deltrittennovels Chapter 23: The Destruction of Traces, The Situation of the Great Qian Dynasty
Chapter 23: The Destruction of Traces, The Situation of the Great Qian Dynasty
Lin Hanzhou stood in the center of the chaotic square, looking coldly at the hell on earth before him.
He knew he had to get rid of all traces of this place as soon as possible.
Although Zhou Fengyu is dead, the Yunxia Sect will never let this go.
Once they send people over, they might be able to find some clues by examining the slightest traces at the scene.
He wasn't afraid, he just found it troublesome.
Before you have the absolute power to protect yourself, developing your strength in a low-key manner is the best strategy.
He walked to a collapsed house, picked up a still-burning beam, and used it as a torch.
Without the slightest hesitation, he threw the flames at the pile of firewood.
"call--!"
Flames suddenly rose and spread at an astonishing speed.
Soon, the entire Zhangjia Village was engulfed in a raging inferno.
The towering flames illuminated the night sky in a fiery red.
This fire will erase all traces of this place that ever existed.
Lin Hanzhou watched quietly until the fire grew so large that it could no longer be easily extinguished, then he turned to leave.
Before leaving, his gaze fell on the longsword that Zhou Fengyu had left behind.
He walked over and picked it up.
The sword felt slightly heavy in my hand, forged entirely from an unknown type of black iron, and exuded a faint chill.
The blade is incredibly sharp; it cuts through stone as easily as cutting tofu.
Lin Hanzhou recalled that his punch, which contained second-tier spiritual power, had failed to damage the opponent in the slightest.
This shows that the sword is made of extraordinary material.
"It is at least a low-grade Xuan-level weapon, which should be considered a divine weapon in this world."
Lin Hanzhou thought to himself.
He just happened to be lacking a suitable weapon, and this longsword was quite good.
He didn't need to worry about the sword having a tracking number, as it didn't have any markings from the Yunxia Sect on it.
He strapped his longsword to his waist, took one last look at the village that was gradually turning to ashes in the flames, and without the slightest lingering attachment, turned and disappeared into the night.
His target was the nearest town—Qingshan Town.
He needed to go there to gather intelligence about the world and plan his next move.
……
For Lin Hanzhou, who is now at the second level of cultivation, traveling overnight is nothing.
As the sun slowly rose in the east, the outline of a small town came into view.
That was Qingshan Town, the town closest to Zhangjia Village in the original owner's memory.
To avoid attracting attention, he changed into clean clothes, and wrapped his impressive longsword in rags.
Only by dressing like this can one avoid looking out of place in town.
Qingshan Town is not large, but it is quite prosperous.
The streets are paved with bluestone slabs and lined with all kinds of shops, including rice shops, cloth shops, and blacksmith shops, full of the atmosphere of daily life.
Lin Hanzhou didn't wander around; instead, he went straight into a place called Yuelai Inn.
"Sir, would you like a meal or a room at the inn?"
A waiter greeted them warmly.
"I need a superior room at the inn. Also, please find your manager; I have some questions I'd like to ask him."
As Lin Hanzhou spoke, he took out a few taels of silver from his pocket and discreetly slipped them to the waiter.
This money was naturally sponsored exclusively by the kind-hearted Zhou Fengyu.
The waiter weighed the silver in his hand, his smile growing even brighter. He quickly led Lin Hanzhou to a clean private room on the second floor and called out loudly.
"Alright! Shopkeeper, we have a distinguished guest!"
Soon, a slightly overweight middle-aged man with a mustache walked in with a big smile on his face.
"Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"
Lin Hanzhou got straight to the point.
"I would like to inquire with the shopkeeper about the current state of affairs in the Great Qian Dynasty."
The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then understood.
Judging from his appearance, he is a martial artist who came from some remote mountain village and has been out of touch with worldly affairs for a long time.
He has seen far too many people like this.
"Sir, you've come to the right person."
The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together and continued speaking.
"To be honest, the Great Qian Dynasty right now is... sigh, utter chaos! A complete mess!"
He lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously.
"You have no idea, His Majesty the current Emperor Qian is critically ill and has been bedridden for several years."
"According to rumors, that person is nearing the end of his life and may not survive this winter."
"And the imperial court is now controlled by a bunch of spineless eunuchs."
"They are the worst of the worst. They drastically increase taxes every year, causing widespread anger and resentment. People are living in misery, and many people in various places are starving to death."
"Not only that, the three powerful vassal kings who guard the north, the southeast, and the southwest—the King of Yan, the King of Wu, and the King of Shu—are all eager to make a move."
"If news of Emperor Qian's death were to reach the world, it would likely immediately shatter the land and reignite the flames of war!"
The shopkeeper peeked out the door, lowering his voice even further.
"Besides that, there are the three major sects in the martial arts world: Yunxia Sect, Wangqing Sect, and Jingang Temple. None of them are easy to deal with, and their disciples are all over the world. They have never really listened to the orders of the imperial court."
"Furthermore, the ambitious Qing Dynasty in the north has been eyeing our Great Qian Dynasty for many years. Now, the Great Qian Dynasty is truly on the verge of collapse, teetering on the brink of collapse!"
Listening to the shopkeeper's words, Lin Hanzhou finally gained a clear and intuitive understanding of this world.
The emperor is critically ill, eunuchs hold power, feudal lords plot rebellion, powerful clans exist everywhere, and foreign enemies surround the emperor...
This isn't just precarious; it's a powder keg about to explode.
The complexity of this world far surpasses that of his previous Sui Dynasty.
"The last dynasty... so that's what it means."
Lin Hanzhou understood.
"Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy some more intelligence separately."
As Lin Hanzhou spoke, he took out another ten taels of silver and placed it on the table.
"The more detailed the information about the Yunxia Sect, the better. Also, I need a basic map of the Great Qian Dynasty."
Upon seeing the ten taels of silver, the shopkeeper's eyes widened, and he quickly slipped it into his sleeve.
"Of course, of course! Please wait a moment, sir, I'll go and get it for you right away."
Soon, the innkeeper returned to the room with a rolled-up sheepskin map and a thin booklet.
Lin Hanzhou opened the map and examined it carefully.
The Great Qian Dynasty had a vast territory, divided into eighteen prefectures.
His current location, Qingzhou, is situated in the northeastern part of the dynasty.
He then opened the booklet about the Yunxia Sect, which contained a general description of the sect's location, as well as some well-known elders and disciples.
"Yunzhou, Yunxia Mountain..."
Lin Hanzhou located the Yunxia Sect on the map.
He discovered that the Yunxia Sect was very far away from Qingzhou, where he was located.
There are several large states in between.
Such a long distance, even if a grandmaster were to fly here, it would take at least a week.
Upon hearing this news, Lin Hanzhou was finally relieved.
A week is enough time for him to travel to the ends of the earth.
At that time, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack for the Yunxia Sect to find him.
Looking at the map, Lin Hanzhou already had a plan for where to go next.
He was going south to a more remote state, far from the center of the conflict.
Find a place there first, and steadily improve your skills.
A chaotic era is about to begin; only one's own strength can be relied upon.