Chapter 313: The City Sings His Narrative
As dawn broke over Crimson Iron City, the pale morning light pierced through a blanket of lingering, acrid smoke.
On the grounds of the Golden Cauldron Merchant Union, the chaotic scramble of midnight rescue efforts gave way to a solemn, harrowing quiet.
Rows of bodies lay wrapped in white silk shrouds along the surviving marble plaza, lined meticulously from late-stage elders down to outer-court disciples.
At the head of the plaza stood Bai Ruolan, her face pale, dressed in pristine white mourning robes trimmed with the indigo lining of the union.
Beside her, elders stood with bowed heads, their fists clenched tightly beneath their sleeves.
With a silent gesture, Bai Ruolan stepped forward, igniting a torch tipped with pure, white spirit fire.
"May your souls find peace in the eternal Dao," her voice carried softly across the silent crowd, trembling with restrained grief.
"Your blood will not be forgotten, and your legacy shall be rebuilt upon these very grounds."
She lowered the torch onto the central pyre.
White flames surged upward, roaring toward the overcast sky as hundreds of disciples fell to their knees, weeping openly.
The spiritual pyres burned brightly, consuming the remains of Union Chief Meng De, Ancestor Ming, and dozens of fallen guardians, turning their physical forms to drifting ash while sending their memory into the annals of the union’s history.
While white smoke rose from the funeral pyres within the union’s borders, the rest of Crimson Iron City was already in a state of absolute uproar.
Every tea house, tavern, and market alleyway buzzed with frantic whispers and heated debates.
The news of the previous night’s massacre, and the apocalyptic blast that vaporized two miles of the city sector had spread like wildfire across the entire region.
Inside the bustling Rising Dragon Tea House, cultivators and local merchants crowded around every table, leaning in close to hear the latest news.
"Did you hear?! The Golden Cauldron Union’s almost entire upper council was wiped out in a single night!" a rogue cultivator in leather armor slammed his fist on a wooden table.
"Chief Meng De... dead! Ancestor Ming... killed by that demon!"
"It wasn’t just a random attack," an old alchemist whispered, looking around nervously before lowering his voice further.
"It was Zhao Tianxing! The head of their Blacksmith Division! The fool betrayed the union and smuggled a demonic cultivator, Peng Kai of the destroyed Peng Clan, straight through the Grand Guardian Arrays using a tampered array disc provided by Zhao Tianxing!"
"Unbelievable! To think the Golden Cauldron nurtured such a viper in their own house!" an elder from a small local clan scoffed in disgust.
"If it weren’t for Madam Bai Ruolan standing her ground and risking her life to slay the traitor and the Imperial Herald coming to rescue, the entire union would have been slaughtered to the last man!"
"Indeed! They say Madam Bai, no, Union Leader Bai, stood fearlessly against both the traitor and the demon even as she bled!" another young cultivator added with deep admiration.
"And what about the Cao Clan? I saw it with my own eyes, Lady Cao Shuying led her family’s top healers straight into the blast zone to save survivors while the sky was still burning!"
"Hah! The Cao Clan, the enemy clan, showed true nobility at the danger of a demonic cultivator, while the ally proved to be a traitor," a merchant chimed in, shaking his head.
"From now on, I know where my loyalty and business lie."
"I heard that the Imperial Competition had been postponed"
"Yes, it has been postponed for a week by order of the Imperial Herald himself! The entire city is under lockdown while imperial execution squads search for that demonic monster, Peng Kai."
High above the noisy main floor of the tea house, hidden behind a beaded bamboo curtain on the top balcony, Shen Yu sat quietly.
Dressed in simple, unpretentious robes, he gently swirled his cup of spiritual tea, listening to the city sing the exact narrative he had written for them.
A subtle, cold smile touched the corner of his lips before he took a quiet sip.
Behind him, the soft rustle of silk announced a visitor.
Cao Shuying slipped into the private booth, her movements fluid and silent.
She wore a modest pastel dress, her composure immaculate, though her dark eyes burned with excitement as she bowed low toward Shen Yu.
"Master," she whispered softly, stepping up to the edge of his table. "The city’s opinion has shifted completely in our favor. The Cao Clan’s reputation has reached an all-time high, and our medical pavilions are overwhelmed with gratitude from the surviving union families."
"That was only to be expected," Shen Yu murmured calmly.
Reaching out, he pulled her by the waist onto his lap.
Cao Shuying let out a soft breath, nestling naturally against his chest as his hands slid over her curves, lingering over her full breasts.
Taking a slow sip of his tea while listening to the bustling gossip down on the tavern floor, Shen Yu casually pinched a perky nipples through her thin silk robes, making her arch her back with a light, trembling moan.
"Mmm... Y-Yes, Master..." she breathed, her face flushing with a delicate crimson haze.
"Has she recovered?" Shen Yu asked, his dark eyes flashing with a sharp, possessive glint.
"She has... her physical wounds are stabilized," Shuying gasped out softly.
Shen Yu smiled, a cold, intoxicating expression, and in the next instant, his figure dissolved into thin air.
Moments later, Shen Yu materialized silently inside a secluded, high-end pavilion nestled deep within the Cao Clan’s private grounds, where Bai Ruolan had been brought to rest after the Union’s destruction.
The room was quiet, lit by the warm glow of spirit lamps.
Sitting by a rosewood desk, her pale face still bearing a delicate fatigue, Bai Ruolan was carefully reviewing administrative scrolls to stabilize the Union’s remnants.
Looking at her focused silhouette, a brief image of Yilan flashed through Shen Yu’s mind.
’I miss her...’ he thought with a soft, quiet amusement.
But as his gaze settled back onto Bai Ruolan, a faint smile touched his lips.
There would be plenty of time to return to her, to them.
For now, he would fully indulge and reward this loyal woman of his before wrapping up the city’s affairs.
Shedding his Phantom Steps, his presence suddenly filled the quiet room.
The moment the familiar aura washed over her, Bai Ruolan froze.
She snapped her head up, her clear blue eyes lighting up with unyielding, almost childish devotion.
Dropping her brush, she scrambled up from the desk and threw herself straight into his arms.
"Senior Brother Shen!" she cried softly, burying her face against his chest as her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.