Lanshan County Government Office!
The main hall at the rear of the government office was tightly shut. Even in the daytime, it seemed unusually dark inside.
The hall was dim and silent, with only a single figure sitting alone in the main seat.
The man was dressed in a simple white satin robe, his face densely lined with wrinkles. He was fifty years old.
He was Su Quanchuan, the County Magistrate of Lanshan County.
At this moment, he was slumped in his chair, his face full of distress, without a trace of a magistrate’s authority.
“Tianqi, it’s all my fault for making the wrong choice back then.”
“I never should have sent you to the Xuanniao Guards, leading to your end where not even your bones remained.”
Su Tianqi, who had previously pursued the Black Wind Stronghold leader Fang Sheng alongside Li Yanran, was the eldest son of this very County Magistrate of Lanshan County.
Some time ago, this Magistrate received a notification from the Prefectural City Xuanniao Guards.
Su Tianqi had unfortunately died during a mission!
Along with the notice, a pension of 250 taels was issued to the Magistrate.
“Damn those Xuanniao Guards!”
“Is my son worth only a mere 250 taels?”
“Why!”
“Why didn’t they protect Tianqi!”
Whenever Su Quanchuan thought about the 250-tael pension, he felt it was an insult from the Xuanniao Guards.
Su Tianqi had been his most outstanding eldest son, with martial arts talent even greater than his own.
If nothing had happened, given his own status as County Magistrate, he could have scraped together resources from the entire county to support his son Su Tianqi in breaking through to that realm he himself had always dreamed of.
The Blood Refining stage!
In that case, their Su family could have advanced further, and even moving into the prefectural city would no longer be a pipe dream.
Gone!
His son Su Tianqi was just gone!
His eyes red with fury, Su Quanchuan erupted with the aura of the peak Marrow Refining stage and slammed his palm violently onto a table beside him.
Boom!
Crack! Smash! Clatter!
A series of harsh, noisy crashes echoed from the hall, causing the guards stationed outside the door to glance sideways.
However, none of them seemed surprised, looking as if they were quite used to it.
After all, ever since the Magistrate learned of his son’s death some time ago, he had become prone to mood swings.
Inside the hall, after venting his anger, Su Quanchuan’s expression turned ferocious.
A grimace that was neither a laugh nor a cry!
“Hehehe!”
“In that case, don’t blame me for what I’m about to do.”
“My body can’t hold on much longer. If I want to keep living, the only way is to break through to the Blood Refining stage.”
“Who would have thought that Heaven would favor our Su family, granting me such an opportunity!”
With that, Su Quanchuan looked towards the only remaining intact table in the hall.
On the table sat a small wooden box, which was already open.
Inside lay a blood-red lotus, as if soaked in blood, so red it was startlingly memorable.
Faint red specks of light shimmered around the blood-red lotus.
This was a mysterious lotus given to him a few days ago by a mysterious person.
Six days ago, shortly after the Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend resurfaced, a mysterious person infiltrated his bedroom late at night.
To his surprise, even with his peak Marrow Refining stage strength, he was utterly powerless to resist.
The other party was actually a Blood Refining stage martial artist!
The appearance of a Blood Refining stage martial artist in Lanshan County Town greatly shocked Su Quanchuan.
However, the other party didn’t seem to have any ill intentions; he only spoke a few words.
He demanded that Su Quanchuan not conceal the matter of the Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend and instructed him to secretly send people to spread the news, ensuring all the common people in the city knew of its existence.
What would be the implications of such an action?
Su Quanchuan naturally knew the consequences!
This person actually wanted to make the Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend even more terrifying. Did he want everyone in the entire city to die?
By then, he himself would probably die at the hands of that Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend.
If not for the sake of the county’s people, then at least for his own life.
Su Quanchuan would absolutely never have agreed to the other party’s demand.
But the mysterious person’s subsequent words shook Su Quanchuan’s resolve.
‘I have an irreconcilable grudge against the Xuanniao Guards. You only need to delay for a few days before reporting to the Prefectural City.’
‘This is an item that can allow Lord Su to break through to the Blood Refining stage. I presume you would be very interested.’
‘So, what does Lord Su think?’
The man didn’t force Su Quanchuan, seemingly confident that he wouldn’t refuse.
The Blood Refining stage?
It was the realm Su Quanchuan dreamed of breaking through to, so he was naturally tempted by the mysterious man’s offer.
After much hesitation, Su Quanchuan chose to accept the other party’s demand.
To break through to the Blood Refining stage, even taking some risks was worth it.
He refused to believe that he would be targeted by that Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend before those damned Xuanniao Guards arrived.
Moreover, deep down, Su Quanchuan shared the same sentiment as the mysterious man.
He now felt no goodwill towards the Xuanniao Guards, even harboring a deep-seated hatred for them.
Those Xuanniao Guard incompetents couldn’t even protect his son, Su Tianqi.
Seeing Su Quanchuan agree, the mysterious man took out a small wooden box from his person and placed it on the table.
Then, right before Su Quanchuan’s eyes, he vanished at an incredible speed.
The item inside that wooden box was this blood-red lotus.
To be safe, the cunning old fox Su Quanchuan had conducted experiments on some prisoners.
He found that after consuming it, the prisoners’ martial arts aura rapidly increased, and there appeared to be no side effects.
This result made Su Quanchuan let his guard down and believe the mysterious man’s words.
“With this item, I will soon break through to the Blood Refining stage.”
“By then, even if I encounter the Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend, I will have nothing to fear!”
A look of joy spread across Su Quanchuan’s face as he treasured the small wooden box, placing it carefully inside his sleeve.
If it weren’t for the fact that the timing wasn’t right, he would have already refined and consumed it.
Su Quanchuan still had to wait here for those damned Xuanniao Guards to arrive.
He also needed to think of an explanation for them.
A reason for why the existence of the Bloodthirsty Corpse Fiend had been spread, making the entire city aware of it.
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, the door to the rear hall was knocked from the outside.
“Your Honor, the Assistant Magistrate is here.”
Hearing the knock, Su Quanchuan’s face returned to a calm expression.
“Let him in!”
Shortly after, the door was pushed open, and a figure appeared outside before striding in without the slightest hesitation.
The newcomer was a relatively young man, about thirty-four years old. He was Zhang Qi, the Assistant Magistrate of Lanshan County!
Seeing the chaotic state of the hall, Zhang Qi frowned deeply.
But he said nothing about it, looked directly at Su Quanchuan, and got straight to the point.
“Lord Su, currently, that… ghostly entity is causing quite a stir; rumors are flying everywhere, unsettling the whole city.”
“Should we send people to suppress these rumors and quell the disturbance?”
“It’s already been several days!”
