Chapter 64: The Yamen's Bounty; Heroes Die in Vain!

"What a chaotic world..."

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

In the days that followed, Lu Changsheng gradually came to realize that the world was truly descending into chaos, with the future looking bleak. In such troubled times, human life was worth less than weeds, and ordinary people were powerless to protect themselves.

However, as history had shown time and again, it was during such turbulent times that powerful martial artists emerged. Only those who had reached the Divine Strength Realm or surpassed it were considered truly powerful.

Lu Changsheng could only sigh helplessly. Whatever the Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert did, he himself couldn't do anything about it.

Days went by, and the turmoil surrounding the Thirteen Riders grew ever more severe. At last, fear found its way into the hearts of the wealthy merchants. With the imperial army defeated, the imperial court had no means to dispatch reinforcements. Thus, many of the wealthy began hiring martial artists and guards for their own protection.

There was still a semblance of safety within the walls of Nanyang City, but the land beyond was ruled by bandits, and the common people suffered.

Through it all, Lu Changsheng carried on as always. He treated patients by day and trained by night. He could feel that most of his marrow had already been transformed. The new marrow was gradually spreading throughout his bones, and it would only take a few more days before the transformation was complete.

That day, he left Miaoshou Garden and made his way toward Miaoren Hall. Refugees were crowding together on both sides of the street, lying so tightly packed that they nearly covered the road from end to end. A faint stench of rot and filth drifted through the air.

With bandits running rampant beyond the city walls, countless families had been ruined, left with no homes. Those who managed to escape fled to Nanyang City with their loved ones, only to be swallowed by the tide of refugees. Such scenes were unmistakable signs of an age descending into chaos.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Suddenly, loud metallic clangs resounded through the street. Lu Changsheng followed the sound and found a crowd had gathered outside the yamen,[1] where several officers were busy posting public notices.

A yamen officer loudly explained, "Bandits run rampant beyond the city walls! The Thirteen Riders of the Great Desert are ruthless and bloodthirsty. With the imperial army defeated and the court unable to send reinforcements, the prefect now calls upon heroes to rise!

"The prefect has issued a Call for Heroes, seeking righteous men to stand forth to slay the Thirteen Riders, eradicate the bandits, and restore peace to Nanyang Prefecture! Any hero who succeeds shall be rewarded with one Divine Strength Realm martial art and five hundred taels of gold!"

The announcement sent ripples through the crowd. The so-called Call for Heroes was essentially a recruitment decree. In other words, the prefect was desperate in the wake of the army's defeat. The five hundred taels likely came from the purses of the wealthy households they had coerced.

This decision had been made after careful deliberation. In truth, the army hadn't lost in direct combat on the battlefield. The Thirteen Riders had joined forces with experts of the White Lotus, and after luring the imperial troops into the forest, they carried out a series of decapitation strikes, which led to the army's collapse.

To deal with those powerful martial artists, Nanyang Prefecture needed someone even stronger. However, Divine Strength martial artists were lofty figures, far beyond the prefect's reach. The only option was to recruit martial artists from the jianghu. Some would join the cause out of righteousness, while others would merely be drawn by the Divine Strength martial arts. Regardless of their motives, someone was bound to take up the bounty. After all, the prefecture had offered a truly lavish reward this time.

"A Divine Strength martial art..."

Even Lu Changsheng felt a flicker of temptation. However, he already possessed the Layered Peaks Divine Strength. Had he not, he might have considered claiming the bounty himself.

Not long after the notice had been posted, several burly martial artists strode forward and tore it down.

"Hey! We are the Seven Brothers of Cloud Mountain! We shall answer the Call for Heroes!" the leader declared boldly.

"The Seven Brothers of Cloud Mountain?"

"Amazing! Those brothers have trained together since they were kids. Four of them are at the Organ Refinement Stage, and the seven of them share a combined attack technique said to be devastating. They've even defeated several Organ Refinement martial artists before."

"But the Thirteen Riders are all Organ Refinement martial artists as well, and with the White Demons aiding them, can the seven brothers really prevail?"

"They're no fools. They must be confident to some extent, since they've dared to take the challenge."

The crowd broke into excited discussion.

Lu Changsheng took a glance and saw the seven brothers, all with impressive physiques and radiating dense blood qi. They were most likely born with immense natural power, much like the Saber-Dragging Heavenly King, Li Ji. With their combined attack formation, they were not to be underestimated.

Outside the yamen, another wave of chatter rose as the brothers became the center of everyone's attention. Lu Changsheng did not linger to watch; he turned and made his way toward Miaoren Hall.

Two days had passed in the blink of an eye.

At the hall, Lu Changsheng overheard Zhang Huan and a few apprentices whispering in hushed tones.

"Zhang Huan, what are you all talking about?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"Physician Lu, the Seven Brothers of Cloud Mountain are dead. Their bodies were thrown outside Nanyang City. The Thirteen Riders are truly ruthless!"

"The Seven Brothers are dead?" Lu Changsheng frowned slightly. Those brothers were supposed to be formidable men, and yet they had fallen.

Following that news, the atmosphere in Miaoren Hall grew heavy. None of them had ever seen the Thirteen Riders, but their acts of cruelty were enough to fill every heart in Miaoren Hall with revulsion.

To the people of Nanyang City, the Seven Brothers of Cloud Mountain had been heroes. Unfortunately, heroes rarely lived long.

"Although the brothers are dead, the One-Armed Hero has stepped up to take the bounty. I heard he's incredibly powerful. His one-armed saber technique is unmatched. He ended up in Nanyang City by change, and he chose to take up the challenge."

It was the first time Lu Changsheng heard of that figure. In any case, whoever stepped up after the death of the Seven Brothers had to be quite confident.

Lu Changsheng was ready to see patients, but to his surprise, the hall was nearly empty.

"Zhang Huan, any idea why we're seeing fewer patients lately?"

Although winter had passed and the days were growing warmer, it was very unlikely that no one had fallen ill. And yet, Miaoren Hall remained desolate, with barely anyone stepping through its doors.

Zhang Huan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Physician Lu, the world's too chaotic now. Bandits run rampant, trade routes are blocked, and human life counts for nothing. People can hardly afford to eat. How could they spare money for treatment and medicine? Even when they fall sick, they just endure it at home. None of them dares to come here."

Lu Changsheng slowly nodded. It wasn't that sickness had disappeared; rather, the people had no means to seek treatment. They could only suffer in silence.

"The state of this world..."

For the first time, Lu Changsheng truly felt the weight of what it meant to live in such times. And yet, this wasn't even a time of war; it was just bandits running rampant. True chaos would be far more brutal than this.

When Lu Changsheng arrived at Miaoren Hall the next day, he found Zhang Huan looking unusually sullen,

"Physician Lu, I heard you've sensed your blood qi, and you're a martial artist. Just how strong are the Thirteen Riders?" asked Zhang Huan, his voice barely above a whisper.

The apprentices of Miaoren Hall knew a little of Lu Changsheng's background. He hadn't tried to hide the fact that he had become a martial artist, and so they were aware.

"The Thirteen Riders are all Organ Refinement martial artists. They're not like any others. They're extremely strong," Lu Changsheng replied calmly.

"Ah... Then no wonder even the One-Armed Hero has fallen."

Lu Changsheng was taken aback. "The One-Armed Hero? He only accepted the bounty yesterday, and he's already dead?"

"Yes, they found him outside the city this morning. They said his body had been carved up by sabers. It was a terrible sight."

"With the Thirteen Riders so ferocious, and both the Seven Brothers of Cloud Mountain and the One-Armed Hero dead, who would still dare to take up the bounty?"

Zhang Huan's face tightened with worry. Everyone in Nanyang City shared his concern.

Following that tragic news, three days passed with no one coming forward to tear down the Call for Heroes. Each time Lu Changsheng passed by the yamen, he saw crowds gathered beneath the notice, but none dared to touch it. After all, to challenge the Thirteen Riders was to court death.

"If I could break through to the Profound Gate of Life and Death and reach the Divine Strength Realm... maybe I would accept the bounty..." Lu Changsheng muttered under his breath.

He despised the Thirteen Riders as much as anyone else. In truth, he had already begun to regard Nanyang Prefecture as his own domain, so for those bandits to run rampant here was no less than a slap to his face. However, he was still in the midst of marrow transformation. This was a critical stage, and he couldn't afford distractions.

Just as Lu Changsheng was about to leave, a familiar figure strode up to the notice and tore it from the wall with a single motion.

"I'll take it!"

Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes as he stared at the distant figure.

Is that...?

He was genuinely surprised. Of all people, he had not expected that man to take up the deadly challenge.

1. This is what the Chinese yamen looks like this ☜