Castle of Black Iron

Soon after those bounty criminal hunters left, Xu Yian had arrived.

After hearing the report from a guard on the airboat, Zhang Tie invited Xu Yian in. After meeting Zhang Tie once again, Xu Yian immediately knelt down in front of Zhang Tie like a falling mountain and pillar.

"Ahh, what are you doing? Hurry up...stand up" Zhang Tie became stunned as he hurriedly lifted Xu Yian up.

Although Xu Yian was sturdy and tall, he was still one head lower than Cui Li.

Honestly, although he was already an earth knight, Zhang Tie really couldn’t stand seeing anyone kneeling down in front of him except that when his disciples knelt down in front of him to acknowledge him as their master in the opening ceremony of Iron-Dragon Sect.

Among Hua people in Taixia Country, it was a major etiquette for one to kneel down in front of the other by two knees. Even if an average fighter only needed to kneel down by one knee in front of Xuanyuan Emperor. The major etiquette of kneeling down by two knees was only used to sacrifice the heavens and the ground, the master and the parents. Even Xuanyuan Hill couldn’t bear it, not to mention commoners.

Xu Yian looked very complex. Being a bit embarrassed and shameful, he looked like having made a decision. After being pulled up by Zhang Tie, he looked straight into Zhang Tie’s eyes as he plucked his courage and said, "Fire Dragon Hermit, please spare a chance for the young men who have survived the massacre in Xujia Village."

"What do you mean?’

"Those young men who survived in Xujia Village had no relatives now. They are in the ebb of their lives. I have limited ability. If those young men continue to follow me, I’m afraid that their future would be influenced. After knowing that Hermit is the master of Iron-Dragon Sect, this humble man begs Hermit to spare a chance for those young men in Xujia Village..."

Zhang Tie understood Xu Yian’s meaning. All the young men who survived the massacre in Xujia Village had almost lost their families. Even though he was in the airboat, Zhang Tie could still hear the heartful cries of those young men in Xujia Village. It was the first heavy blow that they suffered in their lives. Over one night, they had lost their families and homes. Given the current situation in Xujia Village, even though everything here was dealt with, nobody would like to stay here anymore.

After such a catastrophe, even though under Xu Yian’s leadership, these young men would live a very difficult life in the future. Taixia Country was too large. What a LV 10 strong fighter could do with a group of young men?

When these people were most hopeless, they met Zhang Tie. Xu Yian found a hope at once.

Those young men were in deep grief. They had not considered about their future yet. Neither did they know what Zhang Tie’s appearance meant. However, as Xu Yian had seen the world, he had to seize the opportunity which could change the destiny of those young men in Xujia Village.

Zhang Tie asked Xu Yian calmly, "Do you want me to enroll them as my apprentices?"

"I didn’t mean to offend you. I just beg Hermit to spare a chance for them!"

Xu Yian explained very politely. Although Zhang Tie’ 121 apprentices didn’t have great battle strength, their temperament as disciples from major clans could not be covered at all. It was not so easy for a black iron knight to enroll apprentices, not to mention an earth knight. Honestly, although these young men in Xujia Village were pitiful, they were still far from acknowledging an earth knight as their master from all aspects.

Zhang Tie nodded inside about the polite way of speaking. Only after thinking about it for a short while, Zhang Tie had asked Xu Yian, "Do those young men know what you’re doing? Will they follow your order?"

"Most of the people in Xujia Village surname Xu. Even though some of them don’t have surname Xu, they are also my nephews. I could be their half master. I could determine the affairs in Xujia Village!" Xu Yian immediately became spirited as his eyes flickered when he found that Zhang Tie didn’t refuse him.

"As I have to leave Xujia Village tomorrow. After I leave here, you can exchange the heads of those bloody figures that I’ve killed for gold coins in Xingyu City. After dealing with the affairs in Xujia Village, you take them to Xuantian City, Fire Dragon Prefecture, Northeast Military Region where you could join Iron-Dragon Sect. These young men in Xujia Village will be my outdoor disciples. You will serve as an outdoor deacon of Iron-Dragon Sect and help me look after them. How about that?"

"Thanks, Master!"

Xu Yian changed his appellation of Zhang Tie right away.

Zhang Tie’s answer was much better than that Xu Yian could anticipate. After becoming the outdoor disciples of Iron-Dragon Sect, if some of the disciples in Xujia Village could be outstanding in Iron-Dragon Sect, they would also have a chance to be indoor disciples of Fire Dragon Hermit. If these young men were average in performance, they could easily root in Fire Dragon Bounty Territory or Northeast Military Region with Iron-Dragon Sect and Fire Dragon Hermit as their reliances in the future.

As for Xu Yian himself, he had been deeply convinced by Zhang Tie’s battle strength and moral standing. Now that an earth knight could allow him to be an outdoor deacon of Iron-Dragon Sect, of course, Xu Yian agreed at once. He knew that many people were more qualified than him.

In the evening, Liu Xing and his team members brought back some alive bloody figures. The raging flames were also put out, leaving no sparkles at all. After such a big fire accident, there was almost no complete house in Xujia Village. There was nothing but pitch-dark ruins here when one looked down from the sky.

In the daytime, with the assistance of the rescue force from Xingyu City, all the corpses in Xujia Village had been collected. Many corpses were unidentified. As it was too hot, those collected corpses couldn’t be stored for too long; otherwise, there would be a plague. Being suggested by General Lu, Xu Yian made a decision to dig a huge pit on the hillside of Xujia Village over 300 m away from the grain-sunning ground and buried all the corpses of villagers inside before building a cemetery.

After doing all this, General Lu left Xujia Village by airship with his rescue force from Xingyu City. What happened in Xujia Village shocked the surroundings. Many places were in strict vigilance. When General Lu was in Xujia Village, he had received the order from the superior. Right in this daytime, a company of traveling merchants in the suburb of Pingxian Country over 130 miles away from Xingyu City was robbed. All the 40-odd people were killed. According to the analysis, another team of about 10 bloody figures probably had arrived there. Being afraid that other bloody figures would appear nearby Xingyu City, the superior requested General Lu to encircle and annihilate them with his rescue force...

...

Two bonfires were set on the hillside beside Xujia Village. Those young men who survived this massacre and Zhang Tie’s apprentices were sitting on each side of the two bonfires.

It was the cemetery of Xujia Village nearby the bonfires.

The preliminary grave mound of the cemetery was like a small hill. Later on, Xu Yian would lead those young men who survived the massacre to further complete the building of this cemetery. After leaving Xujia Village, Xu Yian didn’t know when would he come back. Therefore, this cemetery had to be firm and stand over 100 years. Because this was the last spiritual pillar for these young men in Xujia Village to stay alive.

Additionally, there should be a religious ceremony to reassure the souls of the late people. The injured ones needed to be treated. Their relatives and friends outside Xujia Village should be noticed. Not until finishing doing all this could Xu Yian and those young men went to Fire Dragon Bounty Territory for Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie’s disciples were sitting on one side of the bonfires and roasting sweet potatoes. Although there were fleshes on Zhang Tie’s airboat, after experiencing such a massacre, they would vomit the moment they saw meat not to mention eating it; especially for those people who were below LV 9.

Everybody was silent because of sadness or being touched by what happened today. Living in the most powerful human country in such a prosperous age, many Zhang Tie’s apprentices didn’t experience such a tragic situation before. Watching such a tranquil and vigorous village in Taixia Country vanishing overnight in front of them, many people were touched greatly.

Only a few people were whispering around the bonfires.

As it was the alternative period between the summer and autumn, the raging bonfire attracted a lot of fireflies, who were flying around the bonfires. Through the flames, they could even see the wide area of wildflowers on the hillside and the sparkling stars above their head. Although it was a beautiful scenery, nobody felt romatic at all.

Some young men in Xujia Village were even sobbing. On this occasion, even Liu Xing and the other apprentices of Zhang Tie became silent.

The roasted sweet potatoes were almost cooked well while a special sweet fragrance was suffusing in the surroundings. Liu Xing moved forward and fiddled them with a twig before saying, "The most roast sweet potatoes are almost cooked well, junior sister apprentices, you could eat them first..."

Liu Xing was indeed qualified to be Zhang Tie’s first apprentice; especially after completing today’s task with the experience in the Earth-elements Realm at the cost of blood and tears and his instinct. Liu Xing’s performance had won the approval of many people among Zhang Tie’s apprentices. His position as the first apprentice of Fire Dragon Hermit was also consolidated.

After saying that, Liu Xing saw Zhang Tie and Bai Suxian walking towards him, followed by Bai Suxian’s bodyguards. Those bodyguards were holding something. The two bodyguards at the end of the team even lifted two bloody figures who were already crippled...

As the wind blew, Liu Xing sniffed the bloody smell from those items in the hands of those bodyguards behind Zhang Tie immediately...

...