Zhao Long, Meng Yi, and Hou Tong's faces immediately showed intense fear upon hearing these words, clearly not expecting Xia Hong's strength to be so formidable.

In contrast, Xia Chuan had little reaction after hearing it.

But thinking about it, it's understandable. On the night of the sect festival on September ninth, the same night Xia Hong emerged from seclusion, he already fought one against three in the Arrow Bamboo Forest, successively slaying two Beast Kings. If the Beast King occupying the Silver Mine had average strength, it naturally couldn't be a match for Xia Hong.

Xia Chuan witnessed that scene firsthand, so he wasn't surprised;

However, Zhao Long and the others, including Yue Feng, weren't present that night, so their reaction at this moment was naturally not surprising.

Xia Chuan's face showed a hint of interest as he continued to ask Yue Feng, "From what you're saying, following the Lord to handle the Silver Mine's Cold Beast clan isn't very dangerous? What about the casualties?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Feng immediately nodded and replied, "The Six Armies almost had no combat casualties, just some minor wounds, and occasionally a few severe ones, which could be treated with Dan Medicine and were of no concern."

"If that's the case, your Four Armies should prepare now, set off directly for Long Mountain after nightfall, replace the Cloud Jiao, Long Wu, Dragon Slayer, and Tiger Leopard Armies, and inform Yuwen Dao to lead the Four Armies back to Xia City first."

Yue Feng was startled upon hearing this but quickly realized that Xia Chuan was giving them a chance to train at Long Mountain. He hurriedly clasped his hands in salute, "I obey, sir!"

Zhao Long and the others also understood and followed in salute, "We obey, sir!"

On one hand, following the Lord to handle the Silver Mine Cold Beasts wasn't very dangerous, reducing troop casualties; on the other hand, the strength of a single Cold Beast clan was much stronger than that of an ordinary Beast Tide of the same size. Using them for training, the combat strength of the four new armies would improve very quickly, making it indeed a suitable choice.

"Alright, now go..."

"Minister, Temple Manager Shi Qing has urgent matters to report!"

Xia Chuan was just about to let the four leave but was directly interrupted by the attendant on duty outside the Political Hall.

"Let Shi Qing in!"

Upon hearing it concerned the Sect Temple, Xia Chuan's brow furrowed slightly. He immediately gestured for the attendant to let Shi Qing in and then continued to instruct Zhao Long and the others, "Nightfall is in over half an hour; prepare to depart now!"

The four bowed and collectively exited the hall, encountering Shi Qing carrying a Spiritual Tablet as they stepped out of the hall doors.

Shi Qing was apparently in a hurry, having no time to greet them and rushed straight inside.

"A Spiritual Tablet, who encountered trouble?"

"There's a glow on the tablet; it should be fine."

"I don't know who it is."

In Great Xia, only nobles have the qualification to establish a sect and set up a Spirit Tablet, which belongs either to the noble themselves or their direct relatives. Shi Qing, carrying the tablet inside with a hurried expression, likely indicates something happened to the tablet's owner.

As Shi Qing was carrying a Spirit Tablet, the four couldn't make out the name written on it, and their discussions yielded no results, so they left with worried expressions.

"Temple Manager Shi Qing, at your service, Minister. It's likely that Five Originals Guardian Xu Ning, Lord Xu, has encountered trouble!"

Inside the hall, Shi Qing saw Xia Chuan and immediately bowed in greeting before taking out the Spiritual Tablet he was holding and handing it to Xia Chuan.

Seeing the Spiritual Tablet, Xia Chuan's expression changed instantly.

[Family Head Xu Ning]

The tablet bore only four characters. Though it emitted a faint glow, its brightness was noticeably dimmer than that of a normal Spirit Tablet.

"What happened?"

"While inspecting the second floor of the Sect Hall, I found Xu Ning's Sect Spirit Tablet flickering inexplicably, and the glow gradually thinning. Realizing something was wrong, I came to report it to you immediately."

Shi Qing was appointed as Temple Manager last September. His duty is to keep an eye on the major deity platform on the top floor of the Sect Temple and all living Spirit Tablets in the second-floor Sect Hall, ready to report any abnormalities immediately.

Xu Ning encountered trouble...

Hadn't he already been informed to withdraw from Qinghepu?

Xia Chuan's expression turned grim as he looked at the faint glow on the Spirit Tablet. Not daring to delay, he tucked the tablet into his chest and quickly walked out of the hall.

"Shi Qing, go back to the Sect Temple and keep watch, focusing on the people from Five Originals. If anything else happens, report to Director Qiu and have him send someone with the tablet to find me at Five Originals."

"As you command, sir!"

Xia Chuan quickly found Qiu Peng after leaving the main building, exchanged a few words, then galloped out of Xia City's south gate towards Five Originals.

If Xu Ning had listened and returned to Five Originals as instructed, then this was a significant issue.

If he had ignored the instructions and encountered a mishap in Qinghepu, he couldn't just sit idly by; rescue was imperative.

Xu Ning had been a loyal follower of Xia Hong since the Mud Slope days, and Xia Chuan knew his character well.

In the first year of Great Xia, facing the Four Northern Mountain Camps with several times less strength, Xu Ning managed to lure them into action out of self-interest, subsequently annexing them effortlessly.

The Seven Families of Songyang Ridge in the third year of Great Xia also fell to Xu Ning without bloodshed; for the subsequent three years, Xu Ning followed instructions, progressing steadily along the Xing River North Bank without incident.

From these actions, one could tell Xu Ning was not one to act rashly or recklessly ambitious.

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