Rallying

Mount Jiuhua was only a little over 500 meters high. While not particularly tall, it was quite famous within Anyuan Town as it was the tallest peak among the surrounding hills.

Even within the entire Ninghe County, Mount Jiuhua's height was notable, let alone in Anyuan Town.

Not long after Shi Yi and the others left Anyuan Town, they spotted the tall mountain.

It was only at the foot of the mountain that one could truly feel the imposing height of the peak, which still looked very tall despite being just over 500 meters.

"The map shows seven lines on Mount Jiuhua. We'll proceed along that route later."

"If you encounter any obstacles on the way, take turns clearing the path."

The people from the Divine Constable Bureau looked at Mount Jiuhua and said this to Shi Yi and the others.

This was one of the reasons for bringing Shi Yi and the others along.

Searching in the mountains was different from investigating within a town. Without a clear route, it was easy to miss things.

The mission the Divine Constable Bureau had received this time was a carpet search of the area near the Dan River, including places farther away like Anyuan Town.

This was because the mother bead of the Buddhist Treasure Vajra Bodhi Bracelet had not been found.

The other sub-beads had already been located by the Divine Constable Bureau through various means; only the mother bead was missing.

An order had come from the Divine Capital: find the mother bead with all efforts, even if it meant digging three feet deep.

At the same time, the Divine Capital had also intensified the manhunt for members of the Kongkong Sect, especially Duan Qianze, who had stolen the Buddhist Treasure Vajra Bodhi Bracelet.

This had instantly boosted Duan Qianze's reputation, surpassing that of many senior members of the Kongkong Sect.

"Understood, sir."

Everyone replied upon hearing this.

Knowing they were going outside Anyuan Town to search for the Buddhist treasure, everyone had brought weapons.

Shi Yi was no exception. He carried a saber, which he had taken from the Anyang Martial Arts School.

To be precise, Lu Feng had told him to pick any weapon he liked, and Shi Yi had decisively chosen the saber.

He hadn't learned any weapon skills, so using a sword or a spear wouldn't be a good choice. A saber, on the other hand, was relatively simpler.

By swinging the saber with force, he could utilize some of its effectiveness, achieving better results than with a sword or spear.

Zhao Cheng took out his weapon and led the way.

"Brother Shi Yi, I am Jiao Darong, the Hall Master of the Five Tigers Gang. It happens that we're assigned together. I'd like to be friends with you, Brother Shi Yi."

As Zhao Cheng cleared the path, a greasy, shifty-looking man approached him, speaking with great enthusiasm.

A fake smile played on his lips, as if expressing goodwill.

"Mm, we know each other now!"

Shi Yi glanced at the man and casually replied, then continued to move forward.

He didn't have a good impression of the people from the Five Tigers Gang, which was related to his experience when he entered Anyuan Town disguised as a blind beggar.

Furthermore, some members of the Five Tigers Gang had later infiltrated his residence, which further deepened his dislike.

His hands were already stained with the blood of the Five Tigers Gang.

"Brother Shi Yi, to be honest, our Gang Leader thinks highly of you. If you join our Five Tigers Gang, you can be directly given the position of Hall Master."

"In our Five Tigers Gang, becoming a Hall Master..."

Jiao Darong's lips twitched slightly before he continued to follow Shi Yi, listing the benefits the Five Tigers Gang could offer.

Not long ago, the three major gangs in Anyuan Town had fought fiercely over the right to use the areas near the official roads, resulting in many deaths.

The Five Tigers Gang needed to replenish their fighters and had set their sights on outstanding individuals from various martial arts schools.

Shi Yi was naturally among them.

Breaking through to the Blood Essence Realm in less than twenty days showed great potential, making him a valuable fighter.

If Shi Yi hadn't already become Lu Feng's disciple, the Five Tigers Gang Leader, Shangguan Hu, would have forcibly recruited Shi Yi into the gang.

The methods for recruiting members were something the gang members were very familiar with.

The Five Tigers Gang had been trying to arrange for people with sufficient status to approach Shi Yi, but Shi Yi's daily life was too regimented. He only moved between the Anyang Martial Arts School and his residence directly opposite it, with a very regular schedule, making it difficult to get close to him.

If they tried to approach Shi Yi openly, Lu Feng would surely intervene and prevent Shi Yi from interacting with them.

This time, when the mission assignments were made, he happened to be grouped with Shi Yi. Upon learning this, Gang Leader Shangguan Hu assigned him the task of recruiting Shi Yi into the Five Tigers Gang, instructing him to do so as much as possible before Lu Feng and the others could react.

Once the task was accomplished, even if Lu Feng had objections later, the impact would be minimal.

"Not interested."

Shi Yi glanced at the man, interrupted him, and replied coldly.

He was doing well at the Anyang Martial Arts School; he'd have to be crazy to join the Five Tigers Gang.

With all the fighting and killing, how could he possibly cultivate?

"Brother Shi Yi, don't refuse so quickly."

"Our Five Tigers Gang is the strongest gang in Anyuan Town. We have money, people, resources, and connections. If you want cultivation resources, silver, or women to play with, we can satisfy all of it."

"You're cultivating the Martial Path, aren't you, just for these things?"

Jiao Darong offered many benefits, tempting the young man with things he liked most.

This was especially true knowing Shi Yi was an ordinary person, an orphan.

With these things, these uncultured bumpkins would readily fight and die for their gangs.

They had used this method before, luring one of Lu Feng's disciples from the Anyang Martial Arts School into the Five Tigers Gang to fight for them.

It had worked quite well, the only pity being that the man had average combat strength and bad luck, getting killed by members of the Jinyang Gang.

Shangguan Hu had even specifically sent the body back to the Anyang Martial Arts School, detailing how the man had died, hoping to provoke the Anyang Martial Arts School into seeking revenge.

Unfortunately, Shangguan Hu had miscalculated. Lu Feng didn't move against the Jinyang Gang; instead, he confronted Shangguan Hu directly.

Within fifty moves, he injured Shangguan Hu and then departed gracefully.

After that, the Five Tigers Gang voluntarily stopped their efforts to recruit disciples of Lu Feng from the Anyang Martial Arts School.

The two sides remained separate.

"I said, I'm not interested."

"Also, we're not familiar with each other, so don't talk to me."

"Otherwise, I'll have Senior Brother Zhao Cheng talk to you."

Shi Yi stopped, speaking with a serious expression.

To try and paint such an ugly picture for him, using the Five Tigers Gang's promises, made him lose any desire to listen further.

And that fake smile on the other person's face was too obvious under his Double Pupils!

Shi Yi was also well aware of the other party's concerns. Jiao Darong only dared to approach when Zhao Cheng was clearing the path ahead, clearly showing he was wary of Zhao Cheng.

In Shi Yi's eyes, their Blood Essence was comparable, so with Zhao Cheng present, he wasn't worried about his safety.

As a further precaution, there were also members of the Divine Constable Bureau present.

And as another fallback, he had a pistol on him.

He had killed Martial Students in the Flesh and Blood Realm before; they would die if hit by a pistol.

"Hmph, you ungrateful brat!"

"You'll regret this someday."

Jiao Darong's face soured after Shi Yi's repeated rejections, especially the kind where he offered a warm welcome only to be met with a cold shoulder.

His earlier politeness wasn't due to a good temper, but rather his intention to recruit Shi Yi, which had led him to exercise restraint.

This current angry and chilling demeanor was his true face.

If not for his underlying concerns, he would have acted directly.

His expression shifted rapidly between anger and coldness before he finally followed the others with a grim face.

However, a hint of killing intent now flickered in his eyes as he looked at Shi Yi.