Taiyuan Prefecture lies beside the Luoshui.
On the sunny banks of the Luoshui, it is spring all year round.
Even in February, just after the harsh winter, budding flowers and grass swaying in the wind could be seen everywhere.
"The Martial Arts Path is one of tension and release."
Atop their horses,
Zhou Ruxuan's crisp voice rang out:
"You're the one who said that. Why have you been pushing yourself so hard lately?"
Beside her,
a pale Zhu Ju sat on his horse, his body rising and falling with the steed's gait. He sighed upon hearing her words:
"I thought I could succeed in a single attempt, but it wasn't so easy. It's been a bitter struggle these past few days."
It had been over three months since he began refining his Qi Blood Divine Weapon, telling the outside world that he was in secluded Cultivation.
He had thought that with his former Cultivation, Realm, and experience, refining a Qi Blood Divine Weapon would be a simple task.
But he never expected that,
even now, he had only just found the path and had yet to reach the Entry Level of refinement.
To others, however, it seemed quite different. After all, his Cultivation had shown real, tangible progress.
"That's already quite impressive."
Nie Leyao said with a smile,
"In just over a year, you've gone from no grade to the upper Ninth Grade. Even if you had a strong foundation, that's still a remarkable achievement."
"Given time, you might even be able to attempt a breakthrough to the Sixth-Grade Realm before you turn thirty."
Zhou Ruxuan nodded.
She was gratified to see Zhu Ju working so hard on his Cultivation, but his ghastly pale face today had given her a fright.
Hard work was good, but not at the cost of his health.
"We're here!"
As they spoke, the group arrived at the docks, where a crowd was already waiting.
A wrecked boat had been dragged ashore, and several bloated corpses lay beside it. Cries filled the air.
More onlookers were whispering amongst themselves.
"Young Master."
A man from Zhu's Cloth Workshop pushed through the crowd, knelt, and kowtowed, his voice choked with sobs as he spoke:
"My older brother started taking this water route last year. He never had any trouble… until now."
"Young Master."
A man dressed as a Steward spoke in a low voice:
"Water Bandits appeared on the river last night. We had a shipment to transport, and the entire boat was attacked."
"The cargo…"
"Was also lost."
"How could you be so careless?" Zhou Ruxuan frowned instinctively.
"Didn't I tell you to stay close to the Sanhe Gang and the Zhou Family Trading Team on the water route? With their protection, you would have been safe."
"Well…" the Steward mumbled,
"We did follow them."
"Hm?" Zhou Ruxuan turned her head to look at a middle-aged man in the crowd.
"Cao Fengyang, what happened here?"
"Replying to the Young Miss." The man named Cao Fengyang, dressed in martial attire and exuding an extraordinary aura, bowed.
"It was pitch dark last night, and the situation with the Water Bandits was unknown. I could only protect the Zhou Family's cargo ships."
CRACK!
Before he could finish, a long whip lashed out, striking him hard on the arm.
The immense force tore through his sleeve and sent him stumbling back several steps.
"You bastard!"
Zhou Ruxuan roared, whip in hand,
"I told you, the business of Zhu's Cloth Workshop is the business of the Zhou Family! Did my words go in one ear and out the other?"
Cao Fengyang clenched his teeth, his face a mixture of shame and anger.
He was the Chief Steward of the Zhou Family's external affairs. Not only was his position high, but he also possessed a Cultivation in the upper Eighth Grade.
He had served the Zhou Family diligently for decades. Even the Old Master and the Young Master praised his hard work.
And now,
he was being whipped by Zhou Ruxuan simply for failing to protect the Zhu Family's boat. It was utterly humiliating.
Seeing this, Nie Leyao, who was standing to the side, gave a cold smile.
That man, Cao, clearly didn't understand how important Zhu's Cloth Workshop was to Zhou Ruxuan.
It wasn't just because of Zhu Ju.
It was because the Cloth Workshop brought her thousands of taels of silver every month, amounting to tens of thousands of taels a year. This was no small sum.
Just ask—which of the city's second-generation heirs from wealthy families could produce that kind of money?
Aside from the few designated heirs of the great families, none of them could, not even the daughter of the City Lord's Mansion.
The reason she followed Zhou Ruxuan around every day like a lackey was to get a small share of the profits.
Nowadays,
Zhou Ruxuan was a rare 'big shot' among the second generation!
With Zhu's Cloth Workshop in trouble, of course she'd be the first to worry; her own interests were at stake.
"Young Miss, forgive me."
Cao Fengyang knelt on one knee and said in a low voice,
"Your subordinate was momentarily negligent and failed to pay attention to the situation of Zhu's Cloth Workshop. It will not happen again."
"Next time? You think there will be a next time?" Zhou Ruxuan clenched her Silver Fangs, rebuking him furiously.
"A boatload of cargo worth thousands of taels of silver—are you going to compensate for the loss?"
"Forget it."
Zhu Ju waved his hand gently.
"Compensate the family of each victim with fifty taels of silver. If any of them have people of working age, they can also come work at the Cloth Workshop."
"As for the cargo…"
"Master Ming should be here soon."
"I'm here." Just then, a white horse galloped over, and Ming Nianwei, dressed in robes whiter than snow, leaped down from its back.
She was slightly out of breath. She cupped her fists toward Zhu Ju and the others.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Not at all." Zhu Ju stepped aside.
"We must trouble you, Mage, to see if you can find any clues about the Cloth Workshop's lost goods."
"Mm."
Ming Nianwei nodded and stepped closer.
She had once been part of the Qingyi Gang's Mage Hall. She was also the one who had assessed Zhu Ju when he first regained consciousness.
Now that she had thrown in her lot with the Sanhe Gang, her position was rather awkward, and she was trying everything she could to get closer to the Zhou Family.
Upon hearing the news,
she had rushed over at once.
"Absorb!"
With a flick of a Spell, she gathered wisps of chaotic aura and began to analyze them on the round mirror-like Magical Artifact in her palm.
This was the Absorption Technique.
A type of Magic used to gather auras and track others.
Zhu Ju also understood it, but with no Magic in his body at present, he obviously couldn't perform it as smoothly as Ming Nianwei.
"Huh…?"
Ming Nianwei's expression changed slightly.
"Demon Qi!"
Demon Qi?
At these words, the faces of many people in the crowd changed.
The Sanhe Gang was backed by the Pai Sect, and the Pai Sect had close ties with the Water Demon Race. The Sanhe Gang also had Demons of its own.
Taiyuan Prefecture hadn't been peaceful lately, and rumor had it that it was related to Demons.
If Demons were involved,
it would be very difficult to investigate further.
What if the investigation uncovered something it wasn't supposed to?
Zhu Ju rubbed his chin, his expression unchanging, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
'Demons,
Demon-Devouring Iron.
This could be useful.'
"Can you find out where the Demon is?"
"Well…" Ming Nianwei hesitated for a moment.
"The aura is too weak and mixed. I definitely can't find a specific location, but I can get a general one."
*
*
*
「Qianzhang Plateau.」
This was a vast marshland.
A lifeless procession trudged along a solid path tested by those who came before.
"A thousand catties of grain a day, and he'll eat people if we don't deliver. When will this ever end!"
One person glanced at the sunlight hidden by dark clouds, their face bitter.
"The Sanhe Gang…"
"It's even worse than the Qingyi Gang!"
"At least back then, Demon Catchers could catch Demons as they pleased. Now, they have to ask about their background first."
"I heard that Demons eating people has become common in the city, too. Does the Government Office really not care at all?"
"That's enough," Hek Yongzhang said in a low voice.
"Second Uncle, let's deliver the goods first. Don't provoke that Tiger Head, or the entire Hek Family Manor will suffer."
"Sigh!"
The portly Second Uncle sighed, and with a wave of his hand, led a group of people into an underground passage.
In the crowd,
several people exchanged glances with Hek Yongzhang and checked the Weapons hidden on the carts one more time.
"Hek Yongzhang?"
In the distance,
amidst the swirling swamp gas,
Zhu Ju, who was carrying a large box, showed a look of surprise.
"What is he doing here?"
Ever since Fatty Wang got married, the three of them had rarely gathered together.
He heard that Hek Yongzhang had also come to his senses and started cultivating his Martial Arts, achieving Grade Entering around the new year last year.
It seemed he had found a good master.