Chapter Sixteen: Uncle Zhao of the Green Mountain Sect

“Is that so? Have you discovered the people who killed our second leader?”

Over the past few days, so as not to alert their prey, they had refrained from hindering ordinary travelers or merchants passing through—save for the soldiers from He County who were sent out for reinforcements, whom they captured and killed.

Therefore, after a brief moment of thought, the red-faced elder spoke up.

“No, but this merchant caravan is transporting a great deal of wealth. Judging by the tracks of their wheels, they’re prime targets.”

The bandit scout continued his report, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Hearing that their next mark was indeed a fat sheep, everyone present—including the red-faced elder—couldn’t help but brighten with anticipation. A few of the more bellicose men went so far as to eagerly polish the great sabers slung over their shoulders.

“Do it, but make it quick and clean. Best if we wipe them out without alerting the people of He County, then destroy all evidence.”

“Yes, chief!”

At the red-faced elder’s command, the bandits responded in unison, their eyes alight with bloodlust...

Tian’nan Commandery was but one of the many mortal territories within the realm, where spiritual energy was scarce and even a passable spiritual vein was almost unheard of.

For that reason, the great sects looked down on this place, and only a handful of minor cultivation factions had taken root here.

Green Mountain Sect was one such group; the most powerful elder in the sect had merely reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, while the sect leader himself was but at the initial stage.

Yet, even so, in the eyes of the common folk, they were immortals to be revered.

A day prior, after a strenuous journey, the Wang father and son finally arrived at the foot of Green Mountain Sect. Since the young master Wang had already been accepted as an outer disciple, entering the sect posed no great obstacle.

However, seeking an audience with a sect elder was another matter entirely. After all, an outer disciple was little more than a servant, wholly unqualified to meet with the elders.

Left with no alternative, Wang Sheng seized the opportunity today to mention the matter of the demon mosquitoes to Uncle Zhao, the steward responsible for outer affairs, hoping to arouse his interest.

“What’s that? Rapidly growing demon mosquitoes in Wo Niu Village? Possibly a primordial aberration? You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“Uncle, you must be joking. Even if I had a hundred lives, I wouldn’t dare deceive you. If you don’t believe me, you need only meet my father and you’ll see I speak the truth.”

Uncle Zhao was at the peak of the Qi Refining stage and had a particular interest in studies of pest control and beast taming. Seeing his curiosity piqued, Wang Sheng hastened to assure him with a fawning smile.

When Xiao Wenzi bit him, Wang Sheng had not yet begun cultivating the Blood Spirit Art, and the medicinal salve he’d used was effective; after a few days, the itchy welts on his face and neck had nearly healed.

However, perhaps due to the mosquito venom growing stronger from cultivating the Blood Spirit Art, Wang Yuanwai—waiting outside the sect for news—still bore a visage that was difficult to behold.

Uncle Zhao, sensing with his spiritual sense, found no reason to doubt Wang Sheng. He warned him not to spread word of this, promising that he would personally see to the extermination of the demon mosquitoes.

With that, Uncle Zhao produced his flying sword, and the two of them set off ahead to Wo Niu Village.

He brought Wang Sheng along partly because he feared loose talk, and partly because Wang Yuanwai would need several days to return to the village. Without Wang Sheng present to vouch for him, the Wang family might not cooperate fully with a stranger claiming to be a cultivator.

“You—you damn bandits! Ambushing us from hiding—how despicable!”

The men of the Liu Escort Agency had been vigilant throughout the journey, fully prepared for any emergency.

Yet, dozens of miles from He County, in a forest they believed to be safe, they were first bombarded by a volley of arrows, then beset by a sudden charge of mounted bandits. Their curses were laced with terror.

Their foes outnumbered them four or five to one. The sudden ambush had already cost them several lives before they could react. Victory was out of the question; even escape seemed all but impossible.

“Kill them all! Leave none alive!”

The bandits wasted no words. At the order of their chief, Chu Hong, over a hundred men surged forward, weapons gleaming.

“Form up! Protect the young master and retreat to He County!”

The lead escort of the Liu Agency was a seasoned veteran. Calm under fire, he ordered his men to form ranks and attempt a breakout back to He County.

But the bandits were too swift—masters of mounted assault, with the Black Scarf Bandit chief leading the charge as an unstoppable force. Blood spattered as the two sides clashed.

Of course, it wasn’t only the escorts who fell; some bandits were wounded and slain as well.

Xiao Wenzi cared nothing for the carnage of the battle, nor did he have any inclination to help. There were simply too many bandits; even if he tried to tip the scales from the shadows, it would be impossible for the Liu Agency to turn the tide, and he risked exposing himself.

He flew straight to a wounded and unconscious bandit who’d been thrown from his horse, and began to gleefully suck blood from the exposed artery of the man’s severed limb.

Squelch, squelch...

Blood sprayed, and bodies piled up. Facing an enemy four or five times their number, the fate of the Liu Escort Agency was sealed.

In less than two hours, all were slaughtered save for the richly dressed young master, who had claimed to hail from a wealthy family and was captured alive.

During the chaos, several passing merchant caravans—unfortunate enough to witness the crime—were also caught up and killed.

When the battle was over, and Chu Hong ordered the field cleared and the corpses buried, no one noticed a tiny mosquito slip quietly from the sleeve of a dead bandit they had carried into the woods.

It had been a lucrative day. The bandits’ haul was abundant, and Xiao Wenzi, who had taken the opportunity to drink his fill and exchange blood for system coins, had also profited handsomely.

Now that he’d reached the late stage of the first tier of the Demon Qi realm, his rate of exchange had increased. By the time the blood at the bandit’s wound had clotted and could no longer be consumed, he had amassed exactly 870 system coins—a windfall, indeed.

Once he left this place, he planned to find a secure spot, exchange for some Spirit Gathering Stones and Rocky Essence to aid his cultivation, and perhaps break through to the second tier.

With this pleasant thought, Xiao Wenzi flew out of the woods without hesitation.

“Damn, without a free mount, relying solely on my own wings is just too exhausting.”

As the sun dipped westward, Xiao Wenzi, traveling in fits and starts along the official road for an entire day, had barely put twenty miles between himself and the woods where the bandits buried the bodies. With the Black Scarf Bandits blocking the road, not a single carriage or traveler passed between He County and Qing County.

His own flight was draining, and though the third layer of the Blood Spirit Art could stave off hunger for a time, it couldn’t truly replace food. Lingering here to cultivate was hardly wise.

So, he paused by the roadside to feed on wild fruit juices, replenishing his strength, and pressed on under cover of night.

Hundreds of miles away, above the Wang estate in Wo Niu Village, a streak of light appeared and vanished, revealing Uncle Zhao and Wang Sheng.

Expanding his spiritual sense, Uncle Zhao—a man who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties—easily detected several ladies of the house with faces covered in welts, as well as servants and maids ceaselessly scratching their itchy arms and necks.

Confirming that demon mosquitoes were indeed present, his face broke into a delighted smile as he descended gracefully to the ground with Wang Sheng.