Inside the small hut, the four guards had already been dismissed. Now, only Ji Yuan and Zhao Yuebai remained.
The two, having just become master and disciple, were huddled together by the wooden table, looking rather furtive.
After ensuring no one was peering in through the doors or windows outside, Ji Yuan adopted a mysteriously serious expression. Under Zhao Yuebai's puzzled gaze, he lightly flicked his sleeve, and several items appeared on the tabletop.
A jade box containing seven Water God Pills, a bronze oil lamp with a dim spiritual energy, seven stacks of yellow paper talismans, and over ten bottles of various medicinal pills.
If these items were to be displayed in the outside world, even cultivators of the third realm would be envious, especially the seven Water God Pills, which they would acquire at any cost.
Seeing the astonishment and admiration in Zhao Yuebai's eyes, Ji Yuan contentedly patted his daoist robe and then sat down on a chair.
"Your master doesn't have much of a fortune. You can take these for now. Later, I'll teach you a spell called 'Sleeve Universe,' and you'll be able to store and retrieve things at will."
While feigning the demeanor of an elder, he was inwardly filled with pride.
Having a disciple... felt quite good after all!
Amidst his satisfaction, he also meticulously explained the uses and methods of each item to Zhao Yuebai.
Half an hour later, Ji Yuan's expression turned serious as he began to impart the core incantation of the first level of the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture. He then instructed Zhao Yuebai to sit cross-legged on the bed and, using his own essence and energy, assist him in circulating the technique.
After half an hour, seeing that Zhao Yuebai had familiarized himself with the circulation of the technique and was gradually making progress, even beginning to refine the spiritual energy in his dantian and sea of qi that originated from the old locust tree, Ji Yuan quietly withdrew from the hut.
As Ji Yuan closed the door and turned around, he saw several familiar figures in the courtyard.
If he remembered correctly, these were close confidants of Xu Liuqing, whom he had seen a few times before at the Three Blades Association.
Upon seeing them arrive, Ji Yuan immediately formed a guess: the battles in the other three locations in the city had likely concluded.
He was unsure of the final outcome.
Under normal circumstances, with the strength of the three sects, even though the process might be difficult, pacifying the three demonic entities should not be a problem.
Although the Three Blades Association and the Far Mountain Escort Agency did not have any cultivators above the second realm, their renown, being on par with the Mountain Tremor Sect, which had an elder of the second realm martial warrior sitting in its ranks, suggested they must have their own trump cards.
Dealing with one or two second-realm demons should not have been beyond their capabilities.
At this moment, upon seeing Ji Yuan appear, one of them immediately stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Daoist Ji, Brother Xu requests an audience with you at the Three Blades Association."
Ji Yuan nodded, having no objection. However, after a moment of thought, he couldn't help but ask, "Has there been a resolution at the other three locations?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, seeing the somber expression on the other's face, Ji Yuan's heart sank. He realized that the final outcome was likely quite grim, otherwise, the man wouldn't be wearing such a look.
"Except for the garrison barracks that our Three Blades Association was responsible for, the other two locations have ended in failure. The Mountain Tremor Sect and the Far Mountain Escort Agency, in particular, have suffered heavy losses."
The man spoke without hesitation, and the situation he described was indeed not good news.
Not only did those two sects fail in their assaults on the City God Temple and the county yamen, but their disciples also suffered countless casualties. Even the Mountain Tremor Sect's two-realm martial warrior elder, who was one hundred and sixty years old, was severely injured as a result.
If not for a few life-saving elixirs, he would likely have lost his life in the county yamen.
Currently, the experts from those two sects had all gathered at the Three Blades Association. Having suffered immense losses, they dared not return to their sects alone, fearing that the demons would attack their strongholds.
A little over half an hour later, Ji Yuan, along with Zhao Yuansong and others, rushed to the Three Blades Association's headquarters, a mansion, accompanied by several of Xu Liuqing's trusted subordinates.
The vast mansion was overcrowded. Not only were the experts from the other two sects gathered here, but even the remaining disciples and family members of their respective sects had also relocated.
It was evident that after suffering tremendous casualties, the strength of a single sect was no longer sufficient to protect the safety of its members.
As Ji Yuan and his group entered the mansion, they saw injured individuals with varying degrees of wounds everywhere. The air was even filled with a foul smell of blood and medicinal herbs.
In some courtyards, small kilns had been set up to boil medicinal decoctions and ointments for healing.
The scenes that met their eyes were beyond mere heavy losses; "tragic" would not be an exaggeration.
It was hard to imagine what kind of enemies these people had encountered to suffer such a fate. Despite being prominent sects in Qianyu City, they seemed to have offered no resistance.
Upon seeing Xu Liuqing, the group finally understood what had happened to the people of the two sects.
In both the City God Temple and the county yamen, in addition to the deities and divine officials and constables, there were now large numbers of ordinary citizens who had fallen into demonic possession.
These citizens, corrupted by demonic energy, possessed immense strength and were utterly fearless. They often attacked in swarms, and even with broken legs and arms, they would drag their bodies forward, using their teeth to tear at their assailants.
Furthermore, the constables in the county yamen, after succumbing to demonic possession, had pushed their limits, each acquiring the strength of the "Flesh and Bone Realm." Their bodies were covered in scales as hard as iron, and they wore iron armor from the county yamen's treasury.
It was no exaggeration to say they were impervious to blades and spears; ordinary sharp weapons could hardly penetrate their defenses.
Not to mention the City God, a deity who presided over the temple, Yuan Yongcheng, a second-realm martial warrior in the county yamen, and Sun Youfang, the secretary, who was already a second-realm demonic cultivator.
It was already a testament to the strength of the Mountain Tremor Sect and the Far Mountain Escort Agency that they had not been completely annihilated on the spot.
Such a force, let alone mere martial arts sects in a small county town, could even contend head-on with the imperial army, provided the troop strength did not exceed five hundred men.
"What about the four city gates?"
When the imperial army was mentioned, Ji Yuan thought of a garrison camp about 150 li from Qianyu City, where the soldiers were all veterans of battle.
However, to relay the news, the blocked city gates would first need to be opened.
Xu Liuqing shook his head. "The barracks within the city have been dealt with, but the four city gates are likely unopenable."
He informed them that formations had been set up on all four city gates, making it impossible for martial warriors to scale the walls, and even for cultivators to fly over with their artifacts.
Even throwing a stone over the city wall would result in it being shredded by an unknown force, and the same applied to objects made of metal.
Currently, not only living beings but even inanimate objects could not cross the city walls.
At this statement, Ji Yuan and the others wore grim expressions. This was a significant deviation from their original expectations.
In their initial calculations, the three sects would each handle one outbreak of chaos, and then they would deal with the remaining two. This would not necessarily resolve the crisis, but at least it would have passed the halfway mark.
The rest would depend on whether the mastermind behind the scenes would directly reveal themselves and unleash widespread chaos without restraint, or whether they would withdraw and flee before the arrival of imperial experts.
Unexpectedly, two long-renowned sects had not only failed to resolve their respective chaotic situations but had also suffered heavy losses, with more than half their disciples dead or injured, and their experts nearly wiped out.
According to Xu Liuqing, only the Chief Escort remained among the first-realm martial warriors of the Far Mountain Escort Agency. As for the Mountain Tremor Sect, although there were still two or three disciples in the first realm, their strongest elder, a second-realm martial warrior, was severely injured and bedridden.
"The only ones who can still fight are from my Three Blades Association."
Xu Liuqing let out a wry smile.
Of the three most renowned sects in Qianyu City, excluding the annihilated Zhao family, the Mountain Tremor Sect, and the Far Mountain Escort Agency, little combat strength remained. The remaining disciples were either injured or not yet proficient in martial arts.
Instead, only the Three Blades Association remained. Although many members had died in the attack on the fallen barracks, firstly, the Three Blades Association had a large membership, with hundreds of members in Qianyu City, and secondly, those who died were mostly ordinary members, with only two or three first-realm martial warriors lost.
Currently, the Three Blades Association could still field nearly twenty first-realm martial warriors, including three guild leaders in the "Flesh and Bone Realm" and several hall masters in the mid-stage "Flesh and Bone Realm."
Coupled with some trump cards and hidden strengths, Xu Liuqing was confident that taking down the demon-possessed City God Temple should not be a major problem.
In fact, the strength of the other two sects was not weak. The main reason for their predicament was their carelessness and underestimation of the enemy, rushing in without investigating the situation.
Otherwise, if they had revealed all their trump cards, the final victor would have been uncertain.
"You mean you hope we will be responsible for dealing with the two second-realm entities in the county yamen?"
Ji Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly and asked with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Xu Liuqing nodded straightforwardly, without any pretense. This was consistent with his usual approach.
This was also the intention of the other two guild leaders, who clearly knew that Ji Yuan and his group had successively dealt with the Zhao family and Baiyun Temple, a total of two second-realm cultivators.
"At that time, I will also bring dozens of my men and a trump card to accompany you in the battle."
He said with a solemn expression, not concealing anything from them.
At the same time, Xu Liuqing's tone shifted, and he suddenly mentioned the treasury in the county yamen, stating that in half a month, it would be time to pay taxes. The treasury would undoubtedly be full, and he wondered if the demons would have emptied it during the turmoil.
His implication was that if they could resolve the demons in the county yamen, then tens of thousands of taels of silver in the treasury could be conveniently taken by them under the pretext of being seized by the demons.
However, Ji Yuan and the others merely shook their heads. Even if they managed to eliminate the demons in the county yamen, they would not touch a single cent of the silver in the treasury, nor would they allow others to do so.
After this turmoil ended, this tax silver would become funds for the survival of the local populace. To take even a fraction of it would not only be morally wrong but would also weigh heavily on their consciences.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, Xu Liuqing's usually stern face finally revealed a smile.
Clearly, his earlier words had been a test, to see if these individuals would waver in their principles when faced with profit.
After all, whether or not to act against demons and devils was a different matter from whether one's principles would waver due to profit.
The former concerned one's own life and safety. In a perilous situation, if one did not wish to perish, one could only exert their utmost effort.
As for the latter...
Tens of thousands of taels of silver were not a small sum. One could even purchase a few magic artifacts with it. If it were all converted into cultivation resources, it would be enough for a second-realm cultivator to cultivate peacefully and remain in seclusion for at least ten years.
For example, Ji Yuan's typical refining of a relatively precious pill, after deducting all costs, could yield about ten taels of silver coins, which would be equivalent to dozens of ordinary taels of silver.
Tens of thousands of taels of tax silver would be equivalent to Ji Yuan refining a thousand batches of pills, assuming every batch was successful!
Even at a speed of one batch per day, it would take at least nearly three years!
Since ancient times, wealth has moved people's hearts, let alone a huge sum of money placed right before them?
"You are a person who never does anything meaningless. What are you really planning?"
Ji Yuan glared at him exasperatedly, his tone becoming somewhat displeased.
Anyone who was tested by a friend like this would likely feel some resentment.
Xu Liuqing laughed heartily, unfazed. He winked at them and then said mysteriously, "Because those two sects underestimated the enemy, not only forcing us to risk our lives, but also putting themselves and all the city's residents in danger."
"Therefore, under our Three Blades Association's questioning, the two sects each contributed seventy percent of their assets and three precious and rare items as a token of their apology."
However, Xu Liuqing stated that if they had been tempted earlier, he would have allowed them to take the tax silver from the county yamen and then made up the difference with this apology.
He assured them that the final amount would definitely be more than what they would have originally received.
"Whoever says Xu Liuqing is straightforward and never plays games, I'll be the first to argue with them!"
Ji Yuan sighed, having experienced the man's shrewdness firsthand.