Chapter 45: Chapter 44: No Cause for Concern

Qing City.

Within a quiet and secluded courtyard,

Shen Shiyin was bowing, his expression reverent as he reported something to the middle-aged man seated in the place of honor before him.

If one were to get closer,

they would be able to hear frequent mentions of Dawan Village, Shen Changchuan, Demon Beast attacks, and financial losses.

After a long moment,

the middle-aged man in the seat of honor nodded slightly, his lips moving faintly.

It was impossible to tell what he said,

but it caused Shen Shiyin to break out in a sweat, his legs to go weak, and nearly made him kneel on the ground as he lowered his head and explained himself repeatedly.

After another long moment, the Transportation Envoy waved his hand, finally allowing Shen Shiyin to withdraw.

As he walked out of the courtyard gate,

Shen Shiyin’s legs felt weak, and his back was soaked through with a cold sweat.

’Damn it! I never should have volunteered for that mission!’

’I shouldn’t have been so smug and shown off!’

He wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, unable to stop his regret, even cursing himself under his breath.

He had been the one to volunteer for the mission to collect the Spirit Grain tribute from the area around Dawan Village.

Citing his previous post and greater familiarity with the region compared to others, he had easily secured the assignment.

His reason for doing so was, in part, driven by the desire to return in glory and show off in front of Shen Changchuan—the "enemy" who had taken his position.

And that was indeed what happened.

Not long ago, after witnessing the "disastrous state" of Shen Changchuan’s management of Dawan Village,

he had felt immense satisfaction,

so much so that he felt the bottleneck in his cultivation, which had been stagnant for years, faintly begin to loosen.

But he had never imagined,

that such a huge pitfall was hidden within it all!

The moment he returned, he was summoned directly by the Transportation Envoy himself to be questioned about matters related to Shen Changchuan!

The Transportation Envoy, who managed the collection of Spirit Grain tributes from all regions, was a clan Elder at the Soul Emergence Realm!

Within the Shen Clan, he was a truly powerful figure!

Being summoned by such a person brought Shen Shiyin no excitement, only endless terror.

He was just a minor Cultivator at the mere Qi Introduction Fourth Layer; he wasn’t even qualified to be the man’s dog.

Being summoned alone like this meant he had likely been dragged into some incident.

Shen Shiyin didn’t dare to hide anything.

He recounted everything he had seen and guessed in Dawan Village to the Transportation Envoy, down to the last detail.

’Could it be that Shen Changchuan has some faction within the clan backing him?’

’Even if he’s an illegitimate son, he’s still the Patriarch’s own flesh and blood. I really can’t underestimate him!’

’I just hope this doesn’t blow back on me. Someone as insignificant as me can’t possibly withstand waves this big!’

Thinking back on Shen Changchuan’s sensitive identity,

Shen Shiyin wanted to slap himself.

’Damn it all!’

’Serves you right for being so smug!’

This time, not only had he potentially been drawn into some upper-echelon vortex, but he had also been given a warning by the Transportation Envoy.

’Sigh, this whole trip was a waste of effort.’

He would probably have to give away all the extra profit he had skimmed from this trip!

Shen Shiyin sighed.

He didn’t know if the Transportation Envoy’s warning was to keep him quiet about the matter or for some other reason,

but regardless,

he no longer dared to keep the Spirit Stones and Spirit Medicines he had received.

A powerful figure like that could crush him as easily as an ant.

But just thinking about the benefits he had received,

Shen Shiyin felt a pang of heartache.

It was such a lucrative post, and he had been hoping to line his pockets with it, but in the end...

’Forget it.’

’I won’t think about it anymore.’

’What rotten luck. I’ll do my best to avoid getting involved with people like that from now on!’

Frustrated, Shen Shiyin departed.

At that same moment,

back in the courtyard,

the Transportation Envoy took out a yellow Talisman and inscribed a message into it with his Divine Sense:

Shen Changchuan resides in Dawan Village. However, his ambition outstrips his talent; he aims high but achieves little. He is already overwhelmed managing a mere twelve mu of Spirit Fields and is of no concern.

After leaving the message,

he poured his Magical Power into the Talisman. It glowed with a yellow light, transformed into a streak of light, and leaped into the void, vanishing without a trace.

In truth, he had vaguely sensed that something was amiss from the words of that little Cultivator named Shen Shiyin.

Normally, he should have sent someone or gone to investigate himself.

However, the Patriarch’s first wife had asked him to investigate the illegitimate son with nothing but empty words,

not offering even a single Spirit Stone.

He had only reluctantly agreed for the sake of the Crown Prince.

He couldn’t be bothered to go personally.

’Heh, that just shows the extent of her vision and composure. To be flustered by a mere illegitimate son, and even worry that others might follow his example...’

He thought of that jealous first wife, and the recent affair that had caused such a stir in Tian Nan City.

The Transportation Envoy couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

’She only has her good birth and a son who lives up to expectations. Otherwise, with a matriarch like her, how could she possibly keep her position secure?’

The Transportation Envoy shook his head, complaining silently to himself.

As for that Shen Changchuan,

he cared even less.

’So what if he’s hiding something?’

Dawan Village was just a place with twelve mu of Spirit Fields, and the surrounding area was barren.

’Shallow waters cannot nurture a True Dragon.’

’Reaching the Qi Introduction Late Stage will be that boy’s limit for his entire life.’

’He’s not even worth mentioning.’

...

Meanwhile,

elsewhere,

Shen Changchuan, deep within a dense forest, was still unaware that he had just narrowly avoided trouble.

But at this moment,

his own brow was tightly furrowed.

Because he had run into trouble.

Big trouble.

Looking up, he saw towering cliffs rising abruptly on both sides, obscuring the sun and leaving only a thin line of sky in between.

This was the destination marked on the map from Zhao Hanguo.

Zhao Hanguo hadn’t played any tricks with the map.

Along the way,

aside from the occasional attack by a passing Low Tier Demon Beast from the mountains, Shen Changchuan had encountered no major incidents and arrived safely.

Peering into the canyon fissure,

Shen Changchuan could faintly make out the ruins of the cave estate several li away, nestled between the cliffs, thanks to the enhanced vision from his Spiritual Eye Technique!

But the problem now was,

that besides the ruins of the cave estate, he also saw a new Demon Beast nest.

The Demon Beast nest was built right above the ruins!

It was only a few hundred meters away!

And the owner of the nest,

was someone Shen Changchuan happened to recognize.

It was an old acquaintance he had fought not long ago—the Gale Falcon!

’Why did that thing build its nest there?!’

Hiding in the dense forest, Shen Changchuan watched from several li away as the Gale Falcon in its nest tore at and devoured the flesh of a large python’s corpse.

His expression darkened.

This was a completely unexpected turn of events.

It was too much of a coincidence.

But on second thought, it wasn’t that strange.

Dawan Village had never been attacked by a Gale Falcon before, which proved this one was a new arrival to the area.

And this gorge, with its sheer cliffs and narrow sky, was indeed a suitable place for a Flying Demon Beast like it to build a nest.

This place was deep in the mountains, devoid of human presence,

and the surrounding Spiritual Qi was decent.

It was perfectly normal for it to build its nest here.

But the problem was,

with that creature guarding the ruins from above,

he, Shen Changchuan, was in trouble.

"What should I do now?"

For a moment,

Shen Changchuan muttered, feeling a headache coming on as he looked at the Gale Falcon.