if drunk, wobbling about and then belly-up, they swam for a bit and then toppled again.
"This happens every time!" The girl didn’t seem surprised at all, instead, her bright eyes and white teeth displayed annoyance. Then she hurriedly ran to the stern to grab the boat pole, and began to push away from Crane Island in the opposite direction with great difficulty.
"Dead old man, stinky old man, you tricked me into coming here, saying that I would meet a person of destiny. Last time in Dragon’s Nest, you said the same thing, yet there wasn’t even a place to stay, and I had to endure hunger with an empty stomach."
With deep resentment, the girl exerted force, and the boat pole snapped.
"Ah!"
The girl was furiously helpless.
In the quiet of the night, this commotion was especially clear.
Soon, there was some movement from the direction of Crane Island.
Someone was flying towards the girl.
The girl quickly jumped into the water. The surface did not splash but wrapped around her instead.
Her silver hair spread out in the water, illuminating the dark water surface. Following that, various fish of different sizes started circling around her as if attracted by something, concealing her body within.
After about a dozen breaths, two figures appeared on the water surface, looking at the empty boat floating on the water.
"Search!" a voice called out.
Then, the two figures took out a chicken egg-sized blue bead from their hands, emitting circles of blue ripples, and threw it into the water, gliding in both directions. The figures followed the bead, searching the water surface within an area of about five or six square miles, but the blue bead showed no reaction.
This was a unique Artifact Refining Technique of the Liu Family, known as the Wave Flipping Pearl, which could probe the water surface and utilize True Qi to control waves against enemies. It was available for use by those who practiced Qi Refinement.
The two men met up again and then had a quiet conversation filled with concealed excitement,
"It seems like there’s no one!"
"Never mind, let’s hurry back. We can’t let the people of the main branch get away."
With that, the two people left, and all was quiet again.
Shortly afterward, the silver-haired girl emerged from the water. Her clothes and hair remained dry, and the glistening water droplets rolled off her hair and plopped onto the water surface.
With her delicate white hands, the girl touched the water, "Let’s go, let’s go."
The surrounding fish seemed to understand, circling her a few times before departing.
At this moment, the girl looked up, ready to return to the boat, when she saw an old man squatting at the stern, his hair on both sides like ram’s horns and with a bald patch in the middle, smilingly watching her.
The girl’s face filled with anger as she leaped onto the boat, grabbing the old man’s hair and giving it a good tug, "Stinky old man, dead old man, send me back to Dragon’s Nest. I don’t want to stay here anymore."
The old man with the flushed, alcoholic nose howled, "Don’t pull, don’t pull, my little ancestor, tomorrow I will take you to enjoy some good food."
Hearing about food, the girl’s eyes immediately shone brightly, "Where, where?"
She squatted by his side, eyes sparkling.
The old man with the flushed nose pointed towards Crane Island, lifted one hand, and pretended to calculate something seriously with his fingers, "By my calculations, this is it."
The silver-haired girl’s eyes flashed with anger, "Stinky old man, you’re tricking me again. Didn’t you see that so many people have died on this island?"
The old man with the flushed nose looked serious as he spoke to the silver-haired girl, "Around here, it’s customary to have a feast when someone dies."
He narrowed his eyes, chuckling,
"Moreover, this is a feast of joy, a dog-eat-dog situation, none of them are any good."
"Just eat with ease when the time comes."
"Then I believe you!" The girl was quite happy.
While this odd pair was actually discussing feasting, at this very moment, within the blue island protection array of Crane Island, the intense smell of blood was overwhelming. In the middle of a particular courtyard, along the corridors, corpses were strewn about in disarray, all were Hospital Guards cultivated by the Liu Family. Also, a large number of people holding torches were gathered together, being detained on a piece of land.
At this moment, in front of the space, inside a grand and beautifully designed eaved attic, voices filled with either grief, resentment, or horror and crying could be heard.
In one room, under the dim light, rows of men and women dressed lavishly were bound and kneeling on the ground, the core members that remained of the main family branch. There were terrified delicate wives and concubines, as well as nephews who wished they could kill him.
"Liu Tianming, I will not let you off even if I become a ghost."
"Second brother, you will not die a good death, for drugging us."
"Second Master, this slave is willing to serve you, spare my life, ..."
"Splat"
Suddenly, a spray of crimson blood splashed onto the window, a scream abruptly ceased, and under the flickering candlelight, a figure collapsed.
After that, screams rose one after another, figures fell to the ground, and the entire window of the room was thoroughly stained red.
When the screams subsided,
After a few breaths, with a "creak," the door of a room opened,
Illuminated by the firelight, a middle-aged man with a slightly dark complexion, missing a piece of his lower lip, dressed in a black robe, giving off a gloomy air, stepped out of the threshold.
The blood behind him was particularly glaring.
Seeing his arrival, the figures under the torches on the attic floor bowed their heads and collectively exclaimed with excitement,
"Greetings, Family Head!"
Those detained on the ground raised their heads in fear and also joined in the shouting.
"Ha ha..."
The man in black on the attic, with his blood-stained eyebrows raised, burst into laughter.
Once he finished laughing, his expression turned somber.
"Liu Tiansheng has lost the people’s hearts and has committed heinous crimes, endangering the Liu Family. Today, I, Liu Tianming, will eradicate kin for justice’s sake and restore to the Liu Family its former glory."
"When the day breaks, send out invitations to all families. From now on, I am the head of the Liu Family, let those fellows come and see too."
"Heh heh!"
"Clean up the mess, inform them to prepare the banquet, make it quick, understand?" Liu Tianming’s eyes flickered with impatience, and surely, that person would also be pleased.
Since he had chosen this path, he naturally wanted others to be tempted too, not letting himself bear the infamy alone. When everyone does the same, the day for reshuffling would come.
"Yes!"

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