"I’ve already rebelled!"

"And you dare tell me to scram?"

"Go and die!"

The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease.

The courtyard gate could block out the clamor from the outside world, but it couldn’t shield him from the encroaching chaos.

Hearing the commotion from the street, what little peace of mind Chu Mu had left quickly vanished.

Chu Mu looked up toward the mine, his gaze lingering for a moment before turning to Wangcai, who had already scrambled to his feet, on alert.

"Wangcai, come here!"

Chu Mu called out, and the puppy immediately came trotting over excitedly.

After gathering the drying medicinal herbs and moving them from the courtyard into the room, Chu Mu changed into his Inspector Armor and grabbed the Sword hanging nearby.

"Stay inside. Don’t make a sound."

Chu Mu ruffled the puppy’s head. Without worrying about whether the dog understood, he closed the door and returned to the courtyard.

Instead of leaving, Chu Mu sat on the steps before his door, silently listening to the commotion outside.

Just from the sounds drifting in, he could imagine the utter chaos that had engulfed Nanshan Town.

’So many Inspectors were defeated by the rioting laborers?’

’Chu Mu didn’t believe it. After all, even if the Nanshan Li Family’s Cultivator wasn’t here, Li Jinghong’s Cultivation alone was powerful enough to shatter rock. He would never let the situation get this out of control.’

’So, this is just the work of a few escaped remnants?’

Chu Mu had his suspicions, but he still didn’t move a muscle.

’If he could help it, he hoped the chaos outside wouldn’t disturb him.’

’It would be better for everyone that way.’

Time ticked by, but ultimately, things did not go as he wished.

"OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN UP!"

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, OR I’LL KILL YOUR WHOLE FAMILY!"

The shouts from outside were accompanied by the sound of violent kicks against the door.

A flicker of movement in his eyes, Chu Mu rose and walked to the gate. He paused for a moment before deliberately sliding the heavy wooden bar from its brace.

Without the bar to support it, the gate was instantly and violently kicked open.

At that same moment, seven or eight men in ragged clothes appeared in Chu Mu’s line of sight.

’Their usual subservience was gone, replaced by an indescribable madness and... the glee of the downtrodden finally getting their day?’

Chu Mu wasn’t certain, but it didn’t matter.

He didn’t want to get involved in this mess, nor did he care who was right or wrong.

But that didn’t mean he would stand by and do nothing when they brought the fight to his doorstep.

SHING!

As he drew his sword from its sheath, the blade’s gleam under the blazing sun was blinding.

In a flash of reflected light, the blade descended with heavy, decisive force. A head went rolling, and blood spurted like a fountain from the headless corpse.

His "Entering the Hall and the Room" level Sword Technique, combined with the nearly doubled Power from his Qi and Blood Cultivation, was nothing remarkable in Nanshan Town, a place where true Cultivators now walked.

But it was only unremarkable when compared to a Cultivator.

Against these laborers, who knew nothing of proper fighting stances, it was overkill. But even against Li Gang—a man who once seemed impossibly powerful to him—Chu Mu now felt there wouldn’t be much of a gap.

Without another word, he struck again and again. With each slash, another head rolled. In just a few breaths, the entrance to his new courtyard was thoroughly stained crimson!

Chu Mu leaped, shooting straight up as if pulled from the earth. The next second, he had landed on the eaves above the gate.

Blood dripped from the tip of his sword. From his high vantage point, Chu Mu could see most of the town laid out clearly before him.

Arson, murder, and looting. Fires raged everywhere. Unchecked chaos was rampant!

With nothing left to lose, the depths of human depravity were on full display.

Chu Mu frowned, his gaze shifting toward Mingxin Hall. The three-story pavilion stood tall, its doors and windows tightly shut. Strangely, despite being so conspicuous, no one went near it.

He could even see bands of rampaging looters pass by it as if it weren’t there.

’The work of a Cultivator, I see...’

Chu Mu mused, and his gaze shifted again. Just one courtyard over, several rioters had already burst into the young widow’s yard.

After scanning the immediate area once more, Chu Mu leaped again. Propelled by a surge of Power, he bounded effortlessly between courtyard walls and rooftops. Within moments, his blade flashed once more!

The blade plunged straight into a man’s chest, shattering bone until the tip emerged from his back. Only then was the Long Saber fiercely withdrawn.

The man crashed to the ground. Chu Mu brought his heel down hard upon his neck. After a sharp CRACK, the man instantly stopped breathing.

Chu Mu landed, his blood-stained sword never pausing. Hand rising, blade falling, in just a few breaths, the rioters who had burst into the home all lay in pools of their own blood.

The young widow’s face was pale and tear-streaked, as if she still hadn’t processed the sudden turn of events.

"Th-thank you, sir, for saving my life."

After a long moment, the young widow gave Chu Mu a timid bow, not daring to meet his eyes.

But Chu Mu seemed not to have heard her. His gaze was already fixed on Mingxin Hall, diagonally across from them.

The low courtyard wall couldn’t block the view of the three-story pavilion. He could see that on the second floor of Mingxin Hall, a window that had been tightly shut was now wide open.

Elder Li’s figure was clearly visible. And standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside him was a stranger!

After a single glance, Chu Mu immediately looked away, not daring to risk a second look.

’The pieces were falling into place.’

’So there really was someone else in Mingxin Hall!’

’That medical book he "lost" yesterday...’

’Chu Mu mulled it over. For a stranger to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Elder Li, did that mean he was also... a Cultivator?’

’An even greater question surfaced in his mind.’

’If that’s the case, then my initial guess was wrong.’

’I had assumed Elder Li was living here in seclusion. After all, for a Cultivator to spend ten or twenty years in a small town, living like an ordinary person... what other explanation could there be?’

’But now another Cultivator has appeared?’

’What could this tiny Nanshan Town possibly have to attract...’

At this thought, something clicked. Chu Mu’s head snapped up, his gaze turning toward the mine.

’The image of those hundreds of ice statues... that unspeakable chill...’

As these thoughts swirled and a faint suspicion began to form, Chu Mu’s expression grew grim.

"Sir?"

Seeing Chu Mu’s grim expression, the young widow called out again softly, a hint of worry in her voice.

Chu Mu looked at the timid young widow, and the turmoil in his mind settled slightly.

"It’s the laborers from the mine rioting. There are plenty of Inspectors in town already putting a stop to it."

"Bar your door and find a place to hide. This should be over soon."

With that, Chu Mu didn’t linger for a second. He leaped up, landing once more on the rooftops.

Chu Mu glanced toward the mine, a place he had already marked as forbidden in his mind. After a moment’s hesitation, he made a decision and sprinted off in its direction...

...