460 Four-legged Immortal?!
Qin Huai found it hard to believe. The Nine Dragons sect couldn’t have deteriorated with his wife overseeing it.
“Uncle, where are you headed?” Qin Huai stopped a family of three to ask.
Although the old man had rough skin, his muscles were well-formed. The woman beside him was clad in a large cotton jacket, showing signs of wear but free from patches. Their son, despite his young age, wasn’t short, implying his daily meals were fulfilling.
This family seemed to represent an average family among the long line of people. It appeared that Li Shaoxiang’s management wasn’t too poor.
“We’re headed to Fan City County.” The old man sighed.
“Why? You all look well-fed and adequately clothed. Why are you abandoning your hometown?” Qin Huai queried.
The old man looked bitter as he said, “If we could stay, we wouldn’t leave. Our Lingjiang finally has a great leader. Sect Master Qin was like a reincarnated deity, allowing us to live comfortably… but too bad…”
“What happened?” Qin Huai asked.
“It’s just that the county governor of Fan City County broke through the legendary barrier to reach the immortal realm about half a month ago. That four-legged immortal is all-powerful. He slaughtered hundreds of soldiers and made five out of the ten counties of East Qingzhou submit. Now, they are marshaling the troops of those five counties to attack our Shallow Water City,” the old man explained, urging Qin Huai, “Young man, you should run too. If you don’t hurry, you might not get away.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man quickly gathered his wife and son and resumed their journey.
“Four-legged immortal,” Qin Huai murmured, suspecting that he was a master of the visceral realm.
Fan City County was a remote part of Qingzhou, where most of the county governors were fifth-level bone pattern realm experts, and their realms wouldn’t exceed three complete patterns. It had been a while since a visceral prefecture realm expert emerged.
Such truly ambitious and talented individuals usually moved to Qingzhou City, with very few returning to this desolate land. For instance, the Tong family’s business had gone to Qingzhou City in search of superior smithing techniques. If not for their encounter with the Blood Poison Gang, they wouldn’t have left.
This led to the gradual desolation of the ten counties of East Qingzhou.
Qin Huai quickly made his way to Shallow Water City. As the boundary of Lingjiang, this place would be the first obstacle if Fan City County decided to attack. Hence, it wasn’t surprising that the locals were fleeing in a panic.
Qin Huai observed a constant flow of people on the streets. Some were heading toward Fan City County while a small number moved toward Lingjiang City.
“Why bother running to Lingjiang City at such a time? Have you lost your mind?” a city official berated a little girl near the eastern gate of Lingjiang. He was wearing a long robe adorned with several jade pendants on his waist. “That four-legged immortal has already reached the immortal realm. What good is your so-called White Dragon Army?”
“It was the current master of the Nine Dragons sect who allowed our family to live a good life. Abandoning the city now would be letting him down,” the little girl stammered out, courage barely concealing her shaking voice.
The official, a rotund man with an intimidating glare, scoffed at her remark. “Who do you think you are? Your departure won’t make a difference to the sect master. Shouldn’t saving your own life be more important? The four-legged immortal is omnipotent and could squash the sect master with one finger.”
The girl’s voice dwindled to a whisper as she questioned, “Then why didn’t that so-called immortal let everyone in Fan City County eat?”
This innocent inquiry seemed to strike a nerve, as the official’s face instantly reddened. However, a surge of support came from behind the girl, with a small group of locals affirming their faith in the sect master.
“If there’s an immortal in this world, it would be the sect master.”
“That’s right! The sect master will definitely win.”
Seeing the crowd gathering and echoing the term ‘sect master’, the official couldn’t hide his murderous intent anymore. “Since you refuse the easy way, then I can only invite you to die!” He raised his hand, his bone pattern realm power erupting.
The little girl flinched and shut her eyes in fear. But the expected blow never came. When she dared to open her eyes again, she saw a handsome man holding the official’s arm.
“I gave you authority not to use it against our own people,” said Qin Huai, his voice low but clear in the official’s ears.
Startled, the official blustered, “Who are you?” Despite his bravado, he was genuinely scared. Who was this young man possessing such strength?
As the official tried to justify his actions, Qin Huai coldly retorted, “Is the ‘right path’ leading to Fan City County, where common folks can’t even afford a meal?”
Unabashed, the official said, “You’re clearly not a mortal. You should understand the power of the four-legged immortal, which makes him unbeatable for all experts of Lingjiang.”
“So, you’re accepting the salary from Lingjiang, killing Lingjiang’s people, and driving them to Fan City County because of this?” Qin Huai challenged.
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