24 Chapter 24: There Must Be a Demon When Things Are Abnormal

Liang Sheng's Mansion.

On the night of the fire near the Liang Family Main Mansion, the sounds of gongs and drums, and shouts of rescue efforts, were unceasing due to the fire.

Liang Sheng didn't sleep well that night. He came out of the secret room to check the situation and, after some deliberation, quietly returned to his room.

With such a commotion going on, it was only expected that Ma San would come to look for him. If he wasn't in his room, there might be trouble.

Of course, he could have just stayed in the secret chamber, but he needed Ma San to disappear from this world.

Though even raising a dog could bring some attachment, let alone a loyal servant who had followed him for decades. Though Liang Sheng was not a good person, he had his own bottom line.

As expected, after he hadn't laid down for long, there came a knock on the door, and Ma San's words made Liang Sheng somewhat grateful for his decision to return to the room.

"Master, the main family has sent someone to take you to the Ancestral Hall. They say that the Ancestor has left his seclusion and is summoning everyone in the family!"

Liang Sheng immediately responded, hastily put on his clothes, and opened the door to find Ma San and a guard from the main family standing there.

"Master Sheng."

The guard was not too respectful, but Liang Sheng didn't mind, following them without any hesitation.

Liang Sheng's promptness had a simple reason: the guard's strength was only at the Second Level of the Post-Natal Realm, and if there was any problem with them, he could easily kill them halfway and then flee.

If there was no problem with them, but he didn't dare go to the Liang Family Ancestral Hall, things might get dangerous.

Thankfully, there were no problems with the guard, and they rushed with Liang Sheng to the Liang Family Ancestral Hall at the fastest speed possible.

On the way, not only Liang Sheng but also other younger generation members of the Liang Family were hurrying towards the main mansion.

However, during the journey, Liang Sheng saw countless people still carrying water to put out the fire and couldn't help but feel shocked: the Liang Family appeared to have suffered severe losses this time.

When they arrived at the Ancestral Hall, the atmosphere inside was extremely solemn. He found a remote corner and stood there motionless.

In front of the ancestor tablets, not only was Liang Ying present, but also the Liang Family Ancestor and another person who hadn't appeared for a long time: Liang Ping.

However, when Liang Sheng saw him, his emotions remained calm. When all the younger generations had gathered, the Liang Family Ancestor, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

At the same time, the gate of the Ancestral Hall slammed shut with a clang.

"Last night, someone provoked our Liang Family, burned down countless of our shops, and brutally slapped our faces in front of the people of Jinzhou. What should we do next?"

The Liang Family Ancestor's voice was calm, but everyone could feel the anger contained within it. At this moment, the Patriarch Liang Ying stood up abruptly.

"Of course, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Those who violate the Liang Family shall die!"

At these words, Liang Sheng stood in the corner, surrounded by the young disciples of the Liang Family who were instantly stirred up by Liang Ying's words.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Those who violate the Liang Family shall die!"

The Liang Family Ancestor looked at the scene with satisfaction, knowing that the valiant spirit of the men in their family was still present: the arsonist last night must die!

Then, Liang Ying began to assign tasks according to the strengths of the family's younger generation. As for Liang Sheng, he had long been disregarded by everyone.

If it wasn't for him already being an "old man of the Liang Family", they probably wouldn't have bothered to call him there today. After all, what use could a waste, who had stayed in the Second Level of the Post-Natal Realm for decades, have?

Liang Sheng was happy to be carefree, not interacting with anyone. When the gathering ended, he immediately returned to his mansion.

Upon returning home, Liang Sheng immediately had Ma San close the doors and turn away any visitors. The situation in Jinzhou City was much worse than he had previously thought.

Initially, the Liang and Wu Families joined forces with the County Government Office to eradicate the Gao Family, and the Liang Family Ancestor did not reveal himself openly. Now, however, he has decided to appear in person to instill confidence in the Liang Family's younger generation.

Why would that be?

There's only one explanation for this situation: the hidden enemies possess an incredible amount of strength, so much so that even the Liang Family is uncertain of their chances.

The events that transpired over the next two months confirmed Liang Sheng's speculation.

Not only the Liang Family, but the Wu Family also dispatched nearly all of their forces to coordinate with the County Government Office in capturing the mastermind behind the scenes.

Despite their efforts, however, Jinzhou City was still plagued by problems everywhere and even Shengde Building was under attack.

Fortunately, Old Duan and his men were already dispersed by those sent by Liang Sheng, allowing Shengde Building to escape damages and casualties by temporarily ceasing operations.

Not only Shengde Building, but almost no businesses within Jinzhou City were able to survive during this period.

It was only when things had reached this point that the County Government Office realized that the Lifeless Sect was planning to cut off the livelihood of Jinzhou City – an exceptionally sinister plot.

Additionally, due to the policy of only allowing entry and not exit from Jinzhou City, it became increasingly difficult for outside food and living supplies to enter. And compared to Jinzhou City's vast population, these supplies were a drop in the ocean.

At a time when Jinzhou City was thrown into complete chaos, the Lifeless Sect struck again, and both the Liang and Wu Families were repeatedly attacked, with casualties on both sides.

Even the County Lord died within his own mansion. This time, a fifth-grade lotus mark was deliberately left by the Lifeless Sect at the scene of the murder.

With their profound background, the Liang and Wu Families naturally understood the clear implication behind the mark: the mastermind behind the scenes could no longer hide itself – it had to be the Lifeless Sect.

At that time, both Liang Ying and Wu Chang angrily sought out County Lord Xia Zhiqiu. However, after Lord Xia spoke to them, the two families unexpectedly continued to cooperate with the County Government Office.

They did, however, retract a significant portion of their forces and became less intimately coordinated with the County Government Office, unlike before.

But chaos had already begun within Jinzhou City. After all, nearly all grain shops suffered losses, and the people of the city were unable to make ends meet.

Under these circumstances, countless citizens took to the streets, kneeling in front of the County Government Office, begging the officials to lift the city closure order.

Because if they were not allowed to leave the city, they would starve to death. However, under these circumstances, the County Government Office still did not respond.

If any citizens were to become violent, they would be met with the strong suppression from the County Government Office. For a short while, the entire Jinzhou City was like a powder keg, on the verge of exploding at any moment.

In such an environment, Liang Sheng was even more afraid to leave his house. His stockpile could last half a year, and he had been paying close attention to the city's movements as well as sending Ma San and others back home.

He didn't have time to worry about them anymore, and under these circumstances, the children of the great families were more likely to be attacked whereas ordinary people were safer – letting them leave was actually a better way to protect them.

He even felt a bit relieved that the mastermind had not come to bother him; little did he know that it was because of his past kindness to Hongzhi that he survived the ordeal.

However, during this time, without the burden of Ma San and others, he hid in the secret room behind the artificial hill – finding him would be difficult.

He thought that under the pressure of Jinzhou City's citizens, the city gates would be opened, and then he could take advantage of the chaos to leave the city as soon as possible.

As for how the Liang Family would react to this, he didn't care, since they were already struggling to survive. How could they care about him now?

But the reality turned out to be completely the opposite – The stubborn attitude of Jinzhou County Government Office, combined with the previous losses suffered by the Liang and Wu Families, who were still willing to cooperate with the Government Office, left him puzzled.

Why would the County Government Office act so recklessly? By doing so, aren't they tilting the scale of victory in favor of the mastermind?

If something is out of the ordinary, there must be a demon at work!

Liang Sheng suspected that the County Government Office must have a backup plan. After much deliberation, he eventually decided it was best to remain calm and observe the situation for a while longer.

𝑭ew days later, Jinzhou City descended into chaos!