Zhenjiang City

As Lu Qingshan spoke with Lin Yao, Lin He, empowered by the formation's strength, had already subdued the remaining eight monster hunters.

Seeing Lu Qingshan and his young lady conversing, Lin He wisely waited nearby.

"Fellow Daoist Lu," Lin He finally approached and interjected after Lu Qingshan and Lin Yao's conversation concluded.

Lin He presented a box crafted from sandalwood.

Lu Qingshan accepted it and opened it to find five Third-grade Spirit Stones.

Lin He explained, "Fellow Daoist Lu, please don't misunderstand. A mere five Third-grade Spirit Stones are hardly enough to repay your life-saving grace. These stones are a reward for escorting my Lin Family's caravan to Zhenjiang City."

Lin He was now very clear about Lu Qingshan's strength after their recent battle.

There was still a long journey ahead, and if they encountered any Demonic Beasts, they would likely have to rely on Lu Qingshan.

Given Lu Qingshan's cultivation level, a reward of thirty First-grade Spirit Stones would seem too meager.

Lu Qingshan understood and did not accept Lin He's offer. He returned the sandalwood box and said, "Since I accepted the mission posted by the Monster Hunter Alliance, escorting the caravan to Zhenjiang City is my duty. There's no need for additional payment."

Seeing that Lu Qingshan refused to accept the Spirit Stones, Lin He dared not insist and could only put the sandalwood box back into his Storage Bag.

Lu Qingshan glanced at the situation on the field.

Considering the severe shortage of manpower within the caravan, it would be impossible to manage too many prisoners.

Therefore, Lin He had shown no mercy. Of the remaining eight monster hunters, only Ma Shan and Liu Ai were spared; the rest were turned to ash by the Fire Snake Formation.

Ma Shan and Liu Ai were kept as witnesses.

Once the matter of Ma Yuan colluding with the Ma Family to refine evil gu was confirmed, the Ma Family would surely cease to exist.

The night passed quickly.

Although the number of cultivators in the Lin Family's caravan had been halved after this incident, and most of the remaining cultivators were injured, the caravan still had to continue towards Zhenjiang City.

Fortunately, there was that Sword Cultivator.

The cultivators of the Lin Family thought of this and cautiously glanced at Lu Qingshan, who was sitting on a large cargo cart.

They immediately felt much more at ease.

Lu Qingshan leaned against the large cart, his eyes slightly closed as if dozing.

The entire caravan, seeing this, consciously quieted their movements, fearing they might disturb Lu Qingshan.

This was a form of respect for the strong.

Yuanshan Tower.

The Tower Master, Tantai Qingrun, the Deputy Tower Master, Jiang Rong, and the heads of various departments of Yuanshan Tower were gathered.

Two days had passed since the battle at the City Lord's mansion.

Given Yuanshan Tower's efficiency and its influence in Yuanshan City, two days were enough for them to investigate and purge all forces of the Underworld involved in the incident.

"Myriad Treasures Tower, Ku Mansion, Disha Pavilion... and the City Lord's mansion, these are all forces of the Underworld in Yuanshan City," Jiang Rong reported to Tantai Qingrun, who was seated at the head.

Jiang Rong's gaze was fierce. "We have dispatched cultivators to their locations and apprehended all these forces. Their principal figures are currently detained in the Prison Department, where they are being thoroughly interrogated by the Prison Department's cultivators. The results should be available in a day or two. Anyone colluding with the Underworld will not escape."

"The Underworld's infiltration is this deep, involving nearly a third of the cultivator forces in our Yuanshan City!" Tantai Qingrun snorted coldly.

The Yuanshan Tower cultivators present fell silent, not daring to speak.

Within the Zhenjiang Prefecture region, out of the one hundred and eight commanderies, Yuanshan City was undoubtedly the city where the Underworld had invested the most resources. Otherwise, the Underworld would not have chosen Yuanshan City as the location for their operation to lure Qi Yuan here.

"What about the Blood Pool?" Tantai Qingrun asked, raising an eyebrow.

A middle-aged male cultivator responsible for the matter quickly stood up and replied, "My Lord Tower Master, please rest assured. After Senior Feng Xingzi broke the Illusion Array, we completely destroyed the Blood Pool."

Tantai Qingrun nodded and turned to Jiang Rong. "Jiang Rong, expedite the interrogation of the cultivators involved in these forces. Do not let a single guilty person slip through."

"Yes, My Lord Tower Master!"

"Very well, that will be all for today."

"Yes!" The Yuanshan Tower cultivators responded.

Soon, the Yuanshan Tower cultivators dispersed.

Only Tantai Qingrun remained.

Tantai Qingrun took out a blank jade slip, probed it with her divine sense, and after some thought, finally recorded the entire sequence of events of the battle at the Yuanshan City Lord's mansion. However, Lu Qingshan's name was not mentioned.

After finishing the record, Tantai Qingrun seemed to recall something else. After a moment of hesitation, she added a short paragraph to the jade slip: "The City Lord of Yuanshan City is a person of the Underworld. This demonstrates the Underworld's infiltration into our Human race. It is recommended to conduct a thorough investigation of the high-ranking officials in all Human cities to prevent such absurd incidents from happening again."

After adding this statement, Tantai Qingrun nodded with satisfaction, summoned a black-robed cultivator waiting outside the door, and handed him the jade slip.

"Send it to Zhenjiang Tower as soon as possible," Tantai Qingrun instructed.

Just as Zhenjiang City governed one hundred and eight county cities, Zhenjiang Tower was also the superior to their branch towers in the county cities, overseeing them.

For such an important matter as the battle of Yuanshan City, it was imperative to report the entire sequence of events to Zhenjiang Tower.

"Wait." Seeing the black-robed cultivator about to turn and leave with the jade slip, Tantai Qingrun's heart stirred, and she called out to him again.

"Jiang Rong is capable and loyal to the Human race, he can be entrusted with important responsibilities!" Taking back the jade slip from the black-robed cultivator, Tantai Qingrun added this sentence to it.

Tantai Qingrun naturally understood the magnitude of the contribution this time, and she also knew that after this, she would definitely be promoted.

With her promotion, the position of the Tower Master of Yuanshan Tower would become vacant.

Although she had only worked with Jiang Rong for three years, Tantai Qingrun was well aware of his capabilities and character. She also believed that Jiang Rong could maintain the current favorable situation in Yuanshan City.

Therefore, she also wanted to help Jiang Rong as much as possible.

With her recommendation, Jiang Rong's chances of being promoted to the position of Tower Lord of Yuanshan Tower were, if not a hundred percent, then certainly very high.

As for herself.

Tantai Qingrun smiled faintly.

She was already the Tower Lord of Yuanshan Tower. If she were to be promoted further, where else could she go besides being transferred to Zhenjiang Tower?

On the wilderness, the Lin Family's convoy.

For the next few days, everything appeared very peaceful.

For the cultivators of the Lin Family, the absence of any incidents was a good thing.

This was because unforeseen events in the wilderness were too volatile, signifying not only trouble but also the potential for death.

Therefore, when the Lin Family's convoy arrived near Zhenjiang City, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At this point, Lu Qingshan was to part ways with the Lin Family's convoy.

The Lin Family's convoy was heading to Huoyun Peak, which was a hundred miles away from Zhenjiang City.

Huoyun Peak was where the Lin Family of Zhenjiang City was located.

Lu Qingshan's destination was Zhenjiang City.

"This is your proof. Young Master Lu can use this to settle your mission with the Monster Hunter Alliance," Lin Yao handed a jade slip to Lu Qingshan.

Afterward, Lin Yao hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, and said, "Although my Lin Family is a small household, we understand the principle of repaying kindness. Young Master Lu saved our lives, and we have no way to repay you. If you ever need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Lu Qingshan chuckled and replied, "Naturally."

"Miss Lin, if you encounter any trouble, you can also come to Zhenjiang City to find me. I will be in Zhenjiang City during this time," Lu Qingshan said this to Lin Yao as they parted.

Looking at Lu Qingshan's departing back.

Lin Yao's brows furrowed tightly.

Lu Qingshan's words seemed like mere polite pleasantries.

But for some reason, whenever she recalled the look in Lu Qingshan's eyes when he said those words, she felt as if there was some deeper meaning behind them.

It was as if Lu Qingshan was certain that she would encounter some trouble.