“Woo—”

A clear whistle pierced the night sky.

A burst of green fireworks bloomed in the night air over Little Blue Garment Ridge.

In the thick darkness, the green wasn’t conspicuous, but it was clear enough to see.

This whistle invigorated Chen Xiong and Liu Yi, who were locked in deadly combat with their foes—the Fire Lotus Grass was in hand!

Baolin Martial Hall’s team should withdraw.

Deep in the dense forest, Xiangzi, seeing the fireworks, quickened his pace.

Several zhang ahead lay an open cave mouth.

He had seen clearly earlier that the snake demon had entered Cold Water Pool from here—there were no other demon beast auras.

Unlike wolf demons, snake demons were highly territorial and never grouped…

Moreover, the snake demon’s aura permeated the surroundings; which ordinary demon beast would dare provoke it?

In this area around Cold Water Pool, it was truly the undisputed demon king.

Xiangzi took a deep breath and flashed inside.

Unexpectedly, the cave was quite dry, the ground covered in straw—the leaves vibrant green, glowing with a soft luster, likely some precious spirit grass.

Who knew this snake demon lived so comfortably?

After a moment’s thought, Xiangzi ventured deeper.

The pitch-black cave posed no trouble for Xiangzi.

A glance around sank his heart—in the cave’s depths lay scattered crystalline objects.

Minerals!

As expected, such greater demons collected precious mineral veins to heal themselves.

A rough look revealed mostly vein minerals, even a few rounded, faintly glowing small crystal minerals!

Xiangzi’s heart leapt with joy as he quickly gathered the better-quality ones, stuffing them into his robes.

What a pity—tonight, worried about revealing his tracks, he hadn’t brought the rattan box. A real loss.

Suddenly… his hand paused.

Amid a pile of minerals lay several warm, smooth jade tokens.

Even covered in mineral dust, Xiangzi recognized one at a glance—it was Baolin Martial Hall’s jade token.

His expression grew solemn, a foreboding sense rising in his heart.

Picking up the Baolin Martial Hall jade token, Xiangzi sighed softly.

On the front were three elegant characters—Jiang Jingyu.

This was the disciple who vanished outside Feng Village, Jiang Wangshui’s own brother.

No wonder Wind Justice Courtyard and Four Seas Courtyard searched so long without finding a trace—he had likely been devoured by this snake demon.

But… Jiang Jingyu was merely a ninth-rank great accomplishment martial artist; why would he come here alone?

Pushing down his lament, Xiangzi, with pockets full and heavy with minerals, exited the cave.

Perhaps stimulated by those high-rank minerals, the qi-blood crimson pearl in his dantian seemed on the verge of boiling.

It was thanks to his physique that he could carry these high-rank crystal minerals.

Suddenly, his foot caught, the minerals weighing him down, unbalancing him into a stumble, nearly falling.

Steadying himself, he looked down.

What met his eyes was a thin, almost transparent object.

Could it be?

Xiangzi quickly picked it up.

It was a scale as thin as a cicada’s wing.

Only palm-sized, cool and smooth to the touch, like silk.

After thinking, he pulled a crystal mineral from his robes and smashed it down hard.

Sizzle.

Not a scratch on the thin piece.

Snake slough scale—definitely snake slough scale, Xiangzi’s heart surged with joy.

Rumors said that eighth-rank peak snake demons, when breaking through to seventh rank, would shed their essence into scales to adapt to surging qi and blood, swallowing them immediately after breakthrough to advance further.

This was the most precious treasure on a snake demon, rarely seen.

Such rare scales were impervious to water, fire, blades, and spears; beyond medicinal uses, even simply crafted into scale armor, it was top-grade.

Compared to Third Miss Li’s heavy mineral armor, this scale armor offered superior defense.

Most crucially… it was incredibly light, hardly interfering with a martial artist’s movements.

This snake demon was truly unlucky, likely ambushed by the wolf pack during its breakthrough attempt, suffering heavy injuries and unable to swallow the scales immediately for healing, forcing it to risk venturing into Baolin Martial Hall’s forward camp.

But for such a large eighth-rank snake demon, it couldn’t have shed just one, right?

Xiangzi carefully searched, digging out over a dozen more snake slough scales from under the crystal minerals.

Goodness, this snake demon is truly refined—it knows how to hide things.

But now Xiangzi was in a bind—he hadn’t brought the rattan box, and his robes were stuffed with minerals.

Reluctantly, he discarded the lower-grade vein minerals to make room for the snake slough scales.

The cool smoothness of the scales in his robes mixed with the burning sting of the crystal minerals, truly a sensation of ice and fire.

It left Xiangzi floating in bliss.

—

Standing at the cave entrance, Xiangzi looked out—the battle outside had concluded.

On Liu Yi’s side, the originally perilous situation eased greatly with the aid of his fellow disciples—after all, eighth-rank martial artists in formation could contend with even seventh-rank greater demons.

As for the snake demon, Chen Xiong, as Four Seas Courtyard’s deputy master, was inherently fierce and bold; now fighting desperately, even the eighth-rank peak snake demon struggled to resist, relying only on its thick hide to endure.

Watching the deputy master’s bold, sweeping style, Xiangzi was secretly awed—no wonder they say ranks are chasms; compared to eighth-rank Liu Yi fighting cautiously, this Deputy Master Chen is utterly fearless.

As a mere ninth-rank minor accomplishment, he was too insignificant in Little Blue Garment Ridge; he truly needed to hurry and cultivate—with these treasures from the snake den, he wouldn’t worry about medicinal costs before eighth rank.

Suddenly… from the dense forest, Xiangzi heard a strange sound.

It was long and drawn out, yet grating like metal scraping.

In an instant.

The wolf pack that had been battling the Baolin inner sect disciples turned tail and fled into the forest depths without looking back.

Even the scarred White Wolf King’s vertical pupils showed clear fear; though extremely unwilling, it had no choice but to retreat with the pack.

This scene left the Baolin Martial Hall disciples dumbfounded.

And Xiangzi, watching from afar, felt a shadow over his heart—that sound seemed somewhat familiar?

It seemed these wolf packs were indeed controlled by someone, as the rumors said.

—

In the night, Xiangzi moved like the wind.

With his ability to leap high and low, he avoided many demon beasts along the way, finally reaching the vicinity of the fortress.

Evading the patrolling outer sect disciples and climbing the towering wooden fortress took some effort,

Fortunately, the ink-like night provided cover, allowing Xiangzi to slip in smoothly.

He first snuck back to his room, stashing the hard-won treasures in the rattan box, then headed out.

He didn’t go see Zhao Mu immediately—with several Hundred Herbs Courtyard senior brothers there, and Chen Xiong’s group returning with Fire Lotus Grass, they were urgently saving lives; he wouldn’t add to the chaos.

Right now… he had important business.

Xiangzi arrived at a tightly shut room within the fortress and knocked lightly.

“Deacon Wu, Li Xiang requests an audience.”

The door opened to a middle-aged martial artist in a purple silk shirt.

In his thirties, with an ordinary aura, but a stern, cold face.

Seeing the tall figure at the door, this middle-aged martial artist showed no surprise, as if he had expected it.

This “Wu Jin,” a deacon of Wind Justice Courtyard, handled all affairs for Wind Justice Courtyard in the Little Blue Garment Ridge area.

In other words, he was Xiangzi’s current superior.

Among Wind Justice Courtyard’s six deacons, Wu Jin had the lowest cultivation, yet he was placed in the most critical spot, showing his weight in Courtyard Master Xi’s eyes.

The door closed,

The two sat down, Wu Jin personally pouring Xiangzi a cup of hot tea, smiling: “I didn’t expect Junior Brother Li to come find me so soon…”

Xiangzi cupped his hands, pulling a jade token from his robes and placing it on the table: “Courtyard Master Xi entrusted me; I dare not slack. Now that it’s done, I came to Senior Brother Wu—please don’t take offense.”

“How could I? It’s all for Wind Justice Courtyard,” Wu Jin said, but his gaze froze.

On the jade token were clearly engraved three characters—“Jiang Jingyu.”

Only now did Wu Jin understand what the tall man meant by “done.”

He had found Jiang Jingyu’s whereabouts?

After all… for this missing outer sect disciple, Four Seas Courtyard’s master had led searches through half of Little Blue Garment Ridge, yet found nothing.

And this kid had only been at Feng Village for about a month?

Looking at the respectful tall figure before him, Wu Jin’s brow twitched slightly—this Junior Brother Li differed from the rumors.

As his superior, these days he had deliberately inquired about this junior brother’s actions in Feng Village.

Running amok with cockfights and dog races, daily grilling demon beast meat with Clear Gang disciples.

Wu Jin had thought another ignorant, pleasure-indulging so-called young genius had arrived… but unexpectedly, he had depth?

Seems I underestimated him.

With that, Wu Jin sat straighter, his smile warmer: “Trouble you to explain, Junior Brother.”

Xiangzi held nothing back, recounting the night’s events.

Of course, he omitted secretly harvesting Fire Lotus Grass, claiming only that he had heard rumors in Feng Village about Jiang Jingyu’s exact disappearance spot, then risked following Four Seas Courtyard out of the fortress tonight.

Unexpectedly… he stumbled upon Senior Brother Jiang’s jade token by Cold Water Pool.

Xiangzi spoke lightly, but Wu Jin listened with secret shock.

This kid… had taken such a risk without consulting him.

Practically courting death—a mere ninth rank, does he not know Little Blue Garment Ridge’s dangers?

And he even entered the snake demon’s lair?

Sensing the other’s thoughts, Xiangzi said apologetically: “Senior Brother Wu, I didn’t consult tonight because, first, the rumors were vague and unverified; second…”

Xiangzi paused, smiling: “If I met misfortune tonight, it would have nothing to do with Wind Justice Courtyard… or Senior Brother Wu. It would be solely my reckless folly.”

Then, Xiangzi pushed the jade token over: “Fortunately, I didn’t fail the mission—pure luck, luck.”

“Please report back to Wind Justice Courtyard, Senior Brother.”

Wu Jin was stunned, his face blooming into a smile—finding Jiang Jingyu’s fate was a great merit, and this tall guy casually handed it all to him?

What superior wouldn’t love such an astute subordinate?

The credit was all Wu Jin’s, the effort someone else’s!

Excellent, excellent—a promising youth.

Wu Jin tucked the jade token away, pondering a moment before fetching a gold-embossed small box from the room:

“This is top-grade treasure tea from Chuan City, said to grow beside wood-type crystal minerals, with scant production. It aids martial artists in stabilizing qi, blood, and spirit. My martial path has reached its end… so I can only climb in the courtyard.”

“You’re young and already grasped Bright Force—limitless future. This treasure tea suits you better.”

“If you need anything in the future, just ask Senior Brother.”

Xiangzi thanked him profusely before accepting the box.

As for Wu Jin’s implication, he understood—Wu Jin would deliver the jade token to Wind Justice Courtyard, claiming the merit and owing Xiangzi a favor.

“I heard about the fingerprint case too—Junior Brother’s keen insight is admirable. But right now, Baolin Martial Hall faces a thorny issue in Little Blue Garment Ridge; I’d like Junior Brother’s thoughts.”

Wu Jin sat smiling, suddenly asking: “Junior Brother… what do you think of Feng Village?”

Xiangzi had anticipated this—earlier, Wan Yuxuan had personally helped him choose this assignment, emphasizing Feng Village’s importance to the hall.

Clearly, the hall had long suspected this outwardly neutral Feng Village of turning traitor.

Xiangzi chose his words carefully, slowly saying: “The Feng family can no longer be trusted… If Baolin Martial Hall’s transport line in Little Blue Garment Ridge remains in Feng hands, it poses great risk.”

“Hanging with Clear Gang, I’ve had much contact with Feng. From my investigations, lately Feng has grown close to Revival Martial Hall. If Feng cuts off Little Blue Garment Ridge’s supplies someday, it’s like choking Baolin Martial Hall.”

“Oh?” Wu Jin smiled faintly, inwardly startled—this kid, young yet observant; a mere outer sect disciple spotting so much.

Feng wasn’t just choking Baolin Martial Hall—it was holding a knife to their throat.

Take tonight—a simple stalk of Fire Lotus Grass nearly cost an elite outer sect disciple’s life.

In other words… Feng’s recent actions had crossed Baolin Martial Hall’s line.

If not for lacking a Feng replacement, they’d have broken with them long ago.

“Not hiding from Junior Brother… since the old hall master left for Shen City, Wind Justice Courtyard’s affairs have piled up,” Wu Jin sighed, personally refilling Xiangzi’s tea,

“In the past, Wind Justice Courtyard only supervised courtyard matters, but lately, as you’ve seen… Baolin faces many setbacks in Little Blue Garment Ridge, and Four Seas Courtyard’s brutes only know demon hunting… ignorant of these intricacies.”

“This transport line leak… is indeed Baolin’s urgent crisis,” Wu Jin shifted tone,

“Junior Brother Li, you’ve interacted with Clear Gang so long—if we had them replace Feng, do you think it feasible?”

At this, Xiangzi was stunned—how did this fall under Wind Justice Courtyard? Wasn’t this Four Seas Courtyard’s domain?

Suppressing his doubts, Xiangzi weighed his words, slowly replying: “I fear not.”

Wu Jin frowned: “Explain, Junior Brother.”

Xiangzi said gravely: “As they say, no profit, no early rise—Clear Gang values profit most.”

“Clear Gang has the strength, but not necessarily the resolve.”

“Who doesn’t know… Feng wants to defect to Revival Martial Hall.”

“For Clear Gang, the demon beast meat business in Little Blue Garment Ridge is paramount, involving all three halls. Though close to Baolin, offending Revival for us alone would be a net loss.”

“Otherwise… why has mighty Clear Gang tolerated Feng in Little Blue Garment Ridge outskirts these years? Even yielding key spots like T-Shaped Bridge.”

These thoughts had crystallized for Xiangzi in the past two days.

He had long wondered why vast Clear Gang feared a mere Feng Village, retreating repeatedly.

Until last night, when a Clear Gang squad vanished, and Liu Futang rushed with a large force to Little Blue Garment Ridge—Xiangzi sensed something off.

Was this lack of strength?

Clearly deliberate retreat—or rather, Clear Gang was performing for Baolin Martial Hall.

Who backed Feng? Revival Martial Hall.

And Clear Gang’s business in Little Blue Garment Ridge—acquiring demon beast meat from all three halls’ forward camps, shipping to Nanyuan railway.

Note: business with all three halls, not just Baolin.

In other words, Clear Gang wouldn’t offend the other two for Baolin.

But due to longstanding ties with Baolin, they staged those acts to show Baolin—it’s not that we’re unwilling; we just lack manpower.

Otherwise, why send a soft-tempered deputy master to such a place if unwilling to yield T-Shaped Bridge?

Suddenly, Xiangzi’s mind jolted—across from him, the unassuming Wind Justice Courtyard deacon wore a faint smile.

Clearly, Wind Justice Courtyard had long known these matters.

—

Wu Jin sighed softly, rising to the window and drawing the curtains.

Night wind billowed, adding chill.

“Junior Brother’s caution is truly admirable.”

“Not hiding from Junior Brother… these matters have been thus since the old hall master’s time,”

“Forty-Nine City’s tangled interests span years; Clear Gang’s reluctance to interfere is understandable for Baolin,”

“But…” Wu Jin turned, expression grave, “Tonight, as Junior Brother saw, Baolin nearly lost an excellent disciple.”

“So… the transport line can’t be delayed.”

Hearing this, Xiangzi stood solemnly: “If there’s anything I can do, just command, Deacon Wu.”

Gazing at the tall figure, Wu Jin said deeply: “You did well with T-Shaped Bridge. Now, courtyard orders: hold T-Shaped Bridge at all costs, await Baolin Martial Hall’s arrivals.”

Baolin Martial Hall’s arrivals?

Xiangzi looked puzzled.

Wu Jin sighed: “After all, it’s Little Blue Garment Ridge’s transport line—at least needing Blood Energy Barrier martial artists. I received Courtyard Master Xi’s order yesterday; in about a month, the master will select personnel from hall apprentices to run this line.”

“Then, we won’t need Feng anymore.”

“Now with Zhao Mu injured… if no mishaps, someone else will handle the transport line, likely needing your cooperation.”

Xiangzi suddenly understood—no wonder Zhao Mu, as apprentice head instructor, suddenly came to Little Blue Garment Ridge; no wonder this apprentice trial had so many mineral dust qi-blood tempering courses.

Baolin Martial Hall had long prepared for Little Blue Garment Ridge!

And Zhao Mu’s arrival was likely to personally lead those apprentices on this transport line as instructor.

Even his assignment to Feng Village was probably prearranged—otherwise, how could Zhao Mu’s unfamiliar peers navigate the line?

Clearly done with utmost secrecy, fooling even him.

The original plan was excellent, but now… Zhao Mu was gravely injured.

He wondered if the replacement could handle such a vast responsibility.

With that, Xiangzi exhaled deeply, cupping fists gravely: “I won’t fail the hall’s trust.”

Wu Jin nodded, his gaze falling on the dark window outside.

With Baolin Martial Hall’s forward camp destroyed, supplies would be needed even more.

Could these young apprentices—and the tall one before him—bear such weight?

In the end… manpower was insufficient.

As Wu Jin fretted,

Xiangzi suddenly asked softly: “Deacon Wu, actually, Junior Brother has an idea that might resolve this urgent crisis.”

Wu Jin frowned—I’ve agonized over this for half a year without solution; what good idea could a fresh ninth-rank junior brother have?