Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Why Court Death? Qingfeng Pavilion

"All is well at home. No need to worry."

Yang Chan looked at the crooked handwriting, very satisfied. He was pleased with everything—the method of concealment and the message itself.

He could set aside the matter with Princess Lan Yue for now and proceed with his original plan: head to Yun City.

Yun City was now only a day’s journey away. He hoped to encounter less trouble on the road.

Especially people looking for a death wish. The fewer of them he met, the better. He really didn’t want to get his hands dirty.

’Why throw their lives away like that?’

The final day of his journey wasn’t on the official Huayun Dao. Instead, he took a path leading out from Yun City. It was wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage, but less safe than the main road.

He’d run into trouble even near the main road, so he naturally had little faith in this path’s safety.

Evil thoughts can arise in an instant. Some people seem ordinary, but their wicked impulses emerge in the dark of night.

Yang Chan rode his Qing State Horse onward. To his surprise, the journey was uneventful.

He had expected to run into some minor trouble on this last day—petty thieves or bandits who didn’t know any better. He was even prepared to stretch his limbs a bit, but the journey was completely smooth. This surprised Yang Chan.

He didn’t understand why until he reached Yun City and saw the heads of bandits still hanging from the city walls.

The authorities in Yun City had organized a campaign to exterminate bandits. The troublemakers Yang Chan had anticipated were cleared out ahead of time, leaving his path clear.

All of Qing State was under the Cyan Yuan Sect’s control, and Yun City was no exception. It naturally had a Sect garrison. Since Yang Chan was on a mission, he first headed to the Cyan Yuan Sect’s outpost within the city before looking for the contact the Han Family had arranged for him.

He had a mission to complete, but he also had to obtain the medicinal ingredients for the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill. Otherwise, the trip would be a waste.

For this trip to Yun City, his main goals were to avoid the affair of the Silver State Secret Realm and to obtain the materials needed for Refining the Three Revolutions Nourishing Viscera Pill. He had already collected all the other ingredients and was now only missing the final two primary herbs.

As for Yu State, no news had arrived yet. Yang Chan wasn’t sure if he’d be able to acquire what he needed from there, so for now, he was pinning his hopes on Yun City.

...

Yang Chan stopped, leading his Qing State Horse, before Qingfeng Pavilion.

This was the outpost the Cyan Yuan Sect had established in Yun City. The compound wasn’t massive, but it still covered more than ten mu of land, and it wasn’t even the largest structure in the city.

Compared to White Jade City, where every inch of land was as precious as gold, the land here in Yun City wasn’t nearly as valuable. Moreover, since it was within the Cyan Yuan Sect’s territory, the pavilion they built was naturally substantial; anything less would have diminished the Sect’s prestige.

As Yang Chan approached Qingfeng Pavilion, an attendant from inside came out to greet him. Much like the Cyan Yuan Pavilion in White Jade City, the property was being put to use rather than sitting idle.

The silver coins it earned were sent to the Cyan Yuan Sect, and it even served as a channel for sending rare materials back to the Sect. This was one of the sources for the Cyan Yuan Sect’s many precious resources.

Yang Chan had only learned all this after his previous visit to the Cyan Yuan Pavilion.

Qingfeng Pavilion served the same purpose, so he wasn’t surprised to be greeted by an attendant.

"I’m with the Cyan Yuan Sect. I need to see the steward of Qingfeng Pavilion."

Yang Chan told the attendant. These workers were all affiliated with the Cyan Yuan Sect, considered Servant Disciples—some hadn’t even begun to practice Fist Techniques. However, working at Qingfeng Pavilion meant they were under the Sect’s protection, so plenty of people were eager to join.

They would do it even without pay, as long as their meals were provided.

Of course, while that was the rumor, the Cyan Yuan Sect would never actually allow such a practice. It would tarnish the Sect’s name. If word of it got out, the local stewards would be in deep trouble.

As the dominant power in Qing State, the Sect was very mindful of its reputation. A portion of its disciples were recruited from the common folk, a sustainable, long-term strategy that required maintaining a good name among the populace.

After all, even though the Cyan Yuan Sect was the dominant power, it still faced constraints from the Government Office. These constraints weren’t significant, but they existed. Furthermore, there were other Minor Sects, some of which were aligned with the Court—or even secretly backed by it—specifically to curb the Cyan Yuan Sect’s growth.

The recently annihilated Three Major Sects were a case in point. Their destruction also cost the Cyan Yuan Sect dearly, including Inner Masters and disciples skilled in External Refining or who had comprehended Power. Both sides suffered heavy losses, which was precisely the outcome the Court had hoped for.

The attendant wasn’t too surprised by Yang Chan’s words. He called over a younger boy to lead Yang Chan and his Qing State Horse to the stables.

The reason for this was twofold: Yang Chan’s Qing State Horse and his own bearing. A single glance told you he was either wealthy or of high status.

In this area, that meant he was almost certainly from the Cyan Yuan Sect.

Of course, the attendant didn’t ask. Anyone from the Cyan Yuan Sect would state their affiliation.

Yang Chan watched the younger attendant, followed him to stable the Qing State Horse, and then entered the pavilion. Soon after, the first attendant returned with the steward of Qingfeng Pavilion.

After Yang Chan presented his Identity Token, the steward invited him into the rear courtyard.

"So, you’re Pharmacist Yang! May I ask what business brings you to Yun City?"

The steward of Qingfeng Pavilion was very surprised after seeing Yang Chan’s Identity Token. It was rare for a Pharmacist to visit a place like Yun City, as it wasn’t known for precious Spirit Medicines. Usually, they would travel to more prosperous cities for such things.

Yun City was famous for its iron ore, so an Artifact Refiner might visit in search of rare minerals to forge into Weapons.

"Steward Li, I’ve accepted a mission to collect the accounts from one of the mines. I need to visit the mine, retrieve last month’s ledgers, and deliver them back to the Cyan Yuan Sect. I’ll have to ask you to make the arrangements."

Yang Chan produced a mission document that detailed the task he had accepted.

It was the official record for accepting and completing missions.

Hearing this, Steward Li’s eyes widened in disbelief, which was quickly followed by a flicker of suspicion.

A Pharmacist from the Cyan Yuan Sect accepting a mission to collect mining accounts... The idea sounded preposterous. He had certainly never heard of such a thing. He began to doubt the authenticity of Yang Chan’s identity, wondering if he’d perhaps found someone else’s Identity Token.

However, the suspicion vanished from his eyes once he read Yang Chan’s mission document. It contained a detailed record and even made a special note of Pharmacist Yang Chan’s identity, clearly to prevent this exact kind of misunderstanding.

After finishing the document, Steward Li glanced at Yang Chan several more times. Though he tried to conceal it, his peculiar expression still betrayed his confusion. It was clear he couldn’t comprehend why a Pharmacist would take on such a task.