Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 269 - 236: Chaos in Qingyang, A Critical Moment

Chapter 269: Chapter 236: Chaos in Qingyang, A Critical Moment

They continued their early morning journeys and overnight stays, and all was well.

Not until after they passed the Li River and entered the territory of East Mountain County did the two of them finally breathe a sigh of relief.

This place was already under the jurisdiction of the three counties at the foot of Black Mountain.

The soldiers from Guangyun County could not manage this area.

Lacking the Prefectural Government’s watchful eyes naturally meant fewer threats.

"If it’s really as you’ve guessed, that Cui Guangling has cultivated the Blood Shadow Divine Skill, then he’s definitely not to be underestimated.

He’s been biding his time all these years, and moreover, he has earned the reputation of ’Clear Waters Banquet’ within Guangyun, surely harboring great ambitions."

Lin Huaiyu recalled the incident in Yinfeng Valley’s Illusory Realm that Zhou Ping’an mentioned a few days ago, along with some of his own doubts.

And he began to take it seriously.

Some things may seem coincidental, but it’s best not to treat them as mere coincidences.

The name Cui Guangling sounds quite elegant and grandiose, and in this era where not many are literate, the chances of having the same name are actually not very high.

If it were names like "Ergou" or "Big Bull."

Then there might be many people with the same name.

Such a refined name, especially one within a nearby radius, essentially allows one to lock down the person’s identity.

"Yes, in these turbulent times, the Red Lotus Rebels have grown powerful, and several bandits have also begun to expand, recruiting and buying horses.

Yet, there’s been no movement from the Guangyun County Soldiers, which is quite abnormal."

Thinking of Ran Sifei, whom he had met once at Cloud Water Sect, and the Yi Heavenly King, whose voice he had heard but person he had never seen,

Zhou Ping’an did not dare let his guard down.

Cloud Water Sect, located within the Floating Cloud Mountains, lies to the west of Qinghe and borders Guangyun to the east, sandwiched between the two prefectures.

Within this region, a Divine General Rank leader with a Fifth Level "Lotus Body" has appeared.

And there have also been sightings of Red Lotus Sect high-ranking members at the level of Dharma King...

Who knows if they’re targeting Qinghe or planning to attack Guangyun.

Surely they can’t just be eyeing Cloud Water Sect for sabotage, right?

If they’re just scheming against Guangyun County, Zhou Ping’an feels that it’s not his place to worry.

But, he’s a bit concerned that these delirious Red Lotus Sect followers might, on a whim, decide to start from the fringes...

The Qingyang City where he resides might not escape the scourge of war.

"Are you worried that Guangyun County wants to drive the rebel forces beyond the two rivers to protect its core region?"

Lin Huaiyu, pondering the increasing number of refugees the closer they got to Qingyang City, had a sudden thought and asked.

"Exactly,"

Zhou Ping’an said with a serious tone: "I used to think that both the Provincial Governor of Jiangzhou and the Governor of Guangyun Prefecture were loyally devoted to Great Yu, each bearing the responsibility to defend the land and ensure the peace of the people, but not anymore."

"If they decide to shrink the defensive perimeter, abandoning the outlying county towns, then the Bandit Army will easily obtain provisions and simply travel downstream, heading north into Wen State territory..."

"It’s indeed possible."

Lin Huaiyu might not understand military matters.

But looking at the wide Li River, she felt a chill in her heart.

If Guangyun County was ruthless enough to give up East Mountain, Qingyang, and Pinghu counties...

Then irrespective of which Bandit Army it was, they wouldn’t necessarily need to cross the river and have a bitter fight with Guangyun’s elite forces.

After all, no matter from which direction the attack was launched, as long as they gained people and wealth, there wasn’t much difference.

Where’s the easiest place to attack?

That’s where they’d strike.

"No wonder, there are people helping the refugees cross the river. Turns out, they want to dump all these people onto the Bandit Army for sustenance."

Lin Huaiyu murmured, "How many people are going to die this time?"

Her only hope now was that those bandits could distinguish between good and bad, covet the prosperous county cities, and not care much about these remote counties.

But soon, the sight of several large caravans ahead had already dashed her hopes.

Dozens of large and small carts, hundreds to thousands of people, families in tow, winding their way forward.

Ox carts, horse carts, with deep wheel ruts, apparently carrying lots of grain and cloth...

On the carts, small flags were erected, and embroidered on them was the character "Zhang."

That was bad enough.

But the key point was that they recognized the horse-riding leader of the soldiers ahead.

"Brother Yuan Hao, how come it’s you?"

Zhou Ping’an immediately spotted the young and martial leader clad in Bright Armor and wielding a Top Three Great Sword.

Who else could it be but Zhang Yuanhao of the Zhang Family?

And the two men beside him astride horses, each holding a long spear, were Zhang Family’s Guard Commanders, the brothers Gao Tai and Gao Yun.

As for the head of the Zhang Family and the eldest young master, they weren’t in sight, presumably in the middle of the caravan.

"Brother Zhou, Fairy Huaiyu,"

Zhang Yuanhao appeared equally surprised.

"You’re returning from Guangyun County?"

"Everyone left, so why rush back?

Look, not just our Zhang Family left Qingyang..."

"The Wang Family, the Zhao Family, and the Xue Family have also taken their households, relocating to Guangyun."

Ahead, the stream of people stretched endlessly, with no end in sight.

All one could see were the crowded heads.

"What happened to Qingyang City? Has the Red Lotus Bandits gathered? Even you major households have begun to flee..."

Zhou Ping’an’s heart felt a chill.

Could it be that the Red Lotus Bandits were preparing to attack the city?

And then.

These "wise ones" saw the danger coming and decided to abandon their immovable property in advance to flee to a "safe place."

However, unless the situation was irretrievable, families with their own martial prowess like the Zhang Family would definitely not give up their lands and shops so easily.

"Not just that, Brother Zhou. You’ve been out of sight for some time, and the City Defense Army has been suppressed to the point of being unable to move.

Nowadays, Qingyang faces three scares a day, with refugees occasionally entering the city, and the Red Lotus Sect preaching.

I even heard that the city has long been under the control of the Red Lotus Army; if we don’t leave sooner, where will we find a way to live?"

"What about Tang Lin’er and Gu Dashi? Have they responded to this?"

"Commander Tang was said to be shocked off his horse, fell, and was seriously injured beyond healing, now recuperating in camp.

Chief Gu had it worse; while he was leading troops out of the city, at the gate, a beggar struck him with a palm, turning his face green. After being rescued by the City Guards, it was said that he passed away not long after."

Zhang Yuanhao said with a grim face.

Seeing Lin Huaiyu’s complexion looking extremely bad, without waiting for the other to speak, he quickly added, "Fairy Huaiyu, rest assured, there’s been no trouble at Lin Residence.

"One night, there was a loud booming from Lin Residence; since then, the Precious Pharmacy was closed, and the residence has been locked down tightly. Apart from someone occasionally coming out to purchase food, nobody travels.

"However, my younger brother secretly sent skilled men to gather information from your residence, and before leaving the city this time, he also inquired about Miss Xue..."

Inquired about Xiao Xue.

Of course, there’s no need to state the result.

She would definitely not leave but stay inside Lin Residence, waiting for our return.

This could be seen from the look on Zhang Yuanhao’s face.

The booming must have been the battle between masters; probably, Old Man Qing had made his move.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ping’an inside began to feel anxious...

"Even if chaos breaks out within the city, with Red Lotus Bandits and refugees sneaking in, you’re not without the means to defend yourselves, so why abandon everything?"

The four great and powerful families of Qingyang, all deeply rooted in the local area for decades, even centuries.

Staying in Qingyang City, they were nobility.

If they truly uprooted and left, once removed from their native ground, they would no longer be considered noble.

In fact, settling down anew elsewhere would be quite difficult.

Perhaps, at the first whiff of trouble, they’d once again have to flee Guangyun with their families in tow.

By then, how much of their foundation could be preserved would largely depend on luck.

Zhou Ping’an, well-versed in history, only had to think of those great families who were displaced and hiding from war to understand their likely fate.

"Speaking of which, it’s unbearable."

Li Yuanhao said indignantly, "Some evil wind has been stirred up from somewhere... there are rumors everywhere, claiming the Five Desires Demonic Scripture of the Suppression Prison Demon Sect appeared in Qingyang, and that traces of the Suppression Prison Subduing Demon Scripture have been found.

"Originally, these were minor rumors that few believed, dismissing them as idle people creating falsehoods.

"But unexpectedly, three days ago, a Devil Head really did emerge, causing turmoil within the city and killing an entire family of the Yu Family. They escaped after being besieged by several masters..."

"In the last two days, not only has the Lishan Sect sent people, but the number of Red Lotus Sect’s experts has greatly increased, and even the Cloud Water Sect, Brahma Heaven Sect, Heavenly Corpse Sect, and Hehuan Sect’s masters have appeared. They’re frequently clashing, turning everything into a mess, with numerous casualties among the common people."

Zhang Yuanhao’s face turned ugly as he spoke.

"My Zhang Family did not escape unscathed either; we lost dozens of our skilled men, and my eldest brother nearly didn’t make it back alive."

"The Suppression Prison Subduing Demon Scripture has appeared?"

This time, Zhou Ping’an and Lin Huaiyu’s composure shattered.

In a sense, this news was much more troubling than the Red Lotus Rebel Army entering the city.

Because you can’t prove to all the high-level martial artists of Jianghu that such news is false.

Once those wandering martial artists and sect masters, coveting divine skills, gathered in the city, the order within would be chaos, getting beaten into disarray.

"Brother Yuanhao, take care on your journey, we’ll meet again if fate allows. We’ll take our leave first," Zhou Ping’an said as he exchanged a glance with Lin Huaiyu, quickly bidding farewell and leaving.

"Ah, ah... Brother Zhou, Fairy Huaiyu, if things cannot be done, please don’t force them. Preservation of life is the priority."

"Understood."

Zhou Ping’an waved his hand, rode on his horse, and, with a whip’s crack, bypassed the relocating caravans, heading straight for Qingyang City.

...

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