Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 82

“It’s good that they’re gone!”

Zeng Fan let out a huge sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. For the rest of his life, he never wanted to see those wretched Black Swan Guards again.

“Also, all of you, pass down my orders: no one is to provoke the Shen family. Anyone who disobeys will meet a fate worse than death—I’ll make sure they don’t even have a place to be buried!”

Before leaving, Zhao Sheng and the others had specifically reminded Zeng Fan. Their warning sent a chill down his spine, cold sweat trickling uncontrollably down his back, soaking through his official robes.

The reason was clear: the Shen residence housed existence(s) at or beyond the peak of the Blood Refining realm. Even Zhao Sheng and his companions dared not provoke such experts.

In Jinlin Township of Yunze County, a mighty river several hundred zhang wide meandered like a giant dragon across the endless plains. Its clear, emerald-green waters surged powerfully, glittering under the blazing sun in the sky.

Less than ten li from this great river lay a small town. Nestled among lush green fields, it was connected to the outside world only by a single broad, flat bluestone road. Smoke curled up from kitchen chimneys in the town, and from afar, a steady stream of people could be seen coming and going.

At this moment, four figures appeared on the distant horizon, swift as lightning. They rode fast horses, the sound of hooves growing from far to near, advancing rapidly through clouds of dust. These four were none other than Lu Xuan, Zhao Sheng, and their companions.

“Senior Xuan, the town ahead is called Taiping Town. Should we rest for a bit? Later, we’ll need to cross the mighty Jinlin River.”

After several days of travel, Zhao Sheng and the others had learned Lu Xuan’s name.

Hearing this, Lu Xuan gave a slight nod, his gaze profound as he looked toward the town.

“Acceptable.”

Lu Xuan and Zhao Sheng did not stop, proceeding smoothly into the town. They soon arrived in front of a small inn.

However, the inn’s unique characteristic caught Lu Xuan’s eye. It had no wooden walls enclosing it, and the roof was covered only by a solid wooden plank. The inn’s sign was made of weathered wood, with a few large characters crookedly carved into it:

Peace Inn.

Lu Xuan and Zhao Sheng then casually found seats at the edge of the inn and sat down. Zhao Sheng directly called out, “Innkeeper, tea, quickly.”

“Right away, honored guests! It’ll be here in a moment.”

Meanwhile, Qian Hao, sitting to the side, took off the pack he carried on his back and placed it on the simple wooden table. He opened it to reveal high-quality dried meat inside.

Lu Xuan, however, remained silent, sitting calmly with an indifferent expression.

“Senior Xuan, once we cross this Jinlin River, it’s only half a day’s journey to the prefectural city of Baidao Prefecture.”

“Town Chief, I beg you, please spare our Xiaopang. He’s still so young. Can I take his place? Let me be the offering to the River God.”

“Hmm?”

Zhao Sheng, who had been about to say more, was interrupted by a woman’s sobbing voice. Zhao Sheng and the others turned their heads, focusing on the source of the sound.

Lu Xuan, however, showed no reaction, continuing to taste the tea in his hand expressionlessly.

On the distant street, a group of men dressed in uniform black official attire looked cold and stern, seemingly carrying out a merciless task. Several of them held leads attached to confused, innocent children, each around seven or eight years old.

A woman in white robes appeared, her dark hair tied up in a married woman’s bun. She blocked the path of the group. Behind her stood a sturdy man.

“Ah, Wusheng, you know the rules of our Peace Town. Accept your grief and comply.”

“You’d better take your wife away. Tell her not to disrupt our important affairs.”

At the front of the group of black-clad men was a man in his fifties or sixties, wearing an exquisite brocade robe. He appeared kind yet authoritative, with temples slightly frosted and a tall, somewhat portly figure.

This man was the Town Chief of Taiping Town. He ignored the woman’s pleas, instead looking at the man behind her.

“Wusheng, your family still has several children. This is already fortunate.”

“Some families drawn in the lottery have only one child, yet they still have to submit to the greater good.”

“The rule of Taiping Town is to select twenty boys and girls every year as offerings to the River God of the Jinlin River.”

“Three days from now is the annual sacrifice to the River God. No one can prevent this major event.”

“Three years ago, when the lottery fell on my household, I, too, handed over my own child.”

“Wusheng, is your family trying to disrupt the peace of Taiping Town?”

The Town Chief’s tone was very gentle, only because the man before him, Wusheng, was a martial artist at the peak of the Bone Forging realm. His formidable strength was second only to the Town Chief’s own, who was at the Marrow Refining stage.

Under the Town Chief’s reprimand, the sturdy man behind the woman struggled internally, his face a mix of defiance and helplessness. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, the muscles on his arms bulging like mountains.

The woman blocking the way seemed to sense her husband’s inner struggle and pain. She already knew the outcome.

“Ah.”

“I understand, Town Chief!”

Wusheng then stepped forward, held the woman, and moved aside to make way for the Town Chief and his group.

“Ah, Wusheng, you know I don’t want to do this either.”

“None of us can bear the consequences of defying the River God.”

Finally, as he passed by Wusheng, the Town Chief sighed with emotion before moving on, leaving the woman staring after him in despair.

The pedestrians on the road also turned a blind eye to this scene, as if it were a normal occurrence.

Zhao Sheng and his two companions, all martial artists at the Blood Refining realm, possessed senses far beyond ordinary people. Although the group was several hundred meters away, Zhao Sheng and the others heard everything clearly.

Their faces changed dramatically, but they quickly regained composure, pretending as if they had noticed nothing.

Damn it!

Why such bad timing!

To actually run into the appearance period of that thing in the Jinlin River? Unlucky!

Zhao Sheng’s heart churned like turbulent waves, unable to calm down.

The Black Swan Guards of the prefectural city were well aware of the creature hidden in the Jinlin River. The Magistrate of Jinlin County had previously reported it to them, urgently requesting they eliminate the demonic beast in the river.

However, the creature lurking in the Jinlin River was a giant monstrous fish with strength at the peak of the Blood Refining realm and intelligence akin to a child’s. Leveraging the advantageous terrain of the Jinlin River, this monstrous fish could rival experts at the Inner Breath level.

Faced with such a powerful demonic beast, even their Black Swan Commander couldn’t guarantee completely eliminating it.