County Governor

At the Black Market's Sihai Pavilion, Qian Panghai was stunned speechless when he saw Ye Xiaofan appear before him, wearing a faceless mask and carrying six boxes.

He couldn't believe his eyes and stared at Ye Xiaofan.

He really wanted to ask Ye Xiaofan what he was thinking.

He had just wiped out the Black Tiger Gang last night, and today he was brazenly coming to his Sihai Pavilion to sell stolen goods.

Did he really think the Sun family, a powerful clan that had been entrenched in Qingyang County for nearly a hundred years, could no longer wield their swords?

He knew that many mysterious figures had appeared in the Black Market today, and he didn't need to guess that the Sun family must have been among them.

"Shopkeeper, please calculate the value of these medicinal herbs, healing elixirs, and antidote elixirs. I want to exchange them for sword techniques."

"Oh, oh, alright."

Ye Xiaofan's voice snapped Qian Panghai back to reality. He quickly called for someone to inventory the five boxes of medicinal herbs and the value of the one box of elixirs.

"Esteemed guest, what kind of sword technique are you looking for?"

Qian Panghai personally poured Ye Xiaofan a cup of tea, apologizing for his earlier loss of composure.

"Any sword technique will do. Mid-grade would be best, but low-grade is fine too."

Qian Panghai fell into thought. The Sihai Pavilion did have mid-grade sword techniques, and he was considering whether to sell them to this mysterious person.

"Esteemed guest, the Sihai Pavilion does possess mid-grade sword techniques. However, I cannot make that decision myself. Please wait a moment while I seek permission from the boss."

Ye Xiaofan nodded.

Meanwhile, news of the mysterious powerhouse who destroyed the Black Tiger Gang appearing in the Black Market reached the major powers of Qingyang County.

The Sun Family.

Sun Wude, who had just returned from outside, saw Ying Yi anxiously waiting in his room.

Sun Wude's complexion was somewhat pale.

He had originally intended to report Ye Xiaofan's matter through his ancestor, who had long since transformed into a demonic creature.

He hadn't expected the Venerable One to summon him personally.

The Venerable One!

An evil being who had personally created the current chaotic demonic situation in Qingyang County and had deceived Jinyang Prefecture – Xie!

He had only been in Xie's presence for half a quarter of an hour, and he felt as if he was on the verge of being corrupted by evil energy.

"Patriarch, the person who destroyed the Black Tiger Gang last night has appeared in the Black Market. What should we do next?"

Upon seeing Sun Wude, Ying Yi hurried forward and bowed, reporting.

"You will personally track this person and ascertain his true identity."

Sun Wude sat down in the main seat and drank three cups of cold tea, seemingly recovering slightly from the shock of meeting Xie.

"Yes."

Ying Yi took his orders and turned to leave.

On the other side, Ye Xiaofan walked out of the Black Market with a box on his back, satisfied. He had exchanged his goods at Sihai Pavilion for two mid-grade sword techniques and ten low-grade sword techniques.

"Interesting. If my cultivation technique hadn't reached the peak and my realm hadn't broken through to the fifth level of Body Refinement, I wouldn't have noticed you."

Not long after leaving, Ye Xiaofan detected a faint, almost imperceptible aura following him.

Ye Xiaofan sneered inwardly and immediately turned into a dark alley, heading unhurriedly towards the desolate and remote slum area in the east of the city.

Anyone who dared to follow him was courting death.

Ying Yi's expression was blank as he silently followed like a ghost in the darkness.

Ye Xiaofan pretended not to notice anyone following him, and Ying Yi believed that the mysterious person couldn't detect him.

The two of them tacitly moved further and further away.

"You've been following me for a long time. Come out."

The surroundings were desolate, a good place for a burial.

Ye Xiaofan suddenly stopped and said calmly.

"I've been discovered?"

Ying Yi frowned, startled.

"Impossible. This person is truly cautious. I'll wait until we reach his lair."

Ying Yi's cultivation technique was not good for combat but was excellent at concealing his aura. Even ordinary cultivators at the Ninth Level of Body Refinement couldn't detect him.

Suppressing his unease, Ying Yi continued to hide in the shadows, waiting.

"Not coming out?"

Ye Xiaofan sneered and suddenly turned around.

Wind Shadow Steps, Ye Xiaofan's figure was completely indistinguishable in the darkness.

"Not good!"

His shadow unseen, killing intent descended.

Ying Yi was shocked and furious. Forgoing concealment, he unleashed his blood energy, a suit of armor instantly appearing on his body. He lightly tapped the ground, sliding backward while drawing two foot-long short swords.

"A futile struggle."

Ye Xiaofan's gaze was indifferent as he rapidly closed in on Ying Yi.

Sword Drawing Technique!

The sword emerged with a dragon's roar, its cold light piercing the dark night.

Ying Yi's pupils contracted sharply, his vision filled with the shadows of the incoming sword.

"Break for me~"

Ying Yi roared, swinging his twin swords.

The ear-piercing clang of metal striking metal was, to Ying Yi's ears at that moment, the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Blocked!"

A faint smile had just appeared on Ying Yi's face when he felt the twin swords in his hands uncontrollably wanting to fly out.

A speck of blood-red appeared in his pupils.

"No~"

Ying Yi desperately tried to retreat, but his speed was no faster than a snail in Ye Xiaofan's eyes.

Ying Yi's eyes bulged outward. After sliding back a distance, he stared blankly at Ye Xiaofan.

A trickle of warm blood slid down from between his brows.

"You~"

Ying Yi's mouth moved, and he collapsed powerlessly.

Ye Xiaofan walked forward and removed Ying Yi's mask, revealing a familiar face.

It was Sun Ying, the General Banner Officer who had always followed behind Sun Wude.

"The Sun Family!"

Looking at Sun Ying, Ye Xiaofan's eyes were calm. He glanced in the direction of the Sun Family's residence, then turned and melted back into the darkness.

As the prominent family in Qingyang County, the Sun Family had a cultivator at the Ninth Level Body Refinement realm. It wasn't time to make a move against them yet.

Meanwhile.

Sun Wude paced back and forth in his room. Ever since Ying Yi had left, he hadn't been able to calm down. As time passed, there was still no sign of Ying Yi's return.

A vague sense of unease began to rise in his heart.

Ying Yi might have met with misfortune.

"Could it really be Ye Xiaofan?"

"No, I have to see the Old Ancestor again. It would be best to secretly keep a few Ninth Level Body Refinement demonic creatures within the clan, just in case."

The thought that the opponent might be Ye Xiaofan, and capable of killing three cultivators at the Body Refinement Seventh Layer, sent a shiver down Sun Wude's spine. He hurriedly left his room.

Ye Xiaofan returned home.

He integrated the two newly acquired mid-grade sword techniques and ten low-grade sword techniques into his Sword Drawing Technique.

"The ten low-grade sword techniques didn't increase its power at all. The two mid-grade sword techniques boosted its power by ten percent. It seems low-grade sword techniques are no longer useful for the current Sword Drawing Technique."

His gaze fell upon his remaining balance, and Ye Xiaofan's eye twitched.

The 400,000 taels of silver he had just obtained yesterday were now reduced to a mere six thousand taels.

"I need to make money again."

Two days later.

With Xiao Qiaofeng as his backer, Ye Xiaofan didn't need to take on missions.

He was currently at home, leisurely practicing calligraphy. Even the simple character 'one' was written with flair by him.

The proficiency of his Sword Drawing Technique was rapidly approaching the Perfection stage.

Furthermore, his Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Tendon Changing Art and Wind Shadow Steps were also nearing perfection after two days of diligent practice.

Thanks to the cultivation speed of the top-grade Five Elements Marrow Cleansing Tendon Changing Art, his cultivation realm was on the verge of breaking through to the Body Refinement Sixth Layer.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There was a knock on the door.

"The door's unlocked, come in."

Ye Xiaofan continued practicing calligraphy without looking up, countless insights into sword techniques continuously surfacing and integrating in his mind.

"Brother Ye, Commander Xiao wants you to go to the Demon Suppression Division."

Ye Xiaofan put down his brush and looked up. It turned out to be an old acquaintance, Zhu Youzhi.

"Thank you for the trouble, Brother Zhu. I'll head over now."

The main hall of the Demon Suppression Division.

Xiao Qiaofeng was conversing with a young man with an unusually demonic appearance, seated at the head table.

Below, all the experts of the Demon Suppression Division, from general banner officers and above, were gathered.

Sun Wude kept his head down, not daring to look at the demonic young man. Upon closer inspection, his forehead was covered in fine beads of cold sweat, and his back was drenched.

However, everyone else was gazing at the demonic young man with burning eyes and didn't notice his distress.

The demonic young man was the County Governor, the foremost expert in Qingyang County.

Rumor had it his cultivation had long since broken through the Qi Condensation stage.

This was a realm all cultivators dreamed of.

Only by stepping into the Qi Condensation stage did one truly embark on the path of immortal cultivation, shedding their mortal body, with each step forward in cultivation increasing their lifespan.

The grand doors of the hall were pushed open.

Ye Xiaofan walked in.

Xiao Qiaofeng and the County Governor stopped their conversation and looked up at Ye Xiaofan.

Their eyes met.

Ordinary pupils seemed to pierce directly into one's soul.

At that moment, Ye Xiaofan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His hair stood on end, and his soul felt frozen.

His heart pounded, and his qi and blood surged, yet he couldn't break free from the gaze of those eyes.

"Ahem, Xiaofan, this is the County Governor. Why aren't you paying your respects quickly?"

Xiao Qiaofeng's voice pulled Ye Xiaofan back from the ice cave.

Ye Xiaofan was inwardly horrified. Even someone as powerful as Xiao Qiaofeng hadn't given him this feeling.

Just how far had the cultivation of this elusive County Governor reached? His mere gaze was this terrifying.

"Demon Suppressing Guard Ye Xiaofan pays his respects to the County Governor and Commander Xiao."

Ye Xiaofan didn't dare to look at the County Governor again. He quickly bowed and cupped his fists in greeting.

His voice still carried a slight tremor, as if he had just emerged from an ice cave.

The County Governor's lips curved upwards, his demonic features becoming even more pronounced. He looked at Ye Xiaofan with great satisfaction and said with a smile:

"Good, good. Heroes emerge from the young. Very impressive."

The County Governor's voice was magnetic, comfortable to the ear.

Beside him, a flicker of unease, dread, and despair crossed Xiao Qiaofeng's eyes.

It eventually hardened into a look of ruthlessness.

Ye Xiaofan seemed to be valued even more by the evil entity than he had imagined, to the point where the County Governor himself appeared.

He couldn't wait any longer. He had to act.