Chapter Twenty-Six: Upheaval

“Could it be that rebel forces have infiltrated?”
“In any case, we have to be careful now. If anything bad happens, it’s best to find a place to hide,” Qin Yi whispered.
“You’re absolutely right!”
...
At the county office.
In the courtyard, Magistrate Hu’s headless body lay on the ground.
The elderly assistant magistrate, Fan Shitong, was locked in combat with three shadowy figures!
All around, a group of men in black battled against the constables, but the constables were clearly outmatched, being utterly routed!
“You’re remnants of the Scarlet Faith!” Fan Shitong was being overwhelmed by the three attackers, dangerously close to defeat. All three were at the sixth level of cultivation!
“How dare you call us remnants? Then go to hell!”
“Secret Art—Crimson Serpent’s Hand!” Gao Ming sneered coldly.
At that moment, a thunderous shout rang out from afar!
“Stop!”
But no one could intervene in time.
A sickening crack—
Gao Ming twisted off Fan Shitong’s head.
“How dare you!” Feng Zhizhou’s voice boomed like thunder as he rushed toward them at top speed!
“So it’s true—the commandery sent a seventh-level to act as the Quartermaster!” Gao Ming’s face was grave. “Form up!”
Although the three of them were only at the sixth level, they had all trained in a combined attack technique. When united, they could match a seventh-level cultivator!
Instantly, the four clashed in a fierce battle within the county office!
As their fight raged on,
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the west side of town, and flames shot skyward!
“They’ve succeeded!” Gao Ming and his companions exchanged glances, triumphant smiles lighting their faces!
Feng Zhizhou’s expression changed dramatically. “A feint! You lured me away!”
The blaze was coming from the direction of the granary and supply stores.
Now that the fire had broken out there, it could only be the work of these agents of the Scarlet Faith. He was originally stationed there, but had been drawn away—a classic ruse!
“Too late!” Gao Ming and his comrades pressed their combined assault, determined not to let Feng Zhizhou break away and return to save the supplies.
“Get out of my way!” Feng Zhizhou, like a furious tiger, launched even fiercer attacks.

He knew all too well—if the food and supplies were completely destroyed, what would the commandery’s army eat and use at the front?
The gravest consequence would be a forced retreat!
If that happened, all their previous efforts would be in vain!
But the combined technique of these three kept him pinned—he couldn’t break free!
...
Thunderous explosions...
Not long after Qin Yi and the others saw the signal from the county office, the granary just a street ahead of them caught fire—flames roaring and thick smoke billowing!
“The granary’s on fire!” Qin Yi exclaimed, startled.
“First the county office called for help, now the granary burns—there must be rebels in the city,” Chen Jie said grimly. No one knew if the city had really fallen to the rebels.
The chaos was overwhelming!
“Put out the fire! Hurry!”
“Come help fight the fire!”
Calls for help soon rang out nearby.
“Should we go?” one disciple asked.
“Not yet. What if there are rebels over there?” Qin Yi replied. He himself wasn’t worried, being quite capable, but if his fellow disciples rushed over and ran into the enemy, they’d be slaughtered!
“Qin’s right, let’s wait and see,” Chen Jie agreed.
Just then, a squad of ten city guards marched past.
“What are you all standing around for? Come with us to fight the fire!” the squad leader barked at Qin Yi and the others.
“Yes, yes, we’ll go right away! We’ll just grab some buckets from inside—without buckets, we can’t help! You go on ahead!” Chen Jie replied loudly.
“Fine, hurry and get your buckets!” The city guards hurried off toward the granary, calling for others to join the firefight as they ran.
“Brother Chen, you’re clever!” Liu Haibin gave a thumbs-up.
“Heh, let’s get inside and lay low for now.”
Everyone quickly retreated indoors, closed the doors, and watched in secret.
Qin Yi, however, climbed out the window, covered his face, and swiftly scaled the rooftop, moving toward the granary to see for himself what was happening.
When he reached the street near the granary, he saw it engulfed in flames!
He also heard the sounds of fighting—over twenty men in black clashed with the city guards.
But these men in black were clearly powerful; the ordinary guards were being routed.
“So, it’s a raid—not a full-scale invasion,” Qin Yi thought to himself.
After the black-clad attackers dispatched the city guards, they melted into the night.

But the granary was fully ablaze. Even if the fire was put out, most of the grain and supplies would be ruined.
Qin Yi slipped back and joined the crowd to help fight the fire.
Two hours later, the fire was finally out, but most of the stores had been destroyed!
Early the next morning, dreadful news spread.
“Last night, the county office was attacked too—the rebel assassins killed Magistrate Hu and Assistant Magistrate Fan!” When Qin Yi heard this, he was stunned.
“Yes, and no one knows how those assassins infiltrated the city!”
Since the outbreak of war, the gates of Jinyuan County had been sealed—no one was allowed in, only out!
Only supply convoys, messengers, and orderlies were permitted entry; virtually no one else could get in!
“The rear is in utter chaos! The situation is about to change dramatically!” Qin Yi muttered.
With the county magistrate and assistant dead, the people’s morale was shattered. And with most of the grain and supplies gone, the army’s logistics couldn’t be sustained. If this wasn’t resolved quickly, a retreat was inevitable!
...
On the front lines.
“What did you say? There was a disaster in Jinyuan County—the magistrate and assistant were killed by the Scarlet Faith, and the granary was burned?” When Xue Yinhou heard the news, he was so furious he wanted to kill!
“The Scarlet Faith! Them again!”
“What was Feng Zhizhou doing? Seventh-level and he couldn’t even protect a granary?” Xue Yinhou raged.
“Sir, the rear is in turmoil. What should we do now?” a subordinate asked.
“How long can our camp’s grain stores last?”
“Three days, at most!”
“Three days. How long to transfer supplies from the neighboring counties?”
“The fastest—at least five days!”
“Three days. Ration the food, do whatever it takes to hold out for five days! Send orders—have the rear immediately prepare supplies, and report this to the commandery at once!” Xue Yinhou said sternly.
He had accepted the mission to crush the rebels with great confidence, never expecting things to turn out like this!
“Urgent dispatch!”
Suddenly, a messenger shouted at the door.
“Come in. What is it?”
“Sir, latest intelligence—rebel forces have appeared in Qinghe County. This morning, the entire county fell!”
“What?” Xue Yinhou was struck dumb on the spot!