County yamen of Lanshan County!

In the rear hall of the county yamen, the doors of the hall are tightly closed at this moment, making it exceptionally dim even in broad daylight.

Inside the hall, it is dark and silent, with only one silhouette sitting alone in the main seat.

The man wears a simple white satin robe, his face lined with wrinkles, aged fifty.

And he is none other than the County Magistrate of Lanshan County, Su Quanchuan.

At this moment, he is slumped in his chair, filled with melancholy, devoid of any dignified authority of a county magistrate. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Tianqi, it’s all your father’s fault for making the wrong choice back then."

"Your father should never have sent you to the Profound Bird Guard, resulting in such a fate where even your remains are nowhere to be found."

Su Tianqi, who followed Li Yanran to hunt down Fang Sheng, the master of Black Wind Stronghold, was the eldest son of this County Magistrate of Lanshan County.

This County Magistrate recently received notification from the City Mansion Profound Bird Guards.

Su Tianqi, during a mission, unfortunately met his demise!

Simultaneously, they issued a total of 250 taels of compensation to this Lanshan County magistrate.

"Damn Profound Bird Guard!"

"Is my official’s son only worth a mere 250 taels?"

"Why!"

"Why did they not protect Tianqi well enough!"

Whenever Su Quanchuan thought of that 250 taels of compensation, he felt that the Profound Bird Guard was insulting him.

Su Tianqi was his most outstanding eldest son, with martial arts talent even surpassing his own.

If things had gone according to plan, with his status as a county magistrate.

He could have scoured the resources of the entire city of Lanshan County to support his son Su Tianqi in breaking through to that martial arts realm he yearned for.

Blood Refining Realm!

This way, their Su Family could advance further, and even marching to the City Mansion would no longer be a mere fantasy.

Gone!

His son Su Tianqi was just gone like that!

With eyes reddened, Su Quanchuan exploded with the aura of Bone Marrow Refining Realm Perfection and fiercely struck the nearby tables and chairs.

Boom!

Bang, crash!

Inside the hall, a series of piercing and jarring loud noises echoed, catching the attention of several government officials guarding outside the door.

However, they were not surprised, having grown accustomed to it.

After all, since their county magistrate learned of his son’s death days ago, he had become emotionally unstable.

Inside the hall, after Su Quanchuan breathed a sigh, his expression twisted into a ghastly form.

A mix of laughter and tears!

"Heh heh heh!"

"If that’s the case, don’t blame me for doing such things."

"At present, my body cannot hold out for much longer, to continue living, I can only break through to the Blood Refining Realm."

"Unexpectedly, heaven blesses my Su Family with such an opportunity!"

With that, Su Quanchuan looked at the only undamaged table left in the hall.

On the table lay a small wooden box, which had already been opened.

Inside it was a blood-red lotus flower, seemingly soaked in blood, unforgettable in its crimson hue.

Around the blood-red lotus flower, faint red glimmers flickered.

This was the mysterious lotus given to him by an enigmatic stranger a few days prior.

Six days ago, shortly after the resurgence of the bloodthirsty zombie, a mysterious man infiltrated his bedroom in the dead of night.

To his surprise, with his Bone Marrow Refining Realm Perfection strength, he had no power to resist.

The stranger turned out to be a martial artist at the Blood Refining Realm!

The appearance of a martial artist in the Blood Refining Realm within the city of Lanshan County shocked Su Quanchuan greatly.

However, the stranger seemed to have no malicious intent, merely discussed some matters with him.

Demanded that he not conceal the bloodthirsty zombie affair and instructed him to secretly spread the word, letting the entire city’s populace know of the zombie’s existence.

What does this action imply?

Su Quanchuan certainly understood the consequences!

This person wanted to make the bloodthirsty zombie more terrifying, aiming for the entire city’s inhabitants to perish, did he?

By then, he would likely also fall victim to the bloodthirsty zombie.

Not considering the city’s citizens, even for his own life.

Su Quanchuan definitely could not agree to the stranger’s demands.

But, the stranger’s subsequent words shook Su Quanchuan’s resolute mind.

I have an irreconcilable feud with the Profound Bird Guard, you only need to stall for a few days before reporting to the City Mansion.

This is something that can help Mr. Su break through to the Blood Refining Realm, surely it will pique your interest.

So, what does Mr. Su think!

The person did not force Su Quanchuan, seemingly certain he would not refuse the offer.

Blood Refining Realm?

It was the realm Su Quanchuan dreamt of breaking through to, naturally moved by the stranger’s offer.

After hesitating repeatedly, Su Quanchuan chose to accept the request.

To break through to the Blood Refining Realm, even if it involved risk, it was worth it.

He didn’t believe in being targeted by the bloodthirsty zombie before those damned City Mansion Profound Bird Guards arrived.

Moreover, deep down, Su Quanchuan shared the stranger’s sentiment.

Now he harbored no goodwill towards the Profound Bird Guard, even loathing them to the bone.

Those useless Profound Bird Guards failed to protect even his son, Su Tianqi.

After seeing Su Quanchuan agree, the stranger retrieved a small wooden box from his body and placed it on the table.

Then, under Su Quanchuan’s gaze, vanished swiftly.

The item inside the box was this blood-red lotus flower.

To be cautious, Su Quanchuan, a cunning old fox, had even conducted experiments with some prisoners.

He found that after consumption, the prisoners’ martial arts aura rapidly enhanced, with seemingly no side effects.

This finding eased Su Quanchuan’s concerns, trusting the stranger’s words.

"With this thing, I can soon break through to the Blood Refining Realm."

"By then, even facing the bloodthirsty zombie, I won’t fear!"

Su Quanchuan showed a joyous expression, holding the little wooden box as if it were a treasure and tucking it into his sleeve.

If the timing weren’t wrong, he would have already refined and absorbed this thing.

Su Quanchuan needed to wait here for those damned Profound Bird Guards to arrive.

He had to concoct a reason to explain to them,

why the existence of bloodthirsty zombie spread, letting the entire city’s populace become aware of it.

Knock, knock, knock.

At this moment, the door to the rear hall was knocked from outside.

"Sir, Mr. County Chancellor has arrived."

Upon hearing the knock, Su Quanchuan returned to a calm expression.

"Let him in!"

Shortly, the door was pushed open, a figure emerged at the entrance, and with no hesitation, strode in.

The visitor was a relatively young man, about thirty-four years old, Lanshan County’s county chancellor, Zhan Qi!

Zhan Qi, seeing the chaotic scene inside the hall, furrowed his brows.

But he did not say much, directly locking eyes with Su Quanchuan and getting to the point.

"Mr. Su, now that ghostly thing is stirring up a storm, causing a widespread commotion throughout the city."

"Should we send people to quell these rumors and this turmoil?"

"It’s been several days!"