“Senior Brother, the evidence they handed over and the compensation they offered voluntarily are all here. I’ve checked them—no problems!”
As he spoke, Han Li handed several storage pouches to Qi Ping.
“Good!”
Qi Ping nodded, took the items, gave them a quick scan to confirm everything was in order, and put them away.
“Senior Brother, there’s one more thing to be careful about.”
“What is it?”
“Fengfeng Jianzi was brought into the sect by the Second Elder from a young age and raised with the sect’s full resources. He’s always been one of the most outstanding talents of his generation, which has made him extremely arrogant. When he carries out missions, he only cares about procedure. As long as the evidence checks out and the sect has issued the mission and the arrest-and-kill order, he’ll probably attack on sight the moment we meet. He won’t give us a chance to explain the evidence.”
“Not even a chance to explain the evidence? Is the Law Enforcement Hall really that overbearing?”
Hearing this, Qi Ping couldn’t help but frown. Focusing only on procedure and not on facts—isn’t that just a blade in the hands of those in power to purge dissidents?
“It wasn’t like this before. But ever since Fengfeng Jianzi broke through to the peak of Foundation Establishment and became the Law Enforcement Hall’s senior disciple, the Law Enforcement Hall has become like this. Since he took office, our fellow disciples have been terrified of the Law Enforcement Hall.”
“Mm, I understand now. But if that’s the case, then for the next few days, you and Brother Zhang should stay inside the formation I set up for you. That way, when I fight Fengfeng Jianzi, no one can take advantage of the chaos to move against you.”
After saying this, Qi Ping went back to cultivating. There was no time to replace the tree-man clone, so he could only do his best to improve it for now.
“Understood, Senior Brother. Brother Zhang and I will be careful!”
Han Li acknowledged and immediately left to inform Zhang Danju.
This was a matter of life and death—nothing to be careless about.
When Qi Ping brought up the protective formation he had set up, Han Li still couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. Qi Ping was already remarkably powerful on his own, and on top of that, he was such a formidable formation master!
But at the thought of the identity of formation master, Han Li suddenly recalled the Bee Daoist who had gone on a killing spree in the Qingtian Domain years ago.
The same ruthless decisiveness, the same superb formation skills. One alone might be a coincidence, but two together—it was hard not to connect the dots.
But on second thought, Han Li felt it was unlikely. The Bee Daoist had killed many people from the Qingyuan Sect and had slaughtered quite a few forces connected to the Qingyuan Sect. Such a Bee Daoist couldn’t possibly have passed the Heart-Asking Mirror test, let alone received the evaluation of “Pillar of the Sect.”
The Heart-Asking Mirror hadn’t made a single mistake in over ten thousand years!
In Xingyun City, many people were either terrified of or eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Law Enforcement Hall’s Fengfeng Jianzi. Qi Ping, however, simply cultivated quietly in silence.
Qi Ping was fairly confident about this battle, but when it came to style of operation, he certainly wouldn’t pass up anything that could improve his chances of winning.
Besides, the insights and cultivation he was gaining right now were also a cornerstone on the path to eternal life.
Just when Qi Ping thought he could cultivate in peace until the Law Enforcement Hall’s Fengfeng Jianzi arrived at the mission hall, something interrupted his cultivation.
After Qi Ping had cultivated quietly for a day, a middle-aged rogue cultivator wearing a light gray robe suddenly appeared at the gates of the Qingxian Manor.
His robe was torn in several places, and his aura was extremely chaotic—it seemed he could lose control of his cultivation and suffer severe injury at any moment.
After arriving at the entrance of the Qingxian Manor, the middle-aged man suddenly knelt heavily on the ground and kowtowed three times with loud thuds.
“Rogue cultivator Mo Fan, bearing a family heirloom treasure, begs an audience with Lord Lin Ya, the garrison commander!”
A cry filled with intense emotion spread out through his spiritual power.
Then the middle-aged man took out a box emanating an air of antiquity and Dao resonance from his storage pouch. On both knees, holding it up with both hands, he knelt in prostration before the Qingxian Manor.
This commotion naturally drew the attention of the people in the Qingxian Manor quickly.
But looking at the object in the middle-aged man’s hands—clearly a treasure—many people, though filled with greed, didn’t dare make the slightest move.
Ever since Qi Ping took charge of the Qingxian Manor, almost no one dared to pull any tricks there, especially with so many people watching.
At the same time, the people inside the Qingxian Manor quickly notified Han Li and Zhang Danju. As for Qi Ping, they weren’t qualified to seek an audience with him yet.
A short while later, Han Li and Zhang Danju arrived at the gates of the Qingxian Manor.
The moment the two of them saw the box in the middle-aged man’s hands and sensed the rich, high-grade Dao resonance emanating from it, a storm surged in their hearts.
The aura on it seemed to have already reached the Golden Core level!
Without daring to delay, they immediately led the middle-aged man to a great hall.
A while later, Qi Ping, who had been cultivating, was woken up.
“Senior Brother, a rogue cultivator has come bearing a treasure, seeking an audience with you. Judging by the Dao resonance on the box, it should be a Golden Core-level treasure.”
Han Li quickly recounted the whole process, though he couldn’t quite keep the excitement out of his voice.
After all, it might be a Golden Core-level treasure!
Treasures that reached the late Foundation Establishment level were already considered rare, let alone one that might reach the Golden Core level!
“A rogue cultivator offering a treasure?”
Hearing this, Qi Ping was also slightly taken aback.
He had encountered rogue cultivators offering treasures before, but this was the first time he’d seen a Golden Core-level treasure.
You have to understand—he had killed countless Foundation Establishment cultivators and wiped out who knew how many Foundation Establishment clans, yet he had never even seen half a damaged Golden Core-level treasure, let alone a complete one. So you can imagine just how precious a Golden Core-level treasure is!
This aroused intense interest in Qi Ping’s heart!
“Take me to see him!”
“Senior Brother, follow me!”
A short while later, Qi Ping’s figure appeared in one of the Qingxian Manor’s reception halls.
When the middle-aged man saw Qi Ping, he immediately knelt before him in agitation.
“This humble one, Mo Fan, greets Lord Garrison Commander!”
Qi Ping glanced at the middle-aged man and immediately noticed that his qi and blood were dried up. Without miraculous medicine to treat him, he probably didn’t have long to live!
Faced with this, Qi Ping didn’t waste words. Standing before the middle-aged man, he asked directly:
“What brings you to seek me out?”
“Replying to Lord Garrison Commander, my daughter was captured by the Xianyu Tower not long ago. Now I fear she’s been taken to be trained into one of those… women who entertain others.”
At this point, the middle-aged man’s throat convulsed uncontrollably with sobs, and his eyes showed intense pain. Clearly, as a father, he simply couldn’t continue—he was almost curled up in agony. It took him a long while before he barely managed to go on:
“This humble one only managed to escape by risking his life with the family heirloom treasure. Fortunately, under your lordship’s jurisdiction, no one in Xingyun City dares to make a move on the streets—otherwise I never would have made it here. Now this humble one only hopes to offer the family heirloom treasure in exchange for your lordship saving my daughter. This humble one is willing to serve you like an ox or a horse for the rest of my life. I beg you, my lord…”
Having said this, the middle-aged man immediately opened the treasure box, and a terrifying surge of spiritual power erupted from within.
