Chapter 429: Two Contracts

Killing Qiao Shaofen was only half the battle.

Shui Yongquan speculated, "From what I gather, Qiao Shaofen must be a Covenant Guardian, a trusted aide who guards the contract for Madam Wuqin."

Li Banfeng and Qiu Luoye understood the concept of a Covenant Guardian; they had heard Xiao Yeci mention it.

However, Li Banfeng didn't believe Qiao Shaofen was a Covenant Guardian.

"Brothers, Qiao Shaofen's cultivation isn't low; she must be at the Cloud Realm, right?"

Qiu Luoye nodded, "Definitely at the Cloud Realm. The way she manipulated that mud, we couldn't kill her for half a day. That's beyond what a Ground Skin cultivator could do."

Li Banfeng asked, "Can a Cloud Realm cultivator serve as someone's Covenant Guardian?"

Shui Yongquan, cautious by nature, pondered for a moment before saying, "Whenever Wuqin Township was mentioned before, Madam Wuqin was always referred to as the local deity. I've never heard Qiao Shaofen's name mentioned."

Qiu Luoye waved a hand, "Qiao Shaofen is obviously a fake name, used to conceal her identity. Why overthink it?"

"Don't be so absolute," Shui Yongquan gently shook his head. "She could be Madam Wuqin's trusted confidante, remaining loyal even if her cultivation level surpassed Madam Wuqin's."

Qiu Luoye snorted, "Without any familial ties or previous connection, what loyalty are we talking about in this rundown place?"

Shui Yongquan was momentarily speechless. What Qiu Luoye said made perfect sense; talking about loyalty in Wuqin Township seemed utterly ridiculous.

Qiu Luoye continued, "The three of us fought her for a long time just now. She must have been at the second level of the Cloud Realm. If you say she's merely a subordinate, I simply won't believe it. Besides, if Qiao Shaofen really was just a subordinate, why didn't she call for Madam Wuqin's help when she was getting beaten so badly?"

Shui Yongquan replied, "Perhaps Madam Wuqin isn't here."

Li Banfeng said, "If she is Madam Wuqin, we've saved ourselves a lot of trouble. If she's a Covenant Guardian, it proves she's guarding the contract, and finding the contract will make things easier."

Qiu Luoye nodded, "Seventh Brother is right. What's the point of arguing here? Let's go find the contract now!"

The three arrived at the entrance of the house. Qiu Luoye started to walk straight in, but Shui Yongquan pulled him back.

"Don't rush," Shui Yongquan cautioned. "We still need to be careful."

Qiu Luoye impatiently said, "Careful, careful, always careful! What do you want to do? Just say it quickly!"

"I'll figure out a way to scout ahead first." Shui Yongquan shook his water gourd; there wasn't much water left inside.

Li Banfeng said, "I'm a Traveling Cultivator, with techniques to seek fortune and avoid disaster, and I'm fast. Let me scout ahead."

With that, Li Banfeng leaped into the courtyard.

Qiu Luoye looked at Shui Yongquan and said, "How embarrassing, Old Shui! At our age, we're letting our younger brother scout ahead. It's truly embarrassing to work with you!"

Shui Yongquan replied, "I don't have enough water, and I don't want Seventh Brother to take risks."

In truth, Li Banfeng was also worried. Whether this was where the contract was kept or the local deity's residence, it was bound to be filled with various traps. If Madam Wuqin were still alive, encountering her could be fatal.

To be safe, Li Banfeng returned to his portable abode and brought out two 'Cabbage Li Banfengs,' intending to have them walk around the courtyard first.

However, they couldn't even complete half a circle before both cabbage figures sank into a mud pit and disappeared without a trace.

Li Banfeng became very tense. He then pulled out over a dozen more cabbage figures from his portable abode. Working together, they laboriously made their way to the main hall, clearing a path for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng marked the path, put away the cabbage figures, and waved for Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye to come in.

The three entered the main hall together. Li Banfeng observed for a long time but couldn't discern where the contract might be hidden.

At this point, they had to rely on Shui Yongquan.

There wasn't much water left in his gourd, but it was barely enough for an indoor search. Shui Yongquan poured a few drops onto the floor.

Qiu Daxian smacked his lips. "Old Shui, is this golden elixir? Why are you so stingy with it? At least pour a bit more."

Shui Yongquan frowned. "This is spirit water I've refined! Don't compare it to golden elixir!"

The few drops of water spread out, forming an invisible film that covered the entire room.

This was a second-tier Water Cultivation technique: 'All-Penetrating.'

With this technique, the water film could permeate every crack and crevice in the room, acting as Shui Yongquan's eyes to locate hidden compartments.

After searching for a while, Shui Yongquan moved to the inner room, crawled under the bed, and shortly after, pulled out a jar.

Qiu Luoye frowned. "Is the contract in there?"

Shui Yongquan opened the jar, and a foul stench wafted out.

"What is that?" Qiu Luoye pinched his nose.

Shui Yongquan explained, "This is a jar specifically designed to hold sludge. It can transform sludge into puppets, making it a top-tier magic artifact."

Li Banfeng used his 'Discernment of Spirit Sounds' technique to listen, and the jar was speaking: "Too dry, too dry, give me some water."

Shui Yongquan said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Brother, this is a good item. You should keep it."

Magic artifacts that can create puppets were indeed rare, and Li Banfeng was tempted to keep it. However, his wife preferred cleanliness, and he worried she wouldn't appreciate it: "It's inconvenient for a Traveling Cultivator to carry such a large artifact. It's better for Brother Qiu."

Qiu Luoye shook his head. "No! I have my own magic artifacts. This thing stinks too much."

"Suit yourself then!" Shui Yongquan took the jar for himself, then continued fumbling under the bed for a long time.

Clanking and banging sounds came from under the bed as Shui Yongquan triggered many mechanisms. Fortunately, his cultivation was high enough that he avoided some and withstood others.

After probing for over an hour, Shui Yongquan pulled out an item.

It wasn't the contract, but a yellow box with silvery-white rings carved on its surface.

Qiu Luoye smiled. "That's the Local Deity Seal!"

Finding the Local Deity Seal was equivalent to finding the contract. Li Banfeng prepared to crawl under the bed to dig out the contract, but Shui Yongquan advised: "Seventh Brother, we've already got the Local Deity Seal. There's no need to dig out the contract. All the essence from within belongs to us now. With that essence, our cultivation will increase. This is, after all, the contract of a legitimate local deity. If we actually dig it out, I'm afraid it might..."

*Clang!*

Qiu Luoye flipped the bed over.

"Listening to your rambling just makes me angry!" he fumed. "We've found the contract, why wouldn't we dig it up? Madam Wuqin is already dead. If we don't dig it up, should we wait for someone else to come and take it?"

*Whizz! Whizz!*

Dozens of crossbow bolts shot out from under the bed. Qiu Luoye didn't even bother to dodge, letting the bolts pierce his body, then pulling them out and tossing them aside.

A burst of raging flames erupted, engulfing Qiu Luoye completely.

Qiu Luoye wiped the soot from his face and continued digging.

A swarm of loaches flew out, clinging to Qiu Luoye and trying to burrow into his skin.

Qiu Luoye ripped off the loaches, threw them to the ground, stomped them dead, and kept digging.

He encountered dozens of mechanisms, one after another, but Qiu Luoye didn't dodge a single one, enduring them all until he finally dug out the contract.

Upon seeing the contract, Qiu Luoye was speechless for a long moment, and Shui Yongquan was also surprised.

The contract was arched, identical in style to their own contracts.

But this contract wasn't a single piece; it was two pieces.

By convention, all local deities' contracts consisted of two pieces: one held by the local deity and the other in Neizhou.

But why were both pieces of this contract here?

Qiu Luoye didn't know the reason, and Shui Yongquan couldn't figure it out either.

The front of both contract pieces bore eight characters: 'A Hundred Li Land, By This as Proof.'

Just like other contracts, these eight characters were stained with blood.

Turning them over, Qiu Luoye blinked and fell silent for a long time again.

Shui Yongquan chuckled, "What's wrong? Too many characters to recognize them all?"

Qiu Luoye shook his head. "There are no characters."

Shui Yongquan frowned. "Just say you don't recognize them. Don't I know you? What, am I going to make fun of you?"

Qiu Luoye handed the two contract pieces to Shui Yongquan and Li Banfeng respectively. Both saw that there was indeed not a single character on the back of the contracts.

That's impossible!

According to Shui Yongquan's deduction, the contract of a legitimate territory should have recorded many things, including how this territory was formed, who the past local deities were, and what events transpired, especially battles—victories, defeats, gains, and losses of land—all should have been clearly documented.

Yet, after repeated careful examinations, there was indeed not a single character on them.

Qiu Luoye wondered, "Could this contract be fake?"

Li Banfeng remained silent; he couldn't discern if the contract was real or fake.

Shui Yongquan stared at the contracts, repeatedly examining their craftsmanship and material. "These contracts should be genuine. I've seen them being forged in Neizhou, and some of the crafting techniques are exclusive to them. However, the origin of this particular contract is hard to say."

Qiu Luoye laughed loudly. "Does that even need to be said? Buried in Wuqin Township, it's naturally the contract of Wuqin Township!"

Li Banfeng handed the contracts to Qiu Luoye. "Brothers, once you sprinkle your blood on these contracts, this territory will belong to you. As we agreed beforehand, each of our two families will get half."

Qiu Luoye felt a bit ashamed. "Seventh Brother, the three of us fought for this. In the end, it's being divided between just the two of us. I feel bad about it."

Li Banfeng smiled. "My cultivation is still at the Ground Skin level, so taking it wouldn't be of much use. If you two brothers become local deities here and let me manage all the affairs, I won't be at a disadvantage."

Qiu Luoye sighed. "Seventh Brother, you're too kind-hearted. I don't even know what to say."

Li Banfeng laughed, "Brother, we're all kind-hearted, otherwise we wouldn't get along so well."

Shui Yongquan nodded. "We just finished killing someone; let's not talk about kindness when we're dividing the spoils. Qiu Daxian, this territory is yours. I won't take a share."

Qiu Luoye frowned. "What's wrong with you now? Why are you being so difficult?"

"Nothing's wrong. The mud jar is enough for me." Shui Yongquan felt uneasy. A legitimate territory had suddenly appeared before them, and he was hesitant to claim it. Moreover, this contract felt a bit sinister.

"Then take your mud jar and get lost!" Qiu Luoye, angered, took out a knife, cut his palm, and prepared to sprinkle his blood.

Shui Yongquan said, "Wait a moment!"

"What? Are you regretting it?"

Shui Yongquan shook his head, poured some water from his gourd, and dripped it onto the two contract pieces.

The water drops moved across the contracts, quickly wiping away the original bloodstains.

His water was remarkably potent!

Shui Yongquan explained, "We still don't know if Madam Wuqin is truly dead or alive. If your blood gets mixed with hers, you might end up 'living together' with her forever. Let's wipe her blood clean, then we'll add a paper contract, and this territory will belong solely to you."

Qiu Luoye frowned. "We need to add a paper contract?"

"Yes, add it," Shui Yongquan insisted. "When territories are enfeoffed in Neizhou, there are always paper contracts. Even when local deities win or lose battles, they use paper contracts. Having one makes things more secure."

A paper contract was simply a contract made of paper.

When Qiu Luoye lost a battle to Shui Yongquan, Qiu Luoye ceded thirty li of land to Shui Yongquan. At that time, both parties established a paper contract and sprinkled blood on the ceded territory for the cession to take effect.

Inferring from Shui Yongquan's previous words, local deities must also have paper contracts when they are enfeoffed with land. It seems there's a special connection between paper contracts and the iron tokens.

Shui Yongquan found paper and a brush in the room. Qiu Luoye picked up the paper and brush, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "What should I write?"

This wasn't an enfeoffment; it should be considered a battle.

If it's a battle, it should state that Madam Wuqin was defeated by Qiu Luoye and agreed to cede the entire Wuqin Township.

But was the one they defeated just now Madam Wuqin?

Even if it was her, did she actually agree to this?

She had already been pulverized, so it was impossible to ask her.

Li Banfeng suggested, "Since the original owner's bloodstains have already been wiped from the iron tokens, just write 'Qiu Luoye obtained Wuqin Township.' There's no need to specify too clearly who he obtained it from."

Shui Yongquan remained cautious. "The word 'obtained' isn't ideal. Just write 'Qiu Luoye received Wuqin Township.'"

Qiu Luoye was satisfied. Seven characters in total, and except for the character for 'received,' the others weren't difficult.

Shui Yongquan demonstrated a few times, and Qiu Luoye learned the character 'received.' He then held the brush, wrote the paper contract, sprinkled his blood on the contract, and also on the territory.

Qiu Luoye said to Shui Yongquan, "You contributed the most to this battle, so I can't take advantage of you for nothing. The territory will be mine, but we'll split the essence fifty-fifty. When you want essence, just come to me and take it. For my territory, plus Wuqin Township, the landlords will be Seventh Brother. He can do whatever he wants. From now on, no matter what mischief Seventh Brother gets up to in these two territories, I won't be angry at all!"

Shui Yongquan chuckled, "Qiu Daxian, I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"

Li Banfeng said, "Brother Qiu, I am a good person."

Qiu Luoye then sprinkled his blood on both contract pieces.

Two lines of text simultaneously appeared on the back of both contract pieces.

The first line read: 'Qiu Luoye received Wuqin Township.'The second line read: 'Territory: 3,188 square units.'

Qiu Luoye was startled. "This contract can display text? Why weren't there any characters before?"

Shui Yongquan shook his head. "I can't figure out the reason either."

The paper contract and the iron tokens indeed had a connection, and the response came from Qiu Luoye's blood.

But a Hundred Li Land normally has ten thousand square units. Why are there only a little over three thousand here?

And who had erased the previous text on the contract?

They couldn't immediately make sense of the situation. Li Banfeng said to Qiu Luoye, "Brother Qiu, first think of a good place to bury the contract. I'll go dispose of Qiao Shaofen's body to avoid suspicion."

Qiu Luoye praised repeatedly, "Seventh Brother, you think of everything so thoroughly."