"We've completed the mission. This is the man's head." The group of cultivators had returned after investigating the entire village. Since they couldn't find anything else, the only thing they could do was to present the head of the Dark Cultivator to Gao Ke so he could officially confirm the mission's completion.
Gao Ke was pleasantly surprised that they had managed to complete the mission in just a few hours. As a result, Gao Ke quickly prepared a scroll and brush to write a formal confirmation. He praised the cultivators for their exemplary work and mentioned that no casualties had occurred on their side. He wanted to demonstrate his genuine appreciation.
The words of praise brought smiles to the faces of the cultivators, and they expressed their satisfaction with Gao Ke's performance. Once the scroll was ready, Gao Ke respectfully handed it to them, saying, "Please accept it, Esteemed Cultivators."
They nodded in acknowledgment and received the scroll. Their senior brother, however, glanced at the severed head and gestured for the others to leave the area.
"Let me thank you with—" Gao Ke began to invite them for a meal or some refreshments, but they declined without hesitation. "No need. We'll be returning right away."
Gao Ke made a wry smile but understood their reasons. He personally saw them off, ensuring the city's safety once again.
As Hao Yu had predicted, the Magistrate summoned Gao Ke after the cultivators had left.
"Gao Ke has seen the Magistrate," Gao Ke respectfully greeted.
"I have heard that the cultivators have returned to their sect," the Magistrate stated.
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Thanks to you, we have managed to avert the crisis without significant losses," the Magistrate commended.
Gao Ke was elated to receive such praise. He knew that this favorable impression with Magistrate Han could be influential if a promotion was in the future.
"In any case, the village's restoration will take a considerable amount of time given its tragic history. I trust you can handle it," the Magistrate inquired.
"Yes, Sir. You can count on me."
"Very well. You may go."
Gao Ke returned to his office, where Hao Yu congratulated him. He recognized that none of this would have been possible without Hao Yu's valuable plans.
Gao Ke patted Hao Yu on the shoulder and commended, "Good work, Hao Yu."
Hao Yu humbly replied, "I don't deserve such praise." However, he had other motives in mind.
Gao Ke, feeling grateful and somewhat indebted to Hao Yu for his assistance, offered him an opportunity. "If you're interested, Hao Yu, I could use your help in restoring the village."
Hao Yu saw this as a chance to be involved in the entire process from beginning to end. He eagerly volunteered, saying, "Certainly, Sir. I'd be happy to help. This will be an opportunity for me to gain experience in dealing with all aspects of such situations, including the aftermath."
Gao Ke was taken aback by Hao Yu's enthusiasm but agreed, "Very well. You can oversee the restoration efforts. If you encounter any difficulties, you can seek guidance from me or Zhang Xin."
"Thank you, Sir," Hao Yu replied gratefully.
Gao Ke encouraged a less formal address, saying, "No need to be so polite. Just call me 'Old Gao,' like the others."
Unbeknownst to Gao Ke, this was precisely what Hao Yu had hoped for. Gao Ke even provided Hao Yu with tokens of authority to mobilize soldiers for the restoration project.
Still, there was another reason why Hao Yu wanted to take this job.
When Hao Yu arrived at the village with tens of soldiers, they could finally witness the brutality with their own eyes.
Just looking at it made their blood boil.
The entire village had been massacred. Not a single person remained alive.
The soldiers checked all the houses, but they could only find a trace of blood splattered on the ground or wall.
After all, the body had been brought to the center of the village. The smell of blood had stopped permeating after a few days, but the rotten smell from the body was sickening.
The soldiers felt like they wanted to puke when seeing the condition of the villagers' bodies. After a few days, their bodies started decomposing, and with how their blood had been drained from their system to enhance the Dark Cultivator's strength, the bodies had almost become unrecognizable.
Hao Yu couldn't help but lower his body, looking at the pile of the body.
As he gazed upon the victims, Hao Yu couldn't help but recall the loss of his own sister. Although he had been fortunate to see her one last time and her body had not been desecrated like this, the sight was still painful. Witnessing the helplessness of the common people fueled his determination to eliminate the cultivators.
"This is the way of the world. Cultivators can look down on the world, while we, the common people, are powerless against them," Hao Yu muttered, clenching his fists.
After a moment of silence for the deceased, Hao Yu turned around as one of the soldiers came to him.
"Sir…" The soldier only called him, indirectly implying that Hao Yu had to give his order.
"We'll be restoring the village. For now, we will bury all the bodies west the village. It's not in the river's direction, so there is no risk of them interfering with each other. Order some of your men to identify them and count the number of the villagers. We'll see if there are still some missing people or not."
"Yes, Sir." The soldier agreed with the arrangement and immediately instructed his subordinates.
As the soldiers carried out their duties, Hao Yu surveyed the village and reconstructed the events in his mind.
After looking at the trace of blood in every house, he realized that the Dark Cultivator killed them in one single blow instead of torturing them for his own entertainment.
During his training in the capital, Hao Yu had read the records of how far the cultivators could do after all. He heard that sometimes the women had to endure something even more painful than death. There were also a lot of tortures from physical to psychological. So, these villagers were quite lucky that they didn't have to go through all that.
Hao Yu also examined the area where the Azure Lotus Sect cultivators had ambushed the Dark Cultivator.
"It's a shame they left so soon. I could have used some tricks to harm them, but I suppose this outcome is acceptable," Hao Yu thought.
Hao Yu let out a long sigh. If he harmed the cultivators from those righteous sects, there were chances that those sects would send more disciples to investigate.
So, if he wasn't careful and got caught by them, it would be the end of him.
Although he was reluctant, he had to agree with his teacher's words.
"Six months… I'm going to endure this hellish and helpless six months. After establishing my identity, I will proceed with my plan," Hao Yu muttered inwardly, becoming even more determined.
Following that, Hao Yu supervised the soldiers as they carried out the restoration projects. The ground was leveled, bloodstains were erased, and buildings were renovated.
The restoration project wasn't delayed due to the physical work but because of the village's grim history. The knowledge of the massacre had discouraged potential villagers.
Hao Yu decided to bring in refugees from other cities to assist with the restoration. These events marked the beginning of Hao Yu's six months of waiting, which he considered hellish. He concealed his true intentions, knowing that the time would come when he could act on his plans.
Gao Ke was obviously pleased with Hao Yu's works. Hao Yu's status was quite high in Gao Ke's eyes, but because most of his achievements had been taken by Gao Ke, Hao Yu didn't look that impressive in other people's eyes.
This created an image of an average guy, which would become the perfect cover since he wouldn't stand out.
Time passed by, and finally six months had passed. That was the time Hao Yu underwent a drastic change.