In Fulong Camp, there were roughly four factions:
One faction was me (Li Xuan), Shen Qingci, A Man, Yan Chiyu, and other Shura who were still relatively decent in character;
One faction was Old Zhan and his followers;
One faction was the Purifying Mind practitioners;
And the last was the neutral Shura faction.
Because the Purifying Mind practitioners usually stood on the outer edge of missions, they basically did not join battles.
Unless they were master-level or had strong martial foundations, they would not be considered for combat; otherwise, they were usually the protected side.
So the Purifying Mind practitioners naturally formed their own faction. From their standpoint, even Shura could go berserk and attack them.
Thus, they also maintained a defensive stance toward Shura and formed their own group.
But ever since the Purple Judgment Flower incident, the atmosphere in Fulong Camp had never truly calmed down.
The originally delicate balance among the four factions became even more suspicious.
The neutral Shura faction would erupt on sight when encountering Old Zhan’s group.
The Purifying Mind practitioners also heightened their vigilance against Shura, subconsciously gripping detox powder even when simply passing by to fetch water.
The once somewhat harmonious camp was forcibly divided into three clear boundaries.
Leaning against the old locust tree in the training ground, Li Xuan watched as Old Zhan was scolding Qin Kui in a low voice not far away. Qin Kui shrank his neck like a mouse that had had its tail stepped on.
He couldn’t help but roll his eyes inwardly:
“Qin Kui… even the name sounds like a treacherous minister! A tribute to someone? That acting is wasted if he doesn’t go to the opera. He cries more convincingly than Dou E, even better than me!”
“I bet one tael of silver that Old Zhan definitely knows something!” Yan Chiyu clenched his fist, his detective spirit burning.
“You think about it! Qin Kui is his most trusted follower. He usually relies on his power to act tyrannically in the camp. How could something this big not be reported to the boss? In my opinion, Old Zhan ordered it. When something went wrong, he just threw the little guy under the bus. His calculations are sharper than my forging hammer!”
Shen Qingci, hearing this, pushed up an imaginary pair of glasses in a very serious manner and said:
“Brother Yan’s reasoning isn’t unreasonable. When Qin Kui was interrogated by Vice Commander Lu, he looked panicked, but every time the key questions came up—like where the Purple Judgment Flower came from, or why he specifically made the Purifying Mind practitioners pick it—he dodged them deliberately. His tears came easily though. His acting is really good.”
“But what would they gain from doing this?” Li Xuan scratched his head, confused.
“Even if the blame succeeded and Shura and the Purifying Mind practitioners turned against each other, what’s the benefit? Is it showing off? But with his abilities, he can’t even beat you. Does he want to dominate Fulong Camp?”
“Not necessarily for showing off.”
Shen Qingci’s eyes darkened slightly as his voice lowered.
“If Old Zhan has someone behind him, the situation changes. For example… spies from another country, or someone trying to weaken Commander Zhao’s influence. The Purple Judgment Flower is a forbidden plant. If this blows up, it can plunge Fulong Camp into chaos and implicate Commander Zhao. It could be used to eliminate inconvenient people in one move.”
“Hiss—” Yan Chiyu sucked in a breath. “So it’s even more complicated than I thought?”
A Man, standing beside them, listened in confusion, her brain almost overloaded.
“You probably don’t know this,” Shen Qingci said, looking at the faded battle flag at the end of the training ground, a trace of nostalgia in his voice.
“In the past, Fulong Camp was nothing like it is now.”
“Back then, sixty percent of all the empire’s talented ability users were gathered here. Every master-level Shura was a famous figure—
‘Shattering Mountains Thunder,’ Shi Jinglei; ‘Phantom Butterfly Shadow,’ Mo Feiyan;
‘Rotting Bones Rebirth,’ Lin Canghai; ‘Swift Wind Blade,’ Feng Buliu;
‘Cold River Snow,’ Leng Wuyan; ‘Ten Thousand Methods Sect,’ Yan Chongde;
‘Breaking Army Star,’ Li Zhantian; ‘Roaring Dragon Sky,’ Qin Lie… Which one of them wasn’t a powerhouse who could stand alone?”
Li Xuan’s eyes widened. “So powerful? Then where did they all go? Why is only Commander Zhao holding things up now?”
“Thanks to Prime Minister Li,” Shen Qingci spat bitterly.
“Prime Minister Li is from the Empress faction. That old fox controls the allocation of Purifying Mind practitioner resources and even influences troop deployment from the central military headquarters.”
“The current emperor is afraid of death and wants all Shura Hunters gathered in the capital. He used that as leverage—offering high official positions or using coercion and temptation—to force those elites into the central headquarters or turn them into Li Mansion’s private soldiers.”
“What’s even more sinister,” Shen Qingci continued,
“he spread rumors that Fulong Camp had poor treatment and no future, secretly sowing discord. Those who refused were either framed to death or forced into seclusion. That’s how Fulong Camp declined step by step.”
Li Xuan stared. “Shen Qingci… how do you know all this? Aren’t you just barely twenty? You sound like someone who’s been through court politics for decades.”
“Haha… I heard it all from brothels!” Shen Qingci shook his head frantically.
“And those Eight Great Warriors were already famous. It’s normal they became storytelling material in teahouses and brothels!”
Li Xuan frowned. “You, going to brothels at your age?”
“No! I just… like listening to storytellers there! The storyteller at Meifang Hall is very famous!”
He panicked internally:
“Crap, I’m making it worse! I can’t wash this off even if I jump into the Yellow River!”
Li Xuan looked unconvinced.
“Best believe there’s a storyteller bold enough to talk about the emperor’s fear of death. You think anyone wants to die?”
Seeing his expression, Shen Qingci gave up completely and shouted:
“I’m still a virgin, okay! Don’t misunderstand me!”
Li Xuan quickly waved his hands. “Alright alright! Drop it! Continue analyzing!”
“Cough! Right!” Shen Qingci forced himself back on topic.
“So even though Fulong Camp is not what it used to be, Commander Zhao is still an obstacle for their power struggle. If they use the Purple Judgment Flower incident to bring him down or accuse him of mismanagement, it would be very beneficial for Prime Minister Li.”
At noon, commotion suddenly came from afar.
Vice Commander Lu led a group of soldiers past with serious expressions.
Yan Chiyu noticed sharply and pulled Li Xuan and Shen Qingci to follow.
They hid around a corner outside the barracks and heard Vice Commander Lu’s furious voice from inside:
“Qin Kui has already confessed! He said you instructed him to secretly collect Purple Judgment Flowers and deliberately made the Purifying Mind practitioners pick them, threatening him with expulsion if he refused. What else do you have to say?”
Old Zhan’s enraged voice followed immediately:
“Nonsense! That bastard is framing me! I don’t even know what Purple Judgment Flower is! He’s just trying to drag me down!”
“The evidence is conclusive. Still denying?” Vice Commander Lu’s tone was absolute.
“Men! Take him down! Lock him in solitary confinement and await Commander Zhao’s judgment!”
The four outside exchanged looks.
Yan Chiyu whispered, “Damn, Shen Qingci was right. Old Zhan is done for?”
Li Xuan frowned slightly. “It’s too coincidental. Qin Kui’s confession came at the perfect time, and he only implicated Old Zhan. Then who provided the flowers…”
He suddenly paused.
Under a distant tree shadow stood a woman.
She had a clear but slightly eerie face, tied-up high ponytail with a silver streak in her bangs, wearing Purifying Mind practitioner robes, staring coldly at Old Zhan’s barracks.
Yan Chiyu whispered, “Do you know who that woman is? She’s wearing Purifying Mind robes.”
“That’s Old Zhan’s loyal follower,” Yan Chiyu added.
“She’s his dedicated Purifying Mind practitioner. Only she handles their purification work. She’s quite strong too.”
Soon, Old Zhan was dragged out of the barracks, barely able to stand, and taken toward the main hall.
Yan Chiyu raised a brow. “Going to report to Commander Zhao? Let’s go watch.”
Li Xuan felt uneasy.
Old Zhan being arrested looked like the truth had been revealed—but the real origin of the Purple Judgment Flower was still unclear.
And the matter of his exposed “Return to Origin · Bone Cleansing” technique… Commander Zhao had said nothing about it. That silence made him even more uneasy.
At the dining hall that evening, gossip filled the air:
“Old Zhan is heavily punished!”
“Qin Kui is locked up for seven days, no food or water!”
“I heard he got two hundred military lashes personally from Commander Zhao!”
“He’s barely alive in the treatment room now!”
“Serves him right!”
“That’s karma!”
Li Xuan rolled his eyes.
“So this is how things are done here? Just verbal accusations decide guilt? Words really are weapons.”
Before he could finish thinking, a shout came from outside:
“Fight! Someone’s fighting!”
Everyone rushed out to the square.
“It’s Old Zhan’s faction fighting the neutral Shura!” Shen Qingci said excitedly.
On the square, Old Zhan’s followers were being beaten by neutral Shura and others.
The Purifying Mind woman from earlier was also among the targeted group.
Li Xuan noticed she only dodged and never fought back.
“She’s good,” Li Xuan said quietly.
“Yeah, and she’s hiding her strength,” Shen Qingci agreed.
“Interesting,” Shen Qingci grinned. “Everyone around Old Zhan is falling apart, yet she still sticks with him. Suspicious.”
“Basically an evil mage behind the boss fight,” Li Xuan added.
Night fell.
“Li Xuan! Wake up!” Shen Qingci shook him.
“She’s moving!” Shen Qingci said.
They followed her to the treatment room.
She rescued Old Zhan, who was barely conscious, and helped him out.
“I’m taking you away,” she said.
“Where…” Old Zhan groaned.
“To a place where you can survive.”
From the shadows, Shen Qingci asked, “What now?”
“No need to fight head-on,” Li Xuan said.
They split up.
They followed the group to a village house, then to the north city gate, using a pass token to leave.
Li Xuan activated his ability:
“Return to Origin · Instant!”
He appeared outside the gate and continued tracking.
Ten miles outside the city, at an inn, the group prepared to leave.
Li Xuan stepped forward.
“Stop, Old Zhan!”
A fight broke out.
The woman was extremely strong.
In the clash, Li Xuan used multiple abilities:
Return to Origin · Instant
Return to Origin · Source Reversal
Return to Origin · Rust Decay
He was injured and thrown back into a tree.
At the last moment, Old Zhan suddenly shielded him.
Everyone froze.
“What… what is happening?!” Li Xuan thought.
Old Zhan counterattacked, smashing the woman away.
The woman threw poison and hidden weapons.
A black hole suddenly appeared and swallowed the poison.
A familiar pressure filled the air.
Li Xuan looked toward the city gate.
A black cloak, ink-black hair, jade crown.
Commander Zhao Chengyuan had arrived.