Chapter 67: Additional Mission

The Peak!

Inside the canyon riverbed, roughly two *zhang* wide, the water suddenly churned as if awakened, and two heads emerged from the surface, one after another.

The soaking wet Wu Jinliang shouted, "Shichun, there's something in the water!"

He didn't need to be reminded. Shi Chun had already leaped from the water onto the cliff face, clinging to the rock wall and looking up. Not only was there something in the water, but there were also people on the banks. Two rows of individuals occupied both sides of the riverbed, staring at them as if they were idiots.

Almost all of them were wearing uniform chestnut-colored clothing. It was clear at a glance that they all belonged to Wukang Mountain.

Wu Jinliang, who had followed him up the cliff, looked up and was also speechless.

In the Land of Exile, where cultivation levels weren't vastly different, one could at worst fight desperately to break out. Here, there was no life to fight for, only death.

With a splash in the water, the heads of two giant pythons also emerged, their greedy eyes fixed on the two small figures on the rock wall. Their dark, immense bodies undulated beneath the surface.

People continued to gather on both banks, lining up to watch the two individuals in "Yì"-character uniforms clinging to the cliff face. Among them were the vexed and annoyed Duan You and Zou Xingbao.

At this sight, the two, dripping water while clinging to the cliff, felt a bit numb. This was no good opportunity to escape; they both realized they might have misunderstood something.

"The Sect Master is still waiting for a reply," someone commanded.

Immediately, a group of Wukang Mountain disciples of high martial cultivation levels leaped down.

Seeing the fierce enemy, and knowing that a wise man doesn't suffer immediate losses, Shi Chun shouted, "Let's talk!"

They had already caught him, so who would talk to him? What had he been doing earlier? He had made everyone rush around. He was kicked headfirst into the water, and before he was fully submerged, he was grabbed by the ankle, yanked out, and flung directly onto the bank.

Wu Jinliang fared no better; he was pressed by the neck and forcibly dragged out.

Once they were out, they were surrounded and beaten with punches and kicks as a release of anger. They were immediately left with bleeding noses and mouths and bruised faces. Their clothes were torn to shreds again. After being beaten into cowering huddles, their cultivation was suppressed, and they were then escorted away like two dead dogs.

The crowd then dispersed.

A sudden and quickly concluded escape attempt thus came to an end.

On the cliff, almost all of the sect's high-ranking officials were present. They stood on high ground, looking into the distance, all wanting to see what kind of people these two audacious individuals truly were, and what made them think that the venerable Wukang Mountain sect's headquarters was a place where outsiders could come and go as they pleased.

In fact, they were genuinely a bit worried. If they had truly managed to escape, Wukang Mountain would have become a laughingstock.

Seeing the returning team from below the mountain, the high-ranking officials breathed a sigh of relief. They knew the fugitives had likely been caught. If they hadn't received news soon, some of the high-ranking officials present might have even personally intervened in the pursuit.

Pang Tiansheng, the supervisor of the Disciplinary Affairs Department, was itching with hatred. He held a carrying pole, wanting to hit someone, but was not qualified to stand at the front.

He had just been severely reprimanded by the Sect Master. The moment the people were handed over to him, they ran away. Who else would be scolded if not him? The closer one was, the harsher the scolding. He was truly shamed in front of everyone, unable to lift his head. Naturally, he utterly detested Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang in his heart and planned to teach them a good lesson once they were back in the Disciplinary Affairs Department.

Soon, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang, beaten to a ghastly state, were brought before the group of high-ranking officials.

In front of everyone, both choked up a few mouthfuls of blood. They had indeed sustained internal injuries from the beating.

Seeing this, Bian Weiying in the crowd couldn't help but be surprised and suspicious. "They really escaped?" he thought. "Could my judgment of them have been wrong?"

Elder Xia Fuli, meanwhile, kept his lips tightly pressed.

"Reporting to the Sect Master, both fugitives from the Disciplinary Affairs Department have been apprehended!" The Wukang Mountain disciple leading the team reported with cupped hands.

Bian Jixiong, with his hands clasped behind his back, paced over to examine the two captured individuals. Immediately, someone grabbed Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang by their hair and yanked them back, exposing their faces for the Sect Master's inspection.

The high-ranking officials observed that these two were indeed unusual. It wasn't their dishevelled appearance, but rather how dark their skin was.

Normally, for rabble of this caliber, Bian Jixiong might not even have had an interest in glancing at them. Yet now, he still asked with some bewilderment, "Why did the two of you try to escape?"

It was an utterly perplexing question. With their cultivation and strength, and being unfamiliar with the place, how dared they treat Wukang Mountain's internal and external security forces as if they were nothing?

Shi Chun, who could barely move, scanned the crowd. Seeing Elder Xia Fuli's expression, he realized that something might have gone wrong. So he blurted out, "You wanted to torture us to death, so naturally we had to escape."

These words only heightened everyone's curiosity. Wu Jinliang's gaze also shifted to Shi Chun, wondering what kind of show Shichun was putting on now.

Bian Jixiong asked, "Who said they wanted to torture you to death?"

"Cough, cough." Shi Chun coughed up some bloody foam again. Then he said clearly, "Forcing us to work is one thing, but they didn't even give us shoes or socks, deliberately forcing us to run barefoot up and down the mountains. What else could that be but trying to torture us to death?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jinliang immediately grew bolder. He followed up, shouting, "Exactly! They even deliberately threw pebbles on the ground to hurt our feet! What else could that be but trying to torture us to death?"

Everyone collectively looked down at their feet. They were indeed barefoot.

It was unclear if they had lost their shoes during the escape. This point naturally needed to be confirmed. Bian Jixiong called out, "Pang Tiansheng!"

"Ah, present." Pang Tiansheng's stout figure immediately squeezed out from the crowd. He had the timid demeanor of a mouse encountering a cat.

Bian Jixiong asked in a low voice, "Is it true that you didn't give them shoes and made them work barefoot?"

Pang Tiansheng's face immediately showed distress. He really wanted to say that Elder Xia hadn't given them shoes when they were handed over. But after a glance at Elder Xia, who was present, he found it difficult to speak. More importantly, even if he said it, it wouldn't hold up. Elder Xia hadn't given them shoes, but had he told Pang Tiansheng *not* to give them shoes?

Furthermore, if he dared to implicate Elder Xia at this moment, Elder Xia wouldn't suffer any consequences, but his Sect Master, his master, would be even angrier and punish him more severely. It was better to grit his teeth and admit it. So, he said weakly, "The shoes... I forgot."

"They really didn't give them shoes and made them work barefoot?" Many exchanged glances.

Of course, many could also understand. They knew this fatty had a good relationship with Wei Bian.

Bian Jixiong's expression darkened by three points. He then asked Wu Jinliang, "Who deliberately threw stones on the ground to hurt your feet? Point them out."

Although Wu Jinliang had been beaten beyond recognition, he still said righteously, "I don't know any of your Wukang Mountain people. How would I know?"

The general meaning was enough. Knowing what happened was sufficient. Bian Jixiong did not pursue the matter further. What good would it do to identify the perpetrators? There was a reason for it, and as the Sect Master, it was difficult for him to handle. The victims didn't know who the perpetrators were, so he just let the matter drop.

He turned and gestured to the high-ranking officials, and they departed.

Before leaving, Elder Xia specifically instructed for Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang to be taken away for treatment.

When they reached the entrance of the Disciplinary Affairs Department, Pang Tiansheng, holding his carrying pole, still intended to teach Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang a lesson. Who knew the men weren't handed over to his department at all? They passed the department's entrance and were sent straight to the dungeon.

Afterward, he received notice of punishment. The Sect Master personally ordered the forfeiture of three months of his salary.

Enraged, he smashed his carrying pole. "Who did I provoke?" he fumed. "I didn't even do anything!" He vented his anger on Duan You and Zou Xingbao, scolding them severely and punishing them by making them take over Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's water-carrying duties first.

At Anle Inn, a waiter knocked on Xiang Lan'er's door. Seeing Bian Weikang was also there, he asked if she wanted the room cleaned. This was a hint for Xiang Lan'er. So, after dismissing the waiter, Xiang Lan'er also sent Bian Weikang away.

Soon, Feng Chi, cloaked in a hood, arrived. There was no need for pleasantries between her and Xiang Lan'er. After meeting, she directly informed her in a low voice, "Miss, we just received news from above. We've been given some new tasks."

Xiang Lan'er frowned slightly. "The current matters aren't even settled yet. Weren't we told to focus solely on Wukang Mountain and not concern ourselves with other things?"

Feng Chi smiled, "That's just because it's you, Miss. If it were anyone else, they would simply be ordered to execute instructions without being told the details behind the scenes.

"Regarding the Land of Exile, when the higher-ups recently investigated Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang's background more deeply, they discovered some new information.

"The relationship between Shi Chun and Bowang Tower should be more than just Shi Chun's one-sided pursuit of Lan Qiaoyan's daughter.

"According to investigations, before the two left Shengyu, they were accused of theft within the city at the entrance of Bowang Tower. They were immediately arrested by the city guards. When it happened, Wu Jinliang shouted 'Mother!' towards Bowang Tower, calling for his mother to save him.

"Then some interesting things were discovered. After the two were arrested by the city guards, Lan Qiaoyan subsequently entered the inner city of Zhixu City. Later, the two who were thought to be unable to escape death emerged alive, while the person who had accused them of theft had disappeared."

Xiang Lan'er exclaimed in surprise, "Lan Qiaoyan is Wu Jinliang's mother? Did Lan Qiaoyan save them?"

Feng Chi replied, "It's unlikely she's his biological mother. This is also the most interesting part. Some say Wu Jinliang recognized Lan Qiaoyan as his godmother a long time ago, but Lan Qiaoyan denies it. Yet she allows Shi Chun to associate with her daughter. Shengyu is not like other places; Bowang Tower in Shengyu does not interfere with city guard matters. But Lan Qiaoyan seems to have made an exception for these two.

"She didn't enter the inner city before, nor did she later; she just happened to enter the inner city after the two were arrested. Then, the two whom others believed could not escape death emerged alive. Could this be a coincidence?

"The higher-ups also found that, at Bowang Tower in Zhaotian City, the two subordinates of Shi Chun working for Dong Jiuyuan, were also recommended into Bowang Tower by Lan Qiaoyan.

"The higher-ups also found that Shi Chun and his companion left Shengyu with Bowang Tower's delivery team. Judging by the time, with their cultivation levels, they couldn't have reached Zhaotian City in such a short period. They must have been directly transported to Zhaotian City by Bowang Tower's delivery team. And Lan Qiaoyan's daughter had just been transferred to Bowang Tower in Zhaotian City before that."

Xiang Lan'er said thoughtfully, "In that case, the relationship between these two and Lan Qiaoyan is indeed extraordinary."

Feng Chi concluded, "Lan Qiaoyan's husband holds a high position in Bowang Tower. The higher-ups are very interested in the relationship between these two and Bowang Tower. They said that the value of Bowang Tower far exceeds that of Wukang Mountain. The implication is that regardless of whether Shi Chun is a rogue demon or from any other lineage, both of them are worth cultivating. Therefore, it's very necessary to continue to ascertain their purpose for coming to Wukang Mountain. And this will not significantly affect your plan to take over Wukang Mountain, Miss."