Chapter Forty-Six: The Black Robes' Rebellion

Drums thundered!

PS: Tomorrow is the college entrance exam. Wuyai himself is a failed examinee, so today I’m posting an extra chapter, wishing all students smooth sailing and success. In this battlefield without smoke and fire, may you wield armies and horses, fight for glory, achieve victory, and return triumphant. Wuyai drinks for you—heroes never bow their heads.

The county office of Sanjiang was as silent as death.

Jiang Pingchuan stared at the young advisor seated in the chair. The advisor looked back, and Jiang Pingchuan’s once gloomy face began to transform. His fair complexion darkened; the hair at his temples slowly changed into feathers.

The advisor’s hand, pointed at Jiang Pingchuan, was shrouded in black mist, turning pitch black. The palm gradually faded, and his slender fingers morphed into sharp beast claws.

A howl echoed.

A man in black robes!

Jiang Pingchuan watched as the young advisor, enraged by his provocation, finally revealed his true form—a beast claw emerging from beneath a black robe. The man in black trembled violently, suspended in mid-air, surrounded by swirling black energy.

Everyone in the county office stared in shock, then snapped out of it, dropping bowls and fleeing. Gao Yao and his companions rushed toward the side hall.

Little Wu helped the county magistrate retreat, and chaos erupted in the Sanjiang county office. Jiang Pingchuan patted Zhou Ning’er’s trembling shoulder, signaling her to hide.

“Jiang Pingchuan, you forced me into this,” the man in black growled, his voice cold and harsh.

“Courting death!”

Jiang Pingchuan’s eyes locked onto Zhou Ning’er as the man in black threatened her. With a furious shout, his pristine robe transformed, erupting into a gleaming silver garment.

The hall was bathed in silver light. Jiang Pingchuan, clad in a silver robe, stood like a war deity, the fabric whipping wildly in the storm.

The man in black narrowed his eyes, reaching out with his beast claw toward Zhou Ning’er. Jiang Pingchuan erupted in rage—he hated nothing more than threats to those he cherished most.

He stomped hard, smashing a foot into the man in black’s abdomen. With a miserable wail, the man in black flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground, panic flickering in his eyes.

He saw Gao Yao crawling under a listening bench and rushed over, seizing Gao Yao by the neck and glaring at Jiang Pingchuan.

He wasn’t Jiang Pingchuan’s match, and it baffled him. Jiang Pingchuan had lost two Dao crystals, yet on the Changfeng continent his power was even deeper.

“Don’t force me to kill,” the man in black pressed his beast claw against Gao Yao’s throat, intent on escape. Jiang Pingchuan glanced at Gao Yao, then at the man in black, smiling faintly and ignoring him, striding forward.

A thunderous sound.

Blood sprayed.

The man in black realized Jiang Pingchuan was unfazed by his threat—he cursed himself for a fool. How could Jiang Pingchuan care about the life of someone like Gao Yao? With a swift palm, he struck Gao Yao’s back.

Gao Yao spat blood as he was flung toward Jiang Pingchuan, who caught him effortlessly. In Gao Yao’s dazed gaze, gratitude flickered, but Jiang Pingchuan felt only disgust.

---

Placing Gao Yao on the ground, Jiang Pingchuan rushed outside to pursue the man in black. If the man escaped again, Jiang Pingchuan would never know peace.

Once Jiang Pingchuan and the man in black left, those who had hidden emerged, standing in the hall, exchanging confused glances.

The county magistrate’s face changed, finally looking normal. He sat on the floor, gazing at his barely breathing son, lips trembling. He knew he hadn’t been himself for years.

Ever since he arrived in Sanjiang with the young advisor, he’d never truly been himself; subconsciously, he knew he was the advisor’s puppet.

Now Jiang Pingchuan had changed everything, yet his own son lay dying.

The crowd watched the father and son, unsure what to say. Though Gao Yao was despicable, he hadn’t committed any heinous crimes—just a penchant for mischief.

Strange, chilling cries echoed from the back hall, accompanied by the crackling of bones.

“Something’s wrong! Everyone, run!” Zhou Fu, remembering Jiang Pingchuan’s warning about a corpse breeding ground in Sanjiang, shouted urgently.

No sooner had Zhou Fu spoken than a dozen foul-smelling corpses burst from the back hall, lurching toward the crowd like zombies. Screams filled the county office.

Supporting Gao Yao, everyone fled to the plaza in front of the county office—where sunlight was strongest. According to Jiang Pingchuan, such vile creatures couldn’t venture into sunlight to cause trouble.

The corpses prowled the shadowy hall, growling low. Zhou Fu spotted a figure—Daoist Wu.

Daoist Wu had been missing for a long time, now turned into a corpse-man by the advisor. He behaved differently from the other corpses, not simply reaching out mindlessly; he sniffed the air, as if searching for something.

The crowd watched through the doors as the hall filled with corpses—truly a daytime nightmare.

“Where’s Ning’er?” Lady Zhou, noticing Zhou Ning’er’s absence, was struck by dread. Zhou Fu and Little Wu began searching and calling out.

No response. The crowd looked at the hall full of corpses—Zhou Ning’er was likely still inside.

Wait, Daoist Wu’s figure was gone. No one knew when he’d vanished. Zhou Fu shouted and ran toward the county office.

Little Wu quickly pulled him back, eyes red as he stared at the corpses, knowing the young lady might be inside.

“Fellow villagers, Miss Zhou is still in there—we can’t just stand by!” Wang Dan Niu stepped forward, raising his sickle and rallying the group. The crowd hesitated; none had ever faced such horrors and were unsure what to do.

---

“Damn it... Dead things aren’t scary!” The scruffy man stood up. Now he understood he’d been used like a dog. Jiang Pingchuan had helped him expose the advisor’s ugly face.

He was determined. Since childhood, he’d wanted to be a constable who rid the people of evil, but since entering the county office he’d never done any good. Now, though he wanted to shrink back, he couldn’t.

“Sages are baptized; a man should not fear evil. Cowardice once, cowardice forever—one moment of weakness, a lifetime of weakness.”

Yu Shu clutched his book, the source of his greatest longing. He didn’t want it to look down on him; sages of old never feared. Though a scholar, he was a man with strength enough to bind a chicken.

“Brothers, if we don’t deal with them, we’ll never have peace. When night falls, they’ll hunt us at will. Rather than wait for death, let’s fight. Eighteen years later, we’ll be heroes again!”

Another officer stood up, inspiring more to join him. Zhou Fu, in tears, was grateful to those willing to accompany him inside. In adversity, true feelings are revealed—Sanjiang had no cowards.

“Arm yourselves!”

The scruffy man shouted, looking at Wang Dan Niu. The two charged into the county office side by side. Wang Dan Niu swung his sickle, severing a corpse’s head, which rolled across the floor, its face twisted in shock.

The scruffy man wielded his cudgel like a mighty warrior, crashing into another corpse. No one noticed that as Yu Shu entered the county office, a faint pink light radiated from him.

While the corpses lunged excitedly at others, they retreated in fear from Yu Shu, as if something on him warned them not to approach. Yu Shu noticed the effect, touched his book at his chest, and ran toward the inner hall.

Since Zhou Ning’er wasn’t in the front hall, she must be in the back, where the evil energy was heavy. Yu Shu froze when he saw her.

---

Jiang Pingchuan pursued the man in black all the way to the banks of the Pu River. The man in black stood in the woods, his eyes glinting as he faced Jiang Pingchuan in his silver robe.

Jiang Pingchuan frowned; he could sense a formation here, his power severely suppressed. The man in black flexed his beast claw, grinning as he approached.

Jiang Pingchuan unleashed all his inner energy, rushed in, and seized the man in black by the neck. The man’s face shifted from sallow to flushed. Jiang Pingchuan endured the agonizing pain, tightening his grip, determined to kill him before his power was fully suppressed.

Blood sprayed.

The man in black’s beast claw pierced Jiang Pingchuan’s abdomen, but Jiang Pingchuan smiled—he was confident he could strangle the man in black before he became an ordinary person.

“Your woman is dead,” the man in black croaked, his mouth twisting in a sneer.

Jiang Pingchuan’s eyes reddened, pain searing where the beast claw had pierced him.

PS: I wonder if anyone reads Wuyai’s books (feeling insecure...), but to all supporters—if you or your loved ones are about to take the college entrance exam, Wuyai sincerely wishes you a bright future: set a blazing furnace, light three dragon incense, each rising to the sky, winds stirring, drums sounding, wield golden spears, ride war horses, slay difficult questions, sing high songs, may heaven grant your wishes and all things go smoothly...