The Six Cangwu Demons minus five left only one—it was now the tenth day.
Thousand Pools Island.
North shore.
The lake's surface shimmered, the morning mist having long since dispersed. The warm sun shone down, baking the reeds along the shore until they turned pale.
Yang Chet packed several Tier One and Tier Two Precious Fish into a basket. With a wide grin, he called out toward the shore:
“Senior Brother Shen, the catch has been fully counted!”
On the shore, Shen Xiuhan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out over the lake. Hearing the call, he withdrew his gaze and turned to walk back.
He glanced at the lively, blood-qi-rich Precious Fish thrashing in the basket and nodded in satisfaction.
“The catch required by the Medicine Hall has been fully secured. For the remaining days, aside from routine patrols, you all may focus on your cultivation in peace!”
As soon as he spoke, a brief silence fell over the surroundings.
Then, the exhausted outer court disciples suddenly erupted into an uncontrollable cheer!
“Long live Senior Brother Shen!”
“Thank you for your consideration, Senior Brother Shen!”
For these outer court disciples, being able to save their duty hours to practice martial arts was an immense blessing!
After cheering for a moment, they began chattering excitedly.
Some talked about taking a day off first to make up for all the sleep they had lost, while others mentioned going to the Medicine Hall to exchange their upcoming monthly stipend for two portions of Qi-Condensing Powder, taking advantage of the free time to try and break through their cultivation bottlenecks.
Shen Xiuhan listened for a moment without interrupting. He simply picked up the fish basket and walked alone along the winding stone path toward the center of the island.
The center of the island.
Quiet and serene.
Inside the administrative bamboo building, which was surrounded by lush greenery, Duan Hongling sat with her head lowered at a long wooden desk near the window. Holding a weasel-hair brush, she was writing down the count of this month's catch on Xuan paper.
Hearing approaching footsteps, she immediately looked up.
The next moment, Duan Hongling's usually sharp eyes curved with a warm smile, and she stood up enthusiastically to greet him:
“Ah! If it isn't the famous Moonlight Sword himself. Junior Brother, please, take a seat!”
Shen Xiuhan was speechless. Handing the fish basket to her, he said, “Senior Sister, such nicknames are usually reserved for Gangjin Rank experts who shake entire regions. The teahouse storytellers are just making things up. Please don't tease me…”
“Hahaha! That's just how much our fellow martial artists in the pugilistic world value and expect from you, Junior Brother!”
Duan Hongling laughed softly as she took the fish basket. Reaching out to slide open the lid, she saw the four Precious Fish inside. Her smile widened, and she couldn't help but praise him:
“Junior Brother, your fishing skills are truly remarkable. In these twenty-odd days, your harvest alone is equal to all the other teams combined.”
“You praise me too highly, Senior Sister. It's just a minor skill in the end,” Shen Xiuhan replied, waving his hand dismissively.
The two sat at the desk, sipping spiritual tea and exchanging pleasantries.
Soon, Duan Hongling's smile faded, and she said seriously, “Junior Brother, thanks to you, the quota of catches needed by the Elixir Pavilion has been met ahead of schedule. If nothing unexpected happens, we shouldn't need such a large quantity of Precious Fish in the coming months.”
She paused, a fervent light shining in her beautiful eyes, her tone tinged with anticipation.
“So, once my remaining few months of duty are up, I will return to the sect to report. My stipend, combined with my savings over the years, is enough to exchange for a high-grade elixir…”
“At that time, I will enter seclusion in our Star-Plucking Sect's sacred cultivation ground, the Star-Moon Cave, to break through the Huajin Barrier!”
At this point, Duan Hongling stared intently at Shen Xiuhan and shifted the topic:
“Junior Brother, according to the sect's regulations, when a manager leaves their post, they have the right to recommend a successor to the Logistics Hall.”
“Though this Precious Fish pond is a bit remote, it has the benefit of being quiet and peaceful. If you are interested, Junior Brother…”
She left the sentence unfinished, but her meaning was perfectly clear.
Shen Xiuhan pondered for a moment before replying, “Senior Sister, you still have several months left on your term, so it is too early to speak of this. Let's see how things develop in the future…”
Duan Hongling couldn't help but laugh. “I was indeed too impatient. We can discuss it later, then…”
After chatting for a bit, Duan Hongling suddenly slapped her forehead as if remembering something.
“Junior Brother, you slew the Six Cangwu Demons this time. Don't forget to go to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion to claim your bounty!”
“Claim my bounty?”
Seeing his expression, Duan Hongling knew he was completely unaware of this, so she immediately explained:
“You haven't been in the sect for long, Junior Brother, so you probably don't know yet. The Four Sects of Nanxiang absolutely detest the demonic path, especially the Yinsha Sect!”
“This sect has taken root in Guangwu, and their actions are extremely rampant. Relying on the Biwu Sect alone is not enough to suppress these demonic scoundrels.”
“Therefore, the righteous sects of Nanxiang and Xinyi will send their elite disciples to reinforce Guangwu and fight relentlessly against the Yinsha Sect.”
She paused, her tone growing slightly heavier.
“The conflict between our Four Sects of Nanxiang and the Yinsha Sect has been going on for over twenty years. Over these years, countless talented disciples have fallen, been crippled, or ruined, and both sides have long since become mortal enemies.”
“As a result, the Prefectural Governor's Mansion posted a bounty list years ago, with almost every named demon listed on it.”
At this point, she looked at Shen Xiuhan and smiled.
“The Six Cangwu Demons you killed this time are on that list. Their bounties are much higher than those of ordinary demonic cultivators. Even Chen Hongyuan, who ranks the lowest, has a bounty of a full hundred taels of silver.”
“If you add up the bounties of the other four demons, it would probably equal the price on the head of a Huajin Rank arch-demon on the bounty list.”
Huajin!
Shen Xiuhan's heart stirred slightly.
Whether in the Four Sects of Nanxiang or the Yinsha Sect, Huajin Rank experts were already high-level combatants!
In any faction, they were capable of holding their own.
The bounty for the Six Cangwu Demons could actually rival that of a Huajin Rank expert...
From this, it was clear that these six bastards had truly committed no small number of evils!
After all...
The gap between the Huajin Rank and the Anjin Rank was like heaven and earth!
Shen Xiuhan had not forgotten how he had used every means at his disposal yet remained completely powerless against Duan Xiao.
But by comparison, what made him even more curious was the background of this Yinsha Sect!
How could they, as a demonic sect, take root in the land of Qi while the imperial court remained completely indifferent?
Duan Hongling gave a mysterious smile at his question.
“You might not know this, Junior Brother, but behind the Yinsha Sect is the White Bone Sect, one of the three great demonic sects of the Yue State. Their sect leader, Qiu Hen, was originally a core disciple of the White Bone Sect!”
“As for why they were able to stretch their hands into the land of Qi…”
“It's because…”
“Guangwu Prefecture was originally the territory of the Yue State!”
Shen Xiuhan's expression froze in astonishment!
Seeing this, Duan Hongling was not surprised at all. She said in a low voice:
“Over forty years ago, Guangwu Prefecture was not called Guangwu. Back then, it was known as Shengjiang Prefecture!”
“And it happened when Daoist Master Guangwu—who was also Dong Daosheng, the old Marquis of Zhenhai of the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion—was nearing the end of his lifespan.”
“This old Daoist Master was a hero all his life. Unwilling to sit and await death in his grotto-heaven, he personally led many righteous experts of Nanxiang to charge into Shengjiang Prefecture as his lifespan drew to a close!”
“In that battle, the old master personally slew the Yue State's Daoist Master, Yin Cha, and of the five major demonic sects of Shengjiang Prefecture, he subdued one, expelled one, and slaughtered three!”
“Such a monumental achievement greatly pleased the Emperor. With a stroke of his imperial brush, he renamed Shengjiang Prefecture to Guangwu Prefecture to honor Old Daoist Master Dong's peerless reputation.”
“And the demonic sect that was expelled from Shengjiang Prefecture by Old Daoist Master Dong back then is none other than today's Yinsha Sect!
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