Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 95

The Moonlit Pleasure Pavilion had now become a mass of endless darkness, and the direction of the entrance had vanished entirely.

In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged man, Uncle Qing, felt only a wave of chilling, sinister energy rushing straight towards his face.

In that instant, a blurred, shadowy figure appeared before him, clad in a gown of dark gauze, its facial features indistinct.

Pitch-black hair, deep as an abyss, stirred without any wind, writhing through the air like living serpents, glinting with a cold, eerie luster.

The next moment, the shadow’s hair surged violently, carrying a terrifying Yin energy, blotting out the sky and earth as it swept forth to engulf the middle-aged man and Hua Jianghe.

The middle-aged man’s pupils shook violently. Feeling the horrifying Yin energy, the blood and vitality within his body rapidly boiled.

The knife in his hand emitted white steam and chopped at the flying black hair, trying to destroy the hair that carried evil energy.

Countless hair strands were cut by the sharp blade light, filling the air with drifting locks that shimmered with a profound, dark glow.

However, it wasn’t long before the middle-aged man’s blood and vitality rapidly deteriorated.

The large blade in his hand showed numerous cracks, and his hand gripping the hilt was already tainted by a chilling energy that was eroding the blood and vitality within him.

“This level of Yin energy… it’s already at the level of a fully matured Fierce-grade apparition, isn’t it?”

A fully matured Fierce-grade apparition.

Only the blood and vitality of a martial artist who had reached the peak of the Blood Refining realm could contend with it.

His own blood and vitality, at the minor achievement stage of the Blood Refining realm, were completely inadequate to resist this terrifying Yin energy.

According to the news he had heard back then, the Phantom of the Moonlit Pleasure Pavilion was supposedly just a Fierce-grade apparition, something a Blood Refining realm martial artist could eradicate.

But now, not only had the Phantom awakened ahead of time, its Yin energy far exceeded the rumors from back then.

A trace of fear flashed in the middle-aged man, Uncle Qing’s eyes as he watched the endless strands of hair still drifting and hovering in the void, tightly encircling the two of them.

“Uncle Qing, save… me!”

Hua Jianghe, who had been hiding behind the middle-aged man, let out a horrifying cry for help.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man, Uncle Qing, immediately looked back.

He saw that Hua Jianghe’s body was already pierced by numerous slender strands of hair.

These strands were precisely those that had been severed by Uncle Qing moments before and had fallen to the ground.

“Xiao He!”

A flash of grief passed through the middle-aged man, Uncle Qing’s eyes.

Hua Jianghe had already been invaded by that terrifying Yin energy. Beyond saving, in just a few breaths, he was reduced to a withered skeleton and remains.

Just as the middle-aged man’s grief-stricken roar faded, the sky-blotting mass of hair behind him began to flutter wildly, rushing forth to devour him.

Early the next morning, Li Chengfeng came in person to invite Lu Xuan to the main hall for discussions.

A smile was plastered on Li Chengfeng’s aged face as he turned to look at Lu Xuan, who was seated beside him.

“Friend Lu Xuan, please, sit here!”

“I heard from Zhao Sheng and the others that you seem quite interested in the Mystic Bird Guard. I wonder if you have any intention of joining us.”

Having learned that this prodigious talent, Lu Xuan, was interested in joining the Mystic Bird Guard, Li Chengfeng wanted to strike while the iron was hot and sound out his intentions.

Hearing this, Lu Xuan looked up at Li Chengfeng, his expression unreadable, and calmly replied.

“That thought has crossed my mind.”

“However, I’m accustomed to a free and easy life. Moreover, I’m not very familiar with the rules of the Mystic Bird Guard.”

“Uncle Feng, if you don’t mind, could you explain it to me in detail?”

Lu Xuan was indeed very interested in joining the Mystic Bird Guard.

But this guard was an official imperial institution; there would inevitably be restrictions. It couldn’t compare to the freedom of being on his own.

If it weren’t for the fact that the Mystic Bird Guard aligned greatly with his interests, Lu Xuan would truly prefer not to deal with these government officials.

“In that case, Friend Lu Xuan, you needn’t worry.”

“Our Mystic Bird Guard answers only to His Majesty, the current Emperor. The restrictions are not great; we can act first and report later.”

“Even the local officials must unconditionally obey the commands of our Mystic Bird Guard.”

“However, each year, some people from the Capital are sent out to inspect the Mystic Bird Guard offices in various prefectures.”

Hearing that the restrictions were minimal and that he could act freely, the last of Lu Xuan’s concerns dissipated.

Only Li Chengfeng’s final sentence caused Lu Xuan to frown slightly.

“Inspection?”

“Who are they?”

How coincidental; the thing Lu Xuan disliked most was others ordering him around.

“Don’t worry, Friend Lu Xuan. Those people have no authority to command you. They are only here to inspect the situation of the Mystic Bird Guard.”

“They investigate matters related to the Mystic Bird Guard’s eradication of apparitions and demonic beasts, then return to the Capital to report to His Majesty.”

“The Black Feather Guard!”

If the Mystic Bird Guard was the external blade of the Great Xia Emperor, then the Black Feather Guard were his eyes and ears, monitoring the entire realm.

Hmm?
So they’re just here to check the books, was Lu Xuan’s first thought.

That put him at ease.

“By the way, Uncle Feng, I heard from Zhao Sheng that the effects of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures on martial artists far surpass those of potent medicinal herbs.”

“I wonder if such Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures exist within the Mystic Bird Guard.”

Then, Lu Xuan stopped beating around the bush and asked what he most wanted to know.

If such Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures truly existed, then Lu Xuan wouldn’t have to rely solely on slaying supernatural apparitions and demonic beasts to obtain system points.

He could also consume Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures to gain a large number of system points.

“Of course there are!”

“Every prefectural branch of the Mystic Bird Guard holds a large quantity of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures sent from the Capital.”

“These are allocated based on the tasks completed by each member of the Mystic Bird Guard.”

“Only by completing missions rated Fierce-grade or above will one be rewarded with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures.”

“Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures are divided into these grades: Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, and Top-grade.”

“As for prefectural branches, most only possess Low-grade Spiritual Treasures, with a very limited number of Mid-grade ones.”

“Moreover, within a prefectural branch, only one person has the authority to manage and distribute these Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures.”

Li Chengfeng paused here, looking meaningfully at Lu Xuan.

“That person is the Mystic Bird Guard Commander of that prefecture, the one who holds authority over the Guard in that entire region.”

Lu Xuan didn’t pay much attention to Li Chengfeng’s meaningful look; his focus was on the fact that the quantity of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures was actually limited.

This dashed Lu Xuan’s hope of unrestrictedly completing tasks to obtain large quantities of spiritual treasures.

“Uncle Feng, what if the number of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures in the prefecture becomes insufficient? What happens then?”

Eh!
Li Chengfeng was momentarily stunned by Lu Xuan’s question. His eyes widened, looking at Lu Xuan with disbelief.

This Friend Lu Xuan certainly has a large appetite!

“If the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures are insufficient, one can request more from the Mystic Bird Guard headquarters.”

“However, it’s best not to be too outrageous, otherwise the Black Feather Guard will find out.”

“When that happens, if that one finds out… the consequences would be severe!”