At those words, Jiang Hao fell silent.
Senior Sister Yun Ruo had actually served such a purpose. If he had known earlier...
He might have hesitated before killing her back then, but hesitation was all it would have been.
If he had let her return, he would have been the one to die another day.
So he merely sighed over it, without regret.
"You might not believe this." Liu Xingchen gave Jiang Hao a moment to think before continuing:
"Demanding a thousand spirit stones from you isn't us targeting you. Quite the opposite-we're helping you keep that man from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion in check.
"As long as you pay the compensation as required, he won't be able to do anything to you in the short term.
"Be careful and demonstrate your worth as soon as possible. Heartbreak Cliff will offer you some protection.
"And forbidding you from leaving isn't just because you're under suspicion. Some people in Yun Ruo's sect were infatuated with her.
"Their status isn't low, either. Apparently, if Yun Ruo hadn't served a special purpose, that man would have already taken her back.
"Now that she's dead, some people from the Sunset Glow Sect have their eyes on you.
"When you look at it closely, Junior Brother, your situation is worrying."
Jiang Hao: "..."
He had rendered a service to the sect. Receiving no reward was one thing, but he actually had to pay compensation-and they even claimed it was for his own good.
Worst of all, he couldn't refute it.
This was a demonic sect, after all. It really wasn't difficult for a pavilion master to target an inner sect disciple.
"Thank you for telling me, Senior Brother," Jiang Hao said gratefully.
"Be careful, then, Junior Brother. If you hear anything about other traitors, you can let me know." Liu Xingchen waved and left without lingering.
With no one else left in the courtyard, Jiang Hao glanced at the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.
He understood that this senior brother had come with a purpose.
Otherwise, why would he kindly come over to explain? He had even turned Jiang Hao's resentment toward the Law Enforcement Hall into gratitude.
Did he fail to recognize it, or is he waiting for an opportunity? Jiang Hao wondered.
Afterward, he went back to collecting bubbles and selling talismans.
But starting that day, some unfamiliar faces seemed to appear in Heartbreak Cliff's Spirit Medicine Garden.
There were steward elders as well as other inner sect disciples.
At first, Jiang Hao paid them no mind. But when a senior sister kept asking him about spirit herbs, he knew she was definitely no harmless soul.
Sure enough, a week later...
That senior sister came to his residence, saying she had obtained an extraordinary spirit herb and wanted his help appraising it.
"You don't have any guests, do you, Junior Brother? If you do, I'll head back for now." Fairy Mingyi peered into the courtyard.
"No, but you really think too highly of me, Senior Sister. I don't know much about spirit herbs," Jiang Hao said truthfully.
Lately, he had devoted all his energy to making talismans. His knowledge of spirit herbs hadn't improved in a long time.
Fortunately, his talisman-making had progressed at a good pace. His success rate had reached ninety percent, and he could start working on other, more difficult talismans.
Over the past week, he had also earned a hundred and fifty spirit stones.
He now had four hundred and fifty spirit stones.
He was still only halfway to covering the compensation, with a little over two months remaining.
The senior sister before him came from Cloudmist Peak. She had spent years in secluded cultivation and had only just emerged, so she knew few people.
That was why she had come to ask him.
Jiang Hao didn't believe a word of her story, so he immediately activated his divine ability.
In the blink of an eye, he received the results.
[Mingyi: A candidate holy maiden of the Heavenly Saint Church, with Golden Core early-stage cultivation. Undercover at the Heavenly Sound Sect's Cloudmist Peak, seeking to discover the reason behind the Heavenly Sound Sect's rise. Following instructions that the object is in your courtyard, she is taking this opportunity to investigate. Ruthless by nature, she hides a knife behind her smile.]
Seeing her cultivation, Jiang Hao could only lower his head.
These undercover agents seemed to be at Golden Core at every turn.
They were either true disciples or holy maidens.
But one thing surprised Jiang Hao: the reason behind the Heavenly Sound Sect's rise was in his courtyard.
The Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower?
Doesn't that belong to the acting sect master? How could it be the reason for the sect's rise?
No matter how he pondered it, Jiang Hao couldn't make sense of it.
He thought about going through the sect's records.
But having him grow something so important was clearly an attempt to fish for someone.
His situation was worrying.
Fairy Mingyi didn't stay long. She merely went inside and took a casual look around, then handed Jiang Hao the spirit herb to examine.
It was indeed an extraordinary spirit herb, but Jiang Hao didn't recognize it.
She wasn't disappointed, either. She thanked him and politely took her leave.
With a sigh, Jiang Hao returned to his usual routine.
Over a month later.
Inside his room.
Jiang Hao counted his spirit stones, delight written across his face.
"Nine hundred and twenty-six. Almost there. A few more days, and I'll have a thousand spirit stones."
He had spent the past month and more making talismans to earn money.
He had wanted to make higher-grade talismans, but the success rate was too low, so he could only make them occasionally.
Still, he could keep making them later. There was no harm in saving up more spirit stones.
After all, there were plenty of undercover agents. Even if he had to pay compensation every time he killed one, he wouldn't have to worry too much.
Setting those thoughts aside, Jiang Hao checked his panel again.
[Name: Jiang Hao] [Age: Nineteen] [Cultivation: Foundation Establishment early stage] [Cultivation methods: Heavenly Sound, Hundred Turns; Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture] [Divine abilities: Nine-Turn Substitute Death (unique), Daily Appraisal, Clear Mind, Pure Heart] [Vitality: 100/100 (can cultivate)] [Cultivation: 100/100 (can cultivate)] [Divine ability: 0/3 (cannot obtain)]
Purple-gold legend was gone, and the Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture had been added to his cultivation methods.
Most striking of all, his vitality and cultivation were both full. That was largely thanks to the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, along with the plentiful bubbles from the spirit herbs reaching their harvest season.
He had waited a long time for this day. With primordial chaos purple qi concealing his cultivation, he no longer worried about advancing too quickly.
Without hesitation, Jiang Hao began extracting vitality and cultivation, then circulated the Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture.
In theory, he could break through to the Foundation Establishment middle stage in one stroke.
His vitality surged, and spiritual energy churned.
Purple qi circulated within his body, beginning to absorb and refine the spiritual energy and vitality.
The purple qi began to expand.
Then it flowed toward his dantian.
Jiang Hao's cultivation rose at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Bang!
The purple qi crushed the bottleneck between the Foundation Establishment early and middle stages, and he successfully entered the Foundation Establishment middle stage.
"I did it."
Growing stronger gave Jiang Hao a sense of security.
Once he had settled his emotions, he looked outside. Seeing that it was getting late, he decided to water the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.
But the moment he stepped into the courtyard, his pupils contracted.
A woman stood in the courtyard.
She wore red, sunlight falling across her figure. He could see her profile, a beauty beyond compare.
It's her.
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