The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Just as the hook-nosed elder’s iron whip was about to strike a vital point on the man in black’s chest—

The man in black suddenly shook his head.

In the next instant, a blade flashed from the man’s scabbard, so brilliant it stunned the elder.

The hook-nosed elder’s pupils widened.

He never imagined he would be killed in a single strike by the young man in black before him.

Before his consciousness faded, he finally understood. The headshake had clearly been saying he was too weak.

The gap between two masters of the same realm could sometimes be greater than that between a man and a dog.

Only this time, he was the dog.

Seeing his greatest protector slain in a single strike, Lu Yao let out a bizarre squeal like a frightened pig.

The other Lu Family masters gasped when they saw this.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they all dashed for the exit.

These men had only remained with the Lu Family because of the hook-nosed elder. Now that he was dead, they saw no reason to stay.

But Lu Yu had no intention of giving them that chance.

He and Bai Yuan had come to the Lu Family with the express purpose of annihilating it.

That’s right. Annihilating his own family.

「Two hours later.」

No one in the Lu Family was left alive. To be precise, only Lu Yu, Lu Shanshan, and a five-year-old child remained.

The hundred-odd children Lu Xiao had worked so hard to sire were all slaughtered by Lu Yu and Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan already held a grudge against the Lu Family, and since he could also earn strengthening points, he naturally threw himself into the task.

What he hadn’t expected was that Lu Yu was his equal in ruthlessness.

Apparently, the illegitimate son hated the Lu Family even more than an outsider like Bai Yuan did.

Lu Yu: "Finally, we’ve purged this filthy place."

Lu Shanshan’s expression was calm.

Although she was a legitimate daughter, she felt little attachment to this place.

This was all thanks to the late General Lu. It was his practice of raising his children like venomous insects in a jar—forcing them to fight until only the strongest survived—that had filled this residence with conspiracy and bloodshed.

She had been forced to face all of it from a young age.

If not for her decent aptitude for martial arts, she might have died long ago at the hands of an older clan member.

Lu Yu: "Let’s go."

He didn’t want to stay in this place for even a moment longer.

Lu Shanshan took the little boy’s hand and followed Lu Yu out of the Lu Family residence.

This little boy was Lu Xiao’s thirty-second child—not counting illegitimate sons like Lu Yu, of course. He was also the Lu Family’s sole remaining legitimate heir.

If all went according to plan, the title of Uncle Yongzhuang would fall to this little boy.

A woman like Lu Shanshan and an illegitimate son like Lu Yu had no right to inherit the title.

That was why they had left the little boy alive.

As for what happened tonight, the blame would naturally fall on the Demon Sect.

Bai Yuan had done this sort of thing often. He was frighteningly skilled at staging a crime scene.

...

「The next day.」

The Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office noticed something amiss at the Lu residence. Upon investigation, they discovered the entire family had been annihilated.

The Prefecture’s Patrol Office investigated for only a few hours before hastily closing the case.

The Lu Family had been ambushed by the Demon Sect; the entire loyal family had died fighting against the demonic incursion.

Prefect Jiang pulled a few strings, and the title of Uncle Yongzhuang passed without dispute to the Lu Family’s sole survivor, the little boy.

Upon hearing the news, Lu Yu and Lu Shanshan rushed from Huanglong Prefecture to escort the new Patriarch back with them.

From then on, the Lu Family vanished completely from Lingzhou City.

The people of Lingzhou City were endlessly lamenting the overnight collapse of a behemoth like the Lu Family.

In an instant, everyone came to fear the Demon Sect like the plague.

...

In a county town in Ling Province.

Inside a city inn, a sturdy middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a bed.

His eyes snapped open.

"Finally recovered."

This was none other than Liang Ziheng, who had been jointly repelled that night by Liu Kanshan, Chunyuan Zhenren, and Yuan Dingcai.

To fight against three of Ling Province’s greatest masters alone was a testament to his immense power.

Now, with the former Prefect’s demotion, Liu Kanshan, as his Staff Officer, could naturally no longer remain in Ling Province. Chunyuan Zhenren had already grown disheartened and returned to Longevity Palace.

As for the Vice Governor of Lingzhou, Yuan Dingcai, he had naturally been given the cold shoulder by the new Prefect and held almost no real authority.

Such were the vicissitudes of official life.

Vice Governor Yuan could only lie low, conserving his strength and waiting for the situation to change.

Liang Ziheng stared at the report in his hands with a strange expression.

He had been seriously injured and recuperating this whole time, yet the Demon Sect’s track record in Ling Province was surprisingly good.

Several sects in Ling Province, including even the Lu Family, had been directly annihilated by the Demon Sect.

As a veteran of the Jianghu, Liang Ziheng of course knew that someone was deliberately framing the Demon Sect. However, these smears were merits in his book, and he was happy to take credit for all of them.

’Merit falls from the sky while I sit at home?’

"Foolish Lingzhou People."

Liang Ziheng snorted coldly.

He had seen far too much of this kind of infighting.

Just then, a figure slipped silently through the room’s window.

"This humble subordinate greets Elder Liang."

Liang Ziheng asked, "Are the men all assembled?"

"They have all gathered outside the city."

"Very good. Then let’s start with this city."

The smile on Liang Ziheng’s lips grew wild.

...

Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

"Lord Jiang, Wanliu County in Qingyang Prefecture has been massacred. There are no survivors."

"..."

Jiang Changping’s face was ashen.

"Those Demon Sect bastards."

Though he was a scholar, he could curse better than many a rough-and-tumble man of the Jianghu.

"Lord Jiang, when our men arrived at Wanliu County, they saw the name ’Liang Ziheng’ written on the city walls."

Jiang Changping’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He was, of course, familiar with the Northern Plains Blood Saber, Liang Ziheng. Back when he was a General, he had led cavalry in pursuit of Liang Ziheng for over a thousand li.

The name of the Northern Plains Blood Saber was infamous.

He already knew that the masters of Ling Province had intercepted Liang Ziheng before he took office, but Liang Ziheng had managed to escape.

Once a master as powerful as Liang Ziheng escaped, finding him again was nearly impossible. It was clear that Liang Ziheng had recovered from his injuries and was now causing this major disturbance.

A city-wide massacre...

Jiang Changping felt as though he had been viciously slapped across the face.

"Have Lord Yuan take some men and track down Liang Ziheng."

He said to the aide beside him.

Ling Province was in need of capable men, and unlike the previous Prefect who was only concerned with infighting, Jiang Changping was not one to let a skilled man like Yuan Dingcai go to waste.

Jiang Changping surpassed the Vice Governor of Lingzhou in every respect—background, martial prowess, and political maneuvering.

If Yuan Dingcai dared to show even a hint of dissent, Jiang Changping wouldn’t hesitate to pin a crime on him and have him executed. After all, he had many friends in the Ministry of Justice and had nothing to fear.

"Lord Jiang, then... what should be done about Wanliu City?"

Jiang Changping’s face was devoid of expression. "Burn it."

As the saying goes, a great plague always follows a great disaster. Once it broke out, tens of thousands would perish, and not even a miracle-working physician could save that many people.

Wanliu City was now littered with corpses. If they were left for even a few more days, a terrible plague would surely erupt, and even more people in Ling Province would die.

In this era, the only way to deal with a plague was quarantine: wait for everyone in the city to die, then burn it to the ground.

Jiang Changping had handled many such incidents before.

With that one sentence, a city would be wiped from the face of the earth.