Keeping the intricate book, Lu Sheng shifted his gaze to the love knot.
At a glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a roughly made pink knot, plain and unremarkable. Yet for it to have remained intact amid raging flames and violent explosions, it was clearly no ordinary object.
He picked it up, weighed it in his palm, and pondered briefly before slipping it into the black pouch as well.
Only then did he scan his surroundings. The fire continued to spread, flames licking outward as thick smoke churned into the sky. It would not be long before the disturbance drew the attention of other powerful beings.
‘Even the mere corpses of these Snake realm experts are no ordinary objects… how do I bring them all back without leaving a trace?’ His brows furrowed.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a small covered boat that had been washed into a secluded nook.
‘Got it!’
There was no way he could carry the massive corpses of the titans. They were far too heavy, far too conspicuous. The others, however, posed no such problem.
He placed the remains of Scarlet District Mistress, Yingying, and Ye Moling into the covered boat.
Rain poured down harder and harder, battering the flames until clouds of steam hissed upward, rising as a dense, ghostly mist.
Lu Sheng stepped onto the bow. An oar appeared in his hand out of thin air. With steady pushes, he guided the boat forward, setting it on a silent course upstream.
…………
Ashoka Manor.
Duke Ashoka stood in the garden, absently caressing the red jadeite thumb ring on his finger. Around him, flowers bloomed in lavish splendor, yet none of it entered his eyes.
“Still no news?”
“Yes, sir… it’s been two weeks without any reply,” Deputy Manor Lord Zhao Rong answered respectfully from his side.
“What on earth is Ye Moling up to?! And Red-Haired Ghost, Zhou He?” Duke Ashoka growled, irritation seeping into his voice.
“Zhou He has been out investigating as well. There’s been no word from him either,” Zhao Rong replied.
Duke Ashoka’s brows drew together. “Are the Northern Lands so cursed? So many experts lost there. And now even Ye Moling has gone completely off the grid? What’s going on?”
He knew Ye Moling well. The man had countless flaws and inspired little trust, but punctuality was his greatest virtue. Once he promised to report weekly, he never failed. There should have been no deviations.
Yet two full weeks had passed without a single message.
“Contact Shangyang Jiuli. Have her mobilize the local forces to investigate. I doubt the Shangyang Family would refuse us such a trivial favor,” Duke Ashoka ordered.
A flicker of discontent flashed through Zhao Rong’s eyes. “Your Highness, Ye Moling was an outsider from the very beginning. Perhaps he’s already turned his back on—”
“Shut your mouth!” Duke Ashoka snapped before she could finish. “Do you know why I even use him? If you had any abilities beyond what you do in bed, would I need to appoint an outsider as Deputy Manor Lord? Did you think I was unaware of his ambition?”
A wronged expression immediately surfaced on Zhao Rong’s face.
Seeing her like this, Duke Ashoka’s anger ebbed. He pulled her into his arms, his hands roaming without restraint as he fondled her chest.
“I know it hasn’t been easy for you, gathering so many fine things for me over the years. But matters like these… you simply can’t handle them,” he said softly.
Zhao Rong leaned into him. “If Ye Moling truly isn’t coming back, what should we do?”
“We can’t afford to stretch ourselves any thinner,” Duke Ashoka said grimly. “The Royal Family is pressing down on us. We don’t have much time left. Right now, they’re only afraid that I’ll make a desperate move. Our Ritual Offering in the other sector can’t be delayed any longer.”
“Zhao Rong understands.”
…………
Ye Moling’s death caused barely a ripple. Most assumed he had slipped away in secret. After all, he had only attached himself to Ashoka Manor when he was at his lowest, and loyalty had never been among his virtues. Aside from Red-Haired Ghost Zhou He, who continued to scour the land for his master’s whereabouts, only a handful of Ashoka Manor’s men made any attempt to search for him.
Even then, their efforts were perfunctory at best. Xiao Hongye was placed in charge of the search, and he, too, felt that Ye Moling’s disappearance mirrored the Officiator’s vanishing all too closely. In his view, any investigation was unlikely to yield results.
Only Red-Haired Ghost Zhou He pressed on relentlessly, much like Senior Black had once done before him.
This time, however, there were no traces to follow. Unlike Senior Black, who at least knew the direction his master had gone, Zhou He had nothing at all. The only thing he knew was that Ye Moling had been tracking Scarlet District Mistress.
The valley lay far from Mountain-Edge City, separated by vast stretches of land. With no clues and no bearings, he had nowhere to begin.
While Ashoka Manor’s response remained subdued, the death of Scarlet District Mistress stirred an entirely different storm.
Her fame and fearsome reputation had long taken root in the Northern Lands, etched into the minds of figures like Taoist Bai Feng. The mad woman stood at the pinnacle of power in the region. Only after her breakthrough could Shangyang Jiuli be said to rival her.
With such overwhelming strength, even the slightly weaker Noble Families dared not provoke her.
And precisely because of this, all factions were finally forced to accept her death when the wandering ghosts under her command dispersed from Scarlet District’s headquarters overnight. Her aura, her mark, had vanished without a trace.
Those ghosts had been bound and controlled by her personally. Only upon her death, when they could no longer sense her presence, would they scatter in such a manner.
Still, skeptics refused to believe it. In secret, they dispatched death squads to investigate Scarlet District’s former grounds, only to find the place utterly emptied.
At once, the Intelligence Agency cast its nets far and wide. Under the pretext of routine patrols, even the Winged Honor Guard was deployed, sweeping through every direction in search of answers.
It was at this very moment that Shangyang Jiuli finally emerged from solitary confinement.
“Rumble… rumble…”
A massive slab of stone shifted slowly aside, revealing the pitch-black mouth of the cave.
From within the oval darkness, a slender figure stepped out at an unhurried pace. Long, unkempt hair spilled beneath a tall hat, framing her narrow silhouette.
As she entered the sunlight, her eyes narrowed to thin slits. It had been far too long since she had last seen the light, and her vision needed time to adjust to the sudden brilliance.
“Congratulations, Young Miss, on successfully breaking into a new realm!” A voice sounded from beside the cave entrance.
“How long has passed?” the figure asked calmly.
“In reply to Young Miss Jiuli, it has been two months.” Lu Sheng stepped out from the shadows and came to her side, his posture respectful.
Clad in scholarly robes and wearing a pale, refined expression, he had reverted to his usual erudite and gentlemanly demeanor.
“Oh? You’ve come at the perfect timing.” Shangyang Jiuli glanced at Lu Sheng in mild surprise.
This young Sect Master of the Northern Lands was indeed shrewd. Bold yet cautious, he knew precisely when to advance and when to withdraw. Such qualities made him a capable subordinate.
“Young Miss Jiuli has just emerged from solitary confinement. As your subordinate, how could I not be present to greet you first?” Lu Sheng said with a smile.
“Not bad, not bad. You’re quite sensible… well worth the effort I spent shielding you from all that pressure.” Shangyang Jiuli nodded in satisfaction. “Now that I think about it, I should thank you for that small cauldron earlier. The contents proved extremely useful. This breakthrough was rather perilous.”
“As long as Young Miss Jiuli is satisfied.” Lu Sheng lowered his head slightly. “However, Lu Sheng has a doubt. What exactly is the difference between the realm of Bind and the realm of Snake beyond the Seven-Vein Level? Even with Young Miss’s talent, it took this long to break through. I hope Miss Jiuli can help clear my confusion.”
He truly did not know whether the power he possessed after his transformation would be sufficient to slaughter all Black Snake experts. Before absolute violence, everything seemed as fragile as paper.
Therefore, he truly did not understand the distinction between the realm of Bind and the realm of Snake.
Having just achieved her breakthrough and still buoyed by high spirits, Shangyang Jiuli was in a rare mood to explain. “Both the realm of Snake and the realm of Bind describe the state of the black membrane. The process of condensing the black membrane into a black snake is exceedingly complex. I’ll explain it to you in advance. Who knows? Perhaps you, too, might reach this stage within your lifetime.”
Lu Sheng listened intently, his focus unwavering.
Shangyang Jiuli stepped out of the cave, her unkempt hair cascading down her shoulders. Though her white brows still lent her a fierce air, her presence now felt noticeably gentler, more restrained.
Her features were neither strikingly masculine nor feminine. Without careful scrutiny, it was difficult to determine her gender.
She walked over to the stone table outside the cave and took a seat on a stone stool.
“It’s only natural that you’d be curious. The realm of Snake is often referred to as the Manor Lord level. That’s because anyone who reaches this realm possesses the ability to establish their own faction.” She spoke calmly. “Such a person can firmly hold their ground. Even the Nine Great Families of the Central Plains would hesitate to provoke them lightly. Instead, they’d go to great lengths to recruit such an expert.”
“Why is that?” Lu Sheng asked at once, clearly surprised.
Shangyang Jiuli cast him a strange look. “You seem quite interested in this knowledge…” After a brief pause, she continued. “The reason is simple. If they fail to kill a Snake expert, they’d earn a lifelong enemy. All Black Snakes have the potential to step into the top three grades. Once someone enters those top three grades, they become truly formidable. An expert of that level within the Snake realm is already an absolute pillar of strength for any Noble Family.”
Lu Sheng’s eyes brightened. The moment he had heard that Shangyang Jiuli was about to emerge from solitary confinement, he had rushed over without delay, carefully playing the role of a loyal and devoted subordinate. Every move he made was meant to gauge the Shangyang Family’s attitude and their likely response.
After all, two Snake realm experts had fallen in succession. The danger in the Northern Lands had escalated sharply, and whether Shangyang Jiuli could continue to remain stationed here was now uncertain.
That was why he had rushed over to test the waters. As expected, Shangyang Jiuli was completely unaware of the latest developments.
“And what exactly are these ‘top three grades,’ Young Miss Jiuli?” Lu Sheng asked again.
“The nine grades refer to nine heads.” Shangyang Jiuli shot him a faintly ambiguous smile. “They’re divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers, nine grades in total, corresponding to the nine heads of the Nine-Headed Snake. With each additional grade, one gains another portion of the Nine-Headed Snake’s power, until reaching the highest level, grade nine. That is equivalent to the manifestation of a complete Nine-Headed Snake in this world. This system was devised long ago by a certain Weapon Master and has remained in use ever since.”
She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck, producing a soft crack.
“Alright, enough talk. During my solitary confinement, you worked hard to provide all the materials I needed. I’ll remember your contribution.”
“Now that I’ve achieved this breakthrough, someone from the family should be coming soon to summon me back. You must continue managing the Northern Lands properly. If you encounter any trouble, light this.” Shangyang Jiuli drew a rectangular incense box from her sleeve.
“Many thanks, Young Miss Jiuli.”
“When I return this time, I may enter Mutant Blood Cliff to temper my body. If anyone arrives bearing my token, you must submit to his authority.” She produced half of a chimera jade pendant and handed it to Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng accepted the items and nodded.
“I certainly will.” His expression was one of utmost respect.
Shangyang Jiuli, however, was not so easily deceived. She knew this was a man bold enough to loot even the corpse of Ashoka Manor’s Six-Vein Officiator. If he had truly been as obedient as he appeared, she would not have felt at ease entrusting the Northern Lands to him.
After residing here for so long, she had genuinely come to regard the Northern Lands as her own domain. Free from outside interference, rich in resources, and far removed from the political strife within her family, it was, in every sense, a haven.
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