Chapter 80: Secrets Within the City

Yang Ze caught the mention in Lu Qing’s words and immediately thought of Ouyang Xin. His brows arched—judging from Lu Qing’s expression, it seemed he had encountered quite a serious matter.

“Brother Lu, stop keeping me in suspense. If you have something to say, say it now. If you keep hiding things, I won’t bother to listen later,” Yang Ze said, not without annoyance.

Seeing Yang Ze’s irritation, Lu Qing gave a sheepish smile. Though they’d only known each other for a single day, their rapport had grown considerably.

“Don’t be angry, Brother Yang. Look, I waited here especially for you. Brother Bai arrived long before you, but I didn’t mention any of this to him. I wanted to tell you both together. Come, come, let’s step aside for a moment. What I have to say is no trivial matter—if someone overhears, it could be disastrous.”

Noting Lu Qing’s secretive air, Yang Ze exchanged a glance with Bai Lun and followed Lu Qing off to the side.

Once the three of them stood in a secluded corner, Lu Qing glanced cautiously around before lowering his voice. “I only dare to discuss this with you because the Martial Academy people haven’t arrived yet. Otherwise, with their cultivation, they’d easily overhear us.”

Lu Qing paused, then hurried on. “Here’s what happened: yesterday, when the Martial Academy people arrived, they actually came in two groups. One group was the one we saw—they were here for the assessment. But in truth, another group from the Academy arrived in Yuyang City even earlier. After arriving, they sought out the city lord and then disappeared. Only after the assessment ended did Elder Ma and the others, along with my master and the city lord, go somewhere together. Only then did my master learn that the Martial Academy had already been here.”

“What could the Academy want, splitting their arrival like this? Are they up to something shady?” Bai Lun asked, his face etched with confusion.

“Yang, Bai, you’re both locals—you should know better than I. Several months ago, the city lord summoned most of the top experts from all the major factions in the martial world,” Lu Qing continued.

Both Yang Ze and Bai Lun nodded. Yang Ze recalled clearly that the Yang family’s experts had gone to the city lord’s manor, giving Yang Hai the chance he needed to act against him using the Ten Thousand Sharks Gang and the Jinghai Gang.

“Heh, from what I’ve heard, that all happened because something strange appeared in the city lord’s manor—a monstrous thing of great power. The officials’ experts couldn’t handle it on their own, so the city lord gathered everyone to deal with it together. In the end, hundreds of masters joined forces and managed to subdue it, sealing it in the manor’s dungeon. Only then did the matter seem resolved.”

“So, you’re saying the Martial Academy arrived early because of this creature?” Yang Ze gave him a sidelong glance.

“You saw the city lord’s strength that day. I won’t hide it from you—he’s even more powerful than my master; he’s the strongest in Yuyang City. When they first confronted this monster, the city lord concealed his true strength and didn’t act, so everyone assumed he wasn’t especially formidable. But after my master returned, the city lord took him to the dungeon to check on the creature, and both barely escaped with their lives. That’s how I learned of all this.”

As Lu Qing finished, Yang Ze’s eyes narrowed sharply. If the city lord surpassed Ouyang Xin, he must at least be a mid-stage Houtian cultivator. Yet months ago, this creature was defeated by several hundred peak and high-level Qi-channeling warriors. If this was all true, then over the months imprisoned in the dungeon, the creature had grown even stronger at a shocking rate.

“Do you know what this thing really is?” Yang Ze asked, sensing the heart of the matter lay with this creature.

“You’re right. The Martial Academy arrived early to deal with it—they never imagined it would be here in Yuyang. That other group didn’t show up because they were all in the dungeon trying to handle the thing. When Elder Ma and the others joined them, they began the real confrontation. But to their shock, the creature was so bizarre it managed to escape from Elder Ma himself!”

Bai Lun couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. Elder Ma was at least a third-grade martial artist, his strength far beyond their comprehension—yet even he let the creature slip away.

“In the past three days, everyone from the Martial Academy, along with my master and the city lord, have been scouring the city for any trace of it. I don’t know if they’ve caught it yet, but last night my master told me to leave Yuyang with the Academy’s party as soon as possible. Whether it’s still at large or not, its presence is an ominous sign. If we stay, something terrible might happen.”

Lu Qing’s final words left Yang Ze unconvinced. To him, it was just some strange being, nothing so supernatural as to merit such alarm. Moreover, the Martial Academy was the top power in Quanyang Prefecture. Since they were still leaving on schedule, surely Elder Ma and the others had succeeded.

“Just don’t spread this around,” Lu Qing said gravely. “There’s more to this than meets the eye. My master even suspects the drought is connected to that creature. The Academy doesn’t want too many people to know—if word gets out that we know, it won’t end well for us.”

Lu Qing’s warning reminded Yang Ze of the drought. He’d heard the city guards mention it on his first trip out, and remembered the city lord had dispatched Yuan Heng to investigate. Months had passed without any notable signs, so he’d put it from his mind. But now it seemed the drought outside the city had never truly ended.

While Yang Ze pondered all this, several others approached—including Yang Hai himself.

Yang Hai, carrying a pile of luggage and dressed in sturdy traveling clothes, wore an expression of unconcealed pride. It seemed the Yang family had given him quite a trove of treasures for the journey.