Changes

After he departed, Shen Xiuhan also let out a long sigh of relief and made his way toward his home.

On the road.

The night wind was slightly cool, and the streets and alleys were silent.

Shen Xiuhan fished out the jade bead he had snatched from Qu Bushi's hand, holding it between his fingers to inspect it.

The bead was only about the size of a fingernail.

It was completely translucent, with faint ripples of light flowing across its surface, as if a pool of lake water were sealed within.

As the warmth of his palm transferred to it, the body of the bead glowed with a faint, lustrous halo that rippled like water, appearing exceptionally miraculous.

Shen Xiuhan toyed with the jade bead as he walked, his mind stirring slightly.

【Today's intelligence has been refreshed!】

【Intelligence 1: This mysterious jade bead you snatched from Qu Bushi's hand is called the 『Overturning Sea Bead』. It is one of the "Four Great Inheritance Spiritual Artifacts" of the Diaohai Pavilion, containing three layers of profound effects.】

【First: Entering the water while holding this spiritual artifact allows one to breathe underwater like a fish or turtle, move about freely, and see as clearly as day. Unless someone has cultivated an ocular divine ability, they will be unable to see through your presence.】

【Second: Using this spiritual artifact to cultivate the 『Mystic Dark Ice Fiend Sea-Overturning Scripture』 will yield twice the results with half the effort, allowing rapid progress.】

【Third: Utilizing this spiritual artifact to perform water-attribute techniques and martial arts allows one to transcend their current realm, unleashing the power of a higher-tier secret technique.】

Shen Xiuhan paused in his tracks, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

It was the Diaohai Pavilion again.

He had heard these three words far too often lately, to the point where he was almost sensitized to them.

This organization was shrouded in mystery, appearing as if it had sprung out of a crack in a rock. No matter how he tried to gather information, he could not find even the slightest clue.

Shaking his head to temporarily suppress his chaotic thoughts, his gaze fell upon the three effects.

Just hearing the name was enough to know it was exceptionally overbearing. It was undoubtedly a technique of the Diaohai Pavilion.

Unfortunately, the 『Overturning Sea Bead』 was merely a spiritual artifact that aided cultivation; it did not contain the inheritance of the scripture itself.

For him, this effect was ultimately like a mirage—visible but completely out of reach.

On the other hand, the third effect made Shen Xiuhan's eyes light up with desire.

The reason Qu Bushi had been able to forcibly transcend his realm and condense a terrifying "Palm Force" with only his Mingjin cultivation was entirely due to this profound quality!

Shen Xiuhan calculated silently.

Among the various martial arts he currently mastered, the only one remotely related to the water element was the 『Thousand Lakes Fishing』 technique.

But 『Thousand Lakes Fishing』 was merely a fishing technique. What kind of "Force" could it possibly unleash?

A Fishing Force?

Shen Xiuhan laughed in spite of himself.

He simply cast the thought aside. He would find out in a few days when he returned to Yunyi Island and tested it in the water.

In comparison, the first effect was the one that truly made his heart race!

“Entering the water with this spiritual artifact allows one to move silently and freely...”

Shen Xiuhan's eyes gradually brightened, a surge of pleasant surprise welling up in his heart.

Wasn't this the legendary Water-Avoiding Bead?

The place where the core disciple of the Diaohai Pavilion had fallen happened to be near Chenjian Dock.

Although Shen Xiuhan had been stationed on Yunyi Island for many days, he had never dared to rashly approach those waters.

But now, with the 『Overturning Sea Bead』 in his possession, perhaps he could...

A sharp light flashed in the depths of Shen Xiuhan's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

Shen Xiuhan tucked the jade bead into his robes and turned his gaze to the remaining two pieces of new intelligence.

【Intelligence 2: The news of Qu Bushi's death has already reached Chenjian Dock. Infuriated, the Third Chief, 'Spear General' Lu Juncheng, personally went to investigate the site of Qu Bushi's demise. However, since Qu Bushi's corpse had already been dealt with by Ji Wen, Lu Juncheng found nothing and returned in frustration.】

A sharp glint flickered in Shen Xiuhan's eyes.

With the intelligence system, Shen Xiuhan had known Ji Wen was lurking in the shadows, but he had simply pretended not to notice.

Ever since Ma Xianyang had tried to have him killed over the Silver-Striped Fish, Shen Xiuhan had become increasingly cautious in his actions.

After killing someone, he would never carelessly leave the corpse behind.

Leaving it behind this time was actually a deliberate test of the Ji family to see if they were trustworthy.

If the Ji family was truly willing to take full responsibility when Chenjian Dock investigated, as Ji Xue had claimed, then Ji Wen would definitely clean up the scene and erase all traces, rather than leaving Qu Bushi's corpse out in the wild for Chenjian Dock to follow the clues straight to Shen Xiuhan.

Shen Xiuhan's mind settled slightly, and he turned his gaze to the final piece of intelligence.

【Intelligence 3: Information about you was leaked by a mole to the Bai family, who then forwarded it to Chenjian Dock, eventually reaching Qu Bushi, Wang Neng, Zhu Yong, Sun Erniang, and others. The identity of the mole: Lu Ya, the Patrol Envoy of Team A on Yunyi Island.】

Shen Xiuhan's pupils contracted slightly as a dark undercurrent surged in his heart.

This piece of intelligence was truly unexpected.

Before his death, Wang Neng had said: “He isn't a newcomer to the Blood Tempering Rank like the intelligence said...”

Those words had led Shen Xiuhan to deduce at the time that there might be a Chenjian Dock spy on Yunyi Island, and he had even suspected Lu Ya.

But while he had guessed the right person, he had guessed the wrong faction behind the spy.

The Bai family!

Why would they plant a spy within the Ji family's ranks?

More importantly, the Bai family was actually in league with Chenjian Dock!

Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, his expression gradually turning solemn.

Before he could ponder further, his steps brought him to South Market's Fabric Alley, where two figures approached him from the opposite direction.

Shen Xiuhan had an excellent memory. With a single glance, he recognized them as the Ji family guards who had met Ji Xue and Ji Yao at West Market Pier half an hour ago to escort them back to the mansion.

The two guards were sharp-eyed. Upon spotting him, they looked overjoyed and immediately hurried over, cupping their hands and speaking in a rushed tone:

“Patrol Envoy Shen, please wait! We've finally found you. The Family Head urgently summons you to the mansion for a talk!”

“The Family Head?”

Shen Xiuhan raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed.”

The slightly taller man looked around vigilantly. Seeing that the alley was empty, he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, his face beaming with excitement:

“Patrol Envoy, it is an incredibly good thing!”

Shen Xiuhan understood immediately.

Most likely, after the Ji sisters returned to the mansion, they had disclosed the entire assassination attempt and presented Qu Bushi's head. This had prompted the Ji family head to urgently dispatch men to find him.

After a brief calculation, he nodded and said,

“...Lead the way.”

The two men led him around the North Market, turning into a quiet, wide alley paved with green bricks and shaded by ancient locust trees.

The alley was deep and the courtyards were quiet. In the gathering dusk, the occasional bird call from the treetops only added to the serene, profound atmosphere.

Before long, a red-lacquered gate bearing a plaque that read “Ji Mansion” came into view, guarded on both sides by two white marble lions, exuding an imposing aura.

From a distance, a familiar figure could be seen pacing back and forth outside the mansion gates, clearly having waited for a long time.

It was Ji Zhong.

Upon seeing Shen Xiuhan, a smile immediately blossomed on Ji Zhong's face. He hurried forward in a few quick strides, his voice filled with profound admiration:

“Young Master Shen, we haven't met for several days, and you have truly exceeded this old man's expectations!”

He faintly recalled that the last time he met Ji Zhong, there had been a vast disparity in their status.

Back then, Ji Zhong had merely reclined on a soft couch in the Library Pavilion, only greeting the doorman in advance, which was considered the extent of his politeness.

But this time, not only did he personally come out of the mansion to welcome him, but his posture was also kept extremely humble.

He no longer even referred to himself as "this old man" in a patronizing way, but rather used a highly self-deprecating term of humility.