"Not for the time being."

Upon hearing Lou Yi's reply, many present had their eyes light up.

"My daughter is sixteen, graceful and virtuous. She's heard of Sect Leader Liu's heroic deeds and admires him greatly, longing to meet him..." Landlord Liu was the first to extend an olive branch.

Landlord Liu was a well-known wealthy man in the city, owning ten thousand acres of fertile land. He had only one daughter, who had always been highly selective, dismissing many noble heirs, yet surprisingly, she favored Lou Yi so highly.

Thinking of this, many of the young heirs who followed their fathers here felt a pang of jealousy.

Am I not as good as this Liu Yi?

Well, perhaps I really am not...

"Well, my niece is not bad either, proficient in all arts. Sect Leader Liu, are you free to visit my mansion tomorrow?" the Patriarch of the Yuan Family laughed.

The Yuan Family was the foremost silk family in Tai City with trade reaching the Central Plains, possessing slightly more influence than the previous Extreme Fist Sect.

If we could ally with them, the power of the Extreme Fist Sect would rise to a higher level.

Hearing the Patriarch of the Yuan Family's invitation, Wei Youdao and Zhou Bufeng's eyes lit up.

However, they would naturally not make decisions for Lou Yi; everything depended on his own wishes.

"Don't compete with me; I've already set my eyes on Brother Liu; it's destiny for him to be my Qiu family's son-in-law!"

The Qiu Family, a weapon-forging family, had always kept a low profile, but the major forces in Tai City knew they were not to be trifled with.

"Get lost, go play somewhere else..."

Another family patriarch joined in the competition, speaking rather freely due to his good relations with the Qiu Family patriarch.

The crowd suddenly erupted with enthusiasm, catching Lou Yi off guard.

At the same time, he also felt two intense gazes like a thorn in his back.

He hurriedly declined: "Thank you all for your kind intentions, but I'm devoted to martial arts and have no plans to marry in the coming years."

Upon hearing this, those two intense gazes withdrew.

"That's good; my daughter will be grown up in a few years and just right for marriage!" someone exclaimed with joy, making Lou Yi break out in a cold sweat.

The banquet continued until the night, finally losing momentum as the crowd gradually dispersed.

Despite Lou Yi's combat prowess rivaling that of a martial artist, he couldn't withstand the number of toasts and ended up quite dizzy, wanting only to find a place to lie down.

Among the city's many major forces, only the Xu Family didn't send anyone to congratulate him.

Outsiders might think the Xu Family viewed themselves too highly to consider them, unwilling to lose face.

But Lou Yi knew the Xu Family was aware of the previous discord between them.

Their absence today signified their stance, indicating that there would be future dealings between the two parties.

As the banquet concluded, Cai, the Escort Leader of Fulin Escort Agency, did not leave but requested to discuss matters.

Recalling the generous gifts brought by him today.

Sect Leader Wei Youdao, Vice Sect Leader Lou Yi, and Great Elder Zhou Bufeng took him to a Council Hall, giving him due respect.

But upon learning his intent, the trio's expressions changed.

"What, you're asking us to vacate the Heavy Sword Sect's courtyard?" Zhou Bufeng's expression was somewhat unfriendly, "Escort Leader Cai, have you perhaps drunk too much!"

"Elder Zhou, our agency does hold the deed to the Heavy Sword Sect's courtyard, not here to cause trouble intentionally."

"May I ask where this deed came from?" Wei Youdao suddenly asked.

Cai, the Escort Leader, smiled: "Sect Leader Wei need not worry about that.

According to the grand laws of Dawei, with the deed in our hands, the courtyard rightfully belongs to us."

"Our sect has been searching for Elder Ma of the Heavy Sword Sect, who secretly took the deed. The deed your agency acquired wouldn't happen to be a gift from him, would it?" Wei Youdao said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Cai's facial expression became somewhat unnatural.

Seeing this, Lou Yi burst into laughter, suddenly stopping with a serious expression.

"You shelter enemies of our sect, and now you intend to seize our spoils?

Escort Leader Cai, I advise you to return Elder Ma and the deed swiftly, or there may be conflict in the future!"

Hearing Lou Yi's blatant threat, Cai couldn't help but change color.

But he dared not say anything provocative to his face.

The person in front of him was capable of slaying a martial artist, a fearsome character.

If he were to kill me in a drunken state, I'd have nowhere to plead my case.

"I, I shall return to consult with the Chief of the Escort."

"Farewell!"

Watching Cai's stiff back as he left.

Wei Youdao chuckled coldly, "I wondered why they suddenly presented this grand gift; they wanted to reap the rewards without labor.

For a few thousand taels of silver, they hoped to effortlessly acquire the Heavy Sword Sect's estate, truly a wishful scheme."

"Should we return their gifts?" Lou Yi asked.

"Return nothing!" Wei Youdao waved his hand, "Consider it their apology token."

Elsewhere.

Cai returned to Fulin Escort Agency and recounted today's encounter in full to Chief Escort Lin, the one in charge.

Chief Escort Lin, upon hearing this, erupted in anger: "Such an arrogant brat, just because he handled a newly advanced martial artist, does he think I cannot handle him?"

Chief Escort Lin, known for his invincible Divine Spear, had traversed the martial world for decades, recognized throughout Wangjiang County's martial scene.

Some in Tai City even believed his true strength was not inferior to Old Master Xu's.

"Chief Escort, should we make a move?" Cai asked sinisterly.

Today's encounter was a complete loss of face, making him deeply resent the members of the Extreme Fist Sect.

"There's no rush; it's a highly sensitive time right now, best not to provoke City Lord Li's ire.

But I heard the Xu Family seems to have some discord with them.

Go find out if it's true; if so, we might take the opportunity to join forces with the Xu Family and eliminate them," Chief Escort Lin said with a sharp tone revealing murderous intent.

Once identified as an enemy, they must be eradicated.

"Yes!" Cai replied respectfully.

Two days later, the beast swarm army finally arrived within fifty miles of Tai City.

At their current speed, they could reach the city gates within a day or two!

The beast swarm, akin to locusts, destroyed everything in sight.

Humans and livestock were eaten, houses flattened, fields trampled into patchy ruins...

From a high vantage point, you could see a vast black torrent overwhelming any area in its path, advancing toward the Tai City Main City with an unstoppable momentum visible to the naked eye.

Immediately, Tai City entered a state of lockdown.

The City Lord's Mansion, this bureaucratic engine, began its operation, issuing a series of orders:

The night markets were completely sealed off; everyone had to stay indoors at night, prohibited from wandering outside, with anyone found caught immediately.

All conflict was strictly forbidden; otherwise, the City Lord's Mansion had the right to execute on the spot!

Gatherings of more than ten people were banned; violators would be treated as traitors.

Households with men aged twenty to forty could apply to guard the city walls; in critical times, the City Lord's Mansion would conscript by force without room for refusal...

These orders immediately intensified the tension throughout the city.

For ordinary citizens, these were constraints.

For the city's Martial Arts Halls and noble families, the City Lord's Mansion directly demanded manpower for the defense of the city walls.

With the enemy at hand, no one dared to shirk; the major forces all contributed people.

...

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