"These two are definitely trouble. The county can’t descend into chaos!"

Zhao Rui’s eyes narrowed, and he spoke with a serious expression.

It wasn’t just the county. Even Lincheng City couldn’t be allowed to fall into chaos, because this was his home.

Everyone has a selfish side, and Zhao Rui was no exception.

He didn’t care if people were fighting and dying elsewhere, but his hometown was off-limits to chaos.

To be honest, he hadn’t even considered this possibility before. He was still stuck in a peacetime mindset.

He had thought that no matter how fierce the fighting got outside, the country itself would remain stable.

But now, the situation was clearly different.

Internal strife was a very real possibility.

Of course, the main reason was that he now had the power to do something about it.

All problems were solved from a position of strength.

Without strength, you can’t solve a damn thing.

"Where are those two now? Uncle, I need you to come with me on this. We need to get to the bottom of it."

After the meal, Zhao Rui stood up and asked.

"Uh, I’ll ask around for you."

Zhao Jinze hadn’t expected Zhao Rui to take this so seriously. He quickly agreed, pulling out his phone to make a few calls.

Moments later, someone arrived in a car and drove the two of them directly to a location in the county.

"This is it. The two of them used to sell barbecue on the street. None of the neighbors knew they practiced Martial Arts."

The underling who was driving spoke in a fawning tone. The man in the back seat was his boss’s backer, rumored to be a Grandmaster Realm expert.

This was a true master.

"Let’s go in and take a look. Don’t scare anyone."

Zhao Rui nodded and pushed open the car door.

The underling immediately got out of the car and knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Who is it?"

After a short while, a gruff voice echoed from inside. Then the courtyard gate was opened, revealing a burly youth with a tattoo on his neck.

"Who are you?"

"We’re from the Martial Arts Association. Someone is here to talk to you about something."

With a stern look, the underling pushed past him and walked straight inside.

"Hey, I’ve already registered. I’ve got nothing to do with your Martial Arts Association."

The youth looked displeased. He took a few steps back and spread his arms to block the way.

"Cut the crap. Every Martial Artist is under the jurisdiction of our association. This is Director Zhao from our association."

The underling quickly made the introduction. He didn’t dare to introduce Zhao Rui, only introducing Zhao Jinze with an air of arrogance.

Zhao Rui’s cheek twitched. ’This posture... it makes us look like the bad guys.’

But since he was already here, there was no point in dawdling. He instantly flashed behind the man, his hand shooting out to immobilize him. Simultaneously, he pressed a palm to the man’s back. A brief probe was all it took for his expression to change.

Then he quickly turned and darted into the rooms in the back of the courtyard.

In less than a minute, he had dragged out four burly men from inside.

The series of movements was like teleportation, leaving the underling utterly dumbfounded.

"Th-th-that’s amazing!"

When Zhao Rui returned, the underling looked at him with an expression of pure awe and terror.

It wasn’t just the underling; even Zhao Jinze, a Seventh Level Martial Artist, was stunned speechless.

’Could my nephew really have reached the Grandmaster Realm?’

At this thought, he could no longer contain the wild joy erupting in his heart.

’The Grandmaster Realm! There are only a handful of them in all of Lincheng City, and my nephew is so young.’

With the outside world in such turmoil, his nephew was the family’s Jiahai Purple Gold Beam!

Zhao Rui paid no mind to their reactions. Instead, he unblocked one of the men’s acupoints and asked with a grim expression, "Where did you learn your Martial Arts?"

"Y-you, who are you? Let me go!"

The youth was terrified. He couldn’t believe he’d been subdued in the blink of an eye. ’Is this guy human or a ghost? How can he be so powerful?’

Zhao Rui wasted no words. He sealed the man’s Dumb Acupoint again and immediately used the Mirage Finger on him. A moment later, the youth was drenched in a cold sweat.

His eyes filled with a pleading look.

Seeing this, Zhao Rui unblocked the man’s Dumb Acupoint and asked in a low voice, "Tell me the truth. Utter a single lie, and I’ll make you wish you were dead."

He didn’t want to be the bad guy, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

He couldn’t just dither around and have a heart-to-heart, hoping the man would be so moved he’d willingly confess everything!

"I’ll talk, I’ll talk!"

Hearing this, the eyes of the other captured young man, whose acupoints were also sealed, filled with fury, as if condemning his teammate for the betrayal. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Zhao Rui didn’t put up with it. He simply pointed and used the Mirage Finger on him as well.

’He won’t understand another’s suffering until he’s experienced it for himself.’

"I’ll talk, I’ll talk."

The man whose Dumb Acupoint had been unsealed hurriedly explained the origin of his Martial Arts.

Zhao Rui’s brow furrowed as he listened.

According to the man, the two of them had been traveling to Su Province when they came across a village. There, someone took a liking to them and taught them a supreme form of Martial Arts.

They had only been in Cultivation for a few months, yet they had advanced from ordinary people with no knowledge of the Martial Dao to the level of Fifth-level Martial Artists.

Their benefactor hadn’t asked them to do anything, only to join an organization called the Holy Lotus Sect.

Periodically, they would hold gatherings to teach Martial Arts and distribute Elixir Pills that enhanced one’s Power.

Their mission was simply to focus on their Cultivation and recruit new members for the sect.

"The Holy Lotus Sect?"

’That name sounds like it’s connected to the Demon Sect.’

Zhao Rui’s face was solemn.

These people were so secretive; they didn’t seem like a disorganized rabble.

’But the Demon was clearly already taken care of.’

’Did they send someone else?’

Zhao Rui was a little confused by this new development.

’This Demon Sect... whose side are they on?’

Based on the current situation, the ancestors from Gui Xu were the enemy. They were the indisputable invaders.

The various Jianghu sects from Gui Xu were considered returnees. While they would surely cause some power struggles, their broader goal was to protect their ancestral lands in the Central Plains.