Chapter 103: City Lockdown, Complete Iron Cloth Shirt, Refining Internal Realm

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: City Lockdown, Complete Iron Cloth Shirt, Refining Internal Realm

The sudden whim to ask the deaf-mute man for the Blood Boiling Powder formula came from witnessing its potency. If his status panel required it later, he could concoct it himself. After all, there was a vast gap between the Blood Boiling Powder and the Qi and Blood Powder; taking the latter was far inferior to taking the former.

The deaf-mute man froze, then fell into deep thought. He could read lips, so he fully understood Su Chen’s request.

Su Chen didn’t rush him. Seeing the man’s hesitation, he assumed the other party was reluctant and had no intention of forcing the issue. When the man remained silent for a long time, Su Chen turned to leave.

"AH! AH! AH!"

The deaf-mute man frantically stopped him, pulling a pen and paper from his clothes to write right in front of him. He wrote quickly. Before long, a completed medical prescription was handed over.

Su Chen glanced at the prescription. "Thank you. Let me give you a piece of advice: leave White Stone City as soon as possible."

Tucking the prescription away, Su Chen left his final warning and walked off. Taking advantage of the Government Office’s delayed response, he returned home, gathered some medicinal ingredients and silver, and prepared to slip out of the city.

HYAH! HYAH! HYAH!

On the main road, Hong Yue led a large army into the city. A black banner fluttered in the wind, radiating a chilling, murderous intent.

"Seal the city gates! No one is allowed in or out!"

With Hong Yue’s command, horses galloped in all directions, their hooves echoing loudly throughout White Stone City. The briefly relaxed atmosphere instantly pulled taut. Anyone with a discerning eye could sense the heavy, murderous aura radiating from this army, looming over the city like a dark storm cloud.

When onlookers spotted the corpses of soldiers being transported back within the ranks, their hearts skipped a beat, and a terrifyingly numb sensation shot straight to the top of their skulls.

Who was bold enough to slaughter so many soldiers?

Those sensitive to the current political climate looked at the corpses with extremely grave expressions. With so many soldiers dead, the sky over White Stone City was about to change!

Su Chen hadn’t expected the gates to be locked down before he could escape. Standing in the crowd, he stared intently at the incoming Hong Family army, his expression grim.

"This army is obviously connected to Tao Dingfang," he thought. "They probably discovered the corpses of Tao Dingfang and the others on their way here and spurred their horses to rush to White Stone City. Now that the city is sealed, utter chaos is bound to follow. Once they reinforce the gate defenses, leaving anytime soon will be far from easy!"

Su Chen didn’t walk away until the army vanished at the end of the street, pondering his next move as he went.

Meanwhile, Hong Yue led his army into the County Magistrate’s Office. Tao Dingfang wasn’t the only one who had died this time; Tao Wenxuan was dead as well, though Hong Yue had chosen not to display their corpses. His face was as dark as ink, his brows tightly furrowed. His expression hadn’t relaxed for a single moment since he first laid eyes on the bodies of Tao Dingfang and the Iron Armor Army.

Whether it was Tao Dingfang or the Iron Armor Army, their deaths were unforgivable to him. However, he didn’t yet know the full story, forcing him to lock down White Stone City.

"You are the advisor of the County Magistrate’s Office. Tell me what happened. Why did Tao Dingfang and Tao Wenxuan die such tragic deaths outside the city?" Hong Yue asked sharply, his fierce eyes radiating a piercing, cold light as he glared at the trembling advisor.

The advisor nodded and recounted the entire sequence of events.

Listening to the report, Hong Yue’s frown deepened, and he slammed his hand furiously onto the desk. "Utterly absurd! Over a hundred soldiers and thirty Iron Armor Army troops failed to take down a single Power Training Martial Artist, and they were entirely wiped out? Are you joking, or did I hear you wrong?"

Bracing himself, the advisor replied in a trembling voice, "General Hong, I would never dare to conceal even the slightest detail about this matter."

Hong Yue said nothing. The main hall fell dead silent, the oppressive atmosphere making it difficult for the advisor to breathe. As time ticked by, the advisor broke out in a cold sweat, his heart sinking further and further.

Finally, Hong Yue spoke. "Investigate. Investigate this man thoroughly. If he is still in White Stone City, execute his entire extended family! If he has already left, capture anyone and everyone who has the slightest connection to him!"

"Yes, sir!"

As night fell, White Stone City became a paradox of quietness and commotion. Exactly as expected, the city had descended into absolute chaos.

Squads of soldiers marched hurriedly down the streets, kicking open the doors of various households to interrogate or arrest people. Su Chen watched from the shadows as these men stormed into his house, tearing the place apart in a bid to leave no stone unturned.

Once they left, Su Chen concealed his figure and melted into the night.

White Stone City was destined for a busy, restless night. In just one evening, the Hong Family army had turned the city upside down. But none of that concerned Su Chen for the time being.

Finding an abandoned estate, he picked a secluded room and rested for the night. Occasional footsteps echoed outside as soldiers barged in to search the premises, but their visits were infrequent, and Su Chen evaded them effortlessly. The sporadic disruptions continued until dawn, finally dying down as morning arrived.

After getting up, Su Chen disguised himself as an old man and walked outside. The streets were unusually desolate. After the army’s rampage, there were hardly any vendors or pedestrians in sight.

Walking quite a distance, Su Chen found a small food stall. He ate a simple meal, packed some rice porridge, and left at a leisurely pace. Evading the patrolling troops, he quietly returned to the abandoned estate, twisting and turning through the corridors until he reached his room.

Since he couldn’t leave the city just yet, Su Chen was in no rush. He decided to use this downtime to take out the Spirit Head Skill.