My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

The Anzhou army suffered a crushing defeat, and even with Du Tianhao covering their retreat, they suffered countless casualties.

Of the 30,000 troops, only about 5,000 escaped. The survivors were all wounded and almost crippled.

"March at full speed and head straight for Anzhou City."

After defeating the Anzhou army, Anzhou will have no power left to stop the Yunzhou army.

They swept across the land, determined to seize Anzhou as quickly as possible and confront the approaching imperial army.

The remnants of the defeated army marched towards Anzhou City, intending to fight to the death there.

News of the army's defeat quickly reached Anzhou City and spread throughout the entire Anzhou region.

"It's terrible! The Anzhou army has suffered a major defeat, and the Yunzhou army is about to arrive."

"Yunzhou has become a den of evil, and the Yunzhou army is full of the henchmen of evil cultivators. Falling into their hands is worse than death."

"Anju cannot be defended! Everyone, run for your lives!"

"..."

The people lived in constant fear, and some even began to flee Anzhou with their families.

"Damn it, the Anzhou army has been defeated! What are we going to do?"

"The Yunzhou army is attacking; we can't stop them. We must leave immediately."

"We have no choice but to give up on Anzhou."

"..."

Those powerful families and gangs were all terrified and prepared to flee Anzhou.

The Anzhou army was severely wounded and no longer able to fight; those who stayed behind would only face certain death.

The entire city was in turmoil, and some people, in despair, erupted and harmed other people.

"The First and Second Battalions were all mobilized to cooperate with the government in suppressing the chaos in the city. Anyone who committed crimes or tried to take advantage of the situation was executed on the spot."

Li Xuancang ordered his troops to take action to stabilize Anzhou City and prevent it from descending into chaos.

Under the iron-fisted suppression of soldiers and government officials, some nascent signs were quickly nipped in the bud, barely stabilizing the situation.

Li Xuancang did not stop the various forces from leaving. At this point, forcibly keeping people would only trigger a civil war, which would be a loss.

The Pei family was filled with grief, and many people wore mourning clothes.

In this catastrophe, a large number of Pei family members died in battle.

The last Blood Condensation Realm expert, Pei Hongyuan, also succumbed to his injuries and passed away yesterday.

"Master, Grandfather, many people have already begun to evacuate Anzhou City. Should we leave?"

Unable to conceal his inner turmoil, one of the clansmen sought instructions from Pei Hongwen and the old patriarch.

"The roads to other territories have been cut off by Yunzhou. The only way to escape is through the Qilian Mountains, but how can we, with our limited strength, safely pass through the bandit-infested Qilian Mountains?"

Old Master Pei also wanted to escape Anzhou, but they lacked the means to leave.

The Qilian Mountains are the stronghold of the largest martial arts force of the human race. They are unruly, disrespectful of the law, and have no order whatsoever.

They have no power to protect themselves; it's like a child carrying gold through a bustling market—they're courting death.

"The imperial army has not yet withdrawn; we can wait and see for now."

Pei Hongwen was at a loss and could only wait and see.

"Master, recently the gangs in the city have been stirring up trouble, and many people are taking risks. The manor is no longer safe. Could you please request the army to come and guard the manor?"

The unrest in Anzhou City was outwardly suppressed by Li Xuancang, but it was a powder keg, with many forces secretly accumulating power.

The Pei family, a powerful clan with abundant resources but no military force to protect them, has become a prime target for various factions.

Many people have already set their sights on the Pei family.

Strangers have been appearing around the Pei residence recently, clearly looking for an opportunity to make a move.

These people planned to make a quick buck and then disappear.

Upon hearing this, Pei Hongwen and Old Master Pei looked helpless.

At this time, soldiers are of paramount importance and need to guard important locations, but they simply cannot allocate soldiers to guard these locations.

Of all the officials in the imperial court, only the governor's mansion was protected by three hundred soldiers dispatched by Li Xuancang; the others could forget about it.

Not to mention the soldiers, even all the yamen runners are currently under Li Xuancang's command, and they can't even get a share of the yamen runners.

I will find a way to resolve this matter.

Pei Hongwen was at a loss, but he couldn't show it, so he could only ask his clansmen to leave for the time being.

After everyone left, Old Master Pei looked worried.

"Master, do you have any ideas? There are many women in the manor. If those rioters break in, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Life is unpredictable; when would the Pei family have imagined that they would fall to such a state?

Countless servants and guards have died or been injured; their current strength is insufficient even to protect the mansion. How tragic!

"Uncle, I plan to take the family's treasured artifacts to pay my respects to Lord Li and ask him to send troops to guard the area."

This was the only solution Pei Hongwen could think of, but he was also uneasy, unsure whether Li Xuancang would agree.

"Ugh!"

The old man sighed, filled with regret.

"That's all we can do."

The two were filled with remorse and also harbored resentment towards the Marquis of Shang'an Prefecture.

If it weren't for the interference of the Marquis of Anzhou's family, Li Xuancang would have become the son-in-law of the Pei family, and they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

"The Lin family is utterly hateful. If my Pei family survives this calamity, we will make the Lin family pay the price."

Pei Hongwen gritted his teeth, filled with hatred for the Marquis of Anzhou's mansion.

They had already found out that the Marquis of Anzhou's mansion had fled before the rebels made their move, clearly indicating that they had received advance warning that the rebels would take action.

The Lin family didn't even think to inform the Pei family, which is utterly despicable.

Pei Hongwen quickly took the family's treasures and left the mansion under the protection of several family members.

"Guard the gates strictly and do not allow anyone to enter the residence."

With Pei Hongwen and several clansmen gone, the Pei family's defenses were greatly weakened, and everyone in the mansion was constantly in danger.

After Pei Hongwen left, the Pei family members became extremely vigilant, while also harboring considerable resentment.

"If it weren't for Pei Qingyuan, how could our family have fallen to this state?"

"Pei Qingyuan is truly more trouble than she's worth."

"..."

The Pei family suffered heavy losses during this period, with most of its members dying tragically. The surviving members were depressed and extremely irritable.

Pei Qingyuan naturally became the target of everyone's venting of anger, and they constantly criticized her in private.

"Where is Lin Jingyan, whom she so highly regards? He fled from the Marquis of Anzhou's residence without even informing his family. What a wonderful marriage!"

"If it weren't for Lord Li, who had been rejected by her, disregarding past grievances and coming to her rescue, the Pei family would have been finished long ago."

"I don't think Lin Jingyan cares about her at all. He just treats her like a plaything. Who knows how happy he is in the capital right now?"

"..."

The whispers among the crowd quickly reached Pei Qingyuan's ears. She was furious but didn't know how to refute them.

He brought all of this upon himself.

If she hadn't acted on her own initiative, the incident of the Marquis of Anzhou's family forcibly taking the bride wouldn't have happened.

What caused her the most pain was Lin Jingyan's indifference.

Perhaps it is true, as the clansmen say, that Lin Jingyan only treated her as a plaything and had no feelings for her at all.