Yun Zishan

The next morning, just as dawn began to break.

It was too early for Myriad Things Come to open. Rubbing his bleary eyes, Yang Ning pushed open the door, holding an enamel mug, a toothbrush dabbed with toothpaste in his mouth, and wearing a white undershirt and floral boxer shorts.

"Whoa!"

Qiao Bin, who was crouched by the door smoking, startled him.

Yang Ning waved away the smoke and looked at the cigarette butts covering the ground.

Qiao Bin lifted his head, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes.

"Brother Ning, I'll clean up these cigarette butts in a bit. I came to buy a Green Bull Drink."

As he spoke, Qiao Bin pulled a Spirit Stone from his robes and placed it in the box beside him.

Yang Ning casually took a bottle of Green Bull Drink from a cardboard box and handed it to Qiao Bin. "What's going on? You didn't sleep all night?"

Qiao Bin nodded silently, twisted off the cap, and lit another cigarette. A swig of Green Bull Drink, a drag of smoke—his taut nerves eased a little.

"Last night, the others and I interrogated that Undercover Agent all night. We even used Soul Searching Technique, which tears apart the Primordial Spirit. If we keep going, he'll be ruined. We still got no answers after a whole night."

Yang Ning squatted beside Qiao Bin and began brushing his teeth as if it were nothing.

"Is it really that urgent? You had to interrogate him nonstop?"

Qiao Bin gave a bitter laugh and took another deep drag.

"Brother Ning, you don't know the whole story. The Old Sect Master has been considering candidates for the next Sect Master. Our Hall Master, the Peak Master of Dan Peak, and the Peak Master of Jade Maiden Peak are competing, and the difference between them is razor-thin. The Sect Master assigned our Law Enforcement Hall the task of wiping out the Demon Cult's spy network. It's a golden opportunity for our Hall Master."

Qiao Bin finished one cigarette and lit another.

"As long as that Undercover Agent gives up his contact, our Hall Master can wipe out the entire Demonic Sect spy network. Then the Sect Master and the Supreme Elders will inevitably favor our Hall Master.

"Our disciples in the hall will help spread the word. Once Hall Master Yun becomes Sect Master Yun, even the chickens and dogs around her will ascend to heaven... The benefits our Law Enforcement Hall will reap will be beyond measure.

"But... if that Undercover Agent keeps his mouth shut... then things will get difficult..."

Yang Ning had heard about the competition for the next Sect Master of the Sword Sect. He nodded knowingly, took a mouthful of water, rinsed the toothpaste foam from his mouth, and spat it out.

Then Yang Ning pretended to ponder for a moment. "People from the Demon Cult are hard as nails. The whole Cultivation World knows that."

"Couldn't agree more," Qiao Bin said, nodding.

"But..." Yang Ning's lips curled upward.

"I might have a few ideas."

Qiao Bin's eyes widened, and he sprang to his feet. "Is... is that true?"

Yang Ning thought for a moment. "But I can't make any promises."

Qiao Bin began pacing anxiously. The things Yang Ning sold had made a deep impression on him; many of the goods, such as Lanzhou and Essential Oil, had greatly aided his Immortal Path. Though Qiao Bin was the Senior Disciple Brother of the Law Enforcement Hall and much older than Yang Ning, he still called him Brother Ning at every turn.

"Brother Ning, wait a moment. I'll go back to the sect and find our Hall Master to ask permission."

Yang Ning immediately waved his hand. "Hey, forget it. I thought about it, and it sounds like a hassle. I'd have to close up shop and lose money to go to your Law Enforcement Hall. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Qiao Bin wasn't about to let the hope that had just taken root die.

He grabbed Yang Ning's arm, his eyes bloodshot. "Brother Ning, Brother Ning, just wait half an hour! I'll be back before you open. As for your losses, if Sun Kai talks, a few Spirit Stones are nothing!"

Yang Ning hesitated. To Qiao Bin, that moment stretched on as long as a year.

At last, Yang Ning nodded, looking terribly put out. "All right."

In the next instant, Qiao Bin soared off on a cloud in the direction of the Law Enforcement Hall.

Yang Ning waved away the dust Qiao Bin had kicked up, then quietly went to fetch a plastic broom and dustpan and began sweeping up the cigarette butts.

For the next half hour, Yang Ning swept back and forth in front of the shop.

As the sun slowly rose, Cultivators began arriving along the narrow path through the Bamboo Forest, gathering in the open space before the Myriad Things Come shop. Usually, they would line up by the entrance and wait for Yang Ning to open.

But today, everyone stood gathered on the other side of the open space, whispering among themselves.

Yang Ning was sweeping the already-clean ground over and over with a broom and dustpan in hand.

A Cultivator from Dan Peak asked curiously, "What's Boss Yang...?"

A Beast Taming Peak disciple shook his head. "No idea. Maybe Brother Ning has something on his mind?"

Someone from the Mission Hall guessed, "Could it be a relationship problem?"

But a female disciple from Jade Maiden Peak shook her head, admiring Yang Ning. "Though Brother Ning looks a little rustic in an undershirt and big shorts, he's handsome and rich. Who wouldn't want to be Brother Ning's Cultivation Partner?"

A disciple from Ruthless Peak gave a cold snort. "If you're coveting Boss Yang's money, just say so. He's a mortal. You're just waiting for him to die in a hundred years so you can inherit all his Spirit Stones."

The female disciple from Jade Maiden Peak shot the Ruthless Peak disciple a vicious glare. "Do you people from Ruthless Peak think the world has nothing but self-interest and no feelings?"

"Isn't that right?"

"Hey, do you want me to teach you a lesson?"

"My sword is no less sharp!"

Just as the argument escalated, a gust of cold wind swept in, and everyone felt a chill. Dark clouds gathered, blotting out the sky and sun.

"No way..."