After leaving a hat for his esteemed Senior Brother Wu to wear, Hou Niao set out at once; most assignments from the Minister of Justice Prefecture were urgent matters that could not brook delay.
This was his first journey to the Northern Lands. In fact, he had never visited most of the countries on the Brocade Continent. His decades of cultivation had largely been confined to the Shan Kingdom and the Lizhi Sea. Only after formally joining the Minister of Justice Prefecture had he begun roaming the continent with his sword.
In the days ahead, barring any surprises, his assignments would guide him across every stretch of land on the continent. Such was the normal life of every Accompanying Rong investigator in the Minister of Justice Prefecture.
As he flew, he carefully studied the information in the Jade Slip, gaining a rough understanding of the circumstances surrounding this assignment.
Shanyin Town was his first destination. Fellow disciples from the Minister of War Prefecture would be waiting for him there, and he would decide what stance Shanmen's forces should take in this affair based on the specific circumstances.
Strictly speaking, Shanyin Town lay wedged between the Yuanyi Mountains and the Yaoguang Mountains. It was an important trading point connecting those inside the mountains with those outside. Originally a distribution center for goods, it had developed and changed over a thousand years to reach its present size.
The true targets of the Minister of War Prefecture cultivators dispatched to the Northern Lands were actually the Demon Race in the Yuanyi Mountains. They had little to do with the Yaoguang natives to the northeast, but this place happened to be close by, so several had immediately been transferred over to handle the affair involving the natives' treasure. Unfortunately, they had failed to sort