Grade C-6 Hunting Grounds, Deacon's residence.
Chen Jianghe stood in the courtyard with a gun in his hand, his eyes sweeping over the two-entry courtyard with blue bricks and black tiles.
He opened the main hall door.
The interior furnishings are exquisite, with rosewood shelves, celadon vases, and splash-ink landscape paintings, all showing a luxury that is inconsistent with the status of an ordinary disciple of Flame Chen Court.
He didn't waste time on these furnishings and went straight to the back hall.
Feng Yan's bedroom is on the east side of the second entrance, and the door is ajar.
Chen Jianghe pushed open the door and entered, looking around the room.
A carved wooden bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and nothing else.
He walked to the wooden box and squatted down.
The box lock is much stronger than the door lock. It is made of fine iron and has a fine keyhole.
But for him, it's nothing more than vomiting a few more Gang Qi things.
"Click.
The lid pops open.
Dozens of thin volumes were neatly stacked inside the box, as well as several stacks of banknotes, bottles of elixirs, and several pieces of extremely fine ore.
Chen Jianghe Take out the thin booklet at the top and open it.
The first page records a transaction from a year ago. "March 15th, Grade C-6 field, Iron-Backed Bear one (accidental death), one bear bile, one bear skin, one pair of bear bones, two hundred and sixty kilograms of bear meat. By Liu Qingshui Hands, transported to West District boundary monument, handed over to Grade A buyer. ". Got 4,300 taels of silver, divided into accounts: Feng Yan 50%, Song Qi 40%, Liu Qingshui 10%."
He continued to read.
One stroke, two strokes, three strokes----
Remember every transaction clearly: time, goods, quantity, handler, buyer's code, and account sharing ratio.
In just one year, more than 20 strange beasts died unexpectedly in the Grade C-6 market alone, and the total transaction volume reached more than 80,000 taels of silver.
As for the Grade C-5 field, the number will only be greater.
Chen Jianghe closed the account book and took out the following books.
When he turned to the third book, his hand paused slightly.
This book records transactions from three years ago.
In the column of the person handling the transaction, it is not Liu Qingshui, but another name - Sun Cheng.
Chen Jianghe stared at the name for a moment and continued to scroll down.
Sun Cheng, Golden Pivot Court disciple, Minor Completion of Transforming Force, died in an accident two years ago."
In the account book, the last transaction handled by Sun Cheng was Earth-Splitting Tiger, who was at the peak of his power."
On the seventh day after the transaction was completed, there was a line of small words on the account book. "Sun Cheng, processed. One thousand taels of pension silver was handed over to his brother Sun Lei."
Chen Jianghe felt a chill in his heart.
He continued to look through all the account books of Grade C-6 and No. 5 for the past five years. He also carefully searched the bedrooms, study rooms, and hidden compartments of Feng Yan and Song Qi. He even pried open the floor and searched every corner where something might be hidden.
Half an hour later, he packed up all the account books, correspondence, and even the private cultivation resources.
Then, taking advantage of the darkness, he quietly left the Grade C-6 field and headed to No. 5 Grounds.
Chen Jianghe searched every corner of Song Qi's residence, and finally found the same account book as Feng Yan in the secret compartment of Song Qi's bedroom.
He quickly flipped through the account and found that there was no text record directly pointing to "Sun-Moon Divine Cult" in the account book, only "Grade A buyer", "Grade B source of supply" and other abbreviations.
He was about to leave when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a hidden compartment in the corner of the bookshelf.
The secret compartment was opened, and there was only a letter inside.
There is no writing on the envelope, it is sealed with lacquer, and there is a very faint mark printed on the lacquer - "Crescent Moon".
Chen Jianghe's heart skipped a beat.
He opened the envelope and took out the letter paper.
There are only a few words in the letter. "October 15th, at three quarters after midnight, at the southeast foot of the Green Rock Mountain Range, at the bottom of Soul-Severing Cliff, receive the goods. When the goods arrive, the balance will be paid."
The signature is Crescent Moon.
No signature, no address, no traceable clues.
Chen Jianghe felt a chill in his heart.
Feng Yan and Song Qi are just chess pieces, the real black hand is hidden under the water.
If these accounts are handed over to the sect and you accuse Demonic Sect without any basis, you will only alert the snake, or even get bitten back.
How could a Soaring Wood Court disciple be traced to two Gang Jin deacons? Why should he be presumed to have an affair with the Demonic Sect?
At that time, Flame Chen Court, Cangming Court, those elders who are good friends with Feng Yan, Song Qi, just need to say "spew blood on others and slander fellow disciples" to make him unable to argue.
Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment and put the two account books into his arms.
He thought of the bottle of elixir prepared by Han Shuitian himself, and of the complicated light that flashed in the old man's muddy old eyes when he looked at him that night.
He raised his gun and rushed away in the direction of Hundred Herb Peak.
Hundred Herb Peak deep, Han Shuitian residence.
The courtyard still has a strong medicinal aroma, mixed with the scent of sandalwood.
The green lamp was still on, reflecting the old figure sitting cross-legged on the futon.
Chen Jianghe Pushed open the ajar gate, crossed the path, and stopped in front of the main hall door.
"Soaring Wood Court disciple Chen Jianghe, I have something to ask to see Court Master."
There was silence in the courtyard for a moment, and then an old voice came. "Come in."
Chen Jianghe stepped into the hall, cupped his fists and saluted. "Court Master."
Han Shuitian slowly opened his eyes, the light fell on him, and then glanced at the blood-stained spear in his hand, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Killed?" The voice was not high-pitched, but it carried a calmness that was familiar with life and death.
"This disciple killed Feng Yan and Song Qi tonight." Chen Jianghe leaned Abyss Settler Spear against the door, took out the account book from his arms, and presented it with both hands, "This is what was found from their residence."
Han Shuitian took the account book and secret message and opened it.
Han Shuitian turned the pages very slowly and read every page very carefully.
In those turbid old eyes, the light gradually became sharper, and in the end, it almost condensed into a cold glow.
"Feng Yan, Song Qi." He muttered these two names in a low voice, his voice calm, but revealing an indescribable coldness, "Two Initiation of Gang Forces dare to poke such a big hole."
He closed the account book and raised his eyes to look at Chen Jianghe, with scrutiny and a hint of meaning in his eyes. "Did you kill them?"
Can anyone be left alive?"
Chen Jianghe did not hide anything. "Tonight, Liu Qingshui was instigated by Feng Yan and Song Qi to sprinkle Berserk Powder on the East District fence, triggering a tide of beasts and taking the opportunity to kill me. Disciple He noticed it in advance and led Wang Tiesheng to block him. Feng Yan and Song Qi hid in the forest. Seeing their defeat, they shot Liu Qingshui with a crossbow to silence them. The disciples chased the two and killed Grade C-7 outside the field."
"Did you know," Han Shuitian said slowly, "Feng Yan's master is Flame Chen Court Great Elder Huo Changkong. Song Qi's master is Cangming Court Law Enforcing Elder Mo Wujiu."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "Disciple knows."
"You know how dare you kill?"
Chen Jianghe met his gaze. "They wanted to kill the disciples. The disciples just - didn't let them succeed.
Han Shuitian Silence.
He looked at the young man in front of him. There was no fear or uneasiness on that young face, only a kind of calmness.
Han Shuitian suddenly smiled.
The smile was very light, but it contained a bit of relief, a bit of emotion, and a hint of relief that even he himself couldn't explain.
"Li Chengyue," he whispered, "He has gained a good apprentice."
He paused and looked back at the letter. "You came to me to ask me to clean up this mess for you?"
Chen Jianghe raised his eyes and met his gaze. "Disciple is brave, please give Court Master guidance."
Han Shuitian picked up the letter and looked at it carefully under the lamp.
When he saw the Crescent Moon Mark on the envelope, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed in his cloudy old eyes.
He didn't speak, just stared at the mark for a long, long time.
It took so long that Chen Jianghe thought he wouldn't speak anymore, so he slowly put down the letter and looked up at Chen Jianghe.
"Do you recognize this mark?"
Chen Jianghe shook his head. "The disciple doesn't know. But the disciple guesses that it is related to Sun-Moon Divine Cult."
Han Shuitian nodded, then shook his head.
"It's related, but it's not entirely true." He said slowly, "Sun-Moon Divine Cult has been destroyed for a hundred years, and its remnants have been scattered. It has long been eliminated. However, many of the forces that colluded with it back then turned light into darkness and continued to do shady things."
He paused, his eyes fell on the letter, and his voice was very low. "I have seen this mark before."
Chen Jianghe was shocked.
Han Shuitian continued, "Twenty years ago, during the ambush where your master was ambushed, someone picked up a token at the scene. On the token, there was this round of Crescent Moon."
Chen Jianghe's pupils suddenly shrank.
Han Shuitian looked at him, with too many complicated things surging in his cloudy old eyes at the moment.
"I have been investigating for these years," he said slowly, "To find out who was behind that ambush, where the token came from, and why those people wanted to kill your master."
"But after searching again and again, the clues were all broken. Those people were hidden so deeply and their hands and feet were so clean, it was as if they had never existed."
"You haven't seen this letter." He looked at Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment and nodded slowly. "Disciple understands."
"You are a smart boy, smarter than I imagined." He said slowly, "Feng Yan, Song Qi, you keep the stolen money. You deserve it."
Chen Jianghe looked at the stack of banknotes and did not refuse.
He knows that this is the hush money given to him by Han Shuitian" and also a talisman given to him."
With this money, he can purchase more cultivation resources and improve his cultivation level faster.
And this is what he needs most now.
Han Shuitian picked up the two account books again and patted them gently.
"I will personally deliver these to the Criminal Law Hall tomorrow." He said slowly, "But remember, this matter has nothing to do with you. You just found two corpses during your patrol and reported them to the sect. The ledger was found from the residences of Feng Yan and Song Qi, and you handed it over after you found it. You don't know anything else."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "Disciple understands."
Han Shuitian looked at him and suddenly smiled.
The smile was very light, but it contained an indescribable meaning.
"Go. You just need to remember, practice hard, and step into True Essence. True Essence Realm as soon as possible. Only in the Xingyi Sect can you be considered a real "big fish". Only then will you be qualified to touch this line."
Chen Jianghe took a deep breath and solemnly clasped his fists. "Disciple, please remember Court Master's teachings."
Han Shuitian waved his hand.
Chen Jianghe exited the hall, passed through the medicinal field, and quickly disappeared into the night.
At noon the next day, a document with a large vermilion seal of the Criminal Law Hall was posted on the notice board at the inner door of the Criminal Law Hall: "Flame Chen Court disciple Feng Yan, Cangming Court disciple Song Qi, during the period when he was ordered to take charge of Grade C-6 and No. 5 Hunting Grounds, Taking advantage of his position, he misappropriated the resources of exotic animals for a long time and sold them to share the stolen goods. On the night of the 17th of this month, due to uneven distribution of the stolen goods, an internal fight broke out outside Grade C-7, and both of them died. Soaring Wood Court Deacon Chen Jianghe found the body and account book while patrolling, and reported his merits. His salary was specially increased to three thousand taels of silver per month, and Gang Origin Pill was awarded five bottles in recognition of his merits."
As soon as the announcement came out, there was a lot of discussion.
"Feng Yan and Song Qi? That's Initiation of Gang Force! Just die like that?"
"Internal strife and uneven distribution of spoils? Tsk, tsk, I usually act like a dog, but it turned out that I was doing this kind of thing behind my back."
"That Chen Jianghe is so lucky, right? You can get credit for patrolling?"
"Luck? Why don't you go to Grade C-7 and have a try?"
"That's right, that place is very evil, so only Chen Jianghe dares to go there."
Amid the discussion, some people looked at the line where the salary had been increased to 3,000 taels of silver per month, and their eyes were full of envy.
Three thousand taels.
With the addition of five bottles of Gang Origin Pill, this treatment is equivalent to that of a disciple of Minor Mastery of Gang Force.
As for Chen Jianghe, it was less than a month after joining Initiation of Gang Force.
On the east side of Hundred Herb Peak, in the courtyard deep in the bamboo forest.
Chen Jianghe was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the quiet room, with the wooden box in front of him.
He opened it, took out the stack of banknotes, and counted them one by one.
A full one hundred thousand taels.
He put away the banknotes and took out the three Barrier-Breaking Pill.
The elixir is the size of a dragon's eye, with a pale gold body, and a faint glow. It is the treasure that can help the peak of Hua Jin break through the Gang Jin.
Chen Jianghe looked at it for a moment and put the elixir back into the jade bottle.
He is now Initiation of Gang Force and cannot use Barrier-Breaking Pill for the time being. But if there is a chance in the future, he can exchange it for other cultivation resources or give it to a reliable person.
Finally, he took out the two internal training methods of Flame Chen Court and Cangming Court - <Nine Heavens Flame Prison Art> and <Mystic Sea Return to Origin Art>.
Although these two skills only have the first three levels, even if they are placed in Armory and enlarged, a huge amount of silver will be required.
Chen Jianghe opened <Nine Heavens Flame Prison Art> and read it word for word.
This skill uses the fire attribute Gang Qi to temper the meridians and cultivate it to great perfection. Gang Qi is as blazing as fire and has astonishing power.
He opened <Mystic Sea Return to Origin Art> again. This skill Gang Qi uses the water attribute Gang Qi to warm and nourish the internal organs. When practiced to perfection, Gang Qi lasts forever and has a long lasting power.
Chen Jianghe closed the two books and fell into deep thought.
The <Withered Wood Meets Spring Art> he majors in is a wood-attribute skill, which focuses on vitality, recovery, and durability.
If you also cultivate the fire attribute or the water attribute, you may be able to complement each other and find another path.
[Current skill: Nine Heavens Flame Prison Art(Return to Origin 1%)]
[Current skill: Mystic Sea Return to Origin Art(Return to Origin 1%)]
What happened to that round of Crescent Moon Mark?
And the letter about the bottom connector of Soul-Severing Cliff.
Are these really a line?
If so, what exactly is tied to the other end of the line?
Chen Jianghe slowly opened his eyes, his eyes were calm.
He doesn't know the answer.
But he knew that with his current level of cultivation, even if he knew the answer, it wouldn't change anything.
Initiation of Gang Force, Xingyi Sect can be regarded as an entrance into the house, but in the eyes of those big fish hiding under the water, it is still not enough.
Now I just need to become stronger until the day I can stir up this pool of water.
Chen Jianghe reached out, took out a bottle of Gang Origin Pill, poured one out, and put it into his mouth.
The elixir enters the abdomen and turns into a hot stream of heat, pouring into the Dantian.
He closed his eyes and began to practice.