My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

Shen Ru looked confused, but seeing Lu Ming's serious expression, she didn't ask any more questions and turned to walk into the house.

She worked quickly and efficiently, and in no time she had packed a small bundle.

Lu Ming dared not slack off. He rolled up a few important items and stuffed them into his arms. He carried Shen Ru on his back, touched the ground with his toes, and ran quickly toward the inner city.

The streets were in complete chaos.

People were running everywhere, and there were overturned stalls and scattered debris.

The followers of Taipingdao poured into the streets, their expressions fervent, chanting incantations. Some carried torches, while others brandished wooden sticks and machetes.

These usually devout faces now appeared ferocious and excited under the firelight.

Many local thugs and bullies took advantage of the chaos to loot, kicking open doors along the street to steal valuables and chasing after crying women.

"Bang--!"

A burly man with a face full of scars suddenly rushed out from the side, his five fingers spread wide, and grabbed at Shen Ru on Lu Ming's back.

Lu Ming didn't turn his head, and suddenly twisted his waist.

The person flipped over in mid-air, their knees drawing a sharp arc before landing heavily on the neck.

"Snap!"

The burly man's head was slammed hard onto the ground at an odd angle, his eyes bulging out, and he fell silent in the blink of an eye.

As Lu Ming landed, his cold gaze swept across his surroundings.

Those who were initially eager to take advantage of the situation all turned their attention away.

The crowd spontaneously parted to make way, and no one dared to take another step forward.

Lu Ming carried the still-shaken Shen Ru on his back and quickly drove away.

Shen Ru gripped the fabric of his shoulder tightly, but she didn't utter a sound of surprise.

Lu Ming moved swiftly, his mind racing:

"The Taiping Dao has rebelled... and there are so many martial artists mixed in with them, taking advantage of the chaos."

If he hadn't already mastered the White Snake Crossing technique and entered the Yi Jin Jing realm, he might not have been entirely confident in protecting his mother from those sneak attacks.

Before long, he brought Shen Ru to an elegant mansion located at the far south end of the city.

The gate was painted vermilion, surrounded by blue brick walls, and a black lacquered plaque hung above the gate with the two characters "Lu Residence" still freshly painted.

This was a congratulatory gift from a local gentry family after he achieved the title of Tongsheng (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) on the day he passed the exams.

It was a detached house with three courtyards and three entrances. Although it wasn't extravagant, it was considered respectable in the southern part of the city.

He hadn't moved in yet, but now he's come in handy.

He scaled the wall, landed lightly, and glanced around.

The courtyard is paved with bluestone, and in the center there is a stone vat with several red carp.

In the corner, a mulberry tree stands with lush foliage, and moonlight filters through its leaves, casting dappled silver spots.

He put Shen Ru down and gently comforted her:

"Mother, it's safe here. You should go inside and rest."

Shen Ru nodded, glanced at him hesitantly, but ultimately said nothing and turned to walk into the main room.

Lu Ming lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped onto the roof, scanning his surroundings.

The inner city was built around the county government office, and it was inhabited by wealthy families and officials.

At this moment, torches were lit on the walls of each residence, and squads of guards, armed with knives and clubs, stood guard at the gates and on the walls, keeping out the civilians who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rush into the inner city.

In the direction of the north city, large swaths of torches lit up, like flowing fire snakes winding and meandering in the night.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of orderly footsteps and the clanging of metal armor could be faintly heard.

"Liu Zhiyuan's reaction speed is quite fast..."

Lu Ming squinted at the moving fires. "The army has entered the city."

He suddenly thought of Fan Wu and couldn't help but feel a little worried.

But then he chuckled and shook his head, saying that Fan Wu was a true veteran of the underworld.

He worked as a low-level servant in the government office for decades, a job with a frighteningly high mortality rate, yet he managed to live peacefully to this day.

Given the current situation, and his vigilance, he's probably already hidden somewhere.

He jumped back into the courtyard and sat cross-legged on the bluestone slab under the osmanthus tree.

……

The next morning.

After having breakfast, Lu Ming instructed Shen Ru to close the courtyard gate and not to go out casually, then headed towards the county government office.

What I saw along the way was completely different from what I saw last night.

Every few steps along both sides of the street stood a soldier in armor holding a spear. Every now and then, a group of soldiers could be seen escorting disheveled civilians, tied together with ropes, silently walking out of the city.

Lu Ming glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and quickly walked away.

At the entrance of the county government's library, Fan Wu was sitting in a rattan chair, cracking his pipe with a distressed expression.

He saw Lu Ming walk in, and suddenly jumped up from the rattan chair, exclaiming in surprise:

"Kid! I knew you'd be alright!"

Lu Ming walked over, sat down in the wicker chair next to him, and asked:

"Fifth Uncle, you're well-informed, do you know what happened?"

Upon hearing this, Fan Wu's face immediately turned even more bitter.

He sighed deeply and lowered his voice:

"The Great Teacher of the Way of Peace rebelled in Julu. War broke out in eight provinces: Qing, Xu, You, Ji, Jing, Yang, Yan, and Yu. The world was in complete chaos."

Lu Ming's expression changed slightly.

The commotion last night was quite significant; it was no small matter.

"Quickly! Gather together!"

At this moment, Liu Tiezhu rushed into the courtyard.

Behind him, Wang An walked in with a gloomy expression, his round face devoid of any smile.

Wang Chenghu, Zhang Yuquan, and eight others followed closely behind, each with a different expression.

Fan Wu quickly pulled Lu Ming along, and they stood in line with their backs ramrod straight.

Wang An stopped, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a deep voice:

"You all know what happened last night."

His body moved without wind, and an immense pressure suddenly pressed down on everyone.

Lu Ming felt a weight on his shoulders and had to bend his knees slightly to steady himself.

"The Way of Peace has rebelled. Its followers are numerous and its harm is widespread. Even though Lord Liu reacted promptly last night and quickly mobilized troops into the city, it still caused enormous losses."

Wang An's voice was icy: "In fact, the Taiping Dao has colluded with demons, and the demonic threat outside the city has already spread far and wide."

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose:

"We've been raising an army for a thousand days, but we're only using it for one. Now is the time for the court to need you."

Upon hearing this, Fan Wu's face immediately turned bitter, and Lu Mingxin's heart also sank.

Sure enough, Wang An turned his head to look at the person beside him:

"Liu Tiezhu, you take Wang Chenghu, Lin Susu, and Hong Sanyuan to suppress the bandits in the city."

Liu Tiezhu and the other three bowed in unison: "Yes!"

Then, Wang An's gaze swept over the remaining people, pausing slightly on Lu Ming:

"Tomorrow you will go to the military camp in the north of the city for your shift, to assist the Yin Hu Guard in sweeping away demonic scourges and banditry."

The expressions on their faces all turned extremely ugly.

Demons and monsters were rampant outside, and they could only be suppressed by the military might of the army. Many constables were beheaded while on patrol.

With the Taiping Dao in rebellion and demons rampaging, leaving the city at this time would be a near certain death.

Just by looking at how Wang An left Wang Chenghu and the other two alone, one can tell just how dangerous the area outside the city really is.

Lu Ming's face also darkened, but when his gaze fell on Zhang Yuquan, a thought flickered in his mind:

"It seems... there's quite a bit of animosity between these four powerful forces."

Zhang Yuquan naturally felt the scrutinizing gazes from those around him, and his face turned ashen.

At this critical moment, instead of uniting against external threats, these people actually want to take advantage of the situation to kick the Zhang family out of the game?

This is absolutely outrageous!

No matter how resentful he was, he could only swallow his anger when facing the head of the yamen.

"What? Didn't you hear me?"

Wang An snorted coldly and said in a chilling voice.

With chaos imminent, he could no longer attend to every detail, and even his own disciples had to go out of the city to gain experience.

These people in front of me are still hesitating; they're simply inhuman.

Helpless, everyone could only bow and agree.

At this moment, a burly figure suddenly stepped forward.

Wang Chenghu, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a solemn expression, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Wang An and said:

"Uncle, Cheng Bao and the others still need more experience. Instead of sending Lu Ming and Fan Wu on duty in the army, it would be better to let them go for now. They come from humble backgrounds and should be more alert."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengbao and the others all showed a slight hint of joy.

Fan Wu's face looked even more bitter.

They hadn't even enjoyed their good days for long before they were about to be sent to their deaths.

Sure enough, in this world, good things never come to ordinary people.

Only Lu Ming lowered his eyes slightly, his expression unchanged.

Wang An looked at his nephew and pondered for a moment.

He knew that his nephew was trying to establish his authority by showing favor. Although his methods were a bit immature, he was still confident in the situation and might as well give him the opportunity.

He was about to nod immediately.

"Squad leader, I think this is inappropriate."

Unexpectedly, Lu Ming, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward and spoke out loudly.

Everyone looked at him with surprise.

No one expected that Lu Ming, who had always kept a low profile, would speak up at this moment.

"Of the eleven candidates in this year's examination, only the two of us have gone to the army for our rotation. If word gets out, it will likely cause an uproar among the people, which is really inappropriate."

Lu Ming lowered his eyes slightly, his voice steady and powerful:

"At this critical juncture, if we lose the support of the people again, I fear Lord Liu will be furious."

Wang An's eyes narrowed suddenly: "Are you threatening me?"

"boom--"

A powerful aura erupted without warning, scattering a strong wind in all directions. Everyone's expression changed drastically, and they all retreated.

Facing this imposing aura, Lu Ming felt as if his chest had been struck by a giant hammer.

The White Serpent moved at will, its body twisting and contorting as it dissipated the force, before finally coming to a slow stop.

However, a trace of crimson blood inevitably seeped out from the corner of her mouth.

But he maintained his bow and calmly spoke:

"You flatter me, sir. I only hope that you will consider the bigger picture."

Even though he had to confront Wang An head-on, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

Leaving the city was already a perilous journey, and if even one of these powerful young men didn't go, the two of them would be nothing but cannon fodder, with no chance of survival.

"Prioritizing the overall situation?"

A smile returned to Wang An's face, but it sent a chill down the spines of everyone present:

"Hehe... Hahaha! What a great consideration for the bigger picture!"