“Ma Guniang, we also want—no, the three of us are also willing to follow Ma Guniang into the Demon Suppression Division, explore the Four Provinces secret realms, and achieve the Great Dao as soon as possible!”
Lyu Dongfang was thick-skinned, and knowing that Ma Guniang was not a tyrannical or bloodthirsty person, he immediately acted with supreme wit. He pulled Hu Manni and Liu Guansheng down with him, and with a loud thud, the three of them knelt.
“Look, dealing with mundane matters is a hassle. If you don't mind, and if you're short on runners or someone to serve tea... what do you think of the three of us?”
Hearing the words “serve tea,” Hongluo, who was sitting beside Nan Zhi, shot them an indignant look.
Lyu Dongfang was completely undeterred.
The elders in his family always said that while he might look like a bit of a fool normally, his ability to seize an opportunity was second to none.
The path to heaven was laid out right before him; who would be stupid enough to push it away?
“Oh, so it's the boy who came seeking medicine.”
Ma Guniang finally shifted some of her attention to the three of them, appearing to recall their identities. After a moment, she let out a light chuckle.
“You are indeed earnest. However, my Demon Suppression Division does not take just anyone. If you are interested, you may work under Qin Yue and cultivate diligently. If you perform meritorious service in the future, I may consider it.”
As she spoke, she waved her sleeve again, and three pills slowly descended toward them.
“Thank you, Ma Guniang! I will surely give my all, go through fire and water, and never betray your trust!”
“Thank you, Ma Guniang!”
Lyu Dongfang and Liu Guansheng had originally expected to be rejected, so this unexpected pleasant surprise left them overjoyed. they hurried to catch the pills and tucked them away carefully.
Having witnessed the power of these pills in the secret realm, they naturally knew these were life-saving medicines.
Although they weren't on the same level as Qin Yue yet, they had at least secured a promise, hadn't they?
Hu Manni held her pill, but she suddenly pursed her lips uncomfortably, hesitating to speak.
Ma Guniang’s gaze shifted toward her, carrying a hint of pressure.
“What is it? You've been silent this whole time, little girl. Could it be that you are unwilling?”
The pressure was immense.
“No, please let me explain, Senior.”
Hu Manni gripped the pill and said hurriedly, “I cannot deceive you, Senior Ma. My Ma family and the Hu family are closely linked; we share both honor and disgrace. Currently, the Fox Immortal enshrined by our family elders has already... already joined the service of the Mountain Lord of Qingmeng Mountain.”
“Naturally, I am a thousand times, ten thousand times willing to join the Demon Suppression Division, but I just don't know...”
She didn't know the relationship between the Demon Suppression Division and the Mountain Lord, but she understood that if she took this pill today without telling the truth, there would likely be endless trouble later.
A flash of realization crossed Qin Yue's eyes.
Lyu Dongfang and Liu Guansheng, who had been grinning foolishly, now had their mouths hanging open wide enough to fit a duck egg.
This was the first they had heard of this news.
The Mountain Lord of Qingmeng Mountain in Xixiang was a name familiar to all of them.
Originally, they thought the Hu family had been unlucky—going south only for their Old Immortal to be heavily injured and losing two fox pups.
Who would have thought they were actually so shrewd!
They had long since latched onto another massive support!
It was like everyone had been lying flat in peace, while the Hu and Ma families were secretly grinding behind the scenes. Meanwhile, the other ignorant fools were gossiping behind their backs.
“Oh, the Hu and Ma families are finished.”
“We can take advantage of their misfortune now!”
Truly, one could only hope no one had actually tried to move against the Hu family during this time, or they would be the ultimate fools.
Recalling the news from the south—the mysterious white mist that had floated over the Southwest region for an entire month and the fact that Xixiang had practically been purged—the two of them shuddered in unison.
“You mean that white-furred biao from the Southwest Circuit? What a coincidence; it's actually alive. I heard it woke up recently, but I thought it was just a rumor.”
Ma Guniang spoke nonchalantly, tapping the lid of her teacup.
“You needn't worry about that. That creature has a wooden personality and cares only for cultivation. Even if it knows your family has dealings with the Demon Suppression Division, it won't say anything.”
Since things had been laid out so clearly, if they didn't accept this fragrant pie now, they really would have been kicked in the head by a donkey.
The three of them immediately bowed respectfully. Turning around, they privately began calling Qin Yue “Senior Sister” with great deference.
...
The giant red fish was incredibly fast. Coupled with the fact that they were traveling downstream, the journey that had originally taken Nan Zhi over forty days was reduced by half.
Qin Yue was a diligent cultivator to begin with. Having received the Snake-Bear Pill, she practiced day and night in this sunless underwater world.
The Small Twelve Bone Forging Method was the foundational technique for those in the Demon Suppression Division. It used one's own righteous qi to temper the bones and solidify the blood, making it perfectly suited for those in Great Xia's public service.
Whenever Qin Yue cultivated, a faint mist would rise from her head, her pores would open wide, and the popping sounds of her joints could even be heard from within her body.
Watching this only made Lyu, Hu, and Liu more envious, further hardening their resolve to find more Four Provinces secret realms and strive to join the Demon Suppression Division.
Nan Zhi was, of course, more than happy to see this.
Spiritual energy in the real world had been depleted for too long. Cultivation records were fragmented or lost, and dharma treasures and pills had lost their spirituality, becoming less useful than a common club or health supplement.
If not for the secret realms, given the current rate of Spiritual Resurgence in the real world, no one would be able to reach Foundation Establishment for at least a century.
But that speed was too slow.
The lands of the Four Provinces were vast beyond measure, and their fragments were scattered all over Great Xia. Now that spiritual energy was returning, the influence of the secret realms on reality was deepening.
If they didn't accelerate their cultivation and raise the overall level of practitioners on Blue Star, what chance would they have when the great demons from the secret realms came knocking? The Blue Star cultivators would be no different from toddling Teletubbies.
She had to find a way to make the world realize the impact of the secret realms on reality.
Nan Zhi flicked the fishing rod in her hand and pulled up a three-meter-long, mung-bean-colored turtle.
She had seen this turtle several times already.
It had a round head, was cross-eyed, and possessed a bulging, mung-bean-green shell. Its tail, however, was long and trailed in the water, looking like a snake from a distance.
Every time she fed the red carp a Spirit Beast Pill, it would swim over to scavenge some crumbs.
Of course, the price for doing so was being treated like a ball and slapped hundreds of meters away by the red carp's tail.
But this fellow never gave up. In the middle of the night, it would quietly catch up and bump its head against the water-repelling shield on the giant fish's back.
It was intelligent. It would even kill fish and shrimp to toss onto the fish's back. It wasn't greedy either; it just lay outside the barrier, waiting to scavenge scraps whenever the giant red fish ate.
It was so humble that Nan Zhi didn't have the heart to drive it away.
Hongluo adored it and fed it spirit herbs every day.
Nan Zhi had given her one of the storage bags issued by the Demon Suppression Division so she could carry her own things.
This creature was called a Flower-Shelled Snake-Tailed Turtle. It was said to possess a ten-thousandth of the Ao fish bloodline. Its skin was very thick, and as an adult, it could grow to the size of a whale.
It was likely a descendant of one of the spirit beasts from the original secret realm.
Nan Zhi wasn't sure if this cross-eyed turtle wanted to follow them out of the secret realm, but it seemed to bear no ill will. It was just timid; if Nan Zhi so much as glanced at it, it would dive underwater and refuse to come out.
After a couple of hours, it would slowly paddle back, appearing from nowhere to quietly climb onto the fish's back.
However, while it feared Nan Zhi, it was very aggressive toward other creatures.
Sometimes she would see it trying to steal meat from a clam, only to get its head caught by the shell, let out pathetic cries.
Combined with its comical cross-eyed look, it was practically an underwater Husky.
Qin Yue had a soft spot for the little guy. After consulting Nan Zhi and hearing that its skin would become incredibly thick once it grew up, she immediately took the opportunity to form a contract with it.
Now that she had a nominal “disciple,” Nan Zhi wasn't stingy either. She casually tossed her a few bottles of Spirit Beast Pills, telling the girl and her pet to spend more time bonding.
Perhaps in the future, Qin Yue could grow into a major combatant for the real-world Demon Suppression Division.
Of course, Nan Zhi had a more hidden motive.
She hoped the authorities would understand that the Demon Suppression Division was an ally, not an enemy. In the spirit of reciprocity, she hoped they would give her more consideration whenever a secret realm appeared in the future.
...
The giant red fish swam for seventeen days. Finally, the waterway opened up, the water-repelling shield rose, and the familiar land appeared before them. The Mother River continued to flow slowly as ever.
Rate on N.U.
