Encounter (Please Follow, Please Favorite)

Tea house private room.

"I told you, saying even one extra word to an Official is a waste of time. We should hurry up and move on to the next mission." Zuo Suzi had barely sat down before impatiently voicing his thoughts.

Xia Yao was still thinking calmly, but she refused to offer an opinion. Feng Miao looked very unwilling, yet she was also considering Zuo Suzi's proposal. They did missions to exchange for Foundation Establishment Materials, not because they bore some deep-seated hatred.

Wang Ping looked at the silent group and asked, "What mission did you take, and why did you chase them all the way here?"

"A Missing Person mission, commissioned by the Mozhou Road Provincial Governor's Yamen. While investigating two disappearances, a county accidentally stumbled upon the Black Market engaging in Human Trafficking. It even involved..."

Feng Miao frowned here, clearly recalling an unpleasant sight, before continuing, "You should know that Monsters have always treated people as rations, just as we eat chickens, ducks, and fish."

Wang Ping and Zhao Qing both furrowed their brows slightly, understanding what Feng Miao meant by Human Trafficking.

"We followed that lead to an Underground Warehouse. When we launched a raid to capture them, the Snake Demon in charge got away. He swam through an Underground Current to the Five Gods River. We pursued him without pause for ten days and ten nights, until he hid in the Mountain Forest north of Shu County. We chased him in and ran into a whole mass of Monsters blocking the way. The first thing we wanted to do after fighting our way out was organize people through the county yamen to search the mountains, but they kept making excuses and stalling."

As Feng Miao spoke, her fist lightly tapped the Eight Immortals Table. Each tap left behind a scorched black mark on the table.

"Big sister, fellow Daoist, don't get angry. Don't let the mission go unfinished and end up paying out of your own pockets instead," Zuo Suzi hurriedly urged.

"There has to be an explanation for this..."

Xia Yao finally spoke. Calmly, she said, "Since we discovered this, we cannot simply let it go. If we turn back now, I fear that when I reach Foundation Establishment, I will be devoured by my Heart Demon, and all our efforts will come to nothing!"

Zuo Suzi felt stifled by those words. He walked over to the window and spat out a curse.

If the three of them did not have a breath of foul anger lodged in their hearts that they could not swallow, they would not have pursued this so far.

"Can we use the Daoist Scripture Hall to forcibly search the mountains?" Wang Ping asked.

Feng Miao stared at Wang Ping, then answered, "We can, but if we drag this out any longer, we might as well return to Mozhou Road and search for new leads..."

"I have the authority of the Daoist Scripture Hall's Sixth Seat. I can issue orders in the prefectural city and call upon all Qi Practitioners in the Surrounding Areas..." Wang Ping's words stunned the other three.

"Didn't you say you'd been cultivating bitterly in the mountains all this time?" Feng Miao was a little jealous.

"Some time ago, we heard that two Sixth Seats had died while carrying out an Encirclement and Suppression of a Flood Dragon in the north. We were even discussing who might become the new Sixth Seat!"

Zuo Suzi sat back down as well. "I never expected one of them to be you."

Wang Ping felt a little awkward at their reactions and explained, "Thousand Wood Temple originally had two seats."

When Feng Miao heard that, her jealousy showed plainly on her face. After all, she was a True Sun Sect Disciple and had toiled for the Daoist Scripture Hall for ten years, yet she had not even glimpsed the shadow of the Sixth Seat.

Zuo Suzi, meanwhile, sighed repeatedly and muttered, "Unfair."

Xia Yao remained as placid as water. Looking at Wang Ping, she said, "You can issue an order, but you must pay the corresponding reward. We cannot afford that money."

The other two immediately nodded hard at that.

Wang Ping looked toward Zhao Qing, who smiled and said, "Senior brother, there are actually other methods. There is no need to use the Daoist Scripture Hall's authority."

"What method?" Feng Miao asked.

Zhao Qing tugged at his clean, neat sleeve and explained, "There is a saying... courtesy first, force second. We are handling matters on someone else's territory, so we must first show proper courtesy. If courtesy does not work, then we can only resort to force."

He met the three of their gazes and revealed a smile that showed he had everything under control. "Sanhe Temple within Sanhe Prefecture is our ally. If senior brother is willing to appear in person, I can invite their Inner Court Dean. As long as we persuade Sanhe Temple, the matter in Shu County will be no more than the flick of a finger."

"But... there is something we must make clear first..."

Zhao Qing looked at Feng Miao. "The reason Shu County keeps making excuses about searching the mountains is nothing more than the county clans having Business Dealings with the Monsters. So when everyone searches the mountains, it would be best to turn a blind eye."

"Fine. We only want that Snake Demon!"

Feng Miao made the promise without hesitation.

At this moment, Xia Yao, who had always seemed calm and detached, showed a flash of displeasure. It vanished quickly, but Wang Ping caught it. She was dissatisfied with the suggestion to turn a blind eye.

Seeing Feng Miao state her position, Zhao Qing stood and cupped his hands. "Then I'll ride at top speed to Sanhe Temple and deliver a Calling Card. Within two days, I guarantee I'll invite Sanhe Temple's dean!"

Xia Yao watched Zhao Qing's departing back, as though she wanted to say something, but she did not speak until he had completely left.

"Daoist Changqing, is Thousand Wood Temple still accepting Disciples?" Zuo Suzi asked in a joking tone.

"We have been accepting Disciples lately."

"Do you think I would qualify?"

Wang Ping was just about to answer when Xia Yao abruptly rose to her feet and said, "The River Shrimp I set out in the Five Gods River detected that Snake Demon's aura."

Before her words had fully landed, she had already shot out through the Private Room's window. The other two followed close behind. Wang Ping, left at the rear, set down the tea money and jumped out through the window as well, while the three ahead had already crossed the City Wall.

Wang Ping first woke Yulian and had her divine a hexagram for him. After confirming there was no problem, he cast an Invisibility Technique on himself before pursuing the direction in which the three had vanished.

The Invisibility Technique was extremely simple to use. One only needed to use one's affinity with spiritual energy to conceal the body within flowing spiritual energy, rendering it invisible to ordinary Mortals.

The moment he crossed the City Wall, Yulian warned, "So many Demon auras!"

Wang Ping divined another hexagram, then circulated the spiritual energy throughout his body and pushed hard with both feet...

The next instant, howling wind filled his ears, and the scenery in his vision shifted rapidly. More than ten breaths later, he saw a broad River Surface. At the far edge of his sight, several dozen Monsters were stirring up trouble in the River Water, confronting Feng Miao and the other two on the River Surface.

After a brief hesitation, Wang Ping channeled energy into his feet and leapt several times, landing beside Xia Yao and revealing himself.

A Snake Demon in the middle of the River Water saw Wang Ping land and said in a shrill voice, "Yo-ho, you even found reinforcements. Doesn't matter. No matter how many helpers come, you're all going to die today. Don't blame me. If you want to blame someone..."

Before the Snake Demon could finish, Xia Yao seized an opening. Her Left Hand rapidly formed a hand seal, and she shouted at the Snake Demon who had been spouting wild boasts, "Bind!"

The calm river water around the Snake Demon suddenly seemed to come alive. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into ropes that tightly bound the Snake Demon and flung him toward the shore!

Joy appeared on Zuo Suzi and Feng Miao's faces. Spiritual Light flashed in Feng Miao's hand as she pulled something resembling a Fishing Net from her Storage Bag. She leapt up and spread the net, catching the Snake Demon in the blink of an eye.

But Yulian suddenly said, "I sense powerful malice. We need to run!"

Wang Ping's heart jolted. As he prepared to flee, he was about to warn the other three when an unpleasant fishy stench entered his nostrils.

The next instant, from the corner of his eye, he saw a massive Blood Skull slam toward him...