Not Worth Mentioning

Qing City.

Within a secluded and tranquil courtyard.

Shen Shiying stood hunched over, reporting something with a respectful demeanor to the middle-aged man seated at the head of the room.

If one were to draw closer, they would hear him frequently mentioning Dawan Village, Shen Changchuan, monster attacks, and financial losses.

After a long moment, the middle-aged man at the head of the room nodded slightly, his lips moving, though it was unclear what he had said, it left Shen Shiying drenched in cold sweat, his legs turning to jelly until he nearly collapsed to the ground, bowing his head and offering frantic explanations.

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

Emerging from the courtyard gate, Shen Shiying's legs felt weak, and his back was soaked through with cold sweat.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have volunteered for that mission in the first place!"

"I regret being so arrogant and boastful!"

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, unable to stop himself from feeling regret, even cursing himself under his breath.

He had personally applied for the task of collecting the Spirit Grain from the area surrounding Dawan Village, using the excuse that his previous tenure there gave him a better understanding of the region than anyone else, making it easy for him to secure the assignment.

The reason he had done so was, in no small part, driven by the desire to return in glory and flaunt his status before Shen Changchuan, the "enemy" who had usurped his position.

And indeed, that had been the case;

not long ago, upon seeing the "miserable state" of Shen Changchuan's management of Dawan Village, he had felt such satisfaction

that he even sensed his long-stagnant bottleneck beginning to loosen.

But he had never imagined

that such a massive pitfall lay buried within it!

The moment he returned, he was summoned by the Transport Commissioner himself to be questioned about matters related to Shen Changchuan!

The Transport Commissioner, responsible for the transport of Spirit Grain collected from all directions, was a family elder at the Out-of-Body stage!

Within the Shen Family, he belonged to the level of true bigwigs!

Being summoned by such a personage brought Shen Shiying no excitement, only endless terror.

He was a mere cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Induction, not even qualified to be the man's dog.

Being summoned alone meant he might have become entangled in certain events.

Shen Shiying dared not hide anything, recounting everything he had seen and guessed at Dawan Village to the Transport Commissioner in minute detail.

Could it be that Shen Changchuan is backed by some faction within the family?

Even if he is a concubine's son, he is still the Patriarch's own flesh and blood; I truly shouldn't have underestimated him!

I only hope this doesn't spill over onto me; my fragile frame cannot withstand such turbulent waves!

Recalling Shen Changchuan's sensitive identity, Shen Shiying wanted to slap himself.

Damn it!

That's what you get for being smug!

Not only had he potentially been dragged into a vortex of high-level politics, but he had also been given a stern warning by the Transport Commissioner.

"Sigh, this trip was all for nothing."

The spoils he had managed to scrape together would likely all have to be handed over!

Shen Shiying let out a sigh.

He did not know if the Transport Commissioner's warning was meant to ensure his silence or for some other reason, but regardless, he dared not keep the spirit stones and medicinal herbs he had collected.

To such a bigwig, crushing him would be as simple as crushing an ant.

Yet, just thinking about the benefits he had received, Shen Shiying felt a pang of heartache.

This lucrative position had been so hard to come by, and he had originally hoped to pad his purse with it, but as it turned out...

Forget it.

No use thinking about it.

It was truly bad luck; he would do his best to avoid getting entangled with such people in the future!

Shen Shiying left, filled with vexation.

At that very moment, within the courtyard, the Transport Commissioner took out a yellow talisman and left a few words inside using his divine sense:

"Shen Changchuan is currently in Dawan Village, but the boy is ambitious yet incompetent, with eyes higher than his hands. He is already overwhelmed managing a mere twelve mu of spirit fields; he is not worth worrying about."

After leaving the message, he channeled his mana into the talisman. It glowed with a yellow light, transformed into a streak of brilliance, leaped into the void, and vanished.

In truth, he had vaguely sensed that something was amiss from the words of that minor cultivator, Shen Shiying.

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

However, that First Madam had asked him to probe the bottom of a mere concubine-born son with nothing but empty words, without even offering a single spirit stone, and he had only agreed reluctantly for the sake of the Heir.

He couldn't be bothered to go himself.

"Heh, that woman has such limited vision and character. To be thrown into such a panic by a mere concubine-born son, and even worrying that others might follow suit."

Thinking of that jealous First Madam and the recent events causing such an uproar in Tiannan City, the Transport Commissioner couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

It was only because of her good background and her son's competence that she held her position; otherwise, how could a mistress like her possibly remain secure in that seat?

The Transport Commissioner shook his head, secretly mocking her in his heart.

As for that Shen Changchuan, he cared even less.

Even if there were some secrets, so what?

Dawan Village, with its mere twelve mu of spirit fields, was located in a barren region.

Shallow waters could never raise a true dragon.

That boy reaching the late stage of Qi Refining would be his absolute limit.

He was simply not worth mentioning.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Changchuan, deep within the dense forest, remained unaware that he had just brushed past a major trouble.

But at this moment, his brows were tightly furrowed.

Because he had encountered trouble, and a big one at that.

Looking up, he saw towering cliffs rising on both sides, blocking out the sun, leaving only a thin line of sky in the middle.

This was the destination marked on the map provided by Zhao Hangao.

Zhao Hangao had not played any tricks with the map.

Along the way, aside from the occasional attack by low-level wild beasts, Shen Changchuan had encountered no surprises and had arrived here safely.

Gazing toward the canyon rift, through the enhanced vision granted by the Spirit Eye Technique, Shen Changchuan could vaguely see the ruins of the cave dwelling standing between the cliffs several miles away!

But the problem now was, besides the cave ruins, he also saw a new beast nest.

The beast nest was built right above the ruins!

They were separated by no more than a few hundred meters!

And the master of that nest, Shen Changchuan happened to recognize it.

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

"How could that guy build its nest there!"

Shen Changchuan hid within the dense forest, gazing across a distance of several miles at the Gale Falcon in its nest, which was currently tearing into and swallowing the flesh of a giant python corpse.

His expression darkened.

This was an unexpected turn of events he had never anticipated.

It was a bit too coincidental.

But upon reflection, it was not strange at all.

Dawan Village had never encountered an attack from a Gale Falcon before, which proved that this creature was a newcomer.

And this Skyline Gorge cliff canyon was indeed well-suited for such a flying demonic beast to build a nest.

Located deep within the mountain forest, it was devoid of human presence.

The surrounding spiritual energy was also quite decent.

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

But the problem was, with that guy guarding the ruins, he, Shen Changchuan, was in trouble.

"What should I do about this?"

For a moment, Shen Changchuan murmured to himself, feeling nothing but a headache as he watched the Gale Falcon.