Blood Rain World, Imperial City.

At an ordinary-looking restaurant, business was excellent. Xu Jingming came to the second floor and ordered a few signature dishes.

Sister Qiu Tong is really a gourmet. The places she recommended are really good. Xu Jingming ate the fish served. The meat was tender, and the natural fragrance of the fish intoxicated him.

Having been here in the capital for so long, this restaurant is ranked first in terms of cooked fish. Xu Jingming gave his praise as he enjoyed the food.

He ate one pastry after another.

He enjoyed the fragrant dessert wine.

“Have you heard? The empire’s western army was defeated! The main force of the army consisted of 500,000 people, and they were all qualified experts. They were completely defeated in one battle… They were pursued by the west’s King Wei’s armored cavalry for hundreds of kilometers. The western army is completely finished.”

“The news spread from the palace today. I heard that His Majesty imprisoned several officials on the spot! The family of the western commander-in-chief, Meng Xu, has been arrested and imprisoned!”

“Yes, the Meng family’s cries shook the heavens in the north end of the city. The Meng family members were all escorted into prison; they didn’t even let the babies off. The Meng family is completely finished.”

Some people in the restaurant were discussing serious matters.

Xu Jingming’s ears pricked up as he was alarmed. The west army suffered a crushing defeat?

As a Blood Rain Guard, he only heard this news when he occasionally went to the South Wing HQ and ate at a restaurant.

The main force of the western army is finished? Xu Jingming immediately realized that something was amiss. The empire’s western region has been corrupted over the years, so it’s already very rare for it to gather an army of 500,000 qualified experts. With this defeat, it spells the loss of the western region.

Once the western region is lost, the rebel army will be able to target the capital!

Everyone used to say that the north and west were corrupted, but there were still imperial troops in the western and northern regions! The western army could at least ensure that the rebels couldn’t threaten the imperial capital.

Once the western region collapses, the northern region will also be in danger, and the southern region can barely maintain itself. Only the eastern region… The eastern region has the best order. The Blood Rain Guard is strong enough, Xu Jingming thought. They should be mobilizing the eastern army to enter the western region.

The restaurant was filled with noise and panic.

“The western region suffered a huge defeat. If the rebels charge into the capital…”

“There are no more armies in the western region to stop the rebels. We have to think of something quick.”

“The imperial capital’s city walls are majestic, and there are also the Blood Rain Guard’s auxiliary troops. It’s not a problem to defend the city.”

“It’s hard to say when it comes to war.”

Those who could eat on the restaurant’s second floor weren’t ordinary commoners. All of them were extremely concerned about the future of the capital because this concerned the fate of themselves and their families.

Xu Jingming finished his meal, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

…

He strolled around some bustling places in the city and also heard other places discussing the western region’s defeat. The capital was only so big, and the breaking news spread throughout the city in a day.

The capital’s situation is getting more and more dangerous. I have to determine my target as soon as possible. Xu Jingming headed to the various candidate targets to take a look.

The Yang family is considered a big family in the capital. At the very least, my team can deal with this tough nut. Xu Jingming came to a street where the Yang family was located. If they were from families like the Shengong family and the Fengyu family, he could only deal with ordinary scions.

Those families were too terrifying—even the emperor didn’t dare to fall out with them.

A second-rate family like the Yang family was the most suitable target. He would slip away after taking a bite! Just one bite would be very satisfactory.

This street belongs to the Yang family. Xu Jingming looked at it. The Yang family estate occupies half of the street. Many residences outside the residence… are the residences of some of the Yang family’s collateral branches, guards, and servants.

He glanced at the residence. How extravagant!

The courtyard walls of the huge residence were half a kilometer long and 30 feet tall. This was the residence of a truly wealthy family in the capital.

Xu Jingming walked past the estate and arrived at some commoner residences.

“Third Qiao! The outside world calls you Third Master Qiao, but you know very well that you’re nothing in the Yang family! Your father, grandfather, and even great-grandfather survived thanks to the Yang family. Your Qiao family has been the Yang family’s dog for generations. How dare you disobey a master’s orders?” A group of people stood in front of a residence, and a middle-aged man shouted angrily, “How dare you!”

In front of the residence, a man in cotton clothes kneeled there with his dead daughter in his arms. His eyes were red. “Butler Bai, you killed my child just because I rejected Second Young Master this morning?”

“A dog deserves death for not listening to its master,” the middle-aged leader replied coldly. “I killed one of your daughters today. If you carry on being disobedient, your two brothers, three sisters, and your mother—your entire family will die!”

“Third Brother.”

“Third Brother.” Others around Third Qiao tugged at him and persuaded him.

Third Qiao gazed at his daughter in his arms with tears in his eyes.

He wanted to risk his life to take revenge! However, there was no hope at all. Moreover, his mother, his siblings, and the children of his siblings… would be implicated by him.

“I understand. I’ll set off with Second Young Master,” Third Qiao whispered.

“That’s right. If you had agreed earlier, this wouldn’t have happened, would it? Speaking of which, you were the one who brought harm to your daughter.” The middle-aged man swept his gaze around and raised his voice. “Don’t think that just because you’ve lived in the capital for a century or two makes you a native! Your ancestors were all under the Yang family! Be obedient and do whatever the Yang family tells you to do. If a dog is disobedient, there’s no need for Master to raise it anymore. They are better off dead!”