Chapter 75: The Whereabouts of Master (2)
“Hall Master Feng, how has the matter of the Venting Powder leak been handled in Jinqiu Prefecture?” Altar Master Xiao asked, drinking tea without looking up.
“Don’t worry, Altar Master, the matter has basically been settled,” Feng Jin lied through his teeth.
“Is that so? You should understand the consequences of lying to me,” Altar Master Xiao glanced at Feng Jin.
“Your subordinate understands,” Feng Jin replied, mustering his courage.
“It’s good that you understand. To be safe, tell your subordinates to lie low recently. Wait for my orders before you start moving,” Altar Master Xiao commanded.
“Yes!” Feng Jin replied subserviently.
The conversation ended, and Feng Jin left the pharmacy. Qi Huang naturally abandoned him and focused on monitoring Altar Master Xiao. Altar Master Xiao lounged in the reception hall for half a day, then picked up a Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device to summon someone.
Shortly after, the person arrived – a tall and thin young man. “Afeng, go to Jinqiu Prefecture and check. If you find Feng Jin lying, kill all the cultists from him downwards,” Altar Master Xiao commanded.
“Yes!” Afeng cupped his fists and accepted the order.
‘His methods are quite decisive. No wonder he became an Altar Master.’ Qi Huang’s face showed a solemn expression.
That night, Qi Huang stayed at a nearby inn and began to monitor the pharmacy. After closing, Altar Master Xiao walked into his bedroom, took out a ledger from a very hidden bookshelf, and began to read it. Qi Huang scanned it with her Spiritual Sense and was overjoyed to find that it was indeed the sales record of Venting Powder in Yongning Prefecture, with every buyer clearly recorded.
Qi Huang knew very well that the person who poisoned her thirteen years ago had most likely bought it in this prefecture, as no one would be foolish enough to travel far for it. If she could see the names, everything would be revealed. Thinking this, she concentrated her Spiritual Sense.
Altar Master Xiao did not carefully examine the sales records; he only cursorily browsed through them before returning them to their place. He sighed, “Five years. The sect has only assigned me this much Venting Powder. Are they hoarding it for a major event, or are they out of stock? If it’s the latter, trying to overthrow the Immortal Alliance by force is simply a fool’s dream!”
‘Five years?’ Qi Huang keenly grasped the key point. She scanned the ledger again and found that the earliest record was indeed from five years ago.
‘How could this be?’ Qi Huang was suddenly extremely disappointed. She was poisoned thirteen years ago, and the records here only go back five years. Doesn’t that mean she will never be able to uncover the truth?
Thinking this, Qi Huang’s mind became chaotic. However, she quickly figured it out. Although she was poisoned, she had inexplicably become a clone of Hong Ling. Her life had not been affected in any way, so this matter could be temporarily put aside. The most important thing now was to find Master.
Nothing happened that night. The next noon, a short middle-aged man timidly walked into the pharmacy and met Altar Master Xiao. After a night of surveillance, Qi Huang also knew that this Altar Master’s full name was Xiao Sha.
“Altar Master Xiao!” The middle-aged man knelt on one knee fearfully.
“Who are you?” Xiao Sha asked without looking up.
“Altar Master Xiao, I am Li Wei, the person in charge of the branch hall in Lishui Prefecture,” the short middle-aged man replied quickly.
“What business do you have with me?” Xiao Sha asked impatiently.
“Reporting… Reporting to Altar Master, one of my subordinates went missing not long ago and still hasn’t been found,” Li Wei reported hesitantly.
“Oh? How long has he been missing?” Xiao Sha finally raised his head slowly, his eyelids drooping, a trace of killing intent appearing on his face.
“He’s been missing for a month…” Li Wei answered honestly. However, before he could finish, Xiao Sha in front of him suddenly made a move. Xiao Sha’s eyes widened, and he struck Li Wei across the face from a distance. A gust of wind rose from the ground, and with a “bang,” Li Wei was sent flying backward, crashing heavily in the courtyard, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.
‘Hiss…’ Qi Huang gasped in admiration. To injure someone from a distance with just palm wind, what level of physical strength would that require? Let alone her, even the strongest Cheng Hong Ling of the HongHua Sect couldn’t do that, as cultivators mainly focused on Qi refining, not body refining.
“Trash! You couldn’t find him after a month and you’re reporting now? Don’t you know the consequences?” Xiao Sha slowly stood up, his burly body exerting mountain-like pressure.
Li Wei, although spitting blood from the blow, didn’t dare to feign death. He crawled like a dog into the living room and began to kowtow at Xiao Sha’s feet, begging for mercy, “Altar Master Xiao, spare my life!”
Xiao Sha took a deep breath and, after his anger subsided slightly, asked coldly, “What is the name of the missing cultist? Does he have any distinctive physical characteristics?”
“Reporting to Altar Master, his name is Yang Bing. He is nearly fifty years old, of medium to thin build. His most distinguishing feature is a slightly aquiline nose,” Li Wei replied, wiping the blood from his mouth.
‘Aquiline nose? Yang Bing?’ Hearing this, Qi Huang suddenly stood up from the bed, her heart pounding wildly. In her more than twenty years of life, the only person she had seen with an aquiline nose was her Master, and their names were so similar.
“Aquiline nose? That is indeed a distinctive feature, but there are many people like that in the world,” Xiao Sha mused for a moment, then said, “How about this: I’ll call an artist. You tell him about the other distinguishing features of that cultist’s appearance. Once it’s drawn, I’ll have someone distribute it to all the branch halls in Yongning Prefecture, and have all the cult members help search for him.”
“Thank you, Altar Master! Thank you, Altar Master!” Li Wei kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.
Shortly after, an artist arrived at the pharmacy and drew a portrait based on Li Wei’s description. When Qi Huang saw the portrait, she was already certain that this missing cultist from the Juexian Cult was her Master, Hu Bing.
‘I didn’t expect Master could actually infiltrate the Juexian Cult.’ Qi Huang was full of admiration in her heart, but then she became anxious: ‘But he’s been missing for a month. I don’t know how he is doing?’
Xiao Sha then had the artist draw several more copies and ordered them to be sent to the branch halls in various prefectures. The matter ended there. Qi Huang was restless like an ant on a hot pan. She wanted to go find her Master immediately, but didn’t know where to look. In the end, she could only suppress her impulse and sit down to wait, as the Juexian Cult had many informants and was much more reliable than her alone.
The next ten days passed in agony for Qi Huang. One morning, the Juexian Cult finally had news. A tall cultist rushed into the back courtyard of the pharmacy and reported to Xiao Sha, “Altar Master, we have news about the person you asked us to find!”
“Oh? Speak quickly!” Xiao Sha ordered.
“He is currently in Ma’an Village, Changming County, Lishui Prefecture!” the cultist reported.
“What is he doing there?” Xiao Sha looked puzzled.
“I don’t know. We found him and immediately came to report!” the cultist shook his head.
“Hmph! Trying to escape after entering my Juexian Cult? Does he think he’s on the toilet, entering and exiting as he pleases?” Xiao Sha’s face contorted, and he commanded, “You, lead ten cultists to that Ma’an Village. Don’t bother investigating the reason. You must tear this person into pieces. I want all the cult members to see the tragic fate of those who flee privately.”
“Yes!” the cultist accepted the order and left.
Before this, however, Qi Huang had already left the inn like a ghost and sped towards the place called Ma’an Village.
…
Ma’an Village is located in a remote mountainous area in Changming County, a place that even civil officials deliberately bypass. Hu Bing had been living in seclusion here for a month to escape pursuit! Three years ago, Hu Bing descended the mountain to investigate the truth behind his disciple’s poisoning. After much effort, two months ago, he gained the trust of a low-level manager in the Juexian Cult and successfully infiltrated the organization.
Hu Bing thought he would quickly find clues by following the vine, but as soon as he settled down, mysterious assassins appeared. Hu Bing could handle them at first, but lately, he found it increasingly difficult, so he had to hide in this remote village to avoid the spotlight, planning to make further plans after the situation calmed down. Although the village was remote, for safety’s sake, Hu Bing had never gone out. He spent money to have the villagers buy his daily necessities from the county town.
Hu Bing believed he was being cautious enough, but he never dreamed that the assassins were so powerful and had locked onto his location again. Due to the heavy Yin energy, Ma’an Village was still shrouded in mist at noon. Hu Bing had nothing to do and was practicing in the courtyard. At this moment, rustling footsteps sounded outside the courtyard wall.
