Today, the Cao Mansion was ablaze with lights and bustling with noise.
For today was the fiftieth birthday celebration of the Cao family head.
The Cao family, as Luoshui County's foremost clan, naturally saw its Family Head's fiftieth birthday as an occasion filled with distinguished guests.
Not to mention, this Family Head of the Cao family had fathered a fine son, Cao Rong.
Considering that Cao Rong had reached the peak of Martial Arts Seventh Grade in his early thirties, who would dare not to pay respects to the father of Cao Rong, the Cao Family Head?
Should Cao Rong advance further in Martial Arts, and his official position likewise, he will instantly become an unattainable figure, rising to stand on par with a Seventh Grade County Lord.
Military power, likewise, is real power.
On this joyous day for the Cao Family Head,
dozens of men had already silently emerged in an alley not far from Cao Mansion.
It was already night, darkness had fallen.
From the distant surface of the lake, there came flashes of lightning and the sound of wind mixed with rain.
Such natural preeminence concealed the slight noise made by these men.
And the cover of dark clouds made the moonlight fainter, the night darker.
"Commander Jiang, do we need to go in?" asked a square-faced middle-aged man standing beside Jiang Ning.
This man was the second-in-command of the City Guard Army, tonight tasked with leading men to cooperate with Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning said, "No need! I ask Vice Officer Liu to dispatch men to help me surround Cao Mansion and ensure not a single person escapes."
"I'll do my best," replied the square-faced middle-aged man.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning nodded slightly, then turned to look at the three team leaders behind him.
Xie Xiaojiu, Ruan Hongmei, Feng Jiuge.
The members brought by these three totaled about thirty.
Although normally, the members of the Patrol Guard were all Martial Arts Ninth Grade, among the twenty-seven Patrol Guards present, there were also those of Martial Arts Eighth Grade.
This force, together with the peak of Martial Arts Eighth Grade strength of Xie Xiaojiu, Ruan Hongmei, and Feng Jiuge,
would not be taken lightly by any power in Luoshui County.
Let alone, there was Jiang Ning, even more powerful and of higher status, overlooking the operation.
But even with such strength, Jiang Ning dared not be the slightest bit careless.
Because according to the intelligence from Hong Minghu, the Cao family was in secret collusion with the God Worship Sect, even being one of its strongholds.
This news made Jiang Ning take the matter with utmost seriousness.
As for the true strength of the God Worship Sect, he did not know.
But he had witnessed the strangeness and strength of Shi Xiaoyuan's transformation.
Not only did strength and speed surge, but his body was nigh indestructible.
And this was merely Shi Xiaoyuan at Martial Arts Eighth Grade.
If Shi Xiaoyuan was , then how powerful would a Seventh Grade Martial Artist blessed by the deities of the God Worship Sect be?
Anything connected to deities must not be underestimated.
Naturally, Jiang Ning took this mission very seriously.
The so-called Martial Arts Seventh Grade of the Cao family was not worth mentioning; he could handle it.
After all, it was the domain of those who were aged and declining.
But it was the members of the God Worship Sect that he truly feared.
"Sir, should we make our move now?" asked Feng Jiuge, as he noticed Jiang Ning standing motionless.
Jiang Ning raised his hand, "Wait a moment!"
He looked up at the clouds behind Cao Mansion.
The downpour had already spread from the Luoshui River toward Luoshui County.
This was the second heavy rain in several months.
And this rain was also by Jiang Ning's own design.
In water, his strength would increase exponentially.
Rain, too, was water.
the dark clouds spreading towards Luoshui County reached the sky above Cao Mansion, and pouring rain came down at an angle.
The entire Cao Mansion was instantly enveloped in the torrential rain.
Numerous torches were extinguished in an instant.
"Take action!" Jiang Ning waved his hand.
he led the team out of the alley.
Dozens of people burst forth instantaneously.
Vice Officer Liu put two fingers to his mouth, and with a piercing whistle that echoed to the heavens,
a large number of men who had already been lurking in the vicinity poured out seamlessly.
"Who goes there?" demanded the four Martial Artists guarding the gates of Cao Mansion, as they saw Jiang Ning and his men appear, immediately becoming alert.
In the Cao Mansion's backyard,
"Retreat! Retreat at once!!" The Cao family head, who had just disappeared from the banquet, now appeared in the backyard.
Just moments before, they had received a message from the outside world.
The Inspection Office was going to take action against the Cao family, and it was already known that a God Worship Sect stronghold was within Cao Mansion.
Upon learning this information, the Cao family head was greatly alarmed.
Then he quickly took several core family members and quietly left the banquet.
Beneath the sudden, torrential downpour, important members of the Cao household gathered in the backyard.
Then they opened the entrance to an underground passage.
This tunnel led directly out of the city.
It was an escape route left behind by several generations of the Cao family.
Upon learning of the Inspection Office's actions, they knew there was no turning back.
Hong Minghu was known for his fierce and domineering character.
The God Worship Sect was the prime target of the Inspection Office.
Now, the Inspection Office in Luoshui County certainly needed a figure to assert their authority on.
With the Cao family standing in their sights, how could they fare well?
Having understood this, the Cao family head did not hesitate, merely notifying some important members of the Cao family to gather in the backyard and flee through the tunnel.
As for the others, they were left outside to delay the footsteps of Jiang Ning and his team.
The entrance to the tunnel had already been opened, and with the fall of the rain,
several young members of the Cao clan, whether bewildered, confused, or aware of some reasons and therefore fearful...