Chapter 1939: Ding'an Changes Hands

"Dizzy?" Zhou Ping was stunned. His face immediately changed, and he felt the room spin. "Oh no, the tea is poisoned!"

He struggled to stand up but felt his entire body go limp and weak. He slumped back into his seat, groggily asking, "What's going on?"

Seeing this, Lu Ye knew that Zhou Ping was not involved in the poisoning.

He had detected the poison in the tea earlier, thanks to some unusual reactions from his talent tree, but he had pretended not to notice.

He didn't expect Zhou Ping to be poisoned as well. Since it wasn't Zhou Ping who arranged it, then...

The rustle of robes sounded as a corpulent man with a somewhat imposing demeanor emerged from the inner part of the side hall. Behind him followed a middle-aged scholar, dressed in traditional robes and holding a feather fan.

With a clatter, another group of people entered through the main door, all wearing unfriendly expressions.

"Lord City Master?" Zhou Ping was stunned by the scene, utterly bewildered by what was happening.

The City Master remained silent, merely settling into his grand armchair with a somber gaze.

The middle-aged scholar stood beside the City Master, looking disappointed. He pointed his feather fan at Zhou Ping and said, "Zhou Ping, my boy, you've caused a great disaster!"

"Mr. Meng, what do you mean?" Zhou Ping asked indignantly. Although he was straightforward, he wasn't foolish. If he hadn't understood what was happening a moment ago, he certainly had a suspicion now.

Mr. Meng sighed and said, "Are the Black Scarf Army easy to provoke? Thirty of their men were killed outside the city gate. They will not let this go unpunished. Soon, their army will be at our city walls, and by then, Ding'an will likely be devastated!"

Zhou Ping said, "That's why I invited Mr. Lu here, to help us defend against the bandits!"

Mr. Meng said, "Do you really think Ding'an's strength can withstand the Black Scarves?"

"We must fight to the death to defend!" Zhou Ping's body was weak, and even the flow of his spiritual energy was sluggish, yet his words were resolute and ringing.

Mr. Meng shook his head. "Shihfang City's foundations were much stronger than ours, yet it was razed by the Black Scarves three months ago. After the city fell, the Black Scarves massacred its inhabitants for ten days, leaving Shihfang City almost entirely deserted. The lessons of the past are clear for all to see!" He then changed his tone, his face full of anguish: "Moreover, the Black Scarf scouts only came here to demand some grain. Their main battleground isn't here. We should have just given it to them. Why did you have to kill them?"

Zhou Ping's eyes widened. "They killed our people, and we're supposed to give them money and grain? Mr. Meng, do you even hear what you're saying?" He was furious. "Even if Mr. Lu hadn't acted today, I would have!"

Mr. Meng's expression turned cold. "Zhou Ping, you are beyond saving!"

Zhou Ping gritted his teeth and shouted, "Meng Deyun, I think *you* are beyond saving! Do you really believe if we give the Black Scarves money and grain, they won't attack us? You've probably forgotten how Huangye City fell."

"Huangye City..." Meng Deyun frowned slightly. He had, of course, heard about Huangye City. The situation there had been similar to today's, and Huangye City had been very cooperative.

Zhou Ping stopped arguing with Meng Deyun and turned to the silently observing City Master. "My Lord, Huangye City is a lesson we cannot ignore. We mustn't repeat their mistake! The Black Scarf Army's appetite is insatiable. If you give them money and grain today, they'll demand you open the city gates tomorrow, and then all the people in this city will be slaughtered. Rather than that, we should fight back!"

The corpulent City Master remained silent for a long moment before finally saying, "Although Huangye City was breached, half its people still survived. That's much better than Shihfang City."

Zhou Ping looked incredulous. "My Lord, don't you know that most of those who survived were women, specifically spared by the Black Scarves to serve as camp followers?"

"Not just women," the City Master waved a hand. "Anyone with cultivation will be recruited; they won't be easily killed."

Zhou Ping's eyes widened. "My Lord, are you planning to surrender to the Black Scarves?"

Meng Deyun roared, "It's all because of you! If not for today's incident, Ding'an wouldn't be facing such a disaster!"

Zhou Ping looked at him, then at the City Master. Even as straightforward as he was, he finally understood what was happening. His voice dropped to a low tone: "So you poisoned the tea, and Mr. Lu and I are your bargaining chips for surrender?"

The City Master said, "Not you, but *he* is!" He turned to Lu Ye. "He killed Black Scarf men. Only by handing him over can we ensure our safety."

"What about the people of Ding'an?" Zhou Ping still held onto a sliver of hope.

"A few commoners? Their lives don't matter."

Zhou Ping's lips trembled, and his face turned red. After a long moment of internal struggle, he finally roared, "I am ashamed to be associated with scoundrels like you! I never imagined you could be so rotten!"

Meng Deyun sharply warned, "Zhou Ping, mind your words!"

Zhou Ping scoffed, completely ignoring him. He turned to Lu Ye, looking apologetic. "Mr. Lu, I'm truly sorry. This time, I've brought trouble upon you."

He had kindly invited Lu Ye, seeing his considerable strength, but never expected to bring such great danger upon him.

"It's nothing," Lu Ye, who had been silent all this time, said calmly. Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, he picked up his teacup and drained it. "The taste is quite good!"

He then slowly stood up and stretched his neck, causing a series of distinct cracks to echo.

"You..." Meng Deyun stared at Lu Ye in astonishment, sensing vaguely that something was wrong. Without hesitation, he waved his hand. "Seize him!"

With a whooshing sound, several thick ropes flew out, crisscrossing through the air. Several figures swiftly moved, and in the blink of an eye, Lu Ye was bound like a rice dumpling.

Meng Deyun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the poison hadn't worked when Lu Ye stood up. He stared intently at Lu Ye. "Young man, having a chivalrous spirit isn't a bad thing, but you must know where to apply it. Blame yourself for killing people you shouldn't have."

Lu Ye looked at him, his expression indifferent. "Those I killed..."

Suddenly, there was a series of banging sounds. The ropes binding him snapped instantly as if cut by an invisible sharp blade, leaving clean, precise cuts.

Lu Ye took a step forward, already standing before Meng Deyun.

The scholar, who was also a cultivator, saw this and his face changed drastically. He raised a palm and slammed it fiercely towards Lu Ye's chest, channeling all his spiritual energy.

Lu Ye remained completely still, while Meng Deyun's wrist throbbed from the impact.

Then he felt his head being gripped. Lu Ye leaned in, almost face to face with him. "...were all people who deserved to die. Like you!"

Meng Deyun was terrified. Just as he was about to exert force to break free from Lu Ye's grip, a sharp pain shot through his head, and his body went limp, unresponsive.

"You're asking for death!" the corpulent City Master roared. His fleshy hand instantly clenched, forming a fist like a bird's beak, and he fiercely struck at Lu Ye's waist.

His wrist suddenly tightened. A hand, not particularly large, had seized his wrist. Shocked, he tried to pull away, but the grip was like an iron clamp, immobilizing him.

Intense pain shot through his wrist, and he even heard the sound of bones cracking.

"Ah!" the City Master shrieked.

The shriek abruptly stopped. Lu Ye retracted his fist, and blood splattered before him as a headless, corpulent body slowly collapsed.

Zhou Ping, still weak and powerless, was stunned.

He knew Lu Ye was strong; otherwise, he couldn't have killed so many Black Scarves alone. But he never imagined his strength to be *this* formidable.

As far as he knew, Meng Deyun had opened seven meridians, and the City Master eight. So how many had Lu Ye opened? Nine? Even nine meridians wouldn't possess such terrifying crushing power.

While he was still in a daze, Lu Ye had already begun his rampage.

Short, sharp cries of agony echoed. In a mere three breaths' time, the entire hall fell silent.

The strong stench of blood was nauseating. Zhou Ping's face was pale as he stared at Lu Ye, who stood in the center of the hall, not a single drop of blood on him. He couldn't snap out of his shock.

Then he realized something: the City Master was dead. What would become of Ding'an City now?

Less than half a day later, an order was issued from the City Master's mansion, proclaimed throughout the city.

It announced that the former City Master had succumbed to fatal injuries due to a cultivation deviation, and Zhou Ping of the Zhou family would now assume the position of City Master!

Alongside this order, a call to arms was also issued.

What had happened at the city gate today was too significant. In just half a day, the news had spread throughout Ding'an. Countless commoners were terrified, knowing well the consequences of provoking the Black Scarf Army, and were filled with uncertainty about the future.

They had all heard about the Black Scarf Army's brutal methods. Even Huangye City, which had cooperated voluntarily, hadn't fared well. If the Black Scarf Army breached Ding'an, there would undoubtedly be another merciless massacre.

In such an atmosphere, the City Master's mansion's call to arms was very timely. Many determined individuals immediately gathered at the mansion, expressing their willingness to obey orders.

Among them were not only cultivators but also many ordinary people. Although most hadn't cultivated, in this world, the gap between cultivators and ordinary people wasn't as vast as one might think, especially in battlefield confrontations. If an army fought in formation and its soldiers were fearless, it wasn't difficult for ordinary humans to kill cultivators.

Within less than two days, the entire Ding'an City was integrated and fully prepared to face the enemy at any moment.

"Sir, everything is now prepared. Ten groups of scouts are gathering intelligence outside, and we will receive reports if the Black Scarf Army approaches within fifty *li* of Ding'an." Inside the City Master's mansion, Zhou Ping respectfully stood before Lu Ye, reporting on the situation.

This respect wasn't solely due to Lu Ye's previously demonstrated power; it stemmed from other factors as well.

With the City Master dead, Zhou Ping reluctantly took over, a suggestion made by Lu Ye. Ding'an needed a central figure, and as an outsider, Lu Ye was naturally unsuitable. As one of Ding'an's three major families, the Zhou family, with Zhou Ping's qualifications, made his succession appear seamless.

The subsequent measures were all implemented under Lu Ye's guidance. They seemed to be very effective, especially after the City Master's mansion extensively publicized the Black Scarves' brutality and the dire consequences of a fallen city. Although the people of Ding'an were still fearful, they had quickly united.

Everyone wanted to live, and no one wanted to die. Given that, their only choice was to unite and protect Ding'an.