Zhen Wu could not believe what he had heard. His father, the Patriarch of Zhen Family, was considering him for the position of successor?

‘Even after all I have done?’

For the first time in years, Zhen Wu looked at his decisions from a different angle. He looked at his choices from the perspective of a son. Not just any ordinary son, but the son of an influential family’s head.

He had gone to the Capital of the Holy Wood Empire and became the lowest ranked official through an exam meant for children of lower nobles like those from Third tier cities.

This incident alone was enough to bring shame to his family. A scion of a prestigious Tier 1 Family was snatching opportunities meant for lower class nobles.

Even today, he remembered the taunts and jeers of his colleagues. He could only imagine how worse the situation must have been for his brother, the representative sent by his father to the Imperial Court.

When the City Lord of Birch City passed away, he jumped to take this position. He lobbied with nobles and won this position without using the Zhen Family’s name.

‘Maybe I atoned for my previous sins with this achievement.’

Zhen Wu tried to console himself. However, his list of mistakes did not end there.

He had neglected cultivation for 15 years in pursuit of political power. At the age of 40, he was still in the Intermediate stage of Sense Realm while his elder brother had already reached the Chakra Opening Realm.

He had married a girl from a Third tier family, rejecting numerous brides with better backgrounds. Though he would not consider it a mistake, it had indeed caused the Zhen Family to lose face and made him distance himself from the family.

‘And this entire fiasco with the Monstrous Flame Sect…. I have truly erred, father and still, my family has not abandoned me. You have not given up on me.’

A single tear rolled down his cheek and disappeared in his beard.  He quickly wiped away the stain and steeled his heart. Nobody would ever see the manly City Lord shed a tear, neither in the present nor in the future.

Zhen Ya’s words had opened his eyes. Though the coveted position of County Governor went to his brother, he had no complaints nor the face to complain.

He looked at the current situation from a fresh perspective. His sister’s words made sense.

‘If I am not going to remain the City Lord forever, why should I care if Ikasa’s faction grows too powerful? Why should I intentionally let one of his Sense Trainers die just to consolidate my short rule?’

When he asked himself these questions, his actions until now seemed meaningless. He felt ashamed for trying to sabotage his own ally.

Rather than suppress, he now wanted Ikasa to grow more, grow stronger. That way, Ikasa will be indebted to him in the future.

‘Yes. Even if my men die, I cannot let anything happen to Ikasa’s people.’

The City Lord quickly dressed up. It was time for him to take action.

——

A bearded man riding on a majestic brown horse pulled the reins before Ikasa’s villa.

The noise of horse’s footsteps attracted Ikasa’s attention.

“Who else is here to court trouble at this ungodly hour?”

He murmured with annoyance and came out.  The moment he laid his eyes on the rider, his tone became polite.

“City Lord! Why are you here? Didn’t we agree to depart in the morning?”

“We did but the situation has changed. Our foes are moving sooner than expected.  If we don’t rush, the lives of our advance party may be in danger.”

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Ikasa did not dawdle anymore. He let Xin Ruo deal with the aftermath of the attack.

He himself got on the City Lord’s horse, holding Moony with one hand and a bag in his other. Once he was securely seated, the horse kicked off.

——

“This is the Monstrous Flame Sect.”

Lu Shao and the other two Sense Trainers stood before the entrance of their destination. They were amazed by the vast area covered by the Sect. Wherever their eyes went, they could see the Sect’s buildings.

At the very entrance, there was a large training area with plenty of dummies and scarecrows used by the disciples for training. The energy density in the area was improved by using some mysterious means beyond the comprehension of these three men.

Cautiously, they entered through the entrance, keeping an eye on their surroundings. So far, they had not seen a single disciple inside the Sect.

Not to mention seeing, they could not even see any signs of human activity. A gentle breeze blew and the sound of the distant wind chime sounded in their ears.

“Should the sect be this quiet?”

Gu Dan asked apprehensively. They had reached the most central building of the Sect, the Hall of Elders but they still had not encountered any resistance.

If they did not perceive the abnormality of the situation even now, they would be fools. Feng Yan immediately stopped them and drew them back to the Hall of Elders. Sensing danger, he dived behind the small shrubs surrounding the building.

“Be careful, this is a trap!”

As soon as  he spoke, a wooden arrow pierced the shrub beside him. The shrub shriveled up and turned black.

“Poisoned arrows!” Lu Shao exclaimed.

Feng Yan shielded his body as best as he could with his Halberd. Gu Dan shamelessly took shelter behind Feng Yan, using him as a shield. Only Lu Shao was left out in the open.

“Dodge!”

Feng Yan shouted as another arrow zoomed towards Lu Shao, aiming at his back. Using his superior reflexes, Lu Shao somehow managed to roll away from the arrow’s path.

“There!”

Gu Dan had located the position of their attacker. While Feng Yan and Lu Shao were focused on avoiding the arrows, he kept his eyes peeled to find the source of the arrows.

He noticed a man shooting at them from the rooftop of the building. The tall trees around the building shielded him from their view.

“Let’s grab that son of a coward and knock some sense into him!”

Feng Yan instantly stood up, glaring at the figure on the rooftop. Another arrow whizzed past him, lodged itself into the ground. Before its tail stopped trembling a foul smell spread in the air.

“Is that bastard mocking us by shooting an arrow that smells like shit?”

Gu Dan wondered, narrowing his eyes at the figure on the rooftop.

“Close your nose you, idiot! That is the smell of concentrated sleeping incense! We need to get away from here!”

Feng Yan scolded, while running away from the arrow. Gu Dan and Lu Shao came to their senses and ran after him. Thankfully, they had not inhaled enough gas to affect their mind.

Still, the small whiff had slowed their reaction speed quite a bit. It was as if their realms had fallen from the Sense Trainer Realm to the Path Forging Realm.

“Well done, Elder! These idiots are now no better than fish on the chopping board!”

“As expected of the First Medicine Master of Birch City! Your means are incredible!”

Sect Master Yan and Clan Master Qing clapped as they emerged from the buildings nearby with a few dozen men.

Feng Yan’s face turned pale seeing the lineup. Except for the Third Elder, every Sense Trainer left alive in the two factions was gathered here.

Lu Shao gaped like a fish.

“You! How did you get here so fast?”

He asked, genuinely surprised. It had taken the three of them more than a few hours to reach the gates at their full speed. But the leaders of Hu Clan and Monstrous Flame Sect had still arrived much earlier than them to set a trap.

“Hmph! Do you really think the disciples of the Sect travel down the forest and through the forest to get to Birch City?”

Sect Master Yan scoffed at the naivety displayed by Lu Shao.

“Then how?”

Lu Shao asked, keeping up the charade to earn one more minute to recover from the effects of Sleeping incense.

“Since you will die here, let me fulfill your dying wish.”

He grabbed Lu Shao by his collar and dragged him to the large building beside the Hall of Elders. Disguised as a building, it was actually a cave with a deep tunnel inside!

“This tunnel opens directly in the outskirts of the forest. It is wide enough for a carriage to pass through. Do you understand how we arrived?”

Lu Shao came to realize that there was no way for them to survive. Their reinforcements couldn’t arrive in time to rescue them. Despair filled his eyes as he resigned himself to his death.

Nonetheless, he was unwilling to die without a fight. He vowed to take at least one dog down with him.

Sect Master Yan gloated as he saw the look of despair on Commander Lu Shao’s face. He took pleasure in seeing him undergo the emotional turbulence and finally ignite the last shred of his fighting will.

Angered by the smug smile on Sect Master Yan’s face, Lu Shao took a fighting stance.

“I will not go down without a fight, you bastard!”

Lu Shao, attacked with all his might only to be smacked in the chest with the staff in Sect Master Yan’s hands. He fell back and coughed up blood.

“Now obediently die, because no one will save you!”

Yan Hao said with a vicious smirk. Just as he was about to bring his staff down on Lu Shao’s head, a loud shout reverberated in the tunnel.

“Who says no one will save him? His saviors are here!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep