Wei Hongbin sat at the main seat, his face as calm as water, saying nothing.
Since he remained silent, none of his commanders and captains dared to speak either, keeping their heads down.
The atmosphere in the hall was exceedingly oppressive.
Suddenly.
Wei Hongbin spoke, "Has Lin Shiguo’s corpse already been hung in front of that Dingtai Martial Arts Hall?"
One person stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said,
"Yes, Lord Commander. The scouts just reported that two poles were erected in front of Dingtai Martial Arts Hall, and the bodies of Deputy General Lin and Yuan Chenfeng were hung on them."
There was a slight stir among the crowd.
Many had expressions of shock and panic on their faces.
As longtime colleagues, they naturally knew Lin Shiguo’s family background, and they also knew he and Commander Wei Hongbin had been friends since they were young.
But now he had been killed, and even his corpse hadn’t been spared, being displayed on a pole for all to see.
This was beyond provocation; it was practically a slap in Wei Hongbin’s face.
The Lord Commander surely wouldn’t let this go unpunished; it’s likely that he would soon mobilize the army to wipe out Dingtai Martial Arts Hall.
This thought emerged in everyone’s mind.
Unexpectedly, Wei Hongbin’s face showed little anger; instead, he nodded calmly.
"Alright, I know, you may leave now."
The crowd could hardly believe their ears.
That’s it... they should leave?
Shouldn’t they immediately mobilize the army to wipe out these lawless martial artist forces at this moment?
But military orders are like mountains, and since Wei Hongbin had spoken, none dared to defy him; they cupped their hands in salute and then left.
Once they left, the hall was only left with Wei Hongbin and a few trusted family members, who had served him ever since his days in the capital, and were absolutely reliable.
In front of these people, Wei Hongbin finally dropped his facade and suddenly overturned the table in front of him.
Crash.
The Four Treasures of the Study on top, along with teacups, were all smashed to pieces.
Even so, Wei Hongbin was still seething with rage.
"It infuriates me! These martial artists, relying on their bit of martial strength, dare to act so lawlessly, killing even the sons of noble families. I must exterminate them."
These servants were not surprised by this; only one older servant said, "Commander, calm your anger, don’t ruin your health over such trivial matters."
Wei Hongbin was quite receptive to advice; upon hearing this, he took a deep breath, and the anger on his face slowly faded. Only after calming down did he say, "Have the experts sent by the family arrived?"
"Returning to the commander, not yet, but we received a message from the post station this morning saying the two experts have arrived in Fengyan County, only a few hundred miles from us in Yunxiao County. At the latest, they will arrive the day after tomorrow, or as soon as tomorrow."
"Good." Wei Hongbin’s spirits lifted, "Once the two experts sent by the family arrive, we will immediately eradicate these martial artist forces, leaving no one alive."
At the end, Wei Hongbin’s eyes were filled with undisguised killing intent.
The reason he had been patient and hadn’t acted was due to concerns about his own safety.
Although there were no martial artists in the Fifth Realm within the city, and the highest strength was only half-step to the Fifth Realm, the adage goes that a precious child should not sit in a dangerous hall.
For the sake of his own safety, early on when entering the city, Wei Hongbin had written a letter to the family in the capital.
Besides detailing the situation in Yunxiao County, the letter sought assistance, hoping the family could send some experts of the Fifth Realm to ensure his safety and suppress the situation.
Due to the long distance, it wasn’t until half a month ago that Wei Hongbin received a reply.
The content of the letter was very brief, merely reminding Wei Hongbin to hold the commandery and informing him that the family had dispatched two experts, who had already set out.
Since then, Wei Hongbin had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the experts sent by the family.
This was the reason for his inaction.
Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Lin Shiguo had encountered trouble.
Though emotionally he wanted to deploy troops to attack Dingtai Martial Arts Hall immediately, rationality told Wei Hongbin he should not act rashly.
Especially now that the news of Zhao Ya’s promotion to half-step to the Fifth Realm had spread, making Wei Hongbin even more anxious.
After all, although Lu Dingtai was in a coma, his disciple had become a martial artist of half-step to the Fifth Realm, effectively taking his place.
This meant there were at least three half-step to the Fifth Realm individuals in the city. If they all targeted him, unless he stayed in the government office, he would surely encounter a dangerous situation.
"Forget it, I’ll endure for at most two more days. Once reinforcements arrive, I’ll crush them to dust," Wei Hongbin thought through gritted teeth.
At the same time, in that Dingtai Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Ya finished his daily routine, wiping the sweat off his face.
"Interface."
He silently chanted in his heart, and a light screen appeared before him.
Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 19. Remaining Life: 388 (+347 days) years
Skills: Eight Vajra Longevity Skill (Peak Performance 54%)
Five Tiger Fist (Returning to the Essence 8%)
Gale Saber Technique (Returning to the Essence 13%)
Light as a Feather (Peak Performance 99%)
Concealing Breath Technique (Peak Performance 99%)
Great Stone-Throwing Hand (Peak Performance 4%)
Great Vajra Fist (Peak Performance 7%)
Golden Body Technique (Refined Skill 4979/5000)
[Lung Unlocking Progress: 9%]
Looking at these dazzling data, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but let out a gentle breath.
When he advanced through two stages to half-step to the Fifth Realm, his lifespan suddenly increased by almost a hundred years.
Zhao Ya knew it must be related to purging the polluted evil qi from his blood.