Demon Blood Spirit Jade

"What is so urgent?"

Chen Zhuo glanced at the large bundle on Fatty Sun's back, his confusion only deepening.

"It's a matter of great importance. We'll talk as we go."

Sun Fei skillfully untied the bundle, pulled out a black robe, and handed it to Chen Zhuo.

"We're taking the back exit."

Though puzzled, Chen Zhuo figured Fatty Sun wouldn't lead him into a trap, so he simply locked the courtyard gate and set off.

At this hour, the yamen was serving meals, so the two encountered almost no one along the way and slipped out through the back gate without a sound.

They headed north at a brisk pace, reaching the outer northern city before long.

Sun Fei found a tavern called the Cloud Gathering Pavilion and led Chen Zhuo straight inside.

They entered a private room on the second floor, ordered some food and wine, and settled in.

"Two guests, your meal is served. Please enjoy."

Before long, the waiter brought up the wine and dishes.

Sun Fei tossed a silver ingot over and instructed, "Don't let anyone disturb us."

"Yes, yes, of course."

The waiter bowed and scraped as he left.

Chen Zhuo scanned the exquisite dishes on the table and asked, confused, "This is the urgent matter you spoke of?"

Sun Fei picked up a large piece of meat, shoved it into his mouth, and asked back vaguely, "Eating and sex are human nature, and eating comes first. Isn't dining important?"

Chen Zhuo couldn't help but chuckle, offering no reply.

He didn't touch his chopsticks, instead turning his gaze toward the surroundings, eventually fixing his eyes on the floor below.

Below was a gambling den.

The scenes of the bloody battle he had once fought in front of that very den flashed through his mind, image by image.

Chen Zhuo quickly regained his composure, merely smiling it off.

The reason the gambling den caught his eye today wasn't because of past memories, but because of a scent.

"There seems to be a faint trace of demon aura."

Chen Zhuo's nostrils flared, his gaze sharp as a sword, as if trying to pierce through the curtains of the gambling den.

A demon beast?

Or a human-demon hybrid?

The aura was too faint; from this distance, he couldn't see inside, and thus couldn't pinpoint the source.

From entry-level to mastery and finally perfection, the Demon-Seeking Art's sensitivity to demon aura depended heavily on distance and the concentration of the aura.

The lower the grade of the demon beast, the thicker its aura.

The greater the distance, the harder it was to sense that presence.

As for human-demon hybrids, they also had grades, but those who had replaced their blood with demon blood carried a distinct, foul, and easily identifiable stench of gore.

"In half an hour, inside that gambling den, the Long River Gang is inviting several dignitaries from the inner city to 'bid' on a few items. One of them is a spot for this year's intake into the Northern Suppressing Faction."

"With a piece of Spirit Jade stained in demon blood as the token, the Long River Gang has already declared that whoever holds that jade gets the spot."

Seeing that Chen Zhuo had already noticed the anomaly at the gambling den, Sun Fei stopped playing coy and stated the purpose of their visit directly.

"A spot in the Northern Suppressing Faction... can be sold publicly?"

Bidding, in other words, an auction.

Chen Zhuo's fingers twitched, his eyes lowering.

He knew the yamen was corrupt, but he hadn't expected it to be rotten to this extent.

This was the first time the Northern Suppressing Faction was promoting talent from within the county yamen's own ranks. Even if the yamen favored a certain young master—like the one beside him—he could understand that.

If you have connections, why not use them?

If he had them, he would use them too.

But Chen Zhuo never imagined that such a spot would be handed over to an outside gang to be sold to the highest bidder.

Magistrate Liu couldn't possibly be unaware of what was happening in the city, yet he was letting it happen.

Perhaps... the man surnamed Liu is already on the side of the Long River Gang. That is the only explanation that makes sense.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhuo asked:

"Is the information accurate?"

"Absolutely certain."

After Sun Fei swallowed a large chicken leg, bone and all, he continued, "The news came from my family's steward, Old Qian. He's been with the family for over thirty years; he's very reliable."

Chen Zhuo pondered for a moment, then a new question occurred to him, and he asked:

"Since the quota for the Northern Suppressing Faction is so important, why wouldn't the Huang Family of the Long River Gang keep it for themselves?"

Fatty Sun had not stopped eating for a moment, but faced with Chen Zhuo's question, he answered everything he knew, albeit with a somewhat slurred tongue.

"Mmph... You haven't been at the yamen long, so naturally, you wouldn't know that someone from the Huang Family actually passed the provincial examination a few years ago and headed to the Capital City, where they've already taken a post at the Northern Suppressing Faction."

"If you count the time, it's been over three years now."

Chen Zhuo said in surprise, "The Huang Family actually has such talent?"

Fatty Sun shrank his neck, his eyes flickering with hidden fear as he gritted his teeth and said, "That woman Huang Zhen'er is Huang Yuan'er's older sister, though she wasn't born to Huang Tianhe's legal wife, so her relationship with Huang Yuan'er isn't good."

"That woman has exceptional martial bones and decent talent, but she's far too ruthless in her methods; she's no good."

Chen Zhuo watched the changing expressions on Fatty Sun's face, knowing full well that he had likely suffered at the hands of Huang Zhen'er, otherwise he wouldn't be both terrified and resentful at the mere mention of her.

He suddenly thought of the girl with the long braid who sold Spirit Fish.

Her martial cultivation was also quite impressive, and she had a knack for catching Spirit Fish.

"Let's go. I've arranged for a carriage ahead of time. We'll get in, wrap ourselves in robes, and then head inside."

Fatty Sun wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth with his hand, looking nothing like the young master of a wealthy family.

He stood up to leave, but Chen Zhuo shook his head.

"Go inside for what?"

Fatty Sun blurted out, "To buy the quota, of course."

Chen Zhuo picked up the wine pot, filled Fatty Sun's cup first, then poured one for himself.

He raised his glass and smiled, "Many thanks for your generosity, Brother Sun, but I appreciate the sentiment—buying it is entirely unnecessary."

"Come, bottoms up!"

Seeing Chen Zhuo down his drink first, Fatty Sun immediately followed suit, yet he remained deeply puzzled.

"Not buying it? Could it be you don't want to go to the Northern Suppressing Faction?"

Fatty Sun asked immediately.

"How could I not want to? It's just..."

Chen Zhuo paused, turning his gaze back to the gambling den downstairs, his eyes turning cold. "A matter like a quota doesn't necessarily have to be bought; there's no need to hand over good silver to the Long River Gang."

"Rob them?"

Fatty Sun savored the thought and spat out the word.

Chen Zhuo laughed, "Brother Sun, you truly are a kindred spirit."

"The coachman on the carriage later is your man, right? Give him a robe and have him enter the gambling den. You and I will keep watch here; once there's a result inside, we'll go find that person to have a proper 'discussion'."

"Good!"

Fatty Sun agreed without hesitation. "Brother Chen, your mind is truly sharp. Let's do it this way—we'll get the quota, and we'll make the Long River Gang suffer a setback."

Chen Zhuo nodded with a smile. Seeing that the dishes on the table had been swept clean by Fatty Sun, he called out loudly, "Waiter, bring another table exactly like this one!"

The time for the "bidding" arrived, and more than a dozen carriages arrived one after another at the entrance of the gambling den.

The people who stepped off the carriages were all wrapped in black robes, their original appearances hidden from view.

They all walked into the gambling den.

Among them was the coachman under Fatty Sun.

"I've given him very clear instructions. He has a signal arrow in his hand; once the location is confirmed, he'll send us a signal."

Fatty Sun handled these matters very efficiently.

In the gaps between stuffing his face with meat, Chen Zhuo cupped his hands toward him.

Regarding this matter:

If it were before, he would have been more cautious and might not have taken such a risk.

But since it involved the Northern Suppressing Faction, and he had broken through to the Aperture Opening realm, he could naturally afford to be a bit more daring.

"I'm going to take a nap."

Finishing his meal in a few bites, Chen Zhuo slowly closed his eyes.

While waiting, he quietly began to circulate his Qi Circulation Method.

As his true essence flowed, the energy of heaven and earth gradually gathered, causing his clothes to flutter without a breeze.

Feeling the light breeze brush against his face, Fatty Sun couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

"Eh? Where is this wind coming from?"