Back to Pingding Prefecture

The morning glow had just begun to spread, and the horizon was tinged with streaks of orange-red.

A black-canopied boat emerged from the white mist and drifted across the water.

Two waterbirds were startled from the reeds along the bank. They circled overhead, crying loudly, and refused to leave.

A young man sat cross-legged at the bow. With every breath he took, the surrounding mist stirred in a steady rhythm.

The first volume of the Flying Cloud Divine Skill was an internal cultivation method divided into twelve levels. At its deepest stage, one's breathing sounded like "storm waves crashing against the shore," while circulating the skill was like "clouds and mist churning."

He had only reached the first level. After cultivating day and night these past few days, he had already consolidated his early Dan Energy realm.

The old boatman in the straw rain cape had spent forty years ferrying people along the river. He had seen plenty of martial artists and thought nothing of it.

When he saw the young man open his eyes, he reminded him softly, "Sir, we're entering Pingding Prefecture ahead."

"You've worked hard through the night, old sir."

"Thank you for the generous reward, young master."

The old boatman accepted the piece of silver and secretly weighed it in his hand. It was more than an ounce, enough to make him beam with delight. After deducting his meals and the extortion fees demanded by local ruffians, this was the boat fare he would normally need two months to save.

If he could earn this a few more times, perhaps he could send his grandson to a private school.

From the Liujin River wharf in Pingyang City, the boat had traveled seventy li downstream through the night. The return trip would be upstream, taking twice the time and effort.

"I'm finally back!"

Zhang Yu let out a long breath. Returning to this place, notorious throughout the martial world, left him with complicated feelings. He could not say whether he felt relieved at no longer having to evade pursuit by the Five Great Sword Sects, or weighed down by the treacherous circumstances he was about to face.

After walking seven or eight li along the official road, he spotted a tavern sign jutting out beside the road.

The place was only three or four li from Pingding City, so he was in no hurry to enter. With Cloud Water Hall destroyed, he had nowhere to go for the time being. He knew nothing about how the cult intended to handle the matter or how the surviving disciples of Cloud Water Hall would be dealt with.

There was no shortage of cult members in Sun Moon Divine Cult attire coming and going beneath the tavern's awning.

The main altar of the Sun Moon Divine Cult was at Blackwood Cliff, forty li north of Pingding City.

However, the families of prominent figures in the cult, such as hall masters and incense masters, mostly lived and owned property around Pingding City.

"Two ounces of good wine, and bring some peanuts and broad beans."

"Please wait, sir."

Zhang Yu set down his bundle and had barely sat down when he heard the sound of hooves. A mounted troop was coming from the direction of Pingding City.

They were all dressed in purple brocade robes, with long sabers hanging at their waists. They were escorting more than a dozen prison carts northwest, all of them carrying women, children, and the elderly.

Several women cried out from inside the carts, loudly protesting their innocence.

"I'm innocent! Our family has served the cult for three generations. More than twenty of our men died in battle, and my husband's bones haven't even been recovered. How have we suddenly become rebels?"

"Fellow disciples, brothers in the cult, please appeal to the Cult Master on our behalf!"

"Those petty villains are causing trouble! What happened to the Wu family today will be your fate tomorrow..."

The rider at the front was a burly man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Two long scars ran down his cheeks, giving him a murderous air. A great bow was strapped to his back, with a quiver on either side.

Experts skilled with bows and arrows were common in the government, but rare in the martial world.

The bow-backed man reined in his horse, and the entire procession came to a halt.

He sneered. "Smash her mouth!"

At his order, the men in purple opened the prison carts and dragged out the two middle-aged women in richly dressed clothing who had been crying out for justice.

The women were fierce by nature and immediately began cursing instead.

"You dogs! You petty villains!"

"Yang Lianting will die a horrible death!"

"You lackeys will get what's coming to you!"

The hilts of the sabers smashed into their faces. Their voices stopped at once, and broken teeth mixed with blood spurted from their mouths.

Zhang Yu had come to the tavern to gather information. He quietly slipped on the Green Jade Thumb Ring.

He heard someone say in a low voice, "Those men in purple are Manager Yang's trusted attendants. There are three hundred of them, selected from the various halls. They're highly skilled and utterly loyal, and are known as the Purple Cloud Guards. They're usually stationed beside Chengde Hall. Aside from the Cult Master, they obey no one but Manager Yang. I hear even Left Emissary Xiang and Right Emissary Qu have suffered at their hands."

Xiang Wentian was the Left Emissary of Light, while Qu Yang was the Right Emissary of Light. The two stood directly below the Cult Master in status.

Someone asked, "Who's the rider leading them? I've never seen him before."

"He's Hu Fei, deputy commander of the Purple Cloud Guards. He used to be nothing more than a minor flag leader under White Tiger Hall, but he rose four ranks in a single year. He's definitely Manager Yang's most trusted man. Once you reach Blackwood Cliff, prepare a generous gift and befriend him. Whatever you do, don't offend him."

"Thank you, brother. I've spent years away from the cult and don't know what's happening inside. If I blunder around like a headless fly and happen to offend someone important, I might not even know how I died."

"Sir, your wine and dishes are here." The waiter carried over a wooden tray with a small porcelain jug of wine and several small plates of food.

"Put them down."

After setting down the wine and dishes, the waiter did not leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Yu took out a small string of copper coins and placed it on the tray. Only then did the waiter depart.

This was a custom unique to Pingding Prefecture: payment had to be made as soon as the dishes reached the table.

Zhang Yu took advantage of the moment to cast a glance at the two men who had been speaking.

The man who had just offered his thanks was dressed as a Daoist priest. An eight-sided wolf-tooth hammer lay on the ground beside him. His features looked fierce, yet he wore an overly cautious, ingratiating expression that was almost comical.

But no one here dared to laugh.

"It's your good fortune, brother. Although I'm an incense master of Wind Thunder Hall, what am I in Blackwood Cliff? Don't I have to tread carefully every day? I'm terrified of taking one wrong step or saying one wrong word and letting someone seize on it. Dying myself would be one thing, but I'd also bring disaster upon my family."

The speaker, a tall, thin man, was a deputy incense master of Wind Thunder Hall named Qi Zhaogu. When Zhang Yu had been stationed at Blackwood Cliff, he had seen him from a distance several times.

The Daoist asked, "I remember things weren't like this in the cult a few years ago."

"It's all because of Yang..."

The two lowered their voices even further, but there was no need to listen closely. Zhang Yu knew they were talking about Yang Lianting.

This insignificant nobody in the Sun Moon Divine Cult had never rendered any service, yet somehow won the favor of Eastern Cult Master. He was elevated to a high position overnight, entrusted with all the cult's authority, and given the title of Chief Manager.

Yang Lianting had neither achievements, martial skill, nor seniority. How could anyone be convinced by his rise to power?

How could he not know it himself? The hall masters and incense masters appeared obedient to him on the surface, but secretly looked down on him.

To win favor and secure his power, he could only purge his enemies with ever greater ruthlessness.

The Daoist watched as fifteen or sixteen prison carts passed by outside in succession. Many of those inside were elderly, women, and children.

"Who are they arresting?"

"Probably Wu Lianjiang's family."

The Daoist cried out in shock, "Elder Wu? Wasn't he the hall master of Cloud Water Hall? How could this happen? I knew him when Cult Master Ren Woxing was still in charge."

"Brother, you must never mention that in front of outsiders, especially those three words."

"Why not?"

"Overnight, the Flying Cloud Divine Ape went from being a hero to a traitor who had secretly colluded with the Five Great Sword Sects and deliberately sacrificed more than a thousand disciples of Cloud Water Hall. When you get to the bottom of it, wasn't it simply because he had become associated with those three words and incurred Manager Yang's displeasure?"

"Of the twelve halls of the Divine Cult, six exist in name only. More than a thousand disciples of Cloud Water Hall died at Damaoling, with no one even collecting their bodies. Was it really only because petty villains caused trouble?"

Jade Spirit Daoist sighed. He was merely an unaffiliated member of the cult, living far away in Yunnan and visiting the Blackwood main altar once every three years.

The last time he had come, Eastern Cult Master had still been a brilliant and ambitious leader. The entire cult had been united, commanding its twelve halls to launch attacks everywhere and routing those so-called Righteous Path sects. Even Shaolin and Wudang had avoided the Divine Cult's edge.

In only a few short years, it seemed everything had changed. What a strange and alarming turn of events!

He thought to himself, After this customary visit, I should return south as soon as possible. It would be better not to invite trouble.

By then, Daoist Qingyu had also realized how dangerous this place was. He wanted to purchase his gifts and seek safety as soon as possible, so he said his farewells and left first.

Zhang Yu had been listening beside them for quite some time, and neither man had noticed him.

He thought to himself, The situation in the Sun Moon Divine Cult really is complicated.

Qi Zhaogu clearly resents Yang Lianting and sympathizes with what happened to Cloud Water Hall. Perhaps I can use him to gain an audience with Tong Baixiong.