Old Dong returned directly to Ling Province, not setting foot in Huanglong City even once.

He was now the Lingzhou General, so his every move was watched by certain people. Returning to Huanglong Prefecture would only bring trouble for the Divine Mansion Sect.

The Tiger-headed Demon had been slain, and the Soul Chasing Tower Lord had fled.

For the time being, Huanglong Prefecture was free of threats.

Aside from Zhu Wu, who was seriously injured and needed to recuperate, the other three were virtually unharmed.

The demon hunt had been Yang Fangyu’s suggestion. Now that Zhu Wu was gravely injured, Yang Fangyu felt even more guilty. The great Prefect himself ran over to the Zhu Family’s estate and stayed for three days, a gesture that moved the young Zhu Wu to no end.

As for Bai Yuan... he was, of course, training as diligently as ever.

He looked at his panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Occupation: Demon Hunter, Sword Ghost, Boxer, Spirit Cooker, Skin Painter]

[Skills: Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber (Initiate), Toad Poison (Proficient), Ten Thousand Poison Hand (Master), Thousand Shadows Poison Technique (Master), Demon Seeking (Legendary), Demon Qi Lure (Legendary), Thousand Faces Technique (Legendary)...]

[Enhancement Points: 2676]

After his fight with Jia, the Soul Chasing Tower Lord, Bai Yuan felt that if his Toad Poison could reach grand completion and become fully internalized, its effects would be even better.

To poison an opponent without them even having a chance to realize it—that was the pinnacle of the art.

’Add points!’

...

[In your 583rd year of cultivating Toad Poison, you use the Hundred Kills Poison as a catalyst, testing it on your own body.]

...

[In your 637th year of cultivating Toad Poison, you use Cold Ice Grass as a catalyst, testing it on your own body.]

...

[In your 710th year of cultivating Toad Poison, you use Cyan Jade Poison as a catalyst, testing it on your own body.]

...

After ingesting poisons for a full eight hundred years, Bai Yuan finally raised his Toad Poison to the Master level.

Once it reached the Master level, he no longer needed to release the toxins from within his body and form cyan spots on his skin to poison someone. He could now do it truly as he willed.

Bai Yuan already possessed the Thousand Shadows Poison Technique at the Master level, making him a poison expert to begin with. That was why he directly used Cyan Jade Poison to test on himself during his training, with excellent results.

This was the benefit of training multiple cultivation techniques simultaneously—using the stones of another mountain to polish one’s own jade, they mutually reinforced one another.

It was just that very few people could ever experience such a benefit.

After all, not everyone was using a cheat engine...

Even for geniuses like Yang Fangyu and Zhu Wu, training two or three cultivation techniques was their limit. Any more would only slow down their martial arts progress.

’The path I walk is a lonely one!’

Bai Yuan tested his ability again on the wooden chair beneath him.

’Mm, the effect is quite good. Another chair bites the dust.’

This chair was made of red sandalwood, and a single one was worth enough to cover a well-off family’s living expenses for a year.

Fortunately, Bai Yuan was no longer dirt poor. He could afford to lose a few silver taels.

With his poison technique having reached grand completion, he was in a great mood.

After a moment of thought, he headed straight down the mountain.

...

"Bai Yuan, you heartless bastard, you’re only showing up now."

Zhu Wu, lying in bed, cursed with a grin as he saw Bai Yuan.

Yang Fangyu had stayed with the Zhu Family for three days but had already returned to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. After all, he was the Prefect, and the affairs of Huanglong Prefecture required his attention. The fact that he could stay for so many days was a testament to his loyalty.

In addition, Lu Yu had also come to visit a few times.

Only Bai Yuan hadn’t shown his face even once.

Bai Yuan didn’t say much, simply pulling a jade bottle from his robes and tossing it to Zhu Wu. "Drink it three times a day, half a tael’s worth each time. Remember not to take any more than that."

The small bottle contained a Spirit Liquid that Bai Yuan had specially concocted.

Zhu Wu blinked.

He guessed that Bai Yuan must have been searching for medicine, which was why he had been so late to visit.

’So I’d wrongly accused my good brother!’

Zhu Wu immediately pulled out the wooden stopper and, following Bai Yuan’s instructions, drank about half a tael’s worth.

It was crisp and sweet, completely unlike those bitter medicinal soups that were so hard to swallow.

As the Spirit Liquid entered his stomach, Zhu Wu’s eyes lit up.

He felt as if a ball of fire was burning in his belly, spreading warmth to his limbs and bones. The hidden injuries within his body had already healed by a noticeable amount.

The Nine Sword Sect naturally had its own famous physicians and had used many fine medicines on him, but they were all far inferior to what Bai Yuan had given him.

’This is true brotherhood!’

Clearly, Bai Yuan had spared no effort to find this medicine for him.

’What a great brother!’

Zhu Wu’s heart warmed.

"By the way, Younger Brother Bai, you need to be careful lately. I hear experts from the Soul-Chasing Tower are gathering in the Northern Territory. Things aren’t peaceful."

"Mm."

Bai Yuan nodded.

The Demon Sect had two major branches, the Celestial Heart Sect and the Soul-Chasing Tower. Unlike the Celestial Heart Sect, which rarely appeared within Xuan Yang, the Soul-Chasing Tower had deep and extensive roots throughout the country.

Although the Xuan Yang Court had launched numerous purges, an old centipede dies hard. The Tower still had many hidden experts.

As the war dragged on, the Demon Sect’s true power gradually came to light.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty had never expected the Demon Sect to possess such a deep foundation after lurking for a millennium. If the dynasty weren’t at the peak of its golden age, the country might have actually been destroyed.

’These are troubled times...’

Perhaps the provinces in the Southern Lands could still enjoy peace and prosperity, but a place like Ling Province could be engulfed by the flames of war at any moment.

...

「A deep swamp in Ling Province.」

The area was shrouded in miasma year-round, and venomous insects were everywhere.

Patches of ground that looked perfectly normal would instantly become inescapable mire the moment one stepped on them.

Therefore, even experienced mountain folk avoided this place, leaving it deserted year-round.

"My Lord."

A woman’s voice rang out, laced with a hint of a tremor.

The woman was dressed in a black robe, her face somewhat pale.

She was none other than Jia, the Soul Chasing Tower Lord of Ling Province.

Before her stood a man built like an iron pagoda. Though his beard was streaked with gray, it did nothing to diminish his ferocious aura.

Behind that man stood a dozen more figures in black robes.

For a Soul Chasing Tower Lord to be so respectful, the man could only be a high-ranking expert from the Soul-Chasing Tower.

Unlike the Soul-Chasing Tower experts behind him, the pagoda-like man was not from Xuanyang; he was one of the Northern Barbarian Race.

The Barbarian People were often called the North Border Barbarians by the people of Xuanyang.

The Barbarian People spent their lives surviving in the harsh environment of the Northern Plains, fighting monsters and ferocious beasts. As a result, their individual combat prowess was formidable.

This man, Kuaidong, was a prime example of their kind; his terrifying brute strength was a death sentence to any who faced it.

"Useless trash."

Kuaidong’s deep voice boomed.

Jia’s body trembled violently.

The rule of the Soul-Chasing Tower was survival of the fittest. If Kuaidong wished it, he could kill Jia at any moment.

Making her wish for death would be even easier.

"Get lost."

Hearing Kuaidong’s words, Jia felt as if she had received a grand amnesty. She had managed to save her own skin today.

She knelt, shuffling backward on her knees until she reached the very end of the line, from where she cast a fearful glance at Kuaidong, who stood at the front.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty had appointed a Jiedu Envoy, and the Demon Sect naturally had a countermeasure.

And Kuaidong was that countermeasure, sent specifically to deal with Du Qinghui.

On the surface, the war between the Demon Sect and the Xuan Yang Dynasty was confined to the Northern Great Wall, but in reality, it was being fought everywhere.

The Soul-Chasing Tower’s mission was to sow chaos within the Xuanyang National Territory, leaving the dynasty unable to reinforce the Great Wall.

A smile twitched on Kuaidong’s face, which was etched with wrinkles carved by wind and snow.

’If one of the Xuan Yang Jiedu Envoys were to die, things should get very interesting.’

...

"How did you recover so quickly, you brat?"

Yang Fangyu stared at Zhu Wu, who had been a sickly invalid just a few days ago but was now hale and hearty.

He had previously brought in a miracle doctor to diagnose Zhu Wu, and the doctor had said he would need at least three months of bed rest before he could even get up.

But now, a mere ten days later, Zhu Wu was already moving about freely.

Zhu Wu said, "It’s all thanks to Younger Brother Bai."

Yang Fangyu looked at Bai Yuan in astonishment.

Bai Yuan said, "I happened to acquire a fine medicine that was perfect for treating Brother Zhu’s internal injuries."

Yang Fangyu was from the Yang Family, so his experience was naturally extensive.

A medicine that could heal Zhu Wu would have to have heaven-defying effects, and its value would surely be immense.

"Zhu Wu was injured on my account. How can I let Younger Brother Bai bear the cost? Whatever it costs, I’ll pay for it!"

Yang Fangyu said, thumping his chest.

Bai Yuan replied, "Then you can repay me with cultivation techniques."

"..."

"You little..."

Yang Fangyu hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to actually take him up on the offer.

It was like offering someone a red envelope during the New Year. You’d expect them to politely decline a few times, but instead, he just accepted it outright.

He was completely caught off guard.

Yang Fangyu pointed a shaking finger at him, cursing with a laugh.

Still, since Bai Yuan wanted cultivation techniques, he would just have to find some for him.

Bai Yuan had broad tastes when it came to cultivation techniques and would take anything he could get his hands on. As long as it wasn’t a secret family technique, finding some for him was just a matter of a little extra effort for Yang Fangyu.

This was the advantage of coming from a great family.

If Bai Yuan wanted to find cultivation techniques on his own, it would take him a hundred times more effort than it would take Yang Fangyu.

Just as the brothers were talking and laughing, an official rushed into the main hall of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, his face fraught with anxiety.

Yang Fangyu frowned. "Such haste! Where is your sense of decorum?"

The official was panting heavily.

Seeing his subordinate in such a disheveled state, Yang Fangyu realized something major must have happened.

"Reporting, my lord! The Squad Leader of the Ten Thousand Seas Gang has been murdered! His body was found in his home."

"What?!"

Yang Fangyu was stunned.

The Ten Thousand Seas Gang was a formidable power in the Northern Territory. Their reputation wasn’t widespread because they operated primarily at sea.

But their strength was not to be underestimated.

That Squad Leader of the Ten Thousand Seas Gang was an expert who had reached the Perception realm.

For such an expert to be killed in his own home showed just how powerful the assailant was.

"Have you found out who did it?"

The official replied, "There was a bloody handprint on the corpse."

"The Soul-Chasing Tower..."

Yang Fangyu gritted his teeth.

The Soul-Chasing Tower always left a bloody handprint on the bodies of their victims. This practice was already infamous.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty and the Demon Sect were at war. For the Soul-Chasing Tower, a major branch of the Demon Sect, to act so brazenly was a clear slap in the face to Yang Fangyu, the Prefect.

Although he also disapproved of the Ten Thousand Seas Gang’s criminal ways, he was the one who could kill them, not the Soul-Chasing Tower.

If he didn’t even have that much backbone, then all his years in the Northern Garrison Army would have been a waste.

"They’re completely disregarding me!"

Yang Fangyu’s eyes blazed with fury. He wanted nothing more than to hang the corpse of that Soul-Chasing Tower assassin from the walls of Huanglong City.

However, he quickly calmed himself.

The Ten Thousand Seas Gang’s Squad Leader was by no means weak. ’Whoever killed him might even have the strength to kill me. I must be careful.’

Not to mention, the Soul-Chasing Tower’s methods were notoriously difficult to guard against. One careless mistake and you could find yourself dead in a ditch.

He turned to look at Bai Yuan. "Younger Brother Bai, what are your thoughts?"

After spending so much time with him, he had discovered that Bai Yuan was a man of many means who could always find a breakthrough.

Bai Yuan mused, "The Soul-Chasing Tower surely won’t stop at just one murder. Why don’t we release a Blood Tracking Gu and lie in wait for them?"

Yang Fangyu’s eyes lit up. "Younger Brother Bai, you know Gu sorcery too?"

"I know a thing or two."

"!!"

Yang Fangyu reeled back as if physically struck.

’My brother Bai and I are invincible!’