Volume One: General Laborers of Changshui County, Chapter Ninety: Pursuing Zhong Zhengming

The Bai family was also an ancient clan. However, Bai Yuan was merely a member of a collateral branch, and in the eyes of the true direct descendants of such great families, he was somewhat looked down upon.

The greater the family, the more it valued the continuation of its bloodline. The direct descendants stood above others, while those from collateral or side branches were far inferior in both resources and status.

"What nerve," the director of the Demon-Slaying Office exclaimed in shock. "The Anxi Prefecture Demon-Slaying Office has not only sent a demon slayer, but also a deputy director."

He immediately sensed that escape was impossible.

The Anxi Prefecture Demon-Slaying Office was the superior institution of the Changshui County Demon-Slaying Office.

Its several deputy directors had all reached the seventh rank of martial cultivation.

The director himself was an exceptionally top-tier existence among seventh-rank martial artists, and his strength was beyond doubt.

This time, he had resigned from his post as director of the Anxi Prefecture Demon-Slaying Office in order to travel to the Demon-Slaying Office of Beilu County as a deputy director.

With the vast resources of Beilu County behind him, he believed that before long he would step into the sixth rank of martial cultivation.

Within the Great Xia Kingdom, a sixth-rank martial artist was no longer considered an absolute weakling.

The name of such a warrior was enough to appear on the new emperor's desk, to be read and dispatched at his command.

Bai Yuan had entered the seventh rank of martial cultivation years ago. His strength was far greater than Zhong Zhengming's, and as long as he could pin him down, once the eighth-rank martial artists from Nawu County and the eighth-rank great demon among the demonfolk's descendants arrived, then with the strength of all those experts combined, the chance of killing Zhong Zhengming would be nearly one hundred percent.

"Director Zhong, you cannot escape," Bai Yuan sneered. "Even if you run now, so what? The rest of your life will be spent as a cringing, skulking rat, surviving by shameful means."

"Is that the life you want?"

"Come back and fight me. Even if you die in battle, you will still be worthy of your seventh-rank martial cultivation."

In the distance, the Director Song from Nawu County, along with the others and the demonic creatures, was also closing in.

After realizing they had been deceived, Director Song flew into a towering rage.

Under his lead, that group swore to kill Zhong Zhengming.

"Young master, better to keep the green hills than fear lacking firewood in the future. What is wrong with surviving by any means?" Fearing that Director Zhong might be goaded into acting rashly, Director Xue hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"Kill!"

The words had barely fallen when Bai Yuan in the rear struck with a blade.

It was a blow from a seventh-rank martial artist. Countless gleaming shadows of blades and swords appeared in the sky, and a vast, sharp surge of blade qi shot straight at Zhong Zhengming.

Bang!

Zhong Zhengming raised his blade to block.

When their techniques collided, a violent explosion rang out in the air.

Wave after wave of aftershock spread outward like ripples.

Then Bai Yuan closed in at once, rushing swiftly to Zhong Zhengming's side to engage him in close combat.

...

On the mountaintop, Lu Jiuzhang and the others rested there, still waiting for Director Xue to return with news.

Before long, blood rain began to fall from the sky.

Lu Jiuzhang did not know exactly what was happening, but as he felt the blood rain, an inexplicable sorrow stirred within him.

Lu Jiuzhang's mood was affected by the blood rain.

The laborers all took shelter beneath the broken eaves, discussing this strange rain of blood.

They were merely speculating wildly, and the more they talked, the further they strayed.

Some said the blood rain was Heaven weeping, a sign that a great and righteous soul between heaven and earth had been wrongfully slain.

Others said that some place had produced a great demon that had devoured too many people, and even Heaven could no longer bear it, so it sent down a rain of blood in the hope that the demon would abandon its thirst for blood, or else heavenly thunder would descend to punish it.

Still others said that the local officials must be too corrupt, and had thus angered Heaven.

The crowd was full of talk.

Lu Jiuzhang only listened idly and took none of it to heart.

Suddenly, Lu Jiuzhang's mind stirred, and his gaze swept toward the distance.

There seemed to be a tremendous surge of energy there.

More than that, Lu Jiuzhang could even sense a faint oppressive might.

If such pressure could be felt from so far away, then how terrifying must it be at the center of that oppression?

What exactly were Director Zhong and the others doing?

Lu Jiuzhang was deeply puzzled.

"Kill!"

Before long, a cry of slaughter rang out from the horizon.

What was going on?

Lu Jiuzhang immediately went on guard and drew the saber at his waist.

Three dark silhouettes appeared at the edge of the sky.

As they drew nearer, Lu Jiuzhang made them out clearly.

At the front was none other than Director Zhong, along with Director Xue.

Behind them was a man with a soft, almost effeminate countenance.

The man's clothing also belonged to the Demon-Slaying Office.

Could Zhong Zhengming actually be fleeing from people of the Demon-Slaying Office?

Lu Jiuzhang could not make sense of the situation at all and did not know what to do.

"Go!"

Zhong Zhengming's voice rang out from the sky.

He did not glance specifically at Lu Jiuzhang, but shouted toward the group of Demon-Slaying Office laborers below.

The Demon-Slaying Office had undergone a great upheaval. Could these laborers survive it?

In a sense, the Demon-Slaying Office needed to preserve its purity.

If Zhong Zhengming were slain, those above would certainly need to give an explanation to pacify the outside world.

Either Zhong Zhengming had died in the suppression of demons, or he had betrayed the Demon-Slaying Office and been executed.

However, neither of these methods was the most secure.

If everyone who had seen this were killed, then no one would know.

By then, whatever name was attached to it would matter little, since the public would know nothing at all.

"I am the deputy director of the Anxi Prefecture Demon-Slaying Office. Zhong Zhengming has betrayed us and attacked his superior. I now order you to stop him."

From afar, Bai Yuan shouted at the crowd.

The laborers of the Demon-Slaying Office were still somewhat dazed; the impact of this news on them was simply too great.

Zhong Zhengming had always treated them well. Now they were being told that Director Zhong had betrayed them and that they must stop him. How could they possibly bring themselves to do it?

Seeing that Zhong Zhengming had already swept past overhead and that the laborers from the Changshui County Demon-Slaying Office still did not move to intercept him, Bai Yuan cursed them as useless and continued his pursuit.

High in the sky, Zhong Zhengming was bleeding profusely, with drops of blood falling from above.

Just as he was about to leave the mountain, a change suddenly occurred.

A barrier seemed to appear around the mountain.

Zhong Zhengming was moving too fast and crashed straight into it.

Bai Yuan, who had been in pursuit, had already caught up. He landed on the ground and looked at Zhong Zhengming not far away, a trace of cold laughter curling at the corners of his mouth.

"You actually set up a formation?"

Zhong Zhengming was shocked.

Such an isolating formation could never have been laid by an ordinary cultivator of the arts.

At the very least, it would require a fourth-rank or even third-rank practitioner to possess such ability.

"Hahaha, this formation was not laid by us, but that hardly matters!" Bai Yuan laughed. "Today is the day you die."

On the other side of the mountain, Director Song of Nawu County had also arrived with his men and the great demons.

With so many martial artists and great demons gathering here, and with the barrier blocking the way, Zhong Zhengming probably had no chance of escaping.

Not set by these people?

Zhong Zhengming looked around.

The barrier was colorless and invisible, and without approaching it, one could not detect it at all.

Whoever had erected such a formation must have been no ordinary figure.

Yet when he entered just now, he had sensed nothing.

Could there be an expert nearby?

Zhong Zhengming cupped his hands toward the empty air. "May I ask which exalted master is present? I, Zhong Zhengming, am being hunted. I beg the master to lend your hand and spare my life."

"Even if I must climb knife mountains or descend into seas of fire in the future, I will surely repay your kindness, senior."