Chapter 545: Delivery

Amidst the beautiful, inspiring mountains, Qiu Ben, standing in a tall pavilion enveloped by ethereal mist, occasionally let out a soft sigh.

Days passed, and the interrogation of the Bai clan had reached an impasse, suggesting that the initial judgment regarding them might have been mistaken.

Currently, most of the detained Bai clan members undergoing interrogation could no longer withstand the pressure, confessing to various unsavory matters. However, none of their confessions involved the rice shop's abduction or delivery of people. In fact, they seemed to know almost nothing about the connection between Shi Chun, the rice shop, and the Bai clan.

In other words, since they were willing to reveal information detrimental to the Bai clan, having already betrayed them under severe torture, there would be no reason for them to conceal anything about Shi Chun and the Bai clan.

Conversely, it was genuinely possible that the Bai clan had no connection to the shocking events outside Dazhi City.

The reasoning was simple: Although Granny Qi's cultivation was high, she couldn't have handled all matters, both internal and external, by herself. There would always be insiders below her.

Furthermore, inferring from this, if even the Bai clan's subordinates refused to speak, further severe interrogation of Granny Qi would yield no results, and there would be no need to interrogate her further.

Therefore, the Phoenix Clan had gradually grown extremely dissatisfied with the Blazing Fire Sect's actions. They felt that while they had cooperated as requested, they could not be expected to continue doing so indefinitely.

They had already begun to pressure the Blazing Fire Sect to cease operations and release the detainees.

They also forbade the Blazing Fire Sect from continuing to use excessive torture, as the prevailing sentiment was increasingly shifting towards protecting the Bai clan.

Of course, if the Blazing Fire Sect could offer substantial benefits, the Phoenix Clan might not mind completely abandoning the Bai clan to them.

But the question was, did the Blazing Fire Sect need to continue incurring huge costs for a potentially mistaken direction?

Consequently, Qiu Ben, personally stationed there, was under immense pressure. Some high-ranking members of his sect had already expressed dissatisfaction with him, even remarking that they had sent a "wooden dummy" to oversee the situation.

Huang Lang, who had climbed to the tall pavilion, sensed his master's melancholy. Approaching him, he suggested, "Master, if it truly comes to it, perhaps we could try using the Yin Xu connection at the Scarlet Jade Pavilion?"

Qiu Ben shook his head slightly. "The commotion caused by our forceful entry into the Scarlet Jade Pavilion was too great before; we have likely alerted him. Using the Yin Xu connection now would be pointless. Only by avoiding Yin Xu for now can we potentially make Shi Chun lower his guard. Then, we can seal off his escape routes, and only then might the Yin Xu connection prove useful. From the information gathered in the past, that villain Shi Chun is extremely cunning and sly. We must proceed with utmost caution. We were a bit too impulsive before."

Huang Lang hesitated, asking, "Could Shi Chun have already left Juku Continent?"

Qiu Ben replied, "In this regard, we might as well trust the Western Emperor's judgment. Since he deduced from Yin Xu's reaction that Shi Chun has not yet left the territory, that person should still be within Juku Continent. Although we don't know what that mysterious Shi Chun is up to, we must also continue to monitor Huang Yingying, whom Po Yuan mentioned."

"Understood," Huang Lang replied, but a question lingered in his mind: would simply waiting it out truly be effective?

That evening, at the detention facility, Yin Fei, the patrol guard on duty, again found an opportunity to send others away. He approached the cell and whispered to Granny Qi inside, "Granny, that tavern in the city has released the new dish you mentioned."

He didn't know the significance of the tavern releasing that new dish, but Granny Qi's eyes lit up. She knew that the person outside, who was managing the refinement of the 'Death-Defying Incense,' had successfully completed it.

She immediately approached the cell bars and whispered, "Arrange another secret letter for Yin Xu, the owner of Scarlet Jade Pavilion. Tell her to inform Gao He that the goods are ready. They will be placed under a large stone at our first meeting spot tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM) for them to retrieve themselves. Additionally, arrange for someone to go to that tavern and order the new dish, with the reservation time also set for tomorrow at Chenshi."

Yin Fei repeated what she said, and after confirming its accuracy, he quickly departed.

Two hours later, the so-called secret letter appeared inside the Scarlet Jade Pavilion, landing in Yin Xu's hands.

Yin Xu couldn't help but ponder the letter's contents. She wondered what the "goods" actually were, and as for the "first meeting spot," it was impossible to guess.

After hesitating, she still sent the letter's contents to Shi Chun using a mother-child talisman.

At this moment, Shi Chun and his companions were hiding underground, in a subterranean cave dug by Wu Jinliang using his earth-burrowing technique. It had concealed air vents, ensuring their safety, though they were quite bored.

The reason for their bored wait was the news from Granny Qi. Earlier, Granny Qi had already sent a message via Yin Xu, stating that the cooperation would continue.

Even earlier, Granny Qi had said that the refinement of the 'Death-Defying Incense' would take about ten days.

Since Granny Qi could still send messages outside, it indicated she still had a certain degree of control over the situation and the ability to continue with the cooperation.

For now, they would trust her and await her news.

As it turned out, his wait was not in vain. As soon as Yin Xu's message arrived, he understood the delivery location. Where else could Wu Jinliang and Granny Qi have first met but at Sheltering Slope outside Dazhi City?

He immediately summoned his close associates to discuss and arrange the retrieval of the goods.

By Chenshi (7-9 AM) the next day, Lao Changtai, in disguise, flew directly on a wind-scale mount, landing precisely at Sheltering Slope, where Granny Qi and Wu Jinliang had first met, under the rising sun.

They could have hired a passerby, but after Shi Chun considered it carefully, he decided to send his own people to retrieve the goods.

For instance, Sheltering Slope was quite large, and guiding a passerby to the specific location within the Heart-Wrapping Grass forest would be troublesome.

Sunlight dappled through the leaves, unable to conceal the lush green foliage. Upon landing, Lao Changtai first cautiously scanned his surroundings. Then, he went straight to a large stone within his sight. He used his magic to flip it over, immediately revealing a pit containing a small box.

After inspecting it with magic, he quickly took the small box and opened it. Inside, nestled in a soft cushion, was a small silver jar.

He took out the sealed small jar and opened its lid, revealing an egg-sized lump of blackish, smooth paste. It emitted a refreshing, subtle fragrance.

"Is this the 'Death-Defying Incense'?" Lao Changtai couldn't help but murmur softly. It didn't seem to have the exaggerated fragrance described in legends.

He reached out and used magic to check the pit again, confirming that this was it, and there was nothing else.

Immediately, following Shi Chun's instructions, he took out another jar of his own. He used magic to scrape out all the blackish paste from the silver jar, transferring it completely into his own jar. Then, he threw the original box and jar back into the pit and covered them by flipping the large stone back over.

After that, he rode his wind-scale mount into the sky. While airborne, he removed his gloves and foot covers, throwing them away. He then transformed into a streak of light and quickly vanished into the distance.

He himself felt that this might be overly cautious.

But Shi Chun had said, "At the very least, the Blazing Fire Sect already knows Wang Ping is Shi Chun."

There was a whole set of precautions to follow afterwards.

Lao Changtai followed a pre-determined route, because Shi Chun and his group would be ambushed along that route, observing for any pursuers.

After confirming it was safe, Lao Changtai, having received the confirmation, then headed to the rendezvous point.

In a mountain crevice, Shi Chun opened the 'Death-Defying Incense' and examined it. He had never seen the genuine article, so he couldn't tell if it was authentic. If it was real and Granny Qi hadn't arranged any surveillance, he would indeed feel a bit unaccustomed to such smoothness.

A few heads nearby also leaned in to inspect it.

"Only this much?" Wu Jinliang murmured after seeing it. The quantity clearly didn't satisfy him.

Shi Chun weighed it in his hand. "They say three hundred jin of raw material can yield one liang, which aligns with the legends. As long as the item itself is fine, we can discuss the quantity later."

Wu Jinliang also nodded and hummed, "First, let's verify if it's real."

Shi Chun immediately said to Chu Jing-tang and the other two, "Who can go catch a living creature nearby?"

Chu Jing-tang replied, "I'll go. What kind of creature do you need?"

Shi Chun replied, "Anything will do, just something a bit larger."

"Alright," Chu Jing-tang agreed and then quickly departed.

He left quickly and returned quickly. Before long, he returned with a dirt wolf, still snarling fiercely and baring its teeth.

Shi Chun directly grabbed the dirt wolf by the neck and choked it until it stopped breathing, then dropped it to the ground. He then took out the 'Ice Ram' he had prepared in advance, used for assisting breathing in oxygen-depleted environments. He said to Chu Jing-tang and the other two, "I've heard that when the 'Death-Defying Incense' is used, its scent can drift very far. I don't know how effective hiding deep underground will be in concealing it. The three of you should lie in ambush around us. If the scent permeates out, or if anything seems wrong, immediately give a warning."

"Alright," all three nodded in agreement.

Shi Chun immediately nodded at Wu Jinliang.

Wu Jinliang chuckled, squatted, and pressed his hands on the ground. A pit immediately opened, and he, along with Shi Chun and the dirt wolf's corpse, sank underground.

From a bystander's perspective, Chu Jing-tang clicked his tongue and remarked, "If this guy learned this skill, he'll probably use it to abduct people."

From beneath the rapidly closing ground, Wu Jinliang's grunt emerged. "Filthy! I have plenty of money now; why would I need to steal?"

The three people above ground all burst into laughter. They were quite wealthy now. When they were previously struggling in their former sects, they never imagined they would become so rich in just a few years. However, their lives often became a bit too thrilling.

Alas, having already boarded the ship, they could only try their best to adapt.

After their amusement, the three each waved their hands and dispersed to their respective positions for hidden sentry duty.

After sinking to a sufficient depth underground, Shi Chun spoke, "This should be enough. If the scent can still escape at this depth, going deeper won't help."

Wu Jinliang stopped after widening the space a bit.

Shi Chun, holding the Sandalwood Golden Flame Qi and Ice Ram, tossed the jar containing the 'Death-Defying Incense' to him.

Wu Jinliang caught the jar, opened it, and scooped a lump onto his fingertip with his index finger. He then asked Shi Chun, "Shall I just burn it now?"

Shi Chun replied, "You're asking me? I don't know either. I've heard it's meant to be burned directly."

Alright, Wu Jinliang briefly closed his eyes in contemplation, secretly casting a spell. When he abruptly opened his eyes, a sphere of orange-red flame hummed into existence on his fingertip, clearly indicating he had deployed fire manipulation techniques.

There was no other way; there were several practitioners of fire-element cultivation methods in the Bright Mountain Sect. He, who practiced the "Technique of All Forms," had pestered them for sparring sessions. While he couldn't replicate their fire-element cultivation methods perfectly, setting a few things on fire was certainly not an issue.

The burning flame enveloped the blackish paste on his fingertip.

Soon, a peculiar fragrance wafted out—an indescribable, exotic aroma. Its scent was so enchanting that it made one's spirit float, evoking a feeling of blissful ecstasy. They had to use their magic to steady their minds to remain conscious.

Shi Chun intently watched the changes in the burning paste. Strangely, he saw small bubbles welling up, but no smoke from burning was emitted.

He immediately cast a spell, activating the special ability of his right eye to observe.