After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 178 Murong
For a moment, both inside and outside the carriage fell silent!
Hu Ruian's expression shifted constantly, while Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong looked completely bewildered.

At this moment, all three of them were filled with doubts.

It's really hard to understand. Since Li Musheng didn't make a move, why did the ghosts from the Jinwei branch office who killed so many people that day let them go?
Could it be that something really delayed you?
At this moment, Li Musheng looked at Hu Ruian, who had clearly become worried again, and stroked his chin, saying:
"If you ask me, that ghost is probably a self-aware ghost, knowing that there is a master like me here, so it doesn't dare to show its face."

After all, in Li Musheng's view, unless that ghost was a real ghost, he could have slapped it away with one hand.

Upon hearing this, Hu Ruian thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up.

However, before he could speak, Wu Shang outside the carriage said happily:

“What Your Highness says is indeed reasonable. Apart from the fact that the ghost is afraid of Your Highness and dares not make a move, I really can’t think of any other more reasonable reason.”

Cheng Zhong, who was sitting next to them, nodded in agreement. Shen Anran and Murong Xiaoya, who were inside the carriage, looked bewildered and quickly asked what the group was talking about.
So Hu Ruian gave a brief explanation of the cause and effect of the matter.

Upon hearing this, Shen Anran suddenly realized why her cousin had insisted on taking her place.
Murong Xiaoya seemed somewhat afraid of ghosts and spirits, and immediately shrank back, not daring to ask or say anything more.

Just then, Hu Ruian suddenly sighed again and said:

"However, I am still a little worried. There is no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days, only to be a thief for a thousand days."

"That demon dared not make a move today because it was afraid of Your Highness, but we cannot stay by Your Highness's side forever. If Your Highness is not around, we don't know if that demon will still continue to attack us?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Shang and the other man, who had been beaming with joy, froze.

He immediately turned back with a hint of resentment, and had to admit that Hu Ruian's words were quite a killjoy.

Before the two could even recover from their terrifying experience with the ghosts, the other person immediately poured cold water on their hopes.

At this moment, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow slightly. Hu Ruian's words were not without reason. However, he quickly waved his hand and said:

"It's alright. You won't be staying in this city for long before you have to set off. Do you think that ghost can follow you all the way to Luoshen Peak?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Ruian's expression shifted, and he pondered for a moment before saying:
"It seems that's really the case. The ghost story is clearly closely related to the Tianjin Guard branch office. The ghost has stayed in the office the whole time and has never left. If we leave the city, it probably won't follow us."

"As long as we stay by His Highness's side while we are in the city, that ghost will not dare to make a move, so there is no need to worry too much about it."

Outside the carriage, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong exchanged a glance, and their previously anxious hearts immediately relaxed considerably.

However, the ups and downs in their emotions really gave the two of them a hard time.

So they immediately dared not listen any longer, fearing that Hu Ruian might suddenly say "but" again, giving the two of them a rude awakening.

The carriage continued its journey, and after about half an hour, it grew dark, and the group was getting closer and closer to the Murong residence.

As Cao Gaoshan rode ahead, he looked up and could vaguely see flames shooting into the sky in the direction of the Murong Mansion, which stood out conspicuously in the twilight.

On the empty street, the wheels rolled forward. After turning a corner, a pungent smell of blood mixed with the scorching smoke of gunpowder suddenly wafted towards us in the night wind.

Looking around, the entire long street was covered in shattered paving stones, exposing the dark soil beneath. Half of the shops and houses on both sides of the street had collapsed. Cao Gaoshan's expression immediately turned serious. He led the carriage forward, stumbling along the muddy path, occasionally spotting scattered corpses lying on the side of the street.

Finally, the group arrived at a huge ruin. However, before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, Murong Xiaoya rushed out in a panic and ran towards the ruins in front of her.

Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong jumped to the ground, looking at the scene before them with surprise and uncertainty. Then, Hu Ruian and the other two also got off the carriage.

In the dim twilight, a tattered piece of clothing, strewn with sparks, drifted down from mid-air; the once towering walls of the Murong family had long since turned into broken bricks and tiles.

Hu Ruian's expression was solemn. He remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at Li Musheng beside him and said:

"The Murong family has fallen."

Li Musheng remained silent, his eyes reflecting the flames in the ruins. He shook his head, then walked straight across the broken threshold towards the Murong residence before him.

Seeing this, Shen Anran quickly followed, while Hu Ruian slowly glanced around.

From the burning bonfires of the nearby ruins came the neighing of dying warhorses. Dozens of armored soldiers remained in a slashing stance, their mangled hand bones hanging from the gaps in their shields, their bodies gradually charring in the fire.

Hu Ruian and Wu Shang exchanged glances and remained silent before heading towards the Murong residence.

As they ventured deeper, the scenes they witnessed became increasingly horrific.

Corpses floated like duckweed among the waterside pavilions and corridors. The bodies of martial arts masters hung upside down on iron hooks on the eaves, still dripping blood. Corpses floated in the murky pond.

Above some ruins, toxic smoke lingered, enveloping the dark blue-purple corpses of soldiers, which were melting into liquid at a visible speed.

These corpses all came from the Murong family and the four major clans.

As they traveled, Hu Ruian and his group encountered almost no survivors. In just over half a day, the once-renowned first martial arts family of Shengzhou was completely destroyed, with the death toll on both sides estimated to be in the thousands.

Before long, Hu Ruian and his group stopped in front of the gate of a Murong family ancestral hall. This was the only well-preserved building of the Murong family that they had seen along the way.

Most of the courtyard wall of the ancestral hall is damaged. Looking through the broken wall, you can see a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree standing in front of the ancestral hall.

However, the ginkgo tree that used to take several people to encircle has now become a tree of corpses. The women of the Murong family hang their clothes among the branches, and arrow feathers are visible under the blood-stained silk. The sound of blood dripping can be clearly heard in the night.

Shen Anran turned her head away, unable to bear looking at her.

Just then, a five-story clock tower in the distance collapsed amidst the flames, and a bronze bell hanging from it fell to the ground, smashing onto the pile of corpses below and kicking up a cloud of blood dust several feet high.

The loud noise echoed through the silent ruins, causing several already crumbling houses to collapse and startling a flock of foraging vultures into flight.

At this moment, Hu Ruian and others stepped over a section of crumbling wall and entered the inner courtyard of the ancestral hall.

(End of this chapter)