As luck would have it, Qi Rusong was ready for his journey to the east, but something went wrong just before departure.

He was urgently summoned into the palace by Qi Tai. Rogue bandits appeared in the villages south of Lingnan City.

Through the narrow high windows of the deep and vast throne room of the palace, the rising sun shines all over the ground, painting the walls with dark red stripes. Nowadays, the stone walls have been contrasted with green and brown, vividly depicting the battles with monsters in ancient times.

The mural is still clearly visible.

Qi Tai sat high on a large and ancient throne, the Qi family's throne that had lasted for thousands of years.

"Are you sure they are not bandits?" Qin Wu, who was sitting at the discussion table under the throne, asked softly.

In order to send He Xiao off, Qi Rubai replaced the King of the South and left Lingnan City. According to the rules, he had to escort him twenty miles out of Lingnan City.

In the ruling hall of the palace, except for the Qi family and a few important ministers, everyone else had to stand or kneel respectfully.

The crowd who came to appeal gathered at the gate, the guards and maids stood under the tapestry, and the civilians were in the corridor. The heavily armed guards stood majestically in armor.

This group of villagers knelt down on one knee. Regardless of men, women, or children, they were all dressed in tatters, covered in blood, and their faces were full of fear. The three soldiers who brought them in to testify stood behind them.

"Bandits? Definitely not bandits! Your Majesty, bandits don't have such discipline!" A sergeant with sad eyes pointed at the villagers kneeling on the ground and said: "These are the only ones left in the whole village of Yangyuan, the others are like Bai Wu.

All the residents of the town died."

If he wasn't a bandit, who could he be? Qi Rusong could feel the tense atmosphere in the hall. Everyone present, regardless of their background, listened with bated breath.

"Get up," Qi Tai ordered the villagers. He never believed what a person said when he was kneeling. "You all get up."

"Old man, stand up first!" Qi Rushong stepped forward and said softly, "Speak slowly, don't be in a hurry."

After hearing this, the residents of Yangyuan Town struggled to get up. An old man had to be helped to stand up, while another girl in blood-stained clothes remained kneeling, staring blankly at the sergeant.

"You!" the sergeant said to a bald man wearing an apron, "tell the prince what happened to Yangyuan."

The bald man kowtowed several times, "Prince Qi..."

"No need to be polite," Qi Tai said. "Tell me who you are and everything you know about these bandits."

"I opened...I opened it before...I opened a tavern before, Your Majesty, in Yangyuan, right next to the stone bridge. Everyone said that the osmanthus wine I brewed was the best south of the southern border. Sir, please

Please forgive me.

But my lord, it's all gone now. They came in, drank their fill, threw away the rest, and then set fire to the house. Originally, my lord, they planned to kill me, but they didn't catch me."

"They set fire to force us away," said a farmer next to him. "They came out of the forest in the middle of the night and burned the fields and houses. Anyone who dared to stop us would be killed.

But sir, they are not robbers, because they are not here to steal anything."

“They also trampled my apprentice to death,” said a short, fat man with the muscles of a blacksmith and a bandaged head. “They laughed on their horses, chased him around, and poked him with their guns.

, treat it as playing a game.”

The girl kneeling on the ground stretched her neck and looked up at Qi Tai, who was aloof. "Your Majesty, they also killed my mother. And then they... they... didn't let me go either..."

Her voice faded, as if she had forgotten what she was going to say, and began to cry on her own.

The sergeant took over the words, "They drove all the villagers in Baiwu Town into their wooden houses, then spread them with straw, trying to burn them alive inside. Some people opened the door and rushed out of the fire scene to escape, so they shot them with bows and arrows.

The woman holding Milk Baby will not be spared either."

"It's really scary. How could someone be so cruel?" Qi Rushong roared.

Qi Tai leaned forward and looked at the people in the audience who came to ask him to uphold justice. He wished he could go into battle himself and kill all these villains.

"How many bandits are there in this group?" he asked.

"At least two hundred people," the sergeant replied, "No, several hundred people. Your Majesty, it's basically an army."

"Army?" Qi Tai frowned.

"Yes, Your Majesty. They are all riding horses and wearing armor, holding fine steel spears and swords in their hands, as well as sword energy used to massacre villagers.

The leader, although he is dressed the same as the others, you will never confuse him with others. He can control the spiritual sword and is a strong man who cultivates spiritual energy!"

"Sword energy? Control the spiritual sword!" Qi Tai frowned, "Does it look like a human? Or a demon?"

"They are all wearing masks and can't see their faces clearly! But their horses... they are riding war horses, strictly trained war horses!" The old man said tremblingly, "My lord, could they be [travelling demons]?"

Qi Tai heard whispers under the window and at the far end of the hall, and uneasy voices also came from the corridor outside. He looked at the frightened faces of the villagers and thought for a long time. Every eye in the hall was

Watch him and wait intently.

"Dear people of Daxia, I cannot return your homes and crops, let alone resurrect the dead. But I can give you justice in the name of the five guardian families of Daxia.

Now, I will arrange for you to settle down in Lingnan City and wait until these villains are eliminated before sending you back!"

After the people kowtowed and left, Qi Tai frowned. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It's incredible." A southern general sighed.

"Are these people scared out of their wits? I think they are just a bunch of petty thieves. Even a timid person can mistake a cat for a monster when they see it at night."

"We can't have two towns without a bold man!"

Qi Tai moved, then looked at Qi Rushong.

Qi Rusong understood this and leaned forward and said: "Two adults, may I ask a question? These towns are all under your jurisdiction and protection. Where were you when the massacre occurred?"

The sergeant said, "At that time, my father and I were discussing the change of defense in Lingnan City. When the news of these atrocities reached my father and others, he asked me to lead a small team to search for survivors and then bring them to see the prince.

Change defense? Qi Rusong suddenly felt that the situation was serious.

During the break in Lingnan City's defense change, an army of hundreds of people looted surrounding villages and towns.

Could it be the aristocrats of Lingnan City?

He touched his chin thoughtfully and said, "Father, please send a troop to exterminate these villains."

Qi Tai nodded with satisfaction, "Since the founding of Daxia, those who sentence people to death should personally perform the execution. We still retain this tradition in the southern border. I originally didn't want to let others execute it for me...but my body allows me to

No choice." He coughed twice.

"Your Majesty!" A shout came from the hall, Qin Wu said, "I beg you to give me the honor to fight on your behalf. Leave this task to me, Your Majesty, and I swear I will not let you down.

"Mr. Qin, if we send you there, you may be put in danger, and the other party will not just surrender for the sake of justice."

To control a spiritual sword, he is a powerful person above [Fifth Level Sword King].

"I'm not afraid of that bastard!" Qin Wu said proudly.

Qi Tai slowly sat back on the chair, his eyes searching along the wall one face after another. Finally he stopped at Qi Rusong.

"Rusong," he raised his voice so that everyone in the throne room could hear. "You bring a hundred soldiers, ten [cultivation practitioners], and then go to the Demon Hunting Gate and bring ten demon hunters. I

You will be awarded the King of the South token, and this mission will be commanded by you.

You are my son and a disciple of the Demon Hunting Sect. If the opponent is a [Travel Demon], shoot and kill without mercy!"

Qi Rusong could understand his father's body language. He bowed and said, "Father, please obey your orders."

After the lingering sound faded, others asked in confusion: "Your Majesty, what should we do?"

Qi Tai looked down at them. He said condescendingly, "Everyone, if this incident was caused by the army, I need you even more to defend our homeland and Lingnan City!"

He turned to Qi Rusong, "We'll set off at dawn tomorrow. It's best to deal with this matter as soon as possible." After saying this, he raised his hand. "That's it for today. Rusong, you stay!"

After everyone left, Yin Lin, the chief think tank of the King of the South, stepped forward. This man was in his sixties, tall and thin, with a weather-beaten face and two deep-set eyes, deep and bright, and looked very energetic.

"Your Majesty, your arrangement seems a little inappropriate!" he said.

"Mr. Yin, how do you say this?" Qi Tai asked him.

"If I were sitting on it, I would probably send Mr. Qin to go. Look at his eagerness to try... Besides, Mr. Qin's sons are all on good terms with the prince."

"What do you mean?" Qi Rusong asked him.

"I don't need to explain this matter!" Yin Lindao said, "What's more important than winning over the old Qin family?"

"Mr. Qin is too old," Qi Tai said, "I dare say he will soon forget this disappointment."

"You can appoint his eldest son," Yin Lin said. "Not only that, you can also appoint other generals. Asking the young prince to do what other generals are responsible for... may be interpreted as a malicious insult."

They also regard me as a demon hunter, not a young prince! Qi Rushong secretly said.

"Mr. Yin, I regard you as a relative," Qi Tai said meaningfully, "I will never allow a waste who has not cultivated spiritual energy to inherit the throne of my Qi family.

Let me remind you that most of the generals in Lingnan City have formed a clique with my eldest son for personal gain, so I think it is more appropriate to choose Rusong."

"There is no doubt that your approach is very cautious," Yin Lin said, "but I happened to see the generals in the hall. They all stared at us with their eyes wide open. I must admit that they didn't look very happy.

Perhaps, Your Majesty, you should send a general with sufficient seniority as the main general and let the young prince assist you as the deputy general!"

"Mr. Yin, I will consider your suggestion and call it a day!"

Yin Lin forced out a smile, then bowed and left.


Chapter completed!