The Port of Birch city. Built on the Yellow river, it was at the heart of economic activity in the City. Around 70% of all the goods traded were transported through this port.

When the water of the river was colored orange by the setting sun, the port would be the busiest.

“Get those boxes out quickly!

“How long are you going to take to unload just a few sacks of grain?”

“What? 20 coppers? This wage is much lower than what you usually pay!”

One could hear these types of shouts amidst the blowing ship horns and thumps of the goods landing on the ground. This noisiness was the identity of the Port.

The previous City Lord used to say a line about this port: As long as the Port is noisy, our coffers will never be empty.

Knowing the significance of this Port, he had naturally taken measures to protect this asset. He built tall walls surrounding the docks with a single large entrance leading to the City. This made the port extremely defensible.

Back in the day, the previous City Lord stationed the best of his men to protect the pier. However, things changed when Zhen Wu took charge. To crush the opposition within the City, he withdrew more and more forces from the Port.

In recent years, a single team of Twenty men was responsible for its protection. Even these men were lax about security.

The continuous peace had dulled their sense of danger. As the team patrolled in two’s along the wall, they chatted about the monotony of their job.

“Why are we even posted here? Nothing ever happens in this Port. Even when other regiments were fighting those dogs of Hu Clan and Sect’s spawns, we were stuck here doing nothing.”

One of the guards grumbled about the peace at the port. The other turned a deaf ear to his complaints, as they were a regular occurrence.

They had stopped and leaned on the ledges of the walls while keeping an eye on the entire port.

“Look at those bastards at the gates…  They are getting tips again. Why can’t the team leader let us change positions with them once?”

The two watched enviously as the City Guards at the gate greedily received the pouch full of coins from a man garbed in black.

Their expressions changed as they saw the man who handed the money bag, suddenly attacked the City Guards at the gate.

Before the two watching could shout, the men at the gate lay cold on the ground.

“Attack! We are under attack!”

The two shouted, alerting the other patrolling guards. Their shouts attracted the attention of not only their comrades but also their foes.

The Killer jumped up on the wall. This feat alone confirmed his identity as a powerful Sense Realm Expert. The two guards looked at each other and saw fear. Their expressions said, ‘We are doomed.’

Gathering some courage one of the guards scolded the other.

“Damn it, you wanted some thrill, right? Let’s go face him then!”

He exclaimed before taking the initiative to attack. Before he could reach near the man, someone grabbed his neck and twisted it.

In his last moments, he saw the face of a middle-aged man in Red robes. His partner had also met the same fate.

The Man in Black snorted at the red-robed man and jumped away to take care of guards elsewhere.

While the Sense Trainers picked off guards one by one, disciples garbed in the brown robes of the Monstrous Flame Sect flooded into the Port.

The unprepared team of City Guards never had a chance to call for backup before every one of them was incapacitated.

As the Second Elder cracked the spine of a City Guard, he spat on the ground in disdain.

“Ptui! Not even a single Sense Realm Expert to protect this strategic place. Clearly, this City Lord is incompetent, and yet he dares to reject our help in governing the City.”

His resentment aside, their sudden attack had yielded the expected results. They had taken over the Port of Birch City, the heart of the City’s commerce.

Their attack was over so quickly that very few people noticed their actions. But the sudden influx of many brown robes drew the people’s attention.

Their activities gradually came to a halt. The Merchants gathered to discuss the situation. Those affiliated with the City Lord’s faction grew worried.

At this time a man in Red robes stepped forward. The golden lining on his sleeves indicated his status as the Sect Master.

“Citizens of Birch City, as the joint rulers of this City, we the Monstrous Flame Sect will assume the control of this Port hereafter.”

His declaration made many furrow their eyebrows while some became anxious about their future.

Noticing the unease amongst the merchants, Sect Master Yan declared his plans for the port.

“You don’t have to worry about your merchantry. It will not be affected as long as you agree to one small change. Instead of paying the Octroi Tax to the City Lord, you will pay it to our Monstrous Flame Sect!”

One of the Merchants who was a close associate of the City Lord for years could not accept this preposterous condition. He had seen how strong the City Guards had become. So, he dared to step forward to question the Monstrous Flame Sect.

“How can we obey your rules so simply? Where is the Team Leader of City Guards? Shouldn’t we get their opinion as well?”

He probed, as he wondered why the City Guards had not arrived even after such a big commotion.

‘Maybe they are hiding and waiting for reinforcements.’

He speculated, while carefully scanning the walls for signs of City Guards. As he thought of the benefits he would gain for standing up to the Monstrous Flame Sect, he felt his bravery would be worth it.

Before he could pat himself on his back, a corpse landed before him. Scared, his heart jumped and he took a step back. He heard a gruff voice ask, “Do you mean him?”

The merchant closely looked at the face of the corpse and recognized him as the Team Leader in charge of the Port. His face paled as he slowly raised his eyes to look at the person who threw the still warm body of his friend in front of him.

A man dressed in black was standing on the wall away from the Monstrous Flame Sect. A saber hung by his waist, a rarity in the tier 3 cities. When their eyes met, the merchant almost wet his pants. He silently lowered his head and went back to his group trying to hide himself in the crowd.

Sect Master Yan smirked at the deterrence Hu Bei’s presence brought.

“Does anyone have questions?”

Yan Hao mocked the weak who dared to stand up to him. He had spared the Merchant who stood out for now, but he will pay his dues soon.

“Everyone can go back to doing their work. Also, don’t forget to pay the Octroi Tax before leaving.”

After instructing, Sect Master Yan turned around to leave. Behind his departing figure, the Sun set, beginning the reign of darkness.

In a watchtower on the walls, Sect Master Yan met with Hu Bei. Cupping his fists, he slightly bowed his head to the man in black.

“Thank you, Sense Trainer Hu for your assistance! Also, thank Clan Master Qing for coming up with this brilliant plan.”

Hu Bei accepted the gratitude with a nod of his head. Finished with his task, he didn’t want to stay here any longer. He passed the message his father had asked him to relay after successfully capturing the Port.

“Clan Master Qing has a message for you. If you hold on as agreed, we will definitely decimate the City Lord’s besieging army.”

A vicious grin appeared on Yan Hao’s face. But Hu Bei had already left without seeing it.

——

Ikasa’s meeting with the City Lord yesterday bore no fruit. They were frustrated by the lack of information.

What embarrassed him the most was that he came to know about the attack on his store from the City Lord. Thankfully, his manuals were intact.

‘My store was attacked, yet I didn’t know about it. I don’t know who did it. What the fuck was Shopkeeper doing? Where the hell was he?’

He fumed as he felt he had been let down by his subordinates. The only saving grace for them was that the perpetrators were identified as Sense Realm Experts.

Ikasa paced in his study trying to piece together the events and the motive behind them. He knew one party was the Monstrous Flame Sect but he was unsure of the most powerful Sense Trainer’s identity.

‘Is it the Hu Clan? No, my informants would’ve noticed it. Also, they are reeling from the loss of a Sense Trainer. I don’t think they would want to enter these muddled waters.’

While pacing, his eyes went to the crumpled paper in his dustbin. He was reminded of Yin Ying.

‘If only that idiotic woman had not joined the Monstrous Flame Sect.’

He sighed, remembering the capable informant he had at his disposal. He had not heard from her after her last letter. But with the recent events where Monstrous Flame Sect was under complete lockdown, it was no wonder.

‘I really should find something like a cellphone for my outfit.’

While Ikasa was lamenting the lack of effective communication, Xin Ruo entered the study. She had one paper in each hand and a frown on her face.

“Is there a problem?”

“This…  These reports are contradictory. Yesterday, Yin Ying contacted one of our men and passed him a note for you. It said, ‘The real target is you.'”

Ikasa raised his eyebrow in response. He was puzzled as to why would the Sect target him when they were involved in a war with the City Lord.

But then again, the terrorists had targeted his shop as well as the City Hall. So he could not entirely dismiss her warning.

‘Is it because they are making an example out of my shop because the City Lord inaugurated it?’

He put aside this thought and pointed to the other report.

“What does that one say?”

“Zheng Fan, our man in the Monstrous Flame Sect met with some other informant later and said Yin Ying has joined the Monstrous Flame Sect and become a disciple of an Elder. She has decided to betray us all.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep