The Stableman Deacon; Jiang Qing Returns to the Sect

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe felt as if she were being watched by a Second Tier Demon Beast, too afraid to move. Beads of fragrant sweat seeped from beneath her two round, full breasts, and her legs trembled slightly.

"This guy is just an early-stage cultivator, yet he can exert so much pressure on me with just a glance?! It seems that the Foundation Establishment cultivator he mentioned earlier is definitely not an ordinary sect True Cultivator."

Moreover, the fact that Kang Dabao reacted so strongly to just a slight question proves that, as his fellow members in the building had said, the relationship between these two is definitely more than just a matter of mutual benefit!

If that's the case, why didn't Black Shoes intervene in the battle at Little Wu Mountain back then? Instead, he watched as the Chongming Sect members perished and Jiang Qing lost his arm?!

In just a few breaths, the female cultivator in Hemp Robe had experienced a myriad of emotions.

She barely managed to build her Azure Leaf Dao Foundation by relying on her family background, Spirit Root, and resources. She is good at social maneuvering and exchanging resources, but she is never good at fighting.

During her time as a disciple of the Hemp Robe Sect, she spent ninety percent of her time dealing with minor Qi Refining cultivators with shallow Qi Refinement, and she had never encountered such a dangerous situation before.

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe quietly clutched her life-saving item in her hand, but she could only force herself to remain calm and said, "Sect Leader Kang, there's no need to be nervous. The motto of our Fearless Tower is 'Knowing everything and fearing nothing.'"

In this Shannan Circuit, apart from the Nascent Soul True Person of the Fearless Tower who dare not inquire even slightly, we are not afraid of anyone else, not even the Golden Core of the Star-Picking Pavilion. What I said earlier was merely ordinary talk, without any other meaning. If I have offended anyone, please forgive me, fellow Daoist."

"Is this another attempt to intimidate me?" How could Sect Leader Kang Da not understand the threatening tone in the Hemp Robe female cultivator's words?

He saw through the Hemp Robe female cultivator's supposedly well-concealed expression, and a plan instantly formed in his mind. A fierce look flashed across his face, startling the Hemp Robe female cultivator so much that she couldn't maintain her previous feigned old cultivator's voice, and said in a trembling voice, "I absolutely did not mean that, please do not misunderstand, fellow Daoist!"

Seeing that Sect Leader Kang Da's expression hadn't improved, the woman in Hemp Robe couldn't help but lament inwardly, "This scoundrel is completely unreasonable! How can Ping and Jin counties be as peaceful and tranquil as the steward claims?! He's just trying to get me into trouble! When we get back, I'll definitely file a complaint against him!"

Fortunately, after only a few breaths, Kang Dabao asked, "How many days will it take Fellow Hemp Robe Yi to find out about Bian Wei?"

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She straightened her back, her breasts pert, and respectfully replied, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured. With the strength of our Cloud Horn Prefecture branch, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should be able to ascertain the situation in about a month."

Upon hearing this Sect Leader Kang Da frowned, then asked, "Could you go faster?"

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe dropped the pretense and spoke in a melodious voice, like a silver bell, saying frankly, "To be honest, fellow Daoist, that is indeed a late-stage True Cultivator with considerable strength, but the clues you provided are few, so it's truly difficult to act any faster."

Kang Dabao was still not entirely satisfied, but had no other choice. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "Fellow Daoist, once you have investigated, please give me your reply as soon as possible."

"Please rest assured, fellow Daoist, I will certainly not delay your important matters," the female cultivator in Hemp Robe said with an embarrassed smile.

After Sect Leader Kang Da turned and left, the female cultivator in Hemp Robe summoned a Second-Tier Lower-Grade blue crane and headed towards the branch of the Fearless Tower in Cloud Horn Prefecture.

The Fearless Tower has been rooted in Shannan Circuit for hundreds of years. Even the head of the General Affairs Department of the Star-Picking Pavilion once paid attention to this intelligence force. However, the core members of the Fearless Tower have always been cautious in their actions, making it difficult for anyone to find any clues.

In particular, the master of the tower, it is said, was captured by more than ten Golden Core cultivators from the Star-Picking Pavilion who tried to seal off the void and capture him, but they were all unable to do so.

Thus, the massive crackdown operation that year ended abruptly after destroying the main building of Fearless Tower and half of its branch buildings in Shannan Circuit.

After all, the Fearless Tower wasn't some vicious force that could threaten the Star-Picking Pavilion's rule in Shannan Circuit.

We've already tried a thorough cleanup, but since it wasn't successful, let's just let it fend for itself for now. If it gets out of control again in the future, then we'll wipe it out completely.

The high-ranking cultivators of the Star-Picking Pavilion were very confident. After all, the Star-Picking Pavilion was a major sect with Nascent Soul Middle Stage True Person cultivator in charge, and in recent years it had even shown signs of becoming the leader of the southwestern region of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty. It was only natural that they looked down on the small Fearless Tower.

After suffering this great calamity, the Fearless Tower remained quiet for a period of time.

This Fearless Tower was indeed a capable person. In less than sixty years, he gradually completed the reconstruction of all the branch buildings in each state. However, the white-robed deacons in each place acted more cautiously on their own.

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe stealthily made her way to a mortal manor in Pingrong County, and entered the most luxurious mansion in the entire estate. After easily evading several guards at the Skin Refining Realm, she found an old groom with graying temples and a withered figure in the back courtyard.

The horse, like its groom, was old and thin, looking like it was on its last legs and wouldn't live much longer. It was still dark, and both the man and the horse were sleeping soundly in the stable.

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe arrived without any politeness. She grabbed the old groom by the dirty collar and said urgently, "Old Jiang, quickly, quickly gather the men! Let's go and kill Chongming Sect Kang Dabao to avenge me!"

After being awakened, the old coachman sat up halfway, mumbling sleepily. Upon seeing the female cultivator in Hemp Robe in front of him, he immediately lay back down without a second thought and turned to sleep on his side.

Before lying down, the old groom pulled out a handful of the smelly hay from under her head and threw it at the woman in Hemp Robe.

"Ah!" A burst of Spiritual Qi emanated from the woman in Hemp Robe, turning the dry grass into dust. She stepped on the old groom, and seeing that he still didn't react, she angrily shouted, "I've found out about Black Shoes and Kuang Liuting, are you going to listen or not?!"

The old groom, who had been snoring away for only a few moments, immediately woke up. Now, he was no longer the drowsy man he had appeared. He glared at the woman in Hemp Robe and said sternly, "This is no laughing matter. Where did you find out?"

"Where did Chongming Sect Kang Dabao get it?" The female cultivator in Hemp Robe lowered her head and whispered when she saw the old groom's excited expression.

"Kang Dabao? Does he still have that Hemp Robe disciple token that belonged to the Jiang Household back then?" The old groom's interest remained undiminished, and he continued to ask.

The nun in Hemp Robe looked slightly surprised, as she hadn't expected the old groom to know so much. She replied, "That son-in-law of the Jiang Household wasn't capable enough. Before my time, the nun in Hemp Robe demoted that title to a gray-robed hanger-on."

The old groom didn't take it seriously. He gently patted the old horse, which was restless in the stable because of the stranger's appearance, to calm it down. Instead of asking about the news concerning the Daoist Black Shoes and Kuang Liuting, he asked, "What does Kang Dabao want with you?"

Upon hearing this, the female cultivator in Hemp Robe showed even greater surprise. "Kang Dabao asked me to find information about a Foundation Establishment cultivator he recently fought, and to investigate the latter's family background, Cultivation Method, and name."

The old groom raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded. "Just as I expected!" He then turned to the female cultivator in Hemp Robe and said, "Girl, go to the Chongming Sect again now and tell them that we have found the person they are looking for."

The female cultivator in Hemp Robe was stunned. "Found it? You old codger, you guessed it long ago? You found the exact location of that Foundation Establishment cultivator?!"

"The fighting outside the Chongming Sect was so lively a few days ago, with three or four Foundation Establishment participating. Even the idle people in Pingrong County knew that there had been some big commotion. What's so strange about me guessing what would happen?"

"I, Old Jiang, am unworthy to be a steward of the Cloud Horn Prefecture branch of the Fearless Tower. If I can't even make this much prediction, I might as well give this position to you."

After giving his instructions, the old groom stretched and was about to go back to sleep with his old partner when the woman in Hemp Robe grabbed his collar again, her face full of anxiety. "Hey, I told you to gather the men! We need to go and kill that Kang Dabao!"

The old groom perked up at this and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Tsk, that won't do. Not to mention that our Fearless Tower is just a small organization that sells information, although there are hierarchical distinctions among the members, they have no right to order or assign tasks. Unless it's a matter of life and death, I can't ask them to take action."

Even Kang Dabao himself is absolutely untouchable. The Lord sent a handwritten order a few days ago, instructing us white-robed stewards to collect information about the Daoist Black Shoes and Kuang Liuting as soon as possible, but progress has been extremely slow.

I was just worrying about Old Jiang, but now that Kang Dabao has actually come to me willingly, I'm Old Jiang to take good care of him. You mustn't do anything foolish now; once the Lord returns from the King Yu Circuit, he might have to personally summon Kang Dabao."

The annoyance on Hemp Robe female cultivator's face had not lessened. She continued, "Old Jiang, what I said before was just to bluff you! That Kang Dabao is completely unreasonable. He almost attacked me after I asked him a single question about the Daoist Black Shoes. He's truly arrogant! Such a person is both stubborn and obstinate; we might as well just kill him on the spot!"

The old groom, however, didn't seem to care and lay back down on the haystack, closing his eyes and not even bothering to shake his head. He said in a low voice, "It's nothing, it's nothing. As long as he gets into the Fearless Tower, I, Old Jiang, am not worried about not being able to get any information out of him."

He's quite the catch; he can get connected with big shots like the Daoist Black Shoes, the Fei Household's She Mountain Hall, and Kuang Liuting. Even Gun Yuyao, the woman from the Anshan Gun Household who became a lady-in-waiting in the imperial palace, owes his family a life.

There's a lot to explore here. Once I learn about the information in his mind, it might be of great benefit to the original poster.

Girl, don't try to cheat this time. This isn't the cheap information you get from those Qi Refining cultivators or Foundation Establishment cultivators. You can't act recklessly like that.

This is a serious matter. If you still don't understand its gravity, and the landlord finds out and blames you, even your mother won't be able to bear the consequences. Listen to me, Old Jiang, go and come back quickly, lest things get complicated."

Hearing the old coachman's words, the female cultivator in Hemp Robe gritted her teeth in anger, but dared not delay. She mounted the blue crane again and headed towards Little Ring Mountain.

Tanggu County and Spirit Stone Mineral Vein

After receiving the letter from Gun Yuyao in the capital, Jiang Qing only glanced at it briefly before her hand glowed with a magical light. In an instant, the warm letter, imbued with a daughter's tenderness, and the delicate handwriting, filled with her longing thoughts, scattered into a shower of jade-like light in her hand.

The imperial palace lady's sincere heart was as clear as ice, yet it failed to leave even a ripple in the heart of this one-armed swordsman.

Jiang Qing was not a reclusive cultivator who disliked the Yin-Yang Dao. From a young age, he was seen as having a bright future by his peers. After growing up, he lived a much more carefree life than his cowardly senior brother Sect Leader Kang Da, who had not eaten meat for a long time.

Whether it was Qi Duoluo or He Degong, who hadn't wholeheartedly entertained him in the pleasure quarters? Speaking of the brothels within Cloud Horn Prefecture, there were truly few places this Double Brightness Sword Immortal hadn't visited.

But Jiang Qing, a frequent visitor to brothels, truly managed to remain untouched by any of the women he encountered.

Countless young women who had shared the spring breeze with him were reluctant to part with him, but Jiang Qing never felt the slightest bit of attachment to them.

Gun Yuyao was different from the women in the brothels who were just playing around. She didn't want Spirit Stone, nor did she admire Jiang Qing's Ice Leaf Foundation Establishment or his youthful promise. She came with genuine feelings, but Jiang Qing felt he couldn't give them to her, so he didn't want to get involved.

Unlike Kang Dabao, there are very few people in this world who can make Jiang Qing neglect his cultivation and give his heart. Apart from his two senior brothers who have depended on each other since childhood, only the Daoist Black Shoes can be considered half a person.

Even though Jiang Qing loved his obedient disciples who were filial and listened to his teachings, if he asked himself honestly, he could give them up for the sake of the Dao Path.

"Be single-minded in your pursuit of the sword, and sincere in your pursuit of the Way." Two and a half people in this world are already enough to disturb his quest for the Way. Jiang Qing doesn't want to add another person; that would only bring more trouble.

If Gun Yuyao truly desires sincerity, she might as well seek out Sect Leader Kang Da and ask him for it; he would surely grant her wish.

The eldest brother's heart is different from his own; it's too heavy and too crowded, able to hold many people, something Jiang Qing himself cannot do. Like the Daoist Black Shoes Daoist, living a solitary and carefree life is what Jiang Qing truly yearns for.

However, restoring the Double Brightness and bringing glory to the family was the eldest brother's lifelong wish, so Jiang Qing had no choice but to give up the life she truly loved.

"What Senior Brother thinks is what Qing'er thinks." This was something that the innocent child had already figured out when she sat on the heavy shelves on the back of the fat peddler.

This will never change, even when the earth grows old and the sea dries up.

Pushing open the door to the quiet room, it was Jiang Qing's turn to guard the Spirit Stone mine this month, meaning he would have to waste another month and wouldn't be able to cultivate.

The Foundation Establishment from all the families of the New Cloud Alliance stationed at the Spirit Stone mine now have a completely different attitude towards Jiang Qing. Everyone knows that the Chongming Sect has now offended Commander Tie and the Yue Household.

It's unrealistic to expect everyone to get along with Jiang Qing as warmly as before, but Jiang Qing doesn't seem to care. Skipping a lot of unnecessary formalities is actually a good thing for him.

To Jiang Qing's surprise, as soon as he stepped out of the meditation room, he saw the message talisman sent by Sect Leader Kang Da.

Without a second thought, Jiang Qing gave a cursory greeting to Li Mingyuan, who was traveling with him, and then rode on the White Dew, rushing back to his sect.

Thank you to Xiao Yulou, Yexiaobukange, Bujiehaokanshu, and Piaoyiwuchen for the Extended Net Moon.

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