Within the Library, a firework suddenly exploded in front of Chu Xisheng's eyes.
For some reason, his character panel had once again changed.
The "Ninth Grade Under (Real)" in the reputation column changed to "Ninth Grade Under (Solid)."
His Martial Arts Points also rose from "11" to "16."
If the earlier points could be explained, this time it was completely inexplicable.
However, Chu Xisheng had no time to ponder these matters as he was currently fleeing for his life.
Just after the "earthquake" inside the building, a group of masked individuals had suddenly burst in.
They were also dressed in Inner Sect disciples' attire, but their combat prowess was extraordinary, quickly cutting down several Martial Arts Instructors before they could react.
Everyone present had scattered in all directions. Chu Xisheng, quick to seize the moment, was the first to dash up to the fourth floor via an alternative staircase.
As Chu Xisheng ran, he frantically searched around for a safe hiding spot.
His eyes suddenly lit up as he accelerated and dashed towards a bookshelf in the corner of the hallway.
With a few quick steps up the shelves, Chu Xisheng leaped onto a beam.
The fourth floor was divided into rooms of various sizes by wooden walls, yet the beams above were continuous and unbroken.
Walking carefully along the beam, Chu Xisheng tried to keep his movements silent, stirring up as little dust as possible.
He was only troubled by the footprints he left behind, racking his brain in vain.
This meant that if those assailants climbed up, they would surely discover his traces.
Soon, Chu Xisheng found a concealed dead corner, but as he approached, he realized someone was already there.
It was a girl about his age, her hair styled meticulously in a lily bun. Her features were beautiful, with a delicate nose and a large, charming pair of eyes. She had a lily-shaped gem ornament at her brow.
She, too, was dressed in an Inner Sect disciple's green garb, though modified to be more form-fitting with lily and peony patterns at the collar and lapels.
Her slender legs swung freely from the beam, giving her a relaxed, picturesque, and playful appearance.
Chu Xisheng was slightly surprised, thinking to himself that there was actually such a beauty among the newly inducted Inner Sect disciples of the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall?
However, he hadn't spent more than five days in the academy over the past three months, so he didn't recognize many people.
Smiling amicably, Chu Xisheng said to her, "I didn't know Junior Sister was hiding here too. Mind if I join?"
The lily girl eyed him briefly before casually waving her hand, signaling her indifference.
Chu Xisheng's expression turned serious, as he saw that her hand's gesture had wiped away all his footprints on the beam with a subtle breeze.
Was that magic she just used?
This girl seemed to be a dual cultivator of Magic and Martial Arts? And her sorcerer rank was at least Eighth Rank.
Chu Xisheng looked at the lily girl in amazement, wondering if she was truly an Inner Sect disciple.
He quickly dismissed thoughts about her identity, shifting his focus back to the ground below with a grave expression.
Through the beam, he could see streams of people surging from the three staircases.
Those people were his fellow disciples.
Most were pale and anxious, being herded by twenty-odd fierce men and women armed with knives and swords, entering one by one under heavy supervision.
Though these assailants didn't start killing, their threats and actions were very violent. Any disobedience was met with vicious beatings, causing bloody injuries.
Two people who only glanced around furtively were beaten to a bloody pulp and collapsed on the floor.
The assailants forcefully drove the crowd into various rooms and ordered all disciples to pull down heavy books from the shelves and start flipping through them.
Chu Xisheng's eyes filled with confusion.
Their actions perplexed him.
What were they trying to find? Could it be related to the "Vengeance Map?"
Although Chu Yunyun had been secretive, her words implied that the Vengeance Map held an enormous secret.
This secret could potentially enable Chu Yunyun to reclaim everything she had lost.
At this moment, a young man in the third room on the left suddenly stood up with a thick book, filled with joy.
"I found it! There's a character 'Mu' behind this line of text. It must be Qin Muge's personal annotation."
The nearby assailants were alerted. A young man with a scar, holding a tiger-head broadsword and wearing a black eye patch, strode over immediately.
He snatched the book and flipped through it, his expression turning disappointed in a moment.
Clearly, the book didn't contain what he was looking for.
"Indeed, it's Qin Muge's annotation! Release him."
The one-eyed young man, with his hand on the knife, coldly and brutally scanned the Martial Arts Academy disciples in the room: "Keep searching! Only those who find Qin Muge's annotations and notes can leave this library unscathed today. Those who can't find them, don't expect to live!"
All the young disciples turned ashen and trembled in fear.
Upon hearing this, Chu Xisheng, from the beam, raised an eyebrow with a strange look.
It turned out today's disaster stemmed from his cheap sister.
"That's the Blood Wind Gang under Blood Wind Sword Li Daogui."
The lily girl had somehow moved to his side, looking down with a cold smile: "They must be here for the supposedly non-existent Rebellious God Flag."
Chu Xisheng's nose was suddenly filled with a faint fragrance, feeling that the girl was a bit too close.
He thought for a moment and wrote a few words in the dust on the beam: "Rebellious God Flag? What is that?"
The lotus girl was quite talkative; she played with her sideburns and braids, giving a sarcastic smile, "A legendary treasure that can reverse fate and steal the creation of heaven and earth. It's said that War God Burial Sky and Yu Gong both once had it, using it to rebel against the heavens. Many speculate that this Rebellious God Flag is now in the hands of Dominating Martial King Qin Muge.
But I have been in this library for more than ten days, searching from top to bottom, and found nothing. There's nothing here that they want."
Chu Xisheng's face twitched slightly; the information revealed in the girl's words was astounding.
It seemed she was not a regular Inner Sect disciple either.
He wrote another line: "What is your illustrious surname, and where do you hail from?"
The girl laughed easily, "My surname is Lu, just an ordinary Inner Sect disciple, not worthy of being called a master."
At that moment, Chu Xisheng suddenly felt a sense of alertness and looked at a window not far away.
As he looked over, a paper crane enveloped in yellow spirit light suddenly flew in from outside the window.
What was strange was that although there were guards at every window on that floor, no one noticed the paper crane; they seemed to ignore and be deaf to it.
After the paper crane flew in, it flapped its wings first, then circled around the beam at the top for a while before gliding agilely to hover in front of Chu Xisheng.
Was this paper crane meant for him?
Chu Xisheng looked confused and puzzled. He hesitated slightly but decided to take the paper crane in his hand.
It turned out to be a letter. When Chu Xisheng unfolded the paper crane, he saw several lines of small characters written in thin strokes on both sides of the yellow paper.
Chu Xisheng first looked at the signature, which was a bright red official seal. The seal was inscribed with nine neat characters - Xiushui County Jinyi Thousand Households Cao Xuan!
After seeing this, Chu Xisheng felt both solemn and puzzled.
How did this Jinyi Thousand Households know him?
What was the purpose of this person using a talisman to contact him?
Chu Xisheng calmed his mind and read the words on the talisman paper word by word.
The letter first briefly introduced the situation, then appealed to his sense of justice, hoping he could stand up for the cause and work with the Police Pool of Blood, to kill the Eighth Rank sorcerer of the Blood Wind Gang, and help the court eliminate this group of wicked thieves.
If Chu Xisheng agreed, he could leave a message on this talisman paper. The people of the Police Pool of Blood would launch a coordinated assault from the outside, creating an opportunity for him.
Once successful, the Xiushui County Thousand Households promised a great reward.
What caught Chu Xisheng's attention was that at the end of the letter, there was a subtle mention of the travel permits and household registrations of the two siblings.
In ancient times, any person traveling beyond a hundred miles from their place of residence needed a travel permit issued by the local government, or they would be punished by law.
Daning had strict control over household registrations, conducting inspections every three years, matching household records with the population to help the court manage the region and collect head taxes.
People without proper household registrations not only would be punished as runaway households but also could not join any Martial Arts Academy, engage in business, enlist in the military, or participate in imperial examinations.
Three months ago, the two settled in Xiushui County and had to buy travel permits from the black market.
The real Chu Xisheng and Chu Yunyun were a family that had moved from East State Taishan County and were killed by bandits.
Their travel permits were left behind and bought by the two 'siblings' to use as proof of settling in Xiushui County.
The girl also leaned her head over to look at Chu Xisheng's letter.
Chu Xisheng tried to hide it several times to no avail. After all, the space on the beam was limited, and he didn't dare to make too much commotion.
This girl was also completely shameless, nearly pressing her whole body against him. Her strength was also tremendous; she forcefully pulled back Chu Xisheng's arm with one hand.
Helpless, Chu Xisheng had no choice but to let her be.
Fortunately, after reading the letter, the girl retreated with a clicking sound, "This Li Daogui's methods are indeed remarkable. The Police Pool of Blood must have been brought to a dead end by him to seek help from a disciple who hasn't even reached the second level of Nourishing Essence Skill. Also, your household registration seems to have issues? This is the usual method of the Police Pool of Blood, using both threats and inducements. They now use courtesy before force. If they can't entice you, they will use power to coerce you, making you unable to refuse and forcing you to risk your life for them."
Chu Xisheng's face became uncertain.
His weakness was truly pinched by that Cao person.
He couldn't easily abandon his current identity, as it would mean that their three months of effort at Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall would go to waste. They had to find other ways to pursue the Pure Yang Secret Technique.
Also, the Vengeance Map - after all their hard work, they were just one step away from this map hiding great secrets.
Chu Xisheng took a deep breath and calmed his mind.
He once again looked down below the beam while observing the situation and watching the illusory screen in his eyes.
Risking his life was out of the question, but he still wanted to see the situation and then make a choice.
With the system's help, he might still have a chance.
Chu Xisheng looked around, and his gaze finally settled on a man.
Most of the thugs carried weapons, but only this man had a Peach Wood Sword on his back and a few talismans on his body.
It was clear from one look that he was their sorcerer, as sorcery disliked metal. Sorcerers didn't carry any metal until they reached the Seventh Rank in cultivation.
But no matter how Chu Xisheng looked at it, he felt something was off about this man.
The man's build was too strong. Even in a wide disciple's robe, his chest muscles were still noticeable.
"The person you're looking at is not their sorcerer. This man's identity is actually a Seventh Rank Martial Cultivator. They are very cunning; the real sorcerer has always been hidden among those students."
While speaking, the lotus girl snatched the letter talisman from Chu Xisheng's hand.
She forcibly grabbed Chu Xisheng's finger and bit it.
The girl had immense strength, and Chu Xisheng couldn't resist at all. He was in a daze, "What are you doing?"
"Of course, it's about acting chivalrous and eliminating evil!" the lotus girl laughed while responding and quickly wrote several lines on the letter talisman using Chu Xisheng's hand.