Seven days had passed since he killed Senior Sister Yun Ruo.
No one had come looking for Jiang Hao during those seven days. After that incident, he also realized that his daily appraisal was far more powerful than he had expected.
He had secretly appraised a few people, but had found no one unusual, so he stopped wasting his appraisals.
One thing worth mentioning was that he had used his divine ability on himself to appraise his condition.
The gist of the result was: infected with the Yang Gu of the heaven-extinguishing gu poison; forced into a state of "sage-like abstinence" toward all women except the woman carrying the Yin Gu.
Jiang Hao sighed when he saw the appraisal result.
He understood where the gu poison had come from. It was what that woman had made him swallow back then.
The recent changes in his body had also been caused by the gu poison.
It was hard to say whether this was a blessing or a curse. Not long ago, Senior Sister Yun Ruo had used a charm technique on him, but it had failed to work precisely because of the heaven-extinguishing gu poison.
Otherwise, there was no telling how things might have ended.
Quite a few people in demonic sects knew charm techniques. Perhaps this was a good thing until his mind grew more mature.
Beauty was, more often than not, a man's Achilles' heel.
Jiang Hao had no desire to test his own weakness. One failure could put his life in danger.
Putting aside the strange thoughts that came crowding in, he opened his door and headed to the Spirit Medicine Garden to work.
Every daily visit made him a little stronger. He could not afford to interrupt that routine.
But he had barely stepped outside when someone blocked his path.
There were three young men, each with a higher cultivation level than his.
Their expressions were stern, and faint killing intent radiated from them.
To be safe, Jiang Hao activated his divine ability and appraised the man in front.
The man wore black, with sword-sharp brows and eyes, a sharply defined face, and sculpted features.
He could certainly be called handsome.
[Liu Xingchen: a true disciple of the Haotian Sect, born with dragon baleful aura, with golden core late stage cultivation. Bored and at loose ends, he went undercover in the Heavenly Sound Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. He has come to you to temporarily appease the Heavenly Joy Pavilion's anger.]
The feedback from his divine ability sent towering waves through Jiang Hao's heart.
Wasn't the Haotian Sect reputed to be the strongest immortal sect? Why would someone like him come to the Heavenly Sound Sect as an undercover agent? Just because he was bored? After a moment of shock, he lowered his head and greeted the three senior brothers.
"We're from the Law Enforcement Hall. We've come about what happened seven days ago. We have a few questions for you, and we'll also inform you of the follow-up arrangements," Liu Xingchen said, looking at Jiang Hao expressionlessly.
"Please go ahead, Senior Brother." Jiang Hao considered the possible situation, but kept his expression calm.
The words "the Heavenly Joy Pavilion's anger" worried him.
"Were you the one who killed Junior Sister Yun Ruo?" Liu Xingchen asked.
"Yes." Jiang Hao nodded.
"Why did you attack her?" Liu Xingchen continued.
"She betrayed the sect and tried to draw me into betraying it with her. I intended to refuse and restrain her, but ended up killing her by mistake." Jiang Hao repeated the same account he had given before.
"She belonged to the Heavenly Joy Pavilion. It wasn't Heartbreak Cliff's place to deal with her." Liu Xingchen stared at Jiang Hao, his voice utterly cold:
"You violated sect rules by killing a disciple of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion. In light of the circumstances, you will be deprived of cultivation resources for five years and must pay the Heavenly Joy Pavilion one thousand spirit stones in compensation within three months.
"Furthermore, Yun Ruo was a traitor to the sect, and you were the last person she contacted. To ensure this wasn't a case of sacrificing a rook to save the king, you may not leave during this period and must cooperate with our investigation.
"If you leave without our knowledge, it will be treated as betrayal of the sect.
"We will notify you when the investigation is over."
Jiang Hao froze at those words, finding them difficult to believe.
Instead of receiving credit, he was being held at fault.
He had no objection to cooperating with an investigation, but he actually had to compensate the Heavenly Joy Pavilion with one thousand spirit stones.
As an inner sect disciple, he had received only ten spirit stones a month during qi refining. Where was he supposed to get a thousand?
What else could I expect from a demonic sect? This is entirely a show for the Heavenly Joy Pavilion.
When Jiang Hao did not respond, the disciple beside Liu Xingchen asked coldly:
"Do you have any questions?"
Jiang Hao came back to himself, lowered his head, and said quietly, "No."
The three members of the Law Enforcement Hall said a few more inconsequential things, then turned and left.
Only after the three vanished from sight did Jiang Hao let out a heavy sigh:
"Is Heartbreak Cliff too weak, or am I simply too unimportant?"
"This is bullying. There's no way I can get one thousand spirit stones in three months."
"What happens if I don't pay? Will the Heavenly Joy Pavilion's people attack me?"
"I've reached foundation establishment at nineteen. That should count as rare talent. I wonder if Heartbreak Cliff will protect me."
With all those thoughts weighing on him, Jiang Hao arrived at the Spirit Medicine Garden.
Now he not only had to improve his cultivation, but also find a way to earn spirit stones.
At that moment, he keenly understood how a beautiful woman could be a fountain of disaster. Even killing her could not free him from the calamity.
With his current cultivation, resisting was utterly impossible. The law enforcer handling this matter had golden core late stage cultivation.
He was only at the foundation establishment early stage. Even a hundred of him would not be enough to take on one of the man's hands.
As for exposing the man as an undercover agent...
That really would be courting death.
Cultivation in this world was divided into qi refining, foundation establishment, golden core, primordial spirit, spirit refining, and void returning.
Jiang Hao had yet to encounter anything beyond those stages and did not know the specific realms that followed.
At the highest point of the Heavenly Sound Sect lay Hundred Flowers Lake and the Central Island.
Hong Yuye sat in the pavilion, gazing at the lake in a trance.
A breeze stirred, and a white figure landed behind Hong Yuye and bowed respectfully:
"Sect Master."
Hong Yuye did not turn at the greeting, merely speaking slowly:
"What is it?"
"We've compiled a list of suspicious disciples, as well as a list of traitors. We would like you to decide how to proceed, Sect Master." With that, Bai Zhi presented the lists in her hands.
They contained detailed records of origins, cultivation levels, and grounds for suspicion.
Taking the lists, Hong Yuye lowered her eyes and opened them. Every name she saw was unfamiliar.
There were undercover agents, traitors, and people under suspicion.
After a cursory scan, her gaze settled on the final entry: Jiang Hao, inner sect disciple of Heartbreak Cliff, residing beside the stream below Heartbreak Cliff, newly advanced to the foundation establishment early stage.
Before you continue