Chapter 186: First Major Sect with the Surname Bai

The three who arrived were none other than Shi Chun and his two companions.

The next moment, Bian Weiying immediately abandoned the armored soldier who was questioning her and excitedly ran towards Shi Chun. In that instant, her eyes were solely on him; she almost rushed forward to embrace him. Fortunately, those nearby were not oblivious, allowing her to timely control her impulse and emotions. She also had to quickly force herself to revert to her usual demeanor, nodding and smiling at the trio, "You're back."

Wu Jinliang chuckled; seeing the woman reminded him of the smacking sounds in the dark.

Shi Chun, leading the way, showed no particular reaction, simply ushering his companions inside first.

Xiang Lan'er, who was accompanying them, was no fool. She clearly saw who Bian Weiying's momentary burst of astonishment was for. Remembering how the two of them had not returned that night, her heart sank. If before it was mere suspicion, now she was almost 100% certain there was an illicit relationship between them. She also clearly saw that Bian Weiying was desperately trying to conceal something.

She couldn't understand how this had happened. Based on her understanding of Bian Weiying's personality, such a change shouldn't have occurred so quickly, which was why she had been uncertain before. Now that she was certain, she had to face an imminent problem: what changes would Shi Chun and Bian Weiying's romantic involvement bring to Wukang Mountain's future situation, and what impact would it have on her mission infiltrating Wukang Mountain?

Shi Chun had a clear conscience. Once inside, he roughly divided the pile of black cloth bags that had been thrown on the ground, as previously agreed. It was half for him, half for them, without counting specific numbers. They simply went by the number of bags, as each bag didn't have a standard quantity, and the difference wouldn't be significant.

Those who emerged clean, having stayed hidden until the end, were more self-aware. They quietly stood to the side, bothering no one and offending no one. These constituted the majority.

Unexpectedly, Brother Xie chimed in, "That's right, that's the number."

Seeing the four enter the Xun Gate, Young Master Nan, who was by the building's window, directly jumped out, disregarding the esteemed guests, and vanished.

The man surnamed Xie waved his hand with a wry smile, "No talk of that. To be unlucky, just before the end, we encountered a team from Shengzhou on the way. We had to give up a batch of Insect Extreme Crystals to save our lives. Just being able to return alive is good enough; what harvest could there be? But as for you, Brother Bai, there's no need to say, you must have had a full harvest."

Someone nearby patted his shoulder and laughed, "They weren't being polite or courteous; they were fishing for information from you. Right? Lan'er, come here."

Brother Xie was very pleased with this, seeing the guardsmen's unworldly expressions, which confirmed his prediction of taking first place was correct.

After repeated cross-checking and counting in front of the Xun Gate, the results were announced.

Brother Xie and his group immediately laughed. Wu Jinliang chuckled, "What else could it be besides Insect Extreme Crystals?"

The fact that the Shengzhou team would inquire upon seeing the Yunshan team indicated that the actions of this scoundrel surnamed Bai must have been deeply abhorrent.

Those whose clothes were dirty, torn, and stained with blood, looking like survivors from a disaster, tended to be more in the center, some even chatting and laughing.

The speaker suddenly felt a chill down their spine.

The parent-child talismans issued by the Royal Court were useless to take out. Unlike those sold externally, they were specially refined, like the bracelets worn by participants, and could not be detected.

Brother Xie had 22,007 pieces; Wu Jinliang had 11,710 pieces; Xiang Xuanzhou had 7,448 pieces; Youxia Mountain had 7,781 pieces. Jinchun and Baishuchuan totaled 77,484 pieces.

No sooner had he spoken than someone on the outer edge, several people away, suddenly interjected, "Speaking of which, I just remembered, we also encountered a team from Shengzhou one day. When they learned we were from Yunshan, they also inquired, asking if any of us were surnamed Bai. They were quite polite and courteous, saying they were entrusted by a friend to find an old acquaintance named Bai. Now that I think about it, could it be about this matter?"

Praised to his satisfaction, Bian Weiying looked quite pleased, though he modestly said, "It's hardly a full harvest. Roughly speaking, our Jinchun group probably has a little over a thousand; I hope that's enough to complete the task." After he finished speaking, he noticed that the group of people who had just emerged were all looking at him with strange expressions.

The audience behind the mirror reacted as if a pot had exploded, and the clamor was hard to quell. With additional corroborating evidence emerging, the credibility of the matter was further proven.

Without much explanation, and finding it difficult to explain under the watchful eyes of the guardsmen, the three from Jinchun first took their black cloth bags to hand over.

During the counting of the Insect Extreme Crystals, the guardsmen, both near and far, were visibly moved, whispering and pointing towards them.

The man surnamed Xie asked again, "There's a sect called Wukang Mountain in Jinchun. Brother Bai, have you had any dealings with them?"

After confirming everything was correct and recording the final results, the four then walked towards the Yi Gate.

Bian Weiying was somewhat confused; he truly had no recollection. He turned to his fellow disciples, seeking confirmation with his eyes. Seeing all of them shake their heads blankly, he immediately shook his head in response, "No, Lan'er, why do you ask?"

The process involved verifying identity, counting the quantity of Insect Extreme Crystals, and handing over parent-child talismans and similar items.

The topic was brushed aside. With Jinchun being the top sect, no one dared to act recklessly.

Although Xiang Xuanzhou was also surprised, knowing that Brother Xie's words must have a reason, he said nothing further.

The man surnamed Xie remained silent, looking at someone nearby. The latter immediately gave a wry smile, "They said that a beautiful female disciple from Jinchunxin was raped by someone surnamed Bai from Yunshan's top sect. We couldn't recall his full name, only that he was surnamed Bai, and they asked if we knew him or his whereabouts. It seemed they wanted revenge."

Seeing that no one else had any objections, the guardsmen responsible for counting immediately proceeded accordingly.

Bian Weiying tugged at his tattered clothes, "Lan'er, you seem to have worked incredibly hard this time. Your harvest must be substantial, right?" Therefore, somewhat uncertain and surprised, he asked, "What is this?"

Whenever he saw a somewhat successful team return, he would proactively probe to determine the significance of his own trip.

The domain lords also rose one after another, departing without a word, yet all heading in the same direction. The reason for the discrepancy with the later figures was that he had casually put one bag into his spatial bracelet. There was no other reason; it was a spontaneous decision. With so many, there was no need to hand them all over, right? In any case, the total amount would still be credited to the respective sect.

Bian Weiying didn't know how to answer. He repeatedly clasped his hands in supplication, saying nothing. Who knew what was going on? His heart was certainly on a rollercoaster, truly bewildered.

"Brother Bai is too modest. Your household alone has over a thousand; if that's not enough to complete the task, then what about us..." The man surnamed Xie suddenly paused, as if remembering something, then tentatively asked, "Brother Bai, is there another person surnamed Bai among your Jinchun group on this trip?"

At the other end of the Xun Gate, thousands of people had gathered in an open area resembling a walled city.

He swore it was true, but whether people believed him was another matter; in any case, the looks directed at him grew increasingly strange.

...Jinchunxin was first bewildered, then hesitated. He wanted to say that the scoundrel surnamed Bai must be someone else, but then he thought again: that wouldn't be right. If he said that, wouldn't he be denying that Jinchun was Jinchun's top sect? Denying it was impossible. He immediately grew anxious and burst out, "Nonsense! Which dog is slandering me? We haven't even fought with the Shengzhou team, much less know any Wukang Mountain. Everyone around me can prove it!"

Wu Jinliang was startled. Seeing his seriousness, he said nothing more.

The representative from Youxia Mountain naturally knew what was inside those black cloth bags, but the sheer scale of it seemed highly unusual.

People emerging from the Yi Gate were successively stopped by guards, who used sharp implements to sever and collect the bracelets from their wrists.

"So many?" the representative from Youxia Mountain exclaimed in surprise.

Bian Weiying paused, unsure why he had brought up that topic. He clarified, "No, among my fellow disciples, I am the only one surnamed Bai."

"Brother Bian, is Baishuchuan aiming for first place in Shengzhou?" a nearby sect leader asked Bian Weiying in a similar greeting.

Once the total count was revealed, Xiang Xuanzhou was surprised, and Wu Jinliang huffed, "Is this number correct?"

A man in tattered clothes, leading four companions, walked towards them. Upon approaching, he clasped his hands and exchanged courtesies with everyone.

They were quite brazen. Leaving the pavilions, they flew into the air, directly traversing the skies above the royal capital.

Bian Weiying grew even more confused, "Why would the Shengzhou team inquire about me?"

Xiang Lan'er had waited there for so long and personally witnessed how other sects handed over their items. Managing to produce even one bulging bag was considered good. Even Bian Weiying's group seemed to have produced less than two bags, which they would still need to divide with their companions from other sects.

Finally, a few bags remained. As the representative from Youxia Mountain was wondering, the person from Jinchun said to her, "Senior Sister, these are yours." He asked while observing Bian Weiying's subtle reactions.

The reactions of the crowd distressed Bian Weiying. This was like mud falling into his pants – impossible to explain away. Yet he still had to explain, "Wukang Mountain has absolutely no connection to me. It must be a mistaken rumor. If I utter even half a lie, I will surely suffer divine punishment!"