Unlike the chaos and ruin that filled the rest of the city, the county magistrate's residence remained eerily calm and refined.
Inside the side hall, a feast had been laid out across the table—fine wine, steaming dishes, and even two singing girls brought in from Spring Full Pavilion, one playing music and the other dancing.
Standing at the door, Prefect Xue Yuping smiled faintly. "Lord Chen, please."
"Prefect Xue certainly has a sense of leisure," Chen Sanshi said as he sat down. "So, what's this about?"
"Try the food first."
Xue Yuping spoke unhurriedly. "We'll talk when Tang Ming arrives."
Without a word, Chen Sanshi reached out with his grime-covered hands and began grabbing at the dishes one by one, taking something from nearly every plate.
"…"
Xue Yuping slowly put down his chopsticks, appetite gone.
"After too long in the army, I've grown rough," Chen Sanshi said, chewing noisily. "Hope my manners don't offend, my lord."
"Of course not," Xue replied coldly. "You've guarded the city with distinction—eat as you please."
About half an hour later, Tang Ming burst in, panting. "Prefect Xue, the entire Xiang family—all men, women, and children—have been tortured to death, yet they still revealed nothing about the immortal treasure's whereabouts."
"Lord Xiang?"
Chen Sanshi feigned surprise. "Prefect Xue, what exactly are you doing?"
"Don't be alarmed, Lord Chen," Xue said calmly. "You remember when we last spoke of the immortal treasure. Our investigation led to Xiang Tingchun. He hid it, which is treason enough to execute nine generations. His death is well deserved. Hundred-Household Tang, continue."
Hundred-Household?
Chen Sanshi's eyes flickered.
So, this man was a military officer?
No—something felt wrong.
That title was also used in only one other organization…
The Embroidered Uniform Guard.
If this man was a Hundred-Household in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then he was at least a tempering organs cultivator.
Tang Ming frowned. "We've dug up the Golden Bell Temple, turned over every stone, but still nothing. We should leave soon. The Witch God Sect's people will arrive in two days, and once the city-wide blood sacrifice begins, no one will be spared…"
Blood sacrifice?
So it wasn't just immortals—they were dealing with demons!
At last, Chen Sanshi understood why the Xi River tribe had encircled the city but refused to attack.
They weren't waiting for reinforcements—they were waiting for the Witch God Sect. And likely, an even larger barbarian force was coming with them.
"My lord," Chen Sanshi said, deliberately keeping his tone even, "if the Witch God Sect means to slaughter the whole city, will the imperial court not send reinforcements?"
"The court wants to," Xue Yuping said with feigned pity. "But the critical points in Yunzhou are the prefectures of Anding, Taining, and Lingfeng. As long as those three hold, the province can still be retaken later. If necessary, even Hengkang Prefecture may be abandoned."
He poured himself a cup of wine and said lightly, "Lord Chen, pack your things. Tonight at the hour of the ox, you'll leave with us."
"Leave?"
Chen Sanshi narrowed his eyes. "You mean abandon the city?"
"No, no, no…"
Xue waved his hand repeatedly—five times in a row. "They will continue defending. You, Lord Chen, will quietly slip away with us. What I mean is—you alone."
"Alone?"
Chen Sanshi's voice hardened. "Prefect Xue, I have a wife and subordinates in this city. How could I possibly leave them?"
"Lord Chen."
Xue Yuping's expression turned serious. "His Majesty's order names only you. No one else. As for your wife—well, surely you've heard the saying, 'Women are like clothes'?"
Is your mother an article of clothing, then?
The thought burned in Chen Sanshi's mind, but he forced himself to swallow it.
At this point, it was clear—the imperial court meant to abandon Poyang completely.
"Lord Chen, that's all I can say," Xue continued. "Tomorrow at midnight, we'll be leaving at full speed. If you insist on bringing burdens, then stay behind and continue defending. But remember—alone!
"Hundred-Household Han, see our guest out."
Outside the magistrate's residence, Chen Sanshi's steps were heavy.
He replayed the conversation over and over in his mind, sorting the key details.
The court planned to hold only Anding, Taining, and Lingfeng prefectures—everything else would be sacrificed.
On the map, those three formed a triangular defense.
As long as they held, Yunzhou's foundation remained intact. When the northwestern three states freed up their troops, they could recapture the lost lands.
But in the meantime…
The other twelve prefectures were simply to be abandoned?
To be left for the barbarians to slaughter, to complete this so-called "blood sacrifice"?
And how could they be so certain the three prefectures—or the northwestern states—wouldn't fall as well?
The coordination between the barbarians and the court was too precise.
Almost… deliberate.
Chen Sanshi's gut twisted with dread.
He turned to Han Cheng, who had followed him out. "Guard Han, you serve under the Grand Commander Sun, don't you?"
Han Cheng nodded silently.
"Then tell me," Chen Sanshi said quietly, "what's really going on?"
"I don't know the full picture," Han admitted, brow furrowing. "But this plan has been in motion for a long time. To avoid alerting the Grand Commander, they deliberately sent no high-ranked cultivators to Poyang. Even His Majesty limited the investigation to Prefect Xue and two Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred-Households, keeping it quiet."
"They're afraid of the Grand Commander," Chen Sanshi said slowly.
That made sense.
If the immortal treasure was truly that important, yet they dared not send any top experts, it could only mean one thing—
They were terrified that the Grand Commander might interfere and ruin whatever scheme they were carrying out.
It seemed now… that their plan had succeeded.
"Guard Han," Chen Sanshi asked quietly, "what happens next? Did the Grand Commander give any further instructions?"
"No."
Han Cheng shook his head slightly. "Communication with the Grand Commander's Office has been slow. The last message was back when you earned merit on the grasslands. His exact words were: 'Let him ensure his own safety. Everything else is irrelevant.'"
"Ensure my own safety?"
Chen Sanshi's tone hardened. "You mean, obey orders and leave alone? Have you thought about this—Sun Li and Sun Buqi are both in this city. If what Prefect Xue said is true, won't they die here too?"
"The Grand Commander gave no further orders."
Han Cheng scratched the back of his head, his voice faltering. "I… I don't know what to do either. All I can say is—if you want to live, do as they say."
"To live…"
Chen Sanshi finally understood the purpose of the poisoned wine.
If he obediently followed orders and left alone, he'd become complicit in this secret affair—perhaps even be trained later as a trusted aide.
If he disobeyed, there were only two outcomes.
One: die in the so-called barbarian "blood sacrifice."
Two: die from poison within three months.
No—he realized—it wouldn't take that long.
He had overheard too much. If he refused to comply tomorrow night, they'd likely kill him on the spot!
The poison was just their final safeguard.
"Kill!"
Chen Sanshi spat the word coldly. "Can't we just kill them first?"
Han Cheng still shook his head. "Tang Ming has reached Major Achievement in tempering organs. I'm no match for him. And Prefect Xue also has another tempering organs expert with him."
"You mean Luo Dongquan, right?"
Chen Sanshi narrowed his eyes. "I can deal with him. Are you sure you really can't handle Tang Ming?"
"He could beat two of me at once," Han Cheng said, holding up two fingers. "Don't look at me like that. The selection for this mission was extremely strict—getting someone inside at all was already difficult, let alone someone with a higher cultivation."
So it truly was a dead end.
Even if he could fight, killing a prefect meant open treason. The Emperor himself would see to his death.
And would the Grand Commander truly be able to protect him then?
Chen Sanshi didn't want to gamble his fate on others.
Unless… someone else killed the prefect for him.
That way, he could leave the city, keep his hands clean, and the Emperor wouldn't blame him later.
"If you can't bear to leave your wife behind, I can speak to them," Han Cheng said. "If you promise Prefect Xue you won't slow them down, he might allow you to take her along."
He straightened his sleeves. "That's all I can do. I can't stay long—they'll get suspicious. If you have anything else to say, meet me at the eastern stables after midnight tonight."
And with that, he vanished into the dark.
Chen Sanshi stood there, heavy-hearted, and returned to his post on the city wall.
By the hour of the ox, he had to decide—stay or leave.
"Lord Chen!"
Xu Wencai approached cheerfully. "I've worked out over a dozen strategies for how to respond to whatever happens next. Want to take a look?"
"Lord Chen!"
"Lord Chen, good evening!"
"Lord Chen, my mother made you a charm—she said as long as you're with us, we'll survive!"
"…"
As soon as he reached the wall, soldiers greeted him one after another. Their voices carried deep respect.
"Lord Chen!"
Xu Bin held up a slip of paper. "Xu Wencai helped me pick names for my daughter—can you see which one sounds better?"
"Little Brother," Sun Li walked up with her blade in hand. "How's your sword training? Tell me if you need my help."
"Sanshi!"
Sun Buqi grinned. "Teach me archery when you get a chance! Once I master it, maybe Father will finally stop calling me useless."
Countless voices filled his ears, one after another, warm and familiar.
Chen Sanshi said nothing, walking past them quietly. He went down to where the refugees sat beneath the wall—people who had fought like lions to hold the city.
Even Shunzi's crippled old father was still hauling stones with trembling arms.
Then there were the new recruits in the training field—those who had joined after the bloody battles, still learning to fight, still carrying that glint of determination in their eyes.
"Salute to Lord Chen!"
Chen Sanshi looked across their faces, and one by one, their names surfaced in his mind.
[Effect: Blood Oath of the Battlefield]
Even these men… were ready to die with him.
So even if Prefect Xue allowed him to take Lan jie'er and flee, could he really just walk away?
He could.
And if he did, maybe the Emperor would reward him. Maybe he'd climb the ranks, rise in power, live out his days in luxury.
All it would cost was… sleep.
Every night, he'd see these same faces.
Sometimes, having a good memory wasn't a blessing at all.
"I hate losing sleep," he murmured. "All this training—wasn't it so I could finally sleep peacefully at night?"
His left hand clenched around the hilt of the Mountain-Suppressing Sword. "If I leave now, I'll never sleep again."
And even if he did run—did he really think that dog of an Emperor would let him live safely?
He'd given poisoned wine once. What would stop him from doing it again?
A lifetime spent bowing his head, swallowing his rage, crawling under others' boots—was that living?
You're really forcing me into a corner.
But what could he do?
He was too weak. At best, he could deal with Luo Dongquan—but Tang Ming? A tempering organs master? Who could kill him?
And even if he succeeded, how could he cover it up? How could he avoid the Emperor's wrath later?
Then his eyes caught a flash of crimson—the bright red of an official's robe fluttering in the wind.
An idea began to take shape in his mind.