A man, clad in a moon-white robe and a silver fox fur-lined coat, gripped the handle of a long whip with his well-defined hands. A string of human heads was attached to the whip.
He dragged them along, the terrified faces frozen in the moment of death, their flesh and blood mangled by the gravel and sand on the ground. A bloody trail marked his path as he pulled them towards Xiling Commandery.
"Hiss~"
The people leaving the city gave him a wide berth. Despite his serene and refined appearance, the gruesome heads trailing behind him were a shocking sight. The faint-hearted among them nearly fainted from fright.
The man passed by a tea stall without stopping. He had already gone past when he suddenly halted and turned back.
He stood before the tea stall, looking at the proprietor who was visibly tense and as if facing a great enemy. A brilliant smile spread across his face. "Almost overlooked you in plain sight."
"Outer disciple of the Ghost Fiend Sect~"
The tea stall owner turned and fled. The man flicked his wrist. The whip, along with the heads, swung through the air, coiling around the owner's throat. With a sharp tug, he effortlessly pulled the man to his feet. A swift slash of his blade, and without any effort, he severed the owner's head.
"Eleven!"
He narrowed his eyes, pleased.
The soldiers nearby felt their scalps tingle. They didn't want to get involved, but they couldn't ignore him as he headed for Xiling Commandery. If he dragged a string of heads into the city, the Commandery Governor would surely flay them alive.
"You—"
The city gate guards thrust their spears forward, blocking his path.
The man looked up. Though his eyes held a smile, the soldier barring his way felt a piercing, bone-chilling cold. His words caught in his throat; he managed only a single "you," the rest of his sentence swallowed by fear.
The man rummaged in his懷中, finally pulling out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and handed it over. The soldier took it and read it at a glance, his expression turning peculiar.
The paper was a kill order issued by Feng Luan—the widely disseminated version!
It was a copy sent to all corners of the land. As he handed over the letter, the man also pulled open his coat, revealing a multitude of Ghost Fiend Sect tokens hanging from his belt.
The soldier looked at the letter and then at the tokens on his waist. The veins on his temples throbbed violently. This man had killed so many people from the Ghost Fiend Sect and still dared to come to Xiling Commandery. What audacity!
But more than that, when did Divine Physician Feng issue this kill order? Wait a moment, if this man is bringing heads to Xiling Commandery, doesn't that mean Divine Physician Feng is in Xiling Commandery right now? So, she was in the enemy's lair issuing a kill order to them???
The soldier pressed a hand to his chest, nearly having a cardiac arrest from Divine Physician Feng's actions.
Did the Commandery Governor know about this?
No, this must be reported immediately!
The soldier returned the letter to the man and asked, "Since it is a kill order issued by Divine Physician Feng, do you know where Divine Physician Feng resides in the city?"
"Yunlai Inn!"
The man replied.
The soldier: "..."
He had intended to stall for time, but who knew this man would even know where Divine Physician Feng was staying? He cleared his throat, pointing to the human heads strung on his whip like candied hawthorns. Even under the vast city gate, the thick smell of blood and decaying flesh was not diluted in the slightest, assaulting the soldier's nostrils and making his face even more grim.
He suppressed the churning of his stomach and said, "The city is filled with honest, ordinary folk. Entering like this might frighten them. How about this, would putting a sack over them be alright?"
The man: "..."
The man, dragging a sack, entered Xiling Commandery. The soldier, almost the next second after he left, sprinted towards the government office at a hundred meters per second.
He didn't know when Divine Physician Feng had entered the city, but if she had issued a kill order against the Ghost Fiend Sect within the city, it would be a major incident. Setting aside whether Divine Physician Feng was in danger, if the city's populace were caught in this chaos, who knew how many would die.
"What did you say?"
Cao Zhiwei slammed his hand on the table. The movement was too abrupt, and his knee accidentally hit the leg of the chair, causing him such pain that he almost shed tears.
He knew Feng Luan had entered the city, but he hadn't heard any rumors about the kill order. He had been wondering why Feng Luan had stayed for so many days and hadn't left. Was it because of this? Issuing a kill order against the Ghost Fiend Sect? Why? If you want to issue one, just do it, but why did you stay in Xiling Commandery instead of leaving? Are you afraid you won't die?
The Ghost Fiend Sect bordered Xiling Commandery. Although Feng Luan had previously killed the Qin father and son, eliminating the Ghost Fiend Sect's pawns, their pawns were definitely not limited to the Qin family. Let alone whether the Ghost Fiend Sect would lash out in desperation and collectively attack Xiling Commandery, even the Ghost Fiend Sect's hidden pawns could make Feng Luan sleepless with disgust.
What was she after?
Cao Zhiwei paced back and forth, sighing as he did. He was so worried that he was almost growing a beard. He suddenly slapped the table and asked, "Does the Prince know about Feng Luan issuing the kill order against the Ghost Fiend Sect?"
The soldier looked at the scribe, and the scribe looked at the Commandery Administrator. He thought: Aren't you the Prince's direct subordinate? Why are you asking us if the Prince knows?
Sensing their subtle expressions, Cao Zhiwei's face stiffened. Damn it, he forgot he was still carrying the burden of being the Prince's direct subordinate.
Seeing that no one was speaking, the soldier raised his hand and cautiously replied, "Your Highness, Your Highness should know!"
Cao Zhiwei's eyes lit up, and he pressed further, "How do you know so surely?"
"The kill order that person showed me stated that each head of a Ghost Fiend Sect member could be exchanged for a bottle of spirit elixirs. It also added: killing Ghost Fiend Sect members rewards a thousand gold. Killing a hall master rewards ten thousand gold. Killing a Nine Fiend grants a favor from him."
"Hiss~"
Things had escalated.
Your Highness, you really know how to fan the flames!
Feng Luan's kill order wasn't enough, and you're adding more fuel to the fire?
"Order the city gates to strengthen their defenses. Have the sentries on three shifts a day, ensuring the sentry posts are manned at all times. Also, if anyone else enters the city with heads in the coming days, just like today, have them properly store the heads, preventing unnecessary panic among the populace. As for Feng Luan... dispatch two yamen runners to keep an eye on her, and evacuate nearby residents when necessary. Other than that, no need to worry about anything else!"
"Yes!"
Everyone obeyed the order.
Cao Zhiwei sat down, rubbing his knee. He still couldn't quite figure out why Feng Luan had suddenly decided to target the Ghost Fiend Sect.
...
The serene and refined young gentleman, dragging the sack, was intercepted halfway to Yunlai Inn.
Seeing the menacing crowd, brimming with killing intent, before him, the man's face broke into a brilliant smile.
More income!
A thousand miles to deliver heads, a small gift with great meaning~
Such good people~
Such incredibly good people~