Nothing to Worry About

Qing City,

inside a quiet, secluded courtyard,

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

If someone had moved closer,

they would have heard him repeatedly mention Dawan Village, Shen Changchuan, the Demon Beast attack, and losses.

After a long while,

the middle-aged man at the head of the room gave a slight nod and moved his lips,

but no one knew what he said,

only that Shen Shiying broke into a cold sweat, his legs nearly giving way as he almost fell to his knees. Head lowered, he hurriedly tried to explain.

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

As he stepped out through the courtyard gate,

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

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

"I shouldn't have been so smug and boastful!"

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

He had volunteered for the task of collecting Spirit Grain from the area near Dawan Village.

Using the excuse that he had once served there and knew the area better than the others, he had easily taken on the assignment.

And the reason he had done so was that, deep down, he had wanted to return in glory and show off in front of Shen Changchuan, the "enemy" who had taken his position.

And that was exactly what had happened.

Not long ago, after seeing the "disastrous state" of Shen Changchuan's management of Dawan Village,

he had felt thoroughly pleased with himself,

to the point that he had sensed a slight loosening in the bottleneck that had kept him from advancing for years.

But he had never imagined

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

As soon as he returned, the Transport Commissioner himself had summoned him to ask about Shen Changchuan!

The Transport Commissioner oversaw the Spirit Grain tribute from all over the region. He was a family elder at the Out of Body Realm!

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

Being summoned by such an important figure brought Shen Shiying no excitement whatsoever, only endless dread.

He was merely a lowly cultivator at the fourth level of the Qi Induction Realm, not even qualified to be someone's dog.

Being summoned alone like this meant he might have gotten tangled up in some sort of affair.

Shen Shiying hadn't dared to hide anything.

He had told the Transport Commissioner everything he had seen and guessed in Dawan Village, sparing no detail.

"Could Shen Changchuan be connected to some faction within the family?"

"Even as a concubine-born son, he's still the family head's own child. I really shouldn't have underestimated him!"

"Please don't let this drag me into it. My little frame can't withstand such a huge storm!"

Thinking of Shen Changchuan's sensitive status,

Shen Shiying had wanted to slap himself.

Damn it!

That was what he got for being smug!

Not only might he have gotten caught up in an upper-level power struggle, but the Transport Commissioner had also given him a warning.

"Alas, all that effort was for nothing this time."

He would probably have to hand over all the gains he had made on this trip!

Shen Shiying sighed.

He didn't know whether the Transport Commissioner's warning meant he was to keep this matter secret or something else,

but in any case,

he didn't dare keep the Spirit Stones and medicines he had collected.

A bigwig like that could crush him as easily as an ant.

But whenever he thought of the benefits he had received,

Shen Shiying felt a pang of heartache.

He had finally managed to land such a lucrative assignment and had hoped to fatten his purse a little, but now...

Forget it.

He wouldn't think about it anymore.

What rotten luck. He'd better avoid getting involved with people like that in the future!

Shen Shiying left, brooding with regret.

At that moment,

inside the courtyard,

the Transport Commissioner took out a yellow talisman and used his spiritual sense to inscribe a few words on it:

Shen Changchuan is currently in Dawan Village, but he is a man of grand ambitions and little ability, with more eyes than skill. He can barely manage twelve mu of Spirit Fields without being overwhelmed. He is nothing to worry about.

After leaving the message,

he poured his magical power into the talisman. It glowed yellow, transformed into a streak of light, shot into the air, and disappeared.

Actually, from the words of that young cultivator named Shen Shiying, he had vaguely sensed that something seemed amiss.

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

But the First Madam had asked him to look into the concubine-born son's capabilities without offering so much as a single Spirit Stone.

He had only agreed reluctantly out of consideration for the heir.

He couldn't be bothered to go in person.

"Ha. This woman really has so little insight and grace. She's been thrown into a panic by a mere concubine-born son, even worrying that others might follow his example."

Thinking of that jealous First Madam, along with the recent uproar in Tiannan City,

the Transport Commissioner couldn't help but scoff inwardly.

She had only managed to secure her position as the mistress of the household because of her good birth and her capable son. Otherwise, how could someone like her have ever held on to that position?

The Transport Commissioner shook his head, secretly grumbling to himself.

As for Shen Changchuan,

he cared even less about him.

So what if there was something hidden about him?

Dawan Village had a mere twelve mu of Spirit Fields, and the surrounding area was barren.

A shallow stream could never raise a true dragon.

That boy's limit was the later stages of the Qi Induction Realm, at best.

He was utterly insignificant.

Meanwhile,

on the other side,

Shen Changchuan, deep in the forest, still had no idea he had just brushed past trouble.

But at that moment,

his brow was furrowed.

Because he had run into trouble,

and a great deal of it.

Looking up, he saw towering cliffs rising on either side, blotting out the sky, with only a thin line of sky visible between them.

This was the endpoint marked on the map Zhao Hangao had given him.

Zhao Hangao hadn't tampered with the map.

Along the way,

aside from the occasional attack by low-tier wild Demon Beasts passing through, Shen Changchuan had encountered no real surprises and had made it here safely.

Looking toward the gorge,

thanks to the improved vision granted by the Spirit Eye Technique, Shen Changchuan could just make out the ruins of a cave dwelling several miles away, nestled between the sheer cliffs!

But the problem was,

in addition to the ruins, he had also spotted a new Demon Beast's nest.

The nest had been built directly above the ruins!

They were less than a few hundred meters apart!

And the owner of the nest,

Shen Changchuan recognized all too well.

It was the familiar opponent he had fought not long ago—the Gale Falcon!

"How did that guy end up building its nest there?"

Hidden in the forest, Shen Changchuan gazed from several miles away at the Gale Falcon tearing apart and gulping down the flesh of a giant python's carcass inside its nest.

His expression darkened.

This was a turn of events he hadn't seen coming at all.

It was quite a coincidence.

But then again, it wasn't strange.

Dawan Village had never been attacked by a Gale Falcon before, which proved that this one was a newcomer.

And this Skyline Gorge, with its steep cliffs, was indeed suitable for a flying Demon Beast to build its nest.

It lay deep in the forest, far from human habitation,

and the surrounding spiritual energy was decent.

It was only natural for the creature to make its nest here.

But the problem was,

with that thing guarding the ruins,

Shen Changchuan was in trouble.

"What should I do now?"

For a moment,

Shen Changchuan murmured to himself. Just seeing the Gale Falcon gave him a headache.