Surprisingly, Gao Ke and Zhang Xin were already preparing their horses outside the building when Hao Yu and An Lei returned.
Seeing them, Gao Ke immediately waved his hand and inquired, "We'll be going to observe the situation. Can both of you ride a horse?"
Hao Yu and An Lei responded simultaneously, "Yes, Sir."
"Excellent. Mount those two horses and follow me. I assume you've heard the details from the scholar; brief me on the way," Gao Ke instructed.
"Yes, Sir," Hao Yu acknowledged, eager to get going. He couldn't afford to waste any time, given the potential danger to the village.
Accompanied by a few soldiers, the four of them set out toward the village to the south. However, they had to halt their progress along the way due to soldiers blocking the area.
Gao Ke furrowed his brow and brought out a token, calling out, "I am South Administrator Gao Ke. Who is in charge here?"
A soldier stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Li Su reporting, Sir."
Gao Ke inquired, "What's the situation here? Any developments?"
Li Su responded with a grave expression, "The situation is dire, Sir. Please follow me." He motioned for Gao Ke to accompany him as they headed west, where they found a tall tree.
"Would Sir like to take a look?" Li Su asked, indicating the tree.
Gao Ke considered it briefly and glanced at Zhang Xin and the others. However, he noticed something unusual in Hao Yu's demeanor. Although Hao Yu appeared curious, there was a hint of something more beneath his calm exterior.
Gao Ke asked, "Hao Yu, can you climb?"
"Yes, Sir. I've had some practice; I can manage," Hao Yu replied confidently.
"Follow me, then," Gao Ke said, seizing a rope attached to the top of the tree and starting to climb. Since none of them were cultivators, they had to rely on manual climbing.
Hao Yu followed closely behind Gao Ke as they ascended the tree. Two soldiers stationed at the top handed a golden cylinder to Gao Ke. This device was a telescope, one of the mortal world's technological advancements, allowing them to view distant objects akin to the sharp vision of cultivators.
Gao Ke peered through the telescope and observed the village in the distance. Trusting that Li Su had brought them far enough away not to be detected, he focused on assessing the situation. As Hao Yu observed Gao Ke's reactions, he realized that something was terribly wrong. The administrator's face displayed shock, disbelief, and anger.
After some time, Gao Ke handed the telescope to Hao Yu with a troubled expression, cautioning, "Take a look, but don't be startled."
Hao Yu lowered the telescope after a brief inspection, his expression mirroring his horror. He had just witnessed a gruesome scene that defied belief.
There was a man standing in the center of the village. The man's appearance matched the description the scholar gave them earlier.
But the thing that shocked Hao Yu the most was the poles that had been planted to make a circle. Each pole had a sharp tip. If it was a normal weapon, Gao Ke might not look that troubled. But each pole actually impaled a person's head.
The blood was flowing down the pole. This cultivator used the blood to draw a circle on the ground.
Even though the cultivator was standing inside the circle, it seemed that he was drawing something. There was also a pile of bodies gathered in the center of the circle.
While Gao Ke expected Hao Yu to be shocked and repulsed, he noticed a controlled anger in the young man's demeanor.
Gao Ke asked, "Have you seen it?"
Hao Yu's anger surged as he looked upon the horrific scene. The cultivator had massacred every person in the village, sparing no one, not even the elderly or children.
Just looking at it made his blood boil. His fist had been clenching tightly, wanting to kill this cultivator.
Though he yearned to confront the cultivator, Hao Yu hesitated. Acting recklessly could jeopardize his life and his mission to eradicate the cultivators.
And this was the first time he did it by himself, so his confidence was also pretty low.
While he contemplated his options, Hao Yu realized that he needed to buy some time from Gao Ke. He decided to use this moment to push the administrator towards action.
During that time, Hao Yu was thinking about what kind of plan could work against Gao Ke.
After another minute, Hao Yu came up with a plan. Hao Yu looked troubled as he finally lowered the telescope.
"You need to calm down. This—" Gao Ke approached Hao Yu, trying to comfort him. He wanted to use this chance to teach Hao Yu that doing something reckless would just kill him.
But Hao Yu turned the situation around when he looked at Gao Ke with a horrified expression.
"Administrator Gao… this is not good." Hao Yu looked as if he had just seen ghosts.
"I know. So, you—" Gao Ke, thinking that Hao Yu was traumatized by the gruesome scene, moved closer to comfort him and provide a valuable lesson on the consequences of reckless action.
However, Hao Yu interrupted him, revealing his true intentions. "It took me some time to discern it, but during my training in the capital city, I encountered records related to this."
"Records related to what?" Gao Ke became puzzled. It was true that the sight was peculiar, but it seemed that the situation was more complicated than he originally thought.
"I'm sure that Administrator Gao is aware of the four types of cultivators, right?"
"Of course. Normal Cultivator, Body Cultivator, Dark Cultivator, and Rogue Cultivator."
"I'm afraid that this one is Dark Cultivator. I have seen the pattern of the circle. It resembles a pattern that belongs to the Blood Madness Cult."
"Blood Madness Cult?!" Gao Ke seemed to be shocked. He looked down and began muttering, "Blood Madness Cult is known for its extreme way of cultivating. They are using the blood of people or cultivators to become stronger. But this cult should have been suppressed by the righteous sects…"
"Administrator Gao, this situation is dire," Hao Yu emphasized. "There's a real possibility this cultivator will enter the city. If that happens..."
Gao Ke shuddered at the thought. While a single cultivator might not destroy the city, such an event would result in significant loss of life. Moreover, the South District, being primarily residential, would be the primary target.
Hao Yu looked at Gao Ke's expression, thinking he just needed one more push. He said, "If such a thing happens, not only will a lot of people lose their lives, but the entire city can collapse.
"With the loss of those many lives, the economy in the city will be disturbed greatly. The merchant will also reconsider their visit to this city. Those who are left behind will have a lot of problems and might sell themselves to the red light district. All those changes will result in a catastrophic situation for the city. If we can manage this situation, people will undoubtedly be grateful to Administrator Gao."
Gao Ke's body trembled again, but this time, there was a mix of excitement in his response. However, dealing with a cultivator of this caliber required great caution, as they couldn't predict the cultivator's actions.
"You are still too reckless." Gao Ke's rationality seemed to be winning this time, but Hao Yu actually raised one finger. "Before you decide that, please hear my thoughts."
Gao Ke believed there was no problem if he was just listening to his opinion.
Hao Yu further presented his plan to Gao Ke, who found it surprisingly convincing, to the point where his rationality was challenged by the opportunity at hand.
After a moment, Gao Ke made a decision. Time was of the essence. He descended from the tree, and Hao Yu followed suit, the young man hiding a small smile that no one could see, having achieved his goal.