Qi Ziru asked, "Did that woman teach him a cultivation method?"
Shen Youkun replied, "No. Unlike the outside world, there's no shortage of exiled cultivators here. To survive, they have to offer something, so the natives don't lack cultivation methods. Shi Chun started cultivating as a child. That woman merely taught him to read a few words. Ridiculously enough, the bastard started putting on scholarly airs afterward, really imagining himself a man of letters. Later, he got hold of a scholar's robe somewhere and often dressed the part. Utterly revolting..."
Qi Ziru abruptly cut him off. "Get to the point."
Shen Youkun fell silent for a moment. "Through his treachery-one face in front of people, another behind their backs-that scoundrel quickly took control of the Eastern Nine Plains once his cultivation amounted to something, becoming its chief. After taking charge, he declared that he'd grown up eating at a hundred tables in the Eastern Nine Plains and wouldn't let everyone down. And afterward, he really did work hard to send quite a few people from the Eastern Nine Plains into the city, one after another. I exploited that weakness, offered bait, and cleared out his eyes and ears."
Qi Ziru sounded somewhat surprised. "If he had a chance to leave the land of exile, why didn't he? Were the resources you offered as bait insufficient?"
As he finished speaking, the wind rose again.
At this, Shen Youkun's mouth twitched slightly. He bent down and raised his sleeve to shield his uncle from the windblown sand. "I calculated it carefully. There could only be more than enough, never less. The merit he'd accumulated was definitely enough for him to leave. Who knows what wrong medicine that bastard swallowed? He had me baffled at the time too. Why wouldn't he leave when he had the chance? With no forces left under him to lean on, wasn't he afraid a long night would breed troublesome dreams? Thinking it over afterward, I'd say it was most likely because of a woman.
"There's something that isn't a secret. That bastard has his eye on the daughter of Wangbo Tower's proprietress in the city. Just imagine the backing a Household must have to open a shop and do business in a city in the land of exile. How could they possibly think anything of him? He's a toad lusting after swan meat, with no idea how high heaven is or how deep the earth runs. Other than that, I can't think of any reason he'd stay. There shouldn't be anything else in this hellhole worth pining for."
After stating his conclusion, he studied his uncle's expression. Seeing no reaction whatsoever, he continued, "As for Wu Jinliang, he's a big, tall fellow who likes swaggering around with an absurdly large saber over his shoulder. In reality, there's nothing much to him. He throws his weight around as Shi Chun's running dog, playing ghost to a tiger. He's no good either.
"They say he was tiny and scrawny when he was born and nearly didn't survive, so they named him Jinliang-'weight.' Later, after Shi Chun learned to read, he deliberately showed off by giving him the surname Wu. Wu Jinliang-'no weight.' Hahaha! Uncle, the quality of that bastard's naming alone tells you what sort of trash he is."
That he could recount even these stories behind their names showed he had put real effort into learning about them.
While he spoke, Qi Ziru listened quietly without offering any opinion. Once he finished, Qi Ziru asked, "What level is Shi Chun's cultivation? Advanced martial?"
He had already made a low enough estimate, yet Shen Youkun still chuckled. "Uncle, you give this land of exile far too much credit. Cultivation resources are almost nonexistent, and even getting enough to eat is difficult. Across the entire land of exile, you could count those who've broken through to advanced martial on your fingers. Who with that strength would willingly sit rotting in this prison? They'd have left long ago. Initial martial, I'd say. He should still be some way from advanced martial. He has the strength of a thousand jin, which makes him a capable fighter here."
When he spoke the words "the strength of a thousand jin," a trace of self-mockery appeared on his face. Back when he still had his cultivation, he would never have bothered talking about such petty measures of strength. Now, however, he had to admit that "the strength of a thousand jin" amounted to considerable power.
The so-called initial martial level was, in fact, beneath the ranks. Cultivation realms that truly counted were divided into four major realms: advanced martial, human immortal, earth immortal, and heavenly immortal. Beyond those, it was no longer a matter of "immortals."
Of course, this world was full of people beneath the ranks-the teeming masses.
An interrogative edge immediately entered Qi Ziru's voice. "If he hasn't reached advanced martial, there should be quite a few among the people you've recruited whose strength approaches his. Why leave those two alive instead of eliminating them? Have they hidden themselves somewhere you can't find?"
Only then did Shen Youkun understand why his uncle had asked about their cultivation. He answered instinctively, "It's not that I can't find them..." At that point, a touch of embarrassment appeared on his face.
But he was not speaking before an outsider, so he soon plucked up his courage and explained, "You don't understand, Uncle. Shi Chun is truly a cunning, troublesome scoundrel. Born and raised here, he's rolled his way through bloody struggles since childhood and has no fear of death. If we move against him, we can't afford a mistake. If you strike a snake, you have to kill it, or it'll turn around and coil itself around you without letting go. That bastard has always been the sort who won't rest after taking a loss until he's bitten back.
"Secrecy is paramount in what we're doing. We shouldn't get entangled endlessly with such a petty villain. That's also why I spent so heavily to lure him away. Our undertaking here takes priority. I'd intended to leave him alone for now, then deal with him slowly once he'd left. In the outside world, there are plenty of ways to handle him. With that long-term plan, everything should have been foolproof. Who knew the wretch would cling to this place and refuse to leave? It truly caught me by surprise."
Qi Ziru gave him a sidelong look. "Since something unexpected happened, how can you be certain he won't discover what's going on here? This is territory he's occupied for a long time, after all."
Shen Youkun hurriedly bent at the waist, lowering himself as he promised, "Rest assured, Uncle. I know exactly where they are. I've already stationed people to watch them in secret. At present, they're still meditating and cultivating in their lair. If there's any movement, I'll receive word immediately. I absolutely won't let them notice anything unusual here."
Qi Ziru looked down at the people bustling back and forth in the gully below. Things had reached this point; pursuing the matter further was meaningless. He changed the subject. "Are these people you've recruited reliable?"
Shen Youkun bowed a little lower. "They are. They were all recruited from other regions and mostly don't know one another. Before coming, none of them knew they were heading to the Eastern Nine Plains, or what they were going to do."
"As I said before, nothing here can leak out..." Speaking slowly, Qi Ziru turned his gaze toward the last glow on the horizon. After a brief pause, he added in a sickly voice, "Leave none alive afterward."
"Don't worry, Uncle. All the follow-up arrangements are ready." Shen Youkun answered close to his ear. As he straightened slightly, another question occurred to him, and he asked curiously, "Uncle, just what are those dragon bones we dug up underground? What use could a pile of bones have to justify such an enormous sacrifice on your part?"
He naturally knew his uncle had not truly been banished here for committing an offense. Rather, those above lacked confidence in Shen Youkun and feared he couldn't hold the situation together. Worried something might go wrong, they had sent someone more capable to take charge. The land of exile was not somewhere just anyone could enter and leave at will. The price was to deliberately commit an offense, then have one's cultivation crippled and be banished in accordance with the rules.
That meant destroying cultivation built through years of bitter effort!
"Who knows what use they could have?" Qi Ziru actually gave a self-mocking remark. Then a trace of sorrow entered his eyes. He raised a hand toward the setting sun and grasped at empty space, seeming to murmur to himself. "Since ancient times, all manner of doubts have surrounded the claim that the ancient sages cleaved heaven and earth apart. Many believe there is no distinction between heaven and earth at all, that chaos still exists, and that we have always lived within it. It's just that with our mortal eyes and flesh, we see very little, and what we can touch is equally insignificant. In truth, there are many things we cannot see or touch, and many forces we cannot sense."
These reflections left Shen Youkun puzzled. He did not understand what they meant. Could they be related to his uncle's journey here?
Immediately afterward, Qi Ziru gave him the answer. "Before I was ordered here, your grandmother did give me some instructions. Legend has it that in ancient times there was a divine beast, enormously long and serpentlike, called the 'Female General.' It was born naturally from chaos and lived within it.
"Later, the Lineage happened upon an ancient cave dwelling. In an old book inside, they found a record stating that an ancient god's mount was a gigantic spirit serpent. Without wings, it couldn't fly, yet it could travel between the tangible and intangible realms of heaven and earth, and could even foresee calamity. Its description resembled that of the 'Female General.' Unfortunately, it was slain in a great battle.
"Because of that, the Lineage secretly spent considerable effort investigating for a long time before finally finding the burial place of that ancient god's mount." As he spoke, he pointed toward the excavation below.
Even without that gesture, the stunned Shen Youkun had already guessed, but he still did not understand. "Why find it? Can it be used in medicine, refined into treasures, or aid cultivation?"
Qi Ziru said evenly, "If the 'Female General' truly existed, it could verify whether chaos has indeed existed all along."
Shen Youkun blurted out, "Just for that?"
Qi Ziru added, "That's what they say, but do you believe it? Clearly, they also want to bring it back and see whether it has any other extraordinary effects."
Shen Youkun found it hard to believe. "For such an unfounded possibility, Grandmother could bear to have all your cultivation crippled and send you into exile here?"
"If they truly knew it held some great significance, would you and I get to oversee this? I'm afraid we wouldn't even be qualified to know about it. Do you think I wanted to come? After you got into trouble, your mother came to me weeping and begging me to find a way to help you survive here. I secretly broke the rules of the land of exile, and the Lineage found out. What could your grandmother do?" Qi Ziru grew emotional and slapped the armrest.
Shen Youkun fell speechless. So his uncle had been dragged down by him and banished here. He understood: the claim that they had discovered his uncle breaking the rules was merely the Lineage's excuse. It was simply that no one wanted their cultivation crippled so they could come here, yet someone capable of directing matters had to be forced into it. For a moment, he did not know what to say.
"Ah." Qi Ziru let out a slow, lingering sigh. "Things have come to this. There's no use dwelling on it. Just keep your head down and do the job properly. Your grandmother will look after things outside. The Lineage has also promised that, as long as we handle this successfully, they'll find a way to get us out early. They'll also find a way to repair our foundations, restore our ability to cultivate, and give us a substantial reward besides."
Seeing delight suddenly enter his nephew's eyes, he immediately cautioned him again. "You know the consequences of a leak. It isn't about worrying that something might happen to the bones underground, but about our actions breaking the rules of the land of exile. That 'Jailer Nie,' who was banished here to serve as a guard, is a ruthless character who dares defy even heaven's laws head-on. If it comes to a reckoning, even the Lineage won't be able to bear it. Then we'll have to shoulder the blame ourselves. You should know what our fate would be."
"Rest assured, Uncle. We've found that dragon skeleton now. Judging by its size, another half day should be enough to dig it all out. We've spent a month or so searching and digging without incident. Now that we're about to finish, what could happen? What worries me now is how we'll get something that huge out."
"Our job is to secretly confirm its identity and find it. As for how it gets out, that's not our concern. Someone else will worry about that."