Nothing to Worry About

Qing City,

Within a secluded, tranquil courtyard,

Shen Shiying bent at the waist, respectfully reporting something to the middle-aged man seated at the head.

If one drew closer,

one would have heard him repeatedly mention Great Bay Village, Shen Changchuan, Demon Beast attacks, losses, and similar matters.

After a long while,

the middle-aged man seated at the head gave a slight nod, his lips moving,

though no one knew what he said.

It made Shen Shiying break out in a cold sweat, his legs going weak as he nearly dropped to his knees. Lowering his head, he hastily explained himself again and again.

After another long while, the Transport Commissioner waved a hand, finally allowing Shen Shiying to leave.

Walking out through the courtyard gates,

Shen Shiying's legs felt weak, and his back had been soaked through with cold sweat.

"Damn it! I never should have taken the initiative to claim that assignment!"

"I should never have strutted around showing off!"

He wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, unable to stop himself from regretting it, even cursing himself under his breath.

The task of collecting the Spirit Grain tribute from the region around Great Bay Village had been something he had personally applied for.

Using the fact that he had once served there and understood the surrounding area better than anyone else as his excuse, he had easily taken over the assignment.

And the reason he had done so was that, deep down, he had wanted to return in glory before Shen Changchuan—the "enemy" who had taken their position—and flaunt his own success.

And indeed, that was what had happened.

Not long ago, after seeing the "miserable state" of Shen Changchuan's management of Great Bay Village,

he had felt utterly delighted,

to the point that the bottleneck he had failed to break through for years seemed to have loosened faintly.

But he had never imagined

that such a massive pitfall had been buried beneath it all!

The moment he returned, he was summoned by the Transport Commissioner himself to answer questions about Shen Changchuan!

The Transport Commissioner who oversaw the transfer of Spirit Grain tribute from all quarters was an elder of the Out of Body Stage realm!

Within the Shen Family,

he stood among the ranks of true Great Figures!

Summoned by such a great figure, Shen Shiying felt not the slightest excitement, only endless terror.

He was merely a tiny Qi Gathering Fourth Level cultivator. He was not even qualified to be the other man's dog.

Being summoned alone like this meant he might have been dragged into some affair.

Shen Shiying did not dare conceal anything.

He recounted, point by point and in exhaustive detail, everything he had seen and guessed in Great Bay Village to the Transport Commissioner.

"Could it be that Shen Changchuan has ties to some faction within the Lineage?"

"Even if he is an illegitimate son, he is still the Patriarch's biological son. Sure enough, he cannot be underestimated!"

"I only hope this does not spread to me. My little frame cannot withstand such towering waves!"

Thinking of Shen Changchuan's sensitive status,

Shen Shiying wanted nothing more than to slap himself.

Damn it!

Serves you right for getting smug!

This time, not only might he have been swept into some upper-level whirlpool, he had also received a warning from the Transport Commissioner.

"Ah, this trip has been for nothing."

The gains he had pocketed on this trip would probably all have to be handed over!

Shen Shiying let out a sigh.

He did not know whether the Transport Commissioner's warning meant he was to keep this matter secret or whether there was some other reason.

But no matter what,

he no longer dared keep the Spirit Stones and spiritual medicines he had accepted.

To a great figure like that, crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.

Yet whenever he thought of the benefits he had received,

Shen Shiying's heart ached.

He had finally landed such a lucrative post, intending to fatten his purse a little, yet in the end...

Forget it.

He would not think about it.

What rotten luck. In the future, he should avoid getting entangled with people like that whenever possible!

Full of annoyance, Shen Shiying left.

At that moment,

inside the courtyard,

the Transport Commissioner took out a yellow Talisman and used his Spiritual Sense to leave several words within it:

Shen Changchuan is currently in Great Bay Village. However, he has lofty ambitions but little talent, aiming too high while his abilities fall short. Even managing Twelve Mu Spirit Field leaves him harried and exhausted. He is nothing to worry about.

After leaving the message,

he poured mana into it. The Talisman lit up with yellow radiance, transformed into a streak of light, and shot into the void before vanishing.

In truth, from the words of that little cultivator called Shen Shiying, he had vaguely sensed that something seemed amiss.

Under normal circumstances, he should have sent someone—or gone himself—to investigate.

But First Madam had merely opened her mouth and asked him to probe that illegitimate son's background,

without even offering a single Spirit Stone.

He had only reluctantly agreed out of consideration for the Heir Apparent.

He could not be bothered to go personally.

"Heh, that woman has only this much insight and bearing. A mere illegitimate son has driven her into a flurry, and she is even worried others might follow his example."

Thinking of that jealous First Madam, as well as the matter that had recently set Tiannan City abuzz,

the Transport Commissioner could not help but sneer inwardly.

Only because she had been born well and her son was capable did she still have any chance of sitting securely in that position. Otherwise, how could a matriarch like her have held it?

The Transport Commissioner shook his head, silently criticizing her.

As for Shen Changchuan,

he cared even less.

So what if there was something hidden about him?

Great Bay Village had only Twelve Mu Spirit Field, and the surrounding region was barren as well.

Shallow water could never raise a true dragon.

That boy's limit in this lifetime would be Qi Gathering Late-stage.

He was simply not worth mentioning.

Meanwhile,

on the other side,

Shen Changchuan, deep within the dense forest, still had no idea that he had brushed past a disaster.

But at this moment,

his brows were tightly furrowed.

Because he had run into trouble,

and it was major trouble.

Looking up, he saw towering cliff faces rising on both sides, blotting out the sky and sun, leaving only a thin line of heaven between them.

This was the endpoint marked on the map Zhao Hantao had provided.

Zhao Hantao had not tampered with the map.

All the way here,

aside from occasionally encountering attacks by low-level Demon Beasts passing through the mountains and wilderness, Shen Changchuan had met with virtually no mishaps and arrived safely.

Peering toward the rift in the gorge,

with the enhanced vision granted by the Spirit Eye Technique, Shen Changchuan could vaguely make out, several miles away, the Cave Abode Ruins standing between the sheer cliffs!

But the problem now was

that besides the Cave Abode Ruins, he had also spotted a new Demon Beast nest.

That Demon Beast nest had been built directly above the Ruins!

They were separated by only several hundred meters!

And the nest's owner

was someone Shen Changchuan happened to recognize.

It was an old acquaintance he had fought not long ago—the Gale Falcon!

"Why did that thing build its nest there?!"

Shen Changchuan hid in the dense forest, watching from several miles away as the Gale Falcon in its nest tore into and swallowed the bloody flesh of a giant python corpse in huge mouthfuls.

His expression darkened.

This was an unforeseen change he had never anticipated.

It was rather too much of a coincidence.

But on second thought, it was not strange.

Great Bay Village had never suffered a Gale Falcon attack before, proving that this creature was a newcomer.

And this narrow strip of sky between the cliffs was indeed suitable for a flying Demon Beast like it to build a nest.

This place lay deep in the mountains and forests, without a trace of human presence.

The spiritual energy nearby was also decent.

It was perfectly normal for it to build its nest here.

But the problem was,

with that creature guarding the Ruins from above,

Shen Changchuan was in trouble.

"What should I do?"

For a moment,

Shen Changchuan murmured, and the sight of the Gale Falcon gave him nothing but a headache.