Chapter 47: Commander Zhou
\nAfter confirming his daughter\u2019s safety, Governor Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. His wife had passed away long ago, leaving him with only this precious child. He\u2019d always coddled her like a fragile jewel, fearing she might shatter. Facing such a sudden crisis had nearly terrified him to death.
\n\u201cLord Li, I must return to the capital on urgent business,\u201d Commander Zhou said, clasping his hands in courtesy. Though his rank far surpassed Governor Li\u2019s, he maintained decorum. The rivalry between civil and military officials was fierce, and neglecting etiquette risked political backlash. The Clerk Huo incident had been a coincidence\u2014Commander Zhou had been investigating in the area when the demonic transformation occurred. Without his intervention, the chaos could have spiraled. With monstrous entities spreading and panic rising, the world teetered on chaos.
\n\u201cMy daughter\u2019s safety is owed to your aid, Commander Zhou.\u201d
\nGovernor Li snapped to attention, realizing he\u2019d neglected the Dragon Guards\u2019 presence. Offending their commander would spell disaster. Though they were warriors, their direct ties to the emperor made them influential. Governor Li bowed deeper, adding hastily, \u201cTo repay your kindness, let this humble official host a feast at Pine Crane Tower. Won\u2019t you stay and dine?\u201d
\nCommander Zhou declined politely.
\n\u201cThe emperor\u2019s commands brook no delay. I trust Lord Li understands.\u201d
\nOnly then did Governor Li notice the coffin carried by the Dragon Guards.
\n\u201cClerk Huo?\u201d
\nThough nailed shut, Governor Li recognized the corpse by its clothing.
\n\u201cThat creature was no longer Clerk Huo. The true Clerk Huo perished long ago.\u201d
\nCommander Zhou then outlined the basics of the Heavenly Demon threat.
\nTo most, Heavenly Demons remained shrouded in mystery, but the royal court\u2019s High Persons had detected their emergence early. As a key Dragon Guard leader, Commander Zhou had received limited intelligence. That\u2019s why he\u2019d acted swiftly upon sensing Clerk Huo\u2019s corruption, slaying the demon before it spread.
\n\u201cOrdinary weapons can\u2019t harm them? Only Immortal Cultivators can kill such beings?\u201d
\nAs a civil official, Governor Li grasped the implications instantly.
\nThough Immortal Cultivators had multiplied after the second cosmic upheaval, they remained vastly outnumbered by ordinary people. If Heavenly Demons resisted mundane steel, only Cultivators could oppose them\u2014a precarious imbalance. How could their scarce numbers stem a demonic tide? What horrors would unfold if these entities overran the provinces?
\nGovernor Li shuddered, cutting short his thoughts. If this continued, the Dragon Guards\u2019 authority would soar beyond measure.
\nAfter hurriedly comforting his daughter, Governor Li scrambled to bid Commander Zhou\u2019s party farewell.
\nBackyard
\nLi Yuanyuan and Zhi Hua stared numbly as Clerk Huo\u2019s body was carted away. Their dreams of founding an Immortal Palace and ushering in a new cultivation era had collided brutally with reality\u2014a living man\u2019s death lay before them.
\n\u201cI thought cultivation meant eternal freedom… soaring above worldly cares?\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s so dangerous!\u201d Zhi Hua\u2019s voice trembled.
\n\u201cRowing against the current, you either advance or fall back. Only through adversity can one attain enlightenment.\u201d Jie Nian, the martial monk, stood firmer in spirit than the girls. After offering brief comfort, he departed.
\nThe Heavenly Demon threat now ignited his hunger for strength.
\nQing Stone Alley
\nZuo Meng observed the accelerated changes from the second upheaval. Left alone, this world might have taken millennia to reach its epoch\u2019s end. His meddling had fast-forwarded its demise, hastening the harvest\u2014though this \u201cassistance\u201d proved less than kind to its Immortal Cultivators.
\n\u201cWithout pressure, one never discovers their limits.\u201d Sensing the girls\u2019 shaken resolve, Zuo Meng chuckled and scratched Xiao Tian\u2019s head. Beside him, Xiao Di and Xiao Yue perked up. The three dirt dogs he\u2019d adopted now gleamed with human-like cunning. Under his guidance, they\u2019d evolved into spirits rivaling human intellect. Xiao Tian, though small, radiated predatory menace.
\nChaos spread faster than Governor Li feared.
\nNorth of Suzhou
\nCommander Zhou\u2019s group traveled half a day before reaching a hilltop.
\n\u201cCommander, beyond lies Demon Ghost Forest. Night travel here is perilous.\u201d
\nReining his horse, Commander Zhou asked, \u201cNearest shelter?\u201d
\n\u201cA mountain inn ten miles ahead. Merchants stop there. We\u2019ll make it by sunset if we hurry.\u201d The hired guard knew these wild paths\u2014unpaved, bandit-ridden, and easy to lose. Many vanished forever in these woods.
\n\u201cPick up the pace.\u201d
\nCommander Zhou spurred his horse onward. Behind him, the coffin-laden cart creaked relentlessly.
\nHalf an hour later
\nThe mountain inn loomed into view.
\n\u201cCommander, something\u2019s wrong,\u201d muttered the black-armored knight who\u2019d fought Clerk Huo.
\n\u201cEnter quietly. Engage only if provoked.\u201d
\nNearing the Foundation Establishment stage, Commander Zhou felt secure with his elite guards.
\n\u201cInnkeeper! Rooms!\u201d
\nKnife King slammed his blade on the counter. The former bandit turned Dragon Guard recruit scowled. His plans for retirement had crumbled when his notoriety reached the capital. Commander Zhou\u2019s visit to Suzhou aimed to draft him\u2014their earlier stop at Governor Li\u2019s estate merely sought intelligence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 47: Commander Zhou After confirming his daughter\u2019s safety, Governor Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. His wife had passed away long ago, leaving him with only this precious child. He\u2019d always coddled her like a fragile jewel, fearing she might shatter. Facing such a sudden crisis had nearly terrified him to death. \u201cLord Li, I must return to the capital on urgent\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1426","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1426\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}