Tie Yuyang thought to himself, taking a few ragged breaths to regain a sliver of strength. He cupped his hands towards the shadow, bowing slightly. "I am Tie Yuyang. I thank the Immortal Master for saving my life. May I dare ask your name, Immortal Master? I, Tie, shall repay this debt with my very lifeblood in the future!"

"Hm."

The figure in black responded faintly, seemingly unenthusiastic about prolonged conversation.

"May I inquire who the Immortal Master is?"

"It’s none of your concern who I am. You only need to know that I have a feud with the Nan Clan. I would be delighted if you succeed in wiping them out. Nan Tianxiong, the current Clan Head, has just finished casting a major spell, and his internal mana is nearly depleted. If you truly wish to eliminate him, you’d best summon your subordinates immediately and return to the Yongfu Inn. Spare no expense in killing him. For the next hour, Nan Tianxiong’s power will remain critically weak, and his recovery speed will be agonizingly slow. However, give it a day, and his power will fully return to normal. By then, even if you wanted to kill him, it would be impossible. At that point, I imagine the Nan Clan will hunt you down relentlessly, eradicating the Fire Cloud Gang and unifying the Ten Great Gangs of Pingzhou. Go now."

Tie Yuyang was a man of great talent. After a moment’s thought, he grasped the crucial point. "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Master. I shall return now to execute the Nan Clan!" He cupped his fist, painfully drew his Snow Iron Saber, clutched his profusely bleeding arm, and staggered out of the alley to find his subordinates, preparing to turn back and finish off the Nan Clan’s leader.

Had it not been for the mysterious Immortal Master’s guidance regarding the Nan Clan Head’s power exhaustion, he would never have dared to contemplate returning to strike him down.

Ye Qin emerged from the shadows and walked slowly to Nan Zhonghao’s side.

Nan Zhonghao was buried up to his lower half in the earth, his upper body still above ground.

Ye Qin rummaged through the satchel Nan Zhonghao carried, finding a piece of red Spirit Stone, a yellow talisman, a low-grade cultivation manual titled Fire Spirit Scripture, and a spellbook for the Vajra Shield technique.

Ye Qin picked up the manual with delight and flipped it open, but his brow quickly furrowed.

This was a defensive spell, not the offensive cultivation magic he desired. Furthermore, how could this young master of the Nan Clan be so poor? There wasn't a single worthwhile item on him. He was far less wealthy than Ye Qin had imagined a Nan Clan young master to be.

Nan Tianhao’s chest was completely pierced by the saber. Despite such a grievous wound, he hadn't quite died; a single breath remained. He trembled a finger, looking at Ye Qin with unconcealed resentment.

"You... are you from the Feng Clan?"

"The Feng Clan? You mean the Feng Clan of Dingzhou? I am not a member of the Feng Clan. However, I do hold a personal grudge against the previous head of your Nan Clan, Nan Tianba. Rest assured, you can pass on."

Ye Qin gathered the items, delivered a final sword thrust to Nan Tianhao to ensure he was completely dead, and then used the Quicksand Art to bury him completely before leaving the alley. He intended to continue searching for the other young member of the Nan Clan and the Clan Head, Nan Tianxiong, at the Yongfu Inn.

He was certain the Nan Clan possessed many spell manuals, but he couldn't determine exactly who held them.

Telling Tie Yuyang that Nan Tianxiong was depleted of mana was a ploy to use the overwhelming force of the Fire Cloud Gang’s top experts to wear Nan Tianxiong down as much as possible, saving him the trouble of taking a personal risk in a decisive battle with the Clan Head.

Ye Qin, clad in black robes and a wide bamboo hat, walked slowly and alone onto the streets of the county seat.

The entire county town was engulfed in fire and slaughter. The pursuit of the Medicine King Gang’s disciples by the Nine Great Gangs was still ongoing, having spread throughout the entire town.

Additionally, petty thugs from smaller gangs were taking advantage of the chaos, committing acts of robbery, smashing open the gates of grain shops and wealthy mansions along the streets, and plundering goods. Some robbers, unable to agree on the division of spoils, fell into mutual suspicion and even began fighting amongst themselves. The entire county was in utter disarray. Every household kept their doors bolted shut, daring not to venture out.

This might have been overlooked; with so many opportunists looting and robbing, Ye Qin had no time to concern himself with such matters and passed by indifferently, taking no action. However, some depraved scoundrels were using this great chaos to commit acts against women and children—deeds that incited universal wrath.

Ye Qin heard a woman’s shriek echoing from a distance, sighed faintly, and casually picked up a sharp sword from a corpse lying on the ground.

The entire county was in turmoil, yet the County Yamen, housing one to two hundred constables, was eerily silent.

The County Magistrate sat high on his dais, his temper frayed, while several clerks and advisors looked on, utterly helpless.

Today, the county yamen was guarded by Head Constable Li, known as the best tracker in the Yamen, along with the duty runners and constables. They gripped shackles, iron chains, and cudgels, nervously huddled behind the bolted main doors of the Yamen. While glancing at the Magistrate's expression, they peered through the cracks in the doors at the martial artists rampaging in the streets, yet they dared not step out to make arrests.

The County Magistrate had never witnessed such widespread riot and chaos in the county seat. His beard trembled with fury, and he beat his chest, crying out, "These villainous martial artists dare to commit crimes openly before the Yamen! I should have petitioned the court long ago to send troops to exterminate them all. If these bandits are not purged, the people of Pingzhou will never know peace!"

The officials exchanged glances. Bamboo Qi County only had a few hundred elderly and weak garrison troops, and the constables numbered only around a hundred. The county's own forces were absolutely incapable of restraining this large band of powerful martial figures. The soldiers of Pingzhou, numbering one hundred thousand, were stationed at Wan’an Prefecture, but only the Great General guarding Pingzhou could mobilize them. To request the Great General dispatch troops to suppress the bandits was no simple matter.

Head Constable Li hunched his shoulders and cautiously said, "Your Honor, are you unaware of the patrons backing the Ten Great Gangs?"

"Who are they?"

"According to rumors, they are several Princes of Wan’an Prefecture in our Wu Nation. Large sums of money from these gangs flow directly into the Princes’ coffers. To dispatch troops to encircle and suppress these gangs would be tantamount to opposing the Princes."

"Where did you hear this information?"

"Uh, this... this is news learned from my brother-in-law's wife's maternal grandson's sweetheart. It’s an open secret in the martial world—these gangs' backers all have connections to the Princes and high officials. I heard that the foremost expert in Pingzhou today was actually recruited by one of the Princes. However, this is all hearsay, and I dare not claim absolute certainty."

The County Magistrate immediately fell silent.

Seeing this, Head Constable Li breathed a silent sigh of relief. As long as the Magistrate didn't do anything rash, all would be well. He quickly swaggered out, yelling at the stunned runners, "Stop standing around, you few! Guard all entrances and exits to the Yamen and prevent any villains from forcing their way in and disturbing His Honor!"

The runners, however, were already paralyzed, their ears deaf to Head Constable Li's shouts. They stared out at the street, their expressions frozen in utter terror, as if they had seen a ghost.

Head Constable Li noticed something amiss and quickly peered through the crack in the door in the direction they were staring.

He saw a black-clad figure, ethereal and flickering like a phantom, darting across the street. A flash of cold sword light followed wherever he went. A group of thugs who were assaulting a woman were cut down like wheat stalks mowed by a sickle; their heads tilted sideways, blood spraying from their throats, and they tumbled to the ground, gasping.

One, two, three.

The movements of the black-clad man were silent, as were his sword strikes. Those who died by his hand also made no sound. They merely clutched their throats, slit open by the sharp blade, emitting only choked gurgling sounds as great gouts of blood spilled onto the cold, hard ground.

After a cold gust of wind passed, a section of the street in front of the County Yamen was silently strewn with over a dozen corpses. The other villains nearby, who had been engaged in looting merchandise, were already so terrified that they dropped their spoils and fled for their lives.

Head Constable Li was also dumbstruck, so much so that the shackles in his hand slipped to the ground with a clatter without him noticing. He and the constables exchanged looks, feeling a chilling sensation creep over them, as if a ghost had just blown a breath of cold air across the back of their necks.