Shen Hao took Wu Changhe’s order slip, assembled his men, and immediately set out for Pingshun City.

Before departure, Shen Hao met the Black Banner Battalion’s personnel of Fengri City here for the first time.

Just like the garrison’s Black Banner Battalions within the jurisdiction, Fengri City’s Black Banner Battalion is actually a General Flag organization, only without a Flag Officer. Daily affairs are handled by the Deputy, namely Wang Yiming, this Trial Hundred Households, who manages it.

A General Flag has about one hundred seventy or eighty people. The biggest difference between these people and those of the garrison’s Black Banner Battalion is that they are all cultivators—the lowest cultivation is Qi Refining Second Layer, the highest is Qi Refining Fourth Layer. The Small Banner Officers are at Qi Refining Sixth to Eighth Layers. Overall, they’re significantly stronger than the jurisdiction’s garrison Black Banner Battalions. Most importantly, their talisman allocation is abundant; each small banner unit is equipped with no less than five Thunder Charms, and at their waists, there are short crossbows paired with Breaking Arrows.

As for the one hundred Thousand Households Guards, they are even more formidable. The Black Banner Battalion gets Thunder Charms, but they are equipped with Thunderbolt Talismans, and their overall cultivation is higher too—there are no fewer than five Gathering Spirit Realm experts among them. The leader is also a Trial Hundred Households named Chen Yu, a confidant whom Wu Changhe brought from his previous post.

Nearly three hundred men in total rushed straight to Pingshun City. When they emerged from the teleportation array, they gave quite a fright to the incoming Hundred Households of Xuanqing Guard from Pingshun City who had hurried over upon hearing the news, and to the chief officer of the local government. They thought it was another purge, but were told instead that they were to accompany them to Wan River.

The Hundred Households of Xuanqing Guard in Pingshun City was utterly confused—he had no idea what the Thousand Households Station was mobilizing such a massive force for. Why send so many men over without even a prior word to him? This could only mean that whatever the Thousand Households Station was about to do might involve him. Was he to be kept at arm’s length?

But the chief officer of the Pingshun City Government Office, who walked with the group, looked rather upset, especially when he heard that Shen Hao’s destination was Wan River—his face turned ashen.

"If Lord Shen wishes to go to Wan River, you may go ahead. I still have urgent matters unfinished at the government office, so I shall not accompany you. When you return, I will host a banquet to welcome you," he said, trying to slip away.

"Hold on. Before we left, Lord Wu specifically instructed me: since this matter involves the local government, our Xuanqing Guard has no direct authority to handle it, so I must ask Lord Li to accompany us. Don’t worry, I have brought ample people this time. I’ll have someone prepare a carriage for you, Lord Li—you won’t be overworked."

"But..." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Men, look after Lord Li."

How could Shen Hao let this chief officer of Pingshun City slip away? What if he ran at the sign of trouble? Even if he were caught afterward, it would still be an unacceptable blemish for him. Better to keep him close, and it conveniently provides "jurisdictional cover."

This scene, in the eyes of the Hundred Households of Xuanqing Guard from Pingshun City, was even more astonishing, but also confirmed his suspicion—the affair today clearly involved the local government.

But what was it?

When the group finally arrived at Wan River, Shen Hao immediately ordered someone to summon all the government officials from Wanhe Port Government Office, high and low.

"Report! There are forty-five officials in the Wanhe Port Government Office; six attempted to escape but were apprehended, the rest are all present."

"Keep a close watch on them. Proceed towards Shi Pan Town. Send out advance scouts—if you encounter resistance, handle it at your own discretion."

"Yes!"

Wang Yiming answered loudly, then set out to arrange matters—orderly, methodical, with the makings of a great leader. Shen Hao realized this man had many strengths, perhaps lacking only in trust. Whether that could be remedied would depend on how he handled the brokerage affair.

At Wan River, all the officials had been "invited" over. Anyone could see that something momentous had happened—even the officials were so scared their legs went weak, forced forward by the soldiers.

"So many refugees in the street—are they all disaster victims?"

"With so many refugees, why didn’t they appeal to Fengri City for aid? Not even a word in the government reports?"

"Pingshun City isn’t far from Wan River—do they really know nothing about this?"

The chief officer of Wanhe Port Government Office had already fainted from fear and was being dragged along like a dead dog. They passed through the city gates, headed north, and after dozens of li reached Shi Pan Town, which Flying Dragon’s men had previously scouted. By then, the only survivors in town—old, weak, sick, and frail—had been brought over by the advance scouts.

"Lord, we can’t leave—there’s no grain at home. Could you spare us some?" a limping old man, his face sallow and full of fear, looked up at Shen Hao, begging for food.

No one wants to die, even knowing what fate awaits.

"Go, get some grain over here and hand it out," Shen Hao turned to instruct Wang Yiming. But the command was immediately taken up by the Hundred Households of Xuanqing Guard from Pingshun City—he seemed to grasp the situation today, knowing how to choose sides.

"Lord, you’re a good man. But please, don’t go north—everyone there is dead. If you go, you’ll get sick! Even cultivators can’t escape it!"

Shen Hao smiled faintly, not saying more to the limping old man, merely instructing the men to watch over them. Later, these survivors would be essential witnesses—proof that the local officials were derelict, holding offices but doing nothing, covering up the truth, caring nothing for the people’s lives.

Going on ahead, soon they came across the checkpoint Flying Dragon had previously reported. A group of knife-wielding government officials had already been subdued by the advance Xuanqing Guard scouts, lying face down with hands bound behind their backs, battered and bruised.

"Why set up a checkpoint?" Shen Hao asked one of the subdued officials as he was brought before him.

"Inside... there’s a plague inside. Anyone who goes in will die, so we set a checkpoint."

"Did you do nothing about people escaping from inside?"

"Too many—couldn’t control them. And these last few days, hardly anyone’s come out alive."

A plague... Except for Shen Hao, who was psychologically prepared, everyone else turned pale as sheet—they all understood what a plague meant. Instantly they understood why Fengri City’s Xuanqing Guard had mobilized so abruptly and with such force.

It’s over!

Everyone from the Pingshun City contingent repeated those three words in their hearts. They were finished. If the plague proved true, even if hidden by the Wanhe Port Government Office, Pingshun City would still not escape blame—and even the Xuanqing Guard in Pingshun City could be guilty of negligence. As for the chief officer "accompanying" them from Pingshun City, he had collapsed to the ground, as pale as paper—it was clear he was not wholly ignorant of Wanhe Port’s situation.

"Those without cultivation, stay where you are! Divide into three teams and enter in three directions. Everyone activate your True Qi Shields, put on the prepared sheepskin gloves. Do not touch corpses lightly, do not enter houses lightly, do not act alone. If you find survivors, do not touch their bodies, but ensure their safety and bring them back..."

Preparations were still hurried, but fortunately, in this world cultivators possess bodies far stronger than ordinary people. With extra caution, it shouldn’t be a major problem.

Shen Hao did not stay behind—he needed to go in and see for himself to feel at ease. As long as he could confirm it was a plague, subsequent actions could move forward.