Chapter 2: Female General

Qi Ziru: "Did that woman teach him cultivation methods?"

Shen Youkun: "No, not at all. Unlike the outside, this place has no shortage of exiled cultivators. To survive here, people always have to offer something, so the locals don't lack cultivation techniques. Shi Chun's cultivation began when he was young; that woman merely taught him to read a few words. It's laughable that after that, he started feigning refinement, truly seeing himself as a scholar. Later, he acquired a scholar's robe from who knows where and often dressed like a literati, which was quite sickening..."

Qi Ziru abruptly interrupted, "Get to the point."

Shen Youkun paused, then continued, "With his cunning, two-faced methods, this scoundrel quickly gained control of Dongjiuyuan after his cultivation progressed, becoming its leader. After taking charge, he claimed he'd grown up eating from the hundred families of Dongjiuyuan and wouldn't let anyone down. Later, he genuinely put in effort to send many people from Dongjiuyuan into the city. I exploited this vulnerability, setting a trap and clearing out his informants."

Qi Ziru was somewhat surprised. "He had a chance to leave the place of exile, so why didn't he? Was the bait insufficient?"

As he finished speaking, the wind picked up again.

At this, Shen Youkun's mouth twitched slightly. He leaned down and pulled up his sleeve to shield his uncle from the blowing sand. "It was certainly enough—more than enough, in fact. The accumulated merit was absolutely sufficient for him to leave. Heaven knows what got into that fellow; I was completely baffled at the time. Why didn't he leave when he had the chance, especially with no power base to protect him? Wasn't he afraid of things getting complicated? Reflecting on it later, I'd say it's ninety percent likely because of a woman.

It's no secret that the scoundrel was smitten with the daughter of the proprietress of 'Bowang Tower' in the city. What kind of background must a family have to operate a business at the city gate of the exile land? There's no way they would fancy him. He's a toad trying to eat swan meat, completely oblivious to his own standing. Aside from this, I can't imagine any other reason for him to remain; there's nothing in this wretched place worth his lingering for."

Having stated his conclusion, he observed his uncle's expression. Seeing no reaction, he continued, "As for Wu Jinliang, he's a tall fellow who usually likes to swagger around with an exaggeratedly large saber, but in reality, he's nothing special. He relies on being Shi Chun's lackey, bullying others by abusing power, and he's no good either.

Apparently, when he was born, he was so small and thin he almost didn't survive, which is how he got the name 'Jinliang' (meaning 'ounces' or 'weight'). Later, after Shi Chun learned to read, he ostentatiously gave him the surname 'Wu.' 'Wu Jinliang'—meaning 'no weight,' haha. Uncle, you can tell what kind of person that fellow is just by his naming sense."

The fact that he could recount even these background stories showed he had put effort into his research.

Shen Youkun spoke on, while Qi Ziru listened quietly, offering no opinions. After a moment, he asked, "What's Shi Chun's cultivation level? Is he High Martial?"

Shen Youkun had already made a low estimate, but he chuckled. "Uncle, you're overestimating this place of exile. Cultivation resources are virtually nonexistent, and it's even hard to get enough to eat. Those who can reach High Martial are extremely rare in the entire land of exile. Anyone with that kind of strength would have left this miserable place long ago. He's probably at Initial Martial, still some distance from High Martial. With a strength of a thousand catties, he's considered quite formidable here."

As he spoke the words "strength of a thousand catties," a hint of self-deprecation appeared on his face. When he still possessed his cultivation, he would never have bothered with such "trifling" details. Now, however, he had to admit that "a strength of a thousand catties" was indeed quite formidable.

The so-called Initial Martial is actually an unranked level. Proper cultivation realms are divided into four major stages: High Martial, Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, and Heavenly Immortal. Beyond that, it's no longer a matter of "immortals."

Of course, countless people in this world remain unranked.

Qi Ziru's tone immediately turned questioning. "Since he hasn't reached High Martial, among the many people you've recruited, there must be quite a few with similar strength. Why did you leave those two instead of eliminating them? Are they perhaps hidden, and you can't locate them?"

Only then did Shen Youkun understand why his uncle had asked about cultivation. He instinctively replied, "It's not that we can't find them..." He paused, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Since they weren't in front of outsiders, he quickly mustered his courage to explain, "Uncle, you don't realize how cunning and troublesome this scoundrel Shi Chun is. Born and raised here, he's clawed his way up through constant battles and isn't afraid of death. If we were to move against him, we couldn't afford any mistakes; if you strike a snake, you must kill it, or he'll easily entangle you and refuse to let go. That fellow never rests until he gets his revenge.

The matters we are engaged in require utmost secrecy, and it's not wise to get entangled with such a petty individual. This is why I went to such lengths and spent a fortune to lure him away. The current objective is paramount. I originally intended to leave him be for now and deal with him once he was outside, where there would be plenty of ways to handle him. Under that long-term plan, it should have been foolproof, but I was truly surprised when this scoundrel stubbornly refused to leave."

Qi Ziru slanted a look at him. "Since there was an unexpected turn, how can you be sure he won't discover the activity here? After all, this is his long-established territory."

Shen Youkun quickly bowed, reassuring him, "Uncle, please rest assured. I know exactly where they are. I've arranged for people to discreetly monitor them. They are currently in their old lair, meditating and cultivating. I'll receive immediate notice of any movement and absolutely won't let them detect anything unusual here."

Qi Ziru looked at the busy personnel moving in the gully below. Since matters had progressed this far, further inquiry was pointless, so he changed the subject. "Are the people you recruited reliable?"

Shen Youkun bowed again. "Yes, they are reliable. They were all recruited from other regions and mostly don't know each other. Before they arrived, they had no idea they were coming to Dongjiuyuan, nor what they would be doing."

"Again, let me emphasize: what happens here must not be leaked..." Qi Ziru said slowly, his gaze drifting towards the twilight glow in the sky. After a slight pause, he added in a sickly tone, "Afterwards, leave no one behind."

"Don't worry, Uncle, the contingencies are all prepared," Shen Youkun whispered into his ear. He then straightened slightly, a new question occurring to him. He asked curiously, "Uncle, what exactly are these dragon bones dug up from underground? What use could a pile of mere bones be that justifies such a great cost to you?"

He knew, of course, that his uncle hadn't truly been demoted here for a transgression. Rather, the higher-ups lacked confidence in Shen Youkun's ability to manage the situation and feared failure, so they sent a more competent person to take charge. This place of exile isn't somewhere anyone can just enter or leave; the price of entry is deliberately committing an offense, then having one's cultivation crippled and being exiled according to the rules.

That meant crippling cultivation gained through years of arduous effort!

"Who knows what good it will do," Qi Ziru scoffed, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He raised a hand towards the setting sun, reaching out into the void as if murmuring to himself, "Since ancient times, there have been various doubts about the ancient sages' tales of creating heaven and earth. Many believe there is no distinction between heaven and earth at all, that chaos still persists, and we have always lived within it. It's simply that with our mortal eyes, we see so little and can touch even less. In reality, there are many objects we cannot see or touch, and many forces we cannot perceive."

Shen Youkun was perplexed by this sentiment, unsure of its meaning. Could it be related to his uncle's mission?

Immediately after, Qi Ziru provided the answer. "Before I was ordered to come here, your grandmother gave me some instructions. Legend says that in ancient times, there was a divine beast, immensely long and snake-like, called 'Cijiang.' It was born of chaos and lived within it.

Later, our family accidentally discovered an ancient cave dwelling. Inside, in an old scroll, we found a record stating that a certain ancient god's mount was a colossal spirit snake. It was wingless and unable to fly, yet it could traverse between the real and illusory realms and even foresee calamities. Its description matched that of 'Cijiang,' but tragically, it was slain in a great battle.

For this reason, the family secretly spent a great deal of effort searching for a long time before finally locating the burial place of that ancient god's mount." As he spoke, he gestured towards the excavation site below.

Even without the gesture, a bewildered Shen Youkun had already guessed. Still, he didn't understand. "What's the point of finding it? Can it be used for medicine, for refining treasures, or for boosting cultivation?"

Qi Ziru said blandly, "If 'Cijiang' truly exists, it could prove whether chaos has always been present."

Shen Youkun exclaimed, "Just for that?"

Qi Ziru added, "That's what they say, but do you believe it? Clearly, they also want to take it back and see if it possesses any other miraculous properties."

Shen Youkun was incredulous. "For this mere hypothetical possibility, Grandmother was willing to let you cripple your cultivation and be demoted here?"

"If it were truly something grand, would it be left to you and me to manage? We probably wouldn't even be privy to the information. Do you think I wanted to come? When you got into trouble, your mother tearfully came to me, begging me to find a way for you to survive here. I secretly broke the rules of the place of exile, and the family found out. What else could your grandmother do?" Qi Ziru grew emotional, slapping the armrest.

Shen Youkun was speechless. So his uncle's demotion here was because of him. He understood that the family's claim of discovering his uncle breaking rules was merely an excuse. The truth was, no one wanted their cultivation crippled and be sent here, so they had to compel someone capable to take charge. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

"Sigh," Qi Ziru sighed slowly. "Things have come to this; overthinking is useless. Just focus on getting the job done properly. Your grandmother will look after things from the outside, and the family has also promised that as long as this matter is concluded successfully, they will find a way to get us out early, restore our foundations, recover our cultivation abilities, and bestow a significant reward."

Seeing his nephew's eyes suddenly light up with joy, he immediately added a warning. "You know the consequences of leaking information. The concern isn't about the underground bones being lost, but that our actions have broken the rules of this place of exile. 'Jailer Nie,' who was demoted here to guard, is a ruthless character who dares to defy heavenly laws. If he were to get serious, even our family couldn't withstand it. At that point, the blame would fall entirely on us, and you should be well aware of the repercussions."

"Don't worry, Uncle. The dragon bone has already been located. Judging by its size, it should take only half a day to excavate entirely. We've been digging for over a month without any issues; what could possibly go wrong now that we're about to finish? My current concern is how we'll get such a massive object out of here."

"Our job is to secretly confirm and locate the item. As for how to get it out, that's not our concern; others will handle that."