The courtyard gate was suddenly knocked upon forcefully late at night, with urgent shouts echoing from outside.
Cao Yan hurried out of his room, throwing on a thin outer garment before jogging towards the gate, a subtle grimness flashing in his eyes.
In the adjacent guest room, Zhao Yuansong and the other two were also awakened from their meditation, looking warily towards the outside.
"What's happening in the middle of the night?"
As he pulled open the courtyard gate, Cao Yan couldn't help but be taken aback, seeing over a dozen people holding torches.
He quickly looked at the familiar face leading the group and asked with a frown.
"There are bandits causing trouble in the city, forcing their way into Mr. Liu's residence, robbing him of his valuables, and killing twenty-one people."
The leader was a middle-aged man, a few years older than Cao Yan, with a strong martial arts aura.
He said with a dark expression, "These bandits are likely the so-called '俠盜' (xia dao - chivalrous thieves) who have been operating recently. The county magistrate has ordered us to capture them immediately!"
An order token was produced and handed to Cao Yan.
This was a direct order from the county magistrate. With this token, he could not only command his own squad but also mobilize four other squads of city guards.
At this moment, Cao Yan realized the seriousness of the situation. Anyone the magistrate would treat with such gravity was clearly no ordinary thief.
In fact, ordinary thieves wouldn't go around stealing valuables and killing twenty-one people in the process!
He suddenly recalled that for the past few years, within a thousand-mile radius, there had been someone who called himself a 'xia dao', operating everywhere and specifically targeting wealthy merchants who had sided with the rebels.
"Cao Yan accepts the order!"
He clasped the order token in both hands and responded with a grave expression.
Seeing this, the people outside nodded and then departed with their men. The leader still had three order tokens on his waist and needed to head to other locations.
After everyone outside the small courtyard had left, Cao Yan closed the gate and quickly returned to his room to get dressed. He then rushed to the city guard camp.
"You two stay here. I'll follow them discreetly to take a look."
Zhao Yuansong pondered for a moment and said to the other two.
With a major incident unfolding in the city, he couldn't simply hide in the courtyard, oblivious to the outside world. He needed to gather some information.
The other two disciples nodded, as they were not skilled in stealth and would be better off staying put.
Upon reaching the main street, Cao Yan saw a large number of constables and yamen runners, along with many city guards, all moving through the streets and alleys with torches.
Businesses and residential homes were having their doors knocked open in the middle of the night, and people poured in, thoroughly searching every nook and cranny.
For a time, the otherwise quiet night was filled with cries and wails.
Cao Yan gritted his teeth and subconsciously quickened his pace. Despite his inner turmoil, he knew he was powerless to do anything with his own strength.
He arrived at the military camp, and with his order token, he not only rallied his own men but also summoned four other squads of government troops, leading them to search the city.
However, under his command, the attitude of those government troops was undeniably better; at least they didn't carelessly smash and destroy the belongings of the citizens.
"Captain, our speed is much slower than the others!"
A soldier stepped forward, his expression somewhat anxious.
Hearing this, Cao Yan glanced at him, clearly understanding that the soldier harbored ambitions of earning merit.
However, a thief who could operate within a thousand-mile radius for several years was not someone that a young man without even a basic cultivation realm could apprehend.
If they actually encountered such a person, their families would likely be collecting death benefits.
Speaking of which, ever since the rebel army had occupied the area, it seemed that the death benefits had been significantly reduced. After all, they had been constantly recruiting soldiers over the years, and if the death benefits remained the same, the rebel treasury might not be able to bear it.
However, these were not words he would casually utter. He merely cast a faint glance at the soldier and then fell silent.
While Cao Yan was diligently searching for the thief as ordered, Zhao Yuansong stood on a rooftop not far away.
He had used a spell to conceal his presence, making him difficult to detect even for cultivators of the same realm, let alone ordinary soldiers and warriors.
"Xia dao?"
Hearing the discussions below, a look of disdain appeared on his face.
When he was still in the outer sect of the Nine Xuan Sect, he often roamed the martial world. He had seen many so-called 'great heroes' and 'young heroes', but only two or three truly deserved the title of 'xia' (chivalrous).
As for the so-called 'xia dao' causing a stir in the city now, in his opinion, they were merely using that guise to satisfy their own selfish desires.
A true 'xia' would never kill an entire family of over twenty people casually. Even if the culprits were extremely wicked, they would not harm the innocent.
Nor would they cause the entire city's populace to suffer unintended disaster because of them.
However, what did these matters have to do with him?
If he were in Feiyun Prefecture, or not being pursued, Zhao Yuansong would indeed intervene. He would find the so-called 'xia dao', understand the whole story, and then decide how to proceed.
But now, he was in Chongyuan Prefecture, within rebel-occupied territory. Not only were his injuries not healed and his spiritual power not fully recovered, but he was also being hunted by the rebels and the Wangsheng Tower.
Under such circumstances, he would naturally not act rashly. Otherwise, if his whereabouts were exposed, it would not be a matter of just one or two people.
Not only would his two fellow disciples be implicated, but even Cao Yan and his family would be punished by the rebels, and their fate would certainly not be good.
However, just as he had made up his mind, his expression suddenly changed, and he frowned, looking into the distance.
Although he had not yet cultivated divine sense, he could still feel a demonic aura emanating from afar. It indicated a cultivation level of at least the early to middle stage of the second realm.
"Go or not go?"
Zhao Yuansong's brow was furrowed, and he was undecided for a moment.
Reason told him not to create unnecessary complications. His purpose here was to understand the situation and, from the shadows, ensure Cao Yan's safety.
Yet, a voice within him kept urging him to at least go and take a look.
"You want me to go?"
He quickly realized that the voice in his mind was coming from the earth-yellow greatsword in his dantian.
This magical artifact left by the Red Heart Daoist had its own will and was currently influencing Zhao Yuansong's decision.
In the end, he still set off towards the distance, not only because of the will transmitted by the earth-yellow greatsword but also because of a trace of his own curiosity.
Zhao Yuansong knew that the Wangsheng Tower was created by the five demonic sects, in conjunction with a host of demons and monsters.
Among them were a large number of human cultivators who had defected, as well as many from demonic paths, demons, or even ghosts and malevolent spirits.
Therefore, the appearance of demonic energy in the city was not entirely strange.
However, as he advanced stealthily towards the source of the demonic energy, a surge of immense rage erupted within him!