[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete":3,"chapter-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-90":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from the Apocalypse, I Alone Severed Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312472,4518,"Chapter 90: The County Magistrate and the Siege Brawl","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-90",90,"\u003Cp>Inside the county office, the magistrate stood respectfully before a divine statue, dressed in ordinary attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The statue wore a white cloud crown and draped in a pale yellow silk robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its surface was adorned with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, pheasants, ritual vessels, algae, fire, powdered rice, axe, and fu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its face was benevolent, yet radiated an aura of solemn authority without need for anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sat cross-legged upon a Bagua Taiji chair like a dragon coiled and a tiger crouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most peculiarly, the statue was lifelike—not painted in ink-wash style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed utterly out of place among its surroundings, yet strangely harmonious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magistrate felt nothing amiss; he murmured to himself: “Every time this happens, outsiders arrive—utterly clueless about death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even the imperial court dares not interfere, yet these idle wanderers love meddling in such affairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They have no sense of heaven’s height or earth’s depth; their deaths mean nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he has sense enough to leave the county, I’ll let him go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if he’s foolish enough to disrupt the grand sacrifice…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then don’t blame me for showing no mercy—I’ll kill him and offer him as sacrifice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if his noble family comes seeking him, I’ll have justification: he disrupted the ritual first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And by then, I won’t fear them anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not even the Wang, Xie, Huan, or Yu families can touch me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the border between Tongchang County and Shandan County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a forest beside the official road, a dozen shadowy figures lay in ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most wore gray shirts, gray trousers, and Luo hats, wielding clubs and other weapons—clearly retainers of a noble house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One retainer spoke to the leader: “Brother Li, we’ve been waiting here two hours already—where’s the target?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader, Brother Li, dressed the same, except his robe was bluish-brown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li growled: “Xiao Hu, how can you be so unsteady? This is the master’s order—even if we wait a full day and night, we stay here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Hu hurriedly replied: “But it’s so boring! The mountains are full of interesting things, yet we can’t leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li snorted: “You dare defy the master’s command? Stay put—or I’ll tell your uncle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of being reported, Xiao Hu instantly fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Brother Li was displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought to himself: If you weren’t the steward’s nephew, your temperament would never earn you a mission like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you had no connections, I’d have made you clean the latrines long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh… though this mission promises merit, it’s also troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family’s daughter eloping with a retainer has become a laughingstock in Changdu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang patriarch flew into a rage, deploying retainers and agents to block all roads around Changdu’s neighboring counties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also purchased intelligence from Anye Tower to track the Zhang daughter’s whereabouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The border between Tongchang and Shandan counties is precisely where Anye Tower indicated she was most likely to pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, the Zhang patriarch stationed large forces here—hence Brother Li’s view of this as a chance for merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why a lowly retainer like Brother Li knew so much…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because one of his roles was an Anye Tower spy—he naturally understood the inner workings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this mission was not as simple as it seemed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Anye Tower’s intelligence, the Zhang daughter’s elopement partner was indeed a retainer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this retainer was exceptionally capable—he was rumored to have reached the peak of Internal Refinement and Marrow Transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was only in his twenties; with such talent, he should become a Limit-Breaker before thirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marrying the Zhang daughter to him wouldn’t be beneath her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why did the Zhang patriarch make such a fuss?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why publicly shame his own retainer’s status just to force his daughter back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Anye Tower’s intelligence division couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Brother Li pondered this, Xiao Hu suddenly cried out excitedly: “Brother Li! A carriage ahead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li stared hard—and sure enough, a small black dot in the distance was growing larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li patted Xiao Hu’s shoulder: “You’ve got sharp eyes—even from that distance, you spotted it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Hu grinned proudly: “I’ve had good vision since childhood—I can stare straight at the sun. I deserve half the credit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li was speechless. This brat had no shame—he claimed half the credit outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was just being polite—do you really think sharp eyes matter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is there a difference between two hundred zhang and one hundred zhang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re both going to take this road anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it. I won’t argue with this brat—just finish the mission first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along a yellowish dirt road, a figure moved like a ghost, swift as wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each step covered eight to nine meters; his training robe flapped loudly—he outpaced ordinary galloping horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The figure was Fang Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the city, Fang Shi encountered countless houses built along the outskirts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Markets, slaughterhouses, workshops—crowded, bustling, even livelier than the county seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Farmland and irrigation systems stretched out; green wheat sprouted in the fields, brimming with vitality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet all of this had appeared out of nowhere—yet those living here accepted it as normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s heart chilled; he hurried toward the remains of the Corpse Liberation Immortal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought: If the elder granted me his legacy, he wouldn’t deceive me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the elder was long gone, such beings—even with only their remains—held immense power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Wan Shen Cave was gone—vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In its place stood a bustling marketplace teeming with people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Shi’s heart sank; he sprinted toward the official road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had confirmed: two hundred li beyond Tongchang County lay Shandan County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his speed, he’d reach it in roughly two hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to confirm: how vast was this world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before a carriage stood a slender, handsome man in tight-fitting attire, facing over a dozen Zhang retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader, Brother Li, said: “Third Miss, stop hiding. The master misses you deeply after all these days away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slender man replied coldly: “I doubt it’s missing you want—more like skinning me alive and flaying my bones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That old dog Zhang Xuanming—if he truly missed me, why send men to hunt me down? Why not just write a letter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you!” Brother Li roared. “Zhang Cheng, you lowly scum, how dare you insult the master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Zhang family fed you, clothed you, housed you—and you dare abduct the third miss?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng sneered: “If laboring from dawn to dusk for barely enough food counts as kindness, then I have nothing to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li continued yelling: “Lowly scum! Without the Zhang family, you’d have starved to death in the famine. You don’t even thank them for giving you work—you scorn their kindness!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhang Cheng laughed loudly: “What famine? Wasn’t it caused by your Zhang family damming the upstream rivers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such an act of unspeakable cruelty—and you still call it kindness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Li, not merely a retainer, knew the truth behind the famine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cause: Changdu suffered frequent floods; under the former governor’s initiative, regional noble houses jointly built a dam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took an entire generation to complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once built, the dam should have stored water during floods and released it during droughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Zhang clan patriarch developed another plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eight years ago, during drought, he deliberately withheld water—triggering famine downstream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, such a sin against heaven would be blocked by the government and other noble houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Zhang family succeeded anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The consequences were devastating: countless fields turned barren, taxes unchanged, famine arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family and other noble houses seized the land of ruined farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng was among those who lost everything that year—his hatred was unsurprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Brother Li clung to his role: “You lying dog! Don’t spread false tales—the famine was a natural disaster. The Zhang family showed mercy by taking in your ruined families.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he bowed respectfully toward Changdu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet you, ungrateful wretch, betray the Zhang family—you deserve death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Brother Li signaled his men with a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A chorus of insults erupted from the other retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their words were so elegant, their rhetoric so splendid—they painted a magnificent blue dragon across Zhang Cheng’s forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: two fists can’t fight four hands; in insults, one mouth can’t match many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng tried to respond several times, but each time the retainer across from him drowned out his voice with a loud shout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fists clenched tightly; if not for his injuries, how could a mere dozen or so untrained retainers possibly hold him back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I need to find an opportunity to kill that leader first—the one in the dark brown-green robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, while they’re in chaos, carve out a path to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng instantly drew the large knife hanging at his waist and slashed toward Li Ge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ge had been watching Zhang Cheng closely; seeing him draw his blade, he shouted: “Everyone, charge! This lowly creature is wounded—don’t be afraid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, he led the charge forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their leader move, the retainers roared and rushed in as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The iron-made great knife struck the ironwood staff—and failed to cut through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade got stuck halfway, slowing his withdrawal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just that one strike, Li Ge was certain: the rumor of Zhang Cheng’s severe injuries was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhang Cheng had been at full strength, this blow alone would have shattered at least half the staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, after a few exchanges, Li Ge feigned defeat, was knocked to the ground, and rolled aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Zhang Cheng moved to pursue, the other retainers surged forward, raining down clubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no choice, Zhang Cheng had to defend himself to avoid injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, both sides became locked in close combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no great disparity in raw strength, even Zhang Cheng’s martial training could not break through effectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were one-on-one, Zhang Cheng could kill each retainer in two or three strikes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, many against one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time he tried to press his advantage, to land a killing blow, the other retainers’ attacks forced him back, compelling him to defend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he finished defending, the retainer who had been on the defensive rejoined the fray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repeating this cycle, Zhang Cheng exhausted himself without landing a single effective kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the encirclement been wider, allowing more than six to attack at once,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And had Zhang Cheng not used his footwork to fight while retreating, he would have been beaten to death long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it! Zhang Cheng thought inwardly—Li Ge, the leader, is no ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first strike, though not at his peak strength, still carried seven-tenths of his power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that speed, any ordinary internal cultivator should have been unable to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Ge caught it outright, foiling Zhang Cheng’s escape plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a man with such strength be nothing more than a lowly retainer supervisor in the Zhang household?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng couldn’t figure it out—and didn’t have time to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He focused entirely on finding openings in the retainers’ formation; he refused to believe these untrained men could coordinate flawlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could seize just one chance, they would collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the retainers had never trained together, two of them struck their clubs together during an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of surrounding Zhang Cheng effectively, their defense opened wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng swung his great knife—cutting off one retainer’s arm, spurting hot blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without prompt treatment, he would bleed to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The impact of this strike was enormous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The retainers had been attacking Zhang Cheng only because of their numerical advantage, their morale high and fearless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they saw blood—especially such a grievous wound, an amputated arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their morale plummeted instantly; their strikes lost power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Cheng seized the moment, cutting down the nearest few; the remaining retainers, sensing the tide had turned, began to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ge suddenly emerged from nowhere and struck Zhang Cheng’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden club slammed into Zhang Cheng’s back; his throat turned sweet, his strength faltering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blow that should have killed a retainer was now easily blocked by the panicked man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ge shouted: “He’s done! Attack! Reward five strings of cash for injuring him, one hundred strings for killing him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he spoke, the remaining retainers’ breathing grew heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they were Zhang household retainers, their annual income was only five strings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Injuring Zhang Cheng meant a full year’s pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who wouldn’t be tempted? And what if it was me who killed him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s twenty years’ income.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t fools—they could see Zhang Cheng was truly spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasping, weak, the chance to earn silver was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clever Xiao Hu, who had been hiding behind shouting encouragement, now felt the lure of the reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He no longer held back—he stepped forward, eager to land the final blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just two or three steps in, Xiao Hu suddenly noticed a figure approaching swiftly along the distant official road—the distance closing rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ge, a skilled fighter is coming this way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ge, startled by Xiao Hu’s warning, froze. A skilled fighter? Is he ours—or Zhang Cheng’s?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please, let there be no unexpected turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he followed Xiao Hu’s pointing finger, he was horrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A skilled fighter? This is no fighter—this is monstrous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a professional spy, Li Ge possessed certain professional skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man moved at the speed of a galloping horse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each step covered at least three zhang—could this be achieved by martial skill alone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was clearly a cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>",2243,"2026-06-20T12:43:33.559Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","99145efa86c5a84dce0899c3ce57b5cdf04f2e3d2de4ede8d55ce2d4b34cb282","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-91","starting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-chapter-89",109,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-the-apocalypse-i-alone-severed-ete-cover.jpg"]