Upon leaving the governnt office, Du Chengfeng didn’t rush to the two-courtyard residence assigned to him. Instead, he planned to first et up with the fellow villagers from Yangjiabao.
Things had beco quite delicate; Yanzhou City was far from as peaceful as it appeared on the surface. If the incident at the Yanzhou Armory was still within the realm of acceptable issues, then the monster outbreak in the city truly disturbed Du Chengfeng’s sensitive nerves.
Anything that could be called a monster must be a non-human entity. And speaking of non-humans, the first thing that ca to his mind was that grotesque flesh and blood bird. After the battle in Jizhou, he understood that these non-human mutations were the byproducts of excessive Evil Qi entering the body.
After becoming a monster, one would lose their reason, even gradually forgetting their identity as a human. Du Chengfeng had experienced this firsthand, and it was not a good thing.
However, on the flip side, becoming a monster allowed one to push beyond boundaries, growing stronger quickly just by killing and eating people.
"Anyway, if they’re already insane, then a bit more insanity doesn’t matter, does it..."
Du Chengfeng roughly deduced the operational logic of these monsters. Obviously, turning into a monster had no benefits for the person, and it was truly a catastrophic disaster for those around them.
Be it Jizhou, Yanzhou.
Or Youzhou, which he once learned about.
He had heard about the Youzhou Armory situation from Liu Yanran. He had been curious at the ti as to how just the armory’s outbreak of weapon Evil Qi led to a half Youzhou governor’s entry of Evil Qi, resulting in half of Youzhou’s population being killed. But after personally battling the monsterized He Xiqing, Du Chengfeng realized that only killing half of Youzhou’s population might have been the Youzhou governor’s full effort in exercising restraint.
Having fought against He Xiqing, Du Chengfeng understood clearly how powerful these monsters could be. To put it bluntly, if left unchecked, it wouldn’t just be one region hit with disaster; even the surrounding regions would face calamity.
Fortunately, these monsters could still be dealt with.
The monster in Youzhou was defeated by the Grassland Royal Court. Although the exact thods of the northern grassland people were unknown, Youzhou had long been under their control. The monster in Jizhou was personally slain by Du Chengfeng, and their battle nearly flattened all of Jizhou to white ground.
As for Yanzhou...
"In any case, don’t stay in the city. If you must run, then run."
Gathering Li the Carpenter, Old Man Yang, and a few notable household representatives, Du Chengfeng shared his judgnt.
"Yanzhou is not very safe. I feel the armory incident might be linked to this so-called monster... Of course, this is just a personal feeling, but if it’s true, then Yanzhou might be even more dangerous than Jizhou."
"This..."
The people from Yangjiabao exchanged confused glances.
Originally, they thought Yanzhou was much more peaceful than Jizhou; after all their hardships getting here, maybe they could just settle down. But who would have thought Du Chengfeng would return with such bad news, and at such a severe extent.
They all ca from the north of Jizhou, carrying psychological shadows of that grotesque flesh and blood bird.
"So... should we head further south?"
"That’s fine too."
Du Chengfeng nodded.
"Safety always cos first. It’s better for everyone to head a bit further south. Old brother, you may not need your axe for now. I’ll hand you two more knives; your safety on this road depends on you..."
"And you?"
Hearing Du Chengfeng’s plan, Li the Carpenter frowned imdiately.
"Brother Du, aren’t you leaving?"
"Not for now."
Du Chengfeng shook his head.
"I still need to deal with the Yanzhou Armory incident."
With this remark, the people from Yangjiabao had mixed expressions.
Yang Xuan and Li the Carpenter, being in the know, understood right away that when Du Chengfeng ntioned the Yanzhou Armory, he ant to start work—because he barely had ti to deal with the Jizhou Armory before due to his hurried departure. Now having the chance to access the Yanzhou Armory was sothing Du Chengfeng, with his unique craftsmanship as a Master Craftsman, couldn’t turn down.
In the eyes of the uninford villagers, however, Du Chengfeng’s decision to stay was considered a noble and selfless act.
Having soone like Du Chengfeng on their side within the governntal realm would make leaving Yanzhou easier and free them from trouble. Even in a new place, it would be easier to settle and perhaps receive so favor.
The only one who might feel wronged was Du Chengfeng himself.
"Hero, you truly are a..."
These villagers weren’t well-educated, unable to express gratitude in eloquent terms, so they could only sigh deeply and bow to Du Chengfeng with cupped hands.
Du Chengfeng naturally did not accept the gesture. Being from a peaceful background, he was not accustod to such solemn rituals. He quickly helped them up, even returning a fist salute—such humble behavior naturally impressed the villagers even more, making Du Chengfeng appear larger-than-life in their eyes.
"Brother Du, could you wait a mont?"
Just as Du Chengfeng was about to leave, Li the Carpenter called out to him in confusion.
"Your stature... Have you grown taller recently?"
"Huh? ?"
Du Chengfeng was slightly puzzled by the question.
Growing taller wasn’t sothing he expected at his age. Though still considered young, he should have passed the age for more growth.
But when he stood in front of Li the Carpenter to compare heights, he did find he’d grown a bit.
Not much, about an inch, but on his fra, it seed sowhat odd.
"Well, even at twenty-three you can gain a spurt. Maybe I still have so growth room."
After bidding farewell to the people from Yangjiabao and escorting them outside the city, Du Chengfeng led his horse back.
For safety, the villagers planned to rest a bit beyond the city before resuming their journey. However, Du Chengfeng intended to return to the city—ultimately because he wasn’t afraid. The battle in Jizhou had already given him ample confidence in his capabilities; nothing in Yanzhou could threaten him now.
Including the so-called lurking monster. If that monster dared to show itself, he was ready to kill it on the spot.
This ti, Du Chengfeng chose to walk the night roads.
The nightti Yanzhou City had already fallen silent. It was hard to imagine such a populous city could turn so deathly quiet after nightfall. As he led his horse through the star-studded alleys, Du Chengfeng could only hear the horse’s hoofbeats.
And sothing falling.
That sound ca from a general store behind Du Chengfeng, where an advertising flag used to attract custors had fallen to the ground.
As a good Samaritan, Du Chengfeng naturally turned back a few steps to pick it up.
But as he leaned down, he noticed sothing odd about the bamboo pole that supported the flag: a neat cut.
The fresh cut surface was smooth as glass.
"Hmm?"
Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but look around instinctively.
He discovered that the stray cat on the eaves had lost its head at so unknown ti.
"Huh??"
Du Chengfeng swiftly turned back, only to see a man masked in green cloth standing before him, stabbing fiercely at his chest with two sharp boning knives!
"Hmm?"
Listening to the sound of tal clashing by his ear and seeing the mottled iron beneath his clothes, the masked man’s once blood-red eyes also reflected surprise.
At that mont, Du Chengfeng’s right hand had already grasped the masked man’s head.
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