Ink panel: Hunting the sun and surveying the sky from the bow.

Chapter 325: The Rebellion-Suppression Meeting

The lobby of the county government office was filled with noise.

Many officials and martial artists from Yongzhou arrived one after another.

Shen Qing was also among them. He followed everyone and walked steadily into the lobby.

After entering the lobby, he looked up and saw various officials in official uniforms, some standing and some sitting, with different expressions, but none of them could hide the uneasiness and anxiety in their hearts.

The two people standing first were County Magistrate Dou Wenxi and County Supervisor Yan Xushou.

Their expressions were similar to those of the other officials. Both of them had solemn faces, as if covered with dark clouds, and no expression at all.

"Everyone is almost here, let's get started."

County Magistrate Dou Wenxi waved his hand, and the attendants standing outside the hall received the order and quietly retreated.

The door slammed shut.

The noise of discussion in the hall gradually died down.

Shen Qing stepped forward, and thanks to his prestige in Yongzhou City, nearby officials offered their seats to him one by one and flattered him.

He did not hesitate and sat down immediately, looking at the County Magistrate Dou Wenxi and the County Supervisor Yan Xushou, waiting for the next words.

County Magistrate Dou Wenxi said in a clear voice: "I think everyone already knows why we gathered everyone together?"

"Is it for the pacification meeting that is about to begin?"

County Magistrate Dou Wenxi nodded and said seriously: "Yes, it is because of this matter."

In the crowd, Shen Qing frowned slightly.

He vaguely remembered Huangfu Rou talking about the so-called "Quan Luan Hui". It was said that this method was thought up by the imperial court in order to consume the martial arts masters in the world, and it was intended to make martial arts masters in the world fight each other.

But this was all hearsay from others, and he only had a vague understanding of the matter.

Shen Qing stood up, and his eyes swept through the crowd, finally fixing on Dou Wenxi and Yan Xushou. He clasped his fists and asked, "There are many things I don't understand about the so-called Quelling Rebellion Society. I wonder if you two can help me clear up my confusion. I found that some of my younger colleagues don't know much about these things either."

"I really know very little about the Society for the Suppression of Rebellion. I hope you can enlighten me so that I can know more."

"I hope you can help me solve this puzzle."

Some weak officials were shy and saw that everyone was discussing it enthusiastically. They were embarrassed to ask such a "well-known" question and embarrass themselves. Seeing that Shen Qing took the initiative to raise the question, they all agreed.

County Magistrate Dou Wenxi said calmly, "Lord Shen is right. We should tell everyone about this matter."

He pondered for a while and said, "The history of the Jingluan Society is actually very long."

"Everyone knows that as martial artists of my generation advance through realms, their life spans will increase. The Qi Hai realm can increase lifespan by ten years, the Yu Luo realm can increase lifespan by fifty years, and even the Ling Xu realm can increase lifespan by three hundred years."

"After the founding of the Great Zhou, the government was stable and there was a lot of work to be done. This was not a big deal, but as time went on, many of the founding ministers who had lived for a long time never died and controlled the government. The power struggle among the ministers in the court became more and more intense, almost shaking the foundation of the country."

"The Ji family's ancestor then proposed to set up a pacification association to resolve disputes." "At the beginning, the pacification association was held in a place far away from the world, with the intention of allowing all forces to determine who is superior and who is inferior without affecting the stability of the court. At first, it was just to resolve individual disputes, but over time, it gradually formed the scale it is today. The winners of the pacification association can receive rewards from the court and be promoted to higher positions."

"When the dead naturally stop everything, they give up their place."

Dou Wenxi said: "Although the name of the Peace Society is 'Peace Society', it is actually one of the strategies of the court to select talents and balance the forces of all parties. Every sixty years, tens of thousands of martial artists gather together, and only a hundred people can survive and stand out. These hundred people will receive generous rewards and high positions granted by the court according to their military achievements."

A young official took the initiative to step forward and said, "So, the pacification meeting is an opportunity for us? Isn't this a good thing?"

"Hmph, good news?" Yan Xushou snorted and added, "Just imagine that among tens of thousands of martial artists, only a hundred survived. How cruel is that? Do you think it would be you, or someone like me who has no background? The children of noble families have protectors, magic weapons and elixirs, but what do we have except our lives? Do you think we can still compete for the top hundred? It's not a death sentence if we go in?"

Another older official sighed and said, "In fact, everyone knows that this is a strategy of the court to exhaust the lower-level martial artists. Because of this, every time a meeting to quell the rebellion is held, people are always in a panic."

After these words, the hall fell into a brief silence.

They didn't hear anything else, but they did hear one thing.

That is what this so-called pacification will mean to them, a sure death.

Dou Wenxi glanced at the people in front of him and said helplessly: "Also, I have already found out everything about this meeting to quell the rebellion. The reason why we were all recruited is closely related to the Xue family."

"Xue family? What's our relationship with the Xue family? We didn't provoke them, did we?"

"Everyone, don't forget that the third young master of the Xue family died in Yongzhou not long ago! The whereabouts of the murderer are still unknown. The Xue family took their anger out on us and reported us to the list of the Society for the Suppression of Rebellion."

A martial artist said in bewilderment and indignation, "Ah, we were not aware of the death of Third Master Xue, and we were not involved in it."

County Supervisor Yan Xushou shook his head and said, "Whether we know or not is not important. What's important is that we have been involved in this turmoil, and it will be difficult to get out of it."

Some officials were very excited and said angrily: "Although we hold official positions and have some accomplishments, we are just like ants in the Society for the Suppression of Rebellion. We work diligently and wholeheartedly for the court, but in the end we still have to die and become stepping stones for those powerful people!"

"This Xue family is simply lawless, taking revenge on private interests!"

"It's absolutely true that they are seeking revenge for personal gain." County Magistrate Dou Wenxi said, "It is rumored that the Xue family will send many protectors to participate in the pacification meeting this time to pave the way for their eldest son. I'm afraid they are coming for us."

In the hall, there were cries of grief one after another.

There were also people who said nothing, but if you looked closely, you would see that they clenched their fists, their nails almost embedded in their palms, and they were not calm inside.

County Magistrate Dou Wenxi and County Supervisor Yan Xushou looked at each other and smiled bitterly, their eyes full of helplessness and despair.

They never imagined that one day they would become stepping stones for others.

Shen Qing took in everyone's expressions, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.

From what he heard, it seemed that the reason why all these people in Yongzhou were recruited into the Quelling Rebellion Society was related to his killing of Xue Yan.

Shen Qing was speechless for a moment.

The Xue family would rather kill the wrong person than let him go!
Because the murderer could not be found, all possible martial artists and officials in Yongzhou were "killed" together.

(End of this chapter)