It truly is chaotic times, even in a peaceful place like Qianzhou, war is unavoidable. The further south you go, the more you see ironclad soldiers; travelers on the road all carry crossbows and harbor swords. Huangfu Yi couldn't help but succumb to his occupational habit, investigating the details of Qianzhou's troops along the way.

After all, Qianzhou rebelled against the Immortal Palace long ago, and no Immortal King or King could domineer over them. The Mystic Sect Mountain People were also uninterested in mortal affairs, so most state and county administrations were run by local Cultivation Families and rich family alliances electing their own governor to oversee military and political matters. As long as they regularly delivered tribute resources to the mountains, those Old Xuan Sects in seclusion for hundreds of years didn't mind who was elected, even if they served multiple terms.

However, to guard against the Immortal Palace occasionally sending troops to invade, each state's mansion recruited guard soldiers for training, strictly guarding against demons and rebel army. However, these people were essentially only gate guards and private soldiers of the governors, and considering most of the resources collected by each state's mansion had to be handed over to the mountains and distributed among the rich families, there wasn't much money or grain left to support soldiers.

Thus, the siege on Lu State lasted for more than three months before reinforcements from all directions slowly arrived, like squeezing toothpaste. Soldiers from each place marched along plank roads or by grain ships, numbering hundreds to thousands. It was chaotic when gathered together, barely forming an 'army' of twenty thousand.

Of course, don't underestimate Qianzhou's troops. Since Xuan Nu's rebellion, the Mystic Sect Immortal Palace has been fighting for over six thousand years. In Qianzhou, every man can draw a bow and crossbow, wield a sword and enter the mountains for guerrilla warfare. But compared to playing outdated tricks like Gang Fist, participating in the entry-level competition in the mountains, learning cultivation and the Dao, had better cost-effectiveness.

Moreover, those who can serve as city guards maintaining order in Qianzhou, receiving a tribute, at least, were outer disciples from various mountain caves, seasoned combatants at the Core Formation Stage with Divine Gang Body at Level 1, all proficient warriors.

If any Sect Leader of an Immortal Mountain were willing to invest huge resources to recruit and form an army from Qianzhou, and vie for dominance in the Central Plains, sweeping across the land wouldn't be impossible. But no Sect Leader was boring enough to do so...

Ahem, anyway, since the rebel army struck first, the Mountain People calculated and figured that losing Lu State and sealing Qian River would surely lead to various disadvantages. Even merchant ships would fear to come, and the tribute couldn't be delivered; this was intolerable.

So, though dawdling for many days, in the end, the nine major sects still pushed various sects and states in Qianzhou to gather these twenty thousand troops for a battle. They widely announced on sect missions that any Mystic Sect Disciple who came to fight and defend would receive a Soldier Repelling Coin. Outstanding contributions would earn extra rewards, spreading rumors that if any Mixed Cultivator performed well, they might catch the Mountain People's eye and get recruited as outer disciples with sect tribute.

Thus, although people were coming and going along the road, encountering many Jianghu folks, no trouble arose. After all, everyone was going to participate in the event, ahem, to serve the army, earn some side money, and seek a reputation. There were plenty of opportunities for fights, no need to cause conflict prematurely.

So, after a day's journey, Huangfu Yi traveled safely. Seeing it's getting late, he planned to find an inn to stay for the night, but as soon as he stepped in, trouble arose.

"Ah guest, unfortunately, our rooms are fully booked. There are seats in a shared room, could you make do?"

A shared room would do, Huangfu Yi didn't mind, but someone else did.

"Nonsense! Can't you see I have a female companion? Make them vacate a room!"

"Uh, this..."

Hearing the guest at the front shouting and cursing, Huangfu Yi looked up. He saw a couple standing at the counter, both in white cloaks, adorned with gold and jade, holding treasure swords, faces veiled in thin silk, dressed like cultivators. Their attire indicated either wealth or nobility, well-groomed and spotless, exuding an otherworldly feel, like reputable sect figures. But upon closer inspection, their breathing was weak, and their bodies slight, suggesting their abilities were likely low-level rubbish figures.

However, rubbish or not, people are still people. So Huangfu Yi stood at the back, waiting in line politely.

But that couple was hard to deal with, harassing and complaining to the innkeeper, insisting on staying in a superior room.

The innkeeper was fed up, saying it's first come, first served. Why should others give up their rooms? Besides, being out traveling, why insist on a superior room at an inn? Suit yourself, live or not, you're on your own.

Apparently, the streetwise words had some acidity, angering the other party.

With a "clink!", the woman drew her sword and stabbed, piercing the innkeeper entirely.

This move came utterly out of the blue, catching the innkeeper off-guard. Staring incredulously at the blooming bloodstain on his chest, he fell silent and lifelessly.

Honestly, Huangfu Yi didn't expect such trivial matters to escalate to murder, leaving him momentarily stunned. By the time he reacted, the couple had their swords drawn, heading towards the door.

"What are you looking at! Get lost!"

Seeing Huangfu Yi blocking the doorway, still staring, the white-clad woman furrowed her brows. Annoyed at not securing a superior room, she ironically swung her sword at him, aiming for his chest.

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