Early the next morning, inside the headquarters of the Great Xia Military Department, the atmosphere was heavy to the extreme. Military Chief Yu Xiao stood before a massive electronic screen, his brows knitted tightly, a look of unprecedented gravity flashing in his eyes. The satellite imagery on the screen clearly showed that the powerful figures of the outer realm Asura Temple were still tightly surrounding several key strongholds of Great Xia, showing not the slightest sign of retreat. At that moment, the ringing of a vibrating phone on the desk broke this oppressive silence.
"Hello, I am Yu Xiao." Yu Xiao answered the call, his voice low and powerful.
From the other end of the line came a cold female voice, devoid of the slightest emotional fluctuation: "Military Chief Yu, hello! I am Qianji, head of intelligence for the Asura Temple. Regarding your repeated requests to contact our Temple Master, our Temple Master is currently busy and inconvenient for direct communication with you, but our Temple Master has words to convey to the Great Xia Military Department."
A chill went through Yu Xiao's heart; he knew that what followed would determine the future trajectory of relations between Great Xia and the Asura Temple. "Please speak."
"Our Temple Master states that the Asura Temple has no intention of making an enemy of the Great Xia Military Department, but the Fu Family of Nanjiang City, Great Xia, along with certain individuals in Nanjiang City, attempted to bully the wife and daughter of our Temple Master, and have already been placed on the Asura Temple's must-kill list. Five days from now, not a single soul in the Fu Family shall be left alive. Over the coming period, certain families in Nanjiang City, Great Xia, will be purged by our Asura Temple. At the same time, our Temple Master emphasizes that since its founding, the Asura Temple has done nothing to let down Great Xia. Yet, our Master's wife and young miss have suffered humiliation in Great Xia, and Great Xia must give our Asura Temple an explanation. If the Great Xia Military Department intervenes in this matter, the Asura Temple will treat it as a declaration of war against Great Xia. If anyone else interferes in the affairs of the Fu Family, the Asura Temple will likewise annihilate them, regardless of identity or status."
Qianji's voice was calm and resolute, every word striking Yu Xiao's heart like a heavy hammer before the call was abruptly disconnected.
Qianji's words struck Yu Xiao's heart like a heavy hammer. Deep inside, he was consumed by violent rage—how dared a mere Fu Family of Nanjiang bully the wife and daughter of the Asura God? Furthermore, Qianji's words were also telling the Great Xia Military Department that the Asura God was currently in Great Xia, right in Nanjiang City! At that moment, an intelligence officer hurried in to report: "Chief Military Officer! Our intelligence division has discovered that over the past few days, personnel from the outer realm have been successively infiltrating Great Xia through various channels, and their ultimate destination all points to the southern region of Great Xia—Nanjiang City!"
Yu Xiao instantly grew tense and anxiously asked, "Have you investigated the origins of these people? What is their purpose in coming to Great Xia?"
The intelligence officer replied, "According to our intelligence system, the other parties all come from the outer realm Asura Temple, and their purpose in coming to Great Xia is currently unknown. Reporting to Chief Military Officer, should we notify the Southern Military Department and have them prepare to intercept?"
Hearing that the intelligence officer wanted to block them, and recalling Qianji's words just moments before, Yu Xiao couldn't help but shudder with a cold sweat! Enraged instantly, he grabbed the intelligence officer by the collar and unleashed a brutal beating upon him, roaring as he struck: "Intercept? Intercept my ass! Is your head stuffed with shit?! You don't know the situation, yet you want to offer me ideas to scare me to death? I'll beat you to death!"
Miserable cries echoed from the military chief's office from time to time. Ten minutes later, the intelligence officer emerged from the office with a pair of panda eyes, limping and cursing a blue streak in his heart. He couldn't figure out why he had merely come in to report intelligence normally, only to end up in such a miserable state.
Having finished venting, Yu Xiao sat back down in his executive chair. He knew full well that this storm had far exceeded his expectations and control. He had to immediately report this news to higher-level policy-makers and formulate a response strategy as quickly as possible. Thinking of this, he picked up a dedicated desk phone in his office and pressed the call button.
Once the call connected, Yu Xiao rapidly reported the current situation. A voice of an elderly man came through the phone: "In recent years on the outer realm battlefield, the Asura Temple has saved the Great Xia Military Department from peril on several occasions. Moreover, intelligence shows that almost all members of the Asura Temple are people who walked out from our Great Xia. Pass down this order: from now on, members of the Asura Temple entering Great Xia do not need to be monitored. Additionally, starting today, order the Southern Military Department to comprehensively blockade Nanjiang City under the guise of military exercises, allowing only entry and no exit, but they must not intervene in the affairs of Nanjiang City. Have the intelligence department quickly investigate precisely who the Fu Family has offended, ascertain the identities of the Asura God and his wife and daughter as soon as possible, ensure their safety within the borders of Great Xia, and classify their identities as top secret, not to be disclosed to anyone."
With that, the elder on the other end hung up the phone.
Yu Xiao hung up the phone with a complex mixture of emotions. The elder's instructions left him feeling conflicted: on one hand, he was told to lower his guard against the people of the Asura Temple; on the other hand, he had to blockade Nanjiang City while being barred from intervening in the Fu Family's affairs. He understood that the higher-ups were likely trying to balance the relationship between Great Xia and the Asura Temple while avoiding unnecessary conflict.
He took a deep breath and immediately issued his orders: "Transmit the Military Department's command at once: the Southern Military Department is to comprehensively blockade Nanjiang City under the pretext of military exercises, allowing only entry and no exit. Contact the Mayor of Nanjiang City: over the next few days, no matter how major an event occurs in Nanjiang City, administrative officials at all levels in Nanjiang City must not intervene, especially regarding matters concerning the Fu Family. If anyone meddles, deal with them severely. Also, issue a clarification regarding the Southern Military Department's exercise so as not to cause public panic. At the same time, the intelligence department must go all out to investigate the detailed background of the Fu Family and uncover the root cause of their conflict with the Asura Temple. Furthermore, ensure the safety of the Asura Temple's Master's wife and young miss within the borders of Great Xia without the slightest mishap. This matter is of utmost importance; no information related to it may be leaked without my permission."
After issuing the orders, Yu Xiao contacted the garrison commander in Nanjiang City, instructing them to maintain a low profile while executing the blockade and to do their utmost to avoid causing panic among the city's residents.
In Nanjiang City, Mayor Cheng Hui felt a flutter of anxiety upon receiving the orders from Kyoto. Knowing the severity of the situation—capable of prompting a direct directive from Kyoto—he did not dare to slack off in the slightest. He immediately summoned the heads of all departments, conveyed Kyoto's orders, and demanded strict execution without any defiance. At the same time, he arranged for personnel to comfort the citizens, explaining that the Southern Military Department's exercise was a normal military activity and would not cause a major impact on their lives. Even so, the residents still sensed an unusual atmosphere in the air.
Meanwhile, the Fu Family appeared exceptionally relaxed. In their view, this military exercise by the Southern Military Department was truly heaven helping the Fu Family. Because their prodigy son, Fu Beichen, had taken this opportunity to lead a company of his subordinates into the Fu Family estate, informing them that this exercise was merely routine and that nothing major was happening. Furthermore, the complete blockade of Nanjiang City—allowing only entry and no exit—meant that the fellow surnamed Qin who wanted to take Su Wanwan and their bastard child and secretly flee Nanjiang City would find it utterly impossible. Since he dared to openly provoke the Fu Family right here in Nanjiang City, he could just wait for the Fu Family's frantic revenge!
Yet within the Fu Family courtyard, the eldest young master of the Fu Family, Fu Beiting, still had no idea that he had courted a catastrophic disaster. He remained immersed in his own desires, obsessed with Su Wanwan.
"Su Wanwan, you bitch, just wait for me. Once my Fu Family disposes of that trash husband of yours, I will surely have Su Wanwan, that bitch, right in front of that trash husband of yours, and then snuff out that little bastard. I'll let that wild man surnamed Qin know the consequences of offending my Fu Family," Fu Beiting said viciously.