44: Returning home laden with spoils, but a storm is brewing.
The night was as dark as ink, and torrential rain poured down.
A rare thunderstorm blanketed the entire Southern Commandery City, with pea-sized raindrops pitter-pattering against the bluestone slabs, splashing up a layer of white mist and washing away all traces between heaven and earth.
At the Southern Commandery West Gate, the city guard's security was several times stricter than usual.
On the city walls, several Iron Sword Sect Disciples held torches, their gazes sinisterly scanning everyone entering or leaving under the lead of the new Punishment Hall Deacon. Their Sect Leader was dead, their Elder had gone mad, and the entire Sect had quickly defected to the current City Lord. Now, to complete the search mission they had been given, they were like mad dogs whose tails had been stepped on, biting anyone they saw.
“Stop! Show your travel permit!”
A Disciple stopped a peasant man wearing a straw raincoat and carrying a shoulder pole.
The man seemed frightened, tremblingly pulling a wooden plaque soaked by rain from his chest and handing it over. His face was covered in mud and weathered by the elements, his eyes dull and wooden.
“Scram, scram, scram! You reek of mud!”
The Disciple glanced at him with disgust and waved him through.
The man bowed and scraped submissively, carrying the heavy-looking load of vegetables as he trudged through the rain into the Nanjun Outer City.
Not until he turned into the dreaded Ghost Crying Alley did the man's back slowly straighten.
He reached out and wiped his face, and the layer of sallow, dead skin and grime washed away like flowing water, revealing Lin Que's handsome but weary face.
“Phew...”
Lin Que exhaled a breath of turbid air tinged with blood and retracted the [thousand changes multi-treasure pearl] into his sleeve.
It hadn't been easy to sneak back all this way.
The Demon Suppression Division's sense of smell was sharper than a dog's; if not for the torrential rain masking his presence and the miraculous disguise of the myriad treasures pearl, he likely would have found it difficult to avoid the pursuit of the Patrolling Commissioner.
“Creak—”
He pushed open the mottled gates of Listening to Rain Pavilion.
A familiar cold aura rushed toward him, yet it made Lin Que feel an unprecedented sense of peace.
“Mas... Master?”
A phantom red shadow drifted out from the main room. Seeing the soaked and slightly disheveled Lin Que, a flash of surprise and joy crossed the Red-Clothed Child Maiden's eyes. She hurriedly floated over to help him with his straw raincoat, yet she feared her own ghostly Qi would chill her master.
“Go boil some water.”
Lin Que casually tossed the straw raincoat into the courtyard, his voice somewhat raspy.
“I want to bathe.”
...Half an hour later.
Inside the house, candlelight flickered, warm as spring.
Lin Que had changed into a dry set of green robes and sat cross-legged on the Arhat bed. Little Snow Ferret was lying on his lap, holding a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and munching on it with a crunching sound, its eating manner extremely domineering.
On the table in front of Lin Que lay the greatest gains from this trip to the Dragon Fall Pit—
The Storage Pouch of Tie Shan, the Iron Sword Sect Leader.
It was an exquisitely crafted silken bag embroidered with golden sword patterns. The bag itself was a Low Grade Magical Artifact, with enough space to hold a small mountain.
“The net worth of a Late Stage Spirit Sea Realm expert—I hope it doesn't disappoint me.”
Lin Que took a deep breath, and his powerful Divine Sense pierced into the Storage Pouch like an awl, forcibly wiping away the residual Divine Soul mark left by Tie Shan.
Crash!
As the pouch was turned upside down, a large pile of items radiating treasure-light poured out, instantly filling the entire table and even rolling onto the floor.
Hong Yi floated to the side, her eyes widening as her ghost fires flickered wildly.
“We... we're rich...”
Lin Que's gaze first landed on a pile of Spirit Stones.
A quick sweep revealed three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!
This was definitely a fortune! One must know that ordinary Loose Cultivators would risk their lives for just a few Spirit Stones, yet here were several thousand, more than enough for Lin Que to Cultivate all the way to the Spirit Sea Realm.
Besides the Spirit Stones, there were also three bottles of Medicinal Pills.
Second-Grade High Grade [Qi Recovery Pill], Second-Grade Medium Grade [Meridian Protection Pill], and a bottle of extremely precious [Breaking Adversity Pill]—this was a treasure medicine specifically used to assist in breaking through the Spirit Sea Realm Bottleneck!
“Good stuff.”
Lin Que put away the Medicinal Pills and turned his gaze toward the weapons.
Tie Shan's iconic Black Iron Greatsword was also among them. This was a Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact weighing three thousand catties, forged entirely from deep-sea black iron. It was powerful and heavy when swung; even without infusing spiritual power, it could easily crush rocks.
Lin Que lifted the greatsword with one hand, his wrist sinking slightly.
“A bit light.”
He shook his head. After cultivating Bronze Skin, his Physical Body's strength had skyrocketed. While this sword was decent, it wasn't quite right for him.
“I'll save it for the myriad treasures pearl to devour and improve its quality.”
Lin Que made his decision.
After dealing with the miscellaneous items, only two things remained on the table.
A black Jade Slip and a letter sealed with wax.
Lin Que first picked up the Jade Slip.
His Divine Sense probed inside, and a segment of domineering text appeared in his mind—[Mountain Collapsing Sword Art].
This was a Profound Rank Low Grade Martial Skill that focused on using strength to overcome finesse, being bold and unconstrained. At Major Achievement, one could collapse a mountain with a single sword strike.
“It's so-so; I can reference the force-exertion techniques within it and integrate them into my Seven Absolute Blades.”
Lin Que set down the Jade Slip and picked up the letter.
There was no signature on the envelope, only a drawing of a strange black lotus.
Seeing this pattern, Lin Que's pupils constricted slightly.
It was identical to the “Nine Nether” mark he had seen on the Black Marsh map!
He tore open the wax Seal and read the letter.
The content of the letter wasn't long, written in a scrawled hand as if in extreme haste:
“Sect Leader Tie, the black lotus is about to bloom. ‘That item’ must be delivered to the Dragon Fall Pit altar within seven days to help the black lotus reach Great Perfection. Once successful, the ‘Core Formation Spiritual Item’ promised to you will naturally be presented. Remember, be wary of the Demon Suppression Division's dog noses. — You”
Snap.
Lin Que closed the letter, and a wisp of true fire ignited at his fingertips, turning it to ash.
“As expected.”
Lin Que looked at the flickering candlelight, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
“The Iron Sword Sect isn't just overbearing; they are simply Puppets supported by the Nine Nether Demonic Cult.”
“The so-called ‘that item’ must be the blood sacrifice of those hundreds of Loose Cultivators. For the sake of Core Formation, Tie Shan did not hesitate to collude with the Demonic Cult, even planning to sacrifice all the Loose Cultivators in the Nanjun Outer City.”
No wonder the Demon Suppression Division intervened.
That Patrolling Commissioner must have targeted the Iron Sword Sect long ago.
“These waters are even deeper than I imagined.”
Lin Que's fingers lightly tapped on the tabletop.
Now that Tie Shan is dead and Zhao Wuji is insane, the Iron Sword Sect is leaderless—it's the perfect time of chaos.
And that nine nether black lotus coveted by all parties was currently lying quietly in his Storage Pouch.
This is both a supreme Opportunity and a death warrant.
Once the Patrolling Commissioner tracks it to him, or the people from the Demonic Cult find him... “I must increase my strength as quickly as possible.”
Lin Que stood up abruptly, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.
He turned to look at Hong Yi floating to the side, his tone serious:
“Hong Yi, I'm going into Seclusion.”
“During this Seclusion, unless the sky falls, no one is allowed to disturb me.”
“Also...”
Lin Que flipped his wrist, and the nine nether black lotus sealed in the jade box appeared in his palm.
Even through the jade box, that bone-piercing chill still caused the temperature in the room to drop instantly, and the tea on the table froze into a thin layer of ice.
“This thing's cold energy is too heavy; I can't swallow it alone.”
Lin Que looked at the shivering Hong Yi, a “kind” smile curling at the corners of his mouth:
“As my Ghost Servant, you shouldn't mind... helping your master share a bit of this ‘pain,’ right?”
Hong Yi looked at that black lotus, then at Lin Que's “if you dare refuse, I'll kill you” expression. With a long face, she nodded resignedly:
“Thi... this servant is willing...”
“Very good.”
Lin Que nodded with satisfaction, then grabbed the mountain of Spirit Stones on the table and the black lotus capable of sparking a bloodbath, and strode toward the Cultivation chamber in the inner room.
“Three days.”
“Within three days, I will charge toward the Late Stage Kaiyuan Realm and push my Internal Skill to Great Perfection!”
“By the time I emerge from Seclusion...”
Lin Que looked back at the pitch-black rainy night outside the window:
“It's also time to go and meet the storm brewing over the city.”