Jiang City.
Beneath the bustling city’s surface, an undercurrent was stirring, fueling a series of street protests. The Big Dipper Organization sent personnel to suppress them, but as more and more onlookers joined the crowds, it became difficult to distinguish participants from spectators.
Upon returning to Jiang City, Shen Hong immediately began issuing orders to take control of the situation.
The surging crowds weren’t just targeting the Big Dipper’s Jiang City branch—they were also headed toward the Green Rain Association. Each group seemed to have a clear objective, as if every team had its own mission.
At the entrance of the Big Dipper’s Jiang City branch, over a thousand people had gathered. Among them were civilians who had been paid to show up and curious bystanders, creating a mixed and chaotic scene.
Strangely, however, there was no sign of any organizers. Anyone who tried to apprehend a protester would be swarmed and accused of “bullying civilians instead of dealing with real threats.”
Just as the situation seemed hopeless, three gunshots suddenly rang out from the back of the crowd, followed by a male voice shouting: “The Green Rain Association is assisting the Big Dipper in handling official business. All unrelated personnel, disperse immediately!”
The crowd turned to look and saw a young man standing coldly with a fierce expression—it was Ye Qingyi, whose overwhelming killing intent was palpable.
“Who does this kid think he is? He looks pretty tough.”
“Who cares? We’re just ordinary people. They wouldn’t dare lay a hand on us. Let’s keep going and ignore him.”
“Yeah, we’re civilians, and there are so many of us. Nothing will happen.”
The troublemakers continued causing a disturbance, and only a handful of onlookers left.
Ye Qingyi didn’t waste any more words on them. He said calmly, “These people are disturbing public order and, to some extent, endangering national security. Arrest every single one of them!”
“Yes, sir!” Suddenly, members of the Green Rain Association emerged from all directions, with Tang Hu being the most imposing among them. They began using force to suppress all the protesters and rioters.
“Don’t let the bystanders off either. They’re obstructing official duties. Take them in and teach them a lesson first,” Ye Qingyi added.
With that, he suddenly charged forward, accurately pinpointing an instigator hiding in the crowd, and immediately punched him.
The instigator was also a superhuman—E-class.
After taking Ye Qingyi’s punch, he almost saw his great-grandmother.
“Don’t let a single one escape. Arrest them all. Let’s see who dares to cause trouble after this!”
Seeing the Green Rain Association resorting to force, Xiao Liu, the temporary leader left by Shen Hong, gritted his teeth and said, “Assist them. Arrest everyone.”
Since most of the protesters were ordinary people, the two groups easily managed to control everyone, with many ending up bruised and battered.
At first, some resisted, but when they saw Ye Qingyi single out an instigator and knock him out with one punch in front of everyone, they quickly fell silent.
Xiao Liu approached Ye Qingyi with a serious expression. “Brother Su Mo, isn’t this a bit excessive? They’re just civilians. How can we use force so freely?”
Ye Qingyi said coldly, “Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures. I believe Division Leader Shen would do the same if she were here.”
Xiao Liu was speechless, but as he watched many of the detained individuals bleeding from their injuries, he couldn’t help but worry. “If we’re held accountable for this…”
Ye Qingyi gave him a look of disdain. “I’ll take responsibility.”
“But you’re not even a member of our Jiang City branch,” Xiao Liu said, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
Ye Qingyi had no choice but to take out the Bi Yue Wu token Su Mo had left her. “You should recognize this, right? Now, act immediately. Suppress all protesters and rioters across the city. If one warning isn’t enough, use force directly.”
Although the Twenty-Eight Mansions held extremely high status and could assume a division leader’s authority in times of crisis, Xiao Liu hesitated for a moment before following her orders without another word.
It was clear he just didn’t want to be held responsible.
Soon, not only were the Big Dipper and the Green Rain Association taking action, but the military also joined in.
Similar situations were occurring across the country—it was truly a case of “one stone stirring up a thousand waves.”
And that “one stone” was none other than the members of the Elder Council, who had been apprehended by Shen Hong and Nie Yun.
Somewhere in a secret prison in the capital.
Elder Han glared furiously at Nie Yun, his eyes wide with rage. “Our families have been friends for generations. How dare you betray me!”
Nie Yun sucked on a lollipop, looking completely unfazed. “What does that have to do with me? All I know is that Elder Nangong told me to take you out.”
“So you’ve been working together all along. I’ve been deceived,” Elder Han suddenly laughed self-mockingly. “To think I prided myself on being wise all my life, only to lose my integrity in my old age.”
Nie Yun slurped noisily a few times before saying, “My grandpa told me you weren’t much to begin with.”
Elder Han gritted his teeth. “…Adding insult to injury!”
After sulking for a while, Elder Han suddenly sighed and said to Nie Yun, “Given the generations of friendship between our families, could you at least let me die with clarity?”
Nie Yun tilted her head and thought for a moment. “Like how Elder Nangong came back to life? Or how Yang Jie and I have been working for him all along? Or maybe the ancient tomb…”
“Yes, yes, all of that! I want to die without regrets,” Elder Han nodded eagerly.
After a long pause, Nie Yun finally said softly, “What makes you think you deserve to die without regrets? Besides, I’m young, not stupid. What if something goes wrong and none of you end up dying?”
She said this with immense pride, convinced she was a genius.
“We’ll die, we’ll die…” one elder said weakly, and the others chimed in agreement.
“Do you really think I’m an idiot?!” Nie Yun snapped. Suddenly, a force field appeared in the prison, pressing down on the elders so hard they couldn’t lift their heads. Only a few of the stronger ones managed to hold on.
“Everyone shut up! If anyone delays me from enjoying my lollipop again, I’ll double the force field on them.”
Her ability was force field control, incredibly powerful. The elders immediately fell silent.
They didn’t dare speak loudly, afraid of disturbing those outside the prison.
Meanwhile, in another secret room.
Yang He and Li Guozhong, who had long been secretly “disposed of,” were anxiously worrying about the future of Xia Kingdom when the door to the room suddenly opened.
They exchanged glances. It wasn’t mealtime yet—why would someone come now?
“You’re free to leave,” the visitor said.
Yang He was shocked. “Why? Has Elder Han fallen from power?”
Li Guozhong was equally confused.
The visitor smiled. “That’s right. Elder Nangong has returned, and the Elder Council no longer exists. The capital needs Commander Yang to take charge.”
Hearing that Nangong Xuan was still alive, Yang He breathed a sigh of relief. His worries finally eased. He had never believed the rumors were true, and indeed, they weren’t.
“If Elder Nangong has returned, why does he need me to take charge?”
“Elder Nie said Elder Nangong has gone to catch some rats and won’t be back for a while.”
“Good. I’ll do my utmost!”
A month ago, if Nie Yun hadn’t secretly intervened to save them, they would have already met Yama, the king of hell. At the time, she hadn’t explained why.
Now, it seemed this had all been part of Nangong Xuan’s plan. His goal was likely to let the rebels reveal themselves so he could round them up in one fell swoop.
Alas, after this incident, the Big Dipper’s strength would be significantly reduced again. But at least the cancerous Elder Council had been removed, paving the way for the organization’s future development.