"There are people." Suddenly, Chu Feng cast a sharp gaze into the distance.
Sure enough, several figures were hurtling toward them from afar.
Upon seeing these people, Chu Feng and Liu Xiaoli immediately hurried over to meet them.
Because every last one of them was a member of the Red Butterfly Association.
Though none of them possessed particularly strong cultivation — not a single one of the Association's presiding elders was among them.
"Association Master, Lord Chu Feng, you've finally returned! Our Red Butterfly Association has suffered a catastrophe!!!"
The moment they laid eyes on Chu Feng and Liu Xiaoli, each of them burst into bitter tears.
"A catastrophe? Our Red Butterfly Association was perfectly fine — how could it have suffered a catastrophe?" Liu Xiaoli asked.
"Don't panic. Tell us what happened. Who did this — do you know?" Chu Feng asked.
"We do." The one at the front nodded repeatedly. Despite being an elder who had lived for over a thousand years, he was now crying so hard that tears and snot streamed down his face, his lips trembling without cease.
It was clear that whatever had happened that day had been truly horrific. The Red Butterfly Association must have suffered devastating losses, or he would not be this grief-stricken.
"Was it the Luyang Pavilion?!" Chu Feng asked. In his mind, the only force that would dare strike at the Red Butterfly Association was the Luyang Pavilion — and they were by far the most likely suspect.
"No." The man shook his head.
"Then who was it?" Upon learning it wasn't the Luyang Pavilion, Chu Feng's expression shifted. He couldn't fathom who else could — or would — annihilate the Red Butterfly Association, let alone had the strength to do so.
"It was Liangchen Manor," the Red Butterfly Association members said in unison.
"Liangchen Manor?!" Liu Xiaoli was stunned by this answer, and immediately asked, "Why would Liangchen Manor attack our Red Butterfly Association out of nowhere? We've never had any grievances with them!"
"We don't know either. That day, the Manor Lord of Liangchen Manor personally led their army here, and without a word, began slaughtering our people."
"Not only were our members massacred, but every innocent citizen in that city was killed as well. Not a single one was left alive," the man at the front said.
"All of them were killed? What about Elder Liu Chengkun?" Chu Feng pressed. Even he, who was usually so composed, had grown visibly tense.
Of all the people in the Red Butterfly Association, the one Chu Feng cared about most — the one he was most concerned for — was none other than Liu Chengkun.
"Elder Liu… he… he was killed too!!!" the man said through his sobs.
"What?!" At these words, both Chu Feng and Liu Xiaoli's faces turned ashen.
"Are you certain? Certain that Elder Liu and the others were killed?" Chu Feng asked again, unwilling — desperately unwilling — to believe that Liu Chengkun was truly dead.
"Lord Chu Feng, we are certain, because we saw it with our own eyes — all of the elders were killed."
"They not only killed the elders, but they took the elders' bodies away as well. They didn't even leave us the chance to bury them." As these words were spoken, the surviving members of the Red Butterfly Association cried even harder.
"Elder Liu and the others were all killed — so how is it that you're still alive?" Chu Feng was deeply puzzled. In terms of strength, the Association's presiding elders were far superior to these people. If they had been present that day, there was no reason they should have survived.
No matter what the enemy's reasons were, if they had slaughtered even the innocent civilians, they wouldn't have left any Red Butterfly Association members alive — unless…
"We don't know why they didn't kill us either." The survivors all shook their heads, then with a thud, dropped to their knees before Liu Xiaoli. "Association Master, your subordinates were incompetent. We failed to protect the Red Butterfly Association's headquarters. Please punish us, Association Master."