The group walked out of the dungeon. When they passed the training ground that had been shattered to dust, the women were still holding up, merely cowering in fear. But when they saw the hundred-plus corpses in the front courtyard, all twenty-some of them screamed.
"O-Old Zheng!" Sister Zheng's heart pounded in terror. "These... these people... could it be that Lu the Kid..."
Just as Butcher Zheng was about to nod, Chu Shuangtian lifted his gaze and said slowly,
"The White Elephant Martial Arts Hall is a subordinate of my Soaring Snake Martial Arts Hall. Today, the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall violated the regulations of the Martial Arts Alliance, so I cleaned house."
Lu Xuan was surprised, and Butcher Zheng was also stunned for a moment.
The women, however, came to a sudden realization. Sister Zheng clutched her chest, her heart still racing as she said,
"And here I thought Lu the Kid killed them all..."
After a moment, she stole a glance at Chu Shuangtian and whispered to Butcher Zheng,
"Who is he?"
Before Butcher Zheng could answer, Chu Shuangtian introduced himself.
"Chu Shuangtian, Master of the Soaring Snake Martial Arts Hall."
Sister Zheng staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Chu Shuangtian then added in a quiet voice,
"I have a general understanding of what happened in the shantytown. This incident occurred in territory under the jurisdiction of my Soaring Snake Martial Arts Hall. I will have the shantytown repaired and dispatch doctors to care for the injured. Please, all of you, head back for now."
As soon as he said this, Sister Zheng and the others immediately bowed deeply, overwhelmed with gratitude. Their faces lit up with smiles, and they all called him a 'great benefactor'.
Their happiness was simple. Having food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over their heads was more than they could ask for.
At the side, Butcher Zheng seemed to have vaguely guessed something. He too bowed to Chu Shuangtian, then bid farewell to Lu Xuan before promptly leading the group back toward the shantytown.
Once their figures had completely vanished, Lu Xuan asked softly,
"Why did you..."
Chu Shuangtian's expression was calm.
"Killing over a hundred people in one go, including more than ten Cultivators... if word of this gets out, it will likely attract the attention of the 'North Palace,' and that would be troublesome."
"The North Palace?"
"Yes. Those people call themselves the Death Tower. But because their headquarters is in the Land of the Far North, over time, they came to be called the 'North Palace'."
He paused, a flicker of deep apprehension in his eyes, and continued to explain,
"The North Palace doesn't fall under the Federation's jurisdiction. Its members are all experts. They fancy themselves enforcers, believing in using killing to stop killing. If a Cultivator commits a great massacre, they will appear and execute the perpetrator."
Lu Xuan thought for a moment and smiled.
"That's a good thing."
He saw the situation clearly. A single Cultivator could easily slaughter tens of thousands of ordinary people. It was likely precisely because of the North Palace and their 'kill to stop killing' philosophy that the world hadn't descended into total chaos.
Chu Shuangtian's expression faltered, slightly surprised, but he didn't dwell on it. He simply added,
"And as I said before, the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall is a subordinate of our Soaring Snake Martial Arts Hall. Me killing a hundred people to clean house and you killing a hundred people for revenge are two entirely different concepts. Even if the North Palace found out, they wouldn't make trouble for me."
After a moment of thought, he added,
"I know you wanted to make a show of force to spare the shantytown from future trouble... I'll spread the word that you killed the three Bone Marrow Refining Martial Masters from the White Elephant Martial Arts Hall, and that I merely cleaned house of the rest."
"Thank you. But I still don't understand why you're helping me."
"Offering a helping hand in a time of need is always better than adding accolades to success."
Chu Shuangtian glanced at the dark clouds overhead and said quietly,
"To be honest, my young friend, I've also investigated you. You appeared suddenly seven years ago with no identity on record. You lived quietly in the shantytown for seven years, and only recently began to make a name for yourself..."
He turned his head and added,
"My young friend, you have a pure heart. You strive for good and are committed to order. Why not join our Martial Arts Alliance?"
A guarded look flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes.
"I don't recall ever coming into contact with anyone from the Soaring Snake Martial Arts Hall."
His heart tensed. 'This is unbelievable.' But Chu Shuangtian just smiled and explained,
"The Inspectorate. Chen Tianhua."
Lu Xuan understood. He tilted his head.
"A mole?"
"Something like that," Chu Shuangtian said calmly. "He reported information about you, and you immediately caught my attention. My young friend, you and I actually share the same ideals. The Inspectorate is incapable of maintaining order in East Sea City, so my Martial Arts Alliance steps in."
"But the Martial Arts Alliance also has members who don't follow the rules."
As he spoke, Lu Xuan gestured to the hundred-plus corpses behind him.
Chu Shuangtian shook his head.
"There are scoundrels and parasites everywhere. I've already done my best. Across Langya Province's ten first-tier cities and its hundreds of second and third-tier cities, the Martial Arts Alliance is present in half of them. Public order in that half is significantly better than in the other."
Having said his piece, he stroked the thumb ring on his hand.
"I am, for all intents and purposes, the ultimate authority in the East Sea City Martial Arts Alliance. Do you have any idea, my young friend, what kind of chaos East Sea City would be in today if the Alliance weren't here to maintain order?"
Lu Xuan was silent for a long time.
"Think it over, my young friend. The chaos in some areas has yet to be quelled, and I must go oversee the situation, so I'll take my leave. Don't worry about the shantytown. All the injured will be treated. I've sent a few Martial Artists over. With their strength, repairing the houses will take two hours at most."
As his voice faded, Chu Shuangtian stepped forward, walking on air as if ascending a staircase to the heavens, before finally soaring away on the wind.
Lu Xuan stood there, dazed, and muttered,
"Soaring through the air, riding the wind... Is that the power of a Grandmaster? How is that any different from an Immortal..."
With that, he bowed toward the distant figure in the sky, not for any other reason but to thank the man for helping the shantytown.
After bowing, Lu Xuan's expression suddenly changed. He recalled what Elder Chu had just said—that there were still many areas in East Sea City where the chaos had not yet been settled...
He broke into a sprint again, but this time, he was heading toward the Upper City District, in the direction of East Sea High School.
........
When he arrived at East Sea High School, the vast campus was completely deserted. Even the library doors were locked.
Lu Xuan stood there, at a loss. 'She must have gone home, right?' he thought to himself.
'Or perhaps...'
His expression tightened, and he grew anxious. Along the way, he had seen riots breaking out in many places. Although people from the Martial Arts Alliance and the Inspectorate were there maintaining order, still...
"Lu Xuan?"
A questioning voice rang out.
Lu Xuan turned his head and hurriedly bowed.
"Teacher Lu!"
Lu Xiuyuan was holding a few books, apparently on his way home.
"What are you still doing at school? The lockdown has already begun. You should hurry home."
"Lockdown?" Lu Xuan was confused.
"You haven't heard? The city just issued a special ten-day lockdown order. The school will also be temporarily closed for ten days."
After a moment's thought, Lu Xiuyuan added,
"But your timing is actually perfect. I was planning to guide you in attempting Introspection tomorrow, but now is as good a time as any..."
Lu Xuan scratched his head in embarrassment and said quietly,
"Teacher Lu, I... I can already do Introspection."
"Oh?" Lu Xiuyuan didn't think much of it and just smiled. "That's wonderful. Keep up the good work. And try to stay indoors for a while. Things in East Sea City are about to get turbulent."
After a moment, he added,
"By the way, what are you doing at school today? Isn't it Sunday?"
"I came to find a girl. Her name is Yan Jiangxue."
Lu Xiuyuan stroked his beard, glanced behind the boy, and then blinked.
"You came all this way just for her? She must be very pretty, hmm? Your sweetheart?"
Lu Xuan's face flushed slightly, and he grinned sheepishly.
"Well... she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen."
Lu Xiuyuan roared with laughter, then jutted his chin. Lu Xuan subconsciously turned around and saw the girl standing right there, her usually cold face flushed bright red.
"You're here!" she said, her voice full of cheer.