“So it is Senior Gongsun. This junior has long heard of your esteemed name.”
“Spare me the pleasantries,” Gongsun Bei sized him up from head to toe before speaking slowly.
“An Anjin Rank cultivation, yet capable of slaying a Huajin Rank expert—in the century-old records of the Four Sects of Nanxiang, this is nothing short of a fantasy.”
“But in Cangzhou, direct descendants born into elite clans, noble families, and thousand-year-old lineages have practiced ancestral secret techniques since childhood. Armed with spiritual embryos and spiritual artifacts, defeating enemies across ranks is nothing unusual for them.”
He paused, his tone shifting slightly as a trace of imperceptible approval flickered in his eyes.
“However, at your age, condensing sword-glow is already no small feat. What is even more remarkable is that you used the foundation of sword-glow to comprehend sword-qi!”
“With this kind of talent, you would be considered first-class even among the younger generation in Cangzhou.”
“Uh...” Shen Xiuhan felt a bit self-conscious under such blunt praise. Rubbing his nose, he said, “Senior, you praise me too highly.”
Fortunately, Gongsun Bei did not press the matter further.
He squatted down and lightly waved his hand over Liu Sanxian's severed corpse. The remains instantly dissipated like smoke, drawn into his storage treasure.
When he stood back up, his tone had returned to its usual flat cadence.
“Do you wish for today's events to be made public?”
Shen Xiuhan immediately caught the underlying meaning behind his words.
He was asking...
...whether he wanted to publicize his feat of slaying the early-stage Huajin Rank “Ghost Sound Fiend” Liu Sanxian with only an Anjin Rank cultivation.
The Nine Anhuai Fiends infiltrating Nanxiang with the intent to assassinate the Prefectural Governor was an earth-shattering affair.
Today, the northern suburbs of the prefecture capital had already been thrown into an uproar. It would likely take only a few days for the news to spread across every prefecture.
As for Shen Xiuhan's achievement of slaying the Ghost Sound Fiend alone with a single sword across realms—as long as he gave the nod, his name would soon echo far and wide!
At that point, what Young Tiger List? None of them could even compare!
The Four Prodigies and Seven Elegances would have to make room for him.
But the problem was...
...doing so would be no different from roasting himself over a fire!
The demon sect had lost numerous powerhouses in succession, including the Six Cangwu Demons and the Nine Anhuai Fiends, completely losing face.
If he acted in such a high-profile manner now...
...then forget about the Southern Sea Branch Leader, Chou Ji, who was the master of both the Six Cangwu Demons and the Nine Anhuai Fiends.
The entire Yinsha Sect would view him as a thorn in their side, wishing for nothing more than to tear him to pieces.
Weighing his options, Shen Xiuhan shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
“I must ask Senior Gongsun to help keep this matter a secret for me.”
Hearing this, Gongsun Bei nodded slightly, another flicker of approval crossing his eyes.
“Knowing how to hide your brilliance is a good thing. But do not worry, the Prefectural Governor's Mansion will keep record of your contribution in slaying this fiend. You will not be deprived of your deserved rewards.”
Shen Xiuhan quickly clasped his hands and said, “Thank you, Senior!”
Gongsun Bei nodded and prepared to turn and leave.
But after taking just two steps, his feet paused. With his back turned to Shen Xiuhan, his tone grew frosty.
“There is one more thing!”
“Since the Nine Anhuai Fiends dared to infiltrate Nanxiang Prefecture to assassinate the Prefectural Governor, the Yinsha Sect must pay the price. Once I report this to the Prefectural Governor, we will gather the experts from the Four Sects and Ten Clans of the prefecture capital, as well as the eighty-plus counties under our jurisdiction, to retaliate with thunderous force.”
“Kid, if you are interested in participating, you should prepare early.”
With that, he tapped his toe against the ground and soared into the air. His purple robes billowed like a great snapping banner, and he vanished from sight within a few breaths.
Shen Xiuhan watched the direction in which the figure had disappeared, his eyes flickering slightly as he thought to himself:
It seems Gongsun Bei is absolutely furious about the Yinsha Sect attempting to assassinate the Prefectural Governor. A major war is likely to break out before long.
He fell silent for a moment, putting the matter aside for now. Turning around, he walked out of the alley, glanced around, and headed toward the south of the city.
There was such a huge commotion today. If I return to Tingquan Island right now, it will only draw unwanted attention and lead to endless questioning.
I might as well find an inn to stay at for the time being. It will be perfect to collect 《Hanlin》 in two days before setting off back to the sect.
Along the way, the rain grew heavier.
Fine, dense threads of rain wove into a misty screen of water, splashing into tiny droplets as they struck the bluestone pavement.
Street vendors scrambled to pack up their stalls, pedestrians jogged toward their homes, and occasional carriages rolled through the puddles, kicking up twin curtains of water.
Shen Xiuhan maintained a steady pace, looking for an inn while planning another matter in his mind:
I will only be traveling to the prefecture capital more and more in the future. I can't keep staying in inns every single time, can I?
Hmm... I've saved up quite a bit of money recently. I should find a broker later and ask around to buy a property in the prefecture capital. It would be nice to have a place of my own to stay.
Before long, Shen Xiuhan found an inn, paid three mace of silver to stay in a top-grade room, and had the waiter bring up a flask of wine and four small side dishes.
Inside the room, Shen Xiuhan picked up his chopsticks and ate while reviewing the remaining intelligence.
【Intelligence 2: Hou Yulin was able to become a Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion deacon because his backer is Linghu Su, the chief disciple of Bixia Villa's Qi Lineage. Hou Yulin gathered all kinds of information in the prefecture capital for Linghu Su, who in turn protected him to help him rise in rank within the Wind-and-Cloud Pavilion.】
Linghu Su...
Shen Xiuhan was naturally aware of this genius from Bixia Villa's Qi Lineage.
One of the Four Prodigies of Nanxiang!
He shared equal fame with Zuo Muxian of the Star-Plucking Sect, Shen Miaoyin of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion, and Qu Wu of the Zhenhai Marquis Mansion.
He was one of the absolute top figures among the younger generation in the prefecture capital!
So Hou Yulin's backer really was him!
Shen Xiuhan's chopsticks paused as he recalled Hou Yulin's words before his death: “That guy named Linghu refused to protect me, so I will go look for the Sword Lineage...”
Hou Yulin clearly knew that because he had sold Shen Xiuhan's intelligence, he would eventually face retaliation, which was why he had begged Linghu Su to save his life.
Yet Linghu Su, the chief of Bixia Villa's Qi Lineage and one of the Four Prodigies, had rejected him.
“Refused to protect him? Why did Linghu Su refuse?”
A faint suspicion arose in Shen Xiuhan's heart, but it felt incomplete, and he could not quite grasp the key to it.
He simply set down his chopsticks, skipped over the third and fourth pieces of intelligence—which detailed the clan-protecting techniques in the library pavilions of the prefecture capital's major clans—and looked directly at the final entry.
【Intelligence 5: During a trip to Guangwu Prefecture to slay demons and defend the Dao, Linghu Su happened to cross paths with Qiu Yingying, the Holy Maiden of the demon sect. The two fell in love at first sight. Qiu Yingying wished to use Linghu Su to establish a foothold in Nanxiang Prefecture, so she offered herself to him. Using her body as bait, she turned Linghu Su into a hidden pawn for the Yinsha Sect.】
【Upon learning of this, Qiu Hen, the master of the Yinsha Sect, was overjoyed and privately promised Qiu Yingying that she would succeed him as the leader of the Yinsha Sect.】
【After turning Linghu Su, Qiu Yingying learned that Yue Lingsong, the Lineage Master of the Qi Lineage, had been stuck in the Inner Gang Rank for a long time. To break through to the Heavenly Gang Rank, he only lacked a top-tier technique. Thus, she used the 《Seventy-Two Paths White Bone Soul-Haunting Sword》 as bait to bribe Yue Lingsong!】
【At the same time, she secretly promised him that if he covertly leaked the confidential information of the Four Sects of Nanxiang to the Yinsha Sect, they would spare no effort to help him break through to the Divine Ability Rank.】
【Yue Lingsong was deeply moved and agreed!】
After reading the intelligence, Shen Xiuhan's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and his entire body instantly froze!
The prestigious Yue Lingsong, Lineage Master of Bixia Villa's Qi Lineage—one of the Four Sects of Nanxiang—along with Linghu Su, the chief disciple of the Qi Lineage...
...were actually hidden pawns of the demon sect?!
Rate on N.U.
