"Another wave of chaos troops have come through?"
Zhang Yao listened to the conversation of a few little Daoist children and felt a slight stir in his heart.
Having stayed at Qingping Palace for nearly a year, he had gained a new understanding of the chaotic state of this world.
He often heard news about refugees, bandits, and chaos troops. Once, he would have been nervous, but now he hardly cared.
The Refugee Army from half a year ago only made a few waves before disappearing without a trace, and there has been no news since.
In today's world, villages and towns have local militias led by large households, and even Dock Forts are built. The cities have Government Soldiers and the Xiang Army guarding them. Although Qingping Palace is relatively small in power, it is not easy to provoke.
Unless a large-scale natural calamity erupted, leaving Qingping Palace defenseless, he didn't worry much about his safety.
Stepping back, if the turmoil really reached that level, the high-ranking officials of Qingping Palace would surely receive the news early and wouldn't just sit back and wait to die.
"This world is so chaotic; people are like ants, life is like grass. When will it ever end?"
Zhang Yao sighed, but didn't dwell on it, continuing to eat mindlessly.
Anyway, under the current circumstances, he wasn't planning to leave the mountain, instead intending to stay at Qingping Palace for a few decades.
......
Several days passed.
The progress on the Taiyi Pile Skill was still slow, but his Alchemy practice was advancing rapidly.
Under the guidance of Lord Guanlu, Zhang Yao had attempted his first furnace opening in Alchemy, though the results were not satisfactory, Lord Guanlu was not too disappointed.
To become proficient in Alchemy, one needs to use a large amount of herbs, even if one is a genius in the alchemical field.
Just when Zhang Yao thought such peaceful days would continue, an unexpected event occurred.
"What, Qing Hong is missing?"
Lord Guanlu furrowed his brow.
"Yes."
The Daoist who came to report was a bit anxious: "Ordinarily, Qing Hong should have returned an hour ago."
"But today, even after the dining hall closed, Qing Hong still hadn't returned. We searched several nearby hills in the dark and found nothing."
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Lord Guanlu was silent, lost in thought.
"Master."
Zhang Yao, standing to one side, had a slight change of expression and spoke up, "Could it be that some ferocious beast attacked Qing Hong?"
In today's world, unless Qing Hong had a moment of madness, he wouldn't stray from Qingping Palace, sneaking down the mountain.
Zhang Yao speculated that either Qing Hong had done something guilty and had to flee, or he was eaten by a wild beast like a wolf or a bear.
"Hmm, that's a possibility..."
Lord Guanlu slowly stated, "The bears, tigers, and leopards in nearby hills were hunted to extinction by successive Palace Masters. Even the beasts farther away dare not approach here."
"But we cannot rule out the possibility of a beast approaching here out of desperation and hunger, only to encounter Qing Hong."
At this point, he made a decision, rising immediately and saying, "It's too late today; mobilizing a search of farther hills will have to wait until tomorrow."
"I will personally visit Zangzhen Pavilion to report this to Lord Dugu, and check if anything is missing from the storeroom."
"Qingxu, you should go back and rest early."
"Yes, Master."
Zhang Yao rose, gave a respectful bow, and watched Lord Guanlu leave in haste.
After leaving the main hall of Pill Furnace Hall, and on his way back to his quarters' small courtyard, he was still pondering this matter.
Qing Hong, as a Daoist child at Pill Furnace Hall, led a simple life with little entanglement with the world below, ruling out reasons like love and hatred.
So, Lord Guanlu's first reaction was to suspect he stole palace money or treasures and fled Qingping Palace.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be thinking about checking the storeroom.
But the problem is, how could a little Daoist child from Pill Furnace Hall manage to steal from the storeroom in Zangzhen Pavilion? Could there possibly be an accomplice?
"I hope he's still alive..."
Zhang Yao had no leads, so he temporarily stifled his doubts.
After returning to his quarters, he found that a group of Daoist children were discussing this matter, and their expressions showed some fear.
Today, Zhang Yao was kept behind to study Alchemy by Lord Guanlu after supper, so he was the last Daoist child to know about it.
"Brother Qingxu!"
Seeing Zhang Yao return, a group of Daoist children crowded around him, speaking all at once, their tones full of worry.
Unlike Zhang Yao, they frequently went into the mountains to gather herbs, and if a wild beast really roamed the nearby hills, wouldn't they be in danger too?
"Don't worry, everyone."
"Master and the Lords, the Palace Master, will handle this matter."
Zhang Yao could only comfort them, and it took some effort to dispel the fear in their hearts.
But when it was time to sleep, Zhang Yao tossed and turned under his covers, unable to sleep, an uneasy feeling gnawing at his heart.
"What on earth is the matter?"
As time passed, his sense of unease grew, like the oppression before a summer storm.
Just as Zhang Yao couldn't bear it any longer and was about to get up and find Lord Guanlu for answers:
"Ah!!"
A scream faintly came from afar.
Though the sound was weak when it reached his ears, it pierced the silence of the night like the sound of drums.
"This isn't good!"
Zhang Yao's face changed suddenly, flipping upright and just grabbing a nearby short coat before jumping off the bed and rushing out the door.
"Something's wrong!"
"Damn it, what's happening?"
The few Daoist children left in the room hadn't really fallen asleep; hearing the scream, they all turned pale and some quick-thinking ones followed Zhang Yao out.
Zhang Yao rushed out the door and was outside the small courtyard in no time:
"Ah!"
"No, don't..."
"Save me!"
"Master, save me..."
More, clearer screams for help mixed with sounds of shouting and anger wafted through the night's air.
That direction was toward the inner courtyard of Qingping Palace, not far from Pill Furnace Hall.
"Someone has invaded!"
Zhang Yao's mind buzzed, his body immediately chilled.
He never imagined someone would attack Qingping Palace at night, slaughtering without restraint in this Daoist temple.
Where was the Shangqing Pavilion Palace Master meditating? Where were the Lords? How could there be no precaution?
"Bang!"
The gate of the small detached courtyard next to him was slammed open.
Lord Guanlu, without even wearing his Daoist robe, his hair disheveled, holding a fine steel long sword, looked both enraged and shocked.
"Go, quickly!!"
Seeing Zhang Yao, he roared angrily, tossing a small grey parcel to Zhang Yao, and without another word, turned to dash towards the inner courtyard wielding his sword.
"Master!"
Zhang Yao called out just in time, but the small parcel hit his chest, forcing him back two steps, his chest aching.
He caught the grey parcel, and the tactile sensation in his palm immediately told him what was inside – silver ingots!
During the upheaval in the palace, Lord Guanlu had actually thrown a parcel of silver ingots to him.
With no time to think, Zhang Yao clutched the grey parcel and gritted his teeth, turning to flee desperately toward the back gate.
At this moment, he couldn't offer any help, the only option was to escape and protect his life.