Afterward, Liu Chong took a sip of tea and added:
“If you should one day reach the Heavenly Gang Rank, Junior Brother Shen, you can draw the spiritual embryo into your dantian to nourish it. When that day comes, this sword might very well evolve into a spiritual artifact.”
No sooner had his voice fallen.
Before Shen Xiuhan could even speak, the Hanlin Sword in his hand unexpectedly let out a clear, resonant hum!
Like the first cry of a young phoenix, the sound echoed within the four walls of the elegant room, lingering in the air.
“It's looking forward to it...”
Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up with joy. He turned the sword over and over in his hands, admiring it, and praised,
“As expected of a spiritual embryo, it truly possesses a spirit of its own!”
With that, he reluctantly put the precious sword back into his storage bag. With a flip of his palm, a stack of silver banknotes appeared on the table.
From the look of it, there was a full thousand taels.
“Oh! Did you strike it rich, Junior Brother?”
Liu Chong paused with his teacup and chuckled, clicking his tongue.
“But our family's forging fee isn't nearly that expensive. With the friendship between us, a hundred taels is more than enough!”
“Two hundred taels!”
Shen Xiuhan pushed the banknotes in front of Liu Chong, cutting off his attempts to refuse.
“Please don't refuse, Senior Brother. Besides, I'd also like to purchase a residence in the prefecture capital. It doesn't need to be grand, just quiet, and not too far out of the way. Could I trouble you to help me look around for one?”
“Ah, is that all? Leave it to me!”
Liu Chong smiled.
“I'm very familiar with the brokerages in the prefecture capital. I'll have some people scout out a few places for you later. You can decide after you've had a look. I'll make sure to find you a quiet and spacious spot!”
...
Thousand Pools Island.
Shen Xiuhan got off the boat at the ferry crossing, walked across the footbridge, and headed toward the gray stone watchtower at the center of the island.
The Precious Fish Hall was always busy with chores; even when there were no fishing missions, someone had to remain on duty every day.
Anyone else who had been gone for three days straight would have been thoroughly chewed out by Duan Hongling.
Yet when facing Shen Xiuhan, Duan Hongling's usually cold and harsh face was adorned with a warm, bright smile, and she treated him with extraordinary politeness.
“Was your three-day leave enough, Junior Brother?”
“If not, you can always come to me. I can't help with major matters, but I can easily arrange minor schedule adjustments like this for you.”
Shen Xiuhan did not stand on ceremony.
He immediately told her about his plans to scout for a residence in the prefecture capital in a few days.
Duan Hongling did not even blink, responding readily:
“A trivial matter!”
“There won't be any missions for the next couple of months anyway. Just give me a few days' notice, and I'll handle the arrangements.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister.”
Shen Xiuhan cupped his fists in thanks.
After chatting for a few more moments, Duan Hongling escorted him out the door.
The moment he stepped outside, Shen Xiuhan paused, staring blankly at a figure in the distance. He subconsciously called out,
“Senior Sister Song?”
The woman not far away still possessed a slender, graceful figure, but her lovely face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color.
Her eyes were hollow and lifeless, and she stood on the long gray stone path like an empty shell.
This woman was none other than Lu Zhaoyuan's wife, Song Rou.
Hearing his voice, Song Rou paused and slowly turned her head.
Her gaze rested on Shen Xiuhan's face for a brief moment. Her lips trembled, but she did not utter a single word, only offering a gentle nod in response.
Then she turned back around and walked away like a living corpse, fading down the long path.
Shen Xiuhan frowned. “Senior Sister... what happened to Senior Sister Song?”
Duan Hongling let out a sigh, her voice carrying a rare trace of pity.
“You probably don't know yet, Junior Brother... Lu Zhaoyuan has colluded with the demons!”
“Oh?”
Shen Xiuhan's eyes narrowed, and his expression instantly grew tense.
“Wasn't it rumored that the matter with the Six Cangwu Demons was just a business transaction?”
Lu Zhaoyuan's collusion with the Six Cangwu Demons to steal the sect's Precious Fish had caused a massive uproar in the surrounding prefectures.
The Law Enforcement Hall of the Star-Plucking Sect had immediately defined his actions as “poor talent with no hope of reaching the Huajin Rank, colluding with outsiders to resell Precious Fish in an attempt to force a breakthrough to the Huajin Rank.” They had posted notices everywhere to announce this to the public.
At the same time, to prove their claims, the Law Enforcement Hall had subjected Song Rou to a rigorous interrogation.
Once they confirmed she had no knowledge of the matter, they released her and allowed her to remain in the sect to continue her cultivation.
At the time, many believed the matter had been settled.
Unfortunately...
Duan Hongling's expression was complicated. Her lips parted slightly before she whispered,
“The news just arrived yesterday!”
“Someone personally witnessed Lu Zhaoyuan drinking and laughing merrily with Chou Ji's demonic followers on Chaobo Island in the Southern Sea, making absolutely no effort to hide it.”
She paused, her voice sinking even lower.
“As soon as the news arrived, many voices within the sect began to question the Law Enforcement Hall...”
Shen Xiuhan fell silent upon hearing this.
Others might only see the surface, but he knew the inside story.
Zhang Jiuyang, the chief disciple of Kaiyang Academy, had repeatedly targeted Lu Zhaoyuan because he lusted after Song Rou. That was the root cause of everything that had happened!
Lu Zhaoyuan must have anticipated that once he left the sect, Zhang Jiuyang's wicked desires would flare up again, and no one would be there to protect Song Rou...
Therefore, he had deliberately met with the members of the demon sect in broad daylight.
This was a strategy that killed three birds with one stone.
First, it thoroughly slapped the Star-Plucking Sect in the face.
Hadn't the sect claimed that he had “poor talent with no hope of reaching the Huajin Rank, colluding with outsiders without knowing they were from the demon sect”?
Then he would simply make it an undeniable fact!
Except, what he proved was not his ignorance, but his deliberate choice.
Doing this was equivalent to delivering a resounding slap to the face of the Star-Plucking Sect's Law Enforcement Hall from afar.
Second, it served as an ironclad pledge of allegiance to the demon sect.
Completely burning his bridges with the Star-Plucking Sect was the most solid stepping stone.
From then on, Lu Zhaoyuan would surely be highly regarded by the higher-ups of the demon sect, and he would no longer face overt or covert trials and tribulations.
Furthermore, to show their fairness, the demon sect would likely put their full effort into nurturing him.
Third...
Naturally, it was for Song Rou.
Once Lu Zhaoyuan openly allied with the demons, Song Rou would draw far more attention within the sect.
Regardless of whether this scrutiny was positive or negative, it would at least make Zhang Jiuyang hesitate to act out of fear of the consequences.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Shen Xiuhan's brow furrowed even deeper.
Why didn't he just expose Zhang Jiuyang's filthy deeds to the public and ruin his reputation?
After pondering in silence for a moment, only one answer surfaced in Shen Xiuhan's mind.
He probably worried that doing so would leave Zhang Jiuyang with nothing left to lose, making him even more reckless...
After bidding farewell to Duan Hongling, he strolled along and unconsciously made his way to the northern shore.
The autumn wind swept across the water, carrying a faint, salty tang and rustling the reeds along the shore.
Looking out into the distance, the waters of Thousand Pools Island's northern shore were as calm as a mirror, with the occasional Precious Fish leaping out of the water, splashing droplets of silver light.
“Senior Brother! You're back!”
Yang Chet jogged over with a look of pleasant surprise, a patrol token hanging from his waist, clearly having just finished a round of patrolling the waters.
Shen Xiuhan nodded and asked, “How are the waters? Any unusual occurrences?”
“Don't worry, Senior Brother, everything is perfectly normal!”
Yang Chet patted his chest, standing tall and proud with a look of absolute confidence.
“Keep it up.”
Shen Xiuhan smiled. With a wave of his hand, a pile of meat dishes and pastries wrapped in lotus leaves appeared before them. The rich aroma of oil mingled with the fresh scent of the lotus leaves, drifting through the air.
“I brought these back from the prefecture capital especially for you. Take them and share them with the others.”
“Wow! Thank you, Senior Brother Shen!”
Yang Chet cheered, scooped up the food from the ground, and dashed off, his steps as light and lively as a frolicking wild rabbit.
Shen Xiuhan watched his retreating figure, shaking his head with a chuckle before turning to walk toward his bamboo hut.
As autumn drew to a close, the bamboo leaves on the island gradually shed their vibrant green, turning a dry yellow.
Along with them, the bamboo hut that had remained emerald green throughout the entire summer also changed its colors.
Yellow leaves covered the eaves, rustling softly in the wind, carrying a distinct sense of quiet solitude.
When Shen Xiuhan was in the prefecture capital earlier today, he had specially visited a couple of clothing shops, selected two thick cotton-padded jackets, and sent them back to Changyun County via the courier station.
I wonder how much Momo has grown by now? Will the clothes fit her? Well, even if they don't, Mother will find a way to alter them...
Recalling that small figure and the way she would stand on her tiptoes to throw herself into his arms, a wave of longing welled up in Shen Xiuhan's heart. He sighed softly and muttered,
“There's still a month before the Blessed Land opens. I should head back to visit when the time comes... But before that!”
His gaze suddenly sharpened. Flattening his palm, he retrieved a stack of books from his storage bag and slapped them onto the bamboo desk.
The bamboo desk let out a dull thud, kicking up a few specks of fine dust.
“I must maximize my strength to prepare for future trouble.”
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