Wu Ye stood on the high platform and announced the last name.
Thus, the entire Bu Luo City learned that the night watchman of Feng Qing Village was named Xu Mu.
The vast square erupted in a uproar.
"How did the night watchman of Feng Qing Village become an ability user?" a burly man exclaimed in disbelief.
He was also a night watchman and had been for eleven years, dreaming of awakening his abilities and becoming an ability user.
But as time passed, he gradually realized the gap between himself and ability users.
Talent was a gift from heaven, irreversible. His greatest achievement in this life should have been just a night watchman.
Yet now, City Lord Wu on the platform said that a village night watchman had become an ability user, even joined the Demon Slaying Division, and achieved a first-class merit.
This gave him a glimmer of hope.
"Feng Qing Village... isn't that the place where the mysterious swordsman mentioned by Governor Yin earlier was located?"
A martial arts instructor noticed the connection.
In the story told by Yin Zhong Xiu, the Governor of the Demon Slaying Division, a mysterious swordsman had been mentioned.
That person had eliminated two sources of pollution, playing a crucial role.
And the place where he lived was the village where this Xu Mu resided.
"People from places like ours shouldn't awaken their abilities through their own talent, unless..."
The martial arts instructor thought of a possibility, his eyes widening:
"That Xu Mu... is his disciple!"
Yes, Xu Mu was that swordsman's disciple.
This was common knowledge among the hundreds of ability users on the platform; they had even discussed Xu Mu just moments ago.
However, at that time, the focus had been solely on the swordsman, and they had merely considered Xu Mu a lucky individual with profound good fortune, not giving him much thought.
But now it was different. That young man from Feng Qing Village had actually killed a stage two great demon and even achieved a first-class merit. Did this not mean he was a genius who had passed before his time?
"A genius, and a genius who died young," someone mused inwardly.
The cultivation world of ability users was fraught with danger. Strength and talent alone were not enough; luck was also essential.
Xu Mu possessed talent and was taken as a disciple by a powerful figure, a testament to his strength and talent. But he had the misfortune to venture into the central region of West Mountain and be crushed by a tiger's paw, which demonstrated his bad luck.
"You clashed with him, and in the end, you were saved by him. I really don't know what to say about you people."
The great master of the Jin Yin merchant house, Jin Jiao, berated them coldly.
But anyone with keen eyes could see that he was no longer angry, as Liang Chen had already recounted the entire affair of He Ye Village to him.
In that story, the roles played by the Liang father and son were naturally that of brave, fearless heroes protecting the village.
And Xu Mu, at a critical moment, had launched a surprise attack on the demon fox, saving their lives.
"That's why I said I didn't retreat from the fight; the battlefield was simply different!"
"You can ask Yin Shui'er, an official from the Demon Slaying Division, to confirm this!"
Finally seeing a chance to redeem himself, Liang Chen shouted loudly.
He spoke with such certainty that the crowd, for a moment, couldn't discern truth from falsehood and shifted their gaze to the young girl beside Yin Zhong Xiu.
But they saw her eyelids lowered, her lips dry and pale, and her shoulders trembling violently, as if enduring immense humiliation.
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
The young girl looked down at her toes, her voice somewhat hoarse.
Yin Zhong Xiu sighed and then nodded:
"Yes."
"Nine days ago, the Liang father and son personally came to me and explained the entire situation."
"At that time, your mental state was not good, and I was afraid you would have a relapse, so I didn't dare tell you."
The man sighed. He was genuinely afraid that Yin Shui'er would become enraged and faint again.
Even if she hadn't fainted, she would likely have rushed to the Three Divisions to avenge Xu Mu, in which case he would have had to knock her unconscious anyway. It was better not to tell her.
But now she knew, and Wang Jue was sitting not far away. Could his niece hold back?
"I saved so many people, but I couldn't save him," Yin Shui'er raised her head, her slightly red eyes gradually becoming resolute. "I brought him here, and if something happened, it's my responsibility to take care of it."
As she spoke, a faint sheen seemed to condense on Yin Shui'er's body, and even the air around her became moist.
"Don't act rashly. At least... wait until the main family makes a decision."
Yin Zhong Xiu raised his palm expressionlessly, and then a cold aura climbed into the young girl's body.
Yin Shui'er let out a muffled groan, and the water element that was about to erupt from her Golden Core abruptly solidified, as if freezing. In mere seconds, it flowed back, and the river within her Golden Core returned to a calm pool.
He wouldn't let her act.
Yin Shui'er turned her head, her lips moving. She was about to say something but held back, remaining silent. She simply straightened her red robe and sat on her chair:
"I know, I'm not that foolish."
"I'm only at the first stage, and I can't win a fight."
Seeing the young girl like this, Yin Zhong Xiu raised an eyebrow:
"I thought you would argue with me and call me a coward."
"You have no choice. The main family made this demand, and if I act recklessly, my parents will also be implicated."
Yin Shui'er clasped her fingers together, answering distractedly.
"Good."
Seeing that she seemed to have finally matured, Yin Zhong Xiu nodded in surprise.
It seemed that this pampered princess had matured a bit from the life-and-death ordeal in West Mountain.
"Phew..." Seeing Yin Shui'er and Yin Zhong Xiu sit down in silence, Wang Hua and Wang Jue, from their position in the Three Divisions, simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the tension in their minds remained constant.
"No wonder Yin Zhong Xiu was so insistent on apprehending him, even alarming the main family. It turns out that person was indebted to them!"
Wang Jue's face was grim. The trouble he had caused was far greater than he had imagined.
He had been unable to understand why Yin Zhong Xiu was so fixated on a mere stage one ability user.
In such chaotic times, betrayal and self-preservation at the expense of friends were commonplace.
Before the face of death, not everyone could be as self-sacrificing as this governor.
Although Xu Mu was a member of the Demon Slaying Division and his master was powerful, he himself was only a stage one ability user.
Yet, Yin Zhong Xiu, without fear of offending their Wang family, had repeatedly demanded his surrender, even reportedly wanting to act personally, displaying extreme firmness.
Only now did he understand the reason: Xu Mu was Yin Shui'er's benefactor!
"We were also somewhat implicated in the incident in the Imperial City back then, and the Yin family suffered the greatest changes," Wang Hua said with a serious expression. "Yin Zhong Xiu owes them, so he will naturally stand up for Yin Shui'er if she is wronged."
"But the blood coral has already been delivered. We have no reason to be afraid anymore, do we?" Wang Jue, though feeling uneasy, was not overly fearful, as the priceless blood coral was now in the possession of the owner of the Shu Ju Medical Hall.
With that, even if she were angry, she would have to compromise.