"The disaster of fish in the pool..."
Zhang Yao sighed deeply, feeling a profound sense of helplessness.
Even though his pillar technique was nearing great success, and his skills far surpassed ordinary people, he had not practiced the magic skill of combat and killing techniques, and was inferior even to an ordinary soldier.
Faced with tonight's upheaval, he could only flee for his life, without a shred of resistance.
"If I'm unlucky or not cautious enough, I'm almost certainly doomed tonight."
"It seems I need to find a way to practice martial arts soon, not seeking any true inheritance profound skill, but at least having some ability to protect myself."
Zhang Yao began to ponder his future path.
Qingping Palace was finished, and the Daoist Profound Skill he had painstakingly pursued had also become a mirage.
Having barely escaped, where should he go from here?
"This chaotic army is strong; since they've destroyed Qingping Palace, the surrounding villages and towns might not be peaceful in the future."
"In such chaotic times, ordinary people face unstable existences; to secure stability, one must find a large city with strong fortifications and strict defense..."
At this thought, a place immediately came to Zhang Yao's mind—Changping.
As the administrative seat of this county, Changping City is the largest city within a hundred miles and is very strong, never having been invaded in a hundred years.
The Refugee Army half a year ago and this roaming chaotic army were both repelled by Changping's government soldiers.
"Staying in Changping City is far more secure than other places."
"Changping is only tens of miles away from here; with my current stamina, I could get there in two or three days even on foot."
This thought brought Zhang Yao some peace of mind.
Changping is a large city, and with his herb mastery skills, even if he had no money, he wouldn't starve if he found a job as an apprentice in a medical hall or pharmacy.
Moreover, he wasn't entirely without capital at the moment.
"Lord Guanlu..."
Zhang Yao sighed, withdrawing his gaze from the direction of Qingping Palace, looking at the gray parcel in his hand.
The parcel was small, about the size of two palms, yet it was heavy, estimated to weigh at least ten pounds.
He opened the gray parcel, unsurprisingly finding silver ingots inside, the largest worth twenty taels, the smallest five taels. The total amounted to over a hundred taels of silver.
"Such a sum, an average household could never earn in a lifetime."
Zhang Yao's expression changed slightly, realizing he had underestimated the treatment given to the upper echelons of Qingping Palace.
After hesitating for a moment, he took out one five-tael ingot, then re-tied the parcel.
These silver taels were Lord Guanlu's lifelong savings, entrusted to him in uncertain times, showing the high regard placed upon him.
Indeed, Lord Guanlu likely had his calculations: if unharmed, he could easily find Zhang Yao and recover the silver afterward, fearing nothing of betrayal.
Furthermore, compared to other Daoist children and Daoists, Lord Guanlu trusted Zhang Yao more, and the situation at the time offered no better choice.
"These are Lord Guanlu's assets, not mine."
Zhang Yao took a deep breath, firming his resolve: "Although there is a high likelihood Lord Guanlu has met a bad fate, I cannot arbitrarily use his assets without hearing news of his death."
"Once I reach Changping City, I'll figure it out..."
......
Inside Qingping Palace.
What used to be a Pure Daoist Temple has now become a purgatory on earth, with bloodstains, remnants, and corpses everywhere.
Men wearing iron-plated armor patrolled with steel blades and torches, methodically searching and finishing off any survivors, disciplined and orderly, clearly not a typical chaotic mob.
In the courtyard: A burly man with a beard, wearing black stitched armor, gazed at the corpses strewn across the battlefield, his expression somewhat somber.
The stitched armor he wore reflected a cold steel luster under the torchlight, yet had several damaged areas.
The most noticeable breach ran across half the chest and abdomen, with significant armor pieces shattered and severed, nearly splitting the whole armor in two, faint blood seeped from it.
"Big brother."
A soldier hurriedly approached, looking worriedly at him: "Is your injury serious?"
"It's nothing; with my external cultivation, the bleeding stopped long ago."
The burly man waved his hand, speaking in a deep voice: "How are the damages among our men?"
Upon hearing this, the soldier's expression grew grim, speaking softly: "Over thirty are dead, and more than ten are heavily wounded, unlikely to survive two days..."
The burly man's face changed instantly upon hearing this.
Though mentally prepared, he did not expect the casualties to be so severe, almost a third lost.
If not for the short duration of combat and his leading the charge, morale might have collapsed, leading to dispersion.
"These Daoists are truly damn troublesome!"
He cursed: "Especially that old Daoist, nearly took me down with a single sword strike!"
He couldn't deny a slight regret in his heart.
If he had known earlier that the Daoists at Qingping Palace were this formidable, he might have heeded his subordinate's advice to loot the affluent houses downhill.
The local villages' militia were nothing to worry about, easily crushed.
"Precisely!"
The soldier echoed gloomily: "That old Daoist was incredibly tough, killing over ten of our brothers alone."
"Even the remaining Daoists also proved challenging, their practice of internal martial arts had reached a notable level."
"Hmm..."
The burly man spoke somberly, slowly inquiring: "Any that got away?"
"...Yes."
With hesitation, the soldier nodded: "Three individuals escaped."
"A young Daoist ran exceptionally fast, our men couldn't catch up; another young Daoist shielded a child, breaking out through the woodshed gate."
Hearing this, the burly man frowned, displeased: "I arranged ambushes at each rear gate and woodshed gate of Qingping Palace, yet they still got away?"
After speaking, without waiting for a reply, he sighed and waved his hand, saying: "Never mind, let them go, just small fries, won't stir much trouble."
"Bury the bodies of the fallen comrades together, grant the critically injured brothers peace; let's honor them tomorrow."
As he finished speaking, a soldier rushed over, reporting: "Report to the Captain, the temple's underground vault has been located."
The two perked up at the news, the burly man urged: "Quick! Quickly take me there!"
Soon, the burly man led a group through the Zangzhen Pavilion's rear halls, entering the secret underground vault of Qingping Palace.
Seven or eight soldiers stood guard with torches, saluting as the burly man arrived.
"Wow! Amazing!"
Holding a torch, the burly man saw the scene in the vault, gasping as he took it in.
The large chests in the vault had all been pried open.
One large chest was filled neatly with silver ingots, at a glance, estimated to be over ten thousand taels of silver.
Other chests held antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, alongside collected pages of yellowed Daoist scripture and classics, clearly all rare treasures.
"Big brother, these Daoists are really wealthy!"
A soldier got excited, exclaiming: "Big brother showed great foresight, robbing these Daoists was truly a huge score!"
The other leaders also praised him, the burly man feeling quite proud, dispelling much of his earlier regret.
In fact: He had long investigated, knowing Qingping Palace's wealth rivaled that of wealthy households in the village below.
The affluent houses in the village were rich and accessible, but most assets were lands, shops, and property; in terms of ready cash, Qingping Palace was superior.
Thus, against subordinate advice, he was determined to attack Qingping Palace.
Now, with Qingping Palace eliminated, it proved his decision right.
"There's more money from robbing these Daoists than raiding affluent houses; we can't manage farms and property anyway."
The burly man nodded in satisfaction, speaking: "Now, with these silver coins, we can become mountain kings and build a fortified camp, living well for at least ten years."