Chapter 149: 140 People, Part 2

The parenthesis behind the Void Observation Skill slowly blurred, then quickly cleared, transforming into a four-turn Core Formation.

Sitting on the mat in the courtyard, he merely felt more Qi and blood gathering in the dantian of his abdomen, nothing more.

Obviously, the four-turn was still far from reaching a transformative state.

Immediately, he set aside his slight impatience, crossed his legs, and continued to meditate deeply.

Coming to this Wushan Prefecture, his original purpose was solely one.

That is to continuously improve himself, accumulate attribute points, and strengthen himself to an absolutely safe level.

This world is so oppressive, having experienced so much now, he has accumulated a lot of irritation in his heart.

And the attribute panel is his trump card for a complete rise in the future.

The fact that he broke through the innate physique and stepped into the Ninth Grade made Zhang Rongfang believe that as long as he continued to accumulate attributes and push forward.

Sooner or later, whether it’s the statue, the secret cult, or the unknown danger of the Spirit Court.

He can explode all that obstructs him with his own strength!

So as long as he completely controls the dead soldiers, as long as the Double Eagles don’t cause him trouble, everything else can continue as before.

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Outside the city wall of Wushan Prefecture, by the Wujiang River, late at night, a two-story boat slowly lit lanterns and docked at the pier.

Teams of people in black carried bodies wrapped in black cloth and swiftly placed them into the entrance below the boat deck.

Near the pier, two men in green attire with white vests over their clothes and high hats looked coldly at the ship being loaded.

“Is this all there is?”

One of them complained dissatisfied.

“Your requirements are too high. No virgins, no acceptance, slightly lesser looks and figures, no acceptance. We even captured several Spirit People to meet the numbers. It’s already very difficult.”

Opposite the two men in green, Xiang Ling, wearing a pink low-cut dress and holding a round fan, covered her chest and skin, and lightly responded.

“If it weren’t for a new batch of confiscated family members of convicted officials recently, this batch wouldn’t have been completed,” Xiang Ling explained.

“That’s none of my concern, you agreed so well at the beginning. Now that you’ve got our support, don’t think you can turn your back on it.” The taller man in green said coldly.

“You don’t want Lord Cyan Horn to personally intervene, do you?”

Hearing the name Cyan Horn, Xiang Ling frowned.

“The terms naturally remain unchanged, but you only demand quantity. For those of higher quality, can’t they count for more?”

“Now it’s the critical moment, within these two years, the pressure from above is tight. If the supply falls short, the higher-ups will definitely blame us.

You can explain to me now, but when the time comes, what can I use to explain to the above? Or do you want to personally go to Lord Cyan Horn?” The dissatisfied man in green asked.

“Heh, hasn’t your Golden Wing Pavilion recently got a new Spirit Envoy? With a Spirit Envoy backing you, shouldn’t you be bolder? The part you didn’t dare to touch before, isn’t it reachable now?” Another person couldn’t help but sneer beside him.

“The token of the Spirit Envoy is naturally handy. We came this time, all bearing the Spirit Envoy’s token, and other forces all show respect when they hear that we brought a Spirit Envoy…” Xiang Ling laughed as she spoke.

The Spirit Level of the Golden Wing Pavilion, even at the worst, is a Ninth-Grade Expert.

This made the originally small faction of the Golden Wing Pavilion in Wushan, now leap into an organization that many forces pay attention to.

“Hmph, if I had known earlier, I would have applied for a part-time job at the Golden Wing Pavilion like you.” The man in green’s voice held some regret.

“Holding multiple positions is not something just anyone can do. You see me looking happy, in reality, when lonely, shedding tears at midnight, there’s no one to console me~~~” Xiang Ling giggled.

Suddenly, from a distance by the Wujiang River, over ten vigorous figures charged in.

“Here it is! Kill!!”

The one at the forefront of the figures, upon seeing the boat transferring people, shouted out loud.

“Kill first, rescue later!” Another shouted along.

Each one of this group was masked and tied with black headscarves.

They charged into the crowd like tigers among sheep, easily killing or seriously injuring the people in black transporting goods.

And the different people’s moves seemed chaotic, as if they weren’t from the same sect.

“There’s an expert! Take action!”

The two men in green on guard immediately turned cold, drew swords, and rushed up to engage in a fight.

Xiang Ling quietly retreated, intending to leave with a few of her subordinates.

But they were similarly blocked by two short-sword wielding men and women.

“Kidnapping and trafficking people, should die! Kill her!”

The veiled woman swung her bare hand, and the short sword brought solemn, cold sword marks.

Swish, swish, two strokes directly slashing at Xiang Ling’s chest and abdomen.

Clang clang!

Xiang Ling’s round fan in hand lightly tapped, surprisingly accurately deflecting the short sword, emitting the sound of metal clashing.

Her body technique was astonishingly fast. The Golden Roc Secret Record unfolded, and with just a few flashes, the woman found herself in a precarious situation.

Had it not been for the woman’s perfect moves, with few flaws and cautious strikes, she might have been defeated quickly.

The man beside her couldn’t keep up with the body technique and always lent a helping hand a step too late.

Although the two were at a disadvantage for a time, the rest of the Sea Dragon and Golden Wing Pavilion people were no match for this masked group.

Soon, women boarded on the boat were brought down and taken away by another group of newly emerged people.

Aaah!!

Suddenly, a scream radiated out.

Xiang Ling, who was just gaining the upper hand, felt the voice familiar, quickly looked over.

Only to see one of the lead Sea Dragon individuals already stabbed through the heart, lying on the ground.

“Such audacity! Do you know who we are!?” Xiang Ling felt something amiss, hastily shouted angrily.

“No matter who you are, today you must die!” The masked one who killed the Sea Dragon leader drew out a short sword, glancing over this way.

“My Golden Wing Pavilion has a Spirit Envoy in Wushan, you’d better think twice before you act!”

Spirit Envoy!?

The group all started in surprise.

Before they came, everyone had already familiarized themselves with the situation regarding the Sea Dragon and the Golden Wing Pavilion.

They knew that the Spirit Envoy was at least a Ninth-Grade expert.

Previously, the Golden Wing Pavilion in Wushan Prefecture was just a small power, relying on selling intelligence to support its system.

But now, with the Spirit Envoy arriving, the nature of it had changed.

“Stop them!” Xiang Ling seized the chance to retreat quickly, ordering the guards behind her to step forward and block the way.

She then swiftly unfolded her body technique and in an instant was rushing into the distance.

The other masked men wanted to chase but were stopped by the man who had killed the Sea Dragon leader.

“Do not chase desperate foes! Rescuing comes first!”

“But!” a woman stomped her foot, wanting to say something more.

“The Golden Wing Pavilion has a Ninth-Grade sitting in, along with the Double Eagles and many skilled subordinates. If you chase, with so few people, it’s as good as seeking death!” the man said coldly.

“To overthrow such an evil organization, we must plan for the long haul. The Sea Dragon Cyan Horn and the Golden Wing Pavilion’s Spirit Envoy, these two are our biggest obstacles to rescuing people. Alone, we fear we’re not their match.

If a siege fails, a single mishap could be a great calamity. Therefore, we must find external aid!” the leading man explained in a deep voice.

By this time, the Sea Dragon’s remaining members had mostly been dealt with; the rest scattered and fled in panic.

This group of more than ten quickly began rescuing the women on the ship.

Someone accidentally rolled a woman to the ground, and her black cloth fell off.

The woman turned out to be completely naked, without any clothes.

The person exclaimed in shock and quickly stepped forward, covering her up again.

“These damned bastards! How… how can my sister and the others live from now on!!?” one of the masked men pounded a fist onto the ship’s rail with hatred.

Their bodies had been stripped bare; who knows if they had been humiliated?

After such an experience, even in the relatively open society of the Great Spirit, it amounted to a total destruction of many women’s purity.

“Hurry up!” the leading man was equally burning with anger. Soon, he found his only daughter among the group of women.

Seeing her vacant eyes, obviously drugged, he felt an indescribable grief in his heart.

“Sea Dragon… Golden Wing Pavilion…!! I will make you pay with blood someday!!”

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Zen Heart Literary Society.

Eight willow trees, three parts of a clear pond, a Taiji incense burner, offering a copper statue of the Joyful Bodhisattva.

As soon as Zhang Rongfang entered, he felt something peculiar about the Zen Heart Literary Society.

This three-in-three-out large courtyard had a decorative style that seemed a fusion of Buddhist and Daoist elements, yet there was a faint sense of discordance.

Especially that Joyful Bodhisattva.

With one hand holding a jade pestle and the other supporting a lotus, her posture was graceful, her appearance dignified.

Though it was a proper Bodhisattva bronze statue, it gave off a vague sense of allure and temptation.

In the courtyard, seven or eight people were scattered around, each holding a scroll, reading intently, wandering back and forth, deeply absorbed.

What felt most unusual to Zhang Rongfang was that most of these people were women.

“As the saying goes, ’In life’s long bitterness, few pleasures; How willingly a golden smile beguile.’ This Zen Heart Literary Society advocates for all to study Buddhist and Daoist scriptures, to gain insights into true nature through enlightenment, comprehending the truths of life’s suffering and joy, thus achieving the instant euphoria of realizing true nature.”

Dai Yan softly introduced at the side.

“Actually, I didn’t tell you before, but I’m also one of the members.”

He smiled.

“Often, when life offers no visible hope, the only thing we can do is to adjust ourselves.”

“There’s some truth in that.” Zhang Rongfang nodded, “But personally, I believe hope doesn’t come by waiting; it needs to be created.”

“Not everyone has the talent and gifts like Brother Fang.” Dai Yan shook his head.

Having followed Suda Heqi for so long, he saw through many things.

But for now, to avoid overstepping, it wasn’t appropriate to say too much.

Dai Yan led him through the courtyard, crossing the side corridors to the second courtyard.

The area of the courtyard behind the second gate was slightly smaller, around more than two hundred square meters.

Dai Yan led him to an antechamber door on the left side.

On the black door was a disc-shaped symbol, with a strange lotus composed of finger formations, slowly blooming.

Through the crack of the door, Zhang Rongfang could faintly smell a strange fragrance wafting out.

The fragrance was akin to sandalwood, but not quite, and when inhaled, it cleared the mind, slightly accelerating the flow of qi and blood.

It seemed to be an incense that could make the mind more exhilarated.

Dai Yan stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

“Miss Gong, I’ve brought the student seeker; are you free now?” His tone carried an inexplicable respect.

There was a brief silence from inside, then a calm, gentle voice responded.

“Come in, the door isn’t locked.”

Dai Yan’s breathing became slightly rapid, even with his back to Zhang Rongfang, it was visible that his ears were flushed red.

“I… I won’t go in. Inside is Miss Gong Shuyin, who will teach you the lock script. If you have any questions, just ask her directly.”

Dai Yan’s eyes flashed with a hint of struggle, but he hastily patted Zhang Rongfang’s shoulder and turned to leave quickly.

Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly, now that the Wushan Double Eagles were not under his direct control, the Golden Wing Pavilion’s decentralization prevented him from intervening in power struggles.

Thus, he couldn’t deploy the Main Building members to obtain intelligence.

Otherwise, he could have easily acquired complete information on this Gong Shuyin before coming here.

Originally, he thought this person was just an ordinary scholar.

But from all the oddities since entering, this Gong Shuyin was likely not as simple as he initially imagined.

Even standing at the door, he couldn’t hear that there was another person inside the room.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep