Acting?

The cultivators who had stopped the trio were a bit shocked, to say the least upon seeing their reactions. They had not expected three grown men to act like this. Then they noticed their disheveled appearances and got a better grasp on their identity.

"You are… Young Master Shirong!" One of the guards recognized.

"Yes, yes… that's me," Shirong said while stuttering.

"What happened? You all just went out in the morning and it only been twelve hours…" Another guard asked.

"Dead… they're all dead…" Ye Dai said in a crestfallen tone.

"WHAT!" The guards collectively exclaimed.

When the trio of Shirong, Ye Dai and Bei Wen had arrived, only two of the guards had seen them and had listened to their cries. But even then they had not paid proper attention as they were more focused on whether they were intruders or something.